Finally, the journal of our recent Liberty Transatlantic crossing - very long!

[peteukmcr]

At long last this is our journal/review of our recent Liberty Of The Seas westbound transatlantic crossing from Barcelona to Fort Lauderdale (Oct 29th - Nov 12th 2011).

 

Sorry for the delay and length of the journal. I have split it into several posts for ease of reading.

 

This certificate details our ports of call en-route.

 

The journal starts on Oct 28th in Barcelona when we arrived 1 day pre cruise.

 

[peteukmcr]

Friday, 28th October – Manchester, UK to Barcelona, Spain

 

We travelled from Manchester on Monarch Airlines arriving late morning into Barcelona, El Prat airport, terminal 2 and travelled via private transfer to the W Barcelona hotel for the night where we checked in and got a room on the 6th floor with a great sea and port view.

 

The room was great for the special deal we got from a ‘secret’ hotel website of £120! Definitely 5* if located slightly out of town, but directly on the beach with very friendly staff and extremely comfortable for the night.

 

Our room, called a Wonderful Double, and is just that. Modern, stylish and sleek. We had a wonderful view over the port which was full of cruise ships. Costa Serena, MSC Splendida and Carnival Dream to name a few.

 

Went into the city centre by cab and dined at Hard Rock Café, a tradition when we’re in Barcelona!

 

Saturday, 29th October – Liberty of the Seas

 

Awoke to see Liberty docked in port and went for a walk down the beach and had breakfast.

 

Checked out at 11:30 and caught a taxi to the cruise port, which cost just under €20 following the additional extras for bags that is always added in Barcelona.

 

The lines to check-in were not as bad as we feared. So much so, that we stood in line for the Deck 8 check-in rather than wait with all the Diamond Members where the line was much longer. We were stopped a few times by people who recognised us from Cruise Critic. Always nice to put a face to a name. Within 30 minutes we were in the Windjammer and another 30 minutes in our stateroom 8550 at 1 pm, a category E1 balcony cabin, located port side towards the forward centrum. Our luggage made it to the room before us. Also our gifts of water and orange juice and a box containing cookies, nuts and candid peel sweets as a welcome back gift were there.

 

The champagne and chocolate strawberries I ordered had already been delivered which is my tradition for sail away.

 

We met with friends from Cruise Critic in the Viking Crown and met who was to become our favourite bartender of the cruise, Jelena.

 

At 7 p.m. we went to the Sphinx lounge on deck 5 where the nightly event for Diamond C&A members was to be held for the whole duration of the cruise as the Diamond Lounge on deck 14 could not cope with the number of Diamond members on board. To be honest it was a zoo, although we met some very nice people, but after about 10 days we stopped going as we preferred to have a pre-dinner cocktail in the Olive or Twist bar in the Viking Crown on deck 14.

 

At just before 8:30 p.m. we went to the Botticelli dining room for dinner as we were on My Time Dining. Our servers were fantastic and the meal was very good and we chose a great bottle of Chardonnay from our 12 bottle Platinum Wine & Dine package to accompany our meal.

 

Food was fabulous which always amazes me considering the vast number of people they have to cater for. Our choices were for one of us, Caesar Salad, Sea Bass for main & Cherry Chocolate Cake for dessert, for the other it was Onion Tart, Pork Medallions and Strawberry Pavlova.

 

After dinner we met a few friends on the Royal Promenade and clapped and danced to the Parade before a few more drinks in the Schooner Bar with the resident pianist. Everyone was in fine voice (ok not everyone)!

[peteukmcr]

Sunday, 30th October – Cartagena, Spain

 

Arrived in port around 11am and practically docked in the town centre.

 

Cartagena is a pretty but somewhat unremarkable Spanish town. It has the obligatory Plaza Espanya, some quaint cafes and chic shops all set within a steep sided bay full of small yachts, fishing vessels as well as an odd range of military ship.

As we left port after dark the locals gathered near the lighthouse at the end of the pier to wish us adios

 

Monday, 31st October – Malaga, Spain

 

We took a guided bus tour around Malaga today. It was a balmy 23 degrees which was wonderful for late October.

