Liberty of the Seas – Eastern Caribbean 9/26/09

[sford75]

Liberty of the Seas – Eastern Caribbean 9/26/09

This was my second cruise aboard a Freedom class ship. FI and I were on Freedom this time last year and did the Western route. We had so much fun, that we booked the Eastern, this time on Liberty. Rather than go day by day, I will review each topic individually. Someone else from this cruise did a day by day review and was probably much better than mine could ever be.

Embarkation – We live in Miami, so we pretty much leave when we are ready to go, which is always later than you hope. This year we left our condo at 12:15p and were handing our bags to the porter at 12:30p. I was shocked at how fast we were through security, checked in and on board. I don’t think it could have been faster, because we were taking our Welcome Aboard picture at 12:55p and was told our room was ready.

Windjammer Buffet – I am a special case, because I was recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease (will address further down) and could only eat about 20% of what is at the Windjammer. But what I did eat was usually good. Let’s be honest, its buffet food, but I think there is a decent selection for the average person. My fiancé also liked everything he had to eat there.
Breakfast – I think they have the best selection during breakfast. We would usually have a light room service breakfast each morning before hitting the gym, and would go to the Windjammer around 10:45am for a more substantial meal. I usually eat an egg white omelet every morning, but here I pretty much stuck to hard boiled eggs, smoked salmon and bacon, the latter two being things I rarely eat and were a treat for me. There was also a wide variety of seasonal fruits available, and I usually had a small bowl of that as well. I did hear someone complain that there were no berries; well berries are out of season. However, on the last sea day, they did put out strawberries and people were loading up (including me).
Lunch – I really wanted to eat in the dining room at least one day, but eating a late breakfast makes that difficult unless I want to eat lunch 2 hours later. However, lunch in the Windjammer was usually pretty good. My fiancé always found something he liked. My only complaint was trying to find someone who could tell me (accurately) what was gluten free. I got a lot of “I thinks” and “I’m pretty sure”, but was very frustrated the first few days. I’ll address the whole “Gluten Free” thing in a later post. But I will say, there was not much to choose from for myself, but what I did eat was good.
Afternoon Tea/Snack Time – Half the time, this was when FI and I ate lunch. Salad was still available for me (sometimes the only thing I could eat safely) and FI loved the nachos. Fortunately, they were corn chips and I could safely nibble on them as well. The taco spread is nice and they usually had a hamburger station here as well. Again, plenty of fruit to go around
Dinner – We never ate dinner at the Windjammer. However, one night, I did go and get a few pieces of sushi as an appetizer for us since we had a late 9:00p reservation. FI had one piece, didn’t like it (we are big time sushi lovers) and didn’t eat anymore. I had three pieces of what I was told were gluten free rolls. Well, I was misinformed to say the least.

My Time Dining – This was our first time doing my time dining. We had wanted to do it last year, but it was booked. While we liked it, we are unsure of whether we will do it again. First off, we enjoy eating just the two of us. Call us loners, unsocial or whatever, but we’ve both have had bad experiences with tablemates that we would just rather it be us. Also, we don’t like to take our time eating. If the food is ready, bring it out. However with MTD, if you are a table for 2, you are limited to making reservations at 6pm, 7:30p or 9:00p. This never ended up being a problem for us; I just wish we knew this before we had booked MTD. One day we had a 9:00pm reservation and showed up at 8:30p and fortunately there was a table available and only had a 5 minute wait. The real issue for us had to do with my eating restrictions and the change in wait staff. So note to others with restrictive diets, MTD may not be the best option.

Main Dining Room:
Breakfast – Only ate there the first day and, honestly, it’s nothing special. They have a buffet that is the same food at the windjammer and the waiters REALLY pushed you to eat there. I ordered an egg white omelet and it was watery and not very good. I’ve had better omelettes made at the windjammer. After that day, we chose to eat at the windjammer.
Lunch – Never ate there
Dinner – I must say that I’ve heard complaints on this board that the MDR food is going downhill, but I found it to be quite the opposite. Both my fiancé and I found the food to be excellent. Many times, my meals were prepared minus any sauces, and they were still excellent. I knew in advance that days 4 and 7 would be the least favorable menus for us, so we booked the specialty restaurants those days. But every other meal was delicious. The wait staff also always tried to accommodate me with some type of dessert. Sometimes it was only fruit, but at least it was something.

