michamato Posted December 21, 2007 #1 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Hi Everyone, I am new here and I need some help deciding on what to do. I am thinking of taking a seven night cruise in Nov on the Liberty of the seas. We just got off the Disney Wonder this Sunday, and have already been on the Disney Magic. I have another Disney cruise booked this Oct, but then I keep looking at the Freedom ships and keep thinking I would love to try it. We have 3 children ages 7, 6 and 4 at the time of sailing. I keep reading that the ships are for families, but I haven't met a family yet that has sailed on them, at least with younger kids. Does anyone have experience with the kids club?? Any advice would be appreciated!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jelbnl Posted December 21, 2007 #2 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Here's a review I wrote upon returning from our Liberty sailing, last month. I hope it helps! http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=663711 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cb at sea Posted December 21, 2007 #3 Share Posted December 21, 2007 I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at what RCI offers families. And, you'll have a casino!!!! Disney doesn't offer that recreation!!! Go ahead and try it! You'll like it! (Just realize that the rooms aren't like Disney's--so book accordingly!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michamato Posted December 21, 2007 Author #4 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Thank you, that was very helpful, especially since you have sailed on DCL before, and have children around my children's ages. Did I read the review correct in that it is 5.00 per hour for children to go in the kids club? Or was that for late night?? My children do not stay in the clubs long either, but it is a nice option to have. I like them to have a break to play with other kids and meet some friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailingDeanna Posted December 21, 2007 #5 Share Posted December 21, 2007 I have sailed the Disney Magic and RCCL's Freedom (same class as Liberty). I am so happy with RCCL that I probably won't return to Disney. Although we had an amazing cruise with Disney. Our children are older than yours though. They are now 10 and 13. There is a lot to do on the Freedom classes. But there is also a lot your kids won't be able to do because of their ages. Things they can do on this ship that they weren't able to do on Disney.........They will absolutely LOVE the water park area. They will love the mini golf. They would enjoy ice skating and the ice skating show. They will enjoy the two parades in the promenade (although one is very late at night) There are things that will tempt them that they are too young to do. Such as the flowrider and possibly the rock climbing wall (I don't remember the height restriction on that one) Things they will miss about Disney.....the kids programming is much better. The characters are everywhere. The cruisers are more tolerant of children. We sometimes are with RCCL cruisers that roll their eyes when our kids are doing things like rock climbing and taking a while. You will miss the rotational dining. All in all I loved both cruises. But with the ages of my children, I probably won't return to Disney. You can't go wrong with either pick. Liberty is a much more beautiful ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMommyof2 Posted December 21, 2007 #6 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Hi Everyone, I am new here and I need some help deciding on what to do. I am thinking of taking a seven night cruise in Nov on the Liberty of the seas. We just got off the Disney Wonder this Sunday, and have already been on the Disney Magic. I have another Disney cruise booked this Oct, but then I keep looking at the Freedom ships and keep thinking I would love to try it. We have 3 children ages 7, 6 and 4 at the time of sailing. I keep reading that the ships are for families, but I haven't met a family yet that has sailed on them, at least with younger kids. Does anyone have experience with the kids club?? Any advice would be appreciated!!!! You should certainly give the Liberty a try. We have been on the Disney Wonder and Liberty of the Seas. Our kids loved the Liberty. The H2O Zone was their favorite place on the ship and our DD couldn't wait to get back to Adventure Ocean (the kids club). Our DD is 9 and the group she was in had lots of activities for her to participate in, including a talent show where the parents were invited to come see the kids perform and a parade down the Royale Promenade. RCI Adventure Ocean does a great job with the kids. I think your children would have a great time on the Liberty. Which ever cruise line you choose, have a great vacation. By the way, the Liberty of the Seas offers lots of fun things for us big kids to do, too. DH loved the surfing simulator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMommyof2 Posted December 21, 2007 #7 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Thank you, that was very helpful, especially since you have sailed on DCL before, and have children around my children's ages. Did I read the review correct in that it is 5.00 per hour for children to go in the kids club? Or was that for late night?? My children do not stay in the clubs long either, but it is a nice option to have. I like them to have a break to play with other kids and meet some friends. Advenure Ocean is free, during regular hours of operation. The $5 charge is for late night, only. On a couple of nights, the staff from Adventure Ocean takes the kids to Johnny Rockets, if you want your children to attend. This, too, is free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiserbryce Posted December 21, 2007 #8 Share Posted December 21, 2007 we have sailed on the Wonder and Liberty...both offer amazing experiences. We were on Liberty in May and the ship is stunning, not just the size but the number of activities...these freedom class ships truly offer something