 

Never realised what a large and pretty city Malaga is. Most people arriving at Malaga Airport go west to the popular resorts of Torremolinos, Benalmadena, Fuengirola, Marbella, the chic resort of Puerto Banus and Estepona.

 

Malaga has existed since Phoenician times but has also been occupied by the Romans, Christians but mostly by the Arabs. There is a wonderful Cathedral which remains unfinished but unlike the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona there are no plans to complete the unfinished tower.

 

Carnival Magic on her transatlantic crossing was in port and there is a great deal of development taking place to improve the facilities for all future cruise passengers.

 

Back for lunch at Johnny Rockets, great shakes and burgers IMHO. No large dinner tonight!

 

Halloween night and lots of people took part in the parade and a fantastic variety of costumes were displayed, excellent.

[peteukmcr]

Tuesday, 1st November – Cadiz, Spain

 

We met with a few fellow passengers at 10am and ventured out onto the streets of Cadiz. We had no particular plan or route in mind so went where we fancied.

 

Plaza Espanya was our first stop which has an impressive monument to the 1812 constitution. We veered onto the Alameda Apodaca, a broad avenue that hugged the sea wall. There were two enormous, spooky looking and clearly very old trees close to each other, Plane Trees I think. Then through the pretty Parque Genoves with its strangely manicured box trees like something from Alice's Wonderland. Cute green parakeets and an assortment of cats completed the picture.

 

Foot sore we made our way through the narrows streets of the old town before heading back to the ship that dominated the horizon as we approached.

 

Today was a National Holiday in Spain, All Saints Day, so most shops were closed but that did not stop us enjoying this attractive destination.

 

Also in port today was Voyager of the Seas, Holland America Ryndam and Splendour of the Seas was undergoing revitalization in dry dock and could be seen in the distance.

 

Wednesday, 2nd November – At Sea

 

Nice relaxing day after the past few port days, dinner at Portofino, excellent as usual, well worth the extra $20.

 

Thursday, 3rd November – Santa Cruz, Tenerife

 

Shared the Port of Santa Cruz today with Queen Mary 2, Fred Olsen Balmoral & Voyager of the Seas, which was supposed to have gone to the Azores after Cadiz but was forced to change ports because of bad weather.

 

Visited Loro Parque located in the resort of Puerto De La Cruz in the north west of the island. First stop the Orca Ocean and the Killer Whale show, only it wasn't much of a show as a couple of the whales decided that they didn't want to perform today. The Dolphins and the myriad of different Parrots, Parakeets and Macaws more than made up for it.

 

The capital Santa Cruz looked huge but no time for that as we needed to be back on board to watch QM2 and Voyager of the Seas depart ahead of us.

 

Friday, 4th November – La Palma, La Isla Bonita

 

Today we were on the small Canary Island of Las Palmas which is about 50 miles west of Tenerife and known as the beautiful island.

 

We took a guided tour up to the rim of Caldera de Taburiente. The weather was fantastic and as we had set off early we were there a little after 9 am. We started at La Cumbrecita, which had magnificent views out over the crater which is not a volcano as some believe and walked about a kilometre down to a mirador (viewpoint) again with stunning views over the landscape.

 

A quick stop off at the visitor centre and we were on the road again to visit a centre for young adults with mental health problems. They worked at a place creating arts and crafts such as necklaces, pottery, lace and even Cuban cigars. They didn't seem to mind us tourists gawping at them. Next was a church with a famous Madonna, a religious artifact. Our Lady of the Snow, I think it was called.

 

Soon we were back in Santa Cruz and then onto the ship which we would not leave again for 7 days as we crossed the Atlantic.

[peteukmcr]

Saturday, 5th November – At Sea

 

A weather front passed through this area a few days ago and stirred up the sea and so we had some sea swells of up to 4 metres. On a ship this large however we only had a slight swaying motion and it was actually quite nice as it reminded you that you're on a ship in the middle of the ocean.

 

Weather is gorgeous. Sun very hot. We picked a port side cabin as we knew the sun would be slightly south of us so we would have sunshine all day.

