Liberty of the Seas May29th-June 5th 2016 review

[1interpreter]

Hi all! The hubby, 11 yr old daughter and I just got off the Liberty yesterday morning (Sunday June 5th). We've cruised multiple times and I always tell myself that I'm going to write a review or do a blog and just never get around to it. Last year we cruised on the Navigator and had a WONDERFUL time and really thought that was as good as it would get. Well I was wrong, so this time I told myself that I WILL NOT forget to do a review. So with out further ado I shall begin.

 

Since my husband had knee surgery a week and a few days before we left (and we always drive to Galveston), we decided to leave a few days early so that he would have lots of chances to stretch his leg and rest. We are from Kansas so flooding was a bit of a concern for us as we traveled down, but we were lucky enough to not have to deal with any of it. We stayed in two different hotels prior to leaving port but I'm not going to bore you with those details. Both the internet package and the beverage packages were purchased online prior to sailing.

 

Day 1 Embarkation day :-)

 

We got to the cruise terminal at about 10:30, got our car parked and all luggage but our carry ons checked with the porter, and we were on the ship in about 5 minutes flat. There was no line to wait in and check in was a breeze. We are C&A Platinum members (Emerald now at the end of this cruise) and booked in a suite so we were able to go through the priority check in lane. Of course things were a little chaotic when we first got on the ship but that is typical. This was our daughter's 2nd cruise (first one was the Navigator last year), so she was more than a little eager to check out the ship. One of the spots she was most excited about was the Cupcake Cupboard because of the decorating class (more on that later). For lunch we ate in the Windjammer which (as we expected) was packed. We all were happy with our lunch and the wait staff was attentive as always. We really didn't have anything to complain about there. After we were done with lunch, we spent the rest of the time (prior to cabins being available) just exploring the ship. We loved the layout of the ship. Everything seemed very easy to find and never found myself wonder where I was at or where I was going. Our daughter was excited about the kids Splash Away Bay, which ironically she spent ZERO time at because she prefers the Adventure Ocean over the pool. Our cabin (Jr Suite #9594) was available promptly at 1:00 as they said it would be. At this time we went to our room, checked everything out and found it to be very clean and quite spacious, and took lots of pictures. We booked the Jr. Suite and surprisingly this was our first time with a balcony. I will NEVER go back to a room with out one. Lol! The only issue that we had was that one of the drawers was broken but that was quickly fixed. I happen to be a very organized want everything in it's proper place kind of person so after we ooohhed and awed over our room, I unpacked everything and quickly got it all organized. I hate a cluttered room. We were in and out of our room several times before pulling out of port, but it was really nice to know that we could watch the ship depart from the comfort of our balcony instead of having to try to find a place on the crowded decks. After the ship left we did more exploring, enrolled our daughter in Adventure Ocean, and checked out our table in the MDR. Last year we were less than happy with our arrangements as we were sat in a corner by one of the crew entrance into the galley which was noisy and left us sometimes feeling a little isolated. This time around we were very pleased with our location. Though we didn't have a table right by the window, we were just one table away and could still have a pretty good view if we wanted. We were also seated with others at our table. This is only the second time we have been seated this way so we were excited to meet our table mates. Turns out that we were sitting with a family of four. The first night they didn't talk to much but from that night on, it was as if we had known each other forever. We had the late dining so it was nice to not feel rushed. For dinner I had the shrimp cocktail, the Mojo Pork chops which were really delicious but a tad bit dry, and I forgot what I had for dessert . I forgot to get a pic of it. After we had dinner, we did a little more exploring, looked at some of the pieces in the art gallery, had a few drinks and then turned in a little earlier than normal since we were pretty well exhausted. That was it for day one. I have added a few pics that I took from our first day. I hope you enjoy them. I will post on day 2 later on this evening if I get the chance.

