Baby's First Cruise! My Liberty Photo Review #2

[ksawyercruiser]

Awesome review. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this. It really helps people like me ... who will be sailing on the Liberty for the first time next month. I've already made note of several very helpful tips.

 

And your son is so blessed to be surrounded by so much love. That is one fortunate little guy. I'm sure you feel the same way about him!

 

Thanks again.

[mconthehighseas]

Thanks for the update, Chrystal. I LOVE the picture of Isaac playing peek-a-boo. I am looking forward to when our boy is this age!

 

I have another set of questions for you. How did you clean his bottles while you were aboard and while you were in the hotel? And how many bottles did you pack? Last night while we were preparing bottles for today, I looked at our kitchen counter and all the bottle stuff, and thought "Just HOW are we going to do this on the ship!?"

[dreamer976]

Hi, Chrystal! So glad you came back to finish this review, sorry you had to suffer through a "bug", but I don't know of very many people, including myself, who have gone through this HORRIBLE winter unscathed.

 

I know people have made many comments about how Isaac looks so much like Wes, but I just don't see it - I think every photo of him I've seen, I say to myself that he looks just like you (which can't be a bad thing).:D

[niecyd]

Hi Chrystal - I enjoyed your review with Isaac's first cruise. I met you through cruise critic 3yrs years ago as you were so helpful answering my cruise questions and also we're NJ neighbors (I live in Ewing) . We are also Facebook friends. One day we can meet in person. I remember you posted on Facebook that you and Wesley are expecting. Now he's one years old. Wow. He is so adorable. May God bless you and your family.

Denise Davis - Ewing , NJ

[lakelorain]

Great review. What a lucky little boy going on a cruise so early in his life. He'll be Diamond before he starts school. He really is a good baby. You and Wes are very lucky to have him and he is very lucky to have you two.

[Host Faith]

[quote name='johnstoc13']Great review! It's so nice to see and read about life cruising with an infant. We'll be sailing Oasis next month with our little one. He'll be just over 7 months when we sail. Thanks for doing this review and can't wait to read the rest![/quote]

My pleasure! What a lucky baby to be sailing the Oasis so soon- I'm jealous! :) Have a wonderful cruise!


[quote name='ksawyercruiser']Awesome review. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this. It really helps people like me ... who will be sailing on the Liberty for the first time next month. I've already made note of several very helpful tips.

And your son is so blessed to be surrounded by so much love. That is one fortunate little guy. I'm sure you feel the same way about him!

Thanks again.[/quote]

Hi Kim! Thank you so much. I'm glad the review is helpful as you count down to your cruise. And yes, we're sooooo fortunate to have Isaac. He's a blessing. Happy cruising! :)

[Host Faith]

[quote name='mconthehighseas']Thanks for the update, Chrystal. I LOVE the picture of Isaac playing peek-a-boo. I am looking forward to when our boy is this age!

I have another set of questions for you. How did you clean his bottles while you were aboard and while you were in the hotel? And how many bottles did you pack? Last night while we were preparing bottles for today, I looked at our kitchen counter and all the bottle stuff, and thought "Just HOW are we going to do this on the ship!?"[/quote]

I was happy to discover that the water in the hotel and on the ship (especially on the ship) was scalding hot, so I disinfected the sink (Clorox wipes), rinsed it, and filled it with the hot water. I brought a small bottle of clear detergent formulated for babies, and I cleaned his bottles with a bottle brush. I brought the bottom tier of this rack: [url]http://www.toysrus.com/buy/accessories/the-first-years-spin-and-store-drying-rack-y1863-2747237[/url]. I didn't want to bring both tiers since I knew that would be a little crowded, but it was nice to have one place for all his bottles. I placed the bottle tops and nipples in the center part of the rack.

It fit on the vanity in the ship, and in the kitchen of our suite.

I think I took 8 bottles (4-4oz and 4-8 oz). I keep 4-5 filled at all times.

[mconthehighseas]

Chrystal, THANK YOU for that info. You wouldn't believe how many people I have asked, and they just told me to calm down. I printed that post out and will keep it with my cruise stuff!!!

[Host Faith]

[quote name='dreamer976']Hi, Chrystal! So glad you came back to finish this review, sorry you had to suffer through a "bug", but I don't know of very many people, including myself, who have gone through this HORRIBLE winter unscathed.

