Liberty review - Western, Feb. 7 - with photos

[Dotsie]

[quote name='wolfcathorse']I wonder if Capt Charles went on vacation when you left the ship.[/QUOTE]

I was on the Liberty 2/14-2/21 cruise and Captain Charles was the captain.


Dotsie

[SecretSK]

[quote name='Badlands99']
[IMG]http://michaelsmojo.com/liberty_selects/contactcard_cc.jpg[/IMG]


This design doesn't really "work." With the cruising crowd at least. More often than not, when people see it they don't even notice that the crown and anchor has been replaced with a Transformer, and to make things worse, it seems like everyone misreads the text. People look at the card and say "Royal deception?" At which point I have to say "NO NO NO. It's Decep-TI-CON. You know, from Transformers!? The bad guys? No?" And then I snatch my card away from them, stomp off into a corner, and cry. (Don't you people watch movies? What's wrong with you!?)

Aside from the failed design concept, I was impressed at how close I was to the look of RCCL's logo. At one point I held one of these cards up to compare it to the giant logo on the side of the ship, and the shape and colors were just about nailed.[/quote]

First of all, I have to say that making up cards with your contact info is a great idea.

I totally got it, although I'll admit when I first read "Royal..." I thought it said Deception, too! Then my eye went left and I saw the Decepticon logo and a light bulb went off. Clever! :D Maybe something a little more middle of the road next time, for the cruise crowd. ;)

[mdrobtx]

[quote name='Badlands99']So, this cruise included three major "firsts" for me...

And finally...

3. I said something very ugly to a man in a very public place. Loudly. While he was surrounded by his wife and teenage children.

Boy, it sounds awful when it's spelled out like that. I do not do things like that, I swear. I pride myself in my ability to avoid drama and conflict.

I regret that his family had to hear it, but in my estimation the man could have easily earned much more than just a verbal slap. I come from a long line of proud white trash, so it could have ended much differently. If my sister had been there instead of me, the guy would still be in traction.

Stay tuned if you'd like to hear the story of how this incident came to pass. My hope is that some of you can help clarify for me who was the bigger jerk in this scenario, because I haven't declared myself to be blameless. I'll let you decide.[/quote]

Did I miss this story on one of these pages?

[Venusleo1]

[quote name='Badlands99']How DARE you sully my discussion with such unsanitary remarks!!
Everything was flowing just fine until YOU came along and cramped it all up!!

Did I take it too far?

:D[/QUOTE]

LMAO!!!! No, not at all! Love it!

[SnorkelAway]

We all want to say that your review is the best Liberty review ever - but - the problem is that when Amybeth talks of stabbing someone in the neck, we believe HER....

[Badlands99]

Whaddayaknow? I thought this thread had gone to its reward.


[quote name='Mollypuss']Nicely done! Been enjoying your review. We are sailing on her in April...with all of my in-laws. Wish Cozumel were our first stop.....those Xanax would come in handy.[/QUOTE]

Ha! I guess you'll just have to rely on heavy drinking until you make it to Mexico :D


[quote name='CheyCiara']Badlands, you are my new hero! I'm taking my very first cruise in 3 months aboard the Liberty of the Seas so I was psyched to see your photos and read your reviews. Thank you so much for taking the time to post it all! What a beautiful ship! I can't wait for May 30th!![/QUOTE]

Thanks for reading.
Have a great cruise!

[Badlands99]

[quote name='SecretSK']First of all, I have to say that making up cards with your contact info is a great idea.

I totally got it, although I'll admit when I first read "Royal..." I thought it said Deception, too! Then my eye went left and I saw the Decepticon logo and a light bulb went off. Clever! :D Maybe something a little more middle of the road next time, for the cruise crowd. ;)[/QUOTE]

Well I'm glad SOMEONE got it. Counting you, that makes... let's see... ONE person ;)

Yeah, contact cards are fun to have. I guess I'll just have to go back to using a photo of the ship or some clip art for my future designs.

