Liberty Feb 5 sailing. Cruise review

[tonyweir]

Liberty of the Seas Feb 5 sailing.

 

While there are a bunch of Liberty reviews, I thought I'd add mine.

 

As far as I'm concerned, one cannot have a bad cruise. We were on Liberty, same itinerary, last August but we were rerouted because of Hurricane Earl and didn't make it to Roatan or Belize.* In addition, Royal Caribbean is dropping Belize May 1, 2017 so we decided Belize or bust!

 

When I booked the cruise last October,* the fact that the superbowl was on the same date as our cruise was not even on my radar. I wondered why I was having trouble booking a hotel the night before sailing in Houston,* but it still didn't dawn on me....until later, but I had found a hotel and transportation by then.

 

We flew in on Saturday the 4th and I had never seen so many private jets parked at Houston Hobby airport! We had Galveston Limo shuttle from HOU to the Inn at the Waterpark in Galveston. The hotel has a shuttle to the cruise terminal so all was good.

 

We took the 11:30 shuttle the next morning and walked right into the terminal, no line! We are platinum so we had a super short check in line and were on the ship in less than 30 minutes. We knew cabins were not ready until 1pm so we had a snack at Sorrentos and walked around the ship a bit. It had only been 7 months since we were on the ship so we had seen everything already. It was still awesome to see the Royal Promenade and the other cool Liberty features.

 

We had booked the "First night done right" in Chops, again, superbowl was not on my radar when I booked the dinner!** We started watching the game in the Platinum theater and at the end of the first quarter we went to eat.* We were back at the outside big screen just as the half time show was over, perfect timing. It had also rained while we were in Chops so we got our pick of lounge chairs to watch the rest of the game.

 

The second night we asked if Rogelio, our waiter from last cruise, was on board. He was! We asked to sit in his section. I had made reservations for my time online before we sailed so we just added table 231 to the reservation. Rogelio remembered us and I brought him a group photo we took with him last time. His service was outstanding!

 

We had a balcony cabin on deck 7, 7272 with Arlene as our attendant. She was great and kept our ice bucket full. I brought her a vanilla latte every day. She had never had one before and really liked them! There was a "sewer issue" of some sort and the smell lingered for the whole cruise. You could tell you were nearing deck 7 when going up the forward starboard stairs. It didn't smell in our cabin so we made the best of the situation.

 

Speaking of making the best of the situation,* I heard some people complaining about this or that through the week. As I said before, I find it impossible to have a bad cruise. We met a couple who flew into Houston the morning of the cruise and had the Royal Caribbean airport transfer. They were told their bags would also be transferred, twice. Well, they didn't show up and were still at the Southwest baggage claim when the ship sailed. Royal Caribbean pointed to Southwest and to their transfer contractor.* The did give the couple $100 to buy some clothes and offered to do any laundry free. While some would have thrown a fit and would say their vacation was ruined, this couple made the best and enjoyed their vacation and had a extra story to tell. That's the spirit!

 

I've read reviews complaining about elevators passing floors or balcony partitions that rattle (which can be solved by folding one of those art auction flyers and putting it in the track). The couple we met had the right idea, one that more cruisers should embrace. There are 4000 +/- people on the ship and there's no way to please all of them. That's life!

 

The weather was excellent and the seas calm. One could not ask for any better. I enjoyed seeing the ship's band in more venues than last time. They are really good! We had seen Saturday Night Fever before, but it was great to see it again. I enjoyed a movie under the stars which I didn't get to do last time.

 

Roatan was amazing. We did a combo zip line and Bananarama beach break through shoreexcursioneer.com.* It was a great value. The zip line was near the cruise terminal so we could see the ship from the mountain.

 

Belize was exceptional. We did the snorkel (sharks-ray alley and coral gardens) and Caye Caulker through Coral Breeze tours. We had a group of 19 and we got a very personalized experience. I got some great photos and video!

 

We had been to Cozumel before and opted to go to Paradise Beach. What a relaxing place! The only negative to Cozumel was the aggressive cab drivers. They were charging more than the posted rates and would tell you to go find another cab if you didn't like it. I speak Spanish so I clearly understood what they were doing.* There were 7 ships in port so they had a captive audience.

