Liberty of the Seas 2/7/13 cruising review

[justdoit31]

Sorry this got delayed, have been very busy.

 

Background: My best friend and I planned this 4 night cruise as a girls trip to celebrate my grad school graduation a little early and give her a break from her 18 month old (her first time as a single mom to leave him). We are both mid-20's.

 

Pre-cruise: We took a late flight into FLL on Wednesday night before the cruise. We had booked a room at the Hyatt Place Convention Center. They were suppose to have a free shuttle but after waiting on hold at the airport at 11pm we decided to just take a taxi. The hotel was clean but we were disappointed in the service- mainly that they had feather pillows and no alternative pillows- my best friend is allergic and she awoke that morning after sleeping without a pillow having a reaction because apparently the bed topper also had pillows. We had booked a shuttle for 11am to the port and when we went downstairs were told to take a seat and they would get us soon. Around 11:15 still no shuttle, we went back to desk and they said they looked for us and didn't find us- we hadn't moved. We called a taxi and they were there within 3 minutes

 

Check in: We arrived to the port around 11:30 and handed our bags off to a porter (and tipped), we then went through security, checked in, and were on board by noon.

 

Day 1: We started our trip off with a soda, then went to the promenade to change our package to the Premium Inclusive package. This was quickly done and we went to the Windjammer for a drink and lunch. As expected it was pretty crowded but we got a seat and ate- the food was good, not great but after previous cruises we knew that going into it. We then walked around the ship and checked out the spa before our room opened. Once we could drop stuff off we did. We went to the Solarium for awhile then back to our cabin where are bags were already waiting by 3pm. We called housekeeping to request our bed to be separated and unpacked before muster. During this time we met our stateroom attendant- Valeria who told us she would separate beds in the evening. Muster wasn't too bad, maybe 20 minutes. After we went to the 12th floor deck above to pool for sail away- we liked that we had chairs facing the water and waiters were around but we weren't too cramped. After sail-away we went back to the room and Valeria came to separate our beds around 6pm before dinner. She didn't return for a turn down service though :( They had a welcome show before dinner that was good- we had a guest comedian. Then we went to dinner. The first night is always the most awkward with meeting table mates but we felt we would be happy with our group and our serves were a little unorganized the first night but this was greatly improved after

 

Day 2: Sea Day 1- well we were both very tired so we slept a lot. We got up just in time to make breakfast at the Windjammer (the only meal that I like there). Then went back to bed for a few more hours. We then laid out for awhile on Deck 12 before we needed to go get ready for formal night. We were happy to report that when we got to dinner they had my soda at the table and a wine menu for my friend. This was the best dinner in my opinion- loved the Fillet of Beef Tenderloin. After dinner we went to the In The Air which was fabulous- I think this was our favorite show onboard.

 

Day 3: Cozumel- we had signed up for a 10am kayak and snorkel excursion. We met the group and they sent us on taxis to the UVAS resort- which was nice but I prefer Mr. Sanchos. After a lot of herding we got in the kayaks and were disappointed that it was like a group follow the leader trip and we didn't have that much fun since we were constantly paddling to keep up with the guides. We decided not to do the rest of the excursion and opted for a drink, shopping, then took a taxi back to the port area for lunch at Senior Frogs. We got onboard around 2:30pm and then called the spa and were able to take advantage of the port special. I had a bamboo massage and my friend had a hot stone massage- both were excellent! We went to the comedian/magician before dinner and it was just ok, then we did dinner and Love and Marriage Gameshow- fun as usual! I guess I should mention each night we ended the evening at the Champagne Bar around midnight where our favorite wine tender- Silvia was- she was great to talk to and makes wonderful drinks! We finished each night with a little snack from either the Cafe Promenade or Sorrentos- my friend loved the sandwiches and I was a big fan of pepperoni pizze.

