Just off Liberty of Seas 2/28-3/6

[journey2002]

12 year old should be just fine. It is just a LONG day of traveling. You don't get to spend near as long at the ruins as you'd like but it was still good. One of those things you are glad to have done but are glad you don't really have to do again. It would have been much nicer to stay in the area and explore at our leisure, but that's really not in the cards.

 

My 2 year old did great. The 6 year old got a bit whiny after the climb, but perked up on the boat ride back after the wind cooled us down and I gave her a snack. There was a 15 year old girl on the trip too, and she had no issues either. Lunch is very late, so if you think you'll need one, bring a small snack. The bus ride there - the tour guide gives info most of the way there but on the way back, if she's not planning to nap, she should bring a book or smartphone or something to do.

 

 

Thanks! That's very helpful information! And I'm so glad to know they were okay with you bringing your own snacks off the ship. My daughter has food allergies and I'm not worried about her time on the ship but definitely am when we are on excursions.

[BecciBoo]

Can anyone who was on the boat talk about the type of food that the Promenade café has? It is the "sandwhich" shop? I have some picky kids, and I am hoping they have Panini's and basic sandwiches (???)

 

Lots of paninis and focacia sandwiches and all pretty good. Try the raisin bread for breakfast, I never miss that, and they will heat it for...if you ask! Great with the coffee which I think is the best on board free coffee...but that is subjective.

[ARCruisinNana]

Thanks! That's very helpful information! And I'm so glad to know they were okay with you bringing your own snacks off the ship. My daughter has food allergies and I'm not worried about her time on the ship but definitely am when we are on excursions.

 

 

If you take snacks off the ship, make sure they are prepackaged and sealed. You cannot take fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, etc. off the ship.

[Sk8ermaiden]

If you take snacks off the ship, make sure they are prepackaged and sealed. You cannot take fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, etc. off the ship.

 

Yes. I actually brought Soft Baked Oatmeal Squares on the cruise just to take for this excursion.

[tlatrice]

I'd love your opinion on Lamani. We're planning to do this excursion this summer with our 12 year old daughter. She's the one who picked it because the Mayan history thoroughly intrigues her.

 

Politely butting in...:)

 

I took my son to Lamanai when he was 12 (and 13) and he LOVED it.

 

We were cool with the amount of time spent at each ruin. But I think that could vary by tour guide and the size of the group you're with. We climbed all the ruins (even the High Temple) and felt like we had plenty of time (and I'm a BIG GIRL so it's not like I can 'race' to the top ;)). Also, since my son is older I didn't have to explain much to him, as he could read the signs and climb unassisted (he beat me to the top every time!). I can see where with younger kids (and more than one) you'd need more time.

 

I'd suggest a set of earbuds or a book for the bus ride back. Or, since she's older, a nap!! :D My son laid his head on my shoulder and crashed both times.

 

Consider one of these for that nap :p Its small and could easily fit in a backpack or bag along with your snacks.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EK1BX3S?psc=1

 

On my 2nd trip to Lamanai the boat stalled on the river coming back and by the time they got a new boat to us and got us back for lunch, we barely had enough time to eat. Sad because the food was really good but we had to all but choke it down.

 

Tip: Sit on the left side of the bus (behind the driver). On the way back, the right side of the bus will be in direct sunlight and if the windows aren't tinted, it can be really hot. I learned this on our 2nd trip to Lamanai. Made for a long ride back.

 

Hope this helps. :D

[Seatravelers]

Wonder if I could take on some Clamato along with my waters??? I think that is the problem with their Bloody Marys....they use plain tomato juice and that awful mixer.

 

Yes, you most certainly can bring Clamato onboard with your waters. Also, I bring my own Diet Tonic water since it's only available when ship is sailing in or from UK area;)

Cheers!

[CU64]

If you take snacks off the ship, make sure they are prepackaged and sealed. You cannot take fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, etc. off the ship.

 

this is exactly what held up the customs' line at demarcation 3/6......food violations among other things

Barbara

[Kosh III]

I'd love your opinion on Lamani. We're planning to do this excursion this summer with our 12 year old daughter. She's the one who picked it because the Mayan history thoroughly intrigues her.

 

I've not done Lamanai-that's next year, but I've done Xunantunich in Belize and it was an awesome site up in the Mayan Mountains.

