Review of 9-Night Liberty of the Seas Out of Bayonne 6/4 – 6/13/2015

[JudyD222]

Who We Are

There were four of us: My husband (age 53), me (age 54) and our two sons (ages 23 and 20). This was our “last” big family vacation….at least for a while. Our older son just finished his first year of medical school and this is his only summer off. Apparently, they are busy year round after this summer. So, we thought we should do a wonderful vacation. And, it was!!

 

Our cruising experience is not nearly as vast as others; I just cannot believe how many cruises some people have been on. We cruised on Carnival on our honeymoon in 1988. We did a family cruise on the Carnival Miracle in 2005 with two other families, my husband and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary cruising Hawaii with Norwegian in 2013 and this cruise.

 

I have found lots of great information on Cruise Critic but have never written a review, partly because there was already so much information about the trips we had done, I didn’t think I had anything new to offer. However, since this is a new ship and itinerary out of Bayonne, I thought I would share our thoughts. There wasn’t much to read before we went and I missed that.

 

We decided on this cruise because it was close enough for us to drive (we live near Rochester, NY so it is about a 5-hour trip). It was so nice not to worry about flights. Plus, it was 9 nights which was very nice. We decided to go the day before and stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn, Staten Island ($229 for 2 queen beds). They have a special package to stay, park, and cruise. You can leave your car there and they take you on a bus to the cruise port and pick you up after the cruise. If we were to go out of Bayonne again, I would look for package deals like this at hotels near the Newark airport – the airport is closer to the cruise port. Or, we would get up super early and just drive down the day of the cruise and park at the port ($19 per day, I believe).

 

I am not going to post the daily compass; someone else is going to do that I think. Personally, I don’t like to look at those in advance; I like to be surprised every night when I read what is happening the next day.

 

I will say that formal nights are Day 2 and Day 8; Day 8 is also lobster night.

 

Embarkation

Since we were taking the hotel shuttle (actually a large bus since there were lots of us taking advantage of this package at our hotel as well as the Hampton Inn that was on the same property), we had to go when the shuttle left. By the time we loaded the bus with people and luggage at both hotels, we didn’t leave until about 11:30 a.m. The Bayonne Bridge is undergoing construction and there was traffic so about a 45 minute ride, or so.

 

At the port, they took our luggage right from us after claiming it at the bus so that was very convenient. I noticed people (not sure if they were from our bus or another bus) who didn’t have luggage tags. I was really surprised about that. But, the porters had tags that people could fill out.

 

While there were a lot of people and lines, it was a pretty simple process. First, there as a line to go through security. Then there was a line to get the Sea Pass card. Then, finally a line to get your photo taken and then board the ship. If I didn’t have to rely on the hotel transportation, I would have tried to get there around 11 am. I asked someone working there about the number of people at that time, and it wasn’t crowded at all he said.

 

Ship

Big!! This is the biggest ship we have been on. It took a couple of days to get my bearings. Here is a hint, which I didn’t figure out till a day or two before the end of the cruise: the carpet on the port side (left side; to remember that, left and port each of four letters) of the ship is reddish/orange; the carpet color on the starboard side (right) is blue.

 

The Promenade on Deck 5 was very cool. There were shops, Ben & Jerrys (not free), Cupcake store (not free; they had decorating classes here). There were two places with free food: (see below).

 

I loved the Solarium pool area – no kids allowed and the chairs are much nicer; in fact, many have cushions! Plus, you can walk into the pool instead of climbing up and down a ladder. Everything you read about “chair hogs” at the pool is correct! The first sea day I didn’t find it that way because I found a chair right away. But the last two sea days ……. Wow!! On Day 8, I arrived around 9 a.m. – not one chair available; there or at the other pool. I ended up on Deck 12. The one good thing is that it was very breezy so I was not as hot so didn’t need to get in the water much. On Day 9, I went down before breakfast, about 7:45 a.m. I got the last chair!! I asked someone about her chair and she had gotten there around 7 a.m. and most were already taken. The people didn’t show up for some time; maybe they set their alarms and went back to bed.

