Lackluster Liberty Thanksgiving......

[foxgoodrich]

Griffy, your experiences are interesting. Our last cruise on Liberty was on May 25, and I saw some issues similar to what you described.

 

It seemed to us that something was just a little bit "off" on Liberty, like there was a lack of communication/motivation/coordinaiton between management and the "troops." A number of crew we observed did not look happy, and there were a couple of relatively minor issues that required more than one trip to GS to sort out. (I have to admit that we did luck out at GS on our second trip because our Jewel Concierge from Sept 2015, now a GS manager on Liberty, remembered us from the Jewel CL, and he resolved our issues instantly.)

 

We had an opportunity to chat with the Hotel Director in the Liberty DL one evening, and also the F&B Manager another evening. Both mentioned that they had lots of NEW crew in Housekeeping and F&B positions. We saw some awkwardness in the MDR, and we got lots of apologies from our wait team about how slow the galley was on 2 nights of our 7 night cruise. Bar service was really slow at the pool, and there weren't as many roaming bar waiters as we've observed in the past. We had no problem with bar service in the theater, but we were sitting in the balcony reserved area, so maybe that's why. We did have really slow bar service in the MDR.

 

Unfortunately, Galveston frequently seems to have long lines for Customs & Immigration. It helps when they divide the line into one for US Citizens and one for Foreign Nationals and things seem like they move better, but they don't always do that. We never use a porter, and usually we can get through the terminal in about an hour, including the gathering of luggage, the long serpentine line, and the Customs declaration. Once there was a totally FUBAR situation due to nearly 2000 foreign nationals on the ship and it took us about 4 hours to get through the terminal and out, but happily that only happened once in 14 or so cruises out of Galveston.

 

Funny you should mention Celebrity...I've been looking at some of their itineraries recently.

Judy

Edited December 1, 2016 by foxgoodrich

[JamesEM]

 

- MDR food has been stripped down in selection and quality and many favorites are gone. Looks like they finally "jumped the shark" because it really sucks now.

 

- Windjammer food selection is also very trimmed down from past trips.

 

- Cafe Promenade has dwindled down to just a few cheap sandwiches and 3 types of pastries.

 

For me the cutbacks are really having a negative effect and for the 1st time I don't feel like I got my money's worth this trip..

 

Somehow over the last 10 years "Mediocre" became the new "Fabulous"......

 

I recently sailed on the FOS, and agree 100%.

[CP3o]

Sounds like they really need to work on a way to ramp up staff on the extra busy sailings or maybe limit capacity in some way (I know, unrealistic), one does pay a premium for holiday sailings so it's disappointing to read about more cutbacks in the last couple of years.

 

I thought they'd found about all the cutbacks they needed to make a good profit with the cutbacks in previous 10 years and increased capacity of pax per sailing.

[BlueSkiesTX]

I too was on the LOTS thanksgiving sailing and having just been on board in July a lot just seemed a bit off. I would not classify it as a bad cruise just not great. Our July cruise was one of the best ever, but I think 3 out 4 days being cool and the extreme amount wind, which did close the Falmouth port, caused the cruise to have a different feeling. Heck even in Cozumel it was cool with the temp staying in the 70's and water excursions being cancelled in cayman due to 40 knot winds. I won't stop cruising but I think the weather forced more people to expose the limits of the staffing on board.

 

Bingo! I think the weather had a lot to do with the "vibe" of the ship. On our Thanksgiving cruise last year, it was really warm and sunny. A whole different feel! I still love Liberty and wish Royal would add more staff and address some of the issues (water around the pool, etc.).

[odiebuddy]

We were on the Liberty the week of Thanksgiving. We had 2 D1 balcony rooms that were a joining. There was 4 adults and 2 children. The room, tips and shore excursions cost was a little over $9000. We had booked this over a year ago. What was strange is we had two different room attendants.

 

The biggest problem I had on this trip (and many others) is the children running wild and no parents around. On embarkation day there were new lounge chairs loaded onto the ship. After they were placed on the decks I saw numerous children on numerous days running and jumping from lounge to lounge. I saw a young girl running by the Flow Rider, she fell flat on her back and hit her head on the ground. No one went over to help her. I went over and asked where her parents were and she didn't know. Her adult finally showed up licking a frozen yogurt. My grandsons were playing table tennis and a boy about 8 or 9 wanted to play with them. I offered to play with him. I asked where his parents were and he said his mother was by the pool and his grandmother was playing Bingo. The last night on the ship we went to the show and shortly after the show started people came. One kid went past me and then turned around and spilt my drink....all over me. I got up to go dry myself off and the mother tried to take my seat. No apology for spilling the drink. I could go on and on.......

