Review--Our first cruise Liberty OS 3/22/12

[lmsjt915]

This was our first cruise and my first review so bear with me :) It was just the two of us, my boyfriend and I both 25, on this cruise. We left the kids at home.

 

We arrived a day early and stayed at Hyatt Place North. The free shuttle picked us up from the airport and the driver was very friendly and helpful. The hotel was nice, I only paid $70 through Hotwire and we were only there for a night. We walked to 15th Street Fisheries for lunch hoping to get some crab legs but told they were "out". I was surprised how no one walks to places around Ft. Lauderdale! At least that we saw while walking the 1.5 mile each way. It was pretty hot but not bad for us Michiganders.

 

We got a shuttle ride for $7/pp to Port Everglades at 10:30 on Thursday morning. Check in was a breeze but we didn't end up boarding the ship until a little after noon. I think some people were getting impatient because a RC worker kept coming over the PA saying it would just be a little longer and they were still waiting on people to disembark. The porter was pretty brazen, before my boyfriend could even get a hand in his pocket for a tip the porter stated "We DO accept money here". We were a little taken aback by this.

 

We went to Windjammer for lunch first thing and beat the crowd. After lunch we went to our room to check it out and I was SO excited. I recently upgraded to an E1 balcony. Awesome room! I am very glad I decided to upgrade from a promenade room as we ended up spending a lot of time on the balcony. We met our stateroom attendant right away, Shekar. My boyfriend noticed right away that one of the pillows on the bed had a nasty looking brown stain all over it. We are not picky by any means but it was pretty gross looking. I told Shekar and he brought us a new one right away. He also told us that he was new to the company but I am not sure how new. He did a great job and was very attentive.

 

We left port around 5 pm and we just sat on our balcony for sailaway. First night was great, I felt NO motion of the boat which was something I was very concerned about. We actually fell asleep really early. I think we ordered a cookie plate from room service and it arrived within 45 minutes. (this became a trend...)

 

First day at sea we checked the ship out, enjoyed some sun but didn't use the pool. I was a little annoyed at all of the infamous "chair hoggers". I went out about 9 am and saw most all of the chairs on the pool levels reserved with towels and no one in sight. I actually couldn't believe people ran the risk of losing the towels and having to pay a fine of $25 each but to each their own. We settled for laying out on the upper levels instead. We used the gym facility that afternoon and we were very satisfied with all of the equipment selection. We also tried the rock wall. We ate in the Windjammer for lunch/dinner everyday except for formal night. Tonight was formal night, I had the duck at the urging of our waitress and my boyfriend had the filet of beef. Both were very good. We also went and saw "In the Air" after dinner which was amazing!!! Felt a little bit of rocking in the theater and again back in our room but I took Bonine and ginger religiously every day/night just to be on the safe side.

 

Day 3 was port in Cozumel. Sunrise was beautiful! I was getting ready and noticed Jewel of the Seas docking next to us (I would have to look at my pictures to be sure it was Jewel, lol). We booked a clear kayak/snorkel excursion so we went and met up with our group. For $69 it included a cab to and from the beach site, a drink ticket (non alcoholic or alcoholic), fruit, snorkel and clear kayak experience. Plus a little beach time. It was at Playa Uvas and our guide was Roberto. He was amazing! So charming and you really felt like you were taken care of with him. It was a great experience, we would definitely do it again if we went back. The location was beautiful!

 

We got a cab ride to downtown Cozumel for a little shopping/lunch and got back on the ship about 4:30. We had a port side balcony on 7th floor and it was pretty interesting watching the runners. We were supposed to be on the boat by 5:30 and people were still running at 6:30. They had to keep pulling the ramp in and putting it back out for these people. I didn't realize they would wait that long...but maybe there were a ton of people still unaccounted for??

 

We went to bed soon after dinner...apparently the sun makes me very tired. :o

 

Day 4 was a sea day. We woke up and got some bfast in the windjammer, then went our separate ways for a while. I went to get some sun for a few hours and my boyfriend went to the gym and did the rock wall. We met up in the room and went for some lunch and soft serve on the pool deck (my boyfriend went for softserve at least 5 times a day! :rolleyes:). Boyfriend did the dodgeball competition and his team came in third place, then he did the rock wall competition but didn't get a medal, he was pretty bummed :rolleyes:. I tried the flowrider for the first time but wasn't a huge fan of it. My 6 year old daughters have done it in the past at Kalahari waterpark and loved it so I thought I would too--not so much! I went down for Bingo but didn't realize the cards were so much $$ and they said there were only 4 prizes...in a room full of people so I passed.

 

We did a little more sunbathing, ordered some room service and enjoyed the sunset. We went in the solarium hot tub (a fave!) for a while and I took some night time pics of the ship. Played a little ping pong and watched private flowrider lessons. Called it a night a while later but I woke up around 3 am and we were passing two or three other ships. It was pretty cool to see them all lit up at night...I tried to get some pics but didn't take well in the dark and I didn't want to use flash.

 

Woke up in port :( Totally bummed! Four nights was not long enough in my opinion but enough to get our feet in the water as far as a cruise goes. We were ticket #11 for disembark which was 9 am. We lugged our luggage to the Platinum as directed only to have to lug it back up the stairs across the ship to more stairs...down two or three flights of stairs...got "cut" in front of by people who wanted to take the elevator instead and then cut in front of people waiting (not people with a disability...). Waited in that line for a LONG time, people were getting hot, claustrophobic and frustrated...including us. Not a great way to end the cruise. We waited in that line inside the ship for over an hour, in that little corridor. Then we waited in the customs line for an hour. Luggage stations were scattered about in a huge room and there was no rhyme or reason to them it seemed. We were lucky in that our luggage was right in the line but other people had to cross the room to get their luggage thus getting out of line and having to re-enter at the end of the line. It was a MESS. Disembarkation took over two hours. I am glad we didn't have a flight to catch but other people did.

