Liberty of the Seas 8/11 review (as it happens!!!!)

[raina*faith]

I was thinking about doing the zip line with the kids, thanks for your candid comments. :)

[karena1]

Thanks for all the reviews. We sail Liberty April 5th and were on her for the pre-inaugural in May so we know how gorgeous she is. Can't wait. Glad you are having a great time.

[hawkfish]

First, when you book reservations for Chops or Portofinos, make sure that you confirm which dinners will be served each night in the main dining room. I did SO MUCH research looking at everyone else's dailies, that I booked Chops for tonight, which was supposed to be Venetian Feast night, but actually, that was last night! :mad:

 

Can they tell you this at Chops/Portofino? Meaning, do they have the schedule there to let you know when everything is?

 

Thanks again - hope you are having a wonderful time!!!

[Tralynn222]

My biggest worry is that we'll book Chops for the wrong night too. I've been doing so much research on what nights are what in the dining room. It would REALLY be a big help if you could list or try to list the nights in the dining room.

 

Enjoy!!! I cannot wait for our turn. :)

[akysmom]

...I will be on Liberty in September...as long as there are no hurricanes!!!:eek:

 

Gator Mom- HUSH YO MOUTH GIRL! I'm on her the 22nd.

[FunCruiser56]

Sounds like your having a good time, hope the weather is cooperating! I am wondering if the ship's time changes to 'central' time when you sailing west?

I am mainly interested in the time while in Grand Cayman, we have a tour booked that starts at 9:30 Central time, it will be so helpful to know if the ship will be the same too.

 

Thanks for taking time to keep us updated, we are looking forward to our Liberty cruise in 9 weeks!!

 

Bev

[GATOR MOM]

Don't worry re hurricanes Lynn...the ships go around them...or maybe give a free cruise if it's cxled!!!

 

Keep the live posts coming...they are great. How is the package to use a lap top on board? I assume you are using it right in your cabin? Thx for any info re this :)

[cruise wizard]

Did you say that they empty the pools when they are in port? This is the first time that I heard of this - what a bummer - we like to swim during port days while the pools are less crowded.

[BecciBoo]

Gator Mom- HUSH YO MOUTH GIRL! I'm on her the 22nd.

 

Us 2 Sept. 15th. THere IS a hurricane brewing that may cause trouble around the end of August. Not to worry, you'll just go somewhere else.:cool:

 

Love the posts. We were on Pre inaug also Karena1. Wasn't that so fun!:p This time around we gotta pay our way, bummer!:rolleyes: Happy cruisin everyone:D

[Monkey10]

Hello again all!

 

Just got back on the ship from Grand Cayman, my favorite port!!!! :D

 

We went to Hard Rock Café first. I know, not very Caribbean, but so much fun! Our bartender was so cute! She gave all the inside information about living in the Cayman Islands. She’s originally from Saskatchewan and has been here for 3 years. Boy, it sounds expensive to live here, but tons of fun!

DH and I had the local Cayman beer…a light beer, nice flavor, and then the bartender (I forgot her name!) gave me a Pickled Tink. Wow! :p It’s a strawberry-ish drink that tastes so good and will knock you off your feet if you had too much! I didn’t! ;)

 

Then we went shopping at Del Sol and a bunch of other shops. Got our rum at the duty-free shop and it’s being delivered to the ship. We ordered a liter each of Coconut, Vanilla, Banana and Spiced rum. With the coupon, we got a really great deal! Less than $10 a bottle, and we got to sample before we bought. I tried about 4 different kinds. (Woooowie! :) ) I didn’t really care for the mango or the pineapple rums.

 

Found a great pair of sunglasses :cool: but didn’t buy them because I think we can get them cheaper in the states. They were Maui Jim’s.

 

Okay, questions….

 

No they don’t empty the pools in port…the pools are empty, as in devoid of people. Well, most people. Still some people who have got the right idea, going to the pool when no one is around.

 

Last night, we went to Chops. Service was great and DH and I FINALLY got a chance to really just sit and talk. Hate the dining room and all the hubbub. So the rest of the cruise we will be ordering in unless we are going to Portofino’s, which we are one night. Just have to hoof it up to the dining room to get my wine! :(

 

Played Bingo yesterday. We’ve never done that before and it’s kind of lame, but lots of fun. Didn’t win anything, but got a keychain. You pay $35 for 5 games of Bingo, get 6 different Bingo cards for each game. Then the CD makes some bad jokes (don’t flame me, they were bad!!!!) and asks before each game what color game we are playing and what else is that color. You get the keychain for saying a brand of beer that is the same color (Blue is Fosters or something like it, Green is Heineken, Yellow is Corona, Orange was I don’t remember and Red is Red Stripe). Won’t be playing Bingo again, though.