 

Plenty of activities listed on the Compass to help pass the day and we attended a progressive trivia game which was held at 11 am today and for every other sea day until we reach land. It was very well attended in the Sphinx lounge.

 

We ate at Chops with a friend to celebrate her birthday, and a very good meal it was too. Nightcap at the Champagne Bar with other friends.

 

Sunday, 6th November – At Sea

 

Found excellent spot on deck 4 towards the aft to spend some quiet time to read. Despite the number of people on board there are plenty of little nooks like that around the ship if you wish to avoid the crowds on the pool decks.

 

Lunch at Johnny Rockets again today and avoided the very filling shakes so could manage the excellent apple pie a la mode!

 

Monday, 7th November – At Sea

 

Weather not so good today. Tropical Storm Sean passed to the north of us bringing some rain and plenty of cloud. Still very warm outside though.

 

We had a mini golf tournament scheduled for 10am but the weather wasn’t good for golf, so it was abandoned.

 

This afternoon was the Ice Show which was excellent but cut short due to the motion of the ship for the safety of the skaters.

 

We had dinner at Chops Grille again tonight. The waiter was amazing. Not only good at his job but he remembered us from when we sailed Liberty back in May.

 

Tuesday, 8th November – At Sea

 

Very bumpy night last night on the high seas. Ship was rocking something good. Was wide awake at 1.30 listening to all the creaks and groans the ship made as it continued its journey westward towards the USA.

 

Things calmed down around 7am. Another relaxing day at sea, and Quest in Studio B after dinner.

 

Wednesday, 9th November – At Sea

 

The sun was vicious today. Hottest day so far around 79f. Flow Rider was being well utilised with beginners lessons today. Lunch at Johnny Rockets again!

 

The theme on board tonight was 70's. There was a street party on the Royal Promenade at 10.30 that was a lot of fun.

 

We gathered outside Vintages Wine Bar which was a great position. The Cruise Director and staff came down on the bridge in full 70's gear and the party kicked off and carried on in the Catacombs Nightclub.

 

Luckily Sorrento's was open late so we could grab a couple of pizza slices on the way back to stateroom!

 

Thursday, 10th November – At Sea

 

Dinner at Portofino's again tonight. The food as ever, was excellent. The recommendations of Shrimp Risotto was excellent, a Caesar Salad followed by Spiedino Di Mare (Seafood Skewer) which consisted of Lobster, Shrimp, Salmon and Scallops which was 'to die for', followed by Tiramisu to finish and then coffee and brandy.

 

Then up to the pool deck for the White Party. Seemed the whole ship was out in force. Rock and roll band was playing and people were dancing. Captain Kjetil Gjerstad was mingling and greeting people. The chefs had displays of carved fruit, ice sculptures and more food which people were queuing up to eat! No chance for us as having eaten at Portofino.

 

Friday, 11th November – Final Day at Sea

 

Spent the afternoon on the main pool deck enjoying a Mango Lava Flow. The Liberty Orchestra was out and the ships singers were performing some show tunes. This was followed by the Sexiest Man Competition, won by our friend from Fort Lauderdale.

[peteukmcr]

Saturday, 12th November – Fort Lauderdale

 

Arrived in Fort Lauderdale at 6.30am. Port Everglades very busy today. Oasis of the Seas was docked together with Celebrity Infinity, Holland America Eurodam and Grand Princess.

 

Disembarkation was a little slow. As Diamond Members we could wait in the Botticelli Dining Room on deck 5. We had express departure as we wanted to make most of our day in Florida and scheduled for 7:45. Allowed to depart at 8:20 and had cleared immigration by 8:45, much quicker than expected. Others were not as lucky as the whole process was a little disorganised and resulted in many delays.

 

Conclusion

 

Liberty of the Seas is a fantastic ship, very well maintained, and run by a very professional and extremely friendly and helpful staff.

 

The variety, quality and selection of food and drink are exceptional in my opinion.

 

Entertainment is first class and there is something to suit everyone.

 

We look forward to sailing on her again next May when she returns to Barcelona to sail the Mediterranean once again.

 

Click here for a slideshow from TRIPWOW part of tripadvisor and Cruise Critic

[wantocruisemore]

Thanks so much for the quick overiew. A transatlantic is on our bucket list.

