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

[Host Faith]

[FONT=Georgia][SIZE=3][COLOR=Indigo]We got to Sorrento's at about 1:00, and they were still setting some things up behind the counter. I asked if they were open yet, and they said yes. I was the first person on this sailing to order food at Sorrento's. Pretty cool.

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[FONT=Georgia][SIZE=3][COLOR=Indigo][FONT=Georgia][SIZE=3][COLOR=Indigo]I enjoy the "create your own" salad feature there. The pizza's pretty good too. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]


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[Host Faith]

[FONT=Georgia][SIZE=3][COLOR=Indigo]Lunch is served: [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]


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[Host Faith]

[FONT=Georgia][SIZE=3][COLOR=Indigo]By the time we finished lunch, it was about 2:00, so we decided to head to our cabins. We had two balcony cabins on Deck 7, near the aft of the ship. We walked the length of the Promenade once more to reach the aft elevators and head up to Deck 7.

My Mom and Aunt had cabin 7364, and we had cabin 7376. We were a few doors away from each other. Close enough to see each other often, but far enough away for us to have privacy if we needed it. Our cabin was a normal balcony cabin. His Pack and Play (crib) was already there when we arrived. I do like the balcony space on the Freedom class. Very nice.

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[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][LEFT][COLOR=Indigo][SIZE=3][FONT=Georgia]"Where are we now, Mommy?"

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[COLOR=Indigo][SIZE=3][FONT=Georgia]We took Isaac out of his stroller so he could move around a bit in the cabin. He started having fun around now:

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The stroller fit into the closet nicely:

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[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER] Edited January 17, 2014 by Host Faith

[ericadawn2001]

Hi Chrystal! I am sooo enjoying your review. Great review so far! We took our two kids (8 year girl and 7 month old boy) on a cruise this summer. It was on Carnival but we definitely prefer Royal!! Sorry for the loss of your Dad. Your baby boy is a cutie! Can't wait to read more!

[Host Faith]

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[LEFT][FONT=Georgia][SIZE=3][COLOR=Indigo]Aaaah! Finally a chance to rest, lol. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

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[Host Faith]

[FONT=Georgia][SIZE=3][COLOR=Indigo]Loved the balcony. We took Isaac out there for a bit. He liked watching the birds that swooped by our balcony, and the boats that passed: [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

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[Host Faith]

[quote name='ericadawn2001']Hi Chrystal! I am sooo enjoying your review. Great review so far! We took our two kids (8 year girl and 7 month old boy) on a cruise this summer. It was on Carnival but we definitely prefer Royal!! Sorry for the loss of your Dad. Your baby boy is a cutie! Can't wait to read more![/quote]

Hi ericadawn! Thank you for reading! How did you enjoy your cruise with your kids?

[Host Faith]

[FONT=Georgia][SIZE=3][COLOR=Indigo]We rested until the muster drill. Surprisingly, it went pretty well. We carried Isaac there since we didn't want to deal with the stroller. When we arrived, the crew let us stand at the front of the line. About 5 minutes before everyone else was dismissed, they let people with small children leave. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia][SIZE=3][COLOR=Indigo]During sailaway, we went to the pool deck but not much was going on up there. I guess I was looking for a Dreamworks character or something, but we didn't see any. We decided to go to the helipad instead.

To get there, go all the way forward on Deck 4, outside. You'll see a set of stairs at the front of the ship. Take those up, and you'll walk through a very windy space to get to the helipad. The view from the very front of the ship is awesome. And not many people know about it, so it's not very crowded. Our favorite sailaway spot on ships that allow it.
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[Host Faith]

[FONT=Georgia][SIZE=3][COLOR=Indigo]Bye, Fort Lauderdale! See you in a few days....[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

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[#1packerfan]

The pictures of Isaac in the mirror are so adorable. He is a handsome little guy! Glad to see him enjoying himself.

We were also on this cruise and had a blast. It was a "warm-up" for our B2B coming up on the Summit out of PR.

[nivek82]

Great review. Our DD's first cruise was on the Liberty when she was 11 months. That was 2 years ago and our last cruise (I think we were on the same sailings) was her first cruise in the kids club not a nursery.

As you have said family and preparing helps. It's so cool to see a cruise though a kids eye. (Though as they get older it does get more challenging)

This review is bringing back memories of our first cruise with our daughter.

BTW you had the crib as soon as you boarded! Lucky you. When DD was in one the 6 cruises never once did we get that before the first night at turndown.

[lulugirl68]

Your son is darling:)

My mom, sister and I are sailing on the Liberty in 2 weeks, so your review is getting me even more excited than I already am!