for everyone!! The Promenade is probably my favorite thing you'll find on any ship...while Disney offers a great experience, since you have been on the DCL ships I would definatly recommend trying Liberty!! And as an added extra you'll save a ton of $$ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michamato Posted December 21, 2007 Author #9 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Sounds like it would be fun for everyone, I think I may try it. I have another question. A prior post said to pick my room accordingly. I bet this is because the rooms are smaller than on DCL. I have stayed in both a balcony and an inside room on Disney. I need two rooms connecting---- I would love to get a balcony connecting to an inside, does that even exsist? Any suggestions on what the best room combo would be. I think that an inside room on this cruise would be too small, although I didn't mind it at all on Disney. What a did miss was sitting outside while the kids were sleeping, that is why a balcony would be great for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jelbnl Posted December 21, 2007 #10 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Sounds like it would be fun for everyone, I think I may try it. I have another question. A prior post said to pick my room accordingly. I bet this is because the rooms are smaller than on DCL. I have stayed in both a balcony and an inside room on Disney. I need two rooms connecting---- I would love to get a balcony connecting to an inside, does that even exsist? Any suggestions on what the best room combo would be. I think that an inside room on this cruise would be too small, although I didn't mind it at all on Disney. What a did miss was sitting outside while the kids were sleeping, that is why a balcony would be great for us. You have to pick accordingly, since you'll have 5 people sailing. There is a balcony connecting to an inside, but that combo only sleeps 4, I think. It's on deck 9, there are 2 such combos, they are located all the way aft 9696 and 9701 or 9396 and 9401. To sleep 5, you'll need a cabin that sleeps 3 that connects to one that sleeps 2. You're other option is to get one of the family staterooms, there are ocean view and promenade ones. I didn't think the staterooms were much smaller than DCL's, a D1 is basically the same size as DCL's standard balcony. There is no family balcony like DCL's on RCCL. Give RCCL or your TA a call to see what stateroom you can fit in. This is one area where DCL is wins over RCCL staterooms for families...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michamato Posted December 21, 2007 Author #11 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Thanks Lori, I did call yesterday and got some prices, I like to get two rooms because of the two bathrooms, with 5 people using the bathroom, a family stateroom just won't be enough for us, even if 3 of us are small. I may try and see if there is a balcony connecting to an oceanview, or just do two balcony's. Is it true that there is two different balcony rooms and one is bigger than the other?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmom5 Posted December 21, 2007 #12 Share Posted December 21, 2007 We have done connecting inside rooms for our family in the past, but we just booked Liberty for next September and we are trying the Family Promenade room, which sleeps 6 and its about 330 square feet. It has the queen bed, a sofa bed and separate little room with bunk beds. It has windows that look out over the promenade, so it gives it more of a spacious look than the inside rooms and you can watch everything that is going on down on the promenade. The price for the first two people are about the same as a standard balcony room, but then the rest of the people in the cabin get the discounted rate that you would pay for a 3rd and 4th passenger in a cabin (which I don't believe Disney does). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michamato Posted December 21, 2007 Author #13 Share Posted December 21, 2007 The family promenade rooms sounds good too. I am pretty sure they told me it won't fit my family of 5, but it sleeps 6! hmmm...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jelbnl Posted December 21, 2007 #14 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Thanks Lori, I did call yesterday and got some prices, I like to get two rooms because of the two bathrooms, with 5 people using the bathroom, a family stateroom just won't be enough for us, even if 3 of us are small. I may try and see if there is a balcony connecting to an oceanview, or just do two balcony's. Is it true that there is two different balcony rooms and one is bigger than the other?? There again are 2 setups with the balcony connectint to an oceanview all the way forward 9220 and 9218 or 9520 and 9518. It looks like both of those cabins sleep 4, so you should be o.k. with those. You'll need to book connecting D1's or E1's or above (D2 and E2 only sleep 2)to get enough room for everyone. I understand the two bathroom issue. We had connecting promenade rooms for our Liberty sailing and will ALWAYS book connecting staterooms for our family. It was so much easier getting ready in the evening. We're in the balcony with connecting inside for our next cruise. Have a GREAT time, like I said in my review my kids (9 and 6) both preferred RCCL to DCL, and can't wait to sail again. The price is so much more. Our 2 staterooms on RCCL are 4k less than a cat 4 on DCL for the same week we're sailing in 2009. I get more privacy, and more room for less!!! We really enjoyed our RCCL cruise and I can't wait to sail again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmom5 Posted December 21, 2007 #15 Share Posted December 21, 2007 That is strange...call back and ask about it, I am sure the next person you talk to will know what is going on. We currently have one booked for 5 people. I have 5 kids so they are all sharing that room (and they are definitely booked in there according to the reservation) and DH and I have the room next door. