Liberty of the Seas Sept 5 Bermuda Mini-Review

[windjamming]

Hi everyone, my parents and I were on the Sept 5 2015 5-day Liberty of the Seas cruise to Bermuda. We had a wonderful time (as always), and this is a quick review of our trip.

 

I will start by prefacing here that the key goal of this cruise was to relax. Those who have read my earlier reviews will know we tend to go low-key, but this was even more low-key than usual. After a stressful several months, all we wanted to do was to relax.

 

So, since a day by day account of me eating and taking naps and … eating would be pretty boring to read, I’ll group this mini-review by category.

 

Aside

 

For 2 Liberty reviews with much more action-oriented activities and a more traditional day-by-day layout, I would definitely suggest cruiserking’s superb travelogue on the Bermuda cruise before ours or strachan01’s excellent account of the Canada and New England itinerary right before ours.

 

Weatherfx has also kindly posted the Cruise Compasses and curious Coconut menu on Day 3.

 

Pre-cruise planning

 

We had sailed the Liberty years ago out of Fort Lauderdale for a New Year’s cruise and had a great impression of the ship. We were excited she was coming to our home port and decided to book a 5-night over Labor Day weekend. Most of my vacation time had been used up for the Panama Canal cruise we had taken earlier in the year (which I’ll eventually review!), so unfortunately we were limited by time.

 

We’d also done Bermuda a few years back on the Explorer and were eager to return. It seemed like the perfect cruise, except for one thing: a 5-night cruise is way too short!

 

Our pre-planning was very simple:

 

1. No reservations were required for shows (a change from last time on the Liberty) so nothing had to be done there.

 

2. Emailed the dining coordinator a few weeks in advance to request a 4-top for dinner.

 

3. Browsed through the excursions for Bermuda. We ultimately decided on the Bermuda Island Drive for the first day. It ended up being one of our favorite excursions yet, but more on that later.

 

4. Pre-purchased a case of water. Since we were driving to the port, we considered bringing our own case but figured since the key here is relaxation, why not just have it in the room already.

 

5. Revisited directions to Cape Liberty. I seemed to remember that the route to Cape Liberty seemed rather convoluted. This year, either we knew where to look or the signage had improved considerably, but it was easy peasy.

 

Day of Cruise and Embarkation

 

I love sailing out of Cape Liberty. No flights, no pre-cruise travel stress. I *started* packing at 9am of the cruise. We figured we’d avoid the Windjammer rush by arriving at the port around noonish, get checked-in, and hopefully board at just around 1, when we can head straight to the room and then grab a light lunch.

 

All went according to plan, timing-wise. However, I’d note:

 

1. The later you arrive, the farther parking will be. Not a problem. There is a shuttle, but just something to note.

 

2. The embarkation process was a bit of a nightmare. I don’t know what it was like earlier in the day, but by around 12:45, there were people everywhere trying to get on the ship. Unfortunately there weren’t enough people to shepherd folks in an organized way, so it was very chaotic. Again, we tend to be early-boarders usually so I don’t know if this is just regular peak check-in fun.

 

It is, however, a very nice new boarding pier and a sure upgrade from the old tent! It’s fantastic to board on Deck 4.

 

After a light lunch (and a relatively light crowd in the Windjammer!) we relaxed a bit (of course) and then hit muster at 3:30. Sailaway was at 4pm on the dot. I remain in awe of these views!

 

 

 

Next … the Ship!

[maureencruiser]

Keep it coming! :D:D

[windjamming]

OK, when we last left off, we were .. relaxing.

 

This post will be picture-less, so you’ll have to picture things for yourself (or imagine Sophia from the Golden Girls saying, “picture this”)

 

Day 2 was a sea day, so perfect opportunity for me to now talk about the ship.

 

LIBERTY

 

We had only sailed one time before on a Freedom class ship - also on the Liberty - so were relative newbies. It’s very similar to the Voyager class but with a few key differences:

 

1. Sorrentos. The Amaretti cookies, chocolate orange biscotti, and coconut macaroons are delicious. Don’t be shy. Ask for a plateful and bring it back to the room for a snack while relaxing. It’s all free.

 

2. Extra seating in the Windjammer on the sides of the ship. There are 2 alcoves - one on the port side, one on starboard - that are a bit hidden but have the best views. Most people won’t know about it the first couple of days.

 

3. Boxing ring in the gym. I think there were a couple of boxing classes in the Cruise Compass. I don’t know, I was relaxing.

