Fizzlewicket's First Cruise on Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas 6/4 – 6/13/2015

[teecee46]

A wonderful report! We have been on Liberty twice and loved it - thanks for the lovely memories!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[JudyD222]

BonTexasNY (or anyone who's computer literate )I agree with you..... great review. I'm loving it because I'm going on Liberty in next month and I'm going on this itinerary next August. You said you're going to save it. I'm not real computer literate. How do you save just one review? Thanks

 

At the top of the review, there are some tabs. One says "Thread Tools." Click on that and then click on Subscribe. It will then show on your Quick Links list at the top right of the screen.

 

Happy sailing!

 

Judy

[verandalover]

Thx Judy. I'll try it. It's given me a lot of good info for the Liberty in general but I'll rally want to reread it next year for the same ports. GREAT REVIEW!!!!

[rakuroda]

Just finished writing my final portion of my review which is a entertaining and revealing look at our Labadee adventure. I will posting it tonight.

 

I want to thank everyone who has commented and kept me excited in sharing my experience with you and answering questions for others. Again, thank you so much for being involved.

 

Aloha :D

 

I'm looking forward to reading your final portion. Your review has been OUTSTANDING ! ! ! so far.

 

Aloha :D

[merdon]

Even though we have sailed this itinerary several times, I'm thoroughly enjoying your review. There's nothing like hearing first time cruisers' rendition of their cruise and you are doing a great job at it.

 

We'll be sailing on the Liberty in October and looking forward to it.

 

Thank you for all the beautiful pictures and I will certainly say here's to you when I have one of those cheesecake lollipops! :D

[JF - retired RRT]

Thx Judy. I'll try it. It's given me a lot of good info for the Liberty in general but I'll rally want to reread it next year for the same ports. GREAT REVIEW!!!!

Here is another method to save a review.

Go to the first page. Click the "bookmark" icon. I use firefox and there is a STAR next to the search box on the right side of the screen. This will save that page as a bookmark. I have my bookmarks set up so that all new bookmarks go into the "unsorted" box. Go there to move it to whatever folder you want.Then all you have to do when you want to reread the information is to go to your bookmarks and click.:)

[YankeeFan4Ever]

Great review and photos! Thanks for taking the time to post it! :)

[lbt43]

Great pictures, we also were on the Liberty last week. 12 family members. Had a wonderful trip and no real complaints about anything. Well, except for debarkation, total pain in the rear end.

 

Tracy

 

I agree completely~!

[Fizzlewicket]

Let’s round out this cruise adventure with our last port: Labadee, Haiti.

 

 

Tanya and I both agreed that this was our favorite port of the cruise and were looking forward to coming back on the Oasis of the Seas next year. We both enjoyed the fact that there was great beaches, shopping, plenty of fun activities and a great BBQ within only a very short distance from leaving the ship.

 

 

We started out very early in the morning. One of my friends at work had advised me to go to the farthest beach first for a nice relaxing beach morning and that’s what we did. After consulting the maps and signs, we made our way to Columbus Cove.

 

 

 

 

We stopped along the way to watch several groups of people on the practice run of the Dragon Zip line.

 

 

 

And discovered some very interesting and overgrown ruins.

 

 

 

[Fizzlewicket]

When we arrived, a staff member there asked us if we needed chairs. We said yes and then he asked us where we would like them and we pointed to a shady spot near where we were standing. I tipped him $5 a chair not really knowing a proper tip amount, but didn’t feel bad about it due to the information we received at the Labadee briefing at The Sphinx the day before. We set up our towels on the chairs and proceeded straight into the water.

 

 

 

[Fizzlewicket]

The water was very warm, refreshing and crystal clear if you weren’t moving too much. It also wasn’t very deep so we resigned ourselves to just kneeling within the waist deep water. We found ourselves visited by several new friends too, in the form of a few white fish were swimming nearby and were curious of our activities. Eventually we noticed there were actual schools of 4 or 5 white fish within the area we were at with several stragglers nearby. That simple event, by itself, was quite an experience.

 

 

 

I moved a bit further down into the ocean trying to see if I would find deeper water to swim in. About half way to the rope what blocked off the area with the air filled swim toys, the water was a bit deeper, but the sea floor started to be covered with plant life. Before that point, it was all sand. I noticed a few other people in that area were swimming about in their snorkeling gear. All of this was very peaceful and relaxing and the beach was not crowded at all at that point.

After about an hour of swimming. I decided to look around while Tanya relaxed on her beach chair. Nearby was a large shop (compared to the rest of them).

 

 

 

I also noticed smoke coming from an area nearby and found out that was the smoke from the preparation of the BBQ lunch that was being served soon.

 

 

 

At this point, I needed to use the restroom and I found one near the café. A man was standing outside the restroom and kept saying, “I keep it clean for you.” Well, not really knowing completely what to make of it, I proceeded inside and to the nearest urinal. The man had followed me in without saying a word and had leaned against a nearby stall behind me within viewing distance. I turned and gave him a stare that said “do you mind?” I guess we don’t all speak the same body language since he didn’t move at all, but merely darted his eye toward the ceiling, the other walls and the floor. Being very uncomfortable, I left without completing my mission.

