Liberty of the Seas - Not a wow.

[Desert Cruizers]

We sailed LOS during our 2011 TA, overall, service was excellant, but we found the scheduled activities never happened, entertainment, food were all very good, yet for our last 7 days it was boring with nothing to do most of the time due to nothing going on during the day. We never fault the Cruise lines because one sailing may not have been the best. I am not including our Port stops because they were all fantastic. It was merely during our Sea Days that was lacking.

 

We encountered very slow service during our ROS NZ cruise last MKarch however, a a polite request to our Waiter if things could be speeded up, solved the problem.

Edited December 2, 2014 by Desert Cruizers

[FloridaPalms]

I was on same cruise as OP ...

 

Umm... No, you weren't.

 

OP sailed 11/27. You sailed 11/22 according to your signature.

 

~ Judy

[jackie101]

Just curious what time did you get to the port? It seems like I have been reading a lot of posts saying similar things aboard the liberty of the seas lately. I am a little worried we board on Saturday. I guess I should lower my expectations and hope for the best.:)

 

We were on the same cruise and we had no issues checking in and dropping luggage off. We got to terminal about 10;45 and walked right on

[krisko]

Umm... No, you weren't.

 

OP sailed 11/27. You sailed 11/22 according to your signature.

 

~ Judy

 

Ah, good point. He mentioned holiday cruise, I actually got off the boat on thanksgiving.

[Big_G]

Isn't It??!! I hate Terminal 25 and Liberty is way too big for that berth. Drop off is a mess...almost as much of a mess as disembarkation where you have to walk to the other building to clear CBP.

 

Does Independence use the same terminal?

[Ladysilver]

So I've noticed the more cruises you've been on, the more critical you are (some people). I hope I don't get that way. :(

Edited December 2, 2014 by Ladysilver

[Ocean Boy]

Ah, good point. He mentioned holiday cruise, I actually got off the boat on thanksgiving.

 

As you stated earlier, you tend to do better with opinions than you do with facts.:)

[Ocean Boy]

Does Independence use the same terminal?

 

Indy uses terminal 19. It isn't the most modern terminal either.

[jackie101]

we were on the same cruise with our 4 children ages 11-14, my niece and her friend. We had a great time and loved our balcony rooms. So much to do on the cruise. We had the premium package and it was great, next time I would upgrade to ultimate to get coffees. The kids all had soda packages. Shows were great, we never made it to ice show, didn't want to leave pool & sun. We had My time, but had dinner reservations every night at 6. Our only complaint was our waiter forgot so many things at dinner, the first night was 3 appetizers and then every night after that was at least 1. The last few 3 nights at bedtime were very bumpy, had to give my son dramamine at bedtime. Looking to book Indy next Thanksgiving. Any questions ask away

[Big_G]

Indy uses terminal 19. It isn't the most modern terminal either.

 

Thanks. I think we were originally booked on your Independence sailing but we're expecting another grandchild so grandma pulled rank and made me reschedule it for January. :D

[LMaxwell]

So I've noticed the more cruises you've been on, the more critical you are (some people). I hope I don't get that way. :(

 

Some people on this forum cruise very often and their input is actually quite useful as they will be on a ship multiple times per year and can note changes, improvements, or degradations / omissions. A new cruiser may not notice certain things, but to the seasoned cruiser accustomed to a particular way the removal of events can be noticeable. Reporting changes, in my view, is just a simple matter of fact.

 

Especially for us living near ports and always shopping for a getaway deal this input is particularly valuable when deciding if something is a good value or not. Short cruises are not the only getaways competing for our money.

[krisko]

As you stated earlier, you tend to do better with opinions than you do with facts.:)

 

Maybe, my opinion is still relevant as it was the same ship and crew. I'm happy to report that in spite of OPs and my own complaints, Liberty is hardly going 'downhill'.

[Clarea]

Does Independence use the same terminal?

In our experience, Indy used terminal 29.

[Ocean Boy]

In our experience, Indy used terminal 29.

 

Yes, it is 29. I hit the 1 instead of the 2.:mad:

 

We have had the experience of using both terminals 25 and 29. I think they both leave something to be desired.

Edited December 2, 2014 by Ocean Boy

[CVU]

I did Libert I'm booked on Independence next year for thanksgiving so we'll see how that goes. I'll be on Independence next month for two weeks as well.

We love IOS but won't go on when she is taking over for Liberty with 4 & 5 night Itinerary. In 2016.

Then I feel it is not for us. We like B2Bs and that is too quick a turn over. Perhaps it is harder on the whole staff?

Edited December 2, 2014 by CVU

[alfaeric]

So I've noticed the more cruises you've been on, the more critical you are (some people). I hope I don't get that way. :(

 

Funny thing about that- we were on this cruise, as well as the one prior (I have a thread about our trip, too)....