 

We were delayed getting back to Galveston because of fog.* Customs would not let anyone off the ship for hours. We sat in the dining room waiting and waiting. Finally at 1pm, RCI told us we could get off the ship. They only had 3 hours to get all the new passengers on! The lines into customs were s-l-o-w. We missed our airport shuttle and our flights. Southwest was awesome.* They got us on a later flight and honored our original fare.

 

The ship was still spotless after one year since dry dock, with two exceptions:

 

-The balcony railings need sanding and a coat of varnish

-The carpet on some of the stairs was worn out.

 

We met some great people on the ship. Everyone had a great time and didn't let the little nits upset their vacation.* All in all, another great cruise!

[Clarea]

Thanks for the feedback.

 

Curious about Galveston Limo. Was it a private or shared ride, and what did they charge? Also, how did you get back to the airport after your ride was cancelled because of the fog?

[fdthird]

Great to read a review that isn't a long list of problems!

[jonj]

Liberty of the Seas Feb 5 sailing.

 

I've read reviews complaining about elevators passing floors

 

We had this on the Harmony and after paying a bit of attention we noticed that some only stop on even number floors and some on odd number floors. Probably to help with flow and not having every elevator full when it gets to a specific floor.

[BecciBoo]

Speaking of making the best of the situation,* I heard some people complaining about this or that through the week. As I said before, I find it impossible to have a bad cruise. We met a couple who flew into Houston the morning of the cruise and had the Royal Caribbean airport transfer. They were told their bags would also be transferred, twice. Well, they didn't show up and were still at the Southwest baggage claim when the ship sailed. Royal Caribbean pointed to Southwest and to their transfer contractor.* The did give the couple $100 to buy some clothes and offered to do any laundry free. While some would have thrown a fit and would say their vacation was ruined, this couple made the best and enjoyed their vacation and had a extra story to tell. That's the spirit!

 

!

 

Can you imagine not having to worry about what to wear! Might be a packing strategy, just take 2 outfits, while one is being laundered you wear the other.....simplify!:D And then tell everyone they lost your luggage.....I'm thinking we could make this a CC challenge...anyone game...no really, just take 7 pairs of undies and 2 outfits (one you wear on) with a swim suit. Put it all in your beach bag no luggage....it could work....for me just a couple of sundresses would do for any venue on the ship...hmmmmmmmmmmmm

Edited February 16, 2017 by BecciBoo

[tonyweir]

Galveston limo is a shared ride. It was a 20 passenger minibus, very nice. They pickup at Hobby Airport (Bush too) and make stops at the hotels in Galveston.

 

Check their website for current pricing but I believe ours was $30 per person roundtrip.

 

 

On the return, they knew the ships had come in late so once we were out of the terminal through customs, we called them and they told us where to meet. They had the bus there within 5 or 10 minutes.

[Clarea]

Galveston limo is a shared ride. It was a 20 passenger minibus, very nice. They pickup at Hobby Airport (Bush too) and make stops at the hotels in Galveston.

 

Check their website for current pricing but I believe ours was $30 per person roundtrip.

 

 

On the return, they knew the ships had come in late so once we were out of the terminal through customs, we called them and they told us where to meet. They had the bus there within 5 or 10 minutes.

Thanks for the info, this sounds like an excellent option for Galveston.:)

[bambione]

I was on this same cruise, and plan on posting a review soon. I was also on deck 7, 7523, but didn't notice any sewer smells. I guess I got lucky.

It did take a while to get off the ship. It wasn't RCCL's fault, customs and immigration were really slow. Our customs agent said they had received an incorrect manifest from RCCL. I really enjoyed this cruise.

[Crash1965]

I will be on Liberty again this May it is nice to read a review from someone who has the same mind set I have there is no bad cruises

:)

[melski]

Was your Belize tour booked through the ship or through a private company? Just wondering how the tender process was if booked privately. I'm looking at a private cave tubing company in Belize and wondering how hard it will be to get off the ship.

 

Looking forward to our 2nd cruise on Liberty!

[tonyweir]

I booked it directly through the Coral Breeze website. The meeting time was 10 am just down from where the tenders drop off.

 

On Belize day, I went to the dining room on deck 5 at 8:15 and got 2 tender tickets. They are lettered. We got H. Bring a copy of your tour confirmation to show them.

