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Live from the LIBERTY of the SEAS 3/26/17 sailing

sldispatcher
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LeesSummitCruiser1

LeesSummitCruiser1

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A TRIP OF FIRSTS

 

With typical excitement of most vacations, our group of 24 head off towards Galveston tomorrow to join the LOS and her voyage on 3/26/17. One multi-generational family, a family celebrating two college graduations, and a selection of couples traveling along for a fun filled week.

 

This will be my first RCCL cruise. Celebrity, HAL, and Oceania are my previous experiences.

 

I'm looking forward to the entire experience not as much as a comparison as to take it for what it is.

 

This will be a first where we will not be flying into the debarkation port but utilizing an itinerary and ship where driving is more than acceptable. To me, that takes some of the stress away.

 

This will also be the first truly mega ship that we will have ventured on. The Solstice Class ships by Celebrity being the largest so far.

 

We will experience all 3 specialty dining venues for the first time.

 

I've tempered my expectations to the point that it will be fairly easy to beat them. Having come off of an Oceania 10 day voyage on the Marina the first of February, we come to this to focus on enjoying family that is thrilled to be taking ONE vacation this year together.

 

So I may not be first in line to board the ship Sunday (stuck with yet another Coast Guard inspection). I definitely won't be the first to review the ship. In fact, I'm not even sure what we'll do first once onboard. But I'll report to those who follow along for the sake of sharing info with this community that so generously shares and posts for all of us.

 

This cruise is about building those memories that will remain with us forever. No matter the kid count or the lines. No matter the décor or the food selection. We'll see what Liberty of the Seas will provide for us this week as a venue to do just that.

 

So on Sunday we will embark and I'll report our impressions from the very first to the last.

 

 

We were the ones with glum faces going the other direction as you were boarding. We had a great cruise 3/19 - 3/26 and we were sad to get off.

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sldispatcher

sldispatcher

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You Can’t Get There From Here

 

 

We arrived to a slow but steady stream of cars enteringthe port at about 1050am. We dropped offthe luggage with the porters, the women and children, and then parked thevehicles at the VIP Parking. The suiteline moved right through security. Theother line, not so much. Check in wasnecessary, but made painless by the shore staff. Don’t know about you, but other lines havehad you do online check in only to ask for the credit card again, etc. Not here. The seapass paperwork did as advertised. A few hole punches for lanyards and up an escalator to a massive hallfilled to the brim with waiting customers. Fortunately, the suite line had already started boarding and in two shakesof a lambs tale we were onboard.

 

 

A backup generator test was being done so the elevatorswere shut down for a few minutes. Wewandered down the Pomenade to see if we could catch a table at Sorrento’s, butit was already fairly busy. At aboutthat time an announcement was made that the elevators were back inservice. So we made a swerve and headedupstairs to the WEJAMMERPEOPLEINHERE CAFE. It was like the day after Thanksgiving at the original Macy’s. I was aware that it was going to be this wayand we secured a table before people made an attempt to reach the feedtroughs. Actually, the staff was doing agood job bringing basic beverages around and keeping tables cleaned.

 

 

The food was about what one would expect on a mass marketcruise for a ship of 4000 so one can’t really complain too much there. Any snags in the lines were not caused byRCCL as much by the folks who must not have seen food in a week if the piles offood on their plates were any indication.

 

 

We did not stay long so as to give up our table forothers to get a place to sit.

 

 

Sauntering around the ship we looked into some of theother areas and venues as rooms would not be available until after 200pm. I cannot say if this was routine or not butthere were letters in the rooms mentioning GI illness on the previous cruise. There are some areas where venues, such asStudio B, could only be accessed from the aft elevator bank. A classic case of “you can’t get there fromhere” that is a necessity on some ships.

 

 

The thundering herds were massed near the entrances intothe hallways of the cabins at 130pm. Assoon as the announcement was made, the lines moved and we quickly went to theaft of the ship where our cabins….were not ready. Almost, but not quite.

 

 

Positive and negatives on the designs: the small walk in closet is nice. The rooms have ample storage. The quality of linens and furnishings isright up there with Comfort Inn, but again, I’m not really shocked. I think for the crowd and price point theship attracts, it’s just right.

 

 

In complete honesty, the room was not completelyclean. A random hair here, etc. Not enough to “ruin a trip” as some mightstate, but may have been more of a symptom of a necessary ship wide sanitationand Coast Guard drill.

 

 

The haze was thick by late in the afternoon with the330pm muster drill. Some were able to doso in the dining room and other indoor venues while we had the pleasure oflining up outside on the deck. The shadewas okay and they tried to get it done as quickly as possible.