 

On the Nov 22 cruise, on the RCL Channel 14, the CD Luke did an interview with Super Mario- which was taped in October. (he was not on our sailing) Mario's suggestions were very applicable for this observation- he told new sailers to try to do everything. And for the seasoned sailers- don't let little things bother you so much. We did see some of that- where some had to deal with "issues" with Oana. They were pretty minor, but they were sure upset.

 

We noted some of the same things- but we don't let bother us. People are people- we all have good and bad days. And when you are away from your family for a long time, it can get tough.

 

Heck, we didn't get mailings for the first half of this trip, as they were not notified that we moved cabins. A quick call to Guest services, and all was fixed with an apology. For sure, not a reason to not come back to the Liberty.

[Ocean Boy]

We love IOS but won't go on when she is taking over for Liberty with 4 & 5 night Itinerary. In 2016.

Then I feel it is not for us. We like B2Bs and that is too quick a turn over. Perhaps it is harder on the whole staff?

 

Same here. We won't be booking Indy once it switches over. We like the 8 night itineraries.

[FloridaPalms]

As you stated earlier, you tend to do better with opinions than you do with facts.:)

 

Lol. Always enjoy your puns.

 

~ Judy

[FloridaPalms]

I WAS on same cruise as OP and I'll offer some thoughts.

 

Just like Matt, we had a great cruise and it was nice meeting Matt and others from Cruise Critic. Really enjoyed the slot pull organized by JOEYJOEYJOEY too.

 

Embarkation - Didn't arrive until around 12:30. No problems with porters at that time and walked right onto ship. Luggage arrived in cabin before 2pm. Did not have to park a car so can't comment about parking.

 

The cabin - Had an accessible JS on deck 10 (same one we had 2 years ago). Our cabin steward was better than Matt's, but definitely did not wow us. She did her job, no more no less. Not friendly and never left a teen compass or welcome aboard gift for our grandson. Probably to make her job of vacuuming easier, she felt it necessary to move the heavy chair and ottoman back after I had put it in front of the TV in the middle of the room so my DH could be more comfortable. I think this was the first time I did not leave an extra tip.

 

Crew in general - Other than a few drinks at the great Sky Bar with fun bartenders, didn't frequent the bars, so didn't have Matt's problem. I agree that would be unacceptable. Most of the crew in passing always smiled and said hello.

 

Dining Room experience - Our main dining room experience Thanksgiving night was a disaster! We were traveling with first time cruiser friends and had pre-requested and been confirmed via email for a table next to window for Michelangelo main seating. Table was not next to window. But the real problem was that this round table was SQUEEZED in against wall and 2 other tables in a space way too small for it!!! Waiter could not reach back half of table, served over us or had us pass, and rudely and continuously bumped our chairs squeezing in to serve adjoining tables! Totally unacceptable but all waiter said was not his fault!!! Our complaints to head waiter resulted in our being reassigned next night to table next to window in Michelangelo MTD section for the duration of cruise. Our assistant waiter and waiter were simply outstanding. The most pleasant and attentive dining room staff I've ever experienced! On a scale of 1-10, I'd rate them 100. In addition to the most generous extra tip I've ever given our servers, I've let Royal know how much we were WOWed by them! Like Matt, I found food quality and taste were very good - even the free steaks, which were extremely tender.

 

Miscellaneous - late night food issues. Wasn't up quite as late as Matt, so I didn't experience sandwiches being left out on top counter. Yuck :eek:! But it seemed they were always out of cookies for my late night fix. :(

 

No Quest - While it is not my thing, I was really looking forward to it for the younger first time cruisers that were traveling with us. It would have been right up their alley and sold them on Royal. Big disappointment.

 

Stupid stuff - Didn't need to take towels off ship so I didn't have the stupid runaround Matt experienced. What was beyond stupid to me was the TEEN PROGRAM. Other than separate ice skating and boogie board times, 12-14 year kids were grouped together with 15-17 year olds. The older teens took over The Living Room and other activities. (They were even vaping in there and youth staff ignored it). You can't mix 12 and 17 year olds. The younger teen group should have their own venue and activities. And there were definitely enough teens on board to justify it.

 

The Windjammer - unlike Matt, I found it less than the usual so-so experience. Service was okay. I know food is subjective but this time I was very disappointed in taste and selection.

 

Some more positives - While they did mess up our day 2 cruise planner 3:45 ice show reservations by changing show times to 3 and 5, what we saw of it was fantastic. Also enjoyed In the Air, Saturday Night Fever and the late night comedy show. As always, great entertainment. Also, crew does a great job in maintaining cleanliness of ship. I saw them really hard at work in several areas.