 

We were down on deck 3 waiting around 9am. A few minutes later they said everyone with any ticket can go. The tenders are huge double deck boats run by a local tender company. They are not the ship's lifeboats. They are fast too. We got to the pier in about 25 minutes and had time to get our free charm at Diamonds International, go to the bathroom and walk around a bit before our meeting time.

 

The tour got us back to the pier around 3:15 which left plenty of time to cruise the shops and take some photos. We took the tender back around 4pm. The last tender is at 4:30.

 

It's sad RCI is pulling put of Belize. The tender process was seamless and the port was beautiful. I assume it's expensive and time consuming to use tenders. I know the ship's have to take a twisty route out of the harbor because of the ocean depth and the coral reefs.

 

I did talk to some passengers who took the RCI snorkeling tour. They said they were picked up and dropped off right at the ship. But, they said there were over 100 on the tour and they were herded around like cattle. They didn't get any personal attention or time in the city.

Edited February 16, 2017 by tonyweir

[Casester1015]

Did you happen to notice if there were any Trolls characters mixed in with the Dreamworks characters? TIA

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[pancake718]

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[davekathy]

tonyweir...thanks for sharing your cruise.

[pcur]

We are on the Liberty now; we got on when the OP disembarked. This ship has a fabulous crew, and I found two things VASTLY improved since we were on the LOS in December 2015:

 

The food in the Windjammer is much better, more variety.

 

The Diamond Lounge crowding has been lessened with the opening of the Suite/Pinnacle Lounge. The servers in the DL are experienced bartenders, so the drinks are made properly. Love these two guys!

 

Ship looks great, too We are in cabin 7293 and it's in perfect condition. No smells in our area of the deck.

 

If you eat in Chops, ask to sit in Francisco's section. He is absolutely wonderful: so gracious, sweet, and efficient. Wonderful waiter. I saw him today and asked if he was assignd permanently to Chops, and he is!!!

[Bookster99]

Great review! We were just on her over New Year's -- We tried to keep the ship nice for you! And I truly appreciate your review, because we will be on it around the same time next year. I'll double check that whole SuperBowl thing!

[candlegirl]

Which nights were Formal?

 

Thanks!

[J & G]

Nice review.... You were getting on while we were getting off! We had a great cruise also! Of course, it wasn't perfect, but darn close!

 

 

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[J & G]

Can you imagine not having to worry about what to wear! Might be a packing strategy, just take 2 outfits, while one is being laundered you wear the other.....simplify!:D And then tell everyone they lost your luggage.....I'm thinking we could make this a CC challenge...anyone game...no really, just take 7 pairs of undies and 2 outfits (one you wear on) with a swim suit. Put it all in your beach bag no luggage....it could work....for me just a couple of sundresses would do for any venue on the ship...hmmmmmmmmmmmm

 

 

Undies, swim suit, 2 black pants (capris) and tops, and two pairs of shoes....iPad, phone, and chargers....all in a backpack!

 

 

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[tonyweir]

Which nights were Formal?

 

Thanks!

 

 

2nd and 6th.

[serialcruiser48]

I was on the Liberty 14 weeks in 2016 and can say it's a great ship, except for the wifi. The wifi is high orbit garbage unlike the Oasis, Allure and Harmony. After spending 3 weeks on the Harmony, I can say it's wifi is great! Ping rates seems to be 30 ms less than the Allure and Oasis.

[Clarea]

I was on the Liberty 14 weeks in 2016 and can say it's a great ship, except for the wifi. The wifi is high orbit garbage unlike the Oasis, Allure and Harmony. After spending 3 weeks on the Harmony, I can say it's wifi is great! Ping rates seems to be 30 ms less than the Allure and Oasis.

Harmony's antenna must be mounted higher than on other ships.;)

[2Ccruisers]

I was on the Liberty 14 weeks in 2016 and can say it's a great ship, except for the wifi. The wifi is high orbit garbage unlike the Oasis, Allure and Harmony. After spending 3 weeks on the Harmony, I can say it's wifi is great! Ping rates seems to be 30 ms less than the Allure and Oasis.

 

14 weeks?!?:eek: So jealous!