Portofino’s – Better than ever
Last year, we were underwhelmed by Portofino and almost didn’t book it this time around, but I’m so glad we did. The food was amazing. Since I couldn’t eat the pasta course, the waiter suggested that I have 2 appetizers. I had the tiger shrimp and the calamari, which they grilled for me….OH MY GOD!!!! I could have eaten 3 plates of this. FI had the pasta with mushrooms and he is still talking about it a week later. We both had the skewers, which were amazing as well. The service was outstanding! We told them when we sat that we didn’t need a 2 hour experience; we just wanted to eat great food. They didn’t need to rush us, but not to take their time either. Well, their timing was impeccable and dinner was about an hour and 20 minutes. Also, when the waiters told me that I could eat the flourless chocolate cake, I was so excited because this was the first night (day 4) that there was a dessert I could eat. It was divine! And as an added surprise, they packed up 2 for me to take back to my room, which was very sweet.

Chops – Underwhelmed
Last year, Chops was so good, we almost ate there twice, so we saved it for our last night on the ship. Well, they’ve changed the menu and our 2 favorite appetizers, the lobster bisque and tuna tartar, are gone. The shrimp cocktail was fantastic, but the lobster carpacio (?) was just ok. My fiancé had the soup which was good, not great. My grilled fish was no better than the dining room. FI ordered the shrimp, which he did say was great. We also ordered a filet to share (for an extra $10), which was great and much better than the dining room steak FI had the night before. A couple notes here, we brought with us a bottle of champagne that was gifted to us through RCCL. We asked if we could bring it with us to dinner one night and was told yes, of course. When we got to Chops, they told us we needed to pay a corkage fee because it wasn’t sent to the dining room, but to our stateroom. If our friends had sent it to the dining room, we wouldn’t have had to pay the corkage fee. This really didn’t make any sense to us, but rather than argue, we paid it. The waitress was also less accommodating in helping me find options that I could eat. I wanted the shrimp plate, but she said that it really couldn’t be made gluten free. Well, when the chef came by later, he said it could have “absolutely” been made gluten free and offered to make me another entrée free of charge. We were so full, we declined, but I was disappointed I was not given the option. I was also told that there was no dessert that I could eat. Again, no attempt to even try to accommodate me. So, to sum it up, food was great and a step above the dining room on the whole, but not worth the extra $25/pp. I would have rather have done another night at Portofino’s. Service was lackluster (except for the chef).

Johnny Rocket’s – Never ate there. It always looked empty when we passed by.

International Culinary Buffet on the Promenade on last day – We just passed by, but they had some great dessert displays and some good food stations. There were lines, but not too long.

Sprinkles Frozen Yogurt – I love this thing. I only wish they had it open at night. It took me almost 3 days to find out if the FroYo was gluten free and was ecstatic when I found out it was. I had this several times a day. FI and I had a routine where I would make a cone, eat the top half and he the bottom (I can’t eat the cone).

Fitness Center – My fiancé and I are both gym buffs and used the gym everyday. On this cruise, it was never packed and I never waited for a machine. We took the Power Boxing class the first day with Izzy. It was good, but not as intense as on the Freedom, which was what we were looking for. Only FI and I showed up, so it wasn’t based on ability. If you want to learn how to box, take this class. If you want a cardio workout, skip it. Afterwards, we did the Metabolism Test with Izzy and I thought it was great and very informative. We knew they would try and sell us on their detox system, but it wasn’t too bad. Izzy even mentioned that we are both in great shape that it would help, but not be a huge difference like in others. The following 2 seas days, we chose to do the Spinning with Raquel instead. Wow! She really kicked our butts! Both classes were true workouts and I was happy to pay. The day of San Juan, I took a Pilates Reformer class, again with Izzy. Well, he didn’t start until 10 minutes later because he didn’t realize he was teaching it and the class was waaay too easy. I said several times that I didn’t have enough resistance and he was reluctant to add more. Finally he said, I can add more, but you’ll be sore tomorrow. I simply replied, “That’s why I’m paying $15 for this class”. He finally did add more resistance and I was never sore. I did this same class last year on Freedom and it was excellent, this one was a waste of money and time. Unless you want a nice stretch, save your money. As far as the free classes, I showed up for 2 and they were both cancelled. If less than 5 people show up for a free class, it’s cancelled, which I thought is crappy. My real critique is the scheduling of classes. The 2 classes I was very interested in taking (boxing and spinning) were always scheduled at the same time, 8am on sea days. This seemed silly to me, because many of the people taking spinning may have taken boxing later, including us. We don’t mind paying the extra fee if the class is good. Unfortunately, there were not a lot options.

