LuCruise

Yes and that's why we will cruise as a family while we can. The booked cruises were discussed with him. The flight for 2024 won't be for awhile so can always cancel/modify the cruise booking if he changes how he feels.

My son will be going to university next year in Ontario. We typically cruise March break and summer but will be switching to December holiday time going forward so he can cruise with us. So far we have booked - New Years cruise Dec 2023 - Xmas cruise Dec 2024 I have tried to look up the calendars online for some of them for this year and it seems like the break between end of exams and start of next session in January lines up with Ontario school board December holidays. Is this typically the case? The cruises themselves are refundable but my worry is waiting on airline until we can confirm (1) where he'll be (as it's his first year so don't know what university yet), (2) his Dec exam schedule, (3) his Jan start date for next term What do others do with kids in university with respect to airline and booking? If they always line up then we should be ok. The new years one is Sun - Sat, with school most likely starting on the Monday (as long as no weather issues to get home). The Xmas one is Sat to Sat, so at worst case would need to get him home from university and go.

Thanks for the comments. Glad you still had a great time. Our kids may go on the flowrider once or twice but not a huge deal for us having 1 vs 2. But I can see it having long lines if just one with so many people on board so those that wanting to go more often, that it would be a negative. Interesting the kids area was so empty.

Thanks for the link to your comments.

Yep have noticed the same. We booked Wonder cruise for March 2024 when it was released last December. It's a year later and it has already gone up by $1000. This is a single balcony room. We booked New Year's cruise on Odyssey cruise for Dec 2024. Two interior virtual rooms. These have gone up by $3500. At one point, I noticed that our Oasis cruise had gone up by $4500. (Not fair to note now as it's past final payment and it's coming up and so comparing non-ref with refundable fare). We have also recently booked Dec cruise on Icon. Price is just ridiculous (and that's for an interior category room). We never would have paid that but really want to take both kids on this ship while we can as older one will be in university and this may be only opportunity. Wasn't expecting cheap though as it's holiday cruise + newest ship. Considering these factors along with general cruise pricing these days, I expect this one as well to only go up in price. In the past, I'd be calling in often for price drops. That seems to rarely happens these days and prices just go up. Definitely book early if you can. It seems to pay off, no pun intended. For us, we are still booking as family vacation is just so important and I treasure the moments and we love cruising. But definitely our room selection has changed and we will book what works so we can cruise. Also, we had a couple of past cruises where we purchased the drink package. That too has gone way up so we just make do and pay a la cart until we are Diamond. We just adjust but still book and enjoy.

Sailing on Wonder in 2024. Surprised at all the negative reviews. Any positive comments? It's still a Royal Oasis class so thinking we'll still be very happy. My saddest thing is Royal not doing Broadway known shows anymore, plus having the same show as on Odyssey, but not a make or break thing. (Staying in a regular balcony room so no suite benefits for us)

Thanks for reading. Enjoy Liberty! My pleasure. Glad you enjoyed.

Conclusion In conclusion, Liberty is a great ship and I would be very happy to sail her again....not too big, not too small , just right. And it's one that we would be happy to bring our kids on unlike a radiance or vision class ship. My favorite ship is still probably Symphony, so Oasis class and then Quantum class, but Liberty and other Freedom class ships are close behind and up there too. Honestly, I never met a ship that I didn't like. A lot say that the short cruises aren't worth it, especially when you need to fly to get to the departure port. But it was this or no cruise and you can still have a very full 4 days (or more like 3.75 days) with amazing food and entertainment, and also just relax from the hustle and bustle of life. Not having to do laundry or cook for 4 days or work, was a bonus. It was fun too to get away with DH, but I did miss our kids a lot. In terms of the 4 day, I would say one negative is that you are barely moving. One of my favorite things is to just walk laps around the ship as the ship moves (esp. cool at the back with the wake). However, even on the sea day, the ship goes super slow as it travels from CoCo Cay to Fort Lauderdale, which it can also do in just 1 day. Guess it's good if you are prone to sea sickness. Now the countdown is on to our next one on Oasis.