 

Went to the casino, something I don’t really recommend after the 3rd day. But I won $75 on the penny slots and DH won $500 on the nickel slots! Woo hoo!!!!! So we are up again for the trip.

 

Sorry for the downer post yesterday. It wasn’t that we are having a bad time. We are having a blast! Just needed to vent for a second. Done now!!!!!

So that is all for today.

 

Two more days left. Let me know of any other questions you might have!

[akysmom]

 

Went to the casino, something I don’t really recommend after the 3rd day. But I won $75 on the penny slots and DH won $500 on the nickel slots! Woo hoo!!!!! So we are up again for the trip.

 

!

 

Forgive my casino ignorance. I've only been in one in my life and that was on an X ship. Played the slots. They were dollar slots and I won $95 from a one dollar drop so I was happy. Are you actually talking about slot machines where each play is 1 cent or 5 cents? Is so, those souond like incredible winnings considering the amount played. Somebody please confirm or explain! Thanks

[Micknmin]

Found a great pair of sunglasses :cool: but didn’t buy them because I think we can get them cheaper in the states. They were Maui Jim’s.

 

Just curious...how much were they selling the Maui Jim's for? They are my favorite sunglasses, but I usually only buy a pair every two years or so since they are so pricey. I would love to know if I could get a bargain on them at Grand Cayman.

[Daghis]

Are you actually talking about slot machines where each play is 1 cent or 5 cents?

On slots like these, each credit is 1 or 5 cents, however unlike the traditional 3-reel slots that could have 3 or 5 paylines, these video slots might have 20, 40, or even 100 (!) paylines. For each payline, you could play 1 or more credits.

 

Let's assume that a 5¢ video slot machine has 20 paylines (some really strange shapes of the lines in there, too!). You'll obviously want to play all of the paylines, so the minimum bet on this machine is actually $1.00 (20 x $0.05). You might even be able to bet 5 or 10 credits per line, so some of these nickel, or even penny, machines have maximum bets that could be as high as $10.00!

[nanfromatlanta]

First, when you book reservations for Chops or Portofinos, make sure that you confirm which dinners will be served each night in the main dining room. I did SO MUCH research looking at everyone else's dailies, that I booked Chops for tonight, which was supposed to be Venetian Feast night, but actually, that was last night! :mad:

 

One of the things I always try to tell everyone is to wait until you are onboard before deciding which night to dine in a specialty restaurant. I know that everyone is over eager to plan things down to the last detail. However, the cruise lines often change menus and schedules around from cruise to cruise. :eek:

 

This is what I suggest:

When you get to our cabin, a copy of the daily Compass will be on your bed. On the back will be a listing of the highlights of the cruise, listed by day. It will also list which nights are formal, which nights have a theme, etc. Use that as your guide for determing which night is best for you to make your reservations. Both Chops and Portofino often have copies of the daily menus for you to look at. If not, they can usually tell you which night is Venetion, etc. Make your final decision based on that. It will help to avoid the disappointment listed above. As a TA, with a ton of cruises under my belt, we always use that strategy, and it works!!;) ;)

[lephysteria]

Thanks for writing this as it happens. My question is regarding the zip line. For those that are on the height or weight border, do they measure you or weigh you before you get on the zipline? Did they do this for your experience?

 

Thanks :)

[Sandie]

Nanfromatlanta,

Your strategy for booking Specialty Restaurants is excellent. As you said, the cruise line might alter the order of the menus in the Dining Room from time to time. The first Compass gives an overview of the week's highlights including the planned dining schedule. The one that I found posted online gives the following info:

Saturday - open seating Dining Rooms 6:30 - 10:00 PM

Sunday - Formal night - Menu - Captain's Gala Dinner

Monday - Crown & Anchor Dinner

Tuesday - Venetian Feast Dinner

Wednesday - Formal - Chef's Dinner (lobster)

Thursday - Surf Dinner & Culinary Gala (midnight buffet in Windjammer's)

Friday - Feast of Nations Dinner

 

The best advice - check the first Compass and then talk with the Maitr'de at Chops and Portofino's for the most up to date information.

 

Perhaps, Monkey10, you can give us the order that was used on this week's sailing. Enjoy the remainder of your cruise. Thanks for posting while sailing.

[kathyr]

Monkey10,

thank you for giving us this information on about your cruise!! -and the pic's are beautiful!!

They extra info on menu's and speciality resturants is great also:)

Enjoy your cruise:D :D

Cannot wait until -11/3/07

enjoy!!

Kathy

[firemox]

I'm a cruise newbie here. I had thought the specialty restaurants only have one menu during the entire trip. From the posts above, it seems like those specialty restaurants serve different items each night and they follow the theme of the main dinning room? Can anyone clarify this? many thanks.