 

It seemed strange that there was no shrimp cocktail for dinner. We had My Time Dining and were on time each evening. The five nights we ate there we were set at 4 different tables. People are not making reservations and know that RC will accommodate them. This was included in my survey.

 

The night we went to Chops the waiter said the steak on the children's menu was not that good and he would get them each the 6oz filet. They each got the shrimp cocktail and the 6oz filet, which was the same meal that I got. Since they are 8 & 10 the cost was only $10 per child. We also ate at Giovonni's. They had a new menu which I didn't care for but the rest of my people liked it.

 

There was probably to many children running around to have a safe cook out. Another issue is the smokers around the pool area. They seem to want to sit in the non smoking area and then when they want to smoke come to the smoking area where non smokers are sitting. Even though RC provides numerous ash trays they flick their ashes on the deck. (Have seen this on many ships). This is one reason prices keep going up (cleaning up the ashes) and providing flotation devices for the pool since the parents let their kids go in the pool alone, even though they cannot swim.

 

Disembarking the ship was the easiest we have ever had in Galveston. The new terminal is outstanding. We always get a porter to get through immigration faster.

 

It was not a bad trip, but it wasn't my favorite. I was wondering what some of these children will look like in orange jumpsuits in the future.

 

We are catching another ship next week and while I am sure there will be children hopefully not as many.

[dcgrumpy]

We were on the Liberty the week of Thanksgiving. We had 2 D1 balcony rooms that were a joining. There was 4 adults and 2 children. The room, tips and shore excursions cost was a little over $9000. We had booked this over a year ago. What was strange is we had two different room attendants.

 

The biggest problem I had on this trip (and many others) is the children running wild and no parents around. On embarkation day there were new lounge chairs loaded onto the ship. After they were placed on the decks I saw numerous children on numerous days running and jumping from lounge to lounge. I saw a young girl running by the Flow Rider, she fell flat on her back and hit her head on the ground. No one went over to help her. I went over and asked where her parents were and she didn't know. Her adult finally showed up licking a frozen yogurt. My grandsons were playing table tennis and a boy about 8 or 9 wanted to play with them. I offered to play with him. I asked where his parents were and he said his mother was by the pool and his grandmother was playing Bingo. The last night on the ship we went to the show and shortly after the show started people came. One kid went past me and then turned around and spilt my drink....all over me. I got up to go dry myself off and the mother tried to take my seat. No apology for spilling the drink. I could go on and on.......

 

It seemed strange that there was no shrimp cocktail for dinner. We had My Time Dining and were on time each evening. The five nights we ate there we were set at 4 different tables. People are not making reservations and know that RC will accommodate them. This was included in my survey.

 

The night we went to Chops the waiter said the steak on the children's menu was not that good and he would get them each the 6oz filet. They each got the shrimp cocktail and the 6oz filet, which was the same meal that I got. Since they are 8 & 10 the cost was only $10 per child. We also ate at Giovonni's. They had a new menu which I didn't care for but the rest of my people liked it.

 

There was probably to many children running around to have a safe cook out. Another issue is the smokers around the pool area. They seem to want to sit in the non smoking area and then when they want to smoke come to the smoking area where non smokers are sitting. Even though RC provides numerous ash trays they flick their ashes on the deck. (Have seen this on many ships). This is one reason prices keep going up (cleaning up the ashes) and providing flotation devices for the pool since the parents let their kids go in the pool alone, even though they cannot swim.

 

Disembarking the ship was the easiest we have ever had in Galveston. The new terminal is outstanding. We always get a porter to get through immigration faster.

 

It was not a bad trip, but it wasn't my favorite. I was wondering what some of these children will look like in orange jumpsuits in the future.

 

We are catching another ship next week and while I am sure there will be children hopefully not as many.

 

 

You're not required t make reservations.

[janrey1234]

Interesting comments. I agree with previous poster, for the sake of balance, what was decent?

 

You mentioned "no poolside cookout/BBQ" - don't believe any RC ship has ever had this so not a cutback. What RC ship were you on that had this?

 

$6000 is a lot of money - was this because of Thanksgiving? Or were you in a larger suite?

 

 

I remember Navigator having it in 2013 on sea day. I don't recall the Allure having it in 2015.