We are taking our kids( 13 and 9) on their first cruise in March and staying and the same hotel that you stayed at, so thanks for the review and pictures of that as well!

[LissyTx]

Thanks for the link - just ordered month stickers for my little one... although I've missed out on Months 1 and 2. Also, so glad you're doing this review - I know how detailed your reviews are and am excited to read it as we have our 10 year anniversary cruise on Oasis booked for May-June and are planning to take our then 7 month old.

[jbrezen]

:Love your reviews, your son is adorable! We are going on Allure with August and are a family of 5. We're staying at the same hotel, same suite that you have. I was trying to figure out the easiest and most economical way of getting from hotel to port. Did you pre-book a shuttle from the hotel and who did you use. Do you mind sharing how much it cost? Looking forward to the rest of your review.


Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk

[Host Faith]

[quote name='#1packerfan']The pictures of Isaac in the mirror are so adorable. He is a handsome little guy! Glad to see him enjoying himself.

We were also on this cruise and had a blast. It was a "warm-up" for our B2B coming up on the Summit out of PR.[/QUOTE]

Thank you so much! I'm glad you had fun on our sailing. The weather was perfect once we left Fort Lauderdale. Lucky you sailing out of PR, and a back-to-back! We want to do that someday. We've sailed out of San Juan three times. I think the Southern Caribbean is my favorite.

[Host Faith]

[quote name='nivek82']Great review. Our DD's first cruise was on the Liberty when she was 11 months. That was 2 years ago and our last cruise (I think we were on the same sailings) was her first cruise in the kids club not a nursery.

As you have said family and preparing helps. It's so cool to see a cruise though a kids eye. (Though as they get older it does get more challenging)

This review is bringing back memories of our first cruise with our daughter.

BTW you had the crib as soon as you boarded! Lucky you. When DD was in one the 6 cruises never once did we get that before the first night at turndown.[/QUOTE]

Thank you! I actually emailed [email]special_needs@rccl.com[/email] to request the crib and a fridge for Isaac's milk. We got the fridge later that evening.

[Sunkissed Mommy]

[quote name='Host Faith']Hi smileyperry! I read on the FAA Website [B][URL="http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_children/"](link)[/URL][/B] that children weighing 20 lbs should be forward-facing on the plane. Isaac juuuust reached that weight, so we had him face forward. In our car, he's still rear-facing.

Thank you so much! I can totally relate. I was always awkward with other people's babies until I had my own! :o

So glad your son had fun on your cruise. I'm hooked...looking into longer cruises while he's still out of school! :D[/QUOTE]

Great to know!
I thought the rules for the plane were the same as the car. I guess my munchkin will forward face on the plane too.

[Mapleleaf5]

[quote name='Host Faith'][FONT=Georgia][SIZE=3][COLOR=Indigo]Getting through the Fort Lauderdale airport and gathering our luggage was easy. There are plenty of porters available to assist you if you have a lot of luggage. Here's a shot of the car seat bag. It was nice- we stuffed all our winter coats into the bag, around the car seat. Plenty of space.

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The tricky part was catching a cab. There is a taxi stand right outside the baggage area, to the left.


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[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][LEFT][FONT=Georgia][SIZE=3][COLOR=Indigo]When we arrived at the taxi stand, we requested a large taxi since there were 5 of us, including a car seat. A driver was assigned to us, and he had a van. As he was loading our stuff into the van, I realized that there was only space for 4 of us to sit, if we installed the car seat. While Wes was installing the seat, I kept asking the driver, "Do you really think we're all going to fit into your van?" He just shrugged and told us to sort of stuff ourselves into the back seat! :eek:!! I don't think he wanted to let go of our fare.....we were heading on about a 20-minute drive to the hotel.

Thankfully, one of the female dispatchers called him ridiculous and told him to move it along and take care of another group. She said she would call an SUV to take us to the hotel.

It was pretty cold and rainy (bummer) when we arrived, so we had Mom take Isaac back into the airport while we waited for the SUV. It was about a 10-minute wait.

I'm not sure what's going on with the service of the taxi drivers in FLL, but this driver was pretty bad too. He never even greeted us, didn't say hello or anything. We told him where we wanted to go, and he opened the SUV doors so we could start loading our luggage. Yes, we pretty much did it ourselves. He stood there and stared at us for a while. I approached him and said, "This is all our luggage that can go in the back." He stood there some more. We took the baby out of the stroller and put him in the car seat. He actually stared at my mother struggling to fold the stroller down. I had to hand the stroller to him to get him started.

The ride to the hotel took about 20 minutes and cost about $20. Once we arrived, the driver let the meter run as we were unloading the car. We gave him the total we hit when he got out of the taxi to help us. He looked at me funny when he counted up the total but I looked him straight in the eye with one of my 'looks.' He didn't say anything else.

