April 26, 2014 Give Me Liberty Pre-, Live (?!) and Post Cruise Review

[mszmek]

Thanks for the review! We will be on the Liberty in March 2015 so I am looking for every review I can find!

 

Did you notice if the Coke Freestyle Machine is on Liberty?

 

Thanks again!

[ksawyercruiser]

So we’re in Cozumel! Sorry for the delay in my trip report. Work and a 5th grade science fair project got in the way. (I hate when that happens!) My goal is to get this baby finished up this weekend.

 

Once again, we had room service as our wakeup call. We nibbled on fruit and pastries -- and sipped coffee and juice -- while we got ready for our day.

 

Around 9:30, we headed off the ship. No lines this time! We walked right off, strolled through the market and got in line for a taxi. We were heading to Mr. Sancho’s … an all-inclusive beach day. We had been to Mr. Sancho’s once before about two years ago when we were on the Allure. Our kids loved it.

 

On this day, there were four ships in port: Two Carnival, one Disney and the Liberty. We were expecting Mr. Sancho’s to be pretty busy, and we weren’t mistaken. It was much more crowded than the first time we visited.

 

After they checked our reservation, we were escorted to a table with an umbrella near the beach. It was one of the only tables left.

 

Our server immediately came up to greet us. His name was Enrique, and he was phenomenal. He told us that he would be taking care of us all day, and he would get us any food or drinks we desired. He was super attentive and really made our day.

 

Marissa ordered a virgin frozen daiquiri, and Tom and I requested a couple Sols. Then we all just relaxed a while enjoying the sound of the waves and our ocean views.

 

Unfortunately, the seas were pretty rough. There must have been a storm somewhere off shore. So the sand was pretty stirred up. The water was more greenish than the crystal turquoise we had experienced in previous visits.

 

(BTW, you could definitely feel the waves on this trip! I was surprised how much movement we felt on the Liberty. I actually like it … makes me feel like I’m on a cruise! But I wasn’t expecting it on such a big ship.)

 

After our welcome drinks, Marissa and Tom hit the trampoline water park. They had a ball on the slides and trampolines. I tried to chat with a tattooed couple off one of the Carnival ships. But they wanted nothing to do with me. (I talk to everyone. Drives Tom bananas.)

 

We were just about to order lunch when a nice young man came over and asked if we were interested in fish pedicures. WHAT??!!!! :eek:

 

This is something I had seen on TV but didn’t know they offered at Mr. Sancho’s. Marissa immediately said, “Yes! Let’s do it now.” I said, “Well … we can go check it out.”

 

We walked over to a small building near the non all-inclusive side. (There are two sides at Mr. Sanchos … all inclusive and ala carte.) It was called, “The Fish Spa.” Inside, were several crystal clear tanks on the floor filled with little fish. Next to each tank was a pillowed chair.

 

I started chatting with the owners who were a semi-retired couple from the States. (See? I really do talk to everyone.) They were delightful and answered all of my questions. The fish are flown in from the Middle East. The more I talked to them, the more comfortable I became. Plus, the other patrons seemed to really enjoy it.

 

So I thought, “Why not?” If it's good enough for Kim Kardashian, it's damn well good enough for me. heehee. For those unfamiliar, KK got a fish pedicure in an episode of her show.

 

And Marissa and I selected our tanks after a thorough foot washing to ensure no outside chemicals (like lotion or sunscreen) got into the tank. Marissa selected the tank with the smallest fish. I took the one next to her which had some of the largest.

 

We were then given instructions. Put both feet into the tank at the same time. Very slowly. It will tickle at first. Do not splash or remove your feet quickly. You might startle the fish or … even worse … knock a couple out of the tank.

 

I loved how careful they were about the fish. The owners told me that they are extremely expensive, and that they arrive as babies. They care for them until they are big enough to go into the pedicure tanks. The owners said they considered the fish their pets and their health was top concern.