[Aggies24]

We were on this cruise too. I was very worried about hard beds, but ours had a topper already. Honestly I think it was old/broken down under the topper, because I did end up aching by the end of the cruise, but I'd still prefer that to hard.

 

Our steward was not good, all the other service was great. I know working on cruises is hard work, but so many of the staff really seemed to be enjoying their jobs. The windjammer staff was so upbeat and helpful, as were kids club and sports staff.

 

We have small children and we ate in the Windjammer every night save one. After the things I had read on here, I was so pleasantly surprised by the food. I ate at least some Indian every night (the lamb curry (rogan josh) and the pork vindaloo were real standouts) and my husband had sushi just about every night. Everyone really liked the crepes. There were a few misses, but overall we were pretty happy. We feel dinner is much better than breakfast or lunch in the WJ. The eggs in the breakfast buffet are TERRIBLE though - half liquid every day.

 

Navigating the WJ with small kids is hard - trying to get everyone food without spilling or having your kid run headlong into people... I appreciated the room service breakfast giving me a break sometimes. the food always came on time and was fine. Nothing great but perfectly acceptable.

 

The kids club is OUTSTANDING. So much better than Disney, which is generally a free-for-all in which the adults are basically bouncers. RCI's kid's club is more like a day camp. I walked by the outside windows a lot and the kids were always engaged in fun activities with the counselors. Even though ages were combined, everyone was involved in something every time I went by. I couldn't pry my kid out of there!

 

The nursery staff was really sweet and even my son who's only stayed with family before went several times.

 

The new waterworks area for kids is awesome. The area for diapered babies is better than anything I've seen on other lines.

 

The cupcake class was overpriced, but a really fun activity for my daughter and I to do, and I would do it again next time.

 

I had never been on an RCI ship, and we were 6th floor aft. It turned out to be the perfect location for the things we utilized. A quick trip down the stairs for the cafe promenade or customer service, and a short elevator ride to the windjammer or dining rooms, the splashpad, and the kids clubs and rock climbing. The only things we ever had to go forward for were the platinum theater and mini golf.

 

This was our first balcony and I grossly underestimated how much we were going to like it. It felt like it added so much more space to the room and was also great for days we brought up breakfast or treats - we could have the kids eat out there and not risk spilling or messy hands on everything.

 

We are actually not huge fans of cruising - it's not really our style of vacation and gets claustrophobic for me. But we take an all inclusive vacation with kid's club every spring and this is what we could afford this year. And we would absolutely do RCI again in the same situation. I feel like this line has So! Much! for kids 5-12.

 

The "open house" or playdate or whatever they call it for toddlers is a joke though. I have pictures if anyone is interested in that. I wish there were a little more for that age.

 

The smallest size climbing shoe they have for rock climbing is a youth 2. My daughter (6) wears a 13/1, so she managed OK, but it's something to bear in mind if you have a small-footed youngster!

 

The ice skating and aerial shows were great fun! I feel like Saturday Night Fever was really hyped a lot here and it was not very good in reality. Maybe it's just because I'm spoiled because of living in Houston and the theaters we have here, but we wished we'd done something else instead of going to SNF.

 

People talk all the time about doing away with formal night, but on our cruise, the formal nights were very, very popular. People in fancy evening gowns everywhere. I mean, there were more subtle cocktail dresses too, but if you want to really go formal - you won't look odd!

 

One of our biggest disappointments - the ice skating was open literally one day for three hours. And we were not told at the time that it would be the only open time on a 7 day cruise.

 

Umm...Those are my thoughts...if anyone has any questions about little kid stuff I can probably help with that. It was the week before Texas spring break and there were only 245 kids under 18 on board!

 

We actually did Lamani with a 2 and 6 year old. I feel like that needs its own write up on the destination board, because the only info you ever see on that is; "Don't!"

 

 

Thanks so much for your review! We leave in just over 2 weeks on the same itinerary. we have 5 kids ages almost 2-12. I'm pretty nervous. (Lol). How was the tendering in Belize with kids? I've heard you have to get a tender ticket and wait in line??? Don't want to be doing that. 😊

 

We've been deciding if we should eat in the dining room or windjammer. Sounds like the windjammer would be a lot easier with our group. What about the nursery? You said you had pictures of it? My email is briannef24@hotmail.com if you don't mind sending pics of it, and anything else you think I'd be interested in. Did you have to book a time for the nursery way in advance? I was hoping to bring my toddler there whenever seems like a good time. It's hard to plan how our days will be with kids and that makes it hard to plan ahead. Did you take your kids to any shows? My husband and I went on freedom of the seas last Fall and many of the shows were questionable for kids.

