Just back from Liberty of the Seas

[shancan911]

Just stopping in to say hi!! We just returned home from a great cruise with our 6 year old son. While things are fresh, I'd be happy to try and answer questions. Spent a little time in H2O Zone, a little time in Adventure Ocean, Explorer's room, and lot's of other places. We did not utilize cabin sitting, so I can't be of much help there.

[crusn2gethr]

Just stopping in to say hi!! We just returned home from a great cruise with our 6 year old son. While things are fresh, I'd be happy to try and answer questions. Spent a little time in H2O Zone, a little time in Adventure Ocean, Explorer's room, and lot's of other places. We did not utilize cabin sitting, so I can't be of much help there.

 

What was your intinerary? We are crusing Western Car. in a month and I had a few questions regarding excursions for the islands of Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel. Any info. regarding these islands would be great. Thanks in advance.

[crusinmama06]

Welcome back! So where are you going next? :D

 

crusn2gethr - I've done that itinerary if you have any specific questions and if Shan went Eastern :)

[shancan911]

We did the western route.

 

Jamaica-Although I had been previously warned, we ventured into the shopping area near the port. The shops inside the port building were fine. Outside, not so much. We RAN back to the ship. Did not feel safe at all. DH went golfing. I was going to zip line, but had no one to go with, so DS, and friends and I ventured out for a bit. My advice, unless you're doing a cruise sponsored tour, stay on the boat. Don't expose your little ones.

 

Grand Cayman-We did the Pirate Encounter. What a blast. DH and DS got a little seasick, due to the rough waves, and small size of the ship. But the crew did a phenomenal job of entertaining both the kids and the adults. From the pier, you walk a little ways down (near Hard Rock if you're familiar), and board a small vessel which tenders you out to the pirate ship. They give you some pirate history. Then they take the kids down and initiate them as crew members. Don't look guilty, or you may be accused of stealing gold, and the consequences are, well lets say, a riot for everyone else;) There is about a half hour or so swim stop. Glad we didn't go in, as a few got stung by jellyfish. But it looked like a great time, jumping off the ship. And then of course there's the rum punch. Yummy! Highly recommended. Oh yeah, almost forgot, they fire "cannons" at your ship, too!

 

Cozumel-friend and I did the Royal Swim. I don't know if there's an age requirement for this particular program, but it was the most amazing experience, EVER! There are 3 or 4 different dolphin programs, little ones could do some of them. My son's a little shy, so I didn't pay for him, in fear he'd back out. There was a great pool there that he enjoyed. I understand that there's a beach area, too. But we ran out of time to explore. We felt extremely safe in Cozumel, and taxis are plentiful if you know where you're headed.

 

Cruisinmama - want to go next Feb somewhere, were tossing around Hawaii, sans DS. Also checking out a Celebrity Caribbean. We may try a 3 or 4 day with DS shortly before or after. 7 days seemed a bit much for him. After 5 days, he was just too stimulated, very short tempered with decisions. He enjoyed the kid's club, but only once for Johnny Rockets dinner, and 2 other evenings. He ate with us 2nd seating 4 nights. Well behaved. He liked not having to cut his own steak:p

[crusinmama06]

 

Cruisinmama - want to go next Feb somewhere, were tossing around Hawaii, sans DS. Also checking out a Celebrity Caribbean. We may try a 3 or 4 day with DS shortly before or after. 7 days seemed a bit much for him. After 5 days, he was just too stimulated, very short tempered with decisions. He enjoyed the kid's club, but only once for Johnny Rockets dinner, and 2 other evenings. He ate with us 2nd seating 4 nights. Well behaved. He liked not having to cut his own steak:p

 

Sorry but I am sitting back and waiting for RCCL Genesis in Nov 09 (approx) :D

[wilsonzoo4]

First time cruiser.....have booked Liberty of the Seas 7 day eastern for Oct 11, 2008 for myself, husband, 12 & 18 year old sons. We have two connecting Promenade Staterooms on Deck. I hope that was a good choice. Initially I had a superior ocean view with balcony for all 4 of us but realized that was a mistake. Four of us sharing one bathroom.....not good. I would love to have two ocean views with balcony but it's just too expensive.