[George C]

 

It was not a bad trip, but it wasn't my favorite. I was wondering what some of these children will look like in orange jumpsuits in the future.

 

We are catching another ship next week and while I am sure there will be children hopefully not as many.

 

We used to cruise every Thanksgivings, but stopped about 10 year ago, if we want to do that week we do Sandals adult only resort or cruise week after which is normally hundreds cheaper with no children, we also avoid other holidays that would have kids out of school and the summer, love your remark about orange jumpsuits

[Paulette3028]

The OP presented his facts the way he wanted to present his facts. Just because you feel something is irrelevant is actually irrelevant to the OP's experience. It is obvious in all your posts that you are blindly loyal to Royal, which is perfectly fine, but none of that changes what Matt experienced on his most recent cruise. If you have so many issues with what he has said, move on, many of us are actually interested in what he has to say.

 

People can easily just move past my comments, knowing my loyalty to Royal, yet I try to bring up details that might interest the conversation. If that doesn't suit you, don't read them -- that is fine with me.

 

Just as in other aspects of our society(restaurants and hotels on land and other service industries), things have changed in cruising -- on all lines, from what I have heard from friends and reading. So to date, Royal has not changed enough to cause me to leave (my POV and not what others feel, which I realize). As a friend who just sailed on Celebrity (another within the Royal family), the entertainment was good, but not Royal's.

 

With Royal I feel like I am in 'vacation camp' with lots to do IF I want to do it, or I can do very little if I want that.

 

For the things that are happen on a ship, take it to the appropriate person responsible onboard. I have done that by leaving a note for the Hotel Manager and viola the next day received a response.....maybe it solved the problem or I at least knew it was heard by the right person.

 

Just my 2 cents.

[ducklite]

We were on Oasis over Thanksgiving and some of the issues I noticed (Windjammer not clean, room service dishes in hallways all cruise long, tables not cleaned in a timely manner in various venues ) I chalk up to the staff not being able to keep up with the amount of people and kids on the Holiday sailing. Assume things are back to normal this week!

 

 

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If they can't properly star, they shouldn't accept the bookings. Greed has been the downfall of many companies, and it's unfortunate that some don't learn from past mistakes.

 

I'm happy that the OP had an OK time and think they are wise to take their money elsewhere in the future rather than continuing to throw good money at bad.

 

 

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[fdthird]

From my perspective it's all very personal. What you may find as totally unacceptable, I may be fine with. Let's face it, some people are more picky than others. I'm not pointing fingers, just stating facts. We often check into hotels in 2 minutes or less, while others with multiple requests take 10 minutes. Face it folks, some of us want more than others.

[xenomorph78]

Just disembarked Liberty this past Sunday from the Thanksgiving sailing.

 

I have never written a review, however I wanted to share some issues & observations while still on my mind.

 

We had a decent time but all the cutbacks have become very noticeable to the point I no longer have any desire to get back on an RC ship for a long time.

 

I cannot justify spending $6000 for a subpar trip.

 

Since I have been home, I cancelled 2 future bookings for next year.

 

 

- Deck around the main pool is a complete watery mess. Not just poolside but even 30ft away. All the walking areas are flooded, and too the point that it is very slippery and you cannot keep any of your things on the ground or it gets soaked.

 

- Area around the kid pool/slide has gigantic pools of water on the deck. Making most of the chairs unusable the entire time.

 

- Poolside activities are almost non-existent. The did do the Belly flop contest but that is all I saw over 4 sea days.

 

No poolside Cookout/BBQ.

 

- 3 days I had tell someone to play music at the main pool. They would turn on the audio for ESPN Carib which would blare commercials and sports scores which nobody was watching.

 

- The music they finally put on was a type of House-Club mix. Not really they genre for the 30-70 age group at the pool, but better than TV audio.

 

- The single soft serve ice cream machine is a joke and had a constant line of at least 10-15 people along with a mess of spilled cones on the deck around it.

They really need to break down and get at least 2 more yogurt machines to accommodate the amount of people aboard.

 

- Arcade had many games that were broken or poor working order, but still left on to take peoples money.

 

- Photography set-ups and merchandise tables really obstructs flow of traffic badly almost every night in the promenade.

 

- Air conditioning in staterooms no longer get very cold.

 

- MDR was warm almost every night.

 

- No background music in MDR 3 nights. dining room mgr shrugged and said it's just the way it is.

 

- MDR food has been stripped down in selection and quality and many favorites are gone. Looks like they finally "jumped the shark" because it really sucks now.

