Considering Liberty of the Seas

[baflagg]

My husband and I are considering the 9 night Bermuda & Caribbean cruise sailing ouf of NJ next June.

 

In the past we have only cruise NLC so are looking for some comparison from those that may have sailed both cruise lines.

 

The price and number of nights makes this cruise very tempting but not sure about the ports of call. For example the stop in San Juan is only 7:00am-1:00pm it's such short time what is right there at port for us to do.

 

We are also big fans of the freestyle dining. It looks like this is an option with RC but only during certain times.

 

How is the casino on this ship? I would expect the ship would not be overly crowded since school is still in session but I could be totaly wrong.

 

This would be a 10 year anniversary cruise for us so we are going with out our daughter this time so no need to worry about kids programs.

 

Appreciate any feedback on your opions of this ship/itinerary

 

thanks

[SnappyNappi]

HI BAFLAGG,

I have not been on Liberty or any Freedom Class ships YET! However, I have been on this very similar itinerary on Explorer out of Bayonne, so I can speak to some of the questions that you have that are not ship-specific. AND, just as a side note, I did also just book the same cruise that you are considering on Liberty for our family in JULY 2015 while she is here temporarily home-porting in Bayonne.

 

I have never cruised NCL, but the My-Time Dining on RCCL is similar - but not the same as the Free-style on NCL. My-Time Dining enables you to pre-reserve dinner times before you get on the ship OR gives you the option to come and eat in the Main Dining Room at your leisure (you may have to wait a short bit if you just show up). You will find many threads on CC about My-Time Dining. I, for one, LOVE MTD and book it every time we cruise RCCL. Others will prefer the traditional seatings but I like the flexibility and being able to change my 'seating' time each evening depending on our plans.

 

I believe the itinerary you are considering is the same as the one we chose... so the itinerary goes to Bermuda (which is a beautiful island country), San Juan for that short stop, St. Thomas and Labadee, Haiti. I have been to all of these ports during our short cruising history... so here is my take ---

* A day in Bermuda is never enough... This was a stop on our Explorer 9-night itinerary a few years ago and DH and I have taken specific fall cruises with Bermuda as an extended stay - We love it! It is a great stop and you will have enough time to shop or beach or do an excursion to see something wonderful on the island.

* The San Juan dock is in Old San Juan... meaning when you get off the ship, you will be able to walk around and see Old San Juan if you don't want to do an excursion. Last time we went to this port, we were just going to walk around on our own, but we were 'picked-off' by a local tour bus guy from New York who talked us into a 2.5 hour tour around the city. It was great... for a day that we had decided would be a quick trip the craft market in the center of town and back to the ship to sit by the pool, it turned out to be one of our favorite stops on that trip. It is a very short stop - about 7 or 8 hours and it is early in the day before many things open, so you might want to consider an excursion to see something specific here. San Juan is a very nice stop - just way too short to really enjoy a day-trip or go too far from the dock.

* You will get a full day in St. Thomas and I am sure you will find something to do... we did snuba the last time we were at this port and it was amazing!

* Labadee is RCCL's private beach... it is always being improved and with storms, sometimes rebuilt, but it is a caribbean beach and it is a wonderful day to walk around and just enjoy the sites... or you can ride the zip-line but I can't tell you if that is something you should do... are you an adventurer? :)

 

The casinos on the ships I have been on are clean and the staff is helpful and friendly. I am not a gambler, so I will leave that one to someone who has spent more time in there making donations than I have...

 

RCCL kids programs are fun, but you will find mixed reviews depending on ship, staff, activities, etc... you might want to do a search on CC for more information. My kids didn't do the kids program the last time they sailed with us - I have 3, so they entertained each other and there was never a shortage of stuff for them to do or see, even without the organized kids program. I think your daughter will definitely find her 'groove' and find what she likes to do.

 

Whatever you decide, I wish you the best... if you do opt to book the Liberty in June of next year, please come back and let me know how it goes and give me some tips when you get back since you will be 'keeping her warm' for us before we sail.

 

Happy sailing!

Edited May 2, 2014 by SnappyNappi

[Cruisegirl6]

I was on the NCL Breakaway last year and for many reasons hated that ship. I have been on 52 cruises so far (my 53rd next week) and in the past 15 years NCL is my least liked cruise line, actually, we never will go back NCL again.

