Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Liberty of the Seas Review - July 3-10, 2016

journey2002
 Share

Recommended Posts

journey2002

journey2002

Posted
Posted

We're just off the 4th of July Liberty of the Seas cruise. There seem to be many reviews lately with lots of detail and pictures, so I chose to focus on just some of the key areas. But if you want to know about something else, please ask! Is be glad to answer if I can.

 

Embarkation-

Though we've cruised from Galveston before, this was the first time we have had to drive and park. I pre purchased the week at Lighthouse covered parking. The service was fast and friendly and got us to the terminal in great time. Due to some craziness, we did not get to the parking spot until almost 1:00 (about 2 hours after we planned!) But the timing could not have been better. My husband and I are Gold members but my daughter and mother are not. The staff was wonderful and they sent all four of us through the priority line. We checked in and went straight to our stateroom. From parking to being in the room was literally 30 minutes.

 

Cabins - We booked adjoining balcony rooms on Deck 7 and absolutely loved them. The location could not have been better. We were two floors above the promenade so waiting for the elevator wasn't always necessary but we were close to the elevators if we needed them. Our cabin steward was friendly and prompt. He quickly realized the needs and interests of our group and always met them. We were in 7650 and 7652.

 

Food - This was our first time to cruise with our daughter who has some pretty unique food allergies. So, our food choices were a little more limited this time. We ate in the MDR each night and ordered Room Service for breakfast most mornings. (Room service was also made aware of her allergies so helped her order). The service in the MDR was excellent, though it did take them two full days (and the involvement of the head waiter) for them to really help us out. Once they figured everything out, they went above and beyond to take care of her which I loved. The food was good most nights in the dining room. As with most things, some meals were more liked than others. My husband and I thought the food wasn't as good as in the past, but my mom and daughter (who had nothing to compare it to) enjoyed it. She could also eat the pizza in Sorentos so we snacked there some as well.

 

Drinks - Hubby and I had the Ultimate drink package. For us, it was well worth it. The package gave me the ability to try the different drinks of the day and not feel bad if I didn't like it and/or finish it. I also drink a lot of water and loved the ability to get bottles whenever I wanted without watching the cost. On the first day, my mom purchased the Replenish pack for herself and my daughter. They also loved having it and she felt it was a great deal.

 

Activities - As is often the case, we stayed busy and I still feel like we didn't even scratch the surface on the activities. (Guess we'll have to go back soon!). My daughter and husband had Flowrider lessons on the first evening and I'm so glad we did that; they were really able to enjoy it the rest of the cruise whenever it was open. The water slides were a little slow, but if you arch your back a little and move from side to side, it speeds you up. We all loved, loved the Tidal Wave; excellent ride, the line moved pretty quickly, lots of fun! We also played Bingo (where my mom won $300!), went to the spa a few times, took advantage of the open ice skating sessions, and hung out by the pool which was crowded but never to the point we didn't want to go. We did the Family Scavenger Hunt and the Harry Potter Trivia. In the evenings, my husband and I typically hung out with the karaoke crowd and had a great time.

 

Spa - As mentioned, we visited the spa several times. My mother had 3 massages and I had two, one with her and one with my daughter. They had a Teen Mother/Daughter heavenly massage so she and I went together for her first ever massage. The therapists were great and really listened. At the beginning of each session I politely told them I only wanted to relax and had no intention of purchasing any product; trying to make a sale at the end would effect their additional tip. Never once did I feel pressure to buy anything which was great!

 

Ports - Our first port was Roatan, Honduras. We wanted to snorkel and relax some so we did the Tabyana Beach break. It was a great excursion. The price included the beach, chairs, and lunch. We paid for the snorkels there because not everyone wanted to snorkel. We also paid for the inflatables while we were there too. Our second port was Belize City, Belize and our daughter wanted to see the Mayan Ruins. So we did Lamanai and the New River Safari. The mix of the bus ride and speed boat ride really broke things up and made for fun travel to the ruins. Then, in Cozumel, she wanted to see the dolphins so we did the Dolphin Push, Pull, and Swim and Manatee interaction which was great. You do have to pay extra to order the pictures though, so know that going in.

 

Voom - we purchased the basic boom package for one device in each cabin. This worked great as a way to communicate with family back home if needed (through iMessage or FB). It was a little slow when sending pictures and a couple of times I had to send twice. We didn't do any posting on FB but were able to refresh our feeds often.

 

Disembarkation - This was a little interesting to say the least. The crew's method of getting us off the ship was a very long and windy path in the heat. We chose to carry our own bags off and it just seemed long and odd. Once we were in the new terminal though, we found a porter and were through the line and customs area in under 5 minutes.