 

My older son and I did the wine tasting at Vintages. Both he and I have taken a wine class so were a bit disappointed. We both agreed that he could have engaged the participants more by asking us what we tasted. Instead, he told us more about what we would taste (e.g., berries, grapefruit, etc.) He did describe how to taste wine and why to do it that way as well as discussing the history of the region in France. There was plenty of cheese and a strawberry to taste with. Since we were tasting three reds, I also think they should have had chocolate.

 

Our Stateroom

We had a balcony room on Deck 7 (#7554); our sons were across the hall in a Promenade room (#7575); they had a window that looked down onto Deck 5. I didn’t want to spend the money on a balcony for them but felt bad getting them an inside room. So, I thought this was a nice compromise. Well, they didn’t really “use” the window. Since they apparently don’t unpack, one had a suitcase on the small sofa and the other had it on the window seat. So, the room was a good choice, but for a totally different reason!

 

Prior to our Hawaii cruise, we had had window rooms on our cruises. For Hawaii, I had read that it was wonderful to have a balcony as you sail by the Na Pali Coast; well, that was the end of window rooms. I LOVED having a balcony so don’t think we will cruise without one again. This balcony had two chairs and a small table. I think it was bigger than the Norwegian balcony we had. And, it had a glass front so you could see the water even when sitting.

 

There was plenty of storage and suitcases fit under the bed. There was a hair dryer in a small top drawer of the desk. Behind two mirrors to either side of the large mirror was additional shelf storage. The bathroom shower was round with doors instead of a shower curtain. We both liked it better because water didn’t go all over. It was also easier to clean the sand off my feet; the shower head came off so I could open the doors and use my hands and the shower head to wash the sand off my feet.

 

They open the staterooms at 1 pm so the one good thing about our later than I would have liked arrival was that we could go directly there to drop off our stuff.

 

Food

This is such an interesting topic. I have read many comments that say the food is not good. But, like so many things, I guess whether the food is good or not is very subjective. All four of us thought the food was quite good. It was not the best food we ever had, but it certainly was not the worst.

 

We had breakfast at the Windjammer buffet every morning except the second to last day; we decided to eat in the dining room so we were served breakfast. There is a lot of variety for breakfast; that being said, it is essentially the same thing every day, so I did feel like I was getting sick of it, but they had all the typical breakfast foods: scrambled eggs, sometimes there were pre-made fried eggs, bacon, sausage, turkey sausage, cereal, fruit, yogurt, tater tots (these were nice and crispy), oatmeal, grits, pancakes, waffles, croissants, bran muffins (would have preferred other choices), cinnamon pinwheels (I thought they were dry), sometimes an apple Danish that wasn’t bad. There was also a special egg dish – usually omelets. It also looked like you could order eggs to be prepared to your liking.

 

We usually had lunch there too; I think our sons had lunch at Sorrento’s once or twice.

 

On the Promenade, we enjoyed both the Café Promenade and Sorrento’s.

1. The Café Promenade was open 24 hours with free food (sweets and savory foods) and regular coffee and you could purchase nice coffees. The Mediterranean sandwich was very tasty.

2. Sorrento’s had pizza (lots of variety). Since so many people were regularly getting pizza, it was always fresh. We didn’t think it was bad at all. They also had calzones and sandwiches and some sweet treats. All were free.

 

Dinner: We did not eat at either of the pay restaurants. Since dinner was included, it seemed weird to pay extra money for dinner. We did eat lunch once at Johnny Rockets and it wasn’t bad. It was a $5.95 charge per person. There is an extra cost for a milkshake, which my sons and I had – yummy.

 

We had the early sitting for dinner (6 p.m.) and were in the Rembrandt dining room on Deck 3. We had a wonderful table (#286) which was at the back left of the dining room right next to a window. It was nice because it was quieter than other tables since we weren’t surrounded by other diners. Maurice (from Jamaica) was our waiter, Milica (from Montenegro) was our assistant waiter and Kristina (from Croatia was our bar server. All were wonderful and lots of fun.

 

My sons are big – 6’ 4” and 6’ 5’’ so had multiple appetizers and entrees most nights. My younger son is a steak freak so he had a strip steak every night plus one other entre he wanted to try. The last night he ordered two strip steaks!!

