just off Liberty...

[rclcruzer]

Hi all,

 

Never really posted a review before, but I just wanted to say what a fantastic and memorable time my DH and I had on this, our 20th anniversary cruise. This was our 10th RCL cruise, which means we are diamond next sailing. (whatever that means lately...)

 

Everything from our quick and smooth embarkation, to our quick and smooth disembarkation, it was great. Tried Chops for the first time the night of our anniv. and it was everything everyone said it would be and more!! The Solarium was nice, a bit crowded but nice, our stateroom attendant Camella was fantastic...ate everynight at the WJ with the exception of the night at Chops and it was great. Had a wonderful waiter and very friendly head waiter. (yes we tipped accordingly!)

 

The ship was so clean and pretty, we were on Freedom in 06, so we knew what to expect. They worked on the pools here and there quite a bit, but never had an impact on us. The shows were ok, Charo was good, she has quite a sense of humor! The casino totally wiped us out, oh well, but sad :(

C & A gave us 2 great tote bags....they are keepers actually. Very big and roomy. Glad we got in on those before they wrap up the freebies from the program:eek:

 

St. Martin was a great beach day. Orient Beach was our day trip, with a stop at Ballerina Jewelers first, for a surprise from my DH for our anniversary....diamond earrings!! (im spoiled:p)

San Jaun was sort of a scratch day for us, very hot, not feeling to well, been there previously so we just sort of walked around a bit. Had to be back on the ship by 1:30 anyway, for a 2pm departure.

Labadee.........well, we decided that we would take advantage of some "alone" time at the Solarium that day, Not all that fond of the island, but the night before my DH decided we should try Malfini beach excursion. Reluctantly I agreed, and boy am I glad I did!

It was a really nice relaxing somewhat secluded beach, where you take a large boat, about 35 people total to this little slice of heaven for about 2 and 1/2 hours. (no food, so eat first, or bring some with you!)

Greeted by a free drink, free float matt and chairs. It was a very nice way to kick off our anniversary day:)

 

To sum it up, it was a fully sold out cruise...max capacity for sure, but all went well. No elevator probs, lots and lots of kids and teens but it was just fine. 3-5 (pardon my spelling...) Quincenceras, with about 30-40 friends and family with each girl....they all looked so beautiful and grown up!

Can't wait to cruise again, this time with our 3 teens (well, one will be 21 by then :p)....

any questions?? fire away - because I know I forgot about 100 things!!!

edited to say: forgot to mention, we were 6608, towards aft, balcony and there were Purell stations all over the ship :)

[molly361]

Great review. We were on the Liberty last month and just loved it!!!

[Esmerelda]

Thanks for the great review. We will be sailing on her for the 2nd time here in about 43 days.

 

I absolutely loved this ship! So much to do...so much to see. As I recall we came home after the first time out and realized there were a few things that we missed (lack of time or energy) so this time we will be sure and catch it all!

 

I'm glad to hear that no one had the flu on your ship. I'm really tired of hearing about it. It's being taken overboard ;)

 

Oh yea...Happy Late Anniversary!

[hmsdos]

Hi all,

 

Never really posted a review before, but I just wanted to say what a fantastic and memorable time my DH and I had on this, our 20th anniversary cruise. This was our 10th RCL cruise, which means we are diamond next sailing. (whatever that means lately...)

 

:)

 

 

Good Morning! Glad you had a great time! Was great meeting you (briefly:D) ... and that your Anniversary was a wonderful celebration! And, again, congratulations on DIAMOND!!! Hope to meet on your Diamond Plus cruise:D

[KyRcclFan]

We were on this cruise also. It was great! First time on a Freedom Class ship, but all our concerns were proved wrong. Never felt crowded, easy to get around.

 

Charo was very funny and a great show. My wife complained that the slots were very tight. Ship appeared to be in excellent condition--lots of maintenance going on at all times.

 

Took a little getting used to all the extra charges for things, but we enjoyed most of the venues that required a fee. From one extreme to the other, we are thinking of trying Azamara next for the true small ship experience.