[QTMichele]

I'm a cruise newbie here. I had thought the specialty restaurants only have one menu during the entire trip. From the posts above, it seems like those specialty restaurants serve different items each night and they follow the theme of the main dinning room? Can anyone clarify this? many thanks.

 

The specialty restaurants have their own menu and do not follow the dining room theme. They are really good and worth trying! :)

[firemox]

The specialty restaurants have their own menu and do not follow the dining room theme. They are really good and worth trying! :)

 

Thanks for the reply. Does the menu in the specialty restaurants change daily?

[nanfromatlanta]

Thanks for the reply. Does the menu in the specialty restaurants change daily?

 

No. The specialty restaurants have one set menu which does not change daily.

[akysmom]

On slots like these, each credit is 1 or 5 cents, however unlike the traditional 3-reel slots that could have 3 or 5 paylines, these video slots might have 20, 40, or even 100 (!) paylines. For each payline, you could play 1 or more credits.

 

Let's assume that a 5¢ video slot machine has 20 paylines (some really strange shapes of the lines in there, too!). You'll obviously want to play all of the paylines, so the minimum bet on this machine is actually $1.00 (20 x $0.05). You might even be able to bet 5 or 10 credits per line, so some of these nickel, or even penny, machines have maximum bets that could be as high as $10.00!

 

 

Thanks for the explaination. It still sounds like a pretty good winning considering.

[GATOR MOM]

Thx a lot for these live posts...hope Hurricane Dean doesn't rock the boat:eek:

Can you please explain the fees for using your own lap top on board...& can you use it in your cabin...thx :) & continue to enjoy your cruise !!

[Monkey10]

Good evening, fellow CCers!!!

 

We were in Cozumel today. I loved this port.

 

Good points:

1. There was more cultural immersion here than on any other stop. We drank tequila and beer in several restaurants. Got to practice my high school Spanish. Phrases to know: Hola! Hello. Donde esta el bano (ban-yo)? Where is the bathroom? Cuanto cuesta? How much is this? Gracias! Thanks! They eat this stuff up. Let’s them know you are trying.

2. Got tons of good loot! Word to the wise – when bartering, and you can do it almost anywhere, go low, low, low! Got a necklace that was listed at $40 for $15. Probably could have gotten it for $10. This guy wanted to sell me a Puka shell necklace for $15. Got it for $3 down the street! Don’t buy from the first shop. They mostly all sell the same stuff.

Bad points:

1. Everyone wants to sell everything all the time. They are going to push you in any way they can! JUST SAY “NO, GRACIAS.” !!! Cozumel is an island off the Yucatan Peninsula and their only livelihood is tourism! Yikes!

2. We sail into the international pier, which is way past downtown. It’s a 10 minute cab ride, costs about $10 depending on how many people in your taxi. We rode with a family of four and it cost $14. We paid half even though there were only two of us. Also, it’s very ugly where you get off. But Senor Frogs is great!!! I ordered a Ticket to Ride in the phallic palm tree glass….a really good drink. Not to sweet, not to alcohol-y flavored. But knocks you on your patootie!!!!

 

Had dinner in Portofinos tonight and let me tell you, I would NOT go there again. Except I have to for the Liberty Code luncheon tomorrow. That is the murder mystery game, or the equivalent. Will tell about that tomorrow. But Portofinos!

The service was awful.

We had reservations for 8:00 pm. We had to wait 10 minutes for a table and it wasn’t a good table. In Chops, we had a very intimate table and here we were sat next to people. Those people, BTW, ended up being very amusing, even mistaking my husband for a famous professional football player!

No one came by for 10 minutes after we were seated. The waiter did not introduce himself. He didn’t tell us the soup of the day, asked our order before asking about drinks, and was VERY slow. Then we sat with dirty dishes in front of us forever!

The table next to us had to flag down a waiter twice to get their dessert and coffee.

Oh, and it was an accident, but I got a nice heaping helping of water down the back of my dress!

Chops, on the other hand, was very nice! Seating times were staggered better so that the wait staff was able to manage their tables. Seated immediately. The maitre d’ came by to inquire about our experience. We did not have to ask for anything. The staff anticipated our every need, every whim.

I would eat every night in Chops, if not for the fee. I would not do Portofinos again.

Please don’t flame me!

Went to the spa earlier in the evening and I will write more about that, but for now, need to run off to Quest! Tell you about it later!

[mommabean]

Monkey10,

 

Can you PLEASE find out if "Julian" Querico is working on board in the Concierge Lounge or in the Diamond Lounge? If he's not there now, will you PLEASE ask if he is expected on board any time soon - as in WHEN?

 

I think my life depends on this information.

 

HELP!!!!!!!!! My life is in your hands.

 

Gina