Our very first cruise - just off the Liberty!!

[funfamilyof6]

Thanks for your honest review. Wasn't this the first cruise since the drydock? I am wondering if maybe the issues with the character breakfast was because it was the first they have done on that ship?

 

It is funny how everyone is different though. I tried to get my DH and DS to cruise for years and they weren't interested. Finally got them to try it and they said they wished we had skipped Disney the last few times and cruised instead.:rolleyes:

 

Maybe once the kids are a little older, a cruise might be a better fit.:)

 

Very good point...I forgot about this.

 

When we do our August Freedom cruise we will make sure to sign up for breakfast as soon as we get on the ship!:D

[2boyzmom]

Where do you sign up for the breakfast?

[KathyF.]

Where do you sign up for the breakfast?

 

 

There was a number on the Compass to call.

 

Oh the other thing was that we had booked an interior cabin for 4.

 

Never again!! Hated not having a window. Not so much during the day as we spent very little time there - but in the morning. Next time I'm spending the extra money!

 

Also when ever I checked out RCI website - which I did often looking for a price drop! - it always said "converts to Queen beds". I was surprised we got bunk beds.

 

Are all cabins that hold 4 people bunk beds? Not including suites of course.

[reallyitsmema]

Usually there are two pullman beds that pull down from the celing and two single beds that can be put together to make a queen. You had bunkbeds instead?

[funfamilyof6]

There was a number on the Compass to call.

 

Oh the other thing was that we had booked an interior cabin for 4.

 

Never again!! Hated not having a window. Not so much during the day as we spent very little time there - but in the morning. Next time I'm spending the extra money!

 

Also when ever I checked out RCI website - which I did often looking for a price drop! - it always said "converts to Queen beds". I was surprised we got bunk beds.

 

Are all cabins that hold 4 people bunk beds? Not including suites of course.

 

Pullman, bunk or sofa beds. We usually get oceanview...not too much more than interior.

[KathyF.]

Awww so the two single beds push together make a Queen!????

 

Okay the room steward never pushed them together and I didn't realize they were movable. So my husband and I just slept in single beds.

 

D'oh. Okay makes sense now.

 

The boys loved the bunk beds (pullmans they are called??). And I thought the little individual lamps were so very cool as I always read at bedtime.

[reallyitsmema]

Awww so the two single beds push together make a Queen!????

 

Okay the room steward never pushed them together and I didn't realize they were movable. So my husband and I just slept in single beds.

 

D'oh. Okay makes sense now.

 

The boys loved the bunk beds (pullmans they are called??). And I thought the little individual lamps were so very cool as I always read at bedtime.

Yes, the steward could have pushed them together to make a queen but then night time bathroom runs become a challenge.:D

 

Make sure you check out the deckplans next time you book. There is a legend on the side that will tell you what types of beds there are in your room. For example, a triangle means you will have a sofabed. Interior cabins usually have pullmans, not sofabeds though so you might have to move up to at least an oceanview.

 

It is a learning experience, we have an aha moment every cruise we take. Makes things interesting.:p

[funfamilyof6]

Awww so the two single beds push together make a Queen!????

 

Okay the room steward never pushed them together and I didn't realize they were movable. So my husband and I just slept in single beds.

 

D'oh. Okay makes sense now.

 

The boys loved the bunk beds (pullmans they are called??). And I thought the little individual lamps were so very cool as I always read at bedtime.

 

 

Also, always pay attention to the 3rd and 4th person cost. Sometimes it is not much less than first and second and it may make more sense to get the extra room that you can get connecting (leave connecting door open entire cruise). You would also get extra bathroom and more privacy when needed.

[12marshall]

My youngest went to kid's club one evening but my oldest wasn't interested. We did register them the first night. They wanted to spend the afternoon in the pools or at the movies not in the kid's club.

 

And we had everything budgeted but thanks for the tips! I knew exactly how much I had budgeted for my excursions, for extra food on board - Johnny Rocket's, ice cream at Ben and Jerry's, a few cans of Diet Coke for me - worked out quite well! Only thing I did not really look into was alcohol prices as we don't drink much at all. I expected drink prices to be high but not quite as much as we were charged. But that's fine. Trust me we make a healthy income - $20 is not breaking the bank! LOL!