 

 

I went out of Columbus Cove seeking other facilities and found one not far away. A woman, who was wearing the same uniform as the other man, was standing outside and I watched for a few minutes as several guests went back and forth from the restrooms without a bother. Being very cautious, I slowly made my way to the men’s room and then inside. No one was there and no one followed me and I completed my quest without interruption. Who would have thought the going to the bathroom would have been such an adventure?

[Fizzlewicket]

When I returned to Columbus Cove, I asked Tanya if she wanted to explore the island a bit before lunch and she did. We were both curious about the other beach and headed in that direction.

 

 

 

 

 

 

See those little UFOs in the air? That's a few people hurling down the Dragon Zip Line waaaaaaay over the beach

 

 

 

After perusing the other beach, we took a look at the other BBQ lunch area that was just about to open.

 

 

 

By that time though, it was very hot outside and we decided to dine with air conditioning at the Windjammer. We sat near the windows overlooking Columbus Cove and noticed it was filling up quickly with visitors, so we opted to change and go back out for a bit of shopping.

[Fizzlewicket]

Tanya still had her own mission to find more jewelry and other trinkets from the market. As we arrived at the main market building (the red building in the background), we passed by a few shops. It was pleasant because we were not hassled by anyone.

 

 

 

 

 

The main market was very busy and full of many different types of things to buy. From brightly colored dresses, tank tops and t-shirts to jewelry and handmade bracelets. They also sold wooden carved items such as masks, wooden signs, and cups as well as rum cakes and adult beverages. In this market, no one bargained or haggled. Every price was firm and fixed. Tanya didn’t mind though and bought a few pieces of jewelry and received a handmade bag which she adored.

 

 

 

 

As we made our way out of the main market building, a local vendor asked us where were from and beckoned us to follow him to his shop. So far, we were not hassled by anyone yet, so thinking this would be interesting, we followed the gentlemen to the area marked “Other Shops”. Here we met several vendors in a very confined row of shops. Each vendor asked what we liked. Tanya started looking at, what looked like handmade refrigerator magnets while I stood outside the store, being very cautious, overlooking the situation like lifeguard watching a small child being dropped into a pool of sharks. As soon as the vendor saw that Tanya looking closely at the magnets, the vendor kept asking “Which one would you like?” several times. Tanya mentioned she liked a certain one and he put it her hand and said “For you, ten dollars.” At this point other vendors were trying to get in on the action. One asked her name and proceeded to carve her name onto a wooden cup. Another vendor did the same. Another, vendor put a handmade bracelet on her wrist. At this point, there was blood in the water and Tanya looked up at me with eyes that screamed “Help me!” One vendor tried to put a necklace on her head and at that point, I said not harshly, but firmly, “Enough! No more!” All the vendors stopped and looked at me like a bunch of excited children who were told by their father to stop harassing a small scared kitten.

 

 

We haggled for a minute for the magnet, the cups and the bracelet and purchased the items. As we stepped away from those vendors, we let out a much needed sigh of relief. The only vendor who I remember clearly was the vendor who sold us the magnet. He seemed honest in his thanks to us for buying a product as his store and thanked us many times. We then followed the original vendor that had brought us to the “Other Shops”. “You buy from them, now me”, he said. We looked at his items and Tanya decided to purchase a white t-shirt with the map of the Caribbean islands. He started at $20 and I countered at $15. We ended with $17. Afterword, we wandered through the rest of the shops. It was very tame from that point on. The shopkeepers kept using the same combination of words over and over to get our attention. Hey Mister, where were you from? Hey Lady, I have something to give to you. Hey Mister, I have something to show you. We just smiled and said no thank you and moved on.

 

I am not sure if it was the shopping experience, the heat or just the long day, but we were exhausted and our feet were screaming for some relief, so we headed back to the ship. During the day, Tanya has noticed people carrying coconuts with the tops hacked off and straws sticking out of them. As we made our way back to the ship, she found one of these vendors and decided to try one with rum. It wasn’t a big hit with her.

[Fizzlewicket]

 

 

Back on the ship we just hung out on our balcony enjoying the view and waiting for sail away. We watched a group of people on jet skis gather far from the beach area and one by one, they raced full speed towards the area where the jet skis where stored. That looked like a lot of fun! We both agreed that we would try that next time.

 

 

A bit later, a helicopter landed on the dock between the ship and the island. Soon after that, someone was rolled out to the helicopter on a gurney and the helicopter departed. I certainly hope that person was ok.

 

 

 

 

Bye bye, Labadee. See you next year!

 

 

 

And then we were off. Later, we had a great dinner at Chops and two very relaxing days at sea before we arrived at Cape Liberty.

 

 

For disembarking, I had read that keeping our own luggage and choosing get off early was faster and easier. And I must admit our experience was quick and easy. We brought our luggage down the Platinum Theater in the morning and gathered in line. We waited, maybe, 45 minutes, and were let off the ship and on were our way home probably no later than 0830am. If we would have disembarked the other way, we would have left at 1030am and I really didn’t want to wait that long.