[widallas]

Hard to write reviews after vacation...so glad you are taking the time to do it, and looking forward to more! :)

[Texas Cruise Girl]

We were on this sailing as well. Great time! Our daughters were probably in Adventure Ocean together. My daughter loved it!

[lpjpane]

Can you tell me if they have flavored creamer in Windjammer? I can bring the little to-go pods if necessary.

[MsLMG]

We're on Liberty in October. Looking forward to the rest of your review! [emoji3]

 

 

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[boxermom711]

We sail in her next April. Can't wait for rest of your review

[Wilson]

Can you tell me if they have flavored creamer in Windjammer? I can bring the little to-go pods if necessary.

 

Not in April.

[rubrrick]

Great start of your review. We were in cabin 9294........just across from you on the other side of the ship. It gave us a nice walk to the stern elevators, where the food is located. As much as I tried to watch what I ate, I gained 2 pounds in the 2 weeks that we were aboard.

 

I look forward to reading about your week on the Liberty. Ours was one of the best that we have ever taken with Royal Caribbean. Even with what has been taken away over the years, we have learned to have no expectations, even being Pinnacle Club members.

 

Looking forward to your review.

 

Rick

[3happykids!]

looking forward to reading about the rest of your great adventure.

[nativetexan]

Thanks for the review! We sail in 2 months and I am ready! Welcome home. The laundry is the worst - hope you're caught up quickly!

 

 

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[happymanitee]

I'm looking forward to your review... We board this Sunday! I can't wait!

[1interpreter]

I never drank any coffee so I'm really not sure. I know the creamer that we had in our room was all unflavored, but not sure about the Windjammer. Sorry I'm no help.

[1interpreter]

Great start of your review. We were in cabin 9294........just across from you on the other side of the ship. It gave us a nice walk to the stern elevators, where the food is located. As much as I tried to watch what I ate, I gained 2 pounds in the 2 weeks that we were aboard.

 

I look forward to reading about your week on the Liberty. Ours was one of the best that we have ever taken with Royal Caribbean. Even with what has been taken away over the years, we have learned to have no expectations, even being Pinnacle Club members.

 

Looking forward to your review.

 

Rick

 

Cabin 9294 is actually the cabin that we have booked for April. We wanted the GS but it wasn't available :-( I will keep calling though to see if one opens up.

[jandbmom]

Can you tell me if they have flavored creamer in Windjammer? I can bring the little to-go pods if necessary.

 

They never have flavored creamer, I always bring the little cups or you can get a specialty coffee with flavored syrup.

[ukintheus]

Thanks for taking the time to do a review. We are sailing at the end of August and it will be our first with RCI, so soaking up all the info I can get. :)

[QA GUY]

Anxiously awaiting more details as we will be on the LOS 19 June. :)

Thank you.

Ronnie and Allison

[EntropyGuardian]

What's your opinion of the ship vs Navigator and Independence if you've been on those?

[JimAOk1945]

I'm following your review as we will be on the LOS in December for the Christmas holiday. We have been on other RC ships, so it will be interesting to see the differences.

 

Looking forward to reading more about your cruise.

[1interpreter]