[Badlands99]

[quote name='mdrobtx']Did I miss this story on one of these pages?[/QUOTE]

You probably didn't miss it. It just didn't live up to the hype. You know, kinda like Avatar :D

It was in a post titled something like "My Taxi Fail" and it was just a couple of posts down from the one you just referenced. You didn't miss much.

[Badlands99]

[quote name='SnorkelAway']We all want to say that your review is the best Liberty review ever - but - the problem is that when Amybeth talks of stabbing someone in the neck, we believe HER....[/QUOTE]

That's precisely why I always stand behind her whenever a knife fight breaks out in the Schooner Bar. When the 5hit goes down, I want her on my side.

[louthebowler]

[quote name='Badlands99']So, this cruise included three major "firsts" for me...

1. I rode a Sea Doo
2. I drank an entire cocktail (I don't drink, but Nochi Cocum's daiquiri's were tasty, cold, and most importantly, "included")

And finally...

3. I said something very ugly to a man in a very public place. Loudly. While he was surrounded by his wife and teenage children.

Boy, it sounds awful when it's spelled out like that. I do not do things like that, I swear. I pride myself in my ability to avoid drama and conflict.

I regret that his family had to hear it, but in my estimation the man could have easily earned much more than just a verbal slap. I come from a long line of proud white trash, so it could have ended much differently. If my sister had been there instead of me, the guy would still be in traction.

Stay tuned if you'd like to hear the story of how this incident came to pass. My hope is that some of you can help clarify for me who was the bigger jerk in this scenario, because I haven't declared myself to be blameless. I'll let you decide.[/quote]

badlands, i could read your posts for hours, oh i did!, hubby had to go to chinese takeaway for our meal as i lost track of time. we are newbies from england and will be doing back to back cruises beginning november and have loved these posts, the man waitin for taxi was so out of order, i'm english and we queue for everything, but you said sorry, that should have been more than enough, good job you werent in video game mode at the time, he'd have been in trouble.
great pics, and loved looking at what we can do when its our time.
when do you actually do any work? i know self employed means being your own boss , but wouldnt working bring some money in for another cruise, i know , start charging for all this great entertainment you provide, it will be a movie before you know it.
keep up the good work and anytime you think of something for the newbie that might help, dont hold back.

[Badlands99]

badlands, i could read your posts for hours, oh i did!

 

...i'm english and we queue for everything, but you said sorry, that should have been more than enough

 

Hey, thank you for the kind words, and for reading my review.

 

Now see, a nice queue would have prevented me from making an ass of myself in the first place. For some reason, us yanks only know how to cluster into groups. It is a misfortune worthy of a commemorative haiku:

 

An orderly line?

Alas, that is not our way

We prefer chaos

[sophie's mom]

Badlands99, thank you so much for your entertaining review of this ship. My family, DH, DD and S-inlaw, will be sailing her 3/21 for the first time and anticipate a fabulous time. In reading another thread I stumbled upon the fact that you also have the "fun" plague of Crohn's Disease and I found it interesting that you also find it a great way to vacation because of the convenience of facilities. Good to see that I'm not the only one who bathroom maps! Now, if I could only figure out an emergency plan for our cave-tubing aeriel trek adventure in Belize, lol! wish me luck....:):eek:

[terisu10]

Did I miss this story on one of these pages?

 

I, too, want to hear the story.

[chuffy06]

Hello Terisu10....you will find it at post #115 about three posts after he mentioned the incident. Have a great afternoon.

[Badlands99]

Badlands99' date=' thank you so much for your entertaining review of this ship. My family, DH, DD and S-inlaw, will be sailing her 3/21 for the first time and anticipate a fabulous time. In reading another thread I stumbled upon the fact that you also have the "fun" plague of Crohn's Disease and I found it interesting that you also find it a great way to vacation because of the convenience of facilities. Good to see that I'm not the only one who bathroom maps! Now, if I could only figure out an emergency plan for our cave-tubing aeriel trek adventure in Belize, lol! wish me luck....:):eek:[/quote']

 

Hey, a fellow "Cronie" !

