JudyD222

My report on an Alaska Connoisseur tour several years ago may be found at https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1727858

 

Unfortunately the web site hosting the photos no longer allows them to be displayed, but the text should help answer the OP's questions.

 

You can see many of the photos in a book form at http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8Acs2rVy0csnmA Click on "VIEW" to see them.

I was very appreciative of your review. It is what helped us decide what we wanted to do in Alaska. We are doing the Connoisseur tour in July! :D

Thanks so much!

Judy

I booked our airfare as soon as I could for July of 2018. i was curious about the current pricing, so I checked what the prices were last week; for the same exact flights, they were $400 more per person!

Judy

I emailed them to inquire about the laundry facilities since we are doing a cruisetour and will need to do laundry. It is for guests and the machines are coin-operated.

Happy travels!

Judy

We are going to cancel and rebook our 2019 Royal cruise since it would be the same price with sip and sail!

 

 

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I didn't have to cancel and re-book. My travel agent added the promotion (except the on-board credit) to my existing reservation.

Judy

As mentioned above, the brewed coffee from IC is good (IMHO). If your cruise is in the next year or so, you may qualify for the All Inclusive Beverage Package (AIBP). Covers all drinks and bottled water (under $10) and all

the types of coffee drinks at the IC. Might be worth looking into!

I saw on Facebook that there was a Sip and Sail promotion that includes the All-Inclusive Beverage Package. I contacted my travel agent and she was able to add it to my existing reservation; I didn't have to cancel and re-book. The promotion also includes dinner for two in a specialty restaurant. So, I am HAPPY!!

Judy

I booked our cruise in December 2016 for August 2018. I contacted my travel agent today and she was able to add the all-inclusive drink package to our existing reservation for both my husband and me. We did not have to cancel and re-book. The promotion also includes dinner for two at a specialty restaurant.

So, I am VERY happy because I might have purchased the package - I hadn't decided yet.

Judy

Found very helpful information here about Coral and Island balconies. http://www.cruisedeckplans.com/Princess/odell/res76zxu/princessbalconies/index.html

Judy

Thanks everyone for the replies; I really appreciate it. The coffee card is fairly inexpensive so I will probably make that investment. Coffee from syrup really doesn't sound very good. :)Judy

I have not seen much about the coffee but did see one post that said the coffee was instant. I find that hard to believe. I don't drink a ton of coffee so normally I would not need to purchase the coffee package. Anyone have any information?

Thanks.

Judy

There was a thread right before we left about some things to bring on a cruise that you may not think of. We added some items to our packing list based on that thread like a power strip, magnetic clips for the cabin walls, etc.

 

Well, the piece of luggage that had the power strip in it didn't arrive in our cabin with our other luggage. Later on in the first night, we got a voice mail that we needed to go to deck 1 to the naughty room to get it.

 

My wife went down and it turned out it was the power strip that got flagged. They took it away, and we picked it up on our way out of the terminal on disembarkation day.

I had a power strip in one of our checked bags on the June 4 trip and I was not called to the naughty room. Perhaps it differs based on who is scanning.

Judy

One thing I like to take for a night light are those little battery votive candles. I usually take 2, they work really well in the bathroom! And easy to pack. :)

That is a great idea too. Always something to learn on this site!

Thanks.

How did your sons enjoy catacombs and just night life in general? I am in 19, going on this cruise next week. Got to get away from the parents a little!

I don't believe they spent any time there. I think they wandered and spent time in the casino, especially my older son.

Formal nights were Day 2 and Day 8.

BonTexasNY (or anyone who's computer literate )I agree with you..... great review. I'm loving it because I'm going on Liberty in next month and I'm going on this itinerary next August. You said you're going to save it. I'm not real computer literate. How do you save just one review? Thanks

At the top of the review, there are some tabs. One says "Thread Tools." Click on that and then click on Subscribe. It will then show on your Quick Links list at the top right of the screen.

Happy sailing!

Judy

How was Sorrentos (deck 5)? I've read that is it not very good, at least for the pizza.

I'm glad to hear there is a Diamond Lounge. Did it have the cappuccino machine?

We all enjoyed it. My husband especially liked the calzones. Since the pizzas were pretty small and it was fairly busy, the pizza was always fresh. I will add that we are not super picky or negative. I have read other posts that indicate a different experience.

And, of course, it was fun to go there because it was "free!" 😃

Judy

Thanks so much! So far, we know our child wants to do the zip line in Labadee and we are going to do Horseshoe in Bermuda and maybe snorkel there. We are considering the yacht race in St. Maarten, but also want to have time for a beach visit. Might try the Flowrider, too.

