Life on Liberty 2/21-2/28: Mo'Bay, GC, Cozumel

[BecciBoo]

I have been on Disney and let me say the adult areas were fantastic. At dinner they do their best to get the kids fed and then the kids club comes and takes them to the club. If you can find a reasonably priced cruise out of Galveston you might want to try it.

 

Looked this morning at Disney...OMG:eek: The inside cabins were $1000 more than our upcoming mid hump balcony on Liberty...don't think so.

[RoamingRetirees]

Looked this morning at Disney...OMG:eek: The inside cabins were $1000 more than our upcoming mid hump balcony on Liberty...don't think so.

 

Disney may be nice, but I'll never know because they are very expensive.

[Jimnbigd]

Disney may be nice, but I'll never know because they are very expensive.

Agreed. I think Disney costs more because (1) There is no casino, (2) I'm guessing there is not as much drinking, and (3) Because it's Disney. I'm surprised Disney does not use Houston Bayport instead of Galveston, especially since they don't have a casino so waiting the extra hour or 2 to get to international waters is not as important. Maybe it's the cost of a pilot for that extra time in the bay.

 

Anyhow, I'm looking forward to the Liberty OTS. It's my first time on a ship larger than voyager class. I'm glad they kept the minigolf. On voyager class it was in the back on deck 13, and I suspect it was there on the Liberty also before they added the slides. It was windy there too. Carnival also has minigolf at the top front on some ships, so I know what you mean about the wind. I find the best time to do minigolf is when the ship is at port.

Edited March 5, 2016 by Jimnbigd

[RoamingRetirees]

Agreed. I think Disney costs more because (1) There is no casino, (2) I'm guessing there is not as much drinking, and (3) Because it's Disney. I'm surprised Disney does not use Houston Bayport instead of Galveston, especially since they don't have a casino so waiting the extra hour or 2 to get to international waters is not as important. Maybe it's the cost of a pilot for that extra time in the bay.

 

Anyhow, I'm looking forward to the Liberty OTS. It's my first time on a ship larger than voyager class. I'm glad they kept the minigolf. On voyager class it was in the back on deck 13, and I suspect it was there on the Liberty also before they added the slides. It was windy there too. Carnival also has minigolf at the top front on some ships, so I know what you mean about the wind. I find the best time to do minigolf is when the ship is at port.

 

Question: Was there one or two shows on for Saturday Night Fever and Air? And are tickets required? Thanks.

 

Liberty will feel very familiar to you--it's basically a stretch Voyager. :D There were two shows of each (for early and late dining--not on two different nights). No reservations.

[Wilson]

I might consider Disney if it was free. Don't think I could handle being on a ship with that many children.

[Beachiekeen]

Some other stuff I thought of:

 

I had read reports of terrible mattresses so sent a frantic email to the special needs email the day before our cruise for an egg crate. I guess it worked because we had one. We thought the mattress was fine but the pillows were awful. I would try each pillow at night before I went to bed to see which one felt the best. They were so bad I would consider bringing my own next time.

 

We breezed in 10-minutes before each show and found seats easily. This is my only choice as hubby refuses to get there early and sit and wait. Might not work during peak seasons though.

 

Only had towel animals 2 nights. We might have gotten another one on Day 5 but that was the night hubby was sick from too much lobster and was in the room.

 

There are next to no TV channels but we did find movies to watch on TNT and they were the regular movies, uncensored and with few commercials. Most of the channels were in Spanish.

 

I thought the MDR food generally very good and most of the drinks we had were very good, especially at Boleros and Olive or Twist. The nightly specials in the MDR were much better than the things they serve every night.

 

I hate buffets generally but I did find a few things to eat at the WJ so I just stuck with those. Hubby complained about the WJ every time he ate there but he tries to get adventurous--I think the key is to stick with the basics like hot dogs, hamburgers, salads, etc. Don't get too adventurous. There was a made to order pasta station one day that he liked. We stopped in one night and tried the sushi--it wasn't terrible, wasn't great, about what you would expect for cruise ship sushi.

 

We enjoyed the breakfasts in the MDR--to us, that is just a much nicer experience than the WJ. Loved that granola bar. We never did get to try lunch though.

 

When we saw the burger patties at the WJ, they looked EXACTLY like the ones we had at Johnny Rockets.

 

Breakfast was offered in Chops for $15 which includes a mimosa or bloody Mary. On the last sea day, a brunch and tour of the galley was offered for $25 which we probably would have done if we hadn't planned lunch at Sabor.

 

We turned our clocks forward on Day 2 and back on Day 7.

Edited March 5, 2016 by Beachiekeen

[RoamingRetirees]

Our mattresses both weeks (we had to change cabins) were very comfortable--they had foam toppers. I was wondering what everyone was fussing about. No problem with the pillows. We always use two since they are fairly flat.

 

The Cruise Director mentioned that they only do towel animals every other day now because people were saving them and they ran short of towels. Could be true. We were on a cabin crawl once and one of the cabins had an entire menagerie. :eek:

 

Several of the TV channels had programs in English but the commercials were in Spanish. DH watched lots of movies, including 3 Spiderman and a couple of Star Wars in addition to older classics.

 

We try to avoid buffets too, but WJ really wasn't too bad on Liberty. Only went there for lunch when in port and one dinner (which we didn't care for much). They did have servers walking around bringing drinks, and a couple of times chefs came around making fresh salads. At dinner they brought around a huge apple pie and ice cream.

 

Overall we had a very nice two weeks.

[Goodtime Cruizin]

Thank you for a great review!

[OSUZorba]

Thank you for great review.

 

How long did breakfast in the MDR take when you ordered off the menu? Did you have to ask for a table by yourselves, or did they naturally sit you by yourselves?