 

Sorry Marshall if you're on such a tight income that it does. :rolleyes:

 

As for leaving the kids - sure it would have been nice to have some time without them. And it will be great in a year when the little one is taller and they are both stronger swimmers and I can plop down and read a book rather than supervising them in the pool but that is part of being a parent.

 

I work full time and get 6 weeks of holidays only. I want to spend that 6 weeks interacting with my children not having a break from them!!

 

Really I was hoping that they would get more into the kid's club stuff but I left the option open. In the end we had a TON of fun family time. And it will be awesome when they are older and we can try new excursions and activities that they were too young (and short!!) for this time like the Flowrider!

 

I think you're missing the point. I was not suggesting you abandon your kids at the pool or anything like that. I would never do that either. I said "24/7" because that is what your original post conveyed to me (that you did not get the kids involved in the kid's programs). Obviously that was not the case and you did try to get the kids involved in the kid's programs. I understand that it's a family trip and you want to spend the time with your family... that's excellent. I do not know you and I can only take my own experiences into consideration when I say....It just sounded like maybe it was too much family time and no attention to yourself.

 

As far as your comment about $20 not breaking the bank... this is disingenuous as spending the $10 clearly bothered you and you mentioned it again in a subsequent post.

 

As far as it having an impact on me...

"Sorry Marshall if you're on such a tight income that it does."

I do not believe that I made any reference to my income or budget.

 

How many food stamps does it take for an upgrade!?:D

[KathyF.]

I think you're missing the point. I was not suggesting you abandon your kids at the pool or anything like that. I would never do that either. I said "24/7" because that is what your original post conveyed to me (that you did not get the kids involved in the kid's programs). Obviously that was not the case and you did try to get the kids involved in the kid's programs. I understand that it's a family trip and you want to spend the time with your family... that's excellent. I do not know you and I can only take my own experiences into consideration when I say....It just sounded like maybe it was too much family time and no attention to yourself.

 

As far as your comment about $20 not breaking the bank... this is disingenuous as spending the $10 clearly bothered you and you mentioned it again in a subsequent post.

 

As far as it having an impact on me...

"Sorry Marshall if you're on such a tight income that it does."

I do not believe that I made any reference to my income or budget.

 

How many food stamps does it take for an upgrade!?:D

 

 

What are food stamps? We don't have anything like that in Canada.

 

I think they found the kid's club too much like daycare which they attend part time. The pool held greater appeal as did movies.

 

And I think it's fair to say that most Mommies don't get enough "me time". LOL.

[KathyF.]

Also, always pay attention to the 3rd and 4th person cost. Sometimes it is not much less than first and second and it may make more sense to get the extra room that you can get connecting (leave connecting door open entire cruise). You would also get extra bathroom and more privacy when needed.

 

 

Hmmm interesting. Thanks for the tip!

[12marshall]

What are food stamps? We don't have anything like that in Canada.

 

I think they found the kid's club too much like daycare which they attend part time. The pool held greater appeal as did movies.

 

And I think it's fair to say that most Mommies don't get enough "me time". LOL.

 

I probably shouldn't joke about food stamps.... I've never been there and hopefully won't ever be.

 

I think the younger programs are like day care at that age and this is one reason why we chose not to cruise when our kids were the same age as yours. BUT.... I think the programs for teens can be fun. It's all about whether it's perceived as "cool" to the them. For teens it's more open and if they find just ONE OTHER child that they click with.... the experience for them goes way up.

[KathyF.]

I probably shouldn't joke about food stamps.... I've never been there and hopefully won't ever be.

 

I think the younger programs are like day care at that age and this is one reason why we chose not to cruise when our kids were the same age as yours. BUT.... I think the programs for teens can be fun. It's all about whether it's perceived as "cool" to the them. For teens it's more open and if they find just ONE OTHER child that they click with.... the experience for them goes way up.

 

 

My niece loved the kid's clubs on RCI and Disney and her brother did not. Also depends on the kid's personalities. My kids aren't shy. They just wanted to be in the pool and seeing the shows instead!

 

And I still think $10 is too much for a margarita!

[NordicPrince]

That's still no excuse for being a jerk, maybe you sould read the guidelines again.

 

I used no name calling. You on the other hand have.

 

Who has overstepped the guidelines? I discussed what the OP said within the bounds of the forum.

[NordicPrince]

I'm trying to figure out why this guy calls himself a prince........he sounds like a frog to me!

 

Pretty lame attempt at humor. Thanks for the personal name calling. BTW this too is against board guidelines.