Our Return Our departure from the ship was very easy. The concierge at the Suite Lounge told us to meet her at Boleros between x an x, and she would walk us off the ship, and that is what she did. It was great! We took an uber to the airport. From the half sentences of our notifications, we could tell that we might have issues getting back home to Toronto. And yep....when we got there, we found out that our flight was cancelled. There was an automatic rebook for the next morning so we quickly booked a hotel for a night and then ubered there. However, when we got there, the airline (WestJet) notified us that the rebook was also cancelled, and no rebook at this point. Ugh! We wanted to get back to our kids so DH checked out alternative options. Spent a lot to just get us on a flight on a different airline, which got us home safe and sound by midnight. Happy to see our kids but not happy to return to -13 degree weather.

No Internet but Interesting with Wifi When going on a cruise, we don't purchase internet so we can disconnect and spend time together as a family. In the past, we would lock our phones in the safe, and I would always have a paper cruise compass on me as well as an (old fashioned but small) camera. However, paper cruise compasses seem a thing of the past (I managed to grab one when we boarded at guest services but didn't see any others going forward). Thus, you need your phone for the compass, which now doubles as a camera for me. You connect with the ship's Wifi. On Liberty, you don't (and can't) book any shows but you can add items to your calendar, which is a nice feature so you can add things you'd like to attend and then go to "My Calendar" to see things that you marked. Notifications It was funny as even without internet, I would get notifications on my phone. I could only see what is shown on my home screen (so about half a sentence), but it lets you get certain news items. For example, we were informed that our kids schools were cancelled the last day of our cruise due to the weather. I guess these came through as some (limited) Wifi seeped through? Chat Feature I haven't seen anyone comment on this yet but the chat feature seemed to be working on the app. I heard it was coming next year but didn't realize it was there already. You access it by the 3 dots in the top right corner. It was funny too as DD was home but has the app installed under my email. She told us when we returned that she saw us talking to each other (but of course, couldn't chat with us from back home). This feature will be very handy when we cruise next year with our kids as they sometimes go off on their own and then we just set a meeting time back in our stateroom. So this will give more flexibility.

Hard one. I've been on all classes but radiance class (but vision class was so long ago). DH and I would like to go on something like Brilliance one day. I love them all but would only book Oasis, Quantum/Ultra, Freedom or Voyager with our kids. If I had to pick my favorite, I would pick Oasis class, with Symphony being my favorite ship. It was just wow in every way...activities, decor, shows, etc. I also really enjoyed Anthem and also love Freedom and Voyager class. Really haven't been on a ship that I didn't like. They are all similar in one sense with layout, activities going on, etc but each give their own appeal. By mid of 2025, I will have been on all Oasis ships but Harmony, all Freedom ships and all Voyager sihps but Explorer. it's fun to compare one to the other.

Our Stops For us, the cruise is about the ship but will briefly discuss our stops. Nassau Our first stop was Nassau. Our first time there we booked Blue Lagoon with our kids. It was a bit pricey but very nice. However, since then we either don't get off or just briefly. In my case, I like to get off as it's usually a good stop to get a full ship photo (depending on where the ship parks). In fact, one year on our Navigator cruise, I regretted not getting off since our next stop was cancelled and ended up with zero ship photos from the outside. DH likes watches so we walked to a specific indoor shop indoor watch store that he discovered on his last time. Along the way, a few people stopped us and we learned that DH has puffy eyes and I have bags (lol...lady was trying to sell us something). We found the watch store that DH likes but weren't too long and simply turned back around. It started spitting very slightly , but I don't think it ever fully turned to rain. CoCo Cay CoCo Cay is nice. We were there a couple times before the re-do, and although we had about 6 cruises booked with this stop since, we have only been once since they re-did it due to the shut down. This past March on Anthem, we went to the waterpark with our kids, but with just DH and I, we didn't have anything planned. Instead, we just found some loungers at one of the beaches. This was the first place someone suggested we go to. It's good if you have young kids but a but too calm for us. Instead we kept walking and ended up at Chill Island. A lot of people had snorkeling gear (I think you can rent it) and at this area, you could also rent paddleboards, a bit waterbike, kayaks, etc. We just mostly read, and I like to walk along the water and partly go in with the waves (but just to my thighs). Water was cold but you got used to it. For lunch, we went to the buffet. As mentioned earlier, we don't eat meat, but they had really good veggie paninis. Also a bit of advice....don't miss the brownies. So good! We walked the long way back to the ship and saw the fancy over the water bungalow things. Pretty cool, but I looked them up for our next cruise and they cost almost as much as the cruise. Uh no thanks! What is crazy, is that they are sold out. They look nice, but not for us. One up close We also walked by the pool. It's a pretty busy happening place. We hung out around the pool for a bit on our last cruise but not on this cruise. It's a pretty amazing pool though...huge! This is just one end of it for the younger kids with a beach entry. We got lucky with the weather too as it was just perfect. When walking back to the ship it looked like it was going to pour as the clouds were so dark, but it never did rain in the end. I do really like what they did with CoCo Cay. There is something for everyone.