 

And the pool area for diapered kids is good? I've been worried about that too. So glad to hear it!! Thanks for reassuring review. Oh, and any news on tidal wave? Thanks.

[journey2002]

If you take snacks off the ship, make sure they are prepackaged and sealed. You cannot take fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, etc. off the ship.

 

Absolutely!! That's the only way we would plan to bring any sort of snack!

[journey2002]

Politely butting in...:)

 

Tip: Sit on the left side of the bus (behind the driver). On the way back, the right side of the bus will be in direct sunlight and if the windows aren't tinted, it can be really hot. I learned this on our 2nd trip to Lamanai. Made for a long ride back.

 

Hope this helps. :D

 

Butt in away!! All of this was very helpful. I'm a big girl too so it was also good to hear you feel comfortable with the time.

 

And I love this last piece of advice! We'll be sure to do just that!! Those little types of tips are so helpful! I know it'll make the whole trip much more comfortable and enjoyable!

[Sk8ermaiden]

Thanks so much for your review! We leave in just over 2 weeks on the same itinerary. we have 5 kids ages almost 2-12. I'm pretty nervous. (Lol). How was the tendering in Belize with kids? I've heard you have to get a tender ticket and wait in line??? Don't want to be doing that. 😊

 

We've been deciding if we should eat in the dining room or windjammer. Sounds like the windjammer would be a lot easier with our group. What about the nursery? You said you had pictures of it? My email is briannef24@hotmail.com if you don't mind sending pics of it, and anything else you think I'd be interested in. Did you have to book a time for the nursery way in advance? I was hoping to bring my toddler there whenever seems like a good time. It's hard to plan how our days will be with kids and that makes it hard to plan ahead. Did you take your kids to any shows? My husband and I went on freedom of the seas last Fall and many of the shows were questionable for kids.

 

And the pool area for diapered kids is good? I've been worried about that too. So glad to hear it!! Thanks for reassuring review. Oh, and any news on tidal wave? Thanks.

 

We did not have to get tickets in Belize, because we booked an excursion through RCI that almost always runs late. So we were on the first tender out and the last tender back. But I think if you do not have an excursion, you do have to send someone to wait in line for tickets. But then I think your party waits in the theater for their number to be called. The tendering itself though is perfectly easy and fine.

 

We ate in the MDR one night, and while lovely, it reinforced my decision to go for the buffet. Can I keep my children behaved and quiet in a restaurant? Certainly. Is it easy for a meal that takes THAT LONG? No. It takes a lot of work. And this vacation, in addition to giving us family time, was designed to give me a break. And so losing the elegance of the dining room in order to gain the laid-back noisiness of the windjammer was a good trade off for us. If you want to do the dining room, I would aim to get there around 5:30-6 and make nursery reservations for 7. The kids club opens at 7 too. Have someone walk the kids up at that time.

 

I do not have pictures of the nursery, only the "playgroup" which is in the teen club. If you google "royal caribbean liberty of the seas nursery", the first 4 pictures are very accurate representations. There are mats on the floor and lots of Fisher Price toys, big and small, that get changed out daily. There are rooms off the main one for sleeping. One night mine was sleepy, but not willing to go to bed, so they pulled out a cot for him so that he could hang out with his paci and watch TV. The thing I liked is they actually play with the kids. I walked in one day and they were pretend cooking. Yes, it's basically TV and toys, but all I wanted was to feel like my kid was happy and comfortable to be left there for an hour here and there. And he was.

 

Go the first night and ask how many kids are on the ship - that should give you a good idea I bet. We had very few children on board, and I was able to bring him whenever I wanted. They did warn me the morning of Saturday Night Fever that they were getting filled up for the evening, so I went ahead and booked for our showtime. Dinner times seemed busiest, with formal nights more so. But I bet on a ship with more children, reservations would be required. We liked to drop him off while E was rock climbing so he didn't just have to stand there. It was sunny and boring for him on that deck. You can cancel up to an hour before your reservation starts, so if they tell you it will be busy, you can book up all the times you think you might want and cancel later.

 

We only did SNF, Ice skating, and the aerial show. The latter were great for kids, the first not so much, and it was kind of boring for the 6 year old.

