Just back Liberty of the Seas 8/15

[cruisinleelee]

we just returned from our Liberty cruise (Western) yesterday. I'll start with the bad news and work my way up:p. I read here about an odor on board and unfortunately is was stinky as all get out in Miami. You could smell the septic tank odor on the pool deck and it was really bad during the muster drill on deck 4 or 5 (where ever I was). People were holding their nose. I was hopeful that it was only going to be noticeable in port while they offloaded waste (?) but I smelled it periodically on deck 7 mid ship throughout the entire cruise. It was not as strong as it had been but... for those of you that remember what NAIR used to smell like, it was a cross between that and waste- subtle but present nonetheless.

Our first night at dinner was a little disappointing. We arrived on time to find another family at our table already being served. Dinner was pushed back to 9 pm due to the welcome aboard show, but these folks must have skipped the show and sat themselves down. They had already been served bread. We wanted them moved so we could meet our wait staff for the week and begin to enjoy our dining experience. The guy in charge would not move them but relocated us to another table which had less of a view and a truly horrible unfriendly waiter. Now, maybe he wasn't very attentive because he knew he only had us for the first night but he added insult to injury. We never received items we order and asked 2x for coffee with our dessert which also never arrived :(

Ok, now the good stuff. We had a wonderful cabin attendants (Wilbern deck 7 Shorty deck 2). The rooms were more than adequate- ocean view 7700 7702 and an ocean view handicap room 2344 which was HUGE!! Our real waiter for the week was Sing and his assistant Jilmer. Both of these gentlemen were outstanding and we are so sorry we missed our first night with them.

The food was good overall. We did not eat in any of the specialty restaurants.

Production show #1 was awful- we left. We did not attend any others. The ice show (only 2) were sold out by the time we got down to deck 5 to get tickets :( so go early if it's really important to you! Comedy shows were both very very good.

Tons to do on board. The ship looks great. Never a problem with deck chairs- no fist fights over saving seats:) The pool areas are not as pretty as I've seen on other ships but that is a subjective thing so take that with a grain of salt.

Walked off with our luggage at 6:30 am. No problem!

Labadee- beautiful scenery but I really like a nice white sand walk right in beach and this was not it. Wasn't impressed here. The food was good according to my husband and sons and the Labadoozie or whatever the drink is called was yummy.

Jamaica- we went to Margarittaville the weather was so-so but we enjoyed ourselves there- small beach- again not the type of beach I like but ok.

Grand Cayman- Royal Palms on Seven Mile Beach- now this is the kind of beach I love- we got settled in and about 1 1/2 hours later the sky opened up and it rained like crazy- you couldn't see the ships anymore!! Funny! The staff was great but the weather was not. I would highly recommend this place.

Cozumel- Paradise beach- murky water...not sure why- great place to hang out for the day.

This was our last "family" cruise and the "kids" (19-29) had a great time. Mu DH and I will continue to cruise bit the flowrider and rock wall will not be prerequisites. (although Momma did do both:D)

Great ship, great cruise...weather ah well, it's August after all!

[Tyler80]

What's all the talk about sewage smells? I don't understand how this happens unless a toilet backs up, and with a toilet-vac system how does that even happen? Doesn't all the solid waste get incenerated? And the black/gray water, does that get purified and used for other purposes onboard? I have never smelled sewage smell while being onboard.

[cruisinleelee]

not sure what causes it but I read a thread here before we left that was specifically about the smell. It's there and was pretty horrible during muster:(

[2Cruzin Fools]

Is there any chance of you posting the compasses from your western trip. My wife an I are going next month and she need details, if you know what I mean. :D

[cruisinleelee]

oooh, a couple of other things I forgot to mention- the ship really never felt crowded. 4400 passengers and not too bad :) around the main pool on sea days- yes, tendering out in Grand Cayman yes- bit other than that it was pretty amazing!! Windjammer at lunch- yes but, staff would find you a table if you asked! No problems:o

 

Lots of families on board and 97 honeymoon couples!! Not too many late 20/early 30 singles so our oldest DD was stuck with us or her younger sibs. Lots of 18-25.

And we are the proud parents of the belly flop contest winner:D

[amickeyfriend]

We were on Aug 8 - the week before you - absolutely no problem with odor.

[sealeggs]

We sailed this ship in May and we never smelled any odors either. I hate to see RCI pulling their big ships out of Miami though. We love leaving out of this port.