Day 2

I started out my morning at about 6:30 I hate the fact that even when I'm on vacation my internal clock will never allow me to sleep in late :-( So while the husband and daughter slept, I enjoyed some time on the balcony taking in the view and the morning sun. We had breakfast in the Windjammer (this is where we had breakfast every morning). After breakfast we took our daughter to AO and then did a little shopping on the Promenade and bought us some hats since both of us left ours in the car back in Galveston. At 10:30 we went down to get registered for the art auction. Ever since our first cruise this is something that we love to do and have added some pretty awesome pieces of art to our walls at home. We enjoyed this one as well and added another piece of art. While there we also won a mini facial at the spa too. The only thing that we regret is that since we went to the art auction, we missed the Port & Shopping Talk. If you have never cruised before, this is something that you really don't want to miss. They provide you with lots of info and shopping tips as well as give out coupons and lots of prizes. We were sad that we missed it but since we can't be in two places at once...Lol! We tried a few times to catch some of the Dream Works characters so my daughter could get her pic taken with them, but we were always to busy and never made it there in time. We did lunch that day in Sorentos and found the pizza to be pretty good. This became my daughter's favorite place for lunch. The coconut macaroons they have were really good so that was my go to snack when I was craving something sweet. After we had lunch we headed to the main pool to soak up some sun. While we were there they had the World's Sexiest Man Competition so we decided to stick around and watch it. I have to say this was pretty hilarious to watch. We had some pretty good laughs. Glad we decided to stick around. About thirty minutes later and a fairly good sunburn, we dropped of our daughter at AO and did some more walking around the ship while having some drinks. We really didn't participate much in the on board activities just because we were pretty much on island time and seemed to never get to anywhere when things started but then again, we were on vacation and didn't want to have to stick to time frames. Lol! We also visited the Next Cruise staff again. I forgot to mention that on day one we booked our next cruise with a man named Brian Alvarez (from Mexico). He was very friendly and helpful and made booking our next cruise a snap. We went back on day two and booked our son and his girlfriend for the cruise as well. We added three more cabins for friends and family while on the ship as well. We are hoping to add even more to our group by the time we sail again in April. The more the merrier right? So back to the MDR for dinner. It was our first formal night and also the night that they brought our daughter her Birthday cheese cake and sang for her. For my appetizer I had the Bay Scallop Gratin. OMG this was so delicious! The only thing that I regret is that I didn't get more, that's how good it was. My main dish was the Carved Fillet of Beef Tenderloin (I had it last year too). This was also another great dish. It was perfectly cooked, very tender and full of flavor. For dessert I got the Bittersweet Chocolate Souffle with light chocolate espresso sauce. I was very pleased with this. Not to sweet, not to rich. Just right and add the sauce with it...YUMMY! We had another great night at dinner with our table mates and get to know them a little better. After dinner was done, our daughter wanted to go back to AO, so while she was there when walked around the promenade again. I wish that we would have taken in some of the shows and sadly never even went to any of them this year. We were just content with walking around and meeting some new faces. After we picked up our daughter from AO we stopped off at Johnny Rockets for some malts and shakes. I love that place! After that, we made our way back to our cabin and enjoyed the rest of the evening on the balcony. This wasn't exactly an eventful day, but we still enjoyed ourselves and in my opinion that's all that matters.

[1interpreter]

What's your opinion of the ship vs Navigator and Independence if you've been on those?

 

I really liked both ships to be honest. I do think I like LOS a little bit more, but maybe that's just because we enjoyed the cruise better than we did on NOS. You would be pleased with either one. We have yet to be on the Independence.

[1interpreter]

There is one thing that I forgot to mention about our first day. We got to the MDR a little late and totally missed out on the bread and the drink waiter forgot my iced tea, but I didn't hold it against them as they more than made up for it the rest of the cruise. This was really the only problem we had while dining in the MDR. Our main waiter was named Leonardo (forgot his last name) from Nicaragua and the assistant waiter's name was I PUTU from the Philippines. He looked like he was about 16 and was quite charming. We had to ask his age because we were both trying to guess it. He is 19 and will be having a Birthday soon.

[2Ccruisers]

Following along! :D

[Tdhardeman]

Following along, going on the LOS on July 11th

[wolfganghowell]

Hope to see more from you - always fun to get perspectives from others on the same sailing.

[Mickeygrl71]

My DH and I will be on Lady Liberty in late September (25th) for our anniversary. We talk about cruising so much that one of his buddies is joining us this time. I am loving your review. We are also from the DFW area (Little Elm) and will be driving down. Our tradition is to drive down on Friday and hang out a couple of days prior. We like to stay at Hilton Galveston Island and eat at Landry's on the first night. I have been thinkin about a seafood place for Saturday. We might just try your recommendation. Do you know if they take reservations? :-)

 

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