jmklade

Have a great cruise!  In my opinion, when you have finally reached the cruise port, the day before is always the best.  You have tons of energy and the whole cruise to look forward to. 

Nice review as usual Megan.  I always enjoy your reviews.  I was curious as to what your thoughts would be going back to Carnival after VV and Celebrity.  I'm sorry you had to deal with the issues that you did.  I like many others am more concerned about the lack of action on Carnival's part.  The sad thing is it will most likely change how you meander around the ship by yourself going forward.  I hope that is not the case because that is what makes your reviews really fun to read.  Prayers to Teo too. 

Great review as usual Megan!  I just took your advice and downloaded the Free Now app for our Western Med cruise in October.  It will be our first trip to Europe, so I appreciated the travel tips.

Great review as usual Megan.  I truly enjoyed it! 😃

3 hours ago, MeganGC1983 said:

Flying is getting to be a real PITA these days. We are rebooked. Leaving DFW tomorrow night flying straight to London and then on to Athens. Instead of getting to Athens at 1:40pm on the 3rd, it will be 1:15am on the 4th. To say I’m unhappy is an understatement. 

I feel your pain and agree 100% on the PITA of flying these days.

I received my email today.  I have followed the problems closely because we have our first Azamara cruise in 5 months.  Yes, our reservations were and continue to be mess, but I have faith.  We are not new to cruising and I agree this IT fiasco has been frustrating but I at least feel better that they are finally acknowledging the problem and letting us know how they intend to fix it.

1 hour ago, Sleep7 said:

👋Hello jmklade!

You are so welcome.. thanks so much for taking the time to read my review and for your kind words.

I actually know exactly what cruise you are going on in October! We were going to book that cruise but then I found this one in April and booked it instead as 7 days is better for us than 9 days.  October is such a lovely time in the Med.. true weather perfection. Great choice.😃

I'm glad that my "boots on the ground" reporting put your mind at ease that all is well on the ships even if their IT situation is very frustrating right now.

Going on your first Azamara cruise is the BEST!!! Everything is so new and exciting and in my opinion is a huge step up from RCL and X.

Enjoy every moment!!!🙋‍♀️

 

Thanks, looking forward to it.😀

Thank you Sleep7 for the great review.  My wife and I are taking a 9 day Western Med cruise on Quest in October.  We have sailed many times but never on Azamara (RC and X).  Thank you for restoring my faith in Azamara after all the IT glitches.  I had heard that all was well on the ships once people arrived, but it is nice to have somebody confirm that.  I am very much looking forward to this trip and I also believe we are supposed to have the same Azamazing experience in Livorno as you did.

On 3/18/2023 at 1:07 PM, A&L_Ont said:

Got this shocker. Not as glorious as getting on a ship. 
 

This made me laugh. 
 

@Sea Dog this reminded me our your Bob Marley drink. 

 

My wife bought that sign for our last cruise.

46 minutes ago, TravelGirlinDallas said:

How sad. I was hoping to see that someday.

They usually rotate.  We spent 3 days there before our December and they usually had the Puerto Rican flag up as the canopy. They are repairing the bricks because some of the streets had crazy sunken dips in them.  It seemed to me that they were lifting the bricks and repairing the surface underneath.  I am pretty sure the bricks will be laid back when repaired.

47 minutes ago, MeganGC1983 said:

I tried to get my favorite liquor store to import some. Carib won’t let it happen. I’m sure it probably wouldn’t be as enjoyable in Oklahoma. Sigh

We can get Carib from Total Wine here in WI but it sucked.  It was so skunky.

On 2/12/2023 at 7:04 AM, sid_9169 said:

The final costume of the day...

 

 

 

Love that shirt!

Great review as usual Sid.  I am missing Mexico now except for the bathroom facilities.

I finally made it to the end of your great review.  We were on Voyager of the Seas when you were doing this and departed out of OSJ.  We spent two days before the cruise and one after there.  We were standing at the point where you took the picture of La Perla and we saw a couple of people go down the stairs heading to the buildings below and the really funky colored basketball court.  We didn't know it has a bad reputation as it apparently does but we decided against going any further.  We are glad we did.  Once again thanks for the great review.  

It is nice to get a few reviews from people that don't stay in suites.  I appreciate them all but especially the ones that give different viewpoints. 

On 11/26/2022 at 9:41 PM, Deez123 said:

 

Hahaha.  Yeah right.  I’ll just cancel my fight with 1 hr notice.   Try to find a flight thanksgiving weekend for the next day, pay 2x the original inflated cost.    Then I’ll just cancel the non refundable hotel reservation for tonight since less than 24 hr notice.   Then I’ll cancel my prepaid parking reservation too.   
 

After all that is done I’ll go on cruise critic and FB and sing praises of RCL for giving me 23 hrs notice and no assistance.  
 

At least those onboard are getting some assistance for fights.  I got nothing but a text message. 

Is it a major inconvenience, yes.  Please don't cruise or take any land based vacations if you can't handle unexpected things happening. It is life.  It stinks, but they were trying to help a fellow passenger survive.