 

- Windjammer food selection is also very trimmed down from past trips.

 

- Cafe Promenade has dwindled down to just a few cheap sandwiches and 3 types of pastries.

 

- When we missed the Falmouth stop due to weather issues, RC did a poor job coming up with alternative/additional activities for the day. Almost nothing..

 

- No cocktail service in Platinum theater. Bartender disappeared in the middle of the show with people standing around waiting. I had to call guest services 2x to get him to come back.

 

- Room service dishes in the hallway 2 days.

 

- When phoning guest services, I had to sit on hold for at least 3 -10 min each time. This has never happened in the past.

 

- I have left out other issues that would take to long to explain.

 

For me the cutbacks are really having a negative effect and for the 1st time I don't feel like I got my money's worth this trip..

 

Somehow over the last 10 years "Mediocre" became the new "Fabulous"......

 

I have to agree. I've been on 11 RC sailings and I just got off the Liberty today (one week after you). The service is declining for sure. The casino staff is almost intolerable with their rude comments. I had the internet package and I was lucky to get a picture to load in an email. The drinks were good as long as you didn't mind waiting for a bartender for 5 minutes or more. Mold in the shower in my balcony stateroom. The TV in my room, and also the kids room, had a huge distortion on the screen. The pool, like you said, was a swamp even in the areas around it. The tables around the isles were so close together, you could barely walk through.

I called guest services several times and NEVER got through to them. As a Diamond Member, I expected some perks, but I had to argue with my stateroom attendant just to get robes. The only other perk I got was the 3 pulls on the slot machine.

I played in the Texas Hold'em tournament and won 3rd place which paid $190. The problem with the tournament was that they just made up rules as they went. One person got to get up and go to the bathroom and missed 2 antes that they didn't have to pay in when they got back. WHAT?! We all thew a fit and the dealer just ignored us. On another table, a player wasn't allowed to get up. When another player challenged them on their rules, the dealer's response was "You need to be quiet or leave."

 

On a positive note, our wait staff in the MDR was great. The food was bland, but I just come to expect that when made on such a massive scale.

The kids, of course, had a blast and enjoyed the flowrider and water slides. They didn't notice the things I did, so I'm happy about that.

[Coralc]

As a Diamond Member, I expected some perks, but I had to argue with my stateroom attendant just to get robes.

 

:D That sounds like our room steward on Liberty. At least ours was a very nice young man, but he was absolutely clueless. We were in a JS.

 

Robes?

 

I will try.

 

No. Bring.

 

Toiletries?

 

Toilet problem?

 

No. Shampoo, lotion, body wash.

 

Please bring the special laundry bag.

 

No. This is the wrong bag. We would like the all you can fit T-shirt bag. The laundry special is today, apparently :rolleyes:

 

He was very nice. He sort of did the basics in the room. But I just about gave up on asking for things that should have been provided (and have been previously) by efficient room stewards. :)

Edited December 5, 2016 by Coralc

[matj2000]

I am glad I am not the only one who is starting to feel this way.

 

There was some positives on the cruise.

 

We did have excellent service in the MDR. Our Asst Waiter brought us all coffee without asking every nite.

 

He also took and served all the bar orders for us( I have never seen them do this before).

 

We had nice weather every day except once.

 

Embark & Debark went smoothly

 

I think RC is doing what Carnival did a while back and set it's sights on the new cruisers.

 

By looking at peoples S&S Pass on their lanyards, a good majority of the cruisers had a blank or gold status.

[jdc944]

I was on the Thanksgiving sailing as well. This was my first time to sail on Liberty. I noticed several of the same things as the OP. You can certainly see where cutbacks have been made from my previous RCL sailings. I enjoy walking the perimeter of deck 4 on cruises. I was shocked to see they had all of the luggage carts strapped to the sides of the walls around the back of deck 4.

 

On a good note, the Saturday Night Fever show was the best that I have seen on a cruise.

 

I think some of the lack of poolside activities could be related back to John Blair being the cruise director. I have been on other cruises with him. He is a very nice guy, but he is not the best cruise director to me.

 

I have only been cruising for the past 6 years, but I have seen a lot of cutbacks in that period.

[MrSnarkyPants]

We had My Time Dining and were on time each evening. The five nights we ate there we were set at 4 different tables. People are not making reservations and know that RC will accommodate them.

 

Okay, so I've only sailed Carnival up until this point (my first RC sailing is in January.)