 

(Tom found it really amusing how worried I was about the care of the fish. He asked me if I was going to start protesting at bait shops.)

 

As we were receiving our instructions, the fish were gathering at the surface. They looked very eager to get started.

 

Marissa and I slowly lowered our feet into the tank. I started squealing but was careful not to move my feet. It was the weirdest sensation!!! Like little bubbles all over your feet. After about 30 seconds, I got used to the feeling. It was strangely calming and relaxing. Marissa also loved it.

 

It was $20 for 15 minutes. They put timers next to you so you could keep track of your time. After the fish exfoliation, you got a 5-minute foot massage from a human. It was well worth the money. In fact, we enjoyed ourselves so much that we went back and convinced Tom to try it.

 

I NEVER thought he’d do it. Tom’s never even gotten a normal pedicure. But I guess he was intrigued because he gave it a try. I think he also wanted to talk to the owners about how they started a business in Cozumel. That’s my beloved entrepreneur.

 

While we were watching Tom get his treatment, I noticed another woman in my tank! Those darn fish were cheating on me. And here I thought I was special.

 

One of the owners told Marissa she could put in her hands while her Daddy was getting his pedi. She was so excited. So after a careful cleansing, she went back to "her" fish and put her hands in.

 

After our tootsies were done, we decided it was time for lunch. The food was excellent just like the last time we visited. The shrimp tacos were yummy with our favorite super-spicy habanero sauce on the side. We also got chips, salsa and guac. And some coconut shrimp. Marissa chose a hamburguesa con queso. With a side of fries.

 

And that’s pretty much how our day went. Drinks, beach, snack, rest and repeat. It was really nice. At around 3, we hopped in a cab and headed back to the port where we did a little shopping. Needed to buy a few souvenirs for our boy at home.

 

We then got back on the ship and went straight to the pool to relax before going to the room to get ready for the show and dinner.

 

I’ll cover that next! Thanks for all the nice comments!

[ksawyercruiser]

I'm loving the review. Keep it coming please.

 

 

Thank you VERY much! Glad you're enjoying. :):)

 

Thanks for the review! We will be on the Liberty in March 2015 so I am looking for every review I can find!

 

Did you notice if the Coke Freestyle Machine is on Liberty?

 

Thanks again!

 

Thanks so much for checking out the review! No freestyle coke machines on the Liberty, unfortunately. But it's a fabulous ship, and you're going to have a great cruise!! :D

[ksawyercruiser]

 

I spied the "Twister" speedboats while enjoying coffee on the balcony.

 

 

The two Carnival ships in port with us. A Disney ship was at the other port in Cozumel. Not sure which one.

 

 

If you look carefully, you can see one of the Carnival ships sailing into the sunset.

 

There are some pics of the fish pedicure on Tom's phone. I'll share those next.

[ksawyercruiser]

 

Marissa's fish pedicure.

 

 

The Twister speedboats race past the Glory.

 

 

One of my favorite pics from the trip.

 

 

The Promenade was so cool. Marissa kept calling the Liberty "a mini Allure."

 

 

Our favorite place for a late-night snack.

 

[ksawyercruiser]

After chilling by the pool for a bit, we went back to our room to get ready for the evening's festivities. But as soon as we got there, Tom crashed. So Marissa and I showered and went to the show by ourselves to let Tom get his nap on. (The poor guy was exhausted after tax season. He needed all the rest he could get!)

 

The show that night was a variety-style show featuring Chuck the Juggler. I really didn't have high hopes for this show but I thought Marissa would enjoy.

 

The show ended up being absolutely fantastic. Chuck is an absolutely amazing entertainer, and his banter with the audience was hilarious. He was even funnier IMO than the ship's comedian. The entire audience gave him a standing ovation at the end of the show. Don't miss this one, folks. If you have a chance to see it, GO! His website is chuckisfunny .com.