Enough about that. We loved our hotel stay! I chose the [B][URL="http://doubletree3.hilton.com/en/hotels/florida/galleryone-a-doubletree-suites-by-hilton-hotel-FLLTSDT/index.html"]Gallery One hotel[/URL][/B] because I stayed there before and had a great time. They have two-bedroom suites, which was perfect for our group. The hotel is also a [B][URL="http://watertaxi.com/"]Water Taxi[/URL][/B] stop. We wanted to ride the water taxi all day, however it was too cold and rainy to do that. In any event, we still enjoyed the hotel.

I emailed the hotel before our trip, to ask about early check in, and a room with a view of the Intracoastal Waterway. They told us they would try their best. We arrived at about 11 AM, and were able to check in early. AND, we had a room with a great view of the water. I have to say, the service at this hotel is excellent. And who could resist the warm chocolate-chip cookie they give you before you head to your room? Yum.

Here are some shots of the room. There was a living room with sleeper sofa and a balcony, a nice kitchen area, and two bedrooms. Our King bedroom had a bathroom with a glass enclosed shower. The Two Double Bed room across the living room had a bathroom with a tub/shower. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

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It's great to read your reviews again! Always get tons of info! Thanks
Great to see pics of your son... so cute Lucky boy for cruising at a early age.

As for cruising out of Fll or Miami, we use for transportation Metro City Tours.
Always had great service. We usually travel in grp of 6 and my grandmother brings a wheelchair with her. Never any problems, I sure you would be happy with them. Here's link :[url]www.metro-citytours.com[/url]

Joanne

[Lionesss]

Your son Isaac is so cute!!!!

Love your thread so far..........

Keep it coming, even if you have to put the little one down for a nap:D

Sea Ya

[dreamer976]

So glad to see you back to posting your wonderful reviews and photos, Chrystal!

I'm sure this was a much different experience for you and Wes with Isaac aboard. Making memories!!

I'm in for the duration. . .:):):)

[Sinduf]

Hi Chrystal, firstly congrats on your new arrival, Isaac he's such a cutie. I loved your Babymoon cruise review, so was delighted when I came accross this review. Making think back to our last cruise on Liberty last year. And feeling sadder with every comment I read as its looking like we wont get to cruise this year will have to wait for 2015. Can't wait for the rest of the review.

[Host Faith]

[quote name='lulugirl68']Your son is darling:)

My mom, sister and I are sailing on the Liberty in 2 weeks, so your review is getting me even more excited than I already am!

We are taking our kids( 13 and 9) on their first cruise in March and staying and the same hotel that you stayed at, so thanks for the review and pictures of that as well![/QUOTE]


Awesome! Happy cruising to you! I'm glad the photos of the hotel were helpful. We liked it there, the space is perfect for families.

[Host Faith]

[quote name='Mapleleaf5']It's great to read your reviews again! Always get tons of info! Thanks
Great to see pics of your son... so cute Lucky boy for cruising at a early age.

As for cruising out of Fll or Miami, we use for transportation Metro City Tours.
Always had great service. We usually travel in grp of 6 and my grandmother brings a wheelchair with her. Never any problems, I sure you would be happy with them. Here's link :[url]www.metro-citytours.com[/url]

Joanne[/QUOTE]

Thanks Joanne! I'll keep them in mind for our next cruise :)

[Host Faith]

[quote name='Lionesss']Your son Isaac is so cute!!!!

Love your thread so far..........

Keep it coming, even if you have to put the little one down for a nap:D

Sea Ya[/QUOTE]

Haha! Thanks Sue! This is certainly taking me longer than normal...Isaac is wearing me out ;):D

[quote name='dreamer976']So glad to see you back to posting your wonderful reviews and photos, Chrystal!

I'm sure this was a much different experience for you and Wes with Isaac aboard. Making memories!!

I'm in for the duration. . .:)[/QUOTE]


Thank you so much for reading! It sure is a different experience with Isaac, still a whole lot of fun though. :)

[Host Faith]

[quote name='Sinduf']Hi Chrystal, firstly congrats on your new arrival, Isaac he's such a cutie. I loved your Babymoon cruise review, so was delighted when I came accross this review. Making think back to our last cruise on Liberty last year. And feeling sadder with every comment I read as its looking like we wont get to cruise this year will have to wait for 2015. Can't wait for the rest of the review.[/QUOTE]

Thank you Sinduf! I totally understand how you feel when you have to skip cruising for a year. What ship are you sailing next year? I know you're counting down the days! Edited January 20, 2014 by Host Faith