Liberty of the Seas Review - 5/30

[m2inus]

Liberty of the Seas Review

May 30 – June 4

5 Night Bayonne to Bermuda

 

About us:

2 early thirty-year-old parents of a toddler. Left the baby with family to have our first kid-free vacation. We have both been on several Royal Caribbean cruises in the past.

 

Boarding:

Boarding was pretty painless. We arrived in Bayonne about a quarter after 11. The biggest delay was the line to get through security, which only took about 10-15 minutes. After that we had priority boarding and went right to an agent then right onto the boat. The whole process probably took 20-30 minutes.

 

Being that it was the end of May, there were only a handful of little kids onboard, but much more of an older crowd. The average age might have been 65? This was never a problem, but a little different dynamic than usual.

 

Once onboard we went to the Windjammer, which was crowded but not packed. We were easily able to find a table. In fact, we never had too much of a problem finding a table or lounge chair throughout the cruise, even though sometimes it took a little more searching. This was the first of several disappointing meals in the Windjammer. It seemed like other ships had much more variety in Windjammer than liberty. For lunch there was typically an Indian or Asian dish, salad bar, and burgers, dogs, pizza, and sandwich items. None of it was particularly exciting but all of which was edible.

 

After lunch we explored the ship. Even though the boat is older, she still looked pretty good. There was definitely some wear and tear around and she could use a little more TLC, but all in all it still looked pretty good.

[m2inus]

Stateroom:

Rooms opened up promptly at 1 and we made our way to our Balcony room on the 8th floor Aft, near the elevators. I think this was prime cabin location. The pool deck and windjammer were up 3 decks on deck 11 and the promenade and main dining room were down 3 decks on deck 5. This was all important since the elevators were horrible. By far the worst elevator service on any ship I have seen. It usually took 5 minutes plus to get a single elevator that was then usually filled to the brim. We ended up walking 90% of the time. I think the problem was the speed that the doors would close, it was extremely slow. It seemed like everyone would get in the elevator and sit there for a minute before the doors would close. Clearly there’s an issue here.

 

Our stateroom was good, typical of what we expected, and our room attendant was great. In fact, all the crew around the ship were awesome. Except for one blackjack dealer, everyone was pleasant and did whatever they could to help. One thing I didn’t realize till the end of the trip was that the TV’s were interactive and could show your bill and other info. I didn’t see that info displayed anywhere, which would have been helpful.

 

Dining:

We ate three of the five nights in the main dining room. We had my time dining and scheduled our reservations ahead of time. On the first night we came about a half hour early and were seated right away. It seemed like the longest lines were right around 6 PM. We sat at the same 2 person table each time we were there, with the same waiters who were great. I thought the food was pretty good, but my wife wasn’t too impressed. Even though the wait staff was great, they did spend about 5 minutes at the end of each meal talking about the survey you get and their ratings. I know it’s important to their jobs, but it gets a little awkward after a while.

 

For the formal night we ate at Chops, which was probably a mistake. We had one of the best meals of our lives at Chops on Oasis several years ago, but it seems to have gone downhill since then. The appetizers seemed somewhat limited, my wife’s steak had to be re-cooked because she ordered it rare and it came out well done, and the sides were disappointing. We ordered four different side items and they literally put a scoop of each on a long plate. The truffle corn was pretty good, but the mash potatoes were sad. Desert also wasn’t anything exciting. I got the red velvet cake which for some reason they added a layer of chocolate into the mix. While it sounds like a great idea, the execution was poor and the cake not so good. We would have been better skipping it, oh well.

 

We did breakfast a few times in the windjammer, which was just as disappointing as the lunch. One day we were told they were out of eggs, only to walk to another line and find a ton. That was typical of our experience there.

 

We did go to the main dining room for breakfast on two days. There were two problems with that. 1. They stop serving early in the morning, at like 9:30 or something like that. I don’t want to have to set an alarm on vacation to go eat a decent breakfast. 2. The seating system is pure chaos. The just have people with radios walking around calling out what tables are available. There were always long lines to get in there. Even a local Applebee’s has a computer that tells the hostess what tables are available and where they are. It seems like they needed that bad. The food in the dining room was similar but better than the windjammer. You could eat the buffet or order essentially the same items off the menu. They did have omelets to order but when we did it ended up taking forever to come out.

 

We went to the Promenade café often for coffee and snacks, it was all pretty good. They also made all the specialty coffee drinks and had a steady stream of people in there. Also, Sorrento’s pizza was a necessity around midnight. It’s not gourmet, but it’s good and plentiful, so I was happy with it.

 

My wife got the basic soda package, which included bottled water and specialty coffee. This package was great and we definitely got our money’s worth.

[m2inus]

Activities:

On sea days we stayed by the pool. I had heard some talk that the bar service was slow. When we first boarded there was only one or two bartenders in the pool area and there was definitely a long wait for a drink. But during the sea days the pool bar had about 5 or 6 bartenders and they got people through pretty quick. We did only see a few servers walking around the decks during the day, but most of the time we just went to the bar.