 

After the show, we met up with Tom for dinner in the MDR. We had another nice meal. Our head server Margaret was very efficient but not much in the way of chitchat. At the end of the meal, we got the "how would you rate my service on a scale of 1-10" question. I said 9 plus.

 

I really don't expect servers to entertain us. They have enough to do. I was quite happy with her service overall and had no complaints. I thought 9+ was a good response. But not for her. I got grilled on why it wasn't a 10.

 

Awkward moment in the MDR.

 

After dinner, Marissa went to AO while Tom and I did a little barhopping. We ended up in the Viking Lounge because we wanted to find Olive or Twist. We saw the sign for OoT but I still don't understand that bar at all. Where exactly is it? It looks like the same bar as Viking Lounge? Kinda strange.

 

A funny moment occurred in the Viking Lounge. A young couple came in looking for fireball shots. Not available at the bar. I started chatting with them ... because I can't help myself. I quickly noticed the girl was extremely seasick. Why they were trying to do shots when the girl was clearly nauseas was beyond me. The ship was definitely rocking and rolling. And you could really feel it in the VL.

 

They left quickly thereafter to go to Guest Services to see if they could get some medicine.

 

That ends our Cozumel day! Sea day to come. Thanks for reading!! :D

[ksawyercruiser]

 

 

Vintages. Never did have a glass of wine there. Which is weird because Tom and I are big wine lovers.

 

 

 

 

 

Our stateroom attendant Joseph was extremely friendly. He made a point to greet Marissa and ask her about her day every time we saw him. We had towel animals three of the five nights. Joseph was the only person who we gave extra $ to this voyage. We paid the automatic gratuities but Joseph more than earned the extra tip.

[ksawyercruiser]

I wore shorts to the MDR, smoked on my balcony and hogged all the pool chairs. Every single one. ;)

 

Not really. Just wondering if anyone is reading this. My review is a ghost town. But I will press on for my few loyal followers. :)

 

Happy moms day tomorrow!!

 

 

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Edited May 11, 2014 by ksawyercruiser

[zicherma]

Im still reading. I thought it was you a saw laying across 6 deck chairs at one time. We just booked a cruise for april 2016 and it looks like we will have a group of 20+. You guys are more than welcome to join us we'd love to see you guys again.

 

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Edited May 11, 2014 by zicherma

[pinkroses]

I am reading! You mentioned that your daughter called the Liberty a miniature Allure. Which did you enjoy more?

[Ramblin' Ma'am]

I skipped the comedian/juggler! Enjoyed being lazy and watching the departure from Cozumel from my balcony. I will try to catch him another time!

 

I think Viking Crown Lounge just changes its name to Olive and Twist at night and becomes adults-only. But I only went up there once, during the day, so I could be wrong.

 

 

 

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Edited May 11, 2014 by Ramblin' Ma'am

[karmacats]

I wore shorts to the MDR, smoked on my balcony and hogged all the pool chairs. Every single one. ;)

 

Not really. Just wondering if anyone is reading this. My review is a ghost town. But I will press on for my few loyal followers. :)

 

Happy moms day tomorrow!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

I'm reading, too! Just seeing that picture of the bed in the OS is making me homesick (or is that shipsick? seasick? hmmmmm).

 

I wish we had known you weren't thrilled with your table location or waitstaff - we had 4 extra seats at our table and an awesome waiter and you totally could have joined. Maybe next time. ;)

 

Even though we were on the ship with you, I'm still having fun reading about everything you did, and seeing all your pictures. We're hoping to get back on Liberty out of NJ if the prices ever drop....

[karmacats]

I skipped the comedian/juggler!

Enjoyed being lazy and watching the departure from Cozumel from my balcony. I will try to catch him another time!

 

I think Viking Crown Lounge just changes its name to Olive and Twist at night and becomes adults-only. But I only went up there once' date=' during the day, so I could be wrong.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk[/quote']

 

Hi Laura,

 

Just laughing that we're on here at the same time. I guess it was bound to happen eventually... :D

Edited May 11, 2014 by karmacats
stupid typos!