My condolences to you.  I really enjoyed reading your Voyager review since I will be on her this Sunday.  I can't imagine your loss and I pray she rests in peace.  I lost my best friend several years ago at 40 and everyone thought he was crazy for the amount of money he spent on travel.  I have always told my DW that I regret a lot of expenditures but after my friend's death, I will never regret money spent on travel for the memories with loved ones and the wonderful friends than we have met.  Again, I am very sorry for your loss and wish you the best.

23 hours ago, MeganGC1983 said:

Conclusion…

The ship is great and even though there are still some kinks to work out, it’s a great vacation. 
I enjoyed the laid back vibe. The lack of announcements was definitely a plus in my book. It might leave some lost, but it’s really your vacation and what you make of it. I wasn’t beat over the head with bingo card sales and picture requests. 
I thought the included value was awesome. From the wifi to the sushi, steak options, and gratuity, when we left cash, it was a surprise to the crew. They definitely aren’t expecting it. 
The ship spaces are incredible. So sleek and picture ready. 
The entertainment is interesting. I can see how it’s not for everyone. In fact, DH wasn’t a fan. The crowd (as in the other sailors) were not his vibe. And I’m hoping he has a better time on a longer sailing. 
The app reservation thing, could use some work. Actually, it was a mess for this first time VVer and I knew what I needed to do going in. Next time, I’ll be even more proactive and sadly try to stay sober until I’ve accomplished the task at hand. I appreciate what the app is trying to do especially with the notifications, but it needs help. 
The food, I think, is over hyped. Were there some exceptional dishes, yes! The Galley food sans sushi was a let down. The Wake was okay. Extra Virgin wins the race from where we ate. I will say the desserts were AMAZING overall. 
The only downside to the cabin was “the one stop shop” bathroom that you could do all things at once in. ESPN on the cabin tv, yes please! 
Overall, I look forward to sailing Valiant in January. I am a little nervous for the new sailors we are bringing along. 
Thanks to everyone that followed along! I was a little hesitant to live review this one since it was a “new to me” experience. Hopefully it was somewhat informative other than that fact that I can drink. 😆 Hope to see you all again in 11 days… On to the next and Cheers! 

Great review as usual Megan!

3 hours ago, Momof3gurlz said:

As promised, here’s my summary of the cruise.  In a word, EXCELLENT!  We really enjoyed the repositioning aspect and I’m going to actively search for these going forward.  For us, leaving out of Boston (or even a repo back to Boston) was so convenient. I really wish Royal offered more options from this port.  I’m going to break this up into categories. 
 

The Ship - knowing the age of Voyager and based only on my recollection of Explorer’s old teal decor, I was a little worried the ship would feel dated.  This was completely unfounded.  We thought the ship was in beautiful shape, seemed very up to date and was exceptionally clean. We also loved the size of the ship and its classic lines and features. As an example, these two pictures of an empty schooner bar.  I love the round windows where you can look out at the sea, not to mention the outside promenade deck. 

 

 

The Crew - overall very good and unfailingly friendly.  Without exception, all were wearing KN95 masks, even outside on the pool deck, until about mid-week when it became optional. 
Our room steward wasn’t the greatest. He was very friendly, just a little forgetful.  He would refill the ice bucket for my wine bottles every day but never remembered a wine glass.  I took to just grabbing one from a bar.  I know, first world problems, right?  Also, our towel refreshment was always a guessing game.  Some days 2 hand towel and 3 washcloths, another day no washcloths and 1 hand towel 🤷🏻‍♀️.  We started just disassembling the towel animals to get what we needed.  
The one thing that really annoyed me is the washy-washy lady at the WJ entrance.  Her speel was non stop, even directing people to the sinks on either side of the entrance, but there was no enforcement.  So many people just ignored her and walked right in, and she let them. 

There did seem to be some inconsistency with bar servers on the pool deck.  There were a couple out in the mornings who were excellent (you know the type, they remember your drink order from the day before), but they disappeared in the afternoon, I’m guessing to other duties.  Some of the other servers appeared to be new - kind of wandering around with that deer in the headlights look.  
I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I can’t say enough good things about the staff at the R Bar.  Just amazing camaraderie and excellent service.  They were A.J., Romulo, Bradley and Manan.  I believe Manan was a manager as he wore the black shirt & black pants while the others wore white shirts & gold vests, but he was in there working and joking around with them & the patrons every night.  
The Food - we found it to be very, very good.  We didn’t have a bad dish in the MDR. My only complaint about the MDR is long wait times between courses.  We stuck to the WJ for breakfast & lunch.  I can’t say a lot about breakfast because mine usually consists of fresh fruit and those little round cinnamon rolls.  There was good variety at lunch. The usual hamburgers, hot dogs, breads, deli station and salad bar but also something different every day.  For example, a carving station, sweet & sour pork, paella, roasted chicken, beef stroganoff.  There were a few Indian dishes but I didn’t pay much attention because we don’t care for it.  And of course our meal at Giovanni’s was excellent.  Pizza from Cafe Promenade made for an okay afternoon snack but my favorite item there was a Greek salad wrap that I’m going to try to recreate.  