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jelbnl Posted December 21, 2007 #16 Share Posted December 21, 2007 The family promenade rooms sounds good too. I am pretty sure they told me it won't fit my family of 5, but it sleeps 6! hmmm...... They do sleep 6, I at first tried to book one for us on our last cruise and was told I couldn't since I only had 4. It's basically 2 promenade rooms joined together, with only one bathroom, hence the extra space. We enjoyed our promenade rooms, I thought we'd miss the balcony, but really didn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michamato Posted December 21, 2007 Author #17 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Thanks and I love all the info. I will call back and now I know which questions to ask. It seems sometimes they are willing and ready with options and other times can't be bothered. If we do go with the Liberty, does anyone stay the night before somewhere before going to the port? Also is it easier or better to fly into Fort Lauderdale or Miami??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jelbnl Posted December 21, 2007 #18 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Thanks and I love all the info. I will call back and now I know which questions to ask. It seems sometimes they are willing and ready with options and other times can't be bothered. If we do go with the Liberty, does anyone stay the night before somewhere before going to the port? Also is it easier or better to fly into Fort Lauderdale or Miami??? Flying the night before is purely preference and I think depends on when you're sailing. If you're in the NE and sailing during the winter where snow can cause flight delays, fly in the day before. When we sailed we flew in the night before and stayed wih my MIL and we flew home the evening we got off the ship. We flew into FLL, since it's closer to MIL's. Our friends flew in the day of (I won't do it, since I hate getting up at 4am to catch a plane), and they got to the ship in plenty of time. We actually borded at the same time with them. They flew into FLL as well. FLL is 45 minutes away from the port in Miami. I'd check airfares whichever airport has better fares, I'd go with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michamato Posted December 21, 2007 Author #19 Share Posted December 21, 2007 I always fly in the night before too. Last sunday our flight got cancelled leaving from orlando to Boston, so it can and does happen. I called and got several good options from the last sales person. They did offer me the family stateroom for the promenade, and that was less expensive than two balcony rooms that I wanted. However, with one bathroom, I think it is better we get two rooms. The best they can do for me is offer me an E1 connecting to an E2, that will save me a bit of money. As I said before, I didn't mind the inside stateroom at all, but I did miss the balcony when everyone was asleep at 8:30 and we had no where to go!!! Deck 7 is available right now, so I need to decide what to do. For the two balcony's it will cost me 30.00 more than to do the two inside rooms with Disney. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michamato Posted December 21, 2007 Author #20 Share Posted December 21, 2007 oh I forgot the cabins are mid ship 7600-7602, anyone stay in these? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jelbnl Posted December 21, 2007 #21 Share Posted December 21, 2007 For $30 more, and TWO balconies, I'd go with RCCL, you won't regret it. The kids will LOVE the H2O zone and Adventure Ocean. We scheduled an adults only night for formal night. We ate in Chops and the kids ate with the clubs in Johnny Rockets!!!! They do dinner in the clubs 3 nights during the cruise, it's free, the surcharge is waived during these meals. We were only a few doors down from those rooms, and it's not too far from the elevators. I just looked at the ages of your kids again, are you sue you need two bathrooms? Mine are a bit older than yours and bathe themselves, so the two bathrooms worked out, with yours aren't they going to need help? Also, you do know that RCCL has only showers in all staterooms except suites? There are no tubs like on DCL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michamato Posted December 21, 2007 Author #22 Share Posted December 21, 2007 For $30 more, and TWO balconies, I'd go with RCCL, you won't regret it. The kids will LOVE the H2O zone and Adventure Ocean. We scheduled an adults only night for formal night. We ate in Chops and the kids ate with the clubs in Johnny Rockets!!!! They do dinner in the clubs 3 nights during the cruise, it's free, the surcharge is waived during these meals. We were only a few doors down from those rooms, and it's not too far from the elevators. I just looked at the ages of your kids again, are you sue you need two bathrooms? Mine are a bit older than yours and bathe themselves, so the two bathrooms worked out, with yours aren't they going to need help? Also, you do know that RCCL has only showers in all staterooms except suites? There are no tubs like on DCL. Oh I did not know they didn't have tubs. I will have to think about that. Yes, my ds who will be 4 will need help, but the two girls need only supervision not real help, unless they get lazy. I will have to think about the two bathrooms, but I like the idea of the two seperate rooms for space also. We had two rooms for 3 nights last week and were really confined, and that had two bathrooms, and they were the split bath. Very small for us. I will have to do some more looking into the staterooms the promenade one will save us 900.00 dollars if we choose that room. It isn't always about the money, we have to be comfortable in the room we choose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrettyLA Posted December 21, 2007 #23 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Since your kids are so young I would recommend Disney IF they like Disney a lot. I've done both and I think that the service is top notch on both. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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