 

The dessert called Chocolate Sensation was available every night; if you are a chocoholic, this dessert is for you. My husband had one every night but one, when he tried a different chocolate dish. I was often full so stuck with a simple and stomach smoothing vanilla ice cream; it was very good. The key lime pie was delicious; I highly recommend it if you like key lime pie.

 

Entertainment

A couple of people who have cruised a lot told me that the entertainment on this ship was the best they had ever seen.

 

We didn’t do all the evening shows that were available; our sons skipped more than we did, and my husband went to a couple to be nice to me . We all went to the opening night show; I always think that is a good idea. The In the Air Cirque de Soleil show was very good; I recommend you do that. I enjoyed the Saturday Night Fever Show and I really enjoyed the ice show. I recommend both, especially the ice show. Make reservations online for the ice show before you leave.

 

The illusionist (Jason Bishop) was very good; I really don’t know how he did what he did; I recommend this show. We went to see the musical impressionist, Greg London; to be honest, I wished we had skipped that one.

 

We didn’t go to see Savannah Jack, but heard people say it was really, really good. Kind of wish I hadn’t skipped this one! We didn’t go to the Las Vegas Tenors and I didn’t hear anything about it so can’t provide any comments. And, we skipped the final good bye show. I think we were getting sick of going to shows.

 

My husband and I didn’t see Matt Yee, but my younger son said he was funny.

 

Ports

Bermuda: We had never been to Bermuda and were looking forward to going to Horseshoe Bay Beach to see the pink sand; we had planned on taking the $16 round trip van I have read about. However, it was rainy and windy when we arrived. I enjoyed watching people get off the ship and try to hold up umbrellas in the wind. Some people got off and walked a few steps then turned around and went right back to the ship!! The weather did clear up eventually (I was going to get off the ship even if it hadn’t stopped raining since I had not been here before) so we got off and wandered around the dockyard. It was very muggy so we didn’t stay too long. Wandered in the shops and then back to the ship. Because of the bad morning weather, they issued a new Compass with more on-ship activities. They also opened some of the bars earlier than normal.

 

St. Maarten: We went to Maho Beach to see the airplanes land and take off over the beach. If this is your plan, get off the ship as soon as you can. The big planes start coming in around noon; since we didn’t arrive until 1 pm, we had already missed several planes. There were buses (large minivans, actually) that take you there for $8 per person. It was very cool and I highly recommend it. Do NOT put items on the beach in the area where it indicates that you shouldn’t stand due to the planes (the guardrail is painted white with red letters). When a plane was taking off, stuff on the beach went flying into the water – sandals, towels, etc. My beach towel was drenched and full of sand – it easily weighed a couple of pounds!

 

San Juan: We did the food tour here, an excursion through the ship. While you can book this tour independently, since we were not going to be here too long, I didn’t want to take a chance that we would get back to the ship late to find it gone without us. It was very interesting to see Old San Juan and hear about the history and try some of the food. We made our own Mojitos – yummy!! I wish we had more time here. Since we did the excursion, we didn’t have too much time to shop. Speaking of shopping, you can bargain with the people set up along the street at the port. Don’t pay the full price they ask.

 

Labadee: This was a beach day. The boys wanted to do the jet skis, but didn’t want to spend the money. I went to Columbus Cove which is a sandy beach with very calm waters. You have a lovely view of the ship from here. There is a tram that you can take around Labadee. Some trams go all the way to Columbus Cove, some do not. It isn’t a long walk if the tram does not. However, you will be walking by many vendors selling items and they are very pushy: “I have a question,” “where are you from,” “I want to show you something,” etc. Sometimes I said something to them, sometimes I ignored them. My sons walked by and they didn’t bother them at all! 

 

If your plan is to go to Columbus Cove, go early so you get a good spot (shade or sun) because it does fill up. There is a bar there. Since this is a RCI place, you can use your Sea Pass at the bar. There are three main areas on Labadee, each with an eating area. Again, since it is RCI, all the food is included. It was tasty too.

