Cruise Critic Group Cruise aboard the Liberty of the Seas Nov 2009

[Sailfish]

Introducing the Cruise Critic Group Cruise aboard the Liberty of the Seas in Nov 2009

Group: Scuba Cruise '09

Ship: Liberty of the Seas

 

Date: 11/15/09

 

Have you thought about diving in the Caribbean but have yet to find a cruise itinerary that suits the diver in you as well as your non-diving loved ones? We will be calling on Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Belize and Costa Maya with group dives scheduled for each island.

 

Join Suzi, aka Sailfish, your group leader and dive coordinator aboard one of Royal Caribbean’s newest Freedom class ships, the spectacular Liberty of the Seas! The fourth annual 2009 Scuba Cruise will be calling on four excellent ports of call in the Western Caribbean, with a couple of days at sea at the beginning and the end of the cruise, to make this 7 night cruise the envy of divers and non-divers alike!

 

Not a diver? Not a problem! Our groups consist of certified scuba divers as well as group members who don’t dive, but enjoy snorkeling, awesome beaches and the company of their fellow Cruise Critic members!

 

 

The Liberty of the Seas is the second Freedom class ship in Royal Caribbean’s fleet that features the FlowRider®, cantilevered whirlpools, a rock-climbing wall, ice-skating rink and the not to be missed Royal Promenade!

 

An awesome dive package consisting of two tank boat dives in Costa Maya, Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Belize is available to the certified scuba divers in the group for an additional charge.

 

Please be sure to email Suzi (aka Sailfish) for a copy of the 2009 Scuba Cruise brochure!

 

Don't miss Cruise Critic's Liberty of the Seas Review.

 

Itinerary

 

Day 1 - - Miami, Florida

Day 2 - - Cruising

Day 3 - - Costa Maya, MX

Day 4 - - Belize City, BZ

Day 5 - - Cozumel, MX

Day 6 - - Georgetown, Grand Cayman

Day 7 - - Cruising

Day 8 - - Miami, Florida

 

Rates

 

Inside Q $830.45 per person (double occupancy only)

Inside L $870.45 per person

Ocean view I $980.45 per person

Balcony E2 $1,079.45 per person

Balcony D1 $1,191.45 per person

Suites JS $1,830.45 per person

 

Triples and Quads SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME

Inside L $595.45 per person

Ocean view I $595.45 per person

Balcony D1 $595.45 per person

Suites JS $595.45 per person

 

All rates above are based on per person, double occupancy and include port charges, fuel surcharge and taxes and are subject to availability, so book soon to get the cabin you want. There is a $50 cancellation charge for this cruise.

 

*Your Cruise Critic Group Cruise Includes:

 

$100 onboard credit per cabin

Cruise Critic Lanyards or similar (One per person)

Cruise Critic Magnet or similar (One per cabin)

15% Discount on all other Cruise Critic Logowear

 

*Note: some group amenities may be based on a minimum number of full paying passengers.

 

Deposit Info

 

Initial deposit of $250pp is due at the time of booking.

Final payment is due August 7, 2009.

There will be a $50 cancellation fee per cabin.

 

To book this cruise BE SURE AND ASK FOR Johna at Crucon.com at 1-800-493-6609

 

Are you thinking about joining this group, or have you booked this cruise? Chat with your group leader Sailfish (scubacruise2009@yahoo.com) and others sailing on the Liberty of the Seas 11/15/09 Member Forum

 

For additional information please contact Laura, Community Manager, at community@cruisecritic.com

[Sailfish]

Our group forum is now available; you'll find more detailed information about the group cruise there, so it's worth checking out. It's still being updated and may take a day or two to input all the information, so please be patient.

 

A link to our Roll Call Forum is also available! Good luck!

 

Thanks!!

[FL_Cruiser64]

There will be a $50 cancellation fee per cabin.

:eek:...Why is that? Just curious.

[Sailfish]

:eek:...Why is that? Just curious.

 

More and more agencies now impose cancellation fees; people will often book a cruise and months later cancel. The agent I use for my individual cruise bookings does not at the moment, but said he will in in 2009. I don't like this practice, but I understand why agencies, especially those that handle group bookings, do this.