I know people have made many comments about how Isaac looks so much like Wes, but I just don't see it - I think every photo of him I've seen, I say to myself that he looks just like you (which can't be a bad thing).:D[/quote]

I'm glad you're feeling better! This has been a crazy winter, with the weather and the colds...I know we're all looking forward to spring.

Haha! Yeah I mostly see myself in Isaac too. Really, he looks like my father. You can see Wes in his eyebrows. I like to say God did a copy-paste of his eyebrows onto Isaac. :)

[quote name='niecyd']Hi Chrystal - I enjoyed your review with Isaac's first cruise. I met you through cruise critic 3yrs years ago as you were so helpful answering my cruise questions and also we're NJ neighbors (I live in Ewing) . We are also Facebook friends. One day we can meet in person. I remember you posted on Facebook that you and Wesley are expecting. Now he's one years old. Wow. He is so adorable. May God bless you and your family.
Denise Davis - Ewing , NJ[/quote]

Hi Denise! Thank you so much for stopping by. It's great to hear from you. I just noticed on FB that we have 3 friends in common. I work with Steph and Diana, and Sheila is my husband's aunt. Small world!

Perhaps we'll cross paths on a cruise someday. Happy travels and God bless :)

[Host Faith]

[quote name='lakelorain']Great review. What a lucky little boy going on a cruise so early in his life. He'll be Diamond before he starts school. He really is a good baby. You and Wes are very lucky to have him and he is very lucky to have you two.[/quote]

Thank you so much! We are very fortunate. I can't believe he'll be Diamond in a couple years. Wes and I didn't cruise until our honeymoon! Then again we want Isaac to go farther than we will, so at least we're doing that in the travel department so far! :D

[Arzeena]

What a cute little boy!:) And what a great review!:) I enjoyed it!

[Host Faith]

[FONT=Georgia][SIZE=3][COLOR=Indigo]I'm an early riser, so I was able to watch us pull into the port the next morning. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

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[Host Faith]

[quote name='Arzeena']What a cute little boy!:) And what a great review!:) I enjoyed it![/quote]

Thank you Arzeena! :D

[Host Faith]

[FONT=Georgia][SIZE=4][COLOR=Indigo]Sadly, it was time to go. Luckily, we were staying in Fort Lauderdale one more night, so we had a pretty leisurely morning. We enjoyed a couple more moments on the balcony before leaving the cabin.

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[Host Faith]

[FONT=Georgia][SIZE=3][COLOR=Indigo]We all met in the Cafe Promenade at about 8:30. They were serving mini danish, croissants, coffee, and tea.

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Because my aunt needed wheelchair assistance, she was directed to head to Deck 4 at 9:15, to wait for a wheelchair. We waited on Deck for for about 20 minutes, and were assigned someone to push the wheelchair all the way through security.

It seemed like they had a lot of people who needed wheelchair assistance, and a limited number of staff. Once we got off the ship, the crew member with us had us quickly walk past everyone else in the loooong line. He had to keep asking everyone to step aside. Honestly, I was grateful because the walk from the ship to the baggage and customs area is very long.

We got through customs and caught a taxi. They're very efficient there regarding taxi's. I think we waited for less than 10 minutes, only because we needed an SUV. If you're using a regular taxi, you'll have one in minutes. A shot of Wes waiting in line for our taxi:

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[Host Faith]

[FONT=Georgia][SIZE=3][COLOR=Indigo]It took about 5 minutes to get to the [B][URL="http://embassysuites3.hilton.com/en/hotels/florida/embassy-suites-fort-lauderdale-17th-street-FLLSOES/index.html"]Embassy Suites Fort Lauderdale[/URL][/B]. I chose this hotel because of its proximity to the airport, and to the water taxi and sun trolley.

The hotel is lovely. A beautiful atrium with lush plants and flowers. When we arrived, porters immediately helped us unload the taxi, and one waited with us as I checked us in. I requested an early check-in ($25 more), and we were able to access our room right when we arrived. I think we got there at about 10 AM. Our view down from the door to our room:

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The room was a good size, on the 14th floor. My Mom and Aunt took the actual bedroom, and Wes and I took the pullout couch. We called down for a crib, and it fit in the living room with us.
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[Host Faith]

[FONT=Georgia][SIZE=3][COLOR=Indigo]I requested a high-floor room because we wanted to have a great view of the ships in port. What a view![/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

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[Host Faith]

[FONT=Georgia][SIZE=3][COLOR=Indigo]After a couple hours, we were hungry so we decided to take the [B][URL="http://www.suntrolley.com/"]Sun Trolley[/URL][/B] to our lunch spot. I found a [B][URL="http://www.savingsonarrival.com/place/sun-trolley-coupon"]2-for-1 coupon[/URL][/B] online. Small amount, but I love using a coupon whenever I can!

