Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Liberty OTS review with Photographs (4/10-17/16)

Cuizer2
 Share

Recommended Posts

Cuizer2

Cuizer2

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Forgot to ask - do you have the compasses? Haven't seen them since the first sailing this season and they didn't quite have the kinks worked out! If I missed - sorry! Thanks!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I do have the Compasses. I can scan and post them. However, I work full time, and the scanning process is slow (one page at a time) and I will not be home on Saturday, so it will take a while to complete this project. :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Cuizer2

Cuizer2

Posted
  • Author
Posted
I enjoyed your review and wonderful pictures. We have cruised on RC in suites before, but this will be our first time on LOS. Your pictures and review have answered a lot of questions I had about the ship, the GS, as well as the Suite and Diamond Lounge.

 

Thanks and happy cruising in the future.

 

I'm glad you found the review helpful. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
wv4dmb

wv4dmb

Posted
Posted
Thursday, April 14, 2016 - Belize

 

 

I have an 8:15am shore excursion today. Since the Chops’ breakfast does not begin until 8:00am, I don’t have time for a Chops breakfast today. So I settle for a banana, which is fine since I don’t normally eat breakfast. I’m in group eight, on the Wildlife Adventure tour. We are the seventh group call to the tender boats. One thing I noticed, there are only lifeboats on this ship, no tender boats. Thus all tendering is being done by local commercial tenders. One good thing about this is that the commercial tenders are open and airy, not closed and stuffy like the ship’s tenders (if it had any). Still it is 9:30am before we get to Belize, as it is a long tender ride.

 

There it is a fairly long wait until we board the bus. It is an old bus, but the air conditioner works. It is a long ride to the zoo. It is a nice zoo, but not world class. There are three problems however. The zoo uses fences and electric wires to keep the animals in. That means most of the viewing is done through wires. Inside the cages is all natural vegetation, so the animals are hard to find and see. Which brings up problem three. Though this is a fairly small group of nineteen people, once an animal is located, there at least nineteen people that all want to see it at the same time from the same place.

 

From the zoo we go to the river to have lunch (no, we don’t eat the river). Lunch was okay as far as tour lunches go. We had chicken, rice, beans, a small salad, and a drink. Then it is a boat ride down the river to a small town where we board the bus back to the tender dock. Along the river we see various wildlife, such as monkeys, birds, alligators, and landing 737s. Yes, the local airport landing path goes right over the river.

 

We are back at the tender dock just after 3:30pm and the last tender to the ship is 4:30pm. Fortunately all of us are aware that the ship is one hour ahead of local time, since the tour guide thinks we have a two hour window, not a one hour window. A major drawback to Belize is that one loses two hours round trip because of the tendering. Also note, when approaching (and leaving Belize, the captain is not lost. The channel the ships have to follow was laid out by a drunken snake. I was trying to figure out what the captain was trying to do, as the ship made one turn after another until I realized the ship behind us was doing the same thing. I figured both captains could not be that crazy (or drunk). I later spoke to the captain and confirmed that the channel through the reef was not straight.

 

Tonight is our second formal night. After a tender port? I think after Cozumel would have been a better choice, but nobody consulted me on this issue. I have a few pictures taken, two of which I like and buy. The captain cannot come to the formal night because he is busy trying to figure out how to leave Belize without making the evening news (got to stay in that channel when leaving Belize also).

 

I’m the only one at dinner tonight, which is good because I’m dead tired and the faster I finish dinner the faster I can go to sleep. I’m done in less than one hour. Belize has two seasons (the same two Panama has), hot and hotter, and they are both humid. All I want to do is sleep. I’ll be back at you in the morning.

 

I'm I reading that correctly? 1 hour tender each way??? Can you even see land when you get on the tender? :eek:

~Steph

Link to comment
Share on other sites
JimAOk1945

JimAOk1945

Posted
Posted (edited)
Thursday, April 14, 2016 - Belize

 

A major drawback to Belize is that one loses two hours round trip because of the tendering.

 

We were in Belize on a cruise in 2011 and I thought the tender ride was more like 20 minutes each way. I'm just wondering why it would take so long.

Edited by JimAOk1945
Link to comment
Share on other sites
wv4dmb

wv4dmb

Posted
Posted
We were in Belize on a cruise in 2011 and I thought the tender ride was more like 20 minutes each way. I'm just wondering why it would take so long.

 

Possibly he is counting the wait for the tender in line??? I also read it was around 20 minutes. :cool:

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Cuizer2

Cuizer2

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)
I'm I reading that correctly? 1 hour tender each way??? Can you even see land when you get on the tender? :eek:

~Steph

 

We were in Belize on a cruise in 2011 and I thought the tender ride was more like 20 minutes each way. I'm just wondering why it would take so long.

 

I am counting EVERYTHING (going to the meeting spot or waiting in line, boarding, tendering, regrouping on land). I had to be in the theater at 8:15 and it was 9:30 by the time I was on Belize.

 

How long is the tender ride? 20 - 30 minutes.

 

How long does it take to fly from San Francisco to Los Angeles? The time the jet is in the air is about 45 minutes. However, you have to arrive at the airport two hours early (that includes parking and security line). Figure 1/2 hour drive to the airport. Then it takes a least 1/2 hour to get your luggage, another 45 minutes to get your rental car and at least 1/2 hour to get to where you want to be. Total time, about five hours. You can drive it in six hours, which is why some people drive rather than fly.

 

So you decide when to start and stop your stop your stop watch.

 

Perhaps the ride back was less than an hour, but even at 30 to 45 minutes (again, counting everything) you are still looking at 1.25 hours to get there (8:15 to 9:30) and 1/2 to 3/4 hour return = 1.75 to 2.0 hours total.

Edited by Cuizer2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Cuizer2

Cuizer2

Posted
  • Author
Posted
What were the shows/entertainment?

 

(Other than Love and Marriage + The Quest)

 

I'm in the process of posting the Compasses by request. Everything is listed there. As you can see from post # 111, I have posted all the Compasses through Day 1 (no snickering - I just started). :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Thetrail

Thetrail

Posted
Posted
I was having so much fun feeding the animals it never occurred to me to ask. :o
Great review, great photos! Interesting about your Suite experience. Personally when in a Grand Suite or above have had zero issues, go figure. That being said thanks again!....K.O.:)
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Cuizer2

Cuizer2

Posted
  • Author
Posted
I think they have a Separate one for adventure ocean. Can you post that one too if you have it?

 

Yes, there is a separate Compass for Adventure Ocean, however, I don't have any of those. :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Cuizer2

Cuizer2

Posted
  • Author
Posted
My wife's biggest issue with being on a cruise is having trouble sleeping. She says the mattresses are too firm. I can sleep anywhere.

 

Did you have a problem with the mattress being too firm?

 

No, but remember, I was in a suite. Suite may have upgraded mattresses.

 

Note, you can ask the room steward/stewardess for a foam mattress topper which might help.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...