Suite liberty cruise with an awsome stay at paya bay

[nealstuber]

Just Submitted our review, 2 weeks and 2 days after getting back. Can't say people don't write positive reviews!...

 

This was cruise 25 for DW and I (Late 40’s) and it was in our top 5. This was a spur of the moment, very romantic, getaway for 2 after a disappointing cruise with the Kids this past Christmas on the Caribbean Princess with an upcoming CCL Family reunion cruise to Alaska at the end of the summer. While there has been a noticeable slip in RCCL’s service, food, and entertainment quality since we started sailing them again 3 years ago, awesome weather, great shore excursions, and our first time in a Suite (Junior) made for an outstanding experience overall.

As usual, we’ll do a day by day, but provide the highs and lows on the front side…

Highs: Liberty, with her new water slides, and dry dock spruce up is a substantial upgrade for Galveston vs the Navigator (especially after her refurb). We hit all of our ports on time, embarks and debarks were swift and painless, our cabin steward was top notch, we were paired well with two other likeminded couples for late seating dinner, VOOM was reasonable (89 bucks for the week), the skaters in the Ice show were most skilled (but the show was less impressive than others from a technical standpoint), the CD and Captain were most memorable individuals, and the Jr Suite was very much worth the extra $280 we paid to upgrade from our aft balcony.

Lows: Main show room entertainment was poor, 3 of the four lead singers could not sing, Saturday Night Fever Cancelled, we didn’t like that the big review shows were not on formal nights, there was a “dark night” in the main show room, the Newlywed and Family feud game shows were during late seating , our dining staff needed (and got) a good kick in the butt from the Mater’D , the food choices and quality in the MDR was disappointing, the Bar service was scarce but frequently hinting for an extra tip, and the ship (with extra cabins added during the refurb) felt much too crowded, especially in the solarium pool and the promenade. The connecting door in our suite was much too thin.

 

Day 0. Drove up from our home on the border, and arrived right on time to see CCL’s Liberty and Freedom Sail away. This double feature was accompanied by dolphins swimming in the Bay and a wonderful (and reasonably priced) dinner with waterfront seating at “Fisherman’s Warf”. We stayed on the island at the Candlewood Suites (since I had a free night available with the IHG group) and the room and property will make me rethink my aversion to that brand in the future. According to all of the forecasts, it was supposed to be raining, but it was a beautiful night!

 

Day 1. Another day where the weatherman was wrong about the rain! (There was none) We showed up at 10:30 and by 11:00 we had already agreed that the suite upgrade was worth it because we by-passed the long security and check-in lines and were already on board. We normally do a ship tour first thing, but the solarium pool looked so nice, with a shaded swim up bar, we figured we’d enjoy it before it got crowded (turned out to be a very good call). We always pack our swim suits in the carry on, so we were first in but we were soon joined by a couple of others. New trick we learned on our last cruise: If you can hold off on the Buffet until they make the cabins available (at 1) then you don’t have to fight the crowds for your first meal onboard. So we enjoyed the solarium pool for 2 hrs, then did lunch at the windjammer, holding off seeing our room for an extra ½ hr or so. Once we got to the room we found our bags ready and waiting. The Jr. Suite Knocked or socks off! Balcony was deep and private! Full size table for breakfast, plus two loungers. Comfy couch and chair in the seating area plus the walk-in closet, which was filled up as soon as we finished taking the whole thing in. A moment to brag about our new packing technique: We took 3 Garment bags and a “shoecase”. Garment Bag one had paired eveningwear for 6 nights, wife put her jewelry for each outfit in a ziplock bag stuck on the hanger with the outfits. Then DW and I each had a garment bag with a shoe organizer on one of the hangers. Bathing suits, Ts, shorts, socks, underwear in the shoe organizer along with 3 going ashore outfits on other hangers: all unpacked in seconds in a super organized way (along with a couple of going ashore and MDR lunch Outfits). The one suit case had way too many of DW’s shoes, snorkel gear, towels and a pop-up hamper. We loved getting unpacked so quickly and knowing where everything was all week. Boat drill was super early (like 3:30). We normally head to the promenade for a sail-way parade, but Liberty does something on deck, we did not do that because we really wanted to enjoy our HUGE balcony for sail-way and it was awesome. We fully intended to make the welcome aboard show before dinner, but great things kept happening for us in the suite and we finally did our ship tour before late seating dinner, scheduling an agent provided spa treatment and a dinner at Chops along the way. We had a nice table for dinner and met ½ of our dinner companions as the other half went to the Badda-Bing dinner show (which they said was great). Our waiter seemed burnt out, and the assistant lacked the ability to multi-task. What-ever we ordered.. it was not memorable enough to remember. We had some machine time at the Casino (Lost) and a little dancing up in what used to be the Viking crown lounge (we continue to miss the 2 story disco that was replaced by Sabor). On the whole our cruise was off to a great start.

