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

[Host Faith]

We picked up Isaac on the way back to our room. I guess Collin thought Isaac was going to spend the night with Granny, since we found this upon our return :rolleyes::)

 

 

Up next, our wonderful day in Cozumel! Thank you for hanging in there with me! It's my first review as a Mom...it's taking me a little longer than usual! ;)

[Host Faith]

Oh Chrystal I knew there was a reason I liked you! I have those same shoes and I've worn them on my last 3 cruises because I can walk all over the ship and not feel like my toes are being pinched. They go with all my black & white stuff which is what I tend to wear on vacation to make packing easier. Btw, Isaac is a cute lil munchkin!

 

Wearing my shoes hanging out in front of Blaze on Oasis - June 2012

 

Haha! Thank you so much. Aren't those shoes the best?! They go with everything and are perfect for travel! You look great! :)

[Host Faith]

Looking at the Portofino menu is making my mouth water. :p I don't know how I never ended up in there on my past Royal cruises. Won't make that mistake again!

 

Please do have a dinner there, it's totally worth the splurge! :)

[Host Faith]

Hoping you will show dessert menu too as you mentioned you were not as impressed with MDR desserts which is a little disappointing :) also want to hear how cupcakes were it you tried them

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

The desserts at Portofino were delicious! I didn't try the cupcakes on the Liberty, but I did on the Allure. I didn't like the flavor I got (Manly Breakfast)- it was a little strange to me. But the texture of the cake and the icing were perfect. I should have tried a vanilla cupcake...oh well, next cruise! :p:)

[KITKAT0229]

Loving your review! I can't wait to have a coconut frozen mojito in May. You're making me feel a lot better about taking our 2 year old on a cruise. We will be using the nursery though.

[Host Faith]

Loving your review! I can't wait to have a coconut frozen mojito in May. You're making me feel a lot better about taking our 2 year old on a cruise. We will be using the nursery though.

 

Thank you! I'm glad the review is helpful. You'll have a great time on your cruise with your little one. It's cool seeing everything onboard through their eyes :)

[Host Faith]

Cozumel never disappoints :)

 

I woke up early to find us in the final stages of docking in Cozumel. We backed into the port. I looked forward, and noticed Mom watching the process from her balcony too.

 

 

 



 

Wes and Isaac eventually joined me.

 

 

 

[Host Faith]

Our view as we pulled in, right-to-left...

 



 

 



 

 

[Host Faith]

We ate our room service breakfast in bed this morning. And yes, I did bring my own hot sauce. I planned to use it in Cozumel. It livened up those breakfast potatoes nicely!

 

 

 

 

After breakfast we were on our way! I packed three (4 oz) bottles of milk, and 1 (4 oz) bottle of water for Isaac. I actually filled the water bottle with ice first, then added more water, to be sure he had some cold water during the day. I applied the sunscreen I bought for him on his skin while I got him dressed.

 

The Brilliance of the Seas was docked with us today, and the Carnival Freedom was nearby. We saw the Brilliance from a distance as we docked, and she pulled in about a half hour after us.

 

 



 

 

 

We stopped by Mom's room to meet her and Aunt Avis. The gangway was on Deck 1.Getting off the ship in port was easy with the baby. He stayed in his stroller; we just needed to let them scan his Seapass like the rest of us.

 

 

 

 

 

[Host Faith]

Our plan for the day was to spend some time sightseeing Cozumel with Toursplaza. Our tour was scheduled to start at 9 AM. I can't recommend this company more highly. I toured with them when I sailed the Liberty in 2012. You can see how we spent our day then in my Liberty review, in my signature. Booking with them is so easy, and the drivers are so personable and thoughtful. I was excited to learn that Toursplaza recently decided to supply car seats to their guests with children. No need to lug ours off the ship- woohoo! They have two, so if you book with them, book early and be sure to request the car seat right away.

 

I think Cozumel has so much to offer, and I didn't want us to spend the entire day at a beach since it might have gotten too hot for Isaac. We wanted to visit Playa Bonita for lunch and Playa Palancar for beach time. The rest depended on how we felt that day.

 

Walking to the taxi area:

 

 

We walked through the shops in the port area, and met our driver, Gerry. He was waiting for us with a sign. Once he met us, he asked us to stay right where we were while he went to get our van, which was about a block away. He couldn't wait in the taxi area with the van- the taxi dispatchers' rules.

 

We took some photos while we waited.

