Is There Something Wrong with Liberty?

[LuCruise]

Just curious. I'm always looking out for future cruises (although our next big trip will probably be Disneyland). I have checked end of August for both this summer and next summer and Liberty. For both, a 7 night Caribbean cruise on the Liberty, which is out of Galveston is really cheap for a cruise. We can book a family of 4 for under $3k CAD.

 

The ship looks great with the waterslides and kids area, it has the Tidal wave, Flowrider, has a Broadway show, ice rink, etc...

 

So why it Liberty so much cheaper? Is there something wrong with it?

 

(Mind you, when I did a quick search, the flight from Ontario to Galveston is $1000 more than flying to Fort Lauderdale so any cruise savings may be a wash in the end)

Edited July 2, 2016 by LuCruise

[Clarea]

My guess is that it's Galveston that makes Liberty less expensive. It was that way with Voyager, Mariner, and Navigator before her.

[leaveitallbehind]

Nothing wrong with Liberty at all - great ship and a great crew. As Bob indicated, market and demand drive prices.

[bethco]

A large portion of the folks who book Liberty live within driving distance of the port. Most schools in this part of the world start back by the third week of August and are out in early June. Until a few years ago, many started by mid August and out before Memorial Day. Galveston has also typically been lower priced than some other ports, but for next year that seems to be less the case.

[LuCruise]

What's wrong with Galveston (aside from it being a bit further compared with US)?

 

True...I am probably looking at a cheaper week in general as kids don't go back to school until labor day in Canada. But still, I am comparing that same week to other ships, which are more (but still a better deal compared with a week or two earlier).

[daniels5759]

There is nothing wrong with Galveston. It is a great city to visit but it is

at least an hour away from the airports. I live about 80 to 90 minutes away

and have taken at least 3 or 4 cruises from here. Great restaurants right on

the the water. I have been on the Liberty twice. It is a great ship.

[DALSAL]

The minute school starts, that price falls! But, I wish we would get those Florida prices!!

[PCWalton1]

There is nothing wrong with Galveston. It is a great city to visit but it is

at least an hour away from the airports. I live about 80 to 90 minutes away

and have taken at least 3 or 4 cruises from here. Great restaurants right on

the the water. I have been on the Liberty twice. It is a great ship.

 

Our upcoming Liberty cruise in September will be our first in Galveston and we have to fly in/out of IAH since we are flying on Alaska Air. If you want to be a little creative the travel costs are not too bad. We are renting a car ($65) then driving down to stay in Texas City for the night at Best Western ($72). We are taking a taxi ($40) the next morning to the cruise terminal then for our return to IAH we are using a shared ride with Galveston Limo ($50). $227 for a hotel and round trip transportation is not too bad.

[leaveitallbehind]

What's wrong with Galveston (aside from it being a bit further compared with US)?

 

True...I am probably looking at a cheaper week in general as kids don't go back to school until labor day in Canada. But still, I am comparing that same week to other ships, which are more (but still a better deal compared with a week or two earlier).

 

There is nothing wrong with Galveston in general, but perhaps compared to other cruise departure ports it may not be as convenient or inexpensive to get to. You kind of answered your own question in your original post when you indicated the airfare differences and how that may make the savings a wash.

 

If the price is right and it is an itinerary you like, then book it. As mentioned the ship is fine and so is the port. Again, market and demand drive prices and if the mix of date and departure port work for your budget and plans, then go for it and don't over think it.

Edited July 2, 2016 by leaveitallbehind

[ginger123snaps]

I live in austin, tx and love the convenience of driving to port but if i were flying...galveston would not be my first choice. Florida are ports are so much nicer to cruise from. There really is no comparison.

 

We just sailed Liberty a couple of weeks and it is a beautiful ship. Don't hesitate because of the ship!

[LuCruise]

Thanks for the replies. Didn't realize that the airport is so far from the cruise port. That for sure could be a factor. And the price difference. I did notice that if we fly out of Buffalo that it is quite a bit cheaper...but that adds a 3hr drive plus there were no direct flights so it turns into 3hrs drive + 6 hr flight from Buffalo vs a 3hrs flight from Toronto. Won't eliminate it but it's certainly a factor.

 

Good to know though that the Liberty itself is great like the others and it's more of the port.

[bajadahl]

Another issue with Galveston is the fact that you have to cruise through the Gulf to get to any ports so port selection is more limited than starting anywhere in Florida.

 

 

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[royalfan1]

Liberty is a wonderful ship, one of my favorites so far!

 

The only issues I see going out of Galveston was it is a little difficult to get to and from the airport. We flew in 4 days before so we could visit the area and transportation was a bit pricey.

 

The other issue, not a big deal, was the fact that you can only have Texas liquor until you get out to sea. The selections were limited and it was harder to get a drink. No champagne at sail away either.

 

We were there in May and weather in Houston was very bad and our plane was delayed so long we missed our connecting flight.

 

Nothing was that bad, in fact we booked it again next year!

[daniels5759]

Our upcoming Liberty cruise in September will be our first in Galveston and we have to fly in/out of IAH since we are flying on Alaska Air. If you want to be a little creative the travel costs are not too bad. We are renting a car ($65) then driving down to stay in Texas City for the night at Best Western ($72). We are taking a taxi ($40) the next morning to the cruise terminal then for our return to IAH we are using a shared ride with Galveston Limo ($50). $227 for a hotel and round trip transportation is not too bad.

 

If you can book a room in Galveston it would be much better. September is an off season month and there is free parking at most hotels. There are many

wonderful restaurants and cool shops on the strand or on the sea wall. Just

a suggestion. By the way thanks for all your reviews. I really enjoy reading them.