Our Cabin - we were very happy with our Jr Suite.  For just the two of us, way more storage than we needed.  We loved the privacy that the enclosed balcony provided and I loved how the wide, wide sliding doors brightened up the room.  
I will say there was a bit (and I mean a very little bit) of rust in the nooks and crannies of the balcony but that type of thing doesn’t bother us.  Around day 5 we noticed the room feeling very warm, even with the AC at the coolest setting.  We reported to Guest Services before dinner and by the time we got back to the cabin a few hours later it was working just fine.  And they followed up with a phone call the next day to make sure it was working.  
I would book this category again for the right price, but don’t feel it’s necessary for just the two of us.  
 

Entertainment - for us, this was the only area lacking.  But as I type that, I realize this is just for OUR taste.  There was live music most nights in either the Star Lounge or High Notes up in the Viking Crown Lounge area.  Problem is, by that time we were already settled in at the R Bar (have I mentioned how much we liked it 😂) with the regular crowd.  The one I will comment on is the piano bar guy, Juan, in the Schooner Bar at night.  Just our opinion but we thought he was awful.  We didn’t attend any shows, we’re boring like that.  So for me to say it was lacking isn’t a fair assessment.  I guess what I mean is it would’ve been nice to have some music at the R Bar.  We were not the only ones who thought this, one of the regulars brought a little blue tooth speaker one night and it was great.  One lady did a knockout karaoke version of Son of a Preacher Man, the bartenders were singing.  Just great fun.  
So that’s about it.  I’ve enjoyed doing this but it’s a lot of work, I’m not sure I’ll do another.  Our next cruise is at the end of January in NCL.  I might just post a few things about it over on Dani’s thread.  Then the Bella cruise in March which I’m hoping we will have one combined thread we can all contribute to.  
Thanks for following along!  Now I need to catch up over at “Dani’s house” 🙂

 

Great review and thank you for the time you invested.  I am more of a "lurker" on this site rather than a poster, but I do sincerely appreciate the good reviews all of you provide.

14 hours ago, jmh2006 said:

Have a safe trip home!  Sorry about the gross hotel rooms.  I have never stayed overnight in San Juan and not sure I want too 😜.

San Juan is a great city.  To be honest one of our favorites.  One bad hotel room should really not be your deciding factor on staying there!  As a matter of fact, we will be staying there 2 nights before and 1 night after our Voyager cruise the first week of December.  

On 10/25/2022 at 4:55 PM, Momof3gurlz said:

 

 

We were planning to just play it by ear as far as food in SJ, but it seems like we need to look into Raices.  The one place on my list was Cafe Mallorca for their breakfast Mallorca’s.  

I agree, I love Cafe Mallorca.😀

On 10/24/2022 at 4:44 PM, Momof3gurlz said:

Thanks for following, I hope it’s a great cruise!

I will be following along as well.  We are due to be on Voyager the first week of December out of San Juan.  This was the first ship I was on in 2004.  I am looking forward to your reports as to how the ship has held up.  Thanks again for taking the time to do the review.

On 10/22/2022 at 11:09 PM, Sea Dog said:

All packed up. Luggage tags attached. Sitting on the balcony one last time with cognac in hand . It’s been a fantastic week despite injury and pain. Liberty of the Seas is still a great ship to sail on. Great crew who take pride in what they do.

 

My only disappointment was the bourbon selection on board and my inability to connect with one bartender all week. This is the first cruise where I stayed out of the Schooner Bar. The main highlight excursion was Stingray City.

 

Unfortunately we never saw our adopted friend Elaine after our excursion together. I hope she had a good time.

 

My fears of a wild drunken crowd from the Country Music Cruise was quickly put to ease. This was one cruise we’re everyone was polite and respectful. I met some really nice people.

 

I’ll post a few more for our trip back home. If you have any questions feel free to ask. Sorry I didn’t get any Compasses to scan. I pretty much keep up to date in the app. No need for compasses in my book.

 

Thanks for following along. This was my most viewed review yet. I hope you enjoyed more of a personal story. I was a story teller professionally for over 40 years until retirement. I like telling stories that are personal and ones that people can relate . It keeps my head in the game. And if I can make someone laugh or cry, give them some information they might find helpful or just plain entertain then my job is fulfilled.
 

Good night friends. I’ll be up early getting some breakfast and making sure I take my meds and drink plenty of water.

Great review as usual Greg.  Thanks for spending the time.

On 10/17/2022 at 9:39 AM, Sea Dog said:

Here is the longer version of the sail away.

 

 

I'm waiting for the confetti to come streaming down at the 12 mile marker and the full bar is open. 😄

Great review Megan!  I appreciate your sense of humor.

I agree it was a great report.  My wife and I were supposed to be on Voyager last May for a Baltic cruise but cancelled due to St. Petersburg being cancelled for obvious reasons.  We will be on Voyager now in December out of San Juan.  Thanks again for the report.