 

How was the Barcelona Hard Rock? My DH has a tradition of always getting the t-shirts and we plan to go during our port stop in Barcelona next June. Is it far from the port and/or near other sites?

[tahoemc]

Peter, good review and excellent slideshow. Your pics bring back some good memories of a once in a lifetime adventure that we shared with so many new friends.

 

You were much too kind about the disembarkation, our experience was a bit different. Still wrestling with RC about getting our refund on the Ft Lauderdale excursion that we missed due to the slow disembarkation process.

 

All in all, it was a great cruise.

 

Hope you and Patrick have a wonderful holiday season.

[joandian]

Thanks so much for the quick overiew. A transatlantic is on our bucket list.

 

How was the Barcelona Hard Rock? My DH has a tradition of always getting the t-shirts and we plan to go during our port stop in Barcelona next June. Is it far from the port and/or near other sites?

 

 

I'm not the OP but like your DH, I collect Hard Rock Cafe t-shirts from all around the world. BCN Hard Rock is right at the top of Las Ramblas, around the corner and across from Placa de Calatunya. There is a Metro stop just across the street so it's easy to get it. Like most other Hard Rock Cafes it was pretty crowded.

[joandian]

Thanks for the review. It was interesting to read of your experiences. We are doing the TA from Miami to Rome next May and I'm really looking forward to it but a little fearful as well. I get seasick so I'm hoping for calm seas. Not sure how I will cope if it's rough.:eek:

[peteukmcr]

Thanks so much for the quick overiew. A transatlantic is on our bucket list.

 

How was the Barcelona Hard Rock? My DH has a tradition of always getting the t-shirts and we plan to go during our port stop in Barcelona next June. Is it far from the port and/or near other sites?

 

I'm not the OP but like your DH, I collect Hard Rock Cafe t-shirts from all around the world. BCN Hard Rock is right at the top of Las Ramblas, around the corner and across from Placa de Calatunya. There is a Metro stop just across the street so it's easy to get it. Like most other Hard Rock Cafes it was pretty crowded.

Thanks for providing the answer about the Hard Rock and it's location. With only being a party of 2 we've never had too much of a problem in getting a table, only ever had to wait a few minutes at the bar. They do have a downstairs dining room which is sometimes quieter than upstairs.

[peteukmcr]

Peter, good review and excellent slideshow. Your pics bring back some good memories of a once in a lifetime adventure that we shared with so many new friends.

 

You were much too kind about the disembarkation, our experience was a bit different. Still wrestling with RC about getting our refund on the Ft Lauderdale excursion that we missed due to the slow disembarkation process.

 

All in all, it was a great cruise.

 

Hope you and Patrick have a wonderful holiday season.

Hi Mike, I know perhaps I was a little to generous on the disembarkation fiasco and I know you are still having difficulties with RCI. I hope you get it resolved soon.

 

I wish that you have a good holiday season too, we're off on another ship, albeit only a ferry from the UK to Ireland for Christmas with friends and the Irish Sea may not be as gentle as the Atlantic!

[peteukmcr]

Thanks for the review. It was interesting to read of your experiences. We are doing the TA from Miami to Rome next May and I'm really looking forward to it but a little fearful as well. I get seasick so I'm hoping for calm seas. Not sure how I will cope if it's rough.:eek:

Glad you enjoyed it and I'm sure you'll be fine. Despite the rain showers, the motion was not that bad crossing the Atlantic. Enjoy Mariner, she was our very first RCI cruise ship and it got us hooked!

[Verfai]

Good job!

[gcvt]

I enjoyed the read and loved the photographs - thank you!

[Desert Cruizers]

Peter enjoyed reading your journal. We did get our Golf tournament in with Darlene, so was there another one planned that you mentioned. I hope you didn't think John was going to run into you the one evening as we were swayed across the Promenade from the rolling.:D

 

Gay

[samben]

Peter enjoyed reading your journal. We did get our Golf tournament in with Darlene, so was there another one planned that you mentioned. I hope you didn't think John was going to run into you the one evening as we were swayed across the Promenade from the rolling.:D

 

Gay

 

SURE Gay blame it on the ship rolling..............LOL

 

Peter great review!

