Liberty Live-ish!

[Cindy]

I'm back on the Liberty just four short weeks after I disembarked![emoji38] The last trip was with my mom, one of my mom's friends, and one of my sisters. It was a very different cruise for me for quite a few reasons. My husband and I almost always get a suite, avoid the Windjammer whenever possible, and spend most nights in specialty dining. I had a good time in October because of who I was with, but I was in a balcony cabin by myself (having my own room was kind of nice), we ate ALL our breakfasts and lunches in the Windjammer because my mom's friend didn't want to risk having to sit with strangers, and all but one dinner was in the MDR. For this trip we got lucky and grabbed a great deal on 1340 (center hump OS), I'm with my husband[emoji7], and we have specialty dining scheduled for every night but one.

 

On Sunday we arrived at the terminal after a short, easy drive from Houston about 10:10 -- or should I say we arrived at the driveway to the terminal. Getting from the street to the terminal was probably the longest part of the whole boarding process! While the new terminal is a great improvement, traffic patterns are still a mess! As usual, Jim performed the "wife and luggage dump" and took the car to EZCruise. He walked back and arrived about 10:40, and we then started the second longest part of the boarding process...security. Do you ever feel like you go to the grocery store and pick the wrong line? That was us yesterday...we chose poorly. We purposely avoided the line with the stroller and people toting lots of bags, and were rewarded with the slowest, most thorough x-ray checker I've ever encountered! He asked each person at least 5 questions about the contents of their bags. We were numbers 5&6 when we joined the line, and getting through security took about 10 minutes![emoji15] Once we cleared that hurdle the rest of the process was a piece of cake. When we got upstairs boarding had already started. We just kept walking and were on board right at 11:00.

 

We stopped on 11, saw the Windjammer wasn't open yet, and went up to the Suite Lounge for a while. This was my first time to see the SL, and I was surprised by how much bigger (and in my opinion nicer) it is than the Diamond Lounge. We had lunch in the Windjammer a little after 11:30, and then went back upstairs to wait for cabins to be open, which was right at 1:00. We had hoped to eat in Giovanni's since the WJ was already very crowded, but we were told it wasn't open for Gold Card seating on boarding day. Note...we were told wrong. It's not a big deal, but there was definitely a communication problem.

 

 

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[Cindy]

Our suite is beautiful! One of my disappointments in October was that the cabins weren't redone in the renovation like they were on the Navigator. My balcony cabin on that trip had the old peach and aqua color scheme. Our OS on this trip has the new dark blue and shades of tan/cream decor which is much more appealing to me. I think they even replaced the plumbing fixtures...they seem different from the ones in our last OS. The cabin really is overkill for just two people, but I love the spaciousness, the closet space, and the huge balcony. I also like the perks, and since it's not likely that we will ever make Pinnacle I just buy the perks by booking suites![emoji4]

 

 

 

 

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Edited November 29, 2016 by Cindy

[stickyshocker]

Question, is there not a separate suite entrance on this terminal? Thanks.

 

 

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[Cindy]

Question, is there not a separate suite entrance on this terminal? Thanks.

 

 

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You have to get inside before there's any kind of priority boarding. The problem isn't so much with the terminal itself, but with vehicle traffic getting to the terminal.

 

 

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[Cindy]

Suite Perks:

 

 

 

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[Cindy]

More later...it's time to eat again![emoji23]

 

 

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[stickyshocker]

You have to get inside before there's any kind of priority boarding. The problem isn't so much with the terminal itself, but with vehicle traffic getting to the terminal.

 

 

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Got it, different process from Port Everglades. This suite on this ship has been on my radar for a while, i'll be following along.

[sellwingri]

Suite Perks:

 

 

 

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Thanks for posting this. We're in a GS on Liberty in 5 days so I'm getting really excited. Did you get an email from the Conceirge the week before you boarded? We've always received an email in advance but nothing so far.

[George C]

I had heard they moved suite breakfast from Chops to Giovanni's, when we were on in April Chops was for gold card only on that 1st day but they said they ran out of room and then let everyone into chops. Did you do Giovanni's for lunch? was it same as chops ?

[Cindy]

Thanks for posting this. We're in a GS on Liberty in 5 days so I'm getting really excited. Did you get an email from the Conceirge the week before you boarded? We've always received an email in advance but nothing so far.

 

 

Yes, we received it on Wednesday. I heard that's the day Anis sends his welcome e-mails. He had taken care of all our requests within 24 hours.

 

 

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Edited November 29, 2016 by Cindy

[clarky213]

It took you 20 minutes from your Husband arriving at the Pier to being on the ship, and you're complaining about a slow queue..................

[Cindy]

It took you 20 minutes from your Husband arriving at the Pier to being on the ship, and you're complaining about a slow queue..................

 

 

I'm not complaining...I'm making an observation that the slowest part of the process was arriving and getting through security, and from that point it flew.

 

 

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[Cindy]

Muster drill was uneventful, and we stayed down on Deck 4 at Boleros to let the crowds thin out before we went upstairs for sail away on our balcony. We left right on time on a beautiful afternoon, with the Carnival Breeze following us out of the channel.

 

 

 

 

Our suite attendant Raj knocked on the door with our luggage right at 5:00. We were unpacked by 5:15[emoji846], changed for dinner by 5:30, and upstairs in the Suite Lounge by 5:35!

 

 

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[Cindy]

Dinner was at Sabor. We weren't sure what to expect since we had only eaten at the very different Sabor on the Oasis, but it was fantastic! Living in Houston, I never would have thought a cruise ship taco would be one of the best I ever had, but the Barbacoa Tacos were awesome! We also loved the dessert sampler and waddled out of the restaurant after a great meal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

If we hadn't eaten at Sabor we would have had the Mojo menu in the dining room.