Isn't cruising great for those of us who have to think of such glamorous things when we plan our trips?

 

As far as an emergency plan for your excursions, you can do what I do: Double up on your meds, skip breakfast, and say a little prayer to the gods of digestion :D

 

Another vacation that I've always thought would be ideal, and is a mere fantasy at this point, is a nice, long, RV trip. Anything that has "home base" traveling with me is a plus.

 

Thanks for the comments and have a great cruise!

[Badlands99]

The WWII Veteran and his wife told us about something that is astonishing to me, but after I learned about his history I forgot most everything else they said. This recently came back to me...

 

We were all oohing and aahing at the number of cruises they have been on, when they told us about "Mario." Apparently there's a guy named Mario who, for all practical purposes, LIVES on board the Liberty of the Seas.

 

They said that he has a job that can be done from any connected computer, and he makes good money doing it, so he chooses to live and work on the ship. They said he's been on hundreds of cruises in total, most of them consecutive.

 

If I weren't entrenched with a home, a business, and a happy marriage, I'd totally solicit Mario to be his personal assistant, man servant, or even boyfriend if necessary.

 

(You know, if you run the numbers, it's really not such a ridiculous idea for a single person. To totally commit to living on the ship, you'd have no expenses related to housing, or cars, or groceries. Even much of your alcohol would be free after a while, since you'd be Diamond+. I wonder what kind of discount you could get if you called RCCL and wanted to book 52 consecutive cruises at a time.)

[artvlay]

Things are looking up at Cozumel. I booked Nochi Cocum for the day and we really enjoyed it.

 

Out of all three of our previous cruises, and possibly the rest of her life, my wife's favorite thing to do is lounge on a mat at Labadee. Since this cruise didn't take us there, I tried to find a suitable replacement and I think I nailed it with Nochi Cocum. It's pretty, kind of quiet, the food is fantastic, and "Carlos" brought us all the drinks we could stand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

$5 for all the kayaking I could stand, which I learned was about one hours worth.

 

 

It was FUN finding real nice sea shells. Our experience with sea shells is limited to the small and broken, so it was a real treat to find some large and beautiful ones. We were only allowed to bring back one shell each. A rule I think is pretty reasonable.

 

First, I want to say that this is by far one of the best threads I have ever read on Cruise Critic. It is informative, well written and doesn't have a lot of nonsense in it.

 

Question - Can you tell me about Nochi Cocum. What is the admission price? How does it compare to the State park there?

 

Thanks

[mkrempp]

Do you have your cruise compasses from the week you sailed the Liberty? I really want to get my hands on this!!

[Badlands99]

First, I want to say that this is by far one of the best threads I have ever read on Cruise Critic. It is informative, well written and doesn't have a lot of nonsense in it.

 

Question - Can you tell me about Nochi Cocum. What is the admission price? How does it compare to the State park there?

 

Thanks

 

Hello and thanks for the comments!

I apologize for the shortage of nonsense, I thought surely I had included plenty :D

 

Nochi was GREAT! I've read that some people think that it's a bit TOO quiet or boring, but for us it was ideal.

 

It was less than $50 per person (like $47 or $48, I don't remember) and that got us a nice palapa, a couple of sun chairs, all the drinks we wanted, and a meal that was probably the second best meal of our entire trip (the best being from Portofino). We each got to choose an appetizer, an entree, and a dessert, from the menu and we couldn't come close to eating that much. I think we shared an appetizer and we didn't even consider any dessert. Everything we had, though, was very good.

 

In addition to the cover charge, a gratuity is in order for the person who takes care of you during your stay. I gave Carlos $20, but I really have no idea if that was anything close to a typical gratuity for that kind of thing. (I'd like to hear from others if that was a "good" tip or if I was a stingy bastard that day)

 

They have activities that you can do for additional fees, such as wave runner, kayak, fishing, scuba, snorkel, and probably some other stuff I'm forgetting.

 

I can't compare Nochi Cocum to the state park for you because I've not yet visited the park.