 

Thanks,

[Beachiekeen]

Thank you for great review.

 

How long did breakfast in the MDR take when you ordered off the menu? Did you have to ask for a table by yourselves, or did they naturally sit you by yourselves?

 

Thanks,

 

We were sat by ourselves 3 times and with others twice. We were in out of there in less than an hour, probably 30-40 minutes.

[DM_KidAtHeart]

Thank you for great review.

 

How long did breakfast in the MDR take when you ordered off the menu? Did you have to ask for a table by yourselves, or did they naturally sit you by yourselves?

 

Thanks,

 

 

I always eat breakfast in the MDR whenever possible. As I recall from seating to finishing the meal (and I'm not a speedy eater), it has on average taken about an hour. And I've always been able to request whether I want to sit alone or with others. If you do request with others, the meal can take longer since they usually fill the table before taking orders.

Also depending on the ship, it can be even faster if they have buffet selection in the MDR. I don't know which ships do and don't have it. Just know some I've been on have and some haven't.

[Jimnbigd]

I'm curious why the clocks were changed. I've sailed from Galveston many times, both on standard and daylight time, and both the Roatan and Jamaica routes, and we never set our clocks. Is this a new thing for Royal, or the whim of the captain? I do sort of like the idea of changing clocks, so we get an extra hour of sleep the day we disembark. I'll let you know if we set or clocks on my March 27 cruise since Galveston will be on Daylight Saving time then. (Reminder -- USA sets clocks 2am Sunday morning, March 13, for most states.)

Edited March 6, 2016 by Jimnbigd

[Cel_cruise]

Really enjoyed this review! Thanks for putting the effort into it!

[PudgiPoo]

I'm curious why the clocks were changed. I've sailed from Galveston many times, both on standard and daylight time, and both the Roatan and Jamaica routes, and we never set our clocks. Is this a new thing for Royal, or the whim of the captain? I do sort of like the idea of changing clocks, so we get an extra hour of sleep the day we disembark. I'll let you know if we set or clocks on my March 27 cruise since Galveston will be on Daylight Saving time then. (Reminder -- USA sets clocks 2am Sunday morning, March 13, for most states.)

 

My guess as to why they started changing the clocks. With the phones that change time as you move about it was confusing people. That could make them late with an excuse. That could end up costing RC money.:rolleyes:

[RoamingRetirees]

My guess as to why they started changing the clocks. With the phones that change time as you move about it was confusing people. That could make them late with an excuse. That could end up costing RC money.:rolleyes:

 

The interesting thing is that we went to Cozumel both weeks. One week we changed, the other we didn't. Talk about confusing! :eek:

[Missywantstotravel]

Thanks for the review! BF and I are going on the Liberty in November, we had to switch from July. I've been on Carnival before and he has never been on any cruises. I'm just excited to leave the country on vacation again. I want to show him the pics you posted when I go home next weekend. You made it feel like we were there!

[BettyPC]

Great review! I enjoyed it and all the food / drinks looked great!

 

Betty

[pspercy]

Mexico created a new time zone for that area, it's now equivalent to EST.

http://thisiscozumel.com/news/70-latest-news/1583-cozumel-time-zone

[TxGameShowFan]

Let me also add my thanks for this fantastic review. We sail on this cruise next Sunday (03/13).

 

I loved all the pics, and my husband wants to recreate your pose in front of the casino! :)

[Wilson]

Thanks for the review! BF and I are going on the Liberty in November, we had to switch from July. I've been on Carnival before and he has never been on any cruises. I'm just excited to leave the country on vacation again. I want to show him the pics you posted when I go home next weekend. You made it feel like we were there!

 

Two things that will make you happy about your November sailing.

 

80% less kids than in July and you are not on a Carnival ship. :D

[M_BA]

Agreed. I think Disney costs more because (1) There is no casino, (2) I'm guessing there is not as much drinking, and (3) Because it's Disney. I'm surprised Disney does not use Houston Bayport instead of Galveston, especially since they don't have a casino so waiting the extra hour or 2 to get to international waters is not as important. Maybe it's the cost of a pilot for that extra time in the bay.

 

Princess and NCL are both pulling out of Houston Bayport, as of April 2016. Sad to hear, as the terminals have undergone extensive upgrades.

 

Enjoy your 27th boarding, we'll be getting off as you wait in line to get on.

[bizban]

I would love the info emailed to me. Can you give more information on the new updates? Favorite places/things to eat? Thank you!

[Beachiekeen]

Let me also add my thanks for this fantastic review. We sail on this cruise next Sunday (03/13).

 

I loved all the pics, and my husband wants to recreate your pose in front of the casino! :)

 

LOL! Make sure you post a picture of that! :)

 

Thanks for the continued compliments, I am excited for everyone that will be on Liberty in the coming months.

[uoftxchik]

We were in the MDR for lunch on Day 2 and heard an Alpha Alpha Alpha call. I bet this was in relation to the medical emergency at the Pamper Party. Hope she was okay.

[Beachiekeen]

I would love the info emailed to me. Can you give more information on the new updates? Favorite places/things to eat? Thank you!

 

Not sure what you are wanting but I or others will provide what we can! The Compasses are here:

 

https://drive.google.com/folderview?...1U&usp=sharing

 

My favorite things I had (or tasted) in the MDR were: the warm chocolate cake, the fish rillettes appetizer on Day 1, the bread and butter pudding, the granola bar at breakfast, and probably my favorite entree I ate was the filet, although I tasted our friend's pork and it was delicious. And the shrimp cocktail at Chops.

Edited March 6, 2016 by Beachiekeen