 

So explain to this newbie why it's important to me that I set a reservation for My Time Dining every night, because on other lines, you just show up and it's first come, first served if you opt for anytime dining. And the way I understood My Time when I signed up for it is I could either make a reservation or just show up with the understanding that without a reservation I might have to wait (just like on land).

 

Either I'm missing something here... or I am just one of the great unwashed...

 

[Also: I don't care if I sit at the same table every night or not. I kind of expect to not sit at the same table if I don't take the set dining times. And sometimes I don't want to sit at the same table every night... and I really don't care if I have the same wait staff or not, either. It's just never been a thing for me. Which is a contrary opinion on CC, but I like variety.]

Edited December 5, 2016 by MrSnarkyPants

[reallyitsmema]

Okay, so I've only sailed Carnival up until this point (my first RC sailing is in January.)

 

So explain to this newbie why it's important to me that I set a reservation for My Time Dining every night, because on other lines, you just show up and it's first come, first served if you opt for anytime dining. And the way I understood My Time when I signed up for it is I could either make a reservation or just show up with the understanding that without a reservation I might have to wait (just like on land).

 

Either I'm missing something here... or I am just one of the great unwashed...

 

[Also: I don't care if I sit at the same table every night or not. I kind of expect to not sit at the same table if I don't take the set dining times. And sometimes I don't want to sit at the same table every night... and I really don't care if I have the same wait staff or not, either. It's just never been a thing for me. Which is a contrary opinion on CC, but I like variety.]

 

Some of us like to make a reservation each night because we like to eat at the same time each night and that doesn't happen to be either of the traditional dining times. We don't need the same table or waitstaff each night, though if we do have a standing reservation, we tend to end up with the same table and waitstaff.

 

You can just show up and wait to be seated. Some ships handle that better than others. You will most likely end up with a table for just your party, though you can request to sit with others and they will try to accommodate you.

[dcgrumpy]

Okay, so I've only sailed Carnival up until this point (my first RC sailing is in January.)

 

So explain to this newbie why it's important to me that I set a reservation for My Time Dining every night, because on other lines, you just show up and it's first come, first served if you opt for anytime dining. And the way I understood My Time when I signed up for it is I could either make a reservation or just show up with the understanding that without a reservation I might have to wait (just like on land).

 

Either I'm missing something here... or I am just one of the great unwashed...

 

[Also: I don't care if I sit at the same table every night or not. I kind of expect to not sit at the same table if I don't take the set dining times. And sometimes I don't want to sit at the same table every night... and I really don't care if I have the same wait staff or not, either. It's just never been a thing for me. Which is a contrary opinion on CC, but I like variety.]

 

 

You're correct. I think the previous poster misunderstood how it works.

[reallyitsmema]

You're correct. I think the previous poster misunderstood how it works.

 

Are you referring to me? What do you think I don't understand?:confused:

[MrSnarkyPants]

Are you referring to me? What do you think I don't understand?:confused:

 

I think he was referring to the 'I have noted this on my survey' guy, not to you.

[MrSnarkyPants]

I'll just make a general observation and you can tell me if I'm off or not...

 

- CC in general is frequented by people who cruise more than average

 

- CC people tend to get hung up on being recognized for how many cruises they take

 

- A lot of things that people complain about on this board won't apply to me. I don't qualify to go into the loyalty lounges, so I won't have an opinion on whether the lounge is big enough or if the free drinks are frequent enough.

 

- The number one complaint on these boards, regardless of line, is "(insert ship) isn't as good as it used to be." Sometimes I agree with this. For example, the new MDR menu on Carnival reminds me of a night out at Applebee's, and I detest Applebee's. Sometimes I read the complaints and shake my head. Apparently, having a pool area that gets wet is now something to complain about.

 

- If a cruise line were to cater to every whim of the frequent cruiser class at the expense of people like me, they'd go broke from giving all the alcohol away.

 

I have a certain number of expectations. But when I'm on a mass market cruise ship, I'm not expecting upmarket service, especially at a mass market price. I expect buffet food to be kinda average, because, it's a buffet. But I do expect good food out of the dining room.

 

I don't buy drink packages, because getting away for me does not involve seeing how many beers I can drink in a 24 hour period. No matter how many ways I run the numbers, I don't see how I beat the house on a drink package and still have a functioning liver at the end of the week.