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

Cozumel taxi rates:

 

Edited January 24, 2014 by Host Faith

[Host Faith]

 

 

 

Gerry arrived and got Isaac's car seat ready. Took a minute to adjust the straps, but he was fine once we got him settled.

 

Isaac observed everything around him- I was explaining to him that we were in a totally different country and asking him, "Isn't that so cool, buddy?" He kept quietly observing everything around him.

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

Edited January 24, 2014 by Host Faith

[Host Faith]

A nice touch- Gerry knew we wanted to shop for some vanilla. He brought us some real vanilla, in the actual pods. It smelled amazing :)

 

 

Isaac liked Gerry right away (which is rare). He answered right back whenever Gerry started talking. It was really cute to watch.

 

 

[Host Faith]

Our first stop was at a local market for some cool drinks. Gerry bought some ice for the cooler he had in the back of the van. We bought some large bottles of water, and two beers-one Dos Equis and a Mexican beer that Gerry recommended. I only had USD, so Gerry gave him pesos, and I gave Gerry the cash.

 

We put our drinks and Isaac's bottles in the cooler. It was nice having that onhand to keep his milk cool.

[Toddcan]

We too hired Gerry(a few years ago). He was awesome! He really took care of us. Highly recommended!

[CruiserTB]

Our first stop was at a local market for some cool drinks. Gerry bought some ice for the cooler he had in the back of the van. We bought some large bottles of water, and two beers-one Dos Equis and a Mexican beer that Gerry recommended. I only had USD, so Gerry gave him pesos, and I gave Gerry the cash.

 

 

 

We put our drinks and Isaac's bottles in the cooler. It was nice having that onhand to keep his milk cool.

 

 

Ok Chrystal I was just going to ask about the milk. I still feed DS my milk and wondered how to keep it cool during the shore visit to Cozumel or any hot environment for that matter. Normally, when we go out we pack an ice pack in his diaper bag. How did you store it at the beach? I imagine you no longer had the cooler.

[Laurba99]

Seriously this is such a gift being able to read this. It was so nice of you

To

Document it with photos knowing you

wanted to share it with us. I now know I have to go back to this place with my husband. The last time we went was our

Cruise the week after we

Got engaged in 2004. Part of this trip will be celebrating my bday but also it will be just past our 10th anniversary.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[Laurba99]

Meant to Portofino's on radiance of seas..

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[KPfromCT]

Loving your review!!!!:D:D Isaac is such a cutie!!! I honestly think he looks JUST like your hubby!!!! Same facial expressions....lol

Anxiously waiting for more......

[Virtopia]

Chrystal, this is a great review and Isaac is so adorable!!

 

Too bad we couldn't connect on the Allure cruise but I see that little man has been keeping you busy LOL will definitely be following along.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using the Cruise Critic App

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

Great review! Thanks so much! Your little guy is adorable!!!

[Sinduf]

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!

 

 

Totally counting down the days. We've nothing booked still weighing up Greek Islands on Splendour or heading back to where it started in the Caribbean. Thinking of going big and looking at Allure!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Poorplaya]

Great review so far, can't wait to hear and see the rest!!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Cruise Critic Forums mobile app

[mconthehighseas]

I am learning so much here! Thank you for the recommendation for Tourplaza. It's great to know that they can provide a cooler and a carseat. This will be VERY helpful! And the photo of the taxi rates is a Godsend.

 

Your dessert photos made me gain weight :eek:

[Host Faith]

We too hired Gerry(a few years ago). He was awesome! He really took care of us. Highly recommended!

 

I agree! He's a great tour guide :)

 

Ok Chrystal I was just going to ask about the milk. I still feed DS my milk and wondered how to keep it cool during the shore visit to Cozumel or any hot environment for that matter. Normally, when we go out we pack an ice pack in his diaper bag. How did you store it at the beach? I imagine you no longer had the cooler.

 

Actually, Gerry kept the van nearby and waited for us while we were on the beach, so the cooler stayed in the van the whole time. If we didn't have that option, I probably would have used a nice pack, or frozen a bottle or two of milk, leaving two more bottles of milk in there to keep cool. Same as what I did for our flight, and it worked well for us.

[Host Faith]

Seriously this is such a gift being able to read this. It was so nice of you

To

Document it with photos knowing you

wanted to share it with us. I now know I have to go back to this place with my husband. The last time we went was our

Cruise the week after we

Got engaged in 2004. Part of this trip will be celebrating my bday but also it will be just past our 10th anniversary.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

My pleasure! Enjoy your time at Portofino! Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversary! :-D