Liberty 3/12/12...just off this AM

[samantha6174]

We had an outstanding cruise on the Liberty...just got off this AM, but I thought I would start my review now.

I've cruised on Princess, RCI, and Disney (twice) in the past. Cruising with me was my 8 year old son, Henry, who has cruised on Disney twice, as well. My husband was working this week, and my older son had school, so Henry and I shared a great forward balcony cabin on deck 7. We flew down from NY the day before, and Jet Blue got us there almost an hour early.

Day 1- Embarkation!

We arrived at the port at about 10:45, and there was no line at all. We were whisked through the C&A Gold line, and were seated, waiting to board by 11. They didn't start boarding until 11:40, and we were with the first group. By 12, we were having lunch in the Windjammer.

Then we went to Adventure Ocean, to negotiate...Henry wanted to be with the older group (Voyagers, ages 9-11) rather than with his actual age group (Explorers, ages 6-8). I gently asked a few people, and ultimately got an answer we were OK with. Henry had to go to Explorers once, and then they'd let him go into Voyagers. He's a very mature 8 year old, and his classroom at school is mixed age (2-4 grades), so he's really used to being with older kids.

Muster drill was at 4, and was super easy and organized, and then we headed to the cabin to relax for a while, and then the Promenade for a Dreamworks parade, which was great, with high production values, and lots of characters.

We had early seating for dinner (6 PM) and it was lovely, but we didn't go back to the MDR for dinner for the rest of the trip. Henry headed straight for Adventure Ocean after dinner, and when I picked him up at 9:30, he said the Explorers wasn't bad, but that he very much wanted to do Voyagers for the rest of the cruise.

Day 2- Day at Sea

Windjammer for breakfast...then Henry went to Adventure Ocean from 9-12. I completely had to re-negotiate that he would be in the older group. I got all kinds of warnings about safety and risk, but I just kept smiling and gently insisting that he would be fine. Over and over again. Ultimately, they let him stay, but they were not so happy about it that day.

I went to the gym and explored the ship for the morning, then we lunch in the Windjammer, and hit the pool until it was time for the afternoon session of Adventure Ocean, from 2-5.

It was formal night, which Henry was not into, (mostly because he wanted to get to Adventure Ocean right when it opened at 6:45). We ordered room service for him (pizza and fruit plate) and then Henry went to Adv. Ocean, and I went to the Windjammer for a relaxing meal with my book.

Day 3- Labadee, Haiti

We had a great excursion in Labadee...kayaking. It was about an hour and a half in a double kayak. The group leader, Jerome, was excellent. He gave really good instructions, and also showed us his village where he lives, and told some of the history of Haiti and what life is like for him. There were about a dozen double kayaks, and the group kept together well. The minimum age is 8, and Henry was the only kid on the tour. He's been canoeing, which I think helped him, but I definitely had to do some extra work, particularly on the way back, which was a little harder, against the surf.

Adventure Ocean is open at Labadee, but it's a very small enclosed area, and there weren't any kids there, so Henry and I headed back to the ship after our excursion. We don't eat BBQ, so there was no point in hanging out at Labadee for lunch. It was getting hot, so we hit the Windjammer and cooled off in the cabin a bit and napped. We hit the pool (nice and empty) at about 2, and later did room service again for Henry for dinner.

Some families were definitely starting to get sick of one another at this point. Parents and kids were both pretty cranky. I had to wonder how many little boys named Braden could possibly be on this ship!! Maybe one that was just in trouble a lot? :)

Day 4- Jamaica

We actually didn't even get off the ship. All the excursions seemed very expensive and far away to me, and I LOVE the ship when it's empty. Quite a few people actually stayed aboard, and Adventure Ocean had a nice crowd of kids. Henry spent most of the day there, as usual, and I spent my day in the "Adults Only" Solarium. This area is kind of a weakness, of Liberty, I think. For some reason, they define "adult" as 16 and older, so there were tons of teenagers around all the time. Obviously, I don't mind kids, but I would have really liked an actual adult-only area.

I brought Henry to the Windjammer at 6:30 when it opened, then he headed to Adventure Ocean when it opened, and I returned to the Windjammer for a leisurely meal with my book.

Day 5 At Sea

Our usual routine...Henry goes to Adventure Ocean, I go to the gym, we have lunch...plus a special glow in the dark puppet show today!

Then, more Adventure Ocean, more reading/relaxing for me.

We had signed up for valet service, so when I put my bags out in the evening, I didn't see them again until our flight landed in NY. System cost $20 pp, but totally worth it for me. Getting off the ship seemed totally easy to me, but we got to disembark early (8:30) and lines weren't too long by then. Certainly easier since we didn't have to retrieve bags before customs.

I'm happy to answer questions if you have them. We didn't see any shows, or go to any bars, or eat in any specialty restaurants. We will almost certainly cruise with RCI again. While onboard, I booked a Southern Caribbean cruise for my husband and myself on Celebrity this November.

[will773]

Thanks for the review! Glad you enjoyed the Liberty.

[Nancynurse]

Thanks for the review. Glad you had a great time. We will be boarding Liberty four weeks from today!

 

Nancy