 

I do have pictures of the splashpads. I'll post them in a minute. My biggest complaint is that the height restrictions on the slides are just ridiculous. At 6 years old and 46.5 inches, my child can ride any ride at land-based water parks comparable to these, and the flow rider too. Here she can ride the smallest baby slide, and the bigger kids slide (depending who's measuring that day) and that's it. I prepped her ahead of time though, and she didn't mind too much. :)

[Sk8ermaiden]

Playgroup or playdate or open house, whatever they call it. Many toys did not have working batteries or all parts.

 

The diaper baby area. Yes, it's small, but so much more interesting than the shallow puddle the rest of the lines offer. Also to note, the adjoining big kids splahaway bay was FREEZING much of the time. The baby area typically warmed up as the sun climbed, and was quite comfortable by afternoon. Which was nice.

 

 

The closest walled-in area.

 

Slides!

 

They have these guys (you can spin them)

 

And these guys

 

And these spouts

 

I attempted to spoiler these. Does cruisecritic not have that capability?

[DM_KidAtHeart]

No Global Entry in Galveston, yet.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

What is Global Entry?

 

We did not have to get tickets in Belize, because we booked an excursion through RCI that almost always runs late. So we were on the first tender out and the last tender back. But I think if you do not have an excursion, you do have to send someone to wait in line for tickets. But then I think your party waits in the theater for their number to be called. The tendering itself though is perfectly easy and fine.

 

 

So what was RCI's name for that excursion. It sounds interesting.

[Sk8ermaiden]

 

 

 

So what was RCI's name for that excursion. It sounds interesting.

 

Lamanai and the New River Safari

[DM_KidAtHeart]

Lamanai and the New River Safari

 

 

Thanks. I'll look it up. [emoji846]

[journey2002]

Lamanai and the New River Safari

 

That's the one we are doing! We're pretty excited.

[Susie51]

Thank you for your review. We also use a porter. Much faster

[JaniceB]

Enjoyed your review.

[sdcantrn]

Thanks for the review! We leave Easter Sunday. We have 2 girls - just turned 9 and an older 5. They would LOVE to be together, but the other RC ships we've been on have different rooms for the different ages and would not allow them to be together. I expect they will have more children this week than on your cruise. Any idea if they are allowing them to be together - at least for the after hours party?

[cowboycruiser]

Hi

What email did you send it to?

 

We also were on that cruise. Embarkation went well, ALL crew members we dealt with were just wonderful. We had requested by email mattress toppers and they were on when we got to cabin, they were not egg crates they were memory foam, the beds were great.

 

MDR for breakfast was great. Windjammer for lunch was just ho hum. Both nights in Chops were great as well as Giovanni's. Waited until onboard to book 3 night package with first night at Chops and special was 70.00 pp. Beef tenderloin on first formal night was the best I have ever had on any ship.

Only got off ship in Cozumel so can't speak for tenders in Belize.

 

Disembarkation was a horror, supposed to be off ship at 8:45 and we didn't get off until 10:30. The self assists were pretty upset and waited in line at least hour and a half. They repeatedly announced that delay was due to not enough Customs agents. I counted a total of 6 when we were in line after getting luggage. Getting a porter is the way to go, they cut down a lot of the line waiting.

 

Despite the bad finish we are looking forward to same cruise/same ship January 2017.

[Sk8ermaiden]

Thanks for the review! We leave Easter Sunday. We have 2 girls - just turned 9 and an older 5. They would LOVE to be together, but the other RC ships we've been on have different rooms for the different ages and would not allow them to be together. I expect they will have more children this week than on your cruise. Any idea if they are allowing them to be together - at least for the after hours party?

 

We had very few minors on board and even though they could have combined all ages and kept their ratios, the did not. It was 6-12 combined and 3-5 was separate. Even for the after hours party. Even though there was only one child in the younger group most after hours. I would imagine that the more children are on board, the less likely they are to bend. And the fact that they would have o bump one up and one down to meet in the middle? It seems like a long shot. It never hurts to ask though.

[CookieDiva]

If you take snacks off the ship, make sure they are prepackaged and sealed. You cannot take fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, etc. off the ship.

 

Is this the case in all ports?

[ARCruisinNana]

Is this the case in all ports?

 

 

Yes, I think so.

[CookieDiva]

Yes, I think so.

 

 

Thanks