 

Day 4: Sea Day 2- I loved my massage so much the day before that I booked a seaweed treatment for the last sea day- it was fabulous! My friend woke up during my treatment and just went to starbucks and started her packing til I got back. We decided to lunch at Johney Rockets around 1pm- the wait wasn't too bad (10 minutes) and the food was great. We then went to Deck 12 again for the afternoon and enjoyed a little more sun! We went back to our room around 5:00pm to get ready for dinner and pack before Saturday Night Fever. We went to the show which we thought was just ok (we met doing theatre together and have both seen dozens of broadway shows). The dancing was good but the singing was lacking. Plus who ends a musical with a suicide? Our table mates seemed to enjoy it better. We enjoyed our last dinner and then ran to our room to put our bags out and return towels to the pool deck before Quest. I was really nervous about Quest- I had never done it on my previous RCI cruise. But we had a great time and I highly recommend it! After Quest we went back to the Champagne Bar and then called it a night

 

Leaving the Ship- A Nightmare! We were group 2 but decided we didn't want to rush off this ship. We left our room with our carry on luggage around 8:15 and went to the Windjammer to have a casual last breakfast. Then the craziness started. We waited for about 15 minutes at the elevator bank but every elevator that opened was full. We decided to haul our stuff down the stairs. We got to Deck 3 before the bottleneck began. We later discovered that all the people going down the stairs had to go through the Deck 1 elevator bank to exit- well the elevators would bring people down who couldn't get off so they would keep the doors open til the line moved a little then come up- that way no one behind the bank could make much progress towards the exit. After 45 minutes of slowly moving through the claustrophobic cluster of people we were able to get off the boat. We quickly found our bags, got a porter to carry them for us through customs, and were at taxi very quickly. We took a ride back to the airport which was also crazy- they wouldn't let you get in line to check in til 2 hours prior to your departure time, the lines were long and we had to pull our luggage around til we could check in. We then spent around 40 minutes in line for security and then grabbed a quickly lunch in the terminal which wasn't very good (they don't have any brand name chains). We were glad we got on the plane and were out of there soon!

[Dosh.0]

Thanks for the great review! My girlfriend, another couple, and I are heading out on Liberty of the Seas on March 2nd. With our departure being in less than 2 weeks, I am trying to do last minute research on how to ensure our entire trip goes exactly according to plan and is as smooth as possible.

 

I was sorry to hear about your disembarkation nightmare. I have seen this pop up on many threads. What advice do you have for how to make this run as smooth as possible? We will probably do self cary off. Should we shoot for being the one of the first ones off of the ship? Or one of the last? Do you reccomend attempting to get down to floor 1 by foot? or ride an elevator?

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Also, any other tips/tricks that you noticed throughout your cruise would be great to hear as well.:D

 

Thanks so Much!

[justdoit31]

I personally wouldn't self-carry unless everyone has very small bags- I can't imagine having to pull more than my carry-on through the crowd. We didn't have any issues finding our bags when we exited and all the groups were organized by number and available easily during our experience.

 

I would suggest trying to get off very early if you want to miss a crowd. If that doesn't work I would try the stairs on the side of the ship closest to the dock (I believe it was port-side but can't remember) as the further side seemed to have more lines. Getting an elevator was an extreme challenge!

 

Overall I think you will have a great trip! We did just wished the departure had been smoother.

[candlefool]

We just sailed LOS together and hung out at The Champagne Bar sipping on Silvia Specials! :) I was part of the 3 girls who sat at one end of the bar while you and your friend hung out at the other end next to Janet!

 

I only stumbled across your post because I wanted to see if anyone else online raved about Silvia. She was totally amazing and made the best martini's on board hands down. I highly recommend to anyone going aboard LOS to look up Silvia and Hendra at The Champagne Bar on the promenade - fantastic drinks and wonderful service!

 

I have to agree with you - everything about LOS was fantastic - especially the service by the crew. The food was good - nothing wowed me but nothing was horrible either. The ONLY downside was the debarkation process. This was probably my 15th or 16th cruise (I've lost count!) and this was the longest I've ever waited to debark a ship. And the most unorganized. In fact my friends (who both are former travel agents) commented that they had never experienced anything like it either.

 

What I don't understand is why, with nearly 4000 passengers, there would be 2 gangways but only 1 card reader at each gangway?!? Surely you could double that without to much trouble to make the process go faster.

 

If the sequester goes through next week and the government has to furlough TSA and customs agents as part of that the wait to clear customs and go through security at the airport is going to be huge. And the wait go through customs in Ft Lauderdale was already the longest I've ever experienced.