Spa – FI and I both took advantage of the last day’s specials. He had the Microdermabrasion Facial and I had the Algae massage. Both were excellent.

Rockclimbing – We tried this the first day, however the staff wasn’t paying much attention and this is why. I got harnessed up and started to climb. However, the rocks were EXTREMELY hot and I couldn’t take it. I finally asked them to take me down (which took some convincing). Basically, I think they initially thought I was just BSing because I didn’t want to climb. FI being the man that he is, went anyway and climbed up to the top in less than 1:30. Well guess what, his pinky on his left hand was burnt…badly, at least a 2 degree burn, maybe even 3. We had videotaped it and you can clearly see when he burns his hand because he shakes it out of pain. The staff all seemed shocked that the rocks were so hot. Finally, one of them said, “the rocks are never hot at this time because of the direction we are headed”. Well, you could have picked up my jaw off the floor. I simply replied, “Didn’t the captain say an hour ago that we turned around due to a medical emergency?” His response was, “yea” and then….pause…pause….still nothing. I gave him at least 30 seconds to put 2 and 2 together, which he didn’t. I then simply pointed out that since we were now headed the opposite direction than they are normally headed at this time, the sun was shining directly on the rocks. I mean this was obvious just by looking at the wall, which is why I say they were not paying attention.
I had planned to go back and try it again, but never got around to it. Plus, FI’s hand was too bad for him to do it again.

Flowrider – This thing is so much fun. FI spent the first 3 days on it and even did a semi-private lesson for $60, which was worth it. I tried the boogie board a couple of times and did pretty well. But I also enjoyed just watching others try, especially when it was their first time.

Ice Skating – Never went

On Board Entertainment – We didn’t go to any of the shows, as they don’t interest us. We did go to the Love and Marriage Show, which is always funny. We also went to the Quest for the first time and had a blast. So happy we finally made it this time.

Crown & Anchor Welcome Back Party – This was the best one yet. I’ve read that RCCL has scaled back on these, but this was not evident here. We even commented on how plentiful the alcohol was. FI had some of the appetizers which he enjoyed (none were gluten free L) and I was able to have a glass of champagne there and then was given a glass of wine to take to dinner.

St. Maarten – We had reservations at Bayside Riding Club for a private beach ride. I normally do not book excursions on my own, but horseback riding was not an option in St. Maarten. Well, this was the last time because when we got there, the owners were on vacation for a week and the stables were closed. I still haven’t gotten in touch with the stables, but they did charge me a deposit when they took my reservation, and I am now disputing it. After that, we just went to Phillipsburg and walked around and did a little shopping, which was something we had planned to do afterwards. We made the most out of the day and really enjoyed the island, we just would have booked another excursion if we had known the stables were going to be closed.

San Juan – Here we did the Carabali ATV ride through El Yunque. It wasn’t cheap, but it was so much fun. I’m not very good with vehicles in general, so it took me a little while to get the hang of it. But it was something out of my comfort zone and the excursion is just great all around. The only downside to this excursion was it takes a long time. Something happened when the ship got to port and we were cleared an hour an a half late, so we got back at 1:15p, instead of noon, which left us no time to even grab a drink at Senor Frogs. But with that said, I still highly recommend it.

Labadee – This was my 3rd time at Labadee. We did the zipline and kayak tour last year and this year we only planned on doing the jet ski tour. FI LOVES jet skis and I’m happy to hang on to him for the ride. The tour was a lot of fun and our guide was great. FI would have liked to play around a little more and go faster, but it was just right for me. I also liked that they have the drivers wear a second vest that has handles for the passenger to hold on to.
We also rode the Dragon Tail’s Coaster on a whim. Yes, $35 is a lot and not something I would normally pay, but hey I’m on vacation. I’m so glad we did it, as it is a lot of fun and a completely different experience than anything I have ever done. Yes, you can go to Six Flags and ride roller coasters all day, but 1. this isn’t a roller coaster, it’s much more like a bobsled ride on rails. And 2. I didn’t spend 2 hours in line to ride for 3 minutes. I spent 2 minutes filling out the waiver and then was off. I hope RCCL does lower the price just a little so more people can enjoy it, as it really is a lot of fun.