[Wilson]

"YOLO" "Book it"

 

We were on Liberty in April. The ship was beautiful and we enjoyed excellent food and service.

[dna1990]

On Liberty now...a great class ship. As posted, i think school schedules are the top influence to pricing for Galveston. Yes, there are great deals outside the peak weeks. But again as others have stated - research transportation from IAH to Galveston and spend the night before.

 

 

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[serialcruiser48]

I sailed the Liberty many times and have 9 remaining cruises booked this year on this ship. It's a great ship and one of my favorites, fantastic crew, great food and plenty of things to do. My one and only complaint is the Liberty does not have the great Voom Internet I just enjoyed on the Oasis for the last week. If the Liberty had Oasis type Voom I could live on this ship.

Edited July 2, 2016 by serialcruiser48
Had to look up my number of booked cruises for accuracy.

[PCWalton1]

If you can book a room in Galveston it would be much better. September is an off season month and there is free parking at most hotels. There are many

wonderful restaurants and cool shops on the strand or on the sea wall. Just

a suggestion. By the way thanks for all your reviews. I really enjoy reading them.

 

Thanks, I enjoy writing them. :)

 

We looked at staying in Galveston but our flight does not arrive at IAH until 4:45pm so we really just need a room for the night and someplace to eat for dinner and the hotels were twice as much than Texas City. Also we could not find a place to drop off a car on a Sunday morning in Galveston.

[robtulipe]

Thanks for the replies. Didn't realize that the airport is so far from the cruise port. That for sure could be a factor. And the price difference. I did notice that if we fly out of Buffalo that it is quite a bit cheaper...but that adds a 3hr drive plus there were no direct flights so it turns into 3hrs drive + 6 hr flight from Buffalo vs a 3hrs flight from Toronto. Won't eliminate it but it's certainly a factor.

 

Good to know though that the Liberty itself is great like the others and it's more of the port.

 

One advantage of flying out of Buffalo is that you can easily and cheaply fly into Hobby, HOU, airport which is in south Houston, just off of the Gulf Fwy, I-45, and is much closer to Galveston's port, 38 miles away. Bush airport, IAH, is twice the distance away from that port

We used Southwest for our flights in Jan/15 which cost us less than $250US each return , flew in the day before and got a two rooms hotel and full size car package through Hotwire. I dropped our luggage and three off early at port, returned rental car to Hobby and I alone took ship's shuttle back to port. Total cost for all, package and my $30 shuttle ride, was $150US.

I returned rental car to Hobby because Enterprise is the only car renter on Galveston island and they wouldn't allow one way drop off so went with much cheaper Hotwire package and it didn't take that much of my time as we, DW and I, did B2B2B cruises.

Edited July 2, 2016 by robtulipe

[trippintex]

the end of aug. sept. oct. heart of storm season in galveston gulf could get bit ruff if low presure form but the prices are great

[Gefunkt]

We are sailing in July, RCI has a great deal on transportation from the airport to the ship. We are flying in a day early and staying at a hotel close to the airport and plan to take the shuttle back to the airport to ride the shuttle bus to Galveston I think it was 30 dollars each way.

[LuCruise]

One advantage of flying out of Buffalo is that you can easily and cheaply fly into Hobby, HOU, airport which is in south Houston, just off of the Gulf Fwy, I-45, and is much closer to Galveston's port, 38 miles away. Bush airport, IAH, is twice the distance away from that port

We used Southwest for our flights in Jan/15 which cost us less than $250US each return , flew in the day before and got a two rooms hotel and full size car package through Hotwire. I dropped our luggage and three off early at port, returned rental car to Hobby and I alone took ship's shuttle back to port. Total cost for all, package and my $30 shuttle ride, was $150US.

I returned rental car to Hobby because Enterprise is the only car renter on Galveston island and they wouldn't allow one way drop off so went with much cheaper Hotwire package and it didn't take that much of my time as we, DW and I, did B2B2B cruises.

Thanks. Will check flight prices to HOU. Didn't know there was another option.

 

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[LuCruise]

the end of aug. sept. oct. heart of storm season in galveston gulf could get bit ruff if low presure form but the prices are great

Oh...good to know. This might be an issue if coming with kids (wouldn't want to scare them)

 

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[emeraldcity]

I'm surprised nobody mentioned what a great port city Galveston is. I only sailed out of Galveston once but we went in two days early. Stayed at that converted warehouse-turned-hotel right on the pier and wandered the old town the evening we arrived. Headed over to Moody Gardens the next day ... one of the best aquariums I have ever been to.

 

A totally different experience than sailing out of Florida and well worth the transportation distance to get there from IAH.

 

And Liberty is a great ship ... especially when sailing with kids. I choose it when I introduced my family (and all 6 grandkids) to cruising a couple years ago. You owe it to yourself to try it once.

[LuCruise]

I'm surprised nobody mentioned what a great port city Galveston is. I only sailed out of Galveston once but we went in two days early. Stayed at that converted warehouse-turned-hotel right on the pier and wandered the old town the evening we arrived. Headed over to Moody Gardens the next day ... one of the best aquariums I have ever been to.

 

A totally different experience than sailing out of Florida and well worth the transportation distance to get there from IAH.

 

And Liberty is a great ship ... especially when sailing with kids. I choose it when I introduced my family (and all 6 grandkids) to cruising a couple years ago. You owe it to yourself to try it once.

 

Thanks for mentioning the flip side of Galveston. That does sound like fun and nice things to do pre-cruise.