Excited to see your review as they are always fun to follow along. Can totally relate to the above. Often we book a cruise and then it's like "oh, where is it going?". And also from Ontario, can also relate to getting out of the cold. I hope the airport mess has cleared up and you have an uneventful travel to FLL. Good you are flying out of Detroit and not Pearson. Safe travels.

Ship Photos We've been on a few Royal ships. They all have a similar layout with a Royal feel and way of doing things, but it's always fun to see how they differ. When booking a cruise, we will often select a ship that we haven't been on yet (this includes all of our upcoming bookings as well). Thought I'd post some miscellaneous photos that I took around Liberty. Schooner Bar (It's empty as I took this close to when we boarded) The Promenade deck. I love the bridge that they have on Freedom class ships. From above showing the tree. It's always fun too to see what car each ship has. The Solarium The main pool. Yes, that is the movie screen and it's covered as it's not working. We never actually sat at this pool (I just did lots of laps around) so it didn't bother us that it wasn't working. They always had music playing and such so it was still an upbeat happening area. The kids pool. Our kids are teenagers so even if they were with us, they wouldn't have used this pool/splash area but I do love how they have it for younger kids. So much fun for them. The regular waterslides The Tidal Wave slide. It's hard to capture the whole thing in one photo but it's a regular slide on a mat that ends with the part that sends you back (to the exit)

Too bad you couldn't get the room, but you'll still have a great time. We also had 11am boarding time. It was very easy. We arrived at the port at 10:30am and went through check in right away. They had one suite section and a regular section. (We sat in regular section). While waiting we did the first two steps of the muster i.e. watched the videos. It didn't take long for them to call us. Unlike other cruises, they didn't call you by status but just by the row where you are seating. So it doesn't hurt to come early to get a closer seat. I looked at my watched when walking on the ship and it was 10:58am so not bad. I can post a few photos of CoCo Cay. Like you, we didn't have any excursions so just went to one of the beaches (Chill Island side). It was a lovely day. The water was cool, but I'm a chicken that way. Once you got used to it, it was fine. I only went to my thighs but there were many swimming and snorkeling. Enjoy your cruise. It's coming up!

Thanks. I remember in the older deck plans, it would tell you pullman vs sofa bed. But now, it just shows "Stateroom occupancy up to 3 available" and "Stateroom occupancy up to 4 available" (and even though I'm searching on 3 guests, some of the 4 available rooms are offered.

Thanks for the note. Hope you enjoyed Liberty as well! Looks like you had a neat view with being right over the Christmas tree. We quite like these rooms and will also do connecting rooms when we come with our kids. Lol...thanks for the note about the cup cakes. Definitely would have lost the effect if the odd one was gone but can see them just handing them all out. 😁 If going again on one of these ships, the B&J room with the connecting would be a great option.

Thanks. Good to know. I like the sun (for a bit) but DH prefers the shade.

Thanks. The one I was looking at was on deck 8, corner balcony. Can still change our mind as long as it's available.

Thank you for the photos! It's the window door that made us go with just a regular balcony in the end. Mind you, didn't realize it also has a porthole . Is the balcony mostly in the sun? That was one of DH's concern.

Thank you. In the end, we went with a regular balcony room...and just went back to a standard one mid ship. I've tried to look at cruise deck plans to understand theh rooms. We had the option of one that holds 3 (Royal's map shows it with a triangle) or one that holds 4 (Royal's map shows it with a star).....and so we booked one with a star. It looks like this one has a sofa bed. Hopefully I'm right (although DD says she is ok with a pullman). Hmm...went with regular but can think about the spacious balcony. Doesn't seem like a huge difference but maybe it does once you compare the rooms.