[Ramblin' Ma'am]

Hi Laura,

 

Just laughing that we're on here at the same time. I guess it was bound to happen eventually... :D

 

 

Hey! LOS reunion!

 

I've already had like three dreams about taking a cruise since I've been back... I need to go again!

 

 

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[ksawyercruiser]

Woohoo! I love that this trip report has become more of a roll call reunion. You guys are seriously awesome. Thanks for letting me know I'm not a CC outcast.

 

Not much interest in this itinerary I guess. Prob because lady liberty is on her way to Europe now.

 

Thanks for joining me on this trip down Liberty lane. :) :) :)

 

When is the cruise next April? If it's after the 15th, we might be able to swing it. I think we should all go!!

 

 

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[zicherma]

4/18/16 is when we sail on the independence

 

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[Lady Hudson]

Enjoying! Thanks for taking the time to post.

[ksawyercruiser]

So we’ve come to our last sea day. Today was sleep-in day. We all slept pretty late. Until 10:30 or so. Tom and Marissa then went to the Windjammer for breakfast and brought back coffee and pastries for me.

 

T&M then headed to the pool for a little bit while I got ready. They were trying to fight crowds.

 

Once I was out the door, I decided to explore the ship a little before going to the slot tournament to see if I was still a contender for the final round.

 

When I got to the casino, I checked the leaderboards, and I was still number two on the list. After several more qualifying rounds, I stayed at #2. So it looked like I was going to be playing in the final.

 

There was some commotion as they tried to get a few more players to enter in the qualifying rounds. Apparently, there has to be a certain number of participants in order to give away the free cruise. If they don’t meet that quota, then the final round is for cash.

 

We got lucky, and a few more passengers ponied up the $25 to play. At the end of the final round, I was still in the top 10.

 

They then announced that the tournament for the free cruise was about to begin. And all finalists should find the machine with their name on top. I found mine and sat down.

 

I had made a few friends in the casino while I was waiting, and they decided to stick around to cheer me on.

 

Then the countdown from 10 started, and we were off! Hitting the spin button as fast as humanly possible. And popping the bonus stars when they appeared on the screen with our other hands. It was a 5-minute whirlwind tournament. And you feel like you have serious carpal tunnel afterward.

 

The clock counted down and WHAT??!!! I actually won the free cruise! I was absolutely flabbergasted. I never win anything. People were cheering, patting me on the back, congratulating me. It was surreal. I played the slot tournament on a lark. Never thought I’d even qualify.

 

I was then whisked away by the slots director to complete the necessary paperwork. In addition to the free cruise certificate, I also got a trophy and a RCI blue polo which they told me I could exchange for any size I wanted. I ended up getting a men’s XL and gave it to my hubby. He’s actually wearing it today. 

 

The director also called over a server and told him to get me anything I wanted. That I was the tournament slot winner and to take very good care of me. I ordered a drink and tipped that guy $20. I had just won a free cruise, after all! Gotta share the wealth.

 

So the deal on the free cruise … it’s for two people on the Liberty on December 1. Five nights going to Labadee and Ocho Rios. All the tournament winners fleet wide will be on that sailing. And we’ll be playing for a share of $100,000. Unreal.

 

The weird thing is we will be getting off the Allure that Sunday, and then hopping on the Liberty the very next day. It doesn’t say what type of cabin we’ll have. But hey, I’ll be happy with anything!

 

I then went to the room hopping, skipping and jumping to tell Tom I had won. He was ecstatic for me. It was really cute.

 

We chilled for a bit and then we took Marissa down to her cupcake class. It was so cute and well worth the extra charge. I highly recommend it for kids. She made a frog and a lion cupcake. And, of course, she got to keep her creations. She had a ball, and the crewmember leading the group did a really great job with the kids.