 

Could you list the menu order? Not sure if we want to do MDR every night until we know what is offered.

 

Did you use a drink package, and if so, do you feel it was worth it? We don't think it is a saver for us, but not sure.

We had the drink package: my husband, my 23-year old son, and me. It was definitely worth it for us. It really depends on how much you drink, or plan to drink. Practically every time I saw my son he had a drink in his hand! :) I probably drank more than if I hadn't had the package. It was nice too because if I didn't like a drink I tried, I didn't mind not finishing it. I would just get something else. I didn't feel like it was as much a waste.

Have fun.

Judy

Any good comedians?

I missed Matt Yee but heard he was quite good so would recommend him (not for kids as I understand it). We didn't see the lady they had. Not sure if there were others. Wow, I am not very helpful with these questions! :(

Judy

Was there by any chance a mystery dinner on this cruise? Would love to do that!

I didn't see anything about it, but certainly could have been. There were lots of activities.

Judy

The Liberty is coming to Galveston in November and replacing the Navigator. We cruised on the Navigator this winter and were very disappointed with the Navigator because of smoking that was allowed in many areas inside the ship. This caused lots of smoke and smoke smell to be found throughout the ship especially on the main concourse. How did you find the smoking and its penetration throughout the ship? Thanks

I was pleasantly surprised that the casino wasn't smokier. I think they have good ventilation and they also had some kind of room deodorizer as well. I am not saying it didn't smell, but was almost tolerable for me, and I really don't like smokey rooms.

Judy

We were lucky because we had a table for four for our family in the back left corner (as you walk in) on Deck 3, right by a window. It was #286. I say "lucky" because I didn't request it - actually, didn't know you could! It was much quieter back there than in the middle of the dining room and it was fun to look out the window. We really enjoyed it.

We also like our wait staff.

Happy sailing!

Judy

This may happen for a few more days; I have remembered a couple of other things to share.

In the bathroom, there was bar hand soap and bar shower soap. There was a dispenser in the shower clearly marked "shampoo." I had taken my own shampoo so don't know how it was.

There is a great tool on all the floors - an interactive, touch screen. It shows the deck floorplans, there is a restroom finder (used this a few times at the beginning of the cruise), you can search for bars, and find out what is going on at that time, etc. It was very slick!

If I think of anything else, I will post it.

I did find good information about the ship on other Liberty reviews - they were helpful even though it was not this itinerary. I also found good information on the various ports in the Ports of Call section of the Cruise Critic site. I suggest you check those areas out as well if you haven't.

Oh, someone had asked about photos. My husband was the keeper of the camera and he has downloaded photos to his laptop. I will try to use his computer to post some photos.

Happy Sailing!

Judy

Very well done and well written. If I may make a couple of comments though on your observations, just for the benefit of others who might not know:

 

 

 

5. There is an outlet in the washroom up by the light.

 

7. The foreign language shows are always on the same channels, so you can just skip them. I believe they are German, French and Spanish. They seem to be the equivalent of the English channels, so that is why it may seem like they outnumber them. I can't remember what channels, but there is a listing in the guest information book in the room.

Thanks!!

I don't suppose there are pictures?! we are sailing LIB out of Galveston in December and I am itching for some recent photos.

 

is Sorrentos serving on embarkation? when we sailed NAV earlier this it was sooooo much less crowded at the Promenade( not to mention one of our absolute fav bartenders ever was there) over the WJ and the idea of a calzone makes me all giddy.

I do think Sorrentos was open based on other things I have read. We didn't eat there though when we first got to the ship. My husband loved the calzones too! :)

Hvae fun!

Judy

Thank you, Thank you! I have been waiting for someone to post a review, since you all disembarked yesterday! We will be doing the exact same cruise this Thursday! Your review was very enjoyable and I am super excited!

Have fun! Hope you have better weather in Bermuda. It was cool and breezy when we sailed away from NJ so you may want a light coat. That was the only time we wore a coat. It may be warmer this Thursday so you may be okay without one.

Judy

Great review! Thank you for sharing your trip and thoughts.

 

Could you confirm that suits are ok on formal night, and other nights khakis and polos are acceptable?

 

Also, did they do lunch by the pool while you were onboard?

Yes, suits are fine. Our sons wore shirts and ties, no coats. I did notice a few people not even dressed up and they were allowed in the dining room. My husband wears a suit every day for work so wasn't too excited about the formal nights, but he did it anyway (I think to please me! :)).

The did have lunch by the pool a few days; not sure if it was every sea day or not, but I know the last two days for sure.

Have a great trip!

Judy