 

 

 

 

 

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[Cindy]

Our final stop on night one was Vintages where we ended up purchasing a wonderful bottle of Alion Ribera del Duero, which is a Spanish Tempranillo/Cabernet blend. It's very different than the Texas Tempranillo/Cab blends we're used to, and we loved it. Our first day ended early - very early, because we couldn't keep our eyes open. I think we were both asleep before 10:00.

 



 

 

 

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[Bookster99]

Wow! Great information! We are on Liberty of the Seas 12/26/16. I already know to bring my own pepper grinder, and not look for bananas with other fruit.

 

The suite looks fabulous! Wonderful stuff.

[british lady]

Thank you for this report and photos, we will be on her in Dec.

I will look into booking Sabor

[Cindy]

Sorry, I know this isn't very live, but I'll keep on going.

 

Staying asleep was a different story. The mattress in our cabin is better than the tired, sad thing I had in October, but only marginally. We requested and received a foam topper, but unfortunately they could only find one...guess whose side of the bed got it?[emoji4] I'm going to go on a mini rant here...is it really too much to ask for a mattress with at least a little give to it? I woke up 7 or 8 times the first night because my shoulders and hips were in pain from sleeping (or trying to) on a wooden plank. Raj reported they are phasing out the foam toppers and soon they won't be available at all. I'm not sure that bodes well for me sleeping on future cruises!

 

Update...we did get a second topper, but we had to speak to a supervisor to do so. She reiterated they are being phased out because of sanitation concerns, and further told me our mattress should be fine because it was replaced in February. Maybe I'm missing something, but how is a mattress topper any less sanitary than a mattress that's been slept on by a different couple each week? At any rate, I realize whether a mattress is comfortable or not is a personal thing, but I also don't think waking up with a pain in my hip or a numb shoulder is normal. I am glad to have a resolution that will allow both of us to sleep better![emoji42]

 

 

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[Cindy]

Beautiful day in Roatan. This is our lunch view...

 

 

 

 

 

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[Cindy]

Our shrimp was delicious. We had lots of interest...

 

 

 

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[molsonschooner]

Suite Perks:

 

 

 

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does this mean that those guest over 20 don't have to be well behaved?

[Cindy]

does this mean that those guest over 20 don't have to be well behaved?

 

 

I think they still have to be well behaved, but they are allowed to behave without their parent or guardian![emoji6]

 

 

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Edited November 30, 2016 by Cindy

[BecciBoo]

Hey Cindy! Thx for the review and the pics are fabulous!

 

We'll be on the other route in April.

 

Enjoy the cruise, can't wait for more....:D

 

BTW, what's happened with the big slide ride, is it still defunct?

Edited November 30, 2016 by BecciBoo

[Cindy]

Hey Cindy! Thx for the review and the pics are fabulous!

 

We'll be on the other route in April.

 

Enjoy the cruise, can't wait for more....:D

 

BTW, what's happened with the big slide ride, is it still defunct?

 

 

It was working last month. We haven't gone back there yet...that's on the schedule for tomorrow!

 

 

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[Cindy]

I've decided I'm not very good at this. I keep getting busy with other things and running out of time to write![emoji17] I thought I would be able to update at night but somehow the food and wine have conspired against me and I can't keep my eyes open! We're staying on the ship today, and I'll spend at least some time working on this.

 

DAY 2

The mattress and the rocking (it was pretty windy most of the day Monday) had meant I didn't sleep well, and I finally got up a little after 7:00 to get a cup of coffee. Last month I got a mocha or a latte every morning, but I brought my own creamer this time and just got Americano. It's good and hits the spot. The rules downstairs at Cafe Promenade haven't changed...coffee is served starting at 7:00. That's exactly 7:00 if you're wondering, and not a minute earlier, even if they're ready. It's not an issue on sea days, but last month it caused problems when people were trying to get off the ship for early tours.

 

Coffee and my balcony are a cruise ritual for me...wind, heat, cold -- it doesn't matter! We spent a long, leisurely early morning watching the world go by, then headed up to Giovanni's Table for breakfast. The ability to eat breakfast in one of the specialty restaurants is one of the best perks of a suite to me...it's quiet, and I do much better controlling what I eat than I do in the buffet! Here's the breakfast menu:

 

 

 

 

After breakfast we went down and played Trivia. It was mobbed! Of course we didn't come close to winning, but we had a good time anyway. After that it was back up to 14 for our M&M. I (and quite a few others) never received an invitation for the 10:50 event, but thanks to checking the roll call we found out when it was. 10:50 came and went, and about 11:00 or a little after the staff showed up. There really wasn't much to it...a few words about the loyalty program...OK, let's have the raffle drawing! I was happy both Blizzard54 who was very active on the roll call and his wife both won fabulous prizes, but there wasn't anything done to promote meeting or mingling, which has been my experience more and more lately. The Olive or Twist was full, but I only met a handful of people, because the organization of the event really isn't conducive to it. I didn't recognize most of the screen names of the winners. Here's a picture of a few of us from the roll call after the M&M ended. I'm wearing the green shirt, and my husband is next to me in gray.

 

 

 

Lunch was back up to Giovanni's Table. They have a simple lunch menu, and we got salads from the Windjammer to supplement it. Since they serve a paid lunch on sea days, they separate the seating and put gold cards in the back and paying customers in the front. Interestingly enough, I've noticed they also separate us at breakfast and put Pinnacles (there are quite a few on this sailing) in the back and suite guests in the front. I understand why they do it at lunch but I'm not sure about breakfast unless it's to keep track of who's using the various perks. I had the grilled chicken, and it was honestly one of the best I've ever eaten. I've found my lunch choice on sea days...again, I need portion control since I have no willpower! Here's the menu:

 

Edited December 1, 2016 by Cindy
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