 

Day 2 (At sea): HAD to do breakfast on the Balcony. We really like that room service calls ahead (right at the front of the delivery window) and arrives 15 minutes later. Lots of coffee on the balcony followed by a few hours under the bridge in the Solarium with a few other couples until lunch at the windjammer. Next to NO walking servers in the solarium, and the wait at the solarium bar was crazy. Fortunately, they had a little “express stand” at the forward portion of the main pool and they were cool about accepting a stack of cards (all with a beverage package sticker) so the guys could take turns making beer runs. We had a nice siesta, did the comedy/magic show which was “Meh” and met the balance of our table mates at dinner. Again, the waiter seemed detached and the assistant would ask one or two of the guys what they wanted and then run off as the ladies waved their hands trying to get his attention. So when the Mater’D came around, I complained. And WOW, did he get it fixed. For the rest of the cruise, the ladies placed their orders and were served first, the Mater’D popped back once or twice every night to see how it was going, and once he figured out I liked Merlot with my appetizer, he brought it with him. They had romantic dancing up at the disco, and we let that machines in the casino take our money again. Two Great Days in a row.

 

Day 3 (At sea). Slept a little later today, used the coffee maker in the Suite for late coffee so we could try the Sit-down lunch in the MDR before heading back to the solarium. The lunch selections were actually better than the dinner selections (especially the soups and desserts). The review show was ‘In the Air.” The acrobats were pretty good, but the male lead totally butchered the Phil Collins song of the same name. Much better service at dinner – but the Menu was very weak (especially the Chicken Cordon Blue). After dinner was “Dancing with the Stripes” the ships version of “Dancing with the Stars” in Studio B. This was a something different for us and very well done. This was the first time we got to see the CD in action – we REALLY liked him and were looking forward to seeing what he would do with the Family Feud Game Show as well as the love and Marriage game show later in the week; but, they moved the start time for these things up to conflict with late seating so we did not get to see them. Lost again on the slots. 3 Great days in a row.

 

Day 4 (Costa Maya). We booked a beach break through Island Marketing. Included guaranteed shaded loungers, as much food and drink as you wanted by the surf. They don’t let cabs in to the terminal to pick up passengers. So we paid 3 bucks each to get on a trailer pulled by a pick-up that kind of took us around for a bit before we got to the resort where we booked. Along the way we discovered if we walked out of the terminal we could have grabbed a cab, but did not regret doing something a little touristy. The food and service at Hoochee Kay was very personal but the beach itself was so-so. We passed a couple of nicer places on the trailer but we were happy with our choice. Took a cab back to the terminal, getting back a little faster than we thought- and we realized the beach and pool right at the terminal was pretty darn nice. I’m sure we would have spent more if we had decided just to hang out there, but if we go back that’s probably what we’ll do. I would say for sure that this is one port where if you’re just looking for a simple beach day, you don’t have to pre-book anything. There was no show in the main theater or studio B (Except the Family Feud during late seating). If we had known this, we would have booked our dinner in Chops (which was excellent) a little earlier so we could make it. Lost in the Casino and turned in a little earlier as Roatan was an early port call and a short day with an excursion we were most looking forward to. 4 great days in a row!

 

Day 5 (Roatan – PAYA BAY!). We had a Paya Bay tripped planned for our recent Christmas Cruise on the Caribbean Princess and we could not dock due to high winds. So we really had our expectations built up to the point that we were sure reality could never live up to it. The resort van picked us and one other couple up as soon as we got off the ship (they encouraged us to get off as soon as we could as the drive was long and the hours in port were short). The drive was long, but we got to see a lot of the island. When we saw the sign for the resort after 40 mins and turned off the main road, we thought we were there: but no! There was another 15 min drive on what could best be described as a shale covered trail. But then we got there: A welcome drink and a snack on a deck overhanging the ocean. We pre-ordered our lunch which we pushed off till 45 minutes before the shuttle driver would take us back. Then they escorted us to a private cliffside room which overhung the ocean, with a shower, nice bed and small balcony with the same wonderful view. But there were acres and acres to explore at this place. 3 different beaches, plus a bunch of nooks with shade and seating over-looking everything. But we ended up spending most of our time on the Sandy beach (as it was easy to walk in to and “bluetiful”) with the couple from the ship and another from the hotel. There were only 3 other guests in the whole place! We really, really, really hated to leave. The shuttle got us back ½ before all aboard and we were going to head back to the Solarium but it and all the other pools were crazy crowded. So we enjoyed sailaway again on the Balcony – we ordered some room service (the steak sandwich and spinach thing was really good). I know we had a really nice evening, but I can’t remember much about it because Paya Bay overshadowed the whole thing (Elton John impersonator and Lobster I think). 5 great days in a row!