 

Overall this was a fabulous cruise and we can't wait to go again! If you have any questions, please ask and I'll do my best to answer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
wolfganghowell

wolfganghowell

Posted
Posted (edited)

There is no plan to ever have freestyle machines on Liberty. This is asked on a regular basis. I'd be willing to bet it will make the headlines here if they ever change their minds. :)

 

thanks for your review - glad you had fun!

Edited by wolfganghowell
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Lordnlkon

Lordnlkon

Posted
Posted

Thanks for the review! We just got off her in May and will be back on her in September. Really good to hear the new slide is finally open. They still had "teething problems" when we went and wouldn't let anyone ride.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
vettecruiser1

vettecruiser1

Posted
Posted

Is it still if you are self carrying. You go to the top level of the mdr or theater as your waiting area. Last year if you got their early they placed your luggage to hold your place in line so you could sit in the theater until it was time to disembark. I think I remember them letting people clear the ship about 7:30.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
journey2002

journey2002

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Is it still if you are self carrying. You go to the top level of the mdr or theater as your waiting area. Last year if you got their early they placed your luggage to hold your place in line so you could sit in the theater until it was time to disembark. I think I remember them letting people clear the ship about 7:30.

 

We started in the lower level of the MDR. Then, around 7:30, they started lining people up by exiting the dining room, going out the port side and towards the front of the ship, make a U- halfway down the side, go back through the main hall and past the MDR, out the other side, down towards the back, make a U and go by the main center entrance towards the back, into the sun to make another U before finally being able to head towards the scanners to disembark.

 

Crazy round about!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
journey2002

journey2002

Posted
  • Author
Posted
We have these same 2 rooms for our April 2016 cruise!!! Do you happen to have any photos of them or their views (how does the hump impact it!) or can you tell me the bed placement in them?

 

Thanks for the review!!

 

I'll see if I can figure out a way to load a picture or two. The views were gorgeous and the hump had no negative effect at all. In fact, I really liked how the view was because of it. The bed was closest to the window/door (we had the king arrangement) and the adjoining door was closer to the side of the bed nearest the cabin door (not sure if that makes sense). We loved having the connecting door and the ability to open and close when needed. The attendant also opened the balcony slider for us too so our balcony seemed even bigger bid we were cruising ok that ship again tomorrow, I'd definitely pick those two rooms again!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Marinagirl1443

Marinagirl1443

Posted
Posted

Can I ask for the Lamanai and the New River Safari did your mom go? We are cruising for the first time at the end of July with my husband and me in one room and mom and daughter in the connecting room (just like you!). My mom is pretty active, I'm not too worried about the walking (we'll make sure we just don't over do it and stop if we need to). In general that's a long day for anyone, I think she would enjoy it though. Did you book through Royal Caribbean? How did you get off the ship?

 

Sorry for all the questions...first timer and I want to know as much as possible!

Thank you!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
journey2002

journey2002

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Can I ask for the Lamanai and the New River Safari did your mom go? We are cruising for the first time at the end of July with my husband and me in one room and mom and daughter in the connecting room (just like you!). My mom is pretty active, I'm not too worried about the walking (we'll make sure we just don't over do it and stop if we need to). In general that's a long day for anyone, I think she would enjoy it though. Did you book through Royal Caribbean? How did you get off the ship?

 

Sorry for all the questions...first timer and I want to know as much as possible!

Thank you!

 

No worries about the questions! That's how I always find out things too - lots of questions!

 

My mom didn't go on this excursion; it's the one she chose to miss. But I'd say if your mom is fairly active she would be fine. The total walking at the site is about 1 mile. We carried a backpack that my husband and I took turns with, which held a small water bottle for each of us and one large water bottle to refill from. It was definitely hot and humid on the walk and the water helped. One of the hardest parts though was the climb to the top of the ruin. I'm not totally sure I'd recommend her doing that, but you know her activity level best.

 

We always book excursions through Royal Caribbean. I know you can get them cheaper off the ship sometimes, but I personally like the peace of mind that comes with knowing the ship will be held if something happens. For our trip, the ship was late letting people off, so we knew we'd be pushing it to get back in time. But I was still able to enjoy the day because I knew the ship wouldn't leave a Royal Caribbean excursion.

 

We took a tender that day after meeting in studio B that morning. The tickets we received on the ship told us where to go. (This was another benefit to booking with the ship - as mentioned, they were late docking and letting us off and some other people we met lost their paid for excursion because they booked it off ship and they did not make it to the meeting spot in time.)

 

Hope this helps!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...