 

The good, the bad and the ugly, in reverse - The Ugly :mad:: Security took away my corkscrew at embarkation (maybe if I had put it in my checked luggage...). The Bad :rolleyes:: Royal gave me one of their cheap corkscrews that failed to remove cork. The Good :D: Corkage fee is gone so was able to get my wine opened for free in the MDR.

 

Final thoughts - for those who feel OP is being too critical, your room steward and your waiter/assistant waiter can literally make the difference between an great cruise and an okay or even terrible cruise. I can go with the flow for minor issues and not let things bother me but not when it comes to these positions. There is a minimum standard of service for which they should be held accountable. If not, you have every right to complain.

 

~ Judy

[jmrothermel]

I hope they have these kinks worked out when she takes over for Quantum. I'm excited to try out Liberty.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[brenderlou]

Hey Matt

 

Our cruise experience was so-so as well. Staff was not as friendly and some not friendly at all (our 1st night waiter was awful).

 

We had bought drink pkgs way before cruise and no stickers on cards. Had to wait in line at guest services once we boarded and only 2 employees at the desk with a long line.

 

This was for us, the worst cruise we have experienced in terms of customer service, etc. We didn't let it ruin our vacation but service was not where it should be in our opinion.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Edited December 2, 2014 by brenderlou

[canuckcruiselover]

The Cabin - I had a JS on deck 9. The cabin was not especially clean feeling, and the cabin steward was constantly doing things like forgetting to replenish towels and knocking on my door when the "do not disturb" sign was out - "oh, did I disturb you?" I have never had a problem with a cabin attendant. I certainly did this time. And I had tipped her at the beginning.

 

We'll be on deck 9 on LOS this Saturday. I hope we don't get the same cabin steward!

[theprincenprincess]

Thanks for the review MattInFLL. Although spending Thanksgiving with the family was wonderful, I must agree that the Liberty was just okay, certainly not a Wow.

 

Dining: My Time Dining was a disaster on Day 1 & 2. The wait was 30 minutes or more after your reservation time. The maitre'd and his staff seemed surprised at the number of people who had reservations for dinner. There were lots of upset and angry folks. Not a good first impression of the dining room. The food was hit or miss. It seemed that every night there was a great dish, and at least one dish that was returned out of our party of 9. Beef tenderloin, Lamb Chops, Prime Rib, and Mushroom appetizer were hits. Both of the fried fish dinners were sent back.

 

MattInFll covered most of the staff issues that we also experienced. A few of the staff members were stellar. The young lady in charge of the Barbie Experience was delightful and our 6 yr old granddaughter loved the program. The worst staff experience was my eldest daughter's Cabin Steward, Mohammed - Cabin 7702. Every time they called he told them to call someone else, housekeeping, room service, etc because he was busy. On the other hand, our cabin steward, Sorty, was delightful and more than accommodating.

 

Cruising may never go back to the "old days" where you felt pampered and the food was awesome, but surely Royal Caribbean can figure out how to put more of the "Wow" back into our vacations :)

[mystic_cruisers]

I’ll add my two cents, since many others have done the same. My family was on a Liberty last week departing on Thanksgiving. While I could echo many comments already made, but I’ll take a slightly different direction. Port Everglades, and specifically terminal 25, is a nightmare. This was my seventh cruise (sixth with Royal Caribbean), and I felt this was my worst embarkation experience ever. For your perspective, I have sailed from Port Canaveral, Miami, and Tampa, with this being my first sailing from Port Everglades.

 

My poor experience began with the terminal’s porters, who were rude and unorganized. I failed to print my luggage pass prior leaving home, so I requested several from a porter who ignored my request for those who already had printed luggage tags. This occurred two additional times, before I found some willing to assist my family. This man unfortunately did not have luggage tags and walked to terminal 24 to retrieve an extra supply of luggage tags.

 

My family proceeded to the terminal building, and navigated to the check-in counters, which were crowded and very close together. It appeared there were approximately 50 stalls, but each one was two to three feet wide. I am not a small man, so I felt the heat radiating off the individuals to my left and right.

 

On the bright side, once we boarded many of the frustrations disappeared after the first glass of wine and kicking back on our balcony.

[nanner10]

I was on same cruise as OP and I'll offer some thoughts.

 

Stateroom, Dale was excellent and out of sight mostly which we like. We had a major issue with the room, the balcony door was off track. This made for a very loud whistling noise and when I opened the door the waves kept my daughter awake (weird!). Was fixed one morning but I guess opening the door unfixed it. One night it was so bad that guest services moved us into an interior room at 4am. Kudos to guest services. Next morning the door was fixed and I instructed the kids not to open the door until morning we got back.

 

Hopefully this never happens to you again, but I have had a similar problem with a balcony door in the past and we took a facecloth (folded in half) and closed the door on that, it solved the problem for us. It might be worth a try, especially in the middle of the night!