 

Disembarkation

This was very simple, especially considering how many people needed to get off the ship. They leave luggage tags in your room with assigned numbers the day before along with information. They higher the number, the later you get off the ship. This way, the departure is staggered, so it is not thousands of people trying to get off at one time.

 

The tags we received would have us depart later than we wanted because the shuttle was picking us up at 9:30 a.m. My husband was able to get tags that had an earlier departure time. We were supposed to meet at the Platinum Theater, but we decided to walk off a few minutes early. The problem with this is that our luggage area had not been called. So, we had to wait in the luggage area until it was. The customs process was very smooth and quick. They looked at our passports and that was it.

 

Thoughts on the Drink Package

If you drink a lot, it is well worth it! My husband, my 23-year old son and I all had it (I felt bad for our 20½ year old son). We had the Premium Package which included beer, wine and alcohol). I think I drank more than if I hadn’t had it; I think I drank every day before noon: Pina Colada or Mimosa by the pool! I felt like every time I saw my son, he had a Corona in his hand.

 

Typically, we didn’t have to wait long to get a drink. We tend to make our drinks strong, so they seemed weak to us.

 

There were no limits on the number per day or how soon you could order one after another.

 

Observations (not complaints)

We really are not negative, complaining people and these items are not even that big deal. And, they did not negatively impact our vacation. I just thought I would mention them here to provide a complete review.

 

1. We wish there were snacks at the bars. When we are drinking we like to have a few light snacks; I mean simple snacks like goldfish or pretzels. They did have a trail mix at Olive or Twist – you just need to ask for it. Next time, I might bring some with us.

2. My husband wanted me to write that the revolving door that goes from the Windjammer area to the pool area was way too slow. It might need to be that slow due to older people, not really sure.

3. We are non-smokers and people are not supposed to smoke on the balcony. Periodically, we smelled the smoke so think that some people were still doing this.

4. Speaking of smoking, the casino does allow smoking, but it was not as bad as I had expected. I think they must have very good ventilation and they also pumped in some type of air freshener to help.

5. I wish there had been an outlet in the bathroom for a night light. We left the light on and the door mostly closed, but it was SO bright when getting up in the middle of the night to go.

6. The bathroom water didn’t really get cold (it was actually warm sometimes) so it was tough to take medication, especially if you are supposed to drink a lot of water with it. Solution: fill Bubba the night before!

7. There were a lot of dubbed foreign language American shows on the TV; not too many shows in English, although we did find a Big Bang Theory in English (my husband’s favorite show). When I was in the room for a bit to relax, I would find a regular American show to watch, and then they would speak in a foreign language. Kind of funny to see Law and Order and The Office in French or Spanish! There was CNN so that was nice.

8. This is not only a RCI thing; we have noticed this on other ships as well. On the formal nights, there are a lot of ship photographers and they take photos on the stairways between decks so it makes it challenging to get around.

9. The ice cream machine was only open from about 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day. No way to take care of that late night craving.

 

What I am Glad I Took

1. Sticky notes. Since we couldn’t use our normal mode of communication (texting), these were very helpful. I gave a supply to our sons and we had some. We were able to leave notes about where we were in case we wanted to meet up. I also used them for notes to our state room attendant.

2. Small cooler bag. I had picked up bottles of water at the bars to take to the ports. I would have used in Bermuda and we did use at St. Maarten.

3. Insulated water mug. I LOVE my Bubbas. I found a recommendation for Bubbas when I was on Cruise Critic for our 2005 cruise and have had them ever since in a variety of sizes. If you want a good one that keeps water cold, I highly recommend them. They are great by the pool because they keep your water cold so you can hydrate (in between the Pina Coladas!! ). I had them fill it with ice and water at various bars.

4. Insulated coffee mug (a Bubba one, of course!). I could get a large coffee and find a place to read on the ship.

5. Small travel clock. no clocks in the stateroom.

6. Watch. Normally, I don’t wear a watch on vacation, but really needed one since we needed to keep track of time for dinner, shows, activities, etc.

7. Power strip with USB ports and several electrical outlets. There are two outlets at the desk.

8. Lanyard with a case to slip my Sea Pass card in. Sometimes I used it and sometimes I carried a small wristlet purse so I could also bring Kleenex, cell phone (for pictures and deck plans), lipstick, etc.

