rajacks

The whole thing about not being able to take food to the bar areas is strange.  We have always taken a slice of pizza from Sorrento's or some little sandwiches and cookies from Cafe Promenade to the Schooner Bar or the pub.....for years we've done this, and no one has ever said a thing to us.  And we are not the only ones, we've always seen others doing the same thing.  It's been a year since I've been on Liberty, but it sounds like something new to me.

We will be there in early October and are wondering the same thing.  We just want a beach day, with chairs/umbrellas and access to food/drink and facilities.  Would really appreciate info from anyone who has been there recently!

@Rogueperson - Thanks for doing this!  I will be following.  I'm scheduled to sail with my BFF 1/31 on the Brilliance, which will be my first time on her and out of Tampa!  I have been on Serenade and Radiance and do love this class of ship.

Looking forward to your review!
 

Ruth

I'm planning to make my son use his Diamond drink vouchers to get me cocktails when we sail in January.  😂  Of course, I am paying for his and his girlfriend's drink packages! 

They are in one cabin and will have drink packages.  My mom and I are in another cabin and will not have packages.  I am Diamond+, so between my 5 vouchers and son's 4 vouchers daily, along with other drink coupons, we should be set!  (Mom doesn't drink much, maybe one or two a day.)  The only trick, of course, is the kids have to be around for us to use son's.

On 11/4/2021 at 12:26 PM, Ashland said:

Also if your cabin category has sold out you can still call RCI to do a price check.

This^^^^

I called just yesterday to reprice, because I had checked online via a dummy reservation and had seen that the rate for my kids' cabin had gone down.  My cabin category is sold out, but had them reprice anyway when I called, and saved more on it than on the other!  

1 hour ago, cruisetorelax44 said:

you can get pizza or apps at giovanni's kitchen, but not at the a la carte wine bar. you'd also have to pay for any food you get at the pub. it's a $20 credit per person for playmakers,  and a $35 per person at izumi. the Teppanyaki has a $10 surcharge. 

 May I ask if you've been on the Odyssey and had this experience?  Or have read a post from someone who has?  Just wondering because it doesn't make much sense to be able to use it a place like Playmakers but not Giovanni's wine bar or the pub....then again, there are lots of things RCI does that don't seem to make too much sense! 😂

If this is the case, it would make less sense to me to get the unlimited dining package.  Which is sad, because I was considering it for our cruise in January. 

Thanks!

4 minutes ago, Another_Critic said:

$50 of mine is from my TA.  But, YMMV.

Thanks for the clarification.  Sounds like it may depend on how the TA handles it.

2 minutes ago, Another_Critic said:

Your OBC should show in the Cruise Planner, which can be used on Planner purchases.

 

I don't think this is necessarily true when the OBC is from your travel agent.

Oh, my gosh....SO excited!!!!  We have a B2B scheduled on the Liberty.  The only thing that has me a bit worried is the Sept. 26 cruise is not showing on any of the port schedules.... But, several people just got Royal Up emails in the last few days.  Who knows!!!

We are on the Liberty Oct 3, which was originally scheduled to go to Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Jamaica.  Due to Grand Cayman not opening, the scheduled was changed to Cozumel, Costa Maya, and Roatan.  

This will be the second leg of our B2B.  The first leg goes to.....Roatan, Costa Maya, and Cozumel.  😂  We don't really care though.  Been to all these ports multiple times.  We are just ready to sail!

Thank you so much for this wonderful review!  I sat down and read it from start to finish this afternoon. 

I will be with friends on the Liberty 9/26 and 10/3, which have turned out to be the first post-covid sailings for the ship!  Very excited to head south to Galveston in a couple of months!  Reading about your experiences has made me that much more excited to go!

Has anyone sailing out of Galveston in August received protocol information?  Curious to hear if it's the same as what's happening in Florida.  

On 7/6/2021 at 7:08 PM, DCPIV said:

 

We did it on the Empress in 2017, and there certainly was no Izumi on her. They set us up in the lounge. We had a ball. 

