Liberty of the Seas - 11/17/07 Sailing

[hoyasaxa]

Just off the ship - a few thoughts:

 

The impressive (+)

+ Diamond Lounge was a great amenity with a fantastic view. The concierge was helpful but somewhat reserved.

+ James was an amicable and non-intrusive Cruise Director.

+ Portofino and Chops were delicious as always. Our Portofino experience was better; we felt our food and service were a few notches above Chops.

+ Service in the dining room was the best in nearly 20 years with RCCL. (Head waiter: Ferit, Waiter: Davut, Assistant waiter: Oliver)

+ Jade is a wonderful addition to the Windjammer!

+ The crew successfully controlled the crowd - despite being a sold-out ship, she never felt stiflingly crowded!

+ Flowrider = amazing.

+ The "Encore" ice show was phenomenal, especially the Russian number. The costumes reminded me of miniature Christmas ornaments!

+ Lovely captain.

+ Sorrento's has the most wonderful desserts. Oftentimes, I'd skip dessert in the dining room in favor of a chocolate panna cotta or apricot mousse from Sorrento's instead.

+ The souvenir DVDs from the On-Air-Club are a fantastic memoir.

+ The Seaweed Wrap and Massage combination was delightful.

 

 

The not-so-impressive (-)

- Montego Bay has got to go! After numerous trips to Ocho Rios, we were looking forward to a new stop in Jamaica, but were disappointed with the dirt, hawking, crowding, and rudeness that we encountered.

- I came down with the Norovirus last night, despite the bleaching and handwipe frenzy.

- The quality and variety of food in the main dining room has certainly declined; I am not a picky eater and oftentimes found myself dissatisfied with the menu choices.

- One member of our party is of the 18-20 group, and felt that there was little to no programming for this group. Despite being extremely social, she felt bored at night, with only the hot tub and various lounges to mill about by herself.

- The music at "twenty" was horrendous. A nightclub party should play nightclub music - hip-hop, house, electro - but certainly not 50s and 80s tunes. That's what theme parties earlier in the week are for! I saw many people under 25 arrive at the party with high hopes, only to be discouraged by the flocks of elderly passengers dancing to "Hey Mickey" and other retro classics.

- The "Celebrity DJ" was rude and unaccommodating. His music was pretty awful, too - I'm not quite sure where he earned the celebrity status.

- Catacombs was pitifully empty.

- The ship's art is not very pleasing. A fellow member of our party (and also fellow Diamond member) commented that it was the most poorly decorated RCCL ship she's ever sailed.

- The first production show (I forget the name - a love story that travels through Morocco, a country western setting, Russia, etc.) was absolutely terrible in terms of music selection and plot - the worst show I've ever seen aboard.

 

 

All in all, it was a lovely cruise, but certainly not our best. I'd certainly recommend this ship to others and was pleased with the new additions, features, and adventures encountered aboard.

[JanineM]

Just off the ship - a few thoughts:

 

 

- One member of our party is of the 18-20 group, and felt that there was little to no programming for this group. Despite being extremely social, she felt bored at night, with only the hot tub and various lounges to mill about by herself.

- The music at "twenty" was horrendous. A nightclub party should play nightclub music - hip-hop, house, electro - but certainly not 50s and 80s tunes. That's what theme parties earlier in the week are for! I saw many people under 25 arrive at the party with high hopes, only to be discouraged by the flocks of elderly passengers dancing to "Hey Mickey" and other retro classics.

 

Well, if there were flocks of people dancing to the 50s to 80s music, then apparently many passengers enjoyed the music! We're in our 40s and were really turned off on our last Mariner voyage when the DJ switched from 80s/90s music to technopop at midnight ... even though the dance floor was packed. All of those people dancing (and spending money at the bar) left at that point.

 

But isn't it good news that you had so few disappointments?

[hoyasaxa]

In reply to the previous poster - it was a nice trip for which I am thankful.

 

However, when several 70s, 80s, 50s, 60s, and other theme night parties are held during other times of the week, the "twenty" party should be reserved for more current music - exactly as it is billed. You wouldn't expect to hear Janis Joplin during a sock hop, would you?

[ShillyShally]

In reply to the previous poster - it was a nice trip for which I am thankful.

 

However, when several 70s, 80s, 50s, 60s, and other theme night parties are held during other times of the week, the "twenty" party should be reserved for more current music - exactly as it is billed. You wouldn't expect to hear Janis Joplin during a sock hop, would you?

 

Yep - I had to laugh when watching and they played "Whomp There It Is" - and while I knew the song and the lyrics I was younger then the main crowd there and even that song was only popular in the early 90s.

 

And there were not flocks at "twenty" - a decent number but there was also nothing else going on that night! Now if someone could explain those weird white hoop clad figures by the pool...

 

and I totally agree on the chocolate panna cotta - a group favorite with my bunch!

 

And yes - catacombs was dead - and the art was just bizarre!

[Mrs. Herewegoagain]

The white hoops looked the collar on my dog after surgery!

 

Flowrider was great!