I also struggled with choosing between Western and Eastern. Freedom of the Seas is sailing the Western route Oct 12. Western has 4 ports and Eastern only 3. Puerto Rico is one of the Eastern ports...but we don't get there until 3:00. I was worried that we wouldn' get the most bang for our book choosing eastern and only having 3 ports. Then I decided it would be nice to have the extra days at sea....really enjoy the experience of being on such an awesome ship. On the Eastern we stop in San Juan, St Martin and Labadee. I just noticed this week that there is a 7 day Eastern sailing on Mariner of the Seas Oct 12 with stops in bahamas, st martin and st thomas...now I wonder if I should change to that cruise. I keep telling myself to stick to what I have....if we really enjoy cruising I can always try something different next time. Guess I'm trying to hard to make everything as close to perfect as possible.

[shancan911]

We are fresh off Liberty, on Saturday. My last cruise was on Mariner. I LOVED MARINER. That being said, LOS is a truly amazing ship. They are set up the same, so it was easy for me to get around. I think you should stick with Liberty. Your boys will love Flowrider. Other than the size, that's really the only difference between the two. At this point, you may lose money canceling, and rebooking with only 9 months to go. There will always be next time to try the Eastern itinerary. And there WILL be a next time. Liberty will get you hooked.

As far as your room choice, I think you have a great set-up. With the adjoining rooms, you can leave the doors open if you're worried about the late night escape, or close them for privacy. We had a D1 balcony with the 2 of us, and DS6. While the sleeping was fine, the couch folded out into a queen size bed, storage space in the closet was DEFINITELY at a premium. You would have an extra kid, AND bigger clothes. The promenade cabins are really nice. We had a large group, and 4 couples did back to back in the promenade rooms, for the same price as wepaid for our balcony(not counting DS's fare). Something to think about next time.

Enjoy your cruise!!

[crusn2gethr]

Welcome back! So where are you going next? :D

 

crusn2gethr - I've done that itinerary if you have any specific questions and if Shan went Eastern :)

 

Crusinmama,

 

I have read several of your posts and have come to respect your opinions and ideas. What a great mom you are!

 

I have 2 DS ages 12 and 14. I also have a DD age 7. This will be our first cruise as a family and I am very concerned that I have picked the wrong itinerary. If I had found CC before booking our cruise I'm pretty sure we would not have choosen this itinerary. Jamaica in particular is concerning to us. Is there anything to do there that is safe? I want to expose my children to other countries but this one doesn't seem to be one that I even want to expose myself to. Am I wrong? What excursions can you recommend in Grand Cayman and Cozumel? What can you share about Labadee?

 

Thanks in advance.

[dobytn]

Just stopping in to say hi!! We just returned home from a great cruise with our 6 year old son. While things are fresh, I'd be happy to try and answer questions. Spent a little time in H2O Zone, a little time in Adventure Ocean, Explorer's room, and lot's of other places. We did not utilize cabin sitting, so I can't be of much help there.

Did liberty of the seas have freshwater pools and freshwater in h2o zone?

 

Is outside cabin or balcony better for the money on that ship? How did your son like the kids program? We have 2 8 year old twin boys that we want to take onboard but have heard there is lines for every major feature on board. Also we heard ice cream at ben and jerry's was expensive.

 

Thanks for all your help on these questions.

Dobytn

[crusinmama06]

Crusinmama,

 

I have read several of your posts and have come to respect your opinions and ideas. What a great mom you are!

 

I have 2 DS ages 12 and 14. I also have a DD age 7. This will be our first cruise as a family and I am very concerned that I have picked the wrong itinerary. If I had found CC before booking our cruise I'm pretty sure we would not have choosen this itinerary. Jamaica in particular is concerning to us. Is there anything to do there that is safe? I want to expose my children to other countries but this one doesn't seem to be one that I even want to expose myself to. Am I wrong? What excursions can you recommend in Grand Cayman and Cozumel? What can you share about Labadee?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

Awwww thanks :D I had the same concern about Western. And we did end up staying on the ship in Jamaica (just got off for some sunscreen and that was enough for me...lol)

 

BUT, there were other reasons behind it besides the safety factor. The only excursion we could have done that I was interested in (and Gab was old enough for) was the Sunset Beach Resort in Mo Bay. My extended family have spent vacations there so I knew it was a beautiful spot. But the more I thought about it, the more I figured that I was already sitting on the BEST floating resort in the world. Which would be practically empty once we reached port. So I grabbed my spot in the solarium and had a wonderful time.

 

Since your youngest is 7, you will be able to do excursions that we were unable to do. The river tubing sounds like alot of fun. There is a slower moving one.

 

Kids at that age could do the falls (be warned, it's 1,000 people holding hands and going up the falls) but most like it.

 

And MANY say how great the Treetop Canopy Tour is. You zip line between trees. The 7 year old *may* not be the minimum age for that one yet.