9. Room spray. Small cabin with bathroom. Enough said!

 

What I Wish We Had Taken

I actually can’t think of anything. I read so many Cruise Critic comments that I was well prepared (or too well prepared if you read the items below).

 

What I Took and Didn’t Need/Use

1. I had taken two small coolers in case we did different things in port. But, we didn’t do anything different, so the extra one took up space.

2. I was excited that we could take two bottles of wine per stateroom with no corkage fee so I took two. I drank one over the course of the trip, but partly because I felt that I should. I didn’t really need it and didn’t even open the second bottle.

3. I had read about a “portable safe” that you could attach to a pool/beach chair so you could safeguard your valuables and I thought it was a good idea. So, I bought one. Since I wasn’t carrying money the only valuable I had was my Kindle and sometimes my cell phone for photos. I didn’t end up using it and felt okay leaving my bag unattended a couple of times.

4. Night light. The prongs were the wrong way to fit in the outlet at the desk. Wish I could have used it though.

5. I took a couple of bottle koozies for the water bottles. Forgot to take them to Maho Beach on St. Maarten.

6. I took some hand wipes that I would have loved at the beach ports (the salt water left me feeling sticky) but forgot them in the cabin!

 

Summary of Recommendations

1. Get to the port by 11 a.m. if possible if you want to avoid crowds.

2. Study the deck plans in advance to be better prepared to get around. You can also download the ShipMate app to your phone. There are deck plans in this app and you can use the app even while at sea without WiFi.

3. Make online reservations for the ice show (free) when you can before your trip. They let people in with reservations first.

4. When going to the Platinum Theater for a show, go 30-45 minutes early if you want to sit in a particular area.

5. If you go to Maho Beach, take a plastic bag to carry your soaked and sandy towel back in case it goes into the water if you don’t head my warning above.

6. If you need an early departure time, contact Guest Relations in advance; they might give you an earlier departure tag.

7. If you are going to buy the drink package, buy it in advance so you don’t have to wait in line once you are on the ship. You can proceed directly to a bar and get a drink. 

8. If you have a Nook or Kindle, you may want to carry it around with you; it comes in handy while waiting for a show to start if you go early.

9. Have them empty the fridge for you; or you could empty it and put the stuff on the open glass shelf in the room so they can see that you didn’t eat/drink anything.

10. If you have a drink package that includes bottled water, get some periodically to keep in your emptied fridge so you can carry it to ports with you (and use to take your medicine! ).

11. Use a credit card for your Sea Pass card not cash (not sure who would use cash but there must be some). They don’t allow transactions the last night for those using cash. In addition, you don’t have to check out and settle up at Guest Relations on the day you leave.

12. Bring a duffle bag or small bag if you plan to leave your suitcases outside your room the night before arrival back at port. Then you will have something to put your final things in.

 

 

For those sailing soon, enjoy!!

[cruisinfanatic]

one of the best and fair reviews EVER!!! Thank You

[cruzingduo]

EXCELLENT REVIEW! Glad you enjoyed the Liberty.

[barbon2]

Great review, looking forward to the Liberty.

 

Barb

[Wildcatfish]

Thanks JudyD! Really appreciate the review.

 

Were you able to have your fridge/cooler/minibar items emptied? We have had that done in the past so we could keep water & Gatorade in the fridge. Recently I heard that the stateroom attendants were not allowed remove the contents.

[LABCHICK]

Loved your review. Very fair.

 

I have a suggestion about the room spray. How about taking a freshner that you can hang up in the bathroom. The kind you us in a car. Takes up less space in you suite case.

 

We are doing a B2B on the Liberty in Sept. Really looking forward to that cruise.

Edited June 15, 2015 by LABCHICK

[jewel_beth]

Thanks for the great review.

 

We found a great light at Home Depot that you slap on and off. It just uses a battery and works great in the cabin bathroom. Not too bright and you can slap it on after closing the door behind you so as not to wake others in the cabin.

[JudyD222]

Thanks JudyD! Really appreciate the review.