 

While she was decorating, Tom and I watched from Sorrento’s and had a beer. I also went to the BOGO T-shirt sale and fought the crowds to get a few shirts. Well worth it. I got four nice T's for under $35.

 

That evening, we went to Saturday night fever. We absolutely loved it. Great performances, great songs, great sets. Sit up close so you aren’t distracted from all the latecomers and people switching seats, leaving early, etc. We sat in the second row, and it was perfect.

 

It was one of the best shows I’ve seen on a cruise. I give the entertainment on this ship a 10 out of 10. I’m only sorry we missed the ice show. But next time for sure!

 

We had a nice last dinner at the MDR. And we were able to sneak out before the server show. We wanted to have plenty of time to go to the pub to see Kat Wells sing one more time. She is a really cool lady. And we thoroughly enjoyed listening to her vocal stylings. She loves requests and bantering with the crowd. Her rendition of Alanis Morissette’s “You Outta Know” was KILLER.

 

After a traditional stop for a slice at Sorrento’s, we collected our little one from AO and headed back to the room. We were doing walk-off for the first time, and I hadn’t even started packing.

 

I’ll cover disembarkation next and final thoughts! Thanks for tagging along!

[ksawyercruiser]

 

Catacombs nightclub. I never went in there except to take a few pictures. The guy setting up the bar was pretty rude to me. But hey, the door opened. I thought I could go in.

 

 

More Catacombs.

 

 

The dude not happy with my presence.

 

 

Such a great show!

 

[ksawyercruiser]

Enjoying! Thanks for taking the time to post.

 

Thank you soooo much! :D:D

[ksawyercruiser]

I am reading! You mentioned that your daughter called the Liberty a miniature Allure. Which did you enjoy more?

 

Thank you for reading the review! I really appreciate it!

 

Both ships are great with so much to do. I think I prefer the Allure. It just didn't feel as crowded as the Liberty. And I adored the Central Park area. My favorite part of any ship I've ever been on.

 

More and more, I'm thinking I'm a small-ship kinda gal. I like the feeling of being on a ship ... and not a high-end mall. I like how you get to know the officers from seeing them everywhere. And the more relaxed pace of the staff. But my kids would totally disagree.

 

But I would do both ships again without hesitation.

 

We are off on the Vision in a couple weeks for a four-nighter over Memorial Day. I'm really looking forward to it.

 

Thanks again! :):):)

Edited May 11, 2014 by ksawyercruiser

[ksawyercruiser]

 

The beautiful Promenade.

 

 

The artwork on this ship was wacky. Everything from Star Wars to Pirates of the Caribbean. Which I thought was weird since that movie is so associated with Disney.

 

 

More funky artwork.

 

 

I took this on the last sea day. The group on the left is doing the "Cupid Shuffle."

 

 

I still don't understand this bar. Is it the same as Viking Lounge? Anyone ... anyone?

[MADflyer]

So we’ve come to our last sea day. Today was sleep-in day. We all slept pretty late. Until 10:30 or so. !

 

Congratulations on the free cruise.

 

I guess you missed us on Vision of the Seas passing at about 10:30 AM on Liberty's starboard side on your last sea day. We had aft JS 8588 there and did not catch Liberty until she was already well past us on her way back to Port Everglades.

 

Looking forward to sailing this Wednesday with Liberty from Barcelona.

[ksawyercruiser]

Congratulations on the free cruise.

 

 

 

I guess you missed us on Vision of the Seas passing at about 10:30 AM on Liberty's starboard side on your last sea day. We had aft JS 8588 there and did not catch Liberty until she was already well past us on her way back to Port Everglades.

 

 

 

Looking forward to sailing this Wednesday with Liberty from Barcelona.

 

 

So sorry I missed it! We also have an aft JS on the vision! I think we are 8590 ... Right next door. :)

 

How did you like it?

 

 

 

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[zicherma]

Wow I didnt realize it was you who won congrats. Yianna still makes fun of me for how poorly I did at the tournament

 

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