 

Grand Caymen - Two great options - if the kids are up for it go to Stingray City and swim with the stingrays. (My oldest said NO WAY :eek: ) but so many kids were raving about it that night on the ship that I might just have to make her do it next time. If you just want a beach day, go to 7 mile beach. You don't need a cruise excursion, you can take a quick taxi.

 

Cozumel - I have to preface this by saying we didn't do this, but I want to do it the next time (we did Playa Mia, it wasn't exceptional or anything). I hear great things about Chankanaab. So next time, we are going to try it.

http://www.caribbeanportreviews.com/CozumelChankanaab.htm

 

Labadee - Great beach day. When you arrive you will be met by men carrying beach chairs :D (you may want to bring a few bucks for a tip for them). There is SeaTrek Aqua park...$15 pp per hour. The older kids may enjoy that. It has water trampolines and such. (we didn't do that, my kids were content with a water mat...lol)

 

The labadee zip line (kids must be at least 60" tall and 75lbs)

 

There will be a free beach buffet. (food was good enough in my book) Watch for the bugs on the picnic tables.

 

Not to miss - Dragon's Breath Point. Hop on the open air tram (it's free and does a circle of the area). The tram takes you to Dragon's Breath Point. Climb up to the top and let the kids listen for the "Dragon Breathing" :eek: (yes it's hokey but I liked it...lol...and the rocks do sound like a dragon is breathing). GREAT photo op up there! And will only take about 30 minutes out of your day, total.

 

I don't think you made a bad decision. You will love the ship. And your kids are old enough to do the adventure tours that my kids couldn't (the youngest being 3)

 

 

 

Did liberty of the seas have freshwater pools and freshwater in h2o zone?

 

Is outside cabin or balcony better for the money on that ship? How did your son like the kids program? We have 2 8 year old twin boys that we want to take onboard but have heard there is lines for every major feature on board. Also we heard ice cream at ben and jerry's was expensive.

 

Thanks for all your help on these questions.

Dobytn

 

I figured I might as well answer this while I was here too...lol. All Freedom ship pools and H20 zone are freshwater. Nothing (not even the solarium) is salt water on the Freedom Class ships.

 

A balcony is always a better choice when you have kids who may be going to bed earlier than you are. So if you don't want to be tiptoing through the cabin while they sleep, get a balcony. Put the kids to bed and head outside for a little quiet adult time.

 

Ben & Jerry's....expensive? Well not according to the normal Ben & Jerry price on land. You don't have to pay for Ben & Jerry's everytime the kids want ice cream. There is a "Sprinkles" self serve soft ice cream machine by the H20 zone. No charge for that. One dad who we met onboard had at least 5 cones/day :eek: (and of course, he was skinny...there is no justice in this world...lol)

[crusn2gethr]

Awwww thanks :D I had the same concern about Western. And we did end up staying on the ship in Jamaica (just got off for some sunscreen and that was enough for me...lol)

 

BUT, there were other reasons behind it besides the safety factor. The only excursion we could have done that I was interested in (and Gab was old enough for) was the Sunset Beach Resort in Mo Bay. My extended family have spent vacations there so I knew it was a beautiful spot. But the more I thought about it, the more I figured that I was already sitting on the BEST floating resort in the world. Which would be practically empty once we reached port. So I grabbed my spot in the solarium and had a wonderful time.

 

Since your youngest is 7, you will be able to do excursions that we were unable to do. The river tubing sounds like alot of fun. There is a slower moving one.

 

Kids at that age could do the falls (be warned, it's 1,000 people holding hands and going up the falls) but most like it.

 

And MANY say how great the Treetop Canopy Tour is. You zip line between trees. The 7 year old *may* not be the minimum age for that one yet.

 

Grand Caymen - Two great options - if the kids are up for it go to Stingray City and swim with the stingrays. (My oldest said NO WAY :eek: ) but so many kids were raving about it that night on the ship that I might just have to make her do it next time. If you just want a beach day, go to 7 mile beach. You don't need a cruise excursion, you can take a quick taxi.

 

Cozumel - I have to preface this by saying we didn't do this, but I want to do it the next time (we did Playa Mia, it wasn't exceptional or anything). I hear great things about Chankanaab. So next time, we are going to try it.

http://www.caribbeanportreviews.com/CozumelChankanaab.htm

 

Labadee - Great beach day. When you arrive you will be met by men carrying beach chairs :D (you may want to bring a few bucks for a tip for them). There is SeaTrek Aqua park...$15 pp per hour. The older kids may enjoy that. It has water trampolines and such. (we didn't do that, my kids were content with a water mat...lol)

 

The labadee zip line (kids must be at least 60" tall and 75lbs)

 

There will be a free beach buffet. (food was good enough in my book) Watch for the bugs on the picnic tables.