The [B][URL="http://www.theharborshops.com/"]Harbor Shops[/URL][/B] were right behind the hotel. You have a Publix supermarket, Total Wine, and several restaurants within walking distance. I think if we sail out of Fort Lauderdale again, we'll stay at Embassy Suites. This is a perfect location for families, as you can grab any last-minute needs, eat at some family-friendly spots, and get your wine, all in one spot!

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The Publix market just happened to be a stop on the Sun Trolley route. We waited about 15 minutes for the trolley. I knew where each trolley was, thanks to the actual Sun Trolley app I added to my phone. It really came in handy. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

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[Host Faith]

[FONT=Georgia][SIZE=3][COLOR=Indigo]We enjoyed our scenic ride. I held Isaac while Wes sat in the seat opposite with me, with the stroller. We took the [B][URL="http://www.suntrolley.com/las-olas-beach-links"]Las Olas/Beach Link[/URL][/B] route, and stopped at the Courtyard by Marriott. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

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[cctn]

[SIZE="3"][COLOR="DarkGreen"]Hi Host Faith:
LOVE LOVE LOVE your pics and your live journal (as I call them) - wish I had known you were on the Liberty when you were so I could have rescheduled and tried to be with you - we were on the mar 1 and 6th sailing - Oasis before those - would have been nice to be with your family - esp that little cutey of yours ! On the Quantum, Isaac will have tons of aunts/uncles to babysit him - we'll all be fighting for him!! Host Corkey[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[cruise2snorkel]

Is asking for a fridge something that they can accommodate on any ship? Some ship cabins already have a fridge but I know some don't. We like to use for beverages.


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[Host Faith]

[quote name='Host Corkey'][SIZE=3][COLOR=DarkGreen]Hi Host Faith:
LOVE LOVE LOVE your pics and your live journal (as I call them) - wish I had known you were on the Liberty when you were so I could have rescheduled and tried to be with you - we were on the mar 1 and 6th sailing - Oasis before those - would have been nice to be with your family - esp that little cutey of yours ! On the Quantum, Isaac will have tons of aunts/uncles to babysit him - we'll all be fighting for him!! Host Corkey[/COLOR][/SIZE][/quote]

Hi Host Corkey! Thank you so much! See you on the Quantum! We are so excited. Some more family just decided to cruise with us, so Isaac will be surrounded by lots of love! :)

[Host Faith]

[quote name='cruise2snorkel']Is asking for a fridge something that they can accommodate on any ship? Some ship cabins already have a fridge but I know some don't. We like to use for beverages.
[/quote]

I believe all cabins have a cooler containing sodas and snacks. I call it a cooler instead of a fridge because it keeps things cool, but not cold enough for milk, medicine, etc. It's similar to what you may see in a lot of hotel rooms. You can ask the cabin attendant to empty it so you can place your own beverages inside. If you need an actual mini-fridge like we had to keep things really cold, you can email special needs and request one to be set up in your cabin. :)

[Host Faith]

[FONT=Georgia][SIZE=3][COLOR=Indigo]Once we got off the trolley, we crossed the street and walked back one block. We arrived at [B][URL="http://coconutsfortlauderdale.com/"]Coconuts [/URL][/B]around 2 PM. The lunch rush was over and there was plenty of seating. I think this was everyone's favorite meal on the whole trip. You can't go wrong at this restaurant![/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]


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[Host Faith]

[FONT=Georgia][SIZE=3][COLOR=Indigo]We were seated within a minute of our arrival. We love the view here. It's right on the Intracoastal Waterway, and we saw some yachts dock in front of the restaurant so their passengers could have a nice lunch here.Must be nice. Hopefully we'll be able to do that someday. :cool:

Back to the lunch....here are the menus. The first is the list of the day's specials. I recommend ordering from the specials of the day here. I've done it twice in a row, and each time the food is fantastic!

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