 

All I did was make comments on a review which did not make sense in portions to me. It was not personal. No where was a name directed at the OP. If you don't like my response flame my points not me. Sorry if this board can't handle differing view points anymore.

 

BTW if you really knew anything about RCCL you'd know where the screen name was derived from.

[critterchick]

If you order a Cosmo, by the time they add the gratuity, it's either almost $10 or a little over.

 

And it would likely be a double, so it's really not an outrageous charge IMO.:D

 

Kathy, thanks for posting your review. We don't have kids or grandkids so don't have the same concerns as you, but it's always good to read about what went right and what didn't.:)

[drkorcs55]

Orlando is over rated. Cruising is awesome.

[tahqa]

Orlando is over rated. Cruising is awesome.

 

LOL -- thanks for that little bon mot! :rolleyes:

[CruisinDawn]

Also, always pay attention to the 3rd and 4th person cost. Sometimes it is not much less than first and second and it may make more sense to get the extra room that you can get connecting (leave connecting door open entire cruise). You would also get extra bathroom and more privacy when needed.

Friends of mine were the envy of their relatives when they got two cabins instead of one based on my advise. It was only $85 total to get two cabins for 2 instead of 1 cabin for 4. They loved having separate sleeping areas as well as two bathrooms. If it's your intention book early to ensure you can get connecting cabins. Best value out there as far as I am concerned is the connecting PR's on the Freedom class because you get a window and a small sitting area.

 

BonVoyage

Dawna

[lovemylab]

I used no name calling. You on the other hand have.

 

Who has overstepped the guidelines? I discussed what the OP said within the bounds of the forum.

 

Actually you overstepped the guidelines yourself in post #34 when you replied to funfamilyof 6 with:

 

"If you're going to make personal accusations at least spell them correctly.

 

You're the one making judgements and stepping over the line here."

 

 

From the Cruisecritic guidelines:

 

It is important to remember that everyone makes mistakes at one time or another, and that there are many users who use English as a second language, especially on our Cruise Boards. There are also a number of people who suffer from learning disabilities and who have difficulty noticing their spelling mistakes. Do not make comments on the spelling and grammar of other users. It is simply not a productive expenditure of energies.

 

So if you want to educate others on the guidelines perhaps you should start with following them yourself.

[Merion_Mom]

And it would likely be a double, so it's really not an outrageous charge IMO.:D

 

Kathy, thanks for posting your review. We don't have kids or grandkids so don't have the same concerns as you, but it's always good to read about what went right and what didn't.:)

 

It's really not. It's a good-sized drink, but not a double.

 

Have you ever gotten one that wasn't made gratis? ;)

 

They wouldn't even honor the old BOGO drink coupon from the booklet. They only wanted to comp cheap drinks. :D

[funfamilyof6]

Friends of mine were the envy of their relatives when they got two cabins instead of one based on my advise. It was only $85 total to get two cabins for 2 instead of 1 cabin for 4. They loved having separate sleeping areas as well as two bathrooms. If it's your intention book early to ensure you can get connecting cabins. Best value out there as far as I am concerned is the connecting PR's on the Freedom class because you get a window and a small sitting area.

 

BonVoyage

Dawna

 

Good observation!:) Unfortunately the promenade cabins on the Freedom class won't work for us because they only connect 2 with 2 and we need 4 with 2 or 3 with 3. I think the Allure/Oasis has a few options with the promenade but we are happy with Freedom class.

[funfamilyof6]

Actually you overstepped the guidelines yourself in post #34 when you replied to funfamilyof 6 with:

 

"If you're going to make personal accusations at least spell them correctly.

 

You're the one making judgements and stepping over the line here."

 

 

From the Cruisecritic guidelines:

 

 

 

So if you want to educate others on the guidelines perhaps you should start with following them yourself.

 

LOL and thank you...I was going to point this out but decided not to go tit for tat with the Prince.:)

[klingoncruiser]

Thanks for the review. I hope you do return one day when the kids are older and not grid locked on Disney. Seem like a pretty fair assessment on you part.

[critterchick]

It's really not. It's a good-sized drink, but not a double.

 

Have you ever gotten one that wasn't made gratis? ;)

 

They wouldn't even honor the old BOGO drink coupon from the booklet. They only wanted to comp cheap drinks. :D

 

I've never ordered a double. It would get warm before I finished it. And yes.:p;)