 

Also with the bar, on several occasions my wife got a gin cocktail and each time it seemed to be charged differently. The same thing happened on past cruises, but I still think it’s surprising there’s not a more standardized way to charge for alcohol. The more advanced mixed drinks were expensive but beer and basic cocktails still seemed reasonable.

 

The pools were good. We were always able to find a spot, but never in the prime pool real estate. I did see the pool staff removing towels from the chair squatters several times. They were definitely keeping an eye on things and I even got worried that our stuff would be gone if we were in the hot tub for too long. I also saw several people who came back to chairs they thought were theirs only to see other people there and their items removed. Oh well.

 

We mostly stayed by the main pool because the adult area had a limited number of chairs and there was never anything opened. It seemed like they could use some more space there.

 

Also, on the side of the main pool is the main outdoor smoking area for the boat. I have nothing against smoking, and there were always tons of people there so obviously some smoking space is needed, but it was a little annoying to walk through a smoke cloud anytime you wanted to walk around the pool. I don’t know what a better option is, but it seems like there’s something out there.

 

They did do a game of Bingo at the pool on both sea days, which I thought was a great idea. I’m a bingo fan and always hate the idea of leaving the pool to go inside just to play.

 

The cruise director Luke was pretty good. He was entertaining and his staff seemed to be on the ball and make all the cheesy ship games fun.

 

I did a little shopping on the boat and ended up purchasing a nice watch. I went into the store on the first night and got a price. I then checked the price on the web and in Bermuda and the ships price was the same as Bermuda and much cheaper than online. The sales guy really knew his stuff so I ended up buying the watch onboard and was happy with the decision. They do seem to put everything on sale throughout the cruise but they have a price-match guarantee, which apparently is good for 30 days after the purchase, so I wouldn’t have any hesitation about purchasing.

 

All the entertainment was good, we skipped the Broadway show and the ice show but saw most everything else. There was also live music at virtually every bar in the evening, which was good.

 

We spent several nights in the Casino, which is pretty standard, never had a problem finding a seat at a table. I did learn that if you take money off your seapass card to gamble, they charge you 5%. The ATM only charged $6, you do the math. The best option is to bring all the cash you need.

 

The Wifi on the boat was abysmal. We got the unlimited package for one device and were hoping to be able to video chat our child throughout the week. That didn’t happen. The Wifi was painfully slow and never had enough juice to get the video to connect. Most times we couldn’t even get or receive e-mail. We had to get an access code to use one of the ship’s computers to send an email the last night to get our ride home. I know we are on a boat in the middle of the ocean, but don’t charge a premium for a service that you then can’t deliver on.

[m2inus]

Bermuda:

The island was great. Since this was an anniversary cruise and my wife likes quiet beaches, we stayed at a resort for the night we were in port. During the day though we took the ferry from the dock to Hamilton. The ferry is quick and easy and only a short walk from the boat. There was also a small beach walking distance from the boat that several people said was great.

 

Hamilton is a cool little town with lots of shops. It’s not your typical ship port that has all the generic jewelry and liquor stores, there is a lot of unique stuff there.

 

Disembarkation:

This was a disaster and by far the worst part of the cruise. We usually do the self-assist and carry our bags off first and are gone, but due to our transportation we didn’t have a ride till the late morning. So, we went the traditional route and waited onboard for our number to be called. The only problem was, we didn’t hear them call any numbers. We waited in a little sitting area (not our designated area) where many other people were congregating. We were watching the video monitors that displayed which numbers were called and estimated departure times. We heard no announcements about any numbers at all the entire morning. Well, about an hour after our number was supposed to be called, I started asking around and was told that we could go. Thanks. It just seemed like they didn’t have their stuff together.

 

Overall it was a great trip. The crew was wonderful and the boat was nice. Nothing above dissuaded us from having a wonderful time, just wanted to share some insights for those who have upcoming voyages.

 

I'd be happy to answer any questions people have.

[mirp]

Thanks for the review. Any tips on how to make disembarkation less horrible? What time did you get through customs?

[Wildcatfish]

When you arrived at Cape Liberty were RCI reps in the lobby area using Ipads to check you in, or did you have to go to a counter to check in?

[m2inus]

For Disembarkation: if you can do the self-assist, I would definitely recommend it. If not, make sure you find someone that looks official and stick near them. That way you can find out the instant you are allowed to leave. I think if you have an early flight or something you can request a low departure number, which would also help.

 

I didn't see any I-pads at check-in. It was all people at counters.

[m2inus]

Customs was definitely a little slow. They only had about 3-4 agents to get through the entire ship. In the pamphlets about departure I think RCCL mentioned there had been some budget cuts and to expect delays. It was a long line but moved pretty steady. I guess it took 10-15 minutes just for customs.

 

Plus, I think it took longer than usual for the ship to get cleared in the morning, so that also added to the delays.