 

Not to miss - Dragon's Breath Point. Hop on the open air tram (it's free and does a circle of the area). The tram takes you to Dragon's Breath Point. Climb up to the top and let the kids listen for the "Dragon Breathing" :eek: (yes it's hokey but I liked it...lol...and the rocks do sound like a dragon is breathing). GREAT photo op up there! And will only take about 30 minutes out of your day, total.

 

Thanks for all the info. It helped alot.

[SailingBird]

I thought I would just add one or two thoughts to the great advice from Cruisin Mama - we too have valued her views and thoughts. We have just completed the same itinery on the Mariner with our son (11 yrs old).

 

Labadee - we did the water park - this was for an hour - great fun - trampolines , floating icebergs, see-saws. Then we paid for the inflatable slide - our son really got his moneys worth here - what a hoot. We managed to get beach chairs nearby so we could keep an eye on him. It is also near one of the food outlets - so we didn't have to stray too far.

 

Jamaica - we used Marva Shaw for tubing and the Dunns River Falls - she met us at the pier - and we were looked after so well. Our son LOVED the tubing.

 

Grand cayman - used Nativeway for stingray city - absolutely excellent - even if your children are timid to start with , the guides are brilliant - they help in every way - on this trip i would not go with the ship - the guides do not have the time to help anybody that is slightly scared - There was only 12 on our boat so we had loads of touches/kisses/holds etc.

 

Hope this helps - if you are like me - you just want everyone to have a good time and you feel responsible for the whole family.

I'm sure whatever you do - you will have a great time.:cool:

[crusn2gethr]

I thought I would just add one or two thoughts to the great advice from Cruisin Mama - we too have valued her views and thoughts. We have just completed the same itinery on the Mariner with our son (11 yrs old).

 

Labadee - we did the water park - this was for an hour - great fun - trampolines , floating icebergs, see-saws. Then we paid for the inflatable slide - our son really got his moneys worth here - what a hoot. We managed to get beach chairs nearby so we could keep an eye on him. It is also near one of the food outlets - so we didn't have to stray too far.

 

Jamaica - we used Marva Shaw for tubing and the Dunns River Falls - she met us at the pier - and we were looked after so well. Our son LOVED the tubing.

 

Grand cayman - used Nativeway for stingray city - absolutely excellent - even if your children are timid to start with , the guides are brilliant - they help in every way - on this trip i would not go with the ship - the guides do not have the time to help anybody that is slightly scared - There was only 12 on our boat so we had loads of touches/kisses/holds etc.

 

Hope this helps - if you are like me - you just want everyone to have a good time and you feel responsible for the whole family.

I'm sure whatever you do - you will have a great time.:cool:

 

 

Boy, are you right about that! I so want everything to be great for everyone! I guess it's just the mom in me! Thanks for the suggestions.

[cruisingwith6]

wilsonzoo4 - we are having the exact same conversation at our house! We have sailed the Mariner Western twice and LOVED it. We have also been on Disney with the kids 3 times. We were thinking of trying a Freedom Class Ship but the itinerary is San Juan, St Maarten (not our favorite island) and Labadee for the Liberty or the same Western we have done for the Freedom. The Mariner is doing St Thomas, St Maarten and Coco Cay but we have seent the Ice Show twice and would like to try something new. We also like to have a port intensive itinerary so that we can enjoy a near empty ship while others go ashore (ie Ocho Rios :)). We are now even considering the Crown Princess, Caribbean Princess or a Norwegian ship for the itinerary.

 

For the Western we enjoyed Royal Palms at Cayman as well as NativeWays Stingray City tour (a must if you have not done this before...even if you don't get in the water with the stingrays the boat ride is fun and you can see the stingrays...also LOVED Rum Point!). At Cozumel we have done Paradise Beach, Mr Sanchos, Chakanaab before the hurricane and most recently Nachi Cocum...LOVED Nachi Cocum! In Ocho Rios we did climb the falls with the kids age 14, 11, 9 and 6 at the time..a little too many scary moments for me to recommend this...in Labadee loved the water park area for little ones as well as the Aqua Park for older kids. Mine really enjoyed it. The slide was gone last time we were there so didn't do that last trip. We went further down the beach to the left the second time we visited (past Dragon's Breath) and found a great beach to relax on hammocks. Amazing day there!