 

Mike hope all is well with you guys!

[peteukmcr]

Good job!

 

I enjoyed the read and loved the photographs - thank you!

 

SURE Gay blame it on the ship rolling..............LOL

 

Peter great review!

 

Mike hope all is well with you guys!

 

Thank you for the compliments, but this time a lot of this has been plagerised from Patrick's journal!

[peteukmcr]

Peter enjoyed reading your journal. We did get our Golf tournament in with Darlene, so was there another one planned that you mentioned. I hope you didn't think John was going to run into you the one evening as we were swayed across the Promenade from the rolling.:D

 

Gay

Hi Gay, the mini golf was a small get together nothing official, that's why it wasn't a big deal that the weather didn't cooperate.

 

Never thought John was going to run into us, we were probably swaying in the opposite direction anyway, and probably not as a result of the ships motion!:D

[Sequim88]

Great review, thanks. We're on same TA in May with joandian and it really helps reading in reverse to get a sense for that. Sort of counting on Spring weather being a little calmer.

 

BCN Hard Rock is right at the top of Las Ramblas,

A) Did not know there was a Hard Rock there - nice!

B) Great to know it is in area we will be passing through. Figured after Parc Guel to walk down Las Ramblas to port area. HR will now be on our list. Do they have a good collection of memorabillia and especially guitars? Also how wheelchair accessible is it (steps, etc...)?

 

Golf Tournament? Great idea. I need to see about organizing one (if someone has not already) and adding to our Roll Call group's already extensive list of activities.

[wantocruisemore]

Thanks for all the info about Hard Rock. Whenever we travel I always check the Hard Rock website to check on locations. Usually they are easy to get to and put them in typical tourist areas. It's one of the things my DH insists about. My DD also loves their little costumed bears, she got them this past summer in Rome and Athens.

 

I've got to do more research about Barcelona. I know we are planning on Las Ramblas and will likely be DIY. We also considered one of the Runnerbean morning walking tours.

Can you walk from pier to Hard Rock?

[Sequim88]

Can you walk from pier to Hard Rock?

Have not been there yet but research tells me...

It is about one mile from Columbus (Colon) Statue up Las Ramblas to Placa Catalunya. If, as noted, Hard Rock at about at the top end of Las Ramblas so it would not be a bad walk. There is a 43 foot elevation drop from plaza end to the statue so slightly up hill going toward Hard Rock.

 

From pier to Columbus statue there is shuttle bus.

[wantocruisemore]

Have not been there yet but research tells me...

It is about one mile from Columbus (Colon) Statue up Las Ramblas to Placa Catalunya. If, as noted, Hard Rock at about at the top end of Las Ramblas so it would not be a bad walk. There is a 43 foot elevation drop from plaza end to the statue so slightly up hill going toward Hard Rock.

 

From pier to Columbus statue there is shuttle bus.

 

Thanks. Sometimes looking at a map I get confused about distances because they can be so deceiving.

[peteukmcr]

Have not been there yet but research tells me...

It is about one mile from Columbus (Colon) Statue up Las Ramblas to Placa Catalunya. If, as noted, Hard Rock at about at the top end of Las Ramblas so it would not be a bad walk. There is a 43 foot elevation drop from plaza end to the statue so slightly up hill going toward Hard Rock.

 

From pier to Columbus statue there is shuttle bus.

 

If you walk up to the top of the Ramblas from the Columbus statue, the Hard Rock is to the right facing Placa Catalunya, not exactly on the Ramblas. It doesn't have large signage so you do have to look for it.

 

Thanks. Sometimes looking at a map I get confused about distances because they can be so deceiving.

 

This section of a great tourist guide as details of the 'Blue Bus' that runs from the port to the Columbus statue.

 

http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/transport/barcelona-cruise-port.html

 

This guide is a valuable source of information.

[lakelorain]

Thanks for your great review and pictures. We are on the same cruise in 2012 and looking forward to it. There have been several negative comments on CC about the cruise. It is nice to see a positive one.