Host Karen

Hello Biaria,

We were in Funchal about a year ago in the fall and will return this coming October. It was one of our favorite ports and are delighted that it will be a 2 day stay this time. My husband has talked so much about the espada we ate there. Do you have a favorite place to eat this fish?

Thanks for your help,

Nancy

Nancy, our local "experts" are not allowed to make specific recommendations for local businesses. Perhaps one of our members will have a suggestion for you.

Karen

HostKaren@CruiseCritic.com

Curio2

Can you email me with just what you did on this day? My group is interested in trying this on our own also.

Thank you.

Sarah

Sarah,

It is more helpful to our members if people share their experiences on the boards rather than offline, so perhaps Curio2 will be kind enough to post the answer here.

Karen

HostKaren@CruiseCritic.com

Deck - Panorama

Cabin # - 9295

Class – Concierge Class

Starboard or Port Side - Port

Bed near?(balcony or bath) – balcony

Quiet Cabin (With comments on problems. Note if connecting. ) – Generally, it was quiet. However, we could hear the televisions in 9297 and 9293 if they were turned up. This is not a connecting cabin.

Balcony View - Unobstructed view except to the rear where the ship juts out.

Balcony Size? Normal

Was wind a problem? no

Any specific problems with this cabin? Cruisers should be aware that there is an employee smoking area just forward of this cabin on the Promenade deck. I don't know if it's an official area or not, but it is on the port side where smoking is allowed for passengers. We were forced inside a few times due to the smoke.

Although our cabin on our upcoming cruise (9295) is not listed yet, I wanted to thank the OP for all the work involved in setting up the pdf file. If no one posts on this cabin before I return, I'll take care of it when I get back!

Does Liberty have a create your own pasta and/or stir fry area in the buffet night? This was offered on Brilliance, although we didn't find it until several nights into our cruise.

TIA.

It's not too late to join the "Liberty of the CCs" Cruise Critic group cruise on November 8, 2008. We have about 20 folks in our group right now (and a much larger roll call group) and I always believe the more the merrier. You can click on the links in my signature for more information.

Hope to see you onboard!!

We are searching for flights too ... looked air tran out of newburgh, ny but too high. hopefully southwest will have something reasonable out of Albany, ny.

 

If we have to fly into Ft Lauderdale, does RCCL run a shuttle to the port?

You may be able to purchase transfers from RCCL from Ft Lauderdale to Miami but you may want to check your alternatives.

Karen

I was on the Liberty Pre-Inaugural, and LOVED IT!!!! It is my favorite ship (with Explorer being only half a point behind!). I love the way Liberty is decorated, I love the way the bridge on the Promenade and the Guest Relations looks, I love the lighting, I love everything about this ship. I HOPE to be going back on in November, but we'll have to see if airline prices go back down. (What the heck is up with that??) Gas, I know. But anyway, I digress...

 

Thanks for starting this thread...can't wait to be a part of it! :)

Christie, we're still waiting for you to join the Liberty of the CCs!!

Karen, hi!

 

Im already on the roll call and cant wait. Ive booked with RC already. I was going to go with *** but they (bob) told me they wouldnt take my future cruise credit.

 

Can I still transfer the reso over?

You should be able to transfer your booking to the group along with your credit (I assume you're referring to either an OBC for booking onboard or you used a NextCruise booking number). The contact person at the agency is not Bob. The person's name is listed on the webpage I referred to above (you can also reach the link through my signature, which I'll repost). If you have any further questions or issues, please feel free to contact me directly at hostkaren@cruisecritic.com.

Just a reminder that there is a Cruise Critic group cruise sailing Liberty on November 8, 2008. Click here for information on the onboard credit, pricing, and how to contact the travel agency to book your cabin. We'd love to have more members join us aboard Liberty of the CCs!

What a fabulous, fantastic review. Thanks so much for sharing your adventures and your witty way of looking at what could have been a total vacation disaster. If only more of us could look at life with that attitude...

What a great suggestion! I had been thinking it might be nice to at least go somewhere for a late breakfast. Eating breakfast on the morning of debarkation is never a relaxed, enjoyable meal. The diningroom and Windjammer are packed, and all I think about are the upcoming difficulties of getting off the ship (the elevator problems alone are enough to give me an upset stomach), getting through customs and getting to the airport. I thought we might grab something light onboard and then eat somewhere in the city, but the luggage was the problem.

Thanks!

Karen

Less than two weeks to go!! I'm making my final preparations for our trip and am looking for some suggestions. We're arriving two days early and taking a LandSea tour of the city during that time. On the day (Saturday) we arrive back from our cruise (at Ballantyne pier), we have a 2:30 p.m. flight. There's obviously no rush to disembark but they will kick us off eventually. Any thoughts on what we should do for the morning? Don't forget: we'll have luggage! I'm not keen on spending five or six hours at the airport nor am I interested in a ship excursion.

Added: Apparently there are taxi problems at the Ballantyne pier. Some posters have noted waits of several hours for a cab. Perhaps I should take the ship transfer to the airport. Any thoughts on that?

Thanks!

We were on this tour prior to our cruise a couple weeks ago and it was a very nice way to start our cruise.

Thanks for the good review. We'll actually be doing it the day before we sail, but I'm looking forward to it. DH and I did a limo tour of Vancouver the last time we were there, but I thought Mom would enjoy this. Thanks again!