[shelby_36]

I'm trying to tink if I hae any questions. We fly into Florida the day after tomorrow with a embarking day of July 4th!!! Can't wait. Definatly the largest ship so far. This is our first Platinum C&A cruise and the smallest room since our first interior cruise. We usually go with suites and settled for a regular balcony with the kids in a promenade. What type of room were you in? Enough room? Do the regular balconies have the tiney tiny bathrooms like interiors do?

 

I'm excited , making my list and checking it twice. Doing memory cards and camera battrry checks today. OOHHHH got a question. Any talk of swine flu restrictions on ship or ports? And did you use the internet? We never haver but son is taking a college online course and he will have to log on one day to comment on other classmates work- hopefully not long to do but how fast was it?

Thanks.

[SheilaSailAway]

Great review!

We loved Liberty back in Sept 07

and look forward to sailing Liberty again this Sept...

Happy Sails!:)

[yogimax]

We love Liberty and look forward to our september cruise on her!

 

Also love Labadee, BTW

[SheilaSailAway]

We love Liberty and look forward to our september cruise on her!

 

Also love Labadee, BTW

Yeah, we like Labadee, too.:)

[shelby_36]

We haven't been to Labedee. We liked CocoCay whe nwe went I'm assuming its like that, I tend to get a little nervous with new ports esp when we don't have anything scheduled to do.- my husband does much better with that I'm a planner- I like the private "islands" because it takes that pressure off. I know there will be decent beaches and food and the ship is right there. Let me aske you does the tender do the same thing as at Cococay? Easy on easy off until about 330 them the line stretches forever?

[happymommyto2]

We were on the June 20th sailing also. The first cruise with the kids. (6 & 8) Lots to do. I was told there were just under 1000 kids on this cruise. It never really felt that way to me. I was pleased with the food in the dining room. Our room 7378 was a fine size for the four of us. The balcony was fine. It was a little tight when the sofa was pulled out as a bed but at that point all we wanted to do was sleep anyway. I will answer any questions I can.

[yogimax]

We haven't been to Labedee. We liked CocoCay whe nwe went I'm assuming its like that, I tend to get a little nervous with new ports esp when we don't have anything scheduled to do.- my husband does much better with that I'm a planner- I like the private "islands" because it takes that pressure off. I know there will be decent beaches and food and the ship is right there. Let me aske you does the tender do the same thing as at Cococay? Easy on easy off until about 330 them the line stretches forever?

 

It's very similar to CocoCay, although RCL is building a dock on Labadee for Oasis. One nice difference is that Labadee has a wonderful Local's market with excellent metal work at very, very reasonable prices (be sure to haggle, though:))

[rclcruzer]

Thanks for the great review. We will be sailing on her for the 2nd time here in about 43 days.

 

I absolutely loved this ship! So much to do...so much to see. As I recall we came home after the first time out and realized there were a few things that we missed (lack of time or energy) so this time we will be sure and catch it all!

 

I'm glad to hear that no one had the flu on your ship. I'm really tired of hearing about it. It's being taken overboard ;)

 

Oh yea...Happy Late Anniversary!

nope...no flu and thanks for the anniversary wishes!! Have a great cruise...wish we were going back :)

[rclcruzer]

Good Morning! Glad you had a great time! Was great meeting you (briefly:D) ... and that your Anniversary was a wonderful celebration! And, again, congratulations on DIAMOND!!! Hope to meet on your Diamond Plus cruise:D

Sorry to sound dumb....but is this Libby??? :o

[rclcruzer]

We were on this cruise also. It was great! First time on a Freedom Class ship, but all our concerns were proved wrong. Never felt crowded, easy to get around.

 

Charo was very funny and a great show. My wife complained that the slots were very tight. Ship appeared to be in excellent condition--lots of maintenance going on at all times.

 

Took a little getting used to all the extra charges for things, but we enjoyed most of the venues that required a fee. From one extreme to the other, we are thinking of trying Azamara next for the true small ship experience.

slots AND tables were incredibly tight!!!:eek: We may try Celebrity in 2 years, my TA LOVES Azamara. Her absolute favorite!! Yep...saw a ton of maintenance too...which is a good thing! Happy cruising :)

[rclcruzer]

I'm trying to tink if I hae any questions. We fly into Florida the day after tomorrow with a embarking day of July 4th!!! Can't wait. Definatly the largest ship so far. This is our first Platinum C&A cruise and the smallest room since our first interior cruise. We usually go with suites and settled for a regular balcony with the kids in a promenade. What type of room were you in? Enough room? Do the regular balconies have the tiney tiny bathrooms like interiors do?