 

Were you able to have your fridge/cooler/minibar items emptied? We have had that done in the past so we could keep water & Gatorade in the fridge. Recently I heard that the stateroom attendants were not allowed remove the contents.

 

I ended up emptying it myself. I had asked the attendant and I didn't fully understand what she said. I put the stuff on a shelf and then she removed it from the room for me.

[JudyD222]

Loved your review. Very fair.

 

I have a suggestion about the room spray. How about taking a freshner that you can hang up in the bathroom. The kind you us in a car. Takes up less space in you suite case.

 

We are doing a B2B on the Liberty in Sept. Really looking forward to that cruise.

 

Goodpoint. But I found this wonderful orange spray that is so refreshing. 😊

[JudyD222]

Thanks for the great review.

 

We found a great light at Home Depot that you slap on and off. It just uses a battery and works great in the cabin bathroom. Not too bright and you can slap it on after closing the door behind you so as not to wake others in the cabin.

 

That is a great idea! I will remember that for next time. Thanks.

[rmhlovesthesun]

Great review! Thank you for sharing your trip and thoughts.

 

Could you confirm that suits are ok on formal night, and other nights khakis and polos are acceptable?

 

Also, did they do lunch by the pool while you were onboard?

[Scrapnana]

Although doing a different itinerary, I will be on Liberty in October and picked up some good info from your review. Thanks for taking the time to write it.

[Cowcrazy65]

Thank you sooo much. We are going on the Liberty in Sept to New England and Canada for 9 days! Thanks again for taking the time!:D

 

Lisa

[gowensricks]

Thank you, Thank you! I have been waiting for someone to post a review, since you all disembarked yesterday! We will be doing the exact same cruise this Thursday! Your review was very enjoyable and I am super excited!

[JimAOk1945]

Wow! What a great review. Thanks for putting so much thought and effort into posting your informative report. Sounds like you had a wonderful cruise.

[spookwife]

I don't suppose there are pictures?! we are sailing LIB out of Galveston in December and I am itching for some recent photos.

 

is Sorrentos serving on embarkation? when we sailed NAV earlier this it was sooooo much less crowded at the Promenade( not to mention one of our absolute fav bartenders ever was there) over the WJ and the idea of a calzone makes me all giddy.

[Ladysilver]

Enjoyed reading your review! :D

[maryjaden]

Thank you so much for your thoughts on the Liberty. We are going in October and this review was very helpful.

[Ocean View]

Wow!!! Great review[emoji267]we sail her same itinerary in 31 days I can't wait. TY for taking the time to do this. I may have to read it once a day to get me thru!![emoji267][emoji41]

[cincicruisers]

Thanks for the excellent review!

[fdthird]

Great review and thanks for so much wonderful info. Sailing in September, so will stash away your info! Thanks again....

[bkrickles1]

Great review! So pumped for my sailing in 17 days.

I hope someone does post compasses.

I understand enjoying the surprise every night, but I'm a planner by trade and love to know in advance.

One of your fellow cruisers did say they would post them in the roll call thread.

Hopefully before 7/2

[Newsbuff16]

Thanks for taking the time to write such a thoughtful review.

[JudyD222]

Great review! Thank you for sharing your trip and thoughts.

 

Could you confirm that suits are ok on formal night, and other nights khakis and polos are acceptable?

 

Also, did they do lunch by the pool while you were onboard?

 

Yes, suits are fine. Our sons wore shirts and ties, no coats. I did notice a few people not even dressed up and they were allowed in the dining room. My husband wears a suit every day for work so wasn't too excited about the formal nights, but he did it anyway (I think to please me! :)).

 

The did have lunch by the pool a few days; not sure if it was every sea day or not, but I know the last two days for sure.

 

Have a great trip!

 

Judy

[JudyD222]

Thank you, Thank you! I have been waiting for someone to post a review, since you all disembarked yesterday! We will be doing the exact same cruise this Thursday! Your review was very enjoyable and I am super excited!

 

Have fun! Hope you have better weather in Bermuda. It was cool and breezy when we sailed away from NJ so you may want a light coat. That was the only time we wore a coat. It may be warmer this Thursday so you may be okay without one.

 

Judy