Day 6 (Cozumel) – This is usually our favorite port, we’ve gotten in to the habit of Booking resort day passes through Island Marketing and a few cruises back went to Sabor and really enjoyed it. This time not so much. It used to share a shaded pool with a swim up bar and other facilities with the resort next door (Aura) which we have also been to. We decided to go back to Sabor since it was half the price of Aura and last time it was not very crowded. This time we were there in the summer and the share agreement with Aura was over. Very few shady spots and all were taken. Beach was crazy rocky (especially compared to the beaches we enjoyed the previous two days) so it was difficult to keep cool so – for the first time ever – we went back to the ship early. Turned out to be a great time to try the new waterslides and we were either the 1st or 2nd cruise where the new tube slide was open. They really put a lot of money and effort in to the new sports deck – much better job than was done on the Navigator. It’s just kind of weird to get to now since the ship’s funnel got “knocked up” by the new exhaust scrubber equipment. It certainly drew a lot of folks away from the areas we enjoy more, but still not enough to keep those areas from feeling crowded with the addition of so many new cabins. We also went to the repeater party. It had a very classic feel to it and the captain was a real charmer – they did a great job marketing the “Next Cruise” thing. We were glad we went (we usually don’t). After dinner we caught the end of the “Battle of the Sexes” which really seemed to have gone well - again during late seating - but we were there for the Quest which is one of our RCCL favorites and we thought the CD would do a really good job with it. The CD was funny, but the Quest has evolved from an Adult oriented scavenger hunt to an opportunity for guys to do things in public that no woman would ever do – it got kind of stupid. Continued our loosing streak in the casino. On the whole another great day.

 

Day 7 (At Sea) – Last day for coffee on the Balcony. We slept in with the in with the idea that we’d do a little time on the promenade, do the sit down lunch, and ice show before one last time under the bridge in Solarium. Well, we saw there was no wait at Next Cruise and based on what we’ve read here previously and what we had heard on board and at the repeater party, we decided to book an Allure Cruise for spring break with the kids next year – not sure we’ll actually do it (it’s very difficult for us to plan that far out) but you can change it once and still keep the OBC with very low deposit. Kind of funny that we did this since just two days before we decided our next major vacation was not going to be a cruise but a trip back to Paya Bay - but we’ll figure out how to do that too! Lunch was great – surprised that the menu was different – didn’t use to be that way - and again the soups and deserts for lunch were better than anything at dinner. The Ice Show was OK but the Ice Skaters were fantastic – especially the special guest couple from Russia. We got suited up for the Solarium – but the pool was butts to nuts full. We really appreciated the balcony we had with the JS cause that’s where we ended up. I checked back every 45 mins or so (beer runs) but it didn’t thin out until it was time to get ready for the Farewell show. I can’t really say much about it other than it had a very classic feel to it, with the big band on stage. Really strange that I can’t remember a thing about it other than that it was really good. Dinner menu was kind of disappointing – so I tried the “every night” steak and was pleasantly surprised. We extra tipped the Mater’D and our room steward. Did a little dancing in the crown and little losing in the casino. Didn’t pack until after midnight. 7 really great days in a row!

 

Day 8 (Debark). Ship arrived on time, got to the MDR for our first breakfast there just before they closed the doors. Our tags (8) were called about 5 minutes late, plenty of porters, about a 10 minute wait for customs and one minor glitch with easy cruise parking. I normally just leave DW with the bags and walk to the car, but since the shuttle was there we figured “why not” since there was a lot of traffic around the port. 40 minutes later we were still waiting for the shuttle to fill up for the 2 block drive – so we won’t be doing that again. On the drive home, we saw rain for the first time since our drive up. Thank you Mother Nature!

 

Final Thoughts: Reading through this, reviewing what we did (and didn’t) do, I’m not sure this cruise would have been anywhere near as enjoyable for us if not for the novelty of the Junior Suite. RCCL did not do anything as well as they’ve done it in the past (except embark and debark at all ports). But weather, great shore excursions (did I mention we loved Paya Bay?) and the refreshing change of hitting all of our ports on time out of Galveston kept DW and I very much in our “Happy Zone.” We’ll probably have to rethink our practice of sailing in the winter from Galveston – we can roll with missed ports as well as anyone – but it is so much nicer when things go as planned.

[Clarea]

Thanks for the report.

 

Were you able to use the newly refurbished cruise terminal?