 

I'm excited , making my list and checking it twice. Doing memory cards and camera battrry checks today. OOHHHH got a question. Any talk of swine flu restrictions on ship or ports? And did you use the internet? We never haver but son is taking a college online course and he will have to log on one day to comment on other classmates work- hopefully not long to do but how fast was it?

Thanks.

Hi,

we had a D1 balcony....small bathroom with the closing doors on the shower, but it's perfect for 2 people. Roomy room for sure, as we always have balcony's, we were just fine. (one day we will do a suite hopefully!)

THere was no "talk" of swine...but there was a little briefing every day on the cruise compass about how to avoid it......washing, how to "sneeze properly" etc... H1N1 is what it was labeled.

 

No internet use on this cruise, but your platinum book will have a $7.50 credit, give to relations desk before you log on. Usually it's a doable speed, not too slow, not too fast. We got international service on my hubby's cell to stay in brief touch with our teens back home. Works well on the balcony while at sea, not good in port. Go figure!

Have a wonderful time...the staff is overly accomodating and very very fun and nice!!!!

[rclcruzer]

We haven't been to Labedee. We liked CocoCay whe nwe went I'm assuming its like that, I tend to get a little nervous with new ports esp when we don't have anything scheduled to do.- my husband does much better with that I'm a planner- I like the private "islands" because it takes that pressure off. I know there will be decent beaches and food and the ship is right there. Let me aske you does the tender do the same thing as at Cococay? Easy on easy off until about 330 them the line stretches forever?

Labadee is a personal choice for everyone, just like any "private island". We just happened to have had a not so great experience in 06 while on the Freedom. Jelly fish everywhere, long tender lines, HOT, cold food etc. Just our perception. However, this time? Great! Good food, yes..still hot lol! But I tell ya, that little excursion we did to Malfini was awesome! If it's just the 2 of you and you want peace and quiet with a float matt and the sun...I totally recommend it. No Jelly fish this time, thank goodness!

It was crowded yes, but not that bad. Always a spot of shade, lots to do, and a crafters market as well. Bring some cash for tips if necessary...

Getting on the tenders from the ship was a breeze, we didn't get off until noon ish....our excursion was at 12:45...maybe that's why.

The tenders yes, were crowded and the lines were somewhat long around 3:30-4:00, but it seemed to go in an orderly fashion. Not too bad. I am jealous of the cruisers that get the dock in the future though:p

Try it you'll like it! Im glad I gave Labadee a second chance it deserves!

[kruzerci]

Thanks for the review, we leave in exactly a month :D. For the life of me, I cannot remember whether it was Freedom or Voyager class that we always had a time finding pool chairs in the sun. Was it much of a problem getting pool chairs on the days at sea? Thanks again!

[rclcruzer]

Thanks for the review, we leave in exactly a month :D. For the life of me, I cannot remember whether it was Freedom or Voyager class that we always had a time finding pool chairs in the sun. Was it much of a problem getting pool chairs on the days at sea? Thanks again!

It's hit and miss after noon. We never attempted the regular decks for chairs, we headed to the Solarium about 3 times. Got lucky the first 2 times, but the 3rd day was tough!! The pool police were great though.....bagging up belongings after awhile.

Good luck and happy sails!

[moojar]

Hi, I have a quick Liberty question, thanks for offering!

 

I notice from cruise compasses I have downloaded that smoking is permitted in many of the bars on Liberty, including the ones I was most looking forward to visiting: the English pub, 'olive or twist', and both of the nightclubs.

 

Were the bars noticeably smokey? Are there any late-night dance venues that are non-smoking?

 

Thank-you! :)

[Teacher912]

I enjoyed your review of the Liberty. My family of 4 will be on the July 25 sailing. Did you try the restaurant called Jade? Was this an additional fee? How about Johnny Rockets, Ben&Jerry's?

 

Thanks for the info. D

[KrazyKroozer]

We did the Liberty on June 20th! What an awesome vacation! This was our first cruise, so we were in awe of just about everything! The ship was clean and beautiful.