Enjoy your trip

 

should that be holes in the wall ??

I believe it should be holes in the wall. LOL Thanks for all the great advice. One of the things that made me lean toward the Marriott was the separate shower. Would make it easier if Mom didn't need to step in and out of the tub. I'll check out those restaurants. I saw lobster on a few of the menus, which is why I mentioned it, but she likes just about everything except mussels.

I agree with leftcoast.

the marriott is a much newer hotel, if that makes a difference to you. great beds & everything quite new - also is much closer to the water. (a fabulous cafe "artagiano" in the same block... the best latte's in the city (much better than a continental breakfast imho)

 

for seafood - very close to the marriott is a seafood bistro called the spotted prawn... it has a great view, a great patio if the weather is good, is reasonable, not fancy & the seafood is great! ..go on the early side for the best service

here's a link to a review http://www.wineries.ca/sipping_chef_prawn.html

 

I hope that you & your mom have a lovely time in our city!

I'm definitely a latte girl and I've seen Cafe Artagiano mentioned quite a bit on these boards. I'll be there! Thanks for the link for the Spotted Prawn review. Sounds great and is reasonably priced. I prefer to eat early anyway, and our timing will be all off since we'll be traveling in from the east coast.

Thanks all for the suggestions, advice and the good wishes. I'm really looking forward to spending some quality time with Mom!

Karen

I've read several pages of this thread so far, but have a few questions, if you don't mind. Traveling with my 76-year-old mom in September and staying two nights pre-cruise. Here are my questions:

1. Trying to decide between the Marriott Pinnacle Downtown and The Fairmont (the one on W. Georgia). The Marriott is offering a senior rate (thanks, Mom!) on a higher floor at $229 and internet access is $17 per night (I need that). Fairmont is $269 on a high floor including internet access and continental breakfast. Any opinions?

2. I've booked us for a 3-1/2 hour tour of the city with LandSea Tours. Thought it would be a good way for Mom to see the sights without making her walk too much, as she's got a knee that bothers her. Good decision?

3. I'm leaning toward taking her to Milestones one night. The menu is varied, it looks like it's casual and it's close to the hotel(s). In addition, I'm looking for a casual seafood restaurant near the hotel. Mom loves shrimp and lobster, and I'd like to treat her one night. However, I don't want to make her get gussied up. Suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

Can you watch this debacle without being dragged in to participate unwillingly? I'm all about pain, suffering, and humiliation as long as its not my own. ;)

Absolutely. DH and I watched it once on Brilliance. It was held in the Colony Club. We got there early, grabbed a seat at the bar, and watched mayhem and chaos ensue. If someone does try to drag you in unwillingly, just say no. They can usually find passengers more than happy to join a group.

Karen

The short answer is no. I don't know anything more than what Laura posts under the Announcements at the top of this forum -- which is where members should look for updates BTW. I know everyone here is frustrated and that CC is concentrating its efforts to get this resolved. This is not the type of situation that pleases anyone. If you have specific questions, please e-mail a moderator or community @cruisecritic.com rather than starting yet another thread on this subject. In the meantime, we'll all continue to slog through this together -- or not, if that's your choice.

And now, since you know how we dislike getting off topic here ;) , let's get back to Quest.

Karen

Sorry about the delay in getting this back on the board. Unfortunately, it can be as difficult to moderate a thread as it is to post on CC these days. I realize that everyone is frustrated by the problems with boards, but you are not alone. We are all hoping for a timely resolution.

Now back to the original subject, which is Quest.

Karen

HostKaren@CruiseCritic.com

You're welcome! When I have time and I can find an appropriate thread, that's what I prefer to do. I know that our members are thoughtful enough to share their information and experiences, and I would prefer not to delete a post that can help someone else. I try to read every new post every day, so I can usually recall an appropriate thread, but sometimes there's nothing available to match up a separate review. In those cases, I have to delete the thread.

Anyway, not everyone reads those notices, so you're not alone. Before I became a host, I rarely did either. (Don't tell LauraS :D)

Karen

Smooth Sailing, as LauraS's note on the first page of this forum indicates, no reviews (positive or negative) of tour guides/drivers/companies can be posted unless they are in response to a request for information. You started a new thread for your review. Instead of deleting it, I took the time to find a thread that had discussed that tour company and merged it so others would have access to your complaint.

In the future, for anyone reading this thread that wants to post a review of any tour they've experienced, unless it is part of a full review of your cruise, please find an appropriate thread on which to post it.

Karen

HostKaren@CruiseCritic.com

Posts regarding tour sharing can only be made on the roll call for your sailing. Feel free to repost your message to gf42 there.

Karen

HostKaren@CruiseCritic.com

It's strange how ships start to blend together in my mind after a while! If I recall correctly, if you walk out the door by the Pacifica Theater on deck 5 on the port side and walk aft, you can walk all the way around the ship until you reach the Pacifica Theater doors on the starboard side. I'm having a difficult time remembering if you can then walk up a flight of stairs and walk forward (but not to the bow of the ship) or if it ends there. Nevertheless, there are chairs set out on the deck so you can relax and enjoy the view.

It will be interesting to see how good my memory turned out to be when we board Brilliance in less than 2 weeks. If I'm wrong, I'll post back to this thread and correct myself!