Cruise Director – James Andrews was supposed to be the cruise director, but he had to attend a funeral, so the Activities Director Leigh did double duty. He was fantastic despite being short staffed. He was also on the Freedom last year when we sailed assisting Ken Rush and I’m hoping they give him his own ship soon, because he is that good. He was great at The Love and Marriage Show and even better at The Quest.

Room Steward – We barely saw him, but he did a great job. The only thing we asked for was to always stock the room with ice and he obliged.

Staff on board – The best service yet. While there were a few issues here and there, we were very happy with the service.

Room Service – We ordered a light breakfast each morning at 7am and used this as our wake-up call. This worked out perfectly for us. The egg portions are small, but good enough for what we wanted. However, if you want a hefty breakfast, you need to go out.

Classic Romance Package – I ordered this for us as a surprise for my fiancé. It was a nice touch to the cruise. They even sent chocolate covered strawberries instead of petitefours because I am gluten free. The only complaint I had was the breakfast in bed. We saved this for the last morning at sea. You turn in your order the night before to your head waiter and he asked me if I would like Gluten Free pancakes with this order as an added treat. I did and was soooo excited for them, as I’ve heard they are very good. Well, the next morning, our order comes and they brought regular pancakes. The room service staff didn’t read the directions fully and by the time our order had gotten to our room, the dining room kitchen was closed and they couldn’t make them. Needless to say, I was extremely disappointed. Now most people can’t understand where I’m coming from, but when you can’t eat certain things and then someone says they are going to make ones you can have, it’s exciting and you look forward to it. Then we it doesn’t happen, especially because of carelessness, it’s upsetting. I didn’t let it ruin the experience of breakfast on our balcony with my honey, but I was disappointed.

All in all, it was a great cruise. We can’t wait for Oasis and Allure to come out, as we are sure to love those ships even more.

[sford75]

Gluten Free Dietary Restrictions

So I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease about 10 weeks before our cruise. I immediately contacted RCCL and they noted my reservation and then I did some research on these boards about being gluten free on board.

I felt very prepared when I first boarded Liberty of the Seas because others had posted their experiences online. Well, I was more prepared than much of the dining room staff on board. First stop, the Windjammer. As soon as we walked in, I looked for someone to help me to no avail. Fortunately, I was able to make do with some salad and realized that they were busier than normal because of the turnover. However, the next couple times was the same issue. I would ask the chefs behind counters (by the carving stations) and the usually response was, “I think” or “I’m pretty sure”. Well, for someone with Celiac Disease, I need 100%. I tried to be understanding and that this is not a normal request, but it became very frustrating and one can only eat so many salads. Finally on day 3, I went again and this time the chef looked around and said “nothing”. Me - “NOTHING….are you serious? Not even the vegetables, what about the carving station?” The chef’s response to me was, “well obviously the vegetables and the meat are gluten free.” (FYI, when it comes to prepared food, nothing is obvious) At this point I will say I lost my cool because I had asked which items were gluten free and I started to raise my voice. Fortunately for me I did, because finally a supervisor came over and offered to help. He went to the back and pulled out Michael (who turns out to be the chef at Chops), who walked me through the entire Windjammer and told me what I could eat. He also told me that whenever I come in to ask for him and he would make sure I was taken care of. I also asked him about Sprinkles and he was able to find out with certainty that it was GF. The rest of the week was a breeze and I think I only asked for him once, because he usually found me. He even offered to get me the GF bread if I wanted it.