 

All the ingredients were prepped and pretty much laid out. It was just a matter of assembling the rolls, cutting them, and eating. Plenty of laughing, too. I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. 

Thank you for the feedback!  Sounds like the class is pretty similar, regardless of ship and whether there is an Izumi or not.

I'm wondering if the experience with the sushi class is different on ships with Izumi vs. those without.  Any insight on this?

Ruth

6 hours ago, Iamcruzin said:

I think the sales are all just B.S. marketing. After following drink package sales for a year the price only fluctuated a dollar or two.  The first day is a money grab from all of the newbies. I have yet to board any cruise line on day one where they didn't offer a drink package, specialty restaurant or internet service sale.  The only deal I got on Black Friday was the refreshment package for $18 and I was able to buy one refreshment and one Deluxe pre cruise by calling when the Black Friday sale was starting. I would have paid more on board for the refreshment package. Also I would have had to buy two deluxe packages on board. But for those who would be buying two deluxe packages there was no difference in price buying it on board.

We got the package for our Sept and Oct cruises for $43/day many months ago.  Since then, I've consistently seen it priced (for the same cruises) at $50 or $57.  I will definitely check to see what it's being sold on board for!

I have a b2b scheduled for Liberty out of Galveston 9/26/2021 and 10/3/2021.  I am pretty confident it will sail.  But things are a bit different in Texas as compared to Florida....easier for cruise lines to comply with CDC requirements.

I noticed just today that the two cruises I have booked for Sept/Oct 2021 suddenly both show interior and ocean view as sold out.  Both still had cabins available in all categories as recently as two days ago.  Could just be coincidence, but could also be a way to easily limit bookings.

I usually drink wine at the pool, dinner and sometimes in the casino at night.  Usually get a few Pina Coladas and BBC's in at some point.  If we are at the bars in the evening, fun martinis are always good.  Cosmos, white Russians......I guess we mix it up quite a bit! 🤪

Thank you for sharing.  I'm sure many who are considering The Key would not have thought of this.

On 8/30/2019 at 6:42 AM, Host Clarea said:

This was reported from Majesty months (maybe more than a year)  ago.  Same inventory reason.

I was on Majesty last December and they weren't swiping cards then, so definitely in the last 8 or 9 months.

Ruth

So a slight twist to this question - I am Diamond Plus, sailing with a friend who is Emerald.  We have both pre-purchased the deluxe package.  If I find that it would be a better deal for me to buy onboard with the 30% discount, can I cancel only mine and repurchase without affecting my friend's?  Has anyone had experience with this?

Thanks!
Ruth

The lots are all built up higher.  No need to worry about flooding.  

On 5/2/2019 at 3:53 PM, jonsmom said:

Ruth - we were just there 2 weeks ago.  We decided on the all inclusive plan.  The food was delicious and plentiful.  I would rather have everything paid before we sail.  Just my personal preference.

 

Gail and her staff are very friendly and welcoming and did everything they could to make our day a memorable one.

On 5/2/2019 at 6:17 PM, love2travel2146 said:

We did the AI package and loved it. The food

was amazing and very plentiful. Had a

few drinks included. The bonus for us was unlimited use of kayaks and boogie boards. We used them all day long. We have two teens and it kept them very busy. Plus we loved it as well. It’s one of my favourite all time excursions of all our cruises! Such a gorgeous location. 

Thank you so much for sharing your experiences.  I always appreciate fellow cruisers who take the time to share their knowledge!

On 5/14/2019 at 4:13 PM, boblerm said:

WE did the pay as you go, because the package (I think) only includes bbq items for lunch, and for drinks only rum punch and beer. They have a very nice a la carte menu which was more to our liking.

Thank you so much for this feedback!  I was kind of thinking the same thing, because most of our group really likes seafood.  I'm definitely leaning towards pay as you go.

Has anyone done the Bajan Rum Lime Tour with Andy Wood?  Looks like it might be fun, but I can't find too much info about it.

Ruth