 

I booked RCCL because

 

a) I was burned out on Carnival

b) I am hoping for fewer 'People of Walmart'

c) An ice rink, flowrider, and a Broadway musical at sea interested me

d) the itinerary was places we hadn't been before

 

Time will tell if I made a good choice. But I read some of these complaints and hope that when I get on board that I'm not so irritable that I find myself whining to the manager about the muzak or lack thereof in the dining room.

 

I'm thinking my best course of action is to stop reading these boards, get on the ship, and experience it. Because sometimes you can research something too darn much.

Edited December 6, 2016 by MrSnarkyPants

[MrSnarkyPants]

You will most likely end up with a table for just your party, though you can request to sit with others and they will try to accommodate you.

 

And this is why we booked MTD. No offense to y'all at a table for 10, but it's our anniversary, we'll be traveling without our cell phones attached at the hip, and we actually want to look each other in the eyes and *gasp* talk to each other for a few days, so yeah, table for 2, please. :)

[Clarea]

... I'm thinking my best course of action is to stop reading these boards, get on the ship, and experience it. Because sometimes you can research something too darn much.

Excellent idea! Then come back and tell us what you thought about your RC experience.:)

[Cindy]

I was on the Liberty October 23rd and again last week (the week after the OP). I wouldn't call it lackluster, but I also think some of the cuts are very noticeable. The two biggies for me are food and entertainment.

 

For food, while what I ordered was fine, the cuts to quality are very evident. The tenderloin that used to be on the menu for the first formal night is now a "striploin" as of November 1st. We went to Chops that night for our anniversary, but I heard from others who are frequent Liberty cruisers it's not good.

 

In my opinion, the new Giovanni's Table menu is terrible for an up charge restaurant. There are only 5 entrees, and the filet is no longer on the menu...it's a "Filetto Rustico" that my waiter warned me to stay away from. In my opinion, it's ridiculous to dine in an up charge restaurant and be told the only steak on the menu is thin and tough![emoji36]. I really struggled with what to get the night we were there, and actually considered skipping the entree but my waiter kept pushing and I finally settled on Osso Bucco. I like Osso Bucco, and I had it in October, but I have to be in the mood for it, and I wasn't the night we went. I only ate a few bites, at which point everyone got very concerned and offered to get me a filet from Chops, which I declined. I was already pretty full, but to me the problem was they slashed the menu too far to start with. We cancelled our second GT reservation and we won't go back until the menu improves. On a more positive note, Chops on Liberty is very good, we really enjoyed the Chef's Table, and Sabor is outstanding!

 

We ate in the Windjammer very sparingly, and thought it was fine. I ate there quite a bit in October because that was the preference of the people I was with, and I didn't have a problem with the offerings or the service. The MDR in October was also very good...we had MTD at the same time each night, with a fantastic wait team in a quiet location. We only went once last week, and to call it chaos was an understatement. Between the staff with walkie-talkies and the unsupervised children running around it was a very unpleasant experience. What we ate that night was OK, but the service was slow and impersonal.

 

As for entertainment, the "big" stuff was as good as ever. Liberty's ice show is fantastic, the production show (In the Air) is very good, and I loved Saturday Night Fever both times I saw it. The other performers in the theater seemed well received but we didn't make it to those shows. Where we struggled was with the after show time period. Phil Anderson (Schooner Bar) was on vacation last week, and he really knows how to involve the crowd and pull people in. His replacement seemed talented, but there was none of the energy I'm accustomed to, and very few people were in the Schooner Bar. Then there's the pub with no entertainment at all.[emoji22] They used the space for karaoke most nights. Karaoke is fine for those who like it, but one of the reasons we stopped sailing Carnival was the abundance of passenger provided entertainment instead of professional entertainment. I hate to see RCI going down that same path. The choices seemed like they were casino, game show (which we don't really like) or sit in a bar and drink.

 

On a positive note, the public spaces on the ship are beautiful, upgrades are ongoing (all the lounge chairs are being replaced), and the new slides are fun. Our cabin this time was immaculate and everything was new, including the plumbing fixtures (we were in a suite). I had a balcony in October, and while it was clean it was tired, with the old peach and teal color scheme instead of the new one. I would have loved to see them do the same thing to the Liberty they did to the Navigator, but they seem to have decided to spend their money on things that will attract families, like the slides. I thought the staff on both cruises was very friendly, and I have no complaints about the service.

 

 

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[MrSnarkyPants]

Excellent idea! Then come back and tell us what you thought about your RC experience.:)

 

Printed the sailpass today. 47 days.