The only exception was the one time I got sushi from the Windjammer. Michael was not there, so I asked the sushi chef. He told me anything without the crab, which I knew already to avoid, and pointed out the rolls which he knew were 100% GF. Well, he was wrong. About 30 minutes after eating 3 pieces, I knew there had been gluten in them. Unfortunately I got sick (do the math), but that ended up being a good thing. Typically if I ingest gluten, I’m in bed for 24 hours and a zombie for the following 24. That night, I was able to get dressed and go to dinner because I wasn’t going to make my FI miss lobster night. I felt awful, was swollen and looked 3 months pregnant (which are my reactions), but I was still walking. The next morning, I felt ok enough to go to the gym and do cardio and sweat it out, which is extremely difficult, but the best thing you can do. I also got in the sauna for 10 minutes and drank more water than you can imagine. By 2pm, that day, I felt better and the following day I was back to normal.

As far as being GF on Labadee, I didn’t take any chances and ate salad and fruit. This was also the day after the sushi incident, so I wasn’t very hungry anyway. We ran into our head waiter there who offered to help me get something else, but I was fine with what I had.

This now leads me to the dining room. I knew the first night that I would pre-order my dinner for the following night. When we first sat down, the head waiter gave me a slip of paper that says gluten free bread. Our waiter takes the paper when he introduces himself and tells me what I can have from the night’s menu. We also told him that only I was GF, not my fiancé. We order and we are good. However, the bread never came, gluten free or regular. FI had to chance down the assistant waiter for a piece of bread. He explained that the waiter had told him no bread for our table.

Next, we get our dinners and they are fantastic. I had grilled salmon and it was amazing. I then asked the waiter for the following night’s menu. He said, “No, no, no, you just come tomorrow and we prepare it for you”. I reply, “Are you sure? I’ve read online that I’m supposed to pre-order each night”. Again, “no worries, we’ll have something for you to eat.” I said, “ok, but just for the record, I will usually pick the fish entrée and I don’t really eat red meat”. Again, he assured us that it would be no problem.

Fast forward to the next night, first formal night, and (thankfully) we get seated at another waiter’s table, Armando. He realizes that I am GF and asks with whom I placed my order with. I explain what happened the previous night and that I was told that I didn’t need to place my order. Literally, I can see the panic on his face. He immediately goes over to the head waiter who comes over to talk to us. He asks me who our waiter was, I tell him, and then he explains to me that the only thing I can eat on the menu is the meat selection or one of the alternative selections. Fortunately here I was able to remain calm but still be firm. I had already looked at the menu and I knew that I wanted the Sea Bass. Its pan seared, which I can’t have, but I wanted it grilled. The head waiter very kindly said that if I had placed my order the night before, I would have been able to have it grilled, but they could cook to order the same night. Again, I remained calm, but told him that I asked to pre-order my meal the night before, but the waiter insisted that I did not have to and to please bring the waiter over to our table so he can you himself. I told him I don’t eat red meat and that he and I both know that the alternative selections are crap (ironically he didn’t argue that point). He then excuses himself and the scramble begins. Ordinarily, I am not this firm or unrelenting, but I was right in this situation, the waiter had screwed up and I was not going to be penalized for his error. About 10 minutes later, the head waiter came over and said that the chef was preparing a grilled sea bass for me, but that it may take a little longer than normal, which was fine. He also asked if I liked the GF bread and I said that it was never brought to me the previous night, so he had some brought to me right away. It’s ok, not as bad as some people say, but I could do without. I’m happy to say that the Grilled Sea Bass was excellent and I then pre-ordered all my meals.

From this point forward, my head waiter made sure we were always at Armando’s table. Armando, as well as our head waiter, went above and beyond for us each and every night, even making sure I had GF bread when we went to Portofino and Chops. I knew that the error with the pre-ordering was not theirs and I was extremely appreciative that they were able to fix the situation. In the dining room, I had no other issues with ordering GF and the food was all delicious. Even for dessert, where almost everything has gluten, they tried to find me something. Usually it was berries and/or ice cream, but they definitely tried to be accommodating.

The lesson learned here is to stick to your guns from the beginning until you get someone who knows what they are talking about and will help accommodate you in your dietary needs. If I had been more persistent and spoken to the head waiter the first night, the second night chaos could have been avoided. I was fortunate to eventually find a great head waiter and chef at the windjammer to help me through the rest of the week.