 

 

Let’s face it. Galveston does not count in the top 10 locales for a scenic sailaway. Probably doesn’t even hit top25. The industrial area and ships are alwaysinteresting, but the combination of sun, haze, heat, and water that matches thecarpet in the cabin chased us off our balcony rather quickly. I’m looking forward to the Gulf waters thatshow you what real navy blue looks like.

 

 

Dinner at Chops Grille tonight was efficient if notalmost hurried. The waitress wasefficient enough from the start. Food isso subjective it is not really worth listing favorites or misses. However, the crab cakes were well thought ofas was the fried goat cheese salad. Forme, without a charcoal grill, steaks can only be so good. The cuts of meat were adequate. There were multiple happy plates.

 

 

The true gem of the evening was simply dining together isa round table where everyone could converse without shouting. It was actually a great way to start thingsaway from the maddening crowds. I mustsay, however, that it seemed like the ship settled down after the zaniness ofthe embarkation period. Exiting Chopsrevealed a Windjammerthepeoplein Café that looked desolate at 800pm.

 

 

A quick peak down the alley of the Promenade did appearto show a throng of people.

 

 

I’m expecting the rest of the week to be more representativeof what there is to offer. My experiencetells me to wait until the end of the week before passing judgment on the line,the ship, or the port. I am pleased thatthere is a product differentiation between the RCCL and Celebrity lines. Going further, I can also state there is adifference between those two lines and HAL. Finally, most of this crowd would probably be miserable on an Oceaniacruise where we relish in it.

 

 

Here's the deal for me. We, the public, are fortunate to have a buffet of choices for taking acruise vacation to many parts of the world. As part of that process, we each have to decide how we get from planningto go on the trip to the experience that we are after. We’ve loaded 3 tweens, in-laws, a host offriends, twentysomethings, older generations and asked a vendor to supplysomething to meet everyone’s needs within a day’s drive of the house.

 

 

You can’t get there from here.

 

 

I’m not so sure yet. We only just started.

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internetwhiz

internetwhiz

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Have been on Liberty 4X this year. Be sure to look for the GOOD things!

Like...

-In The Air cirque type show

-the ice show

-Lunch in the Main Dining room on sea days

-sushi in the windjammer

-chocolate breakfast

-Saturday night fever

-the Solarium for adults and water parks for kiddos

-hope you did First night done right online and signed up for dinner at Sabor for $15 each

 

That's a start anyway.

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JTBCruiser

JTBCruiser

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Enjoying your review. We sailed on her Nov 16 and sailing again Sep 17. This was the quickest we've ever embarked. I was amazed on how fast it was. We were platinum but our friends were entry level gold but they let our friends join us. We arrived between 1100-1130 and got right on board. We had a great time, favorite places were the solarium hot tub and sea day MDR lunches. We had an aft balcony and loved it. Great room and wait staff as well.

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BecciBoo Great Review Rare

BecciBoo

Posted
Posted
You Can’t Get There From Here

Here's the deal for me.We, the public, are fortunate to have a buffet of choices for taking acruise vacation to many parts of the world.As part of that process, we each have to decide how we get from planningto go on the trip to the experience that we are after.We’ve loaded 3 tweens, in-laws, a host offriends, twentysomethings, older generations and asked a vendor to supplysomething to meet everyone’s needs within a day’s drive of the house.

You can’t get there from here.

.

 

LOL Sounds like Congress to me...heh heh heh

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melski

melski

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Posted
You Can’t Get There From Here

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sauntering around the ship we looked into some of theother areas and venues as rooms would not be available until after 200pm.I cannot say if this was routine or not butthere were letters in the rooms mentioning GI illness on the previous cruise.There are some areas where venues, such asStudio B, could only be accessed from the aft elevator bank.A classic case of “you can’t get there fromhere” that is a necessity on some ships.

 

 

 

.

 

Wow! We were on the cruise before you and never heard about the GI illness. They were constantly wiping down the railings but no more or less than other cruises. They did mention that they would sanitize the theater between the 1st and 2nd seatings of Saturday Night Fever on Saturday but they made it sound normal. Good thing my family of 6 didn't get anything...I avoid WJ as much as possible for this reason but we did eat there more than normal for us this cruise.

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toxicfairy

toxicfairy

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This ia really getting me excited. Although we have to wait until the end of August I know the time will pass too quickly and we'll be on a cruise ship. It's nice to see a new review of the LOS. Most are several years old. Also nice to see one from a point of view like we have ...not goinf with crazy expectations and enjoying and making the most of family time!

 

Sent from my SM-J700T1 using Forums mobile app

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Collierln

Collierln

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This is so exciting. My family and I will sail Liberty on May 21st. Although we've taken the Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Jamaica route before on the Navigator in 2015, I am definitely looking forward to sailing with Liberty!

 

Thanks for sharing!

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