[proposal]

Great review. Where did you stay in Bermuda?

[m2inus]

We stayed at the Cambridge Beaches. It was a nice place, a little expensive, but they had 3 private beaches and a great pool. There was also a free shuttle that took us from the ferry stop right there. It was about 10 minutes away from where the boat was.

 

They only have two restaurants/bars and not much going on, so it is more of a relaxed feel. But that's what the wife wanted....

[Retiredprofessor]

Thanks for the review. Did you notice if there was a suite seating area by the main pool? We are going on a duel birthday celebration in September and are staying in a GS. Some ships have a pool area designated for suites. Thanks.

[Clarea]

Thanks for the review. Did you notice if there was a suite seating area by the main pool? We are going on a duel birthday celebration in September and are staying in a GS. Some ships have a pool area designated for suites. Thanks.

On Liberty, the suite area is on top of the Sky Bar, above deck 12.

[Tunkhannock]

Thanks for the review. We're going in October and I found it very informative.

 

I never even thought of staying in a resort in Bermuda while the ship was docked. I just assumed we would be sleeping in the ship. Do many people stay onboard overnight or stay in a hotel?

[Guest maddycat]

Thanks for the review. We're going in October and I found it very informative.

 

I never even thought of staying in a resort in Bermuda while the ship was docked. I just assumed we would be sleeping in the ship. Do many people stay onboard overnight or stay in a hotel?

 

This is the first that I've heard of anyone staying at a hotel in Bermuda while on a cruise. If I've already paid for my cabin, why would I pay for a hotel?

Edited June 7, 2015 by maddycat

[George C]

Thanks for the review, we are looking forward to sail her in April out of Texas, Elevator issues are bad on all ships. Should never skip the ice show, that is so good.

[m2inus]

I don't think many people stay off the boat in Bermuda, since like everybody says, you already paid for one room. But for us, it was a compromise with my wife who likes a more relaxed atmosphere.

 

We did check with guest services beforehand to make sure there was no issue with us not coming back to the boat that evening. Our cabin steward thought we just got drunk and passed out in town, but we had fun.

[TYSONBOXER]

Did you park your car in Bayonne? How was traffic getting into the pier? Did you drop your luggage off first and then park your car? Two years ago it took us forever to get in pier and park. We are going at the end of July and was just wondering how it is with the new terminal.

 

 

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[CyberTag]

Bottled water was included in the soda package?

[Laney219]

Thanks for the review. Any tips on how to make disembarkation less horrible? What time did you get through customs?

 

Sailed on Ex out of Bayonne last April. We were told that the number announcements were only audible in the designated areas. I would make sure you stick to one of those to avoid missing your number.

[Laney219]

Activities:

 

 

Also with the bar, on several occasions my wife got a gin cocktail and each time it seemed to be charged differently. The same thing happened on past cruises, but I still think it’s surprising there’s not a more standardized way to charge for alcohol. The more advanced mixed drinks were expensive but beer and basic cocktails still seemed reasonable.

 

 

How much were the basic cocktails? ~cost?

 

TIA!

[marci22]

Did you park your car in Bayonne? How was traffic getting into the pier? Did you drop your luggage off first and then park your car? Two years ago it took us forever to get in pier and park. We are going at the end of July and was just wondering how it is with the new terminal.

 

We got there 9:55 for the May 16 sailing. Traffic was two lanes going in but the left lane was moving faster; the right lane was dropping off luggage so taking longer.

 

I would get in the left lane once it splits into two and go park first. Just bring your luggage from the lot. It's quicker to walk your luggage over than to wait in line, unload and then park.

 

People were still debarking when we got there so it probably made dropping off in the right lane slower.

Edited June 7, 2015 by marci22

[TYSONBOXER]

How far of a walk is it from parking lot to terminal

 

 

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[m2inus]

We got dropped off, but from what I saw the lot was very close and an easy walk. I did see people dropping off their bags then going to park. I think there was also a shuttle that would take you to the lot, but it really did not look like it was necessary.

 

Bottled water was included in the soda package, but only the smaller 12oz? bottles. They had larger bottles of Evian that were not included, but I never had a problem getting multiple small bottles at the same time.

 

Cocktails: Bacardi and coke was only $7, but a gin with lime and club soda ranged between $10-12.

[denatravels]

Bottled water was included in the soda package, but only the smaller 12oz? bottles. They had larger bottles of Evian that were not included, but I never had a problem getting multiple small bottles at the same time.

 

 

 

Bottled water is not included in the soda package. Only soda is included. You need to upgrade to Royal Replenish, which includes both soda and water and more non-alcoholic bevs.

[m2inus]

Also, no traffic getting to the pier. We got there shortly after 11 and the only back-up was around the area to drop off luggage. Leaving the pier, there was a bunch of roadwork out on the main road to get back to the highway, so I would watch for that.

 

I think from what others have said they recently redid the pier and terminal area, so that may have eased some of the past congestion.