 

We went to get a cab and the guy standing on the sidewalk directed us to a cab, grabbed a bag before we could do it ourselves and stated to my boyfriend "Do you have any money for me??". He gave him a couple bucks but damn I was pretty annoyed by that point. We had brought $400 in cash between the two of us for port and tipping and we were running low on cash at that point. I asked the cab driver if I could use the credit machine to pay for the cab ride and we would leave his tip in cash. He didn't say much other than 'ok'. We got to the hotel (Pier 66--more on that in a minute) and I asked him again that I could pay with my debit card. He said "Don't you have $10 in cash??" my boyfriend told him only if he had change for a $20 and he got MAD! I have never seen such attitude about paying for something in my life! He gave him the change and boyfriend gave him $2 for a tip even though he shouldn't have for that attitude. He didn't get out of the cab and help us at all. The cab drivers on this trip really left a bad taste in my mouth about the tipping/paying.

 

We checked in at Pier 66, early, which was appreciated on our behalf. The room was not in the tower, but in the smaller buildings surrounding the area. For a 4 star we were not impressed with the room. The toilet seat was stained a yellow orange color, the bedskirt and duvet cover were ripped in a few places, the balcony had cigarette butts all over and a broken chair...the TV had a splat of something on the screen. Not was I expected to be honest and again we are NOT picky. We got lunch at the pool bar which was pretty good, but again service was lacking and the server actually looked at the tip right at our table in front of us. We got a shuttle to the beach and stayed for a few hours. Went to bed early.

 

Caught a flight this morning which was delayed but no biggie as we got home safe :) Here we are and back to the real world tomorrow.

 

A few things I left on the comment card were:

 

--More drinking water stations around the ship, self serve. I hated to pester the bartenders if I wasn't getting an alcoholic drink and we drink a ton of water.

--A better more organized process for disembarkation!!!! This was just terrible to be honest and could be improved somehow.

 

All in all it was a great first time cruise experience. The ship and amenities were amazing and there was SO much to do. We didn't even have time to see some of the attractions/areas. We LOVED our balcony room, totally worth the extra money, it was just beautiful. The food was great (in my opinion) and the selection was also great. Some of the workers seemed "over-it" but most were very helpful and friendly. The ship was very clean as was our room, Shekar kept it spotless and was always sure we were happy.

 

I will try and get some pictures uploaded, thanks if you made it this far I know it was boring and long winded.

[jletsgo]

Hi...we were on this same sailing. Beautiful ship....Its funny how different people perceive things...although I agree that on the pool deck (11) there were chair hogs....we like to be above that deck on 12 where I found alot of available chairs...We hung out alot on the st. tropez level...away from all the music. :).....I to agree that disembark was awful. I know alot of cruisers won't agree with me on this but I truly believe that all the people taking off their own luggage really slows things down...just as you described above about having to lug your luggage up and down....back in the day when you just got off the ship and collected your bags in the terminal, things were alot smoother and quicker in my opinion. But everyone has the right to do what they wish :).....I am glad you enjoyed your first cruise and you are probably now looking to book your next one!!!

[will773]

Glad you had a great trip! Can't wait to see some of your pictures!

[OhioCruiserDude]

Glad you enjoyed your cruise the Liberty is a beautiful ship. Your right 4 days is not long enough. Just a few days youll have the cruising blues.

[lmsjt915]

Hi...we were on this same sailing. Beautiful ship....Its funny how different people perceive things...although I agree that on the pool deck (11) there were chair hogs....we like to be above that deck on 12 where I found alot of available chairs...We hung out alot on the st. tropez level...away from all the music. :).....I to agree that disembark was awful. I know alot of cruisers won't agree with me on this but I truly believe that all the people taking off their own luggage really slows things down...just as you described above about having to lug your luggage up and down....back in the day when you just got off the ship and collected your bags in the terminal, things were alot smoother and quicker in my opinion. But everyone has the right to do what they wish :).....I am glad you enjoyed your first cruise and you are probably now looking to book your next one!!!

 

I found a good chair on day 2 and day 4 on the track level (not sure what level that is considered?). The pool level was a little too busy for my liking anyways, I like to relax in peace and quiet. We did relax on St. Tropez a bit which was very peaceful.

 

We had two carry ons, and one checked luggage which we sat out the night before which was the big kahuna! Our carry on's were very manageable but not sure why they usher everyone off the bottom level going up and down a bunch of flights of stairs.

[lmsjt915]

Here are a few pictures for now!

 

First view of the ship--

 

View from our balcony leaving Port Everglades--

 

 

Sunrise over Cozumel

 

[dacsmom]

Your review was not long-winded at all. I love to read reviews and can't wait for more pictures. I am glad you enjoyed your first cruise.

[lmsjt915]

Your review was not long-winded at all. I love to read reviews and can't wait for more pictures. I am glad you enjoyed your first cruise.

 

Thank you :) I know when I was planning my cruise I was always reading here, especially looking for stuff on LOTS so I figure if my review helps just 1 person be prepared for anything my job is done.