 

 

Well, it was a very fun first cruise and I can't wait for my next one on the Oasis of the Sea on 16 Jan 2016. I hope you had as much fun reading my review as I had posting it for you. And again, I want thank you all very much for all the positive comments and interactions. And with that, Fizz out. :cool:

[Beachiekeen]

Awwww, I am sorry to see this come to an end and look forward to your review next year. I'll be on Liberty in February and will save this review to refer back to as my cruise gets closer. Thanks for all the wonderful detail and tell your wife congrats on her graduation!

Edited June 22, 2015 by Beachiekeen

[Fizzlewicket]

Just for fun, here are some B-Roll Scrap Snaps ....

 

Care to join me for breakfast?

 

 

I shall never see

a sunset as beautiful as thee ...

 

 

Inside Ben and Jerry's ...

 

 

Would you like some whine with your cheese?

 

 

You want how much for that??????

 

 

Cruise Critic? A whole website dedicated to complaining about cruises? Eh, that will never work!

 

[msocen]

As I mentioned before, the embarkation meal at the Windjammer was busy, hectic, and confusing. Frankly, I have no idea what I ate or what was served. I do remember seeing some kind of fried chicken at the Windjammer several times. I also think I remember seeing honey stung on the room service menu.

 

I know the first day is so hectic, but so Exciting! Thank you for everything you Shared! Did you happen to take a pic of the room service menu? We love room service 😁

[Ocean View]

Well, it was a very fun first cruise and I can't wait for my next one on the Oasis of the Sea on 16 Jan 2016. I hope you had as much fun reading my review as I had posting it for you. And again, I want thank you all very much for all the positive comments and interactions. And with that, Fizz out. :cool:

 

 

Again please let me thank you for this wonderful

Piece of art you created! I so very much enjoyed reading every word. Loved your pictures. 🌴😎

[BonTexasNY]

BonTexasNY (or anyone who's computer literate )I agree with you..... great review. I'm loving it because I'm going on Liberty in next month and I'm going on this itinerary next August. You said you're going to save it. I'm not real computer literate. How do you save just one review? Thanks

 

Glad others piped in with advice. As JF does, I just save the threads I find interesting in my "favorite" tab on aol or the bookmark icon which is a star, on Mozilla Firefox. Wish I could do this itinerary instead of ho hum Western Caribbean, been there done that but the lure of driving to a port in a few hours instead of flying is just too tempting.

Edited June 23, 2015 by BonTexasNY

[davidwar]

Brilliant minds think alike. I took basically exactly the same picture when I was at Labadee 2 years ago. What I learned is when you get there, walk to the right, not the left.

 

The second picture is where we wound up and where I plan to go again.

[Fizzlewicket]

Well, it was a very fun first cruise and I can't wait for my next one on the Oasis of the Sea on 16 Jan 2016. I hope you had as much fun reading my review as I had posting it for you. And again, I want thank you all very much for all the positive comments and interactions. And with that, Fizz out. :cool:

 

 

Again please let me thank you for this wonderful

Piece of art you created! I so very much enjoyed reading every word. Loved your pictures. [emoji267][emoji41]

 

 

Thank you very much. I really appreciate it.

 

Many reviews compare, contrast, and analyze the cruise someone went on ... While I believe there is good information to be found in these reviews, I simply wanted to tell a story ... A truthful but humorous tale of a sea adventure of a new cruiser. I really did not expect it to turn out as it did, but it almost took on a life of its own along the way. I am extremely happy with the result. Though I probably could have spell checked it a bit more.

[catella02]

A truly amazing and highly entertaining review you have given all of us. Thanks so much for taking the time to do it. Hope to catch another review of yours in the future.

[HomesteadCruiser]

Sailing 7/30 with a 9 and 11 year old

[CntPAcruiser]

At this point, I needed to use the restroom and I found one near the café. A man was standing outside the restroom and kept saying, “I keep it clean for you.” Well, not really knowing completely what to make of it, I proceeded inside and to the nearest urinal. The man had followed me in without saying a word and had leaned against a nearby stall behind me within viewing distance. I turned and gave him a stare that said “do you mind?” I guess we don’t all speak the same body language since he didn’t move at all, but merely darted his eye toward the ceiling, the other walls and the floor. Being very uncomfortable, I left without completing my mission.

 

I went out of Columbus Cove seeking other facilities and found one not far away. A woman, who was wearing the same uniform as the other man, was standing outside and I watched for a few minutes as several guests went back and forth from the restrooms without a bother. Being very cautious, I slowly made my way to the men’s room and then inside. No one was there and no one followed me and I completed my quest without interruption. Who would have thought the going to the bathroom would have been such an adventure?

 

YIKES!! We've been to Labadee a couple of times, and while there are usually attendants either near the doorway or standing near the sinks, I've never been followed and observed. He was obviously angling for a tip, but definitely going about it the wrong way. :eek::eek:

[lyban]

Fizzlewicket,

 

Thank you so much for your wonderful and entertaining review.

Your photos are perfect.

I am going on the Freedom in Feb. and hope for the same experiences as you.:)