[Badlands99]

Do you have your cruise compasses from the week you sailed the Liberty? I really want to get my hands on this!!

 

 

I DO have the compasses, and you can see them for a nominal service charge.

I will send you a link with more information and you can pay my PayPal account with any major credit card.

 

OR, you can just look back a couple of pages, where they've already been posted :D

 

Here's a link to the post where they start.

[tricialee]

I don't expect this to amuse anyone here as much as I've amused myself with it, but I thought I'd show it to you anyway.

 

I like to make a handful of contact cards to give to people we meet on cruises (the ones we like, at least). This time, I made them with a bastardization of two logos. I'm sure I'm not the only one to notice that the Royal Caribbean logo looks a bit like one of the logos from the Transformers toy/cartoon/movie series, because it's just too obvious.

 

 

 

 

This design doesn't really "work." With the cruising crowd at least. More often than not, when people see it they don't even notice that the crown and anchor has been replaced with a Transformer, and to make things worse, it seems like everyone misreads the text. People look at the card and say "Royal deception?" At which point I have to say "NO NO NO. It's Decep-TI-CON. You know, from Transformers!? The bad guys? No?" And then I snatch my card away from them, stomp off into a corner, and cry. (Don't you people watch movies? What's wrong with you!?)

 

Aside from the failed design concept, I was impressed at how close I was to the look of RCCL's logo. At one point I held one of these cards up to compare it to the giant logo on the side of the ship, and the shape and colors were just about nailed.

 

 

Great Review and pics. I am sailing on the Liberty in 11 days and appreciate all the info.

 

And, as the mother of an 8 year old boy, I totally got the Decepticon symbol and the wording. (I would have to hang my head in shame in his presence if I hadn't)

[PAcruiser116]

Hey Badlands....what time was your awesome reservation at Chops so you saw the spectacular view as leaving Costa Maya? I read this in one of your posting on another thread....

[jerseyjjs]

I won't sugar coat it: Belize is not pretty unless you're on or near the water. We enjoyed our day there, though.

 

We took a guided tour of the city. We were in a van with about 8 or so other people. The guide was very knowledgeable, friendly, and pleasant. We rode around the town and learned about Belize. The economy, the crime, the exports, the culture, etc. It was interesting. I would not want to live there.

 

All of the nice houses were fenced in with barred windows and guard dogs. And the not so nice houses were stunning in that I would have never guessed that people lived there, but our guide insisted that these were actual dwellings.

 

We stopped at "Old Belize" for a while and had a nice lunch and poked around before returning to the port.

 

This is the first port where we shopped for prescription drugs. I don't think we purchased anything from here. We did purchase something in Cozumel, though.

 

 

This is the "store" where people in this neighborhood shop for staple items. Our guide called it "Belize WalMart for the poor."

 

There was a birthday party taking place at this restaurant in Old Belize.

 

A nice couple we met on this excursion. I forget names as soon as I hear them. Sorry, nice couple!

 

 

 

 

Whoa!! After a stop in this place, it'd be a good possibility I'd be on an episode of "Intervention."

[Badlands99]

Great Review and pics. I am sailing on the Liberty in 11 days and appreciate all the info.

 

And, as the mother of an 8 year old boy, I totally got the Decepticon symbol and the wording. (I would have to hang my head in shame in his presence if I hadn't)

 

Thanks for the comments!

Your son has trained you well :)

(good job soldier!)

[Badlands99]

Hey Badlands....what time was your awesome reservation at Chops so you saw the spectacular view as leaving Costa Maya? I read this in one of your posting on another thread....

 

Hello,

Unfortunately we didn't make it to Chops on this trip. It was Portofino, and it was early. I think it was shortly after they opened. Like maybe 6:30 or so.

 

But the days are getting longer now, so you might check the sunset time for that day if you really want to get the perfect time. Here's a site that I have used for that (I used it regularly for photography before I got an iPhone app that does the same thing).

 

It gets too dark to see about 30 or 40 minutes after sunset, so a reservation that's 30 to 45 minutes before sunset would probably be ideal.