 

Are you considering the Breakaway? I can tell you exactly what I hated about it. I definitely choose RC in a heartbeat over NCL....and RC has My Time Dining same concept as freestyle only they call it something different.

[Langley Cruisers]

We are also big fans of the freestyle dining. It looks like this is an option with RC but only during certain times...

 

Hi there,

 

We sailed Liberty with our grown kids some years ago and we all had a blast! I will address your concerns with the dining. RCI has what is called My Time Dining (we have done this on other ships). You are free to make a reservation or walk up for dinner at any time. The hours will be posted in your printed Cruise Compass and around the ship, but I believe it is 5:30 to 9 pm, something like that. Breakfast is served every day in the Windjammer buffet or in the main dining room (open seating). Lunch is served daily in the Windjammer buffet, and in the main dining room on sea days only. There are additional options outside of these, included in your cruise fare. If you choose MTD, your gratuities will need to be pre-paid (included in your final payment before you leave home).

 

Liberty is a beautiful ship; I hope you will enjoy her. :)

 

.

[baflagg]

Thanks all for your feedback, will definitely do some research and it will be a tough decision to make. I'll have to do some googling for Old San Juan and get some more information the area.

 

We were on the Breakaway last summer to Bermuda and loved it. I know there are so many different reviews of the Breakaway both negative and positive, thankfully we were one of the positive ones.

 

Thanks again and I'm sure I'll be back for more questions.

Edited May 2, 2014 by baflagg

[swim13]

Although I have not been on NCL, I have been on the sister ship of Liberty. It is one amazing ship! I don't know if you will be able to go back on another ship and be "WOWed" or amazed after you have been on the Voyager class and up! :D You mine as well try RCI and take advantage of the price, you won't regret it!!

[njmomof2]

How is the casino on this ship? I would expect the ship would not be overly crowded since school is still in session but I could be totaly wrong.

 

 

I have sailed Liberty but I'm only addressing the concern/comment above. Please be aware that June will be full of kids. Just because NYC schools don't get out until the end of the month doesn't mean that people in other areas within driving distance of NY will not be out of school and heading to the Liberty. Having a Freedom class ship in NY for a short while will bring people out in droves. If she wasn't doing a 5 night Bermuda the last week of August I would have booked her (we want 7 nights).

 

It will be full and a lot of them will be minors.

[scooter90]

Just a couple notes:

 

The itinerary for July 2015 includes a stop in St. Maarten, not St. Thomas. When we were in St. Maarten (albeit 4 years ago), they were developing a nice shopping area right at the port. Or, you can take a ferry and be dropped off right at the town shopping, beaches, etc. There are always excursions too.

 

We have been on the Freedom of the Seas (sister ship of the Liberty) during spring break and, yes there were kids, but not overflowing uncontrolable. I don't think you will have as many kids on a June cruise as we will on the July cruise (again, we are traveling with school age children so we are stuck).

 

MTD is great -- we did it on the Freedom (6 of us) and on the Explorer (2 of us). You can pre-arrange your dining time, or wait until you are on the ship and reserver your dinner times, or as mentioned above, play it by ear and just show up....which may require a little wait. Never had a problem with MTD and that is our favorite.

 

We are all excited about taking the Liberty out of Bayonne next summer....11 of us will be going. Plan to read allot of Explorer reviews this summer for ideas for each port (have been to all off them), to help pass the time.

[SnappyNappi]

The itinerary for July 2015 includes a stop in St. Maarten, not St. Thomas. When we were in St. Maarten (albeit 4 years ago), they were developing a nice shopping area right at the port. Or, you can take a ferry and be dropped off right at the town shopping, beaches, etc. There are always excursions too.

Scotter90... Good catch! I don't know why I was thinking St. Thomas. Brain freeze??? :)

[trump]

To baflagg: I too am struggling with this itinerary. The limited time in the ports bothered me. I think I am going to go with the NCL Breakaway to Bermuda (the one you already did). To help you with your question, I have been on 3 Royal Caribbean cruises and 1 NCL. I think you will love Royal and Liberty. Out of my cruises, I favor Royal - but mostly because I find their ships "prettier". That said, we had no complaints at all with our NCL cruise and would not hesitate to sail with them again.