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

[molik]

Thanks for all of the info. We will be on the 9/12

sailing.

 

Cathy

Edited September 1 by molik
wrong date

[aring75]

On 8/29/2024 at 8:24 PM, maggieq said:

How are you finding the liberty?

After having been onboard for a few days, I’m going to say that I think the important things seem to be well-kept.
 

The sheets and towels are crisp, clean, and bright white.

 

The water pressure in the shower is great, although I hate these older round “tube” like showers. 

 

Most of the fixtures in the cabin are in decent working order even if they are a little dated with one notable exception. Our balcony door doesn’t slide easily. It definitely requires an extra PUSH to get it going. Then it screams at me like it’s in pain as it slides across the track. Do they have WD-40 on ships?

 

All the restaurant fixtures have seemed pretty up to date, but some of the chairs and tables in the lounges have certainly seen better days. 
 

Overall, I think the Liberty is in good shape. She’s not new and it’s obvious. But everywhere is clean and so far we’ve had great experiences with the crew. It’s a friendly ship.
 

Plus, a LOT of the passengers seem to be repeat cruisers of the Liberty. I feel like that’s a good sign!

[aring75]

We dined in Chops Grille tonight for dinner, but I’m including the menu from the MDR for anyone who may be interested. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

[aring75]

We have had highs and lows as it pertains to Chops Grille, but I have to say, the past several times we’ve eaten here we’ve enjoyed it very much. 
 

 

[aring75]

Appetizers. 
 

Mark said the Chops crab cake was much better than the one available in the dining room. 
 

 

 

I had the charred beef carpaccio and it was delicious. Perfectly seasoned. And oh so generous with that shredded Parmesan. Mmmm.
 

[aring75]

Mark had the wedge salad and I had the Caesar. Both were good. 
 

 

 

The Caesar had those fresh baked croutons. A step up from the MDR salad. 

 

[aring75]

The NY Strip

 

 

 

And the 9 oz filet.

 

 

 

The filet was melt-in-your-mouth tender, but the strip was so flavorful. We shared for the best of both worlds!

 

We tried all the sauces they offer and decided that the green peppercorn or the red wine reduction went best with the NY Strip, but the filet needs a little bit of fat, so the béarnaise was perfect. Ymmv.

[aring75]

Dessert!!

 

 

 

Mark likes the key lime pie. I think their merengue is too sweet. I like a tart KLP. 
 

 

 

I tried the cheesecake. It was a solid choice. The raspberries were delicious. 
 

 

 

All in all, we were very happy with our dinner tonight.

 

 

Entertainment tonight consists of Jazz in the Star lounge, karaoke superstar (round 2), Latin hits in Boleros, an outdoor movie (If), Elton John piano hits in the Schooner Bar, and a magician in the theater. Plus, later tonight is the 80s party in the promenade. 

[aring75]

Moving the clocks forward by an hour tonight. Happy to be arriving in Saint John a little later in the morning. We don’t have to meet for our tour until noon, so we will definitely enjoy a leisurely start to the day!

[warb]

Is Lunch served in any Sit-Down

Restaurants while Sailing or

Docked?   Thank You. Great Report.

[We Sail]

Great job posting about your trip!  Our family will enjoy this same itinerary in two weeks.  I may have missed it, did your trip have a gathering of CC members?  

[mets123]

4 hours ago, warb said:

Is Lunch served in any Sit-Down

Restaurants while Sailing or

Docked?   Thank You. Great Report.

Yes for sea days 

 

[aring75]

9 hours ago, warb said:

Is Lunch served in any Sit-Down

Restaurants while Sailing or

Docked?   Thank You. Great Report.

 

mets123 is right. Lunch is served in the MDR and in specialty restaurants on sea days. 
 

[aring75]

9 hours ago, We Sail said:

Great job posting about your trip!  Our family will enjoy this same itinerary in two weeks.  I may have missed it, did your trip have a gathering of CC members?  

We did not have a very active roll call, and I must admit, I stopped following about three weeks before the cruise. But I didn’t see any plans before that. 

[aring75]

We had a very long day here on our first day in New Brunswick. Saint John is a charming town and I am in the process of uploading my pictures now. 
 

We did a tour through the ship called “The Best of Saint John.”
 

 

 

We were gone for almost 7 hours, but it was a great day. 

[aring75]

Our tour on day 1 in Saint John took us to the reversing rapids. We made a stop at the falls-side park in the morning while the tide was coming in. The water was quite high already. You could see the incoming tide as it met the waters of the Saint John river. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[aring75]

We drove out to the fishing village of Saint Martin’s where we saw a few little tourist shops, a coffee shop, and covered bridges. 
 

 

 

From here, we drove out the see the caves in the cliff side formed from years of water erosion. 
 

 

Edited September 3 by aring75

[aring75]

We stopped for an included lunch at the Caves Restaurant.
 

 

 

 

They offered a rich and creamy seafood chowder with cod, scallops, lobster, and shrimp. This was served with a warm, buttery biscuit.
 

 

 

For anyone who preferred a non-seafood meal, a house-made minestrone soup, or a basket of chicken strips were both available.

[aring75]

We returned to the reversing falls to watch the tide as it headed back out. It was great to be able to see the difference between the incoming and outgoing tide. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

[aring75]

We made a final stop at O’Leary’s Irish Pub where we enjoyed a Moosehead Lager and a few rousing Irish Sea shanties. 
 

 

 

 

We certainly enjoyed this tour. It was almost seven hours long by the time we made it back to the ship, but we felt that we had an opportunity to see many of the area’s sights. 

[aring75]

Dinner was “A Taste of Asia.”

 

 

 

The pan-seared dumplings were good. 
 

 

 

Mark said the teriyaki salmon was a little overcooked, but had good flavor. 
 

 

 

I had the Szechuan chicken and enjoyed it, although it was not spicy at all. There we two peppers on my plate, but no spice in the sauce or the chicken. 
 

 

 

We both tried the Banh flan for dessert and agreed that while it wasn’t bad, it was very sweet. 
 

[aring75]

Our second day in Saint John started off with some local coffee. 
 

 

 

There may have also been a sour cream donut involved.

[aring75]

We spent the day hopping on and off the Big Pink Bus HoHo Trolley. We walked around the downtown area (which is actually called “Uptown Saint John” here locally).

 

As we drove through Rockwood Park located just outside of town, we actually got to see some local wildlife. 
 

[aring75]

One of the big things Mark wanted to do was one of the trolley’s last stops. 
 

 

 

The Moosehead Brewery & Taproom provides outdoor seating and has several of their beers available for tasting.

 

 

 

These are offered by the pint or are available as a flight of four 7oz. pours which you may choose from any currently available on tap.

 

[aring75]

It was great to have two (almost) full days in Saint John. We enjoyed being able to try so many of the things this quaint town has to offer. 
 

The area through town, although easily navigable, is quite hilly so be aware if you have mobility issues. 
 

There are a bunch of pubs and restaurants within easy walking distance from the ship and the people here are friendly and super welcoming.

 

Also, for anyone who will be visiting soon. This was the first port where we have seen any color on the leaves. The first red maples are just starting to turn. So in 3-4 weeks it should really start looking beautiful!