[ncb106]

Originally Posted by sford75

gluten free dietary restrictions

so i was diagnosed with celiac disease about 10 weeks before our cruise. I immediately contacted rccl and they noted my reservation and then i did some research on these boards about being gluten free on board.

i felt very prepared when i first boarded liberty of the seas because others had posted their experiences online. Well, i was more prepared than much of the dining room staff on board. First stop, the windjammer. As soon as we walked in, i looked for someone to help me to no avail. Fortunately, i was able to make do with some salad and realized that they were busier than normal because of the turnover. However, the next couple times was the same issue. I would ask the chefs behind counters (by the carving stations) and the usually response was, “i think” or “i’m pretty sure”. Well, for someone with celiac disease, i need 100%. I tried to be understanding and that this is not a normal request, but it became very frustrating and one can only eat so many salads. Finally on day 3, i went again and this time the chef looked around and said “nothing”. Me - “nothing….are you serious? Not even the vegetables, what about the carving station?” the chef’s response to me was, “well obviously the vegetables and the meat are gluten free.” (fyi, when it comes to prepared food, nothing is obvious) at this point i will say i lost my cool because i had asked which items were gluten free and i started to raise my voice. Fortunately for me i did, because finally a supervisor came over and offered to help. He went to the back and pulled out michael (who turns out to be the chef at chops), who walked me through the entire windjammer and told me what i could eat. He also told me that whenever i come in to ask for him and he would make sure i was taken care of. I also asked him about sprinkles and he was able to find out with certainty that it was gf. The rest of the week was a breeze and i think i only asked for him once, because he usually found me. He even offered to get me the gf bread if i wanted it.

the only exception was the one time i got sushi from the windjammer. Michael was not there, so i asked the sushi chef. He told me anything without the crab, which i knew already to avoid, and pointed out the rolls which he knew were 100% gf. Well, he was wrong. About 30 minutes after eating 3 pieces, i knew there had been gluten in them. Unfortunately i got sick (do the math), but that ended up being a good thing. Typically if i ingest gluten, i’m in bed for 24 hours and a zombie for the following 24. That night, i was able to get dressed and go to dinner because i wasn’t going to make my fi miss lobster night. I felt awful, was swollen and looked 3 months pregnant (which are my reactions), but i was still walking. The next morning, i felt ok enough to go to the gym and do cardio and sweat it out, which is extremely difficult, but the best thing you can do. I also got in the sauna for 10 minutes and drank more water than you can imagine. By 2pm, that day, i felt better and the following day i was back to normal.

as far as being gf on labadee, i didn’t take any chances and ate salad and fruit. This was also the day after the sushi incident, so i wasn’t very hungry anyway. We ran into our head waiter there who offered to help me get something else, but i was fine with what i had.

this now leads me to the dining room. I knew the first night that i would pre-order my dinner for the following night. When we first sat down, the head waiter gave me a slip of paper that says gluten free bread. Our waiter takes the paper when he introduces himself and tells me what i can have from the night’s menu. We also told him that only i was gf, not my fiancé. We order and we are good. However, the bread never came, gluten free or regular. Fi had to chance down the assistant waiter for a piece of bread. He explained that the waiter had told him no bread for our table.

next, we get our dinners and they are fantastic. I had grilled salmon and it was amazing. I then asked the waiter for the following night’s menu. He said, “no, no, no, you just come tomorrow and we prepare it for you”. I reply, “are you sure? I’ve read online that i’m supposed to pre-order each night”. Again, “no worries, we’ll have something for you to eat.” i said, “ok, but just for the record, i will usually pick the fish entrée and i don’t really eat red meat”. Again, he assured us that it would be no problem.

fast forward to the next night, first formal night, and (thankfully) we get seated at another waiter’s table, armando. He realizes that i am gf and asks with whom i placed my order with. I explain what happened the previous night and that i was told that i didn’t need to place my order. Literally, i can see the panic on his face. He immediately goes over to the head waiter who comes over to talk to us. He asks me who our waiter was, i tell him, and then he explains to me that the only thing i can eat on the menu is the meat selection or one of the alternative selections. Fortunately here i was able to remain calm but still be firm. I had already looked at the menu and i knew that i wanted the sea bass. Its pan seared, which i can’t have, but i wanted it grilled. The head waiter very kindly said that if i had placed my order the night before, i would have been able to have it grilled, but they could cook to order the same night. Again, i remained calm, but told him that i asked to pre-order my meal the night before, but the waiter insisted that i did not have to and to please bring the waiter over to our table so he can you himself. I told him i don’t eat red meat and that he and i both know that the alternative selections are crap (ironically he didn’t argue that point). He then excuses himself and the scramble begins. Ordinarily, i am not this firm or unrelenting, but i was right in this situation, the waiter had screwed up and i was not going to be penalized for his error. About 10 minutes later, the head waiter came over and said that the chef was preparing a grilled sea bass for me, but that it may take a little longer than normal, which was fine. He also asked if i liked the gf bread and i said that it was never brought to me the previous night, so he had some brought to me right away. It’s ok, not as bad as some people say, but i could do without. I’m happy to say that the grilled sea bass was excellent and i then pre-ordered all my meals.