 

Do not miss the Ice Show! The juggler they had was great! The kids really enjoyed watching him. The "In the Air" and "Ever After" shows were ok..."In the Air" was strange. The 70's dance street parade was a blast!

We had 2 storms with rain, thunder and lightning. The second storm they had to clear all the decks due to the lightning. It got really hot and sticky, and being from California, I am a wimp when it comes to humidity! I'll take my 100 degree dry heat any day! The kids loved playing shuffleboard, ping pong, and mini golf. My daughter loved the FlowRider! Lines were pretty long most of the time, but she managed to pick shorter line times.

 

 

The food was good! All my kids tried something new, and outside their comfort zone. Couldn't get anyone to try the escargot. (not even me!) The prime rib was good. There was an eggplant mozzarella cheese dish that was very good too. My daughter loved the chicken dish they serve every night. She would order 2 because they were so good! My favorite dessert was the Grand Marnier souffle! I wish I had ordered 2 of those!! It was so yummy! The buffett was good too.

 

 

All our ports were nice...hot and humid, but nice. We took a bus tour in St. Martin. It was very interesting, and the bus had A/C so it was double nice! We took another bus to Orient Beach and hung out there for awhile. It was nice to just lay there and watch the kids play in the ocean. It rained when we were getting packed up to go back to the ship. We did the walking tour in San Juan, and it rained a little there too. It was a 3 hour tour, and it packed in a lot of info and walking into the time frame. Again, it was humid, but we made it through! Ate at Hard Rock before heading back to the ship. They need to stay longer in San Juan. It just didn't seem like enough time. We took the high speed boat tour in Labadee....that was fun! The water is so pretty there. The Labadoozies were good! We went to the shopping area, and I was a bit overwhelmed with the flea market part, but the Artisan market was very low key and you can actually shop and look around in peace.

The crew was always so nice! The kids loved the towel animals!

We are already thinking of another cruise in a couple of years! I couldn't have asked for a better vacation! Happy cruising to all who are headed on to the ship!

[KrazyKroozer]

I enjoyed your review of the Liberty. My family of 4 will be on the July 25 sailing. Did you try the restaurant called Jade? Was this an additional fee? How about Johnny Rockets, Ben&Jerry's?

 

Jade is in the Wind Jammer. They are both buffets. Johnny Rocket's was good....but it costs $4.95 a person....shakes are extra as I found out when the bill came. I needed to look closer at the menu. We never made it to Ben & Jerrys.

Have fun on your cruise! You'll love it!

[rclcruzer]

Hi, I have a quick Liberty question, thanks for offering!

 

I notice from cruise compasses I have downloaded that smoking is permitted in many of the bars on Liberty, including the ones I was most looking forward to visiting: the English pub, 'olive or twist', and both of the nightclubs.

 

Were the bars noticeably smokey? Are there any late-night dance venues that are non-smoking?

 

Thank-you! :)

Hi.....the only bar that I can always tell it smokey is the Pub. Other than that, not bad. Even the Casino was pretty much non-smokers. I know Boleros is smoking, Champagne bar is non, never made it to the Disco..so not sure.

Hope that helps a little :)

[rclcruzer]

I enjoyed your review of the Liberty. My family of 4 will be on the July 25 sailing. Did you try the restaurant called Jade? Was this an additional fee? How about Johnny Rockets, Ben&Jerry's?

 

Thanks for the info. D

 

hello...

Well actually, we ate in Jade everynight, except for the night we went to Chops. It's actually a part of the Windjammer where for dinner, they put linens and flowers on the tables. There is no charge for Jade.

 

We had the same waiter everynight that was very courteous, fun and helpful, as well as the Head waiter that we enjoyed hearing his fun stories he would tell us every evening:)

It's not the best rolls in the world, but pretty good. They have a huge platter of various california rolls, vegie rolls, spicy tuna rolls etc... they also have the ginger and wasabi. To accompany that, they have noodle and meat dishes as well as miso soup and steamed white rice. We would always start off with a some rolls, then move around the corner for salad, pastas etc.... from the traditional buffett.

We had JR the last sea day, paid the dreaded $4.95 charge (used to be free in the platinum book, but they took that away :(). Food was pretty good. Ben and Jerry's I know you have to pay for, but not sure of the prices. Hope this helps!