 

It's a way of weeding out people who might be inclined to cancel if a better deal were to come around! Thanks to fixed prices in the industry, this doesn't happen as often, but the idea is people are less inclined to cancel a booking if they know a head of time that there's a penalty to do so. A travel agency is not staffed like the cruise lines; meaning cruise bookings take a lot of time, and unfortunately, this impacts productivity. Crucon, our group agency, still books cruises the old fashioned way - time spent on the telephone with the cruise line inquiring about coupons, promotional offers, etc. has made an agents time more valuable.

 

If you want to know, as a consumer how I feel - I think this sucks. But I can't help that. All groups at Cruise Critic go through the same agency.

[Sailfish]

Our Group Brochure is now available (in WORD). Please email me, the group leader (the link to do so is below in my signature) and place "Brochure Request" on the subject line.

 

FYI: we will be limiting the number of certified scuba divers in the group to only 16 this cruise. This count doesn't affect the non-divers in the group. We have been getting an overwhelming response to this year's scuba cruise on the Emerald Princess, and feel we sacrifice quality if the dive group exceeds 16. It's also a problem for dive operators in some ports to comfortably accommodate more divers. We recommend you add your name to the dive boat list for the ports of call where you want to dive once you book the cruise. You can always delete your name off the list if you change your mind, but at least we'll hold a spot for you until the due date. Please refer to the dive boat list at the group forum for more information.

 

Thanks.

 

 

 

Suzi

[sunnysideup]

Hi Suzi. My husband and I are booked on this cruise also. However, we are not divers.

 

I have noticed on the RCCL website that the itinerary has changed for this sailing. They have dopped Grand Cayman and replaced it with a day at sea. I have not been notified of this change from RCCL, nor have any messages been added to my reservation when I log into RCCL. Grand Cayman remains on the all other itineraries for Liberty in Nov.

 

I imagine that itinerary is very important whan planning a dive cruise. Has your TA been notified? We are very disappointed with the change.

 

Let me know if you get any updates!

 

Kim

[Sailfish]

Hi Suzi. My husband and I are booked on this cruise also. However, we are not divers.

 

I have noticed on the RCCL website that the itinerary has changed for this sailing. They have dopped Grand Cayman and replaced it with a day at sea. I have not been notified of this change from RCCL, nor have any messages been added to my reservation when I log into RCCL. Grand Cayman remains on the all other itineraries for Liberty in Nov.

 

I imagine that itinerary is very important whan planning a dive cruise. Has your TA been notified? We are very disappointed with the change.

 

Let me know if you get any updates!

 

Kim

 

Thanks for your information. I was not notified of any itinerary changes that went out to the TA's on July 8th, however, I very much appreciate the heads up. No, our group TA has not notified me, but I expect her to.

 

I wonder why Royal Caribbean made the decision to drop Grand Cayman and if they plan to replace it with another port. Interestingly enough, the ship will be calling on GC the week before and after this one!! We may just simply have to cruise the week before!

 

Again thanks, for your post.

 

Suzi

[Sailfish]

Hi Suzi. My husband and I are booked on this cruise also. However, we are not divers.

 

I have noticed on the RCCL website that the itinerary has changed for this sailing. They have dopped Grand Cayman and replaced it with a day at sea. I have not been notified of this change from RCCL, nor have any messages been added to my reservation when I log into RCCL. Grand Cayman remains on the all other itineraries for Liberty in Nov.

 

I imagine that itinerary is very important whan planning a dive cruise. Has your TA been notified? We are very disappointed with the change.

 

Let me know if you get any updates!

 

Kim

 

This is just a follow-up. I spoke with our group TA and with the group's department at Royal Caribbean regarding the itinerary change. Though disappointing, it's possible that another port of call may be substituted. If not, our sail date will switch to the week before or after. It was recommended that we sit tight and wait for a month before requesting another sail date. That said, no reason was given for removing Grand Cayman. The sailing the week before and after all include GC. It is thought there might be a conflicting issue with a major port construction project that day to prevent us from coming in. It's so far into the future, even the cruise line has stated that it's possible another port will take GC place, though many can't easily accommodate a ship the size of the Liberty. So we'll see.

 

Suzi

[sunnysideup]

I believe that we tender into GC. According to porttime.com there are 2 other ships in addition to Liberty in GC that day. This website still has Liberty in GC that week.

 

Let me know if you get any further updates.

 

Kim