[cruisinleelee]

luck of the draw on the odor thing I guess- we weren't so lucky. They must have periodic problems...hit or miss- we hit it but it did not ruin the cruise- made muster worse then it usually is though;)

[gyork0206]

thanks for the review am sure the sewage problem will be a short one, shame about your table, that's not good if

someone can sit at your allocated table. sorry liberty leaving miami bit glad she coming to Barcelona so we can sail on her next year. med needs more mega ships

[yogimax]

Production show #1 was awful- we left. We did not attend any others.

 

o.k., I'm curious. Why did you think the production show was "awful?"

[LBumb]

thanks for sharing your cruise experience, glad you had a good time. flowrider rocks.

[cruisinleelee]

o.k., I'm curious. Why did you think the production show was "awful?"

 

Maybe it was the content- fairy tales... not sure. There were a few folks leaving but YMMV (your mileage may vary) We usually like the production shows but this one missed the mark for us.

[yogimax]

Maybe it was the content- fairy tales... not sure. There were a few folks leaving but YMMV (your mileage may vary) We usually like the production shows but this one missed the mark for us.

 

Thanks for your response. I've gotten tired of the production shows in general. They are great for first time cruisers, but seem to be so similar to each other that having seen one, you think you have seen them all.

[wwcruisers]

OP, thanks for posting your review, but I'm glad I wasn't eating when I read it (lol) -- as I'm rather sensitive to smells. :eek: Hope the "sewage smell" issue gets resolved before our Liberty cruise in Feb! Sadly, it seems to be a recurring problem throughout the fleet. :(

I was a little confused about the first night dining situation. Were the folks sitting at your table assigned there, or did they just walk in early and plop themselves down at whatever table they chose? :confused:

[cruisinleelee]

I was a little confused about the first night dining situation. Were the folks sitting at your table assigned there, or did they just walk in early and plop themselves down at whatever table they chose? :confused:

 

No, they were not assigned to our table, they just chose to sit there because they had family seated at an adjacent table! We had a table for 6, they (4 people) just liked the location and decided to sit there. Honestly, I was livid and very disappointed that the staff did not make them move. Tthankfully it all worked out from night 2 on. I have no idea where they ended up!!

[PR Cruisers]

I am going to be on the August 29th cruise......any possibility that you could post the cruise compasses?

 

Who is the cruise director?

 

Thanks for your review...

[cruisinleelee]

Sorry PR I didn't take pics of cruise compass. CD was Kirk Detweiler (sp?). He was ok- not as good as some, better than most :)

[wwcruisers]

No, they were not assigned to our table, they just chose to sit there because they had family seated at an adjacent table! We had a table for 6, they (4 people) just liked the location and decided to sit there. Honestly, I was livid and very disappointed that the staff did not make them move. Tthankfully it all worked out from night 2 on. I have no idea where they ended up!!

 

WOW -- I'd have been furious too! Glad things worked out for you.

[ehfl]

What's all the talk about sewage smells? I don't understand how this happens unless a toilet backs up, and with a toilet-vac system how does that even happen? Doesn't all the solid waste get incenerated? And the black/gray water, does that get purified and used for other purposes onboard? I have never smelled sewage smell while being onboard.

 

Ships tend to have pretty constant plumbing problems. No matter how often they are told, people will still try to flush sanitary napkins, and sometimes condoms. These clog the system, and when it's not operating properly, you get the smell.

[cruise pup]

I commend you for being a good sport about the dining room incident. I sail on LIberty in 2 weeks on the Eastern itinerary. Can't wait.

[6coolcats]

You mentioned that Ice shows were sold out- is this something extra you must pay for to see?? Can you get tickets before the cruise? More info please. Thanks S.

[ehfl]

You mentioned that Ice shows were sold out- is this something extra you must pay for to see?? Can you get tickets before the cruise? More info please. Thanks S.

 

There is no charge for the ice show, and they have plenty of tickets...you just have to pick them up when they tell you to. Don't wait until the afternoon, when they tell you the tickets will be distributed in the morning.

[6coolcats]

Thanks for letting me know. S

[cruisinleelee]

There is no charge for the ice show, and they have plenty of tickets...you just have to pick them up when they tell you to. Don't wait until the afternoon, when they tell you the tickets will be distributed in the morning.

 

the tickets were given out between 9 and 11 on 1 day only. By 11, both shows were sold out. I didn't think I had to get there early because I had read that some ships aren't even using tickets anymore and the shows are never full. Live and learn. Next time I will be first on line:D

[6coolcats]

Do they have refrigerators in the cabins on the liberty? S