[nealstuber]

Honestly we got through the terminal so fast both ways we didn't notice the difference from a year and a half ago when we did the Navigator.

 

Only improvement we noticed was how bag claim was set-up with plenty of porters.

[ukintheus]

Thanks for the report. :) It sounds like a great cruise overall. Did you find the bar service to be worse in some areas (like the Solarium) over others?

[wolfganghowell]

Thanks for the review. Tidal Wave opened at the very end of our sailing - the 5/29 sailing. Yep that JS closet is greatness - I like it better than the GS one! Now you'll be hooked!

[nativetexan]

We are in a JS in August and looking forward to the trip, the ship and the JS! We have been in a JS before and the extra room is just great. Of course, I'm sure a GS or larger would be lovely too!!

 

Which cabin were you in and where did you park?

 

Thank you!!

[nealstuber]

Thanks for the report. :) It sounds like a great cruise overall. Did you find the bar service to be worse in some areas (like the Solarium) over others?

 

 

I will say that that the servers were available before the shows in the main theater and Studio B. Casino and pool decks terrible and MDR would have stunk if not for the Mater d. Kind of stayed away from the promenade this trip, but it was hit and miss there.

Edited June 29, 2016 by nealstuber

[nealstuber]

We are in a JS in August and looking forward to the trip, the ship and the JS! We have been in a JS before and the extra room is just great. Of course, I'm sure a GS or larger would be lovely too!!

 

 

 

Which cabin were you in and where did you park?

 

 

 

Thank you!!

 

 

We were in 9123. We did easy cruise because the price was right but I think next time we'll go back to Galveston Park and Cruise.

[nativetexan]

We were in 9123. We did easy cruise because the price was right but I think next time we'll go back to Galveston Park and Cruise.

 

Thanks for the info - just getting to that part of the vacation......... parking!!

 

Cheers!!

[JimAOk1945]

We showed up at 10:30 and by 11:00 we had already agreed that the suite upgrade was worth it because we by-passed the long security and check-in lines and were already on board.

 

Did you walk right into the terminal and get into the suite line?

[nealstuber]

There was a separate security line for suite and higher tier guests as well as for check in. Then regular security line was long and folks on our roll call said it was awful.

 

Maybe three people in front of me for security and none for check in.

Edited June 30, 2016 by nealstuber

[aprilcruisers]

We were in 9123. We did easy cruise because the price was right but I think next time we'll go back to Galveston Park and Cruise.

 

 

Galveston Park and Cruise is the way to go.

[preschool teacher]

There was a separate security line for suite and higher tier guests as well as for check in. Then regular security line was long and folks on our roll call said it was awful.

 

Maybe three people in front of me for security and none for check in.

 

Hi great review and I also wanted to tell I lived in Mission for 8years......went to Sharyland. Small world

Edited July 3, 2016 by preschool teacher

[nealstuber]

Hi great review and I also wanted to tell I lived in Mission for 8years......went to Sharyland. Small world

 

 

DW teaches in McAllen :)

[JimAOk1945]

There was a separate security line for suite and higher tier guests as well as for check in. Then regular security line was long and folks on our roll call said it was awful.

 

Maybe three people in front of me for security and none for check in.

 

We will be in a GS on our December cruise. Did the Suite line start outside of the terminal?

Edited July 5, 2016 by JimAOk1945

[nealstuber]

There was a short line out side the terminal, DW waited on it while I parked the car and was waiting at the head of it at the door when I got back. Not clear if she had to wait on it at all.

Edited July 5, 2016 by nealstuber

[nealstuber]

So the edited review is posted...

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=537788

 

Apparently, when a pool is extremely crowded, you can't say it was "butts to nuts" full as that appears to be the only change that was made.

[cincicruisers]

Thanks for sharing your review with us.

[cj_one2000]

So the edited review is posted...

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=537788

 

Apparently, when a pool is extremely crowded, you can't say it was "butts to nuts" full as that appears to be the only change that was made.

 

 

 

You and my hubby are the only two people I've heard this term from [emoji23]

[JaniceB]

Sounds like something a military person would say.

 

How much did the trip to Paya Bay cost and how long were you in port?

[nealstuber]

$89 bucks pp for Paya Bay. Ship was only in port 7 to 3 with all aboard at 2:30.

[JaniceB]

Thank you, I will have a little more time than that. Were the drinks very expensive?

[nealstuber]

Thank you, I will have a little more time than that. Were the drinks very expensive?

 

 

$2 beers $5 frozen cocktails. Bottled water, juice included.

[JaniceB]

That seems very reasonable.

[nealstuber]

That seems very reasonable.

 

 

We did tip the driver $20 for the round trip. Hoping to spend a week there at New Years.