 

4. The pedestrian bridge on Deck 5 leading into the Sphinx Lounge. Classy little touch.

 

5. Diamond Lounge on Deck 14. We haven’t sailed any Voyager class ships since they’ve been refurbished, so I am not sure if this is they also have their Diamond Lounges. It’s very nice and airy, compared to the Concierge Lounge.

 

DINING

 

Main Dining Room

 

We ate mostly in the Main Dining Room, opting for the Windjammer one evening when we were tired. I was happy with pretty much everything we ate. On Day 3 we had the mysterious Coconut menu. I had the Steak Diane, and we also shared a Sea Bass at the table. Both were fine, and as someone mentioned earlier, while the sauce for the steak was fantastic, the meat quality left something to be desired.

 

On Day 4, after it seems most people had known would be lobster night, they swapped out the Jasmine menu in favor of Shiitake.

 

Funny story - I asked one of the assistant Maitre’D’s why we weren’t having the Jasmine menu, and he responded (and I quote verbatim) “we don’t serve lobster on 5 night cruises."

 

Now, thanks for CruiseCritic, I know better and, in fact thanks to cruiserking, we all know how wonderful the lobster was on that 5 night Bermuda cruise right before ours.

 

I blithely responded, “but on the internet I read that you had superb lobster just 2 weeks ago, on the last Bermuda cruise."

 

The Asst. M’D changed tune and now explained that "it is the chef’s choice."

 

We’ll never know what happened. Shortage of lobsters? Large Shiitake fan club on the ship? Regardless, I loved the rack of lamb I had that night, so no complaints here.

 

Windjammer

 

Pretty happy with the selection here. Wide range of offerings. The Jade selections I think were the particular standouts. The Chinese spareribs at lunch one day was delicious, and I loved the little cupcakes they had every day at lunch. There was also a Jack Daniels short ribs one day that was great.

 

Full disclosure, we like to pre-game MDR dinner on occasion, ostensibly to check out what looks good. In reality, we have appetizers, or perhaps a pre-dinner. Well, the Windjammer dinner absolutely gives the MDR dinner a run for their money. Full cheese plate offerings, ice cream with toppings, sushi, most MDR menu items, and made-to-order dishes. One of these days we’re going to skip the MDR completely. (If anyone reading this has done this, would love to hear your experience. Did you miss the MDR?)

 

Sorrento’s

 

I already described my deep fondness for the desserts here but it’s worth reiterating. Get the amaretti. The biscotti have a deep chocolate flavor, so if you’re not into that, maybe it’s ok to skip. Coconut macaroons are very coconut-ty. I never did get any of the breads or salads or pizza but they all looked delicious.

 

Promenade Cafe

 

Sad to say, I never did get one of the mouth watering shrimp rolls here. Every time I walked by I had just eaten a meal, but they sure looked amazing. Think lobster roll, but with shrimp. Mud cakes were my favorite desserts, and the mud cake cookies were pretty terrific too. (Note that Sorrento's is in the location of where the Promenade Cafe is on Voyager class ships. The Promenade Cafe is on the other end of the Promenade.)

 

We did not dine in any specialty restaurant.

 

Next … activities and entertainment!

[windjamming]

Keep it coming! :D:D

 

maureencruiser! Great to see you! Thanks for hopping aboard this thread, and looking forward to your next review!

[maureencruiser]

I did Windjammer only on the Allure and the Grandeur and wrote reviews about it! I'm on for the MDR in ONE WEEK on the Freedom! :D:D

[Anubi]

Perfect timing. We will be on the Liberty in 19 days, 16 hours, 52 minutes and 14 seconds...yes, I am obsessively counting.:p:p:p

 

Thanks for including those other links.

 

I have subscribed and will be reading your review with my morning coffee...a stimulating way to start the day.

Edited September 13, 2015 by Anubi

[Thebrundogs]

Can't wait to read more! Leaving on Saturday!!! 😃

[CCC3]

Liberty in 264 days. Hurry! Can't wait to read about my new ship!

[Baatman]

Good info! Thanks.

[searoses]

My last few cruises we have eaten in the buffet most of the time with no regrets....we live in maine so lobster not an issue....with the cut backs on all the major lines the mdr just isn't what it used to be so rather then be disappointed we just opt for the many choices available when we feel like eating....in fact the one on the regal princess was astounding and the only meal we didn't like was the one we tried in the mdr.....we are often traveling with several generations and enjoy the quietet,slower pace of"upstairs"....

[steveru621]

Great review!

