LIVE - Liberty OTS - Canada & New England - Aug 29 (9 nt)

[maggieq]

@aring75  thanks so much for doing this live.  We did the same itin on the anthem a few years ago. We had pretty crappy weather so would like to do so again, maybe earlier in the season. How are you finding the liberty?  Understanding, she is older (we cruised on her for the first time when she was brand new) wondering if they have kept up with maintenance. 

Edited August 30 by maggieq

[aring75]

2 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

Is there a fair number of kids on your sailing?

 

I'll be on Symphony next week.  Larger ship and shorter cruise, and I expect a large number of kids, even though school is in session.

We’ve seen a good amount of kids onboard. Not summertime levels, but quite a few nonetheless. We spoke to a couple at lunch who said their kids don’t start the new school year until 9/16.

[aring75]

1 hour ago, maggieq said:

@aring75  thanks so much for doing this live.  We did the same itin on the anthem a few years ago. We had pretty crappy weather so would like to do so again, maybe earlier in the season. How are you finding the liberty?  Understanding, she is older (we cruised on her for the first time when she was brand new) wondering if they have kept up with maintenance. 

Our last sailing on this itinerary was on Anthem also! We sailed in October so it was quite cold. We loved Anthem for the cooler weather. 
 

I have noticed a few areas that need TLC. Overall, our stateroom is in good shape. There’s a lot of rust on the balcony. A lot. The dining room tonight (Michaelangelo) looked very nice and Boleros (is it still called that?) and Schooner Bar seemed pretty well kept. 
 

Tomorrow is a sea day so we will explore a lot more. I’ll let you know what we think of the rest of the ship!

[aring75]

We have late seating traditional dining so dinner tonight was at 7:45 pm. 
 

Our waiter & assistant waiter are pros and dinner was pleasant and efficient!
 

 

 

Tonight’s menu. (Day 1)

 

[aring75]

Appetizers were the Caesar salad and the crab cake.
 

Mark said it wasn’t the best crab cake he’s ever had, but it was better than our most recent Princess sailing and he would order it again. 

 

 

 

The Caesar salad was slightly overdressed (for my liking), but was very crisp and cold. 
 

[aring75]

Mark opted for the Southern Fried Chicken. It is a bone-in thigh and leg. It’s served with hot honey for dipping and he said he liked the sweet & hot combo. 

 

 

 

I went with the Prime Rib. It was a pretty large portion so I shared about a third of it with Mark. He said he enjoyed the chicken, but he thought the prime rib was better.

 

[aring75]

I had leftover wine (I know, I know…how?!) so I decided to try the cheese plate. I enjoyed this as a not-so-sweet end to my meal. 
 

 

 

Mark wanted the key lime pie and said it was “good, not great, but pretty good.” He did finish every bite of it though, so…

 

[aring75]

Stopped by the casino for a bit to see how smoky it was. Not horrible, but I do love Celebrity for their 100% non-smoking casinos. 
 

We played for a short time, but we started this day at 4:00 am and it really started to catch up to us quickly.
 

It’s only 10:30 pm, but we have reached our limit. Time for good sleep tonight and a great sea day tomorrow!

 

Cheers!!

[jjtt]

Thank you for doing this review as we will be doing this itinerary soon! We took a peak at the menu you posted and now have some discussions to make. 😋  Enjoy your sea day today! 

[aring75]

Crown & Anchor Top Tier Event this morning. We arrived a little early. 
 

 

 

Ship’s band played. And they handed out the usual mimosas, sparkling wines, and non-alcoholic punch. 
 

Stats for this sailing. 
 

[Nabalab]

Following along, thank you.  We are on Liberty in October... only itinerary difference is one day in St. John (instead of 2) and ours has Sydney, NS.

 

Also have Chops Day 1 lunch; wanted to avoid the Windjammer rush.

 

(Continue to) Have a blast!!!

Edited August 30 by Nabalab

[aring75]

Guess where we had lunch today. 
 

[aring75]

The cost (cover charge) to eat at Johnny Rockets has gone up since the last time we ate here. It now costs $14.99 per person plus gratuity, but it now includes your choice of fountain soda. 
 

 

 

The entertainment is still free. 😁

 

[aring75]

We started with a shareable plate of onion rings and fries. 
 

 

 

Mark was apparently quite hungry. Here’s his Rocket Double. 
 

 

 

I decided on the #12. This is the first time I’ve had it where it actually seemed a little spicy.

 

[aring75]

Dessert!

 

I don’t trust Royal when it comes to apple pie. I’ve been burned too many times by unnecessary raisins. 
 

Mark was brave though and it paid off. He said the apple pie a la mode was delicious. 
 

 

 

I got a sundae and it was a bit underwhelming. The ice cream was great, however. It tasted like whatever they use to make their milkshakes. 
 

[aring75]

Returned to the stateroom to find a new friend. 
 

 

 

And completed Canadian customs forms are due by tomorrow evening. 
 

[jjtt]

Do you know if the milkshakes are included at Johnny Rockets with the refreshment package? 

[aring75]

52 minutes ago, jjtt said:

Do you know if the milkshakes are included at Johnny Rockets with the refreshment package? 

It doesn’t say that they are anywhere in the app. 
 

But I found this page on the website that seems to break down the specifics a little better. This says YES Johnny Rockets milkshakes are definitely included in the refreshment package. 
 

Cruise Drink & Beverage Packages | Royal Caribbean Cruises.pdf

 

[jjtt]

2 hours ago, aring75 said:

It doesn’t say that they are anywhere in the app. 
 

But I found this page on the website that seems to break down the specifics a little better. This says YES Johnny Rockets milkshakes are definitely included in the refreshment package. 
 

Cruise Drink & Beverage Packages | Royal Caribbean Cruises.pdf 38.68 MB · 3 downloads

 

Thank you so much for looking into this for us! Have a great day! 

[EllieinNJ]

We will board when you get off for the Bermuda cruise.  We also were thinking of adding your cruise for a b2b but by the time we decided the price doubled.  Loki g forward to reading your reviews of the ship, especially the food and if you go to any shows.

[Ashland]

5 hours ago, jjtt said:

Do you know if the milkshakes are included at Johnny Rockets with the refreshment package? 

Yes....You can get them to go also if you don't want to eat there.

[jjtt]

19 minutes ago, Ashland said:

Yes....You can get them to go also if you don't want to eat there.

Great, thanks. We will probably do that. 

[aring75]

Tonight was “Dress Your Best” night. These are screenshots of the Main Dining Room menu as shown in the app.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[aring75]

We dined in Sabor tonight. This was our first time eating here on Liberty. 
 

 

 

To start, they bring tortilla chips, guacamole, and salsa (which was more like a pico de gallo) to every table. 
 

 

 

I decided to try the Handcrafted Margarita. 
 

[aring75]

Mark started with the queso fundido. He said this was great. It had a nice, smoky flavor. 
 

 

 

I took a risk with the calamari. That risk did not pay off. It was rubbery and had a strong flavor. I could probably count the number of times I’ve ever had really GOOD calamari on one hand. This was not one of those times.