from this point forward, my head waiter made sure we were always at armando’s table. Armando, as well as our head waiter, went above and beyond for us each and every night, even making sure i had gf bread when we went to portofino and chops. I knew that the error with the pre-ordering was not theirs and i was extremely appreciative that they were able to fix the situation. In the dining room, i had no other issues with ordering gf and the food was all delicious. Even for dessert, where almost everything has gluten, they tried to find me something. Usually it was berries and/or ice cream, but they definitely tried to be accommodating.

the lesson learned here is to stick to your guns from the beginning until you get someone who knows what they are talking about and will help accommodate you in your dietary needs. If i had been more persistent and spoken to the head waiter the first night, the second night chaos could have been avoided. I was fortunate to eventually find a great head waiter and chef at the windjammer to help me through the rest of the week.

hi iam taking a cruise in december and i wanted to know if there was smokey allow at the pool bar

[sford75]

I think so. I saw smokers on deck 11 between the hot tubs and the bar

[English Rose]

Thanks for taking the time to do this review. I board the Liberty on 24 October and now the excitement is building. I can't wait.....

[cruizinmimi]

Originally Posted by ncb106

hi iam taking a cruise in december and i wanted to know if there was smokey allow at the pool bar

I'm not a smoker, but I also just got off this cruise. On the Liberty, smoking is allowed on the port side (pool deck). Also, there are tables set up in front of the pool bar Deck 11 and you can smoke at the tables. They are directly in front of the pool bar...you can't miss it.

[yogimax]

Great review! We were also on this cruise and the "substitute" cruise director did a great job!

[tray]

Originally Posted by cruizinmimi

I'm not a smoker, but I also just got off this cruise. On the Liberty, smoking is allowed on the port side (pool deck). Also, there are tables set up in front of the pool bar Deck 11 and you can smoke at the tables. They are directly in front of the pool bar...you can't miss it.

Are there other bars outdoors to order drinks for non-smokers? Thanks!

[cruizinmimi]

Originally Posted by tray

Are there other bars outdoors to order drinks for non-smokers? Thanks!

If you're lounging by the pool (starboard side for non-smokers), the bar servers will come to your lounge chair and take your drink order. If you're just wanting to hang out at a pool bar, they allow smoking. You might try the solarium pool bar. There seemed to be less smokers at the pool bar. There are seats at the solarium pool bar also. But be prepared, people are allowed to smoke there.

[DoubleHJr]

Looking forward to sailing soon, and appreciate your review! Could you tell me if there is shampoo/conditioner/body wash in the showers? That way I wouldn't have to pack it. Also, do you know if the T.V.'s have input/outout jacks that we could plug that we could plug a DVD player in? Thanks.

[bionicman97]

Originally Posted by DoubleHJr

Looking forward to sailing soon, and appreciate your review! Could you tell me if there is shampoo/conditioner/body wash in the showers? That way I wouldn't have to pack it. Also, do you know if the T.V.'s have input/outout jacks that we could plug that we could plug a DVD player in? Thanks.

They did have a dispenser in the showers for shampoo/conditioner (I think it did both). Didn't look at the back of the TV's. I think they were 32" samsung LCDs. I would imagine they have input jacks, but I don't know about your ability to use those remotes to access the jacks (since they are custom for the ship)

[Twibes]

I have to hand it to you sford75, this is a perfect example of a perfect review. Although there were things you did not enjoy, or maybe a few mishaps that agitated you, the review was completely unbiased. You didn't let those things ruin the trip nor did you try to bring down the reputation of RCCL in your post by nitpicking them.

I really enjoyed this review, thanks for taking the time to post it!