 

Our experience was the same. Staff was great.

 

BTW for those that care about such things the 2-day bus and ferry passes are now $31.50. Get them at the visitor center lines were shorter. Bus stops have been moved, watch for the signs. Not sure if they are new, but there are now buses marked SPECIAL (included with your pass) just for a few beaches like Horseshoe Bay.

 

One other small nit. Only because I was very upset. Depending on what lane you enter the parking lot partially determines where you park. I was directed to the far right pay lane at 11:30 AM. Then was forced to the right and had to park the farthest possible lane from the terminal.:eek:

 

This was our first cruise on Freedom class. It's remarkable how much it looks like Voyager class. Sitting in the Schooner Bar you can't tell the difference.

[OTownNick]

Timely review..looking forward to more

[windjamming]

Cruise Director Dru Pavlov was very visible. I understand he came over from Celebrity just recently (possible trade for Richard Spacey??) which is why his name may not be familiar to many here. He appeared to be very experienced and also introduced a couple of new events we’d never seen before - Friends and Seinfeld trivia, which he hosted himself.

 

As mentioned before, no reservations are required now on the Liberty, however we never had any problems getting a seat. It was a bit unclear whether there was Diamond Plus priority seating in the theater, though. The sign only said the balcony center section was reserved for Suite card holders until 15 minutes before the show start. Fortunately we never arrived well before 15 minutes in advance so avoided any awkward situations.

 

We loved the welcome show headliner - Levent, a magician. The show was about an hour, featuring various magic tricks: disappearing handkerchief knots, metal rings, coins. He had multiple volunteers from the audience, and I really liked that he made sure that whenever a member of audience may have looked slightly incompetent (unable to tie a knot..etc.) he made sure to explain that it was due to his trickery. He also made sure everyone clapped for the volunteers. That little touch was nice, and overall, he had a very family friendly, clean show.

 

The juggler, Billy Prudhomme, was also entertaining. He was also funny but had a bit of an edge and had no problems poking fun at volunteers. He could certainly be capable of doing an adult comedy show.

 

We missed the comedian, Michele Balan, and Saturday Night Fever, which we’d seen the last time on the Liberty. We also skipped Bobby Arvon, the voice of Happy Days, as we’d seen him multiple times previously. Stopping in a few minutes, it seems he’s updated his show.

 

The Ice Show was offered 4 times: at 2pm and 4pm on each sea day. The theme was Encore!, a compilation of various shows throughout the world, culminating in Vegas and Elvis. I thought it was one of the best ice shows in the fleet! The skaters’ energy was palpable, and the audience really got into it. (There is supposed to be Diamond Plus priority seating here, but we never saw it. We just sat where we wanted.)

 

Next … Bermuda!

[windjamming]

Perfect timing. We will be on the Liberty in 19 days, 16 hours, 52 minutes and 14 seconds...yes, I am obsessively counting.:p:p:p

 

Thanks for including those other links.

 

I have subscribed and will be reading your review with my morning coffee...a stimulating way to start the day.

 

Thanks for following along! She’s a beautiful ship!

 

Can't wait to read more! Leaving on Saturday!!! 😃

 

ENJOY!!! Take advantage of it all - it's only 5 days!!

 

My last few cruises we have eaten in the buffet most of the time with no regrets....we live in maine so lobster not an issue....with the cut backs on all the major lines the mdr just isn't what it used to be so rather then be disappointed we just opt for the many choices available when we feel like eating....in fact the one on the regal princess was astounding and the only meal we didn't like was the one we tried in the mdr.....we are often traveling with several generations and enjoy the quietet,slower pace of"upstairs"....

 

Good to know! The MDR definitely feels more restricted after enjoying the relaxed pace of the buffet. I loved having so many selections in the buffet.

 

Great review!

 

Our experience was the same. Staff was great.

 

BTW for those that care about such things the 2-day bus and ferry passes are now $31.50. Get them at the visitor center lines were shorter. Bus stops have been moved, watch for the signs. Not sure if they are new, but there are now buses marked SPECIAL (included with your pass) just for a few beaches like Horseshoe Bay.

 

One other small nit. Only because I was very upset. Depending on what lane you enter the parking lot partially determines where you park. I was directed to the far right pay lane at 11:30 AM. Then was forced to the right and had to park the farthest possible lane from the terminal.:eek:

 

This was our first cruise on Freedom class. It's remarkable how much it looks like Voyager class. Sitting in the Schooner Bar you can't tell the difference.

 

Thanks steveru621! The staff really was great - consistently great.