 

Nice to see you on here - good luck with your residency!

[candlefool]

I was sorry to hear about your disembarkation nightmare. I have seen this pop up on many threads. What advice do you have for how to make this run as smooth as possible? We will probably do self cary off. Should we shoot for being the one of the first ones off of the ship? Or one of the last? Do you reccomend attempting to get down to floor 1 by foot? or ride an elevator?

 

 

We were also on the 2-7-13 sailing and we self-carried because we only had carryons. We waited at least 25 minutes for an elevator and when it arrived on floor 1 we had to wait another 10 just to get out of it because the hallway was so crowded. In hindsight if we had walked down the stairs, we'd have been further back in the line. Once we could finally get out of the elevator we were at least almost to the front of the line. But then we waited at least another 20 minutes, barely moving at all, before we finally were able to exit the ship.

 

I would say if you have an early afternoon flight you should try to be one of the first off the ship if possible. The airport is only about 10 minutes from the port so that's not horrible but getting off and through customs (which was another 20 minute wait at least) is going to take a bunch of time.

[Aquahound]

I was also on this cruise and lovied it. Compared to a NCL cruise I took 2 months prior, Liberty reminded me why I prefer RCI. Everything was sparkling clean, service was excellent, and the shows were unbeatable.

 

Ref the disembarkation, I agree. It is a nightmare. We also did early disembark and when they first opened the gangway, DW and I rode the elevator down to deck 1....after having to wait a while and finally catching an up elevator, then riding it back down. We felt bad because this caused us to have to cut in to the line on deck 1....but there was nothing we could do. The line then snaked its way through the crew area, out to the pier, and followed by a long walk to another terminal building.

 

Why they can't disembark from the promenade deck into the terminal building from which we boarded is beyond me.

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

I was also on this cruise and lovied it. Compared to a NCL cruise I took 2 months prior, Liberty reminded me why I prefer RCI. Everything was sparkling clean, service was excellent, and the shows were unbeatable.

 

Ref the disembarkation, I agree. It is a nightmare. We also did early disembark and when they first opened the gangway, DW and I rode the elevator down to deck 1....after having to wait a while and finally catching an up elevator, then riding it back down. We felt bad because this caused us to have to cut in to the line on deck 1....but there was nothing we could do. The line then snaked its way through the crew area, out to the pier, and followed by a long walk to another terminal building.

 

Why they can't disembark from the promenade deck into the terminal building from which we boarded is beyond me.

That is my big beef about Liberty's docking situation at Port Everglades. If we could exit the ship the same way we entered it would be so much more convenient.

First, we could use the big gangway that leads from the fourth deck. That would be so much easier. Second we wouldn't have the long, long walk to that other terminal where the bags are stored and the customs personnel wait. Third, for those of us who park at the port, we then have a very long walk toting all our luggage all the way back to the parking garage which is past departing HAL passengers and waiting tour busses.

 

The only thing I can think of is Royal wants arriving passengers to use the one terminal and departing passengers to use the other terminal, but departure is absolutely no picnic on Liberty, for sure. It certainly makes me miss the seemingly effortless departures from Oasis and Allure.

 

By the way, Hubby and I wiill go through Liberty's same process when we depart Eclipse in April as it also docks in Liberty's same location.

[gelo7]

Great review.

[MichRN]

We just got off of Liberty yesterday. I had read about the disembarkation nightmares here before our trip and was nervous as to what we would experience. Especially since we had an early flight out of Ft. Lauderdale (11:30). We did self carry for our luggage as we travel light. We took the stairs and walked down to deck one at 8:20 a.m. . I was expecting the dreaded bottleneck but we literally walked right off of the ship! The only line that we encountered was entering the building with customs/luggage. We had about a 25 minute wait in line. Cleared customs, got a cab and we were at the airport around 9:10. I'm sure that it helped us with traffic out of the port being that we returned on a Thursday. The Liberty was the only ship in port. That said, I don't know what the magic window is (or if there is one) to leave the ship and avoid the bottleneck. I would avoid the elevators as we saw that there were people waiting a long time for them. I was expecting the worst and pleasantly surprised with how easy of a time we had. I hope that they find a solution. solution to this problem soon. Not the way anyone wants to end their trip!