Thank you. I'm looking as well at the regular balcony rooms that are aft, and some show as not obstructed. The only thing I need to make sure is that our daughter is ok with a pullman vs sofa bed. It also seems like it has a door with a window vs full glass sliding doors, which is a bit of a downside but not a show stopper. The balcony itself looks bigger and neat shaped. Or...there are regular balcony rooms too on the sides. Some show with a star so not sure if these mean sofa bed? Thanks for the feedback too on balcony vs spacious balcony as it doesn't seem like it's much difference. Good tip if we go with a JS to book on the hump.

Thanks so much for the feedback. Good to know that you had no issue on the corner aft on Liberty, which is the same class ship. The regular balcony rooms are actually attractive for this as we could book at the cheaper price but get a neat balcony (and not all show as obstructed). We have stayed even 4 of us in a single similar size room (this cruise is 3) so we can manage. It's just tempting to book a JS as it is still in our price range of what we would pay for a cruise. We would already made the level we want (assume our booked cruises are a go) so double points isn't a major factor at that point.

Looking at possibly booking a cruise for 3 of us (two adults and a teenager) on Freedom and debating between a Balcony, Spacious Balcony and Junior Suite. We typically don't book JS but it is in our budget this time. Having said that, the JS is $1000 more than the regular balcony and $800 more than Spacious Balcony. Is the spacious balcony actually that much bigger than a regular balcony room? It lists it as 207 sq ft vs 188 sq ft, but do you feel the difference or more storage? Is the JS worth the extra money? As a note, if our existing cruises go, we will already be at the next level so points always help in the long run, but not a doesn't do much at this point. If we go for a Junior Suite, we can select ones mid ship or right at the aft looking at the back of the ship. Anyone stayed in those aft rooms (e.g. 7712)? Is movement an issue? We often book aft section but not right at the end. Could be a long walk though. I know this is personal preference, but would love to hear feedback.

Entertainment The shows on cruise ships are one of my favorite things about cruising (that, and the food). Shows are subjective but my feedback is overall it was great on Liberty. Definitely things were back to normal covid-wise which was nice to see. In The Air (Royal's production show) There is no story but it's themed about in the air and in the water. At some points DH would look at me like "WTH is this?" mostly the water scenes. But personally I really enjoyed this show. The costumes were colourful and the dancing was amazing. There was this one couple that really stood out. Saturday Night Fever Same cast as In the Air, so again, dancing was amazing. I didn't love the story myself, but that's more a critic on the movie. Royal's production was amazing. The guy playing the lead role moved exactly like John Travolta. I was worried of getting a seat for this one as there were only 2 showings; 4:30pm and 9pm and so figured the 9pm would be packed. However, we went 1hr early and had no issue getting good seats. Don't miss this one. Ice Show Again, very good skaters but the show itself was a little boring compared to other cruises where they make it more fun (Mariner, Navigator and Symphony with the drones, etc). May also be a personal preference the first 75% of the music was older and slower vs something I knew. Headliner - Comedian Our cruise was the last cruise with this comedian but he was ok. Some good jokes, but I liked his personality and delivery of the comedy with how he laughs at his own jokes. He also did a second show late on the last night, definitely not for kids. The Quest Our cruise was the first one where The Quest returned since the pandemic. It was run really well and I liked how people didn't seem as prepared for this one. The last few that we've seen on other ships, people came prepared with potential items that will be included so it wasn't as much fun. Love and Marriage This show is always fun. They had a newlywed couple, the mid range couple (a guy named "Joe" who became a celebrity on the ship as he got well known), but not really the long married couple. It was a bit annoying as this one couple said they were married 50+ years but clearly they were barely even 50 years old. No one else volunteered though for that category so they were the couple. It was still a funny show. Belly Flop Another fun show and let's just say that Joe was the winner, which wasn't a surprise. Schooner Bar The piano player was excellent. You could tell that she loves what she does and she interacted with the audience which makes for a better performance. She even took requests and 90% of the time would be able to play the song (and if not, said she would learn it for the next night). Battle of the Sexes This one wasn't well hosted as the host didn't even explain the game. We've been to this before where it was better but I found this one silly and not well done. Trivia We joined a few of these. They are always fun, even if hard. I'm used to them being done in Schooner Bar but these were mostly in the Star Lounge, which actually worked well due to the space and layout of the room. 70s Show This one is also always fun. It was held on the Promenade on the last night. I think if we had been in our room it would have been quite noisy as our room was a bit behind the beam where they were standing. (There was another beam behind us with dancers). As an aside, we never even heard noise from our room on the Promenade.