 

I hadn’t noticed the parking issue, and now in hindsight, we were also in the far right lane. I wonder if that had something to do with us being directed to such a distant parking section. There was a shuttle right away, so it wasn’t so bad, but good to know.

 

Timely review..looking forward to more

 

Have a great time on the Liberty!

[jsswish]

Just curious, you said you purchased a case of water to have in the room, how do you do that?

 

We sailed on the New England/Canada cruise right before you. This was our first cruise, we had the drink package and had the soda cups, so we tried to keep those full and in the room along with a bottle or two from the cafe, but always found ourselves parched in the morning and our first thing to do was always head out for water.

 

We booked a 12 nighter for late March of next year, it would be nice if we could have water readily available in the room.

 

On a similar note, is it safe/not safe/not recommended to drink tap water from the room?

[Clarea]

Just curious, you said you purchased a case of water to have in the room, how do you do that?...

Bottled water is one of the beverage package options:

 

http://media.royalcaribbean.com/content/shared_assets/pdf/menus/beverage_packages.pdf

[jsswish]

Bottled water is one of the beverage package options:

 

http://media.royalcaribbean.com/content/shared_assets/pdf/menus/beverage_packages.pdf

 

Wow, so $82 for a case of bottled water? I'll already be getting either the premium or ultimate plan, so I may just need to strategize a little the night before and be sure to have a couple bottles in the room from bars/cafe for the overnight/morning.

[Clarea]

Wow, so $82 for a case of bottled water? ...

This ridiculous price is why people bring their own water on board.

[jsswish]

This ridiculous price is why people bring their own water on board.

 

Maybe a newbie question, but how does that work? You just show up to port and check in with a case with/in your carry on?

[Clarea]

Maybe a newbie question, but how does that work? You just show up to port and check in with a case with/in your carry on?

Any beverage other than the two bottles of wine per stateroom is technically prohibited. However, they usually don't enforce the rule in the case of water and soda. We've had good luck bringing on water in a checked bag, but others have carried it on too.

[windjamming]

Just curious, you said you purchased a case of water to have in the room, how do you do that?

 

We sailed on the New England/Canada cruise right before you. This was our first cruise, we had the drink package and had the soda cups, so we tried to keep those full and in the room along with a bottle or two from the cafe, but always found ourselves parched in the morning and our first thing to do was always head out for water.

 

We booked a 12 nighter for late March of next year, it would be nice if we could have water readily available in the room.

 

On a similar note, is it safe/not safe/not recommended to drink tap water from the room?

 

We paid $46.02 for a case of 12 1-liter bottles, which worked out well for the 3 of us over 5 days. Like you, we were tired of having to "stock up" on water the night before.

 

While the Evian is definitely pricier than, say, Poland Spring from Costco, for us it was a matter of convenience. We had debated bringing a case of water, but since my parents are older, we figured it would just be easier to have the water already in the room. And, I do have to admit that we enjoyed the luxury of Evian water!

 

It definitely is a personal preference, and we saw plenty of people checking in a case of water, with a luggage tags attached.

 

I'm not sure about the tap water, to be honest. I've always just had the water at the Windjammer or Dining Room.

 

Hope you had a great cruise to New England and Canada - we were on the itinerary last year and loved it. Have fun next year!

Edited September 16, 2015 by windjamming

[Emfagan]

From your first post, you stated...

2. Emailed the dining coordinator a few weeks in advance to request a 4-top for dinner.

 

How do you do this? My request for a 2 top is never fulfilled.

[Clarea]

From your first post, you stated...

2. Emailed the dining coordinator a few weeks in advance to request a 4-top for dinner.

 

How do you do this? My request for a 2 top is never fulfilled.

We use rcldining@rccl.com.

[windjamming]

From your first post, you stated...

2. Emailed the dining coordinator a few weeks in advance to request a 4-top for dinner.

 

How do you do this? My request for a 2 top is never fulfilled.

 

 

We use rcldining@rccl.com.

 

 

Yep, that's exactly where we send our request. I include my reservation number and C&A level, too. Not sure it makes a difference but figure it doesn't hurt.

[karkee8807]

Perfect timing. We will be on the Liberty in 19 days, 16 hours, 52 minutes and 14 seconds...yes, I am obsessively counting.:p:p:p

 

Thanks for including those other links.

 

I have subscribed and will be reading your review with my morning coffee...a stimulating way to start the day.

 

We will be on that sailing. And we are counting down like that as well! Can't wait!