Loyal to Royal: Probably; Loyal to Liberty of Seas-Yeah! 9/2/18-9/9/18 sailing

[1Texansgo]

Just returned from our third sailing on LOS out of Galveston-Coz, Cayman and Jamaica and wanted to share our thoughts and experiences. First we are husband and wife in our 50's traveling alone. We have spent a significant amount of time in the Caribbean and have been to all of the ports of call previously. The purpose of our cruise was to relax and get away from the every day stress we all experience.

 

EMBARKATION: WET! We spent Saturday night in Galveston and I packed the car around 9:30. I was going to drop off the luggage with the porters and return to pick up my wife. We have a home in Galveston so we were going to leave our car at the house and Uber to port sans luggage. While waiting to pull into the port the sky opened and a severe storm hit the island. It took about 40 minutes to drop off luggage but once that was accomplished and made it back to the house the rain lessened and we actually Ubered to the port around 12:15. From there we were onboard around 1:00 and all bags were delivered to our rooms by 3:00. Overall, a good start to the vacation.

 

 

WEEK'S PLAN: We had the drink package and the 3 night specialty dining package so we went to Chops once on board and made reservations for Sabor Sunday night, Chops Tuesday and Chops again Saturday night. We have seen most of the production shows so we felt no rush to finish dinner etc to make it to the shows.

 

FOOD AND BEVERAGE: I must say I was impressed both by the food and drink and by the service throughout the ship. It is a bit humorous that about half the time when receiving a drink you have to sign the ticket and the other half they simply give you back your card and say thank you. I do remember that at the beginning of the cruise more bartenders had you sign but as the week progressed more simply handed you back your card. Drinks were good and had a decent amount of spirits in them. ALL bar and wait staff we encountered were friendly, efficient and professional. I also noticed a lot of passengers with the soda package handing the waiters their large tumblers to fill and I never saw bar personnel overlook or not timely serving them. One hint: take off the tumbler lid before handing it to the bartender to fill. The bartenders are told not to open the lids for sanitary purposes. So bar service in my opinion was a 9/10 throughout the week and although good last year when we sailed was even better this year. For food, again I would have to say it is somewhat better than last year across the board. Chops was really good as we both had filets which were properly cooked, well seasoned and offered with multiple sauces, if desired. Sides were good-the only semi complaint would be the creamed spinach was not all creamy but I am sure my cardiologist appreciated that. IN MDR I would again say the food is good to very good. The menus are different (some said new?) with about six entrees per night plus grilled chicken and a steak on the menu every night. We ate in MDR four evenings and I always found something that sounded good. I am not a lamb lover but one night nothing looked great for a main course so I ordered the lamb shank on the recommendation of our waiter and it was really good. Wife had chicken a couple of nights and was happy with it. The desserts which we tasted were all good but after the big dinners we had the sherbet and ice cream may have been our favorites. I also need to mention that on our 2nd formal night the prime rib and lobster were both very tasty and properly cooked. The lobster was not overly cooked and was quite good. Our table mates told us that the prime rib on the first evening was really good as well. We had breakfast both in the WJ and MDR and preferred MDR. Everything there was good and service was not slow. Ate lunch in MDR twice and salad and entrees were pretty good, not great but pretty good. Forgot to say that Sabor on our first night was excellent with truly excellent service such that we returned for lunch on our last sea day. Again, service in all dining venues was very good to excellent.

 

SHIP: Hard to believe LOS is 9yo as she is a beautiful well designed ship. They are constantly cleaning, sanitizing, repairing and painting her but she remains in first class condition. Yes, there are some stains on the carpet and drapes in a few areas but nothing major at all. I also was pleasantly surprised that on our cruise she did not seem crowded at all. The public areas were not crowded other than the pools on sea days but you could always find a chair in the sun or shade. The casino was not overly busy either. Last year you could barely find a seat at the blackjack tables but this cruise they lowered a couple of the table minimums from $25 to $10 or $15 to encourage more play. Yes the casino is somewhat smoky but I am not highly sensitive to secondary smoke so it didn't greatly bother me. I will say service in the casino bars was excellent with super friendly bar personnel who knew all of the "regulars" after the 2nd day. While we did not gamble that much we spent a good deal of time after dinner in the casino.

 

ENTERTAINMENT AND ACTIVITIES: We may not be the best reviewers for this. We became fairly set in our ways early on with our nightly routine. We would usually be dressed for dinner by 7:00, pick up a drink at Boleros (which was close to our room) and walk around usually having a second drink in the casino and then having 2nd seating dinner at 8:00. Let me say here that our time in MDR dinner was never more than an hour unlike some dinners I have read about. After dinner we would go to Schooners for piano music. Here is my only significant complaint. The singer in Schooners had a pretty good voice but he wanted to BS and proselytize more than he wanted to sing songs. Every night the Compass would tout a Billy Joel tribute, Eagles tribute Elton John tribute which excited us but his nonstop blabber really turned us off to what would have otherwise been entertaining. On one night we walked through Schooners around 11:00 and the place was virtually empty. This has never happened on prior cruises we have been on. After Schooners we would go to Olive and Twist which would play specific music from around 10-11:30 before going to straight disco music. The earlier shows featured Motown, 70s, 80s etc. We really enjoyed Olive and Twist as it has beautiful views down to deck 11 and out to sea. We also attended the Caymus wine tasting at Vintages one afternoon. The wine steward was quite knowledgeable and there were about 10 people there and we enjoyed meeting and visiting with them. The only production show we saw was IN THE AIR which was pretty good with great costumes and acrobatics. We saw two of the comedians at their R rated shows at 10:15 and both of them were funny. So, we felt we always had good entertainment options available to us and we never lacked for entertainment.

 

PORTS: In Cozumel we opted to get a day pass at El Cid next door so we walked over there and spent the day. Had a really good grilled grouper for lunch and plenty of libations. The facilities would probably be rated like a Best Western but for us it worked out fine because we didn't want to cab to and from a beach club, the weather looked like it could rain and we have been to Nachi, Santos etc. quite a few times. Also, having all aboard at 3:30 didn't seem to make a beach club look too appealing. So a good quiet day for us.

In Cayman a rain shower hit about 10:30 when we were deciding if we wanted to get off the ship so we thought it was a sign and stayed on the ship all day. In Jamaica we had previously reserved a resort for a day at Royalton White Sands/Blue Water resort. The resort is only about a 10 minute drive from the Falmouth port and it is beautiful. Between the two resorts there are at least 4 pools and a lazy river. It has a beautiful beach and the service at the resort was superb as was the food. It isn't cheap ($100 pp) but it is really a great day. We didn't know it but the day pass includes breakfast and lunch as well as all you can drink. We had already eaten breakfast before we arrived but the lunch was extensive and very good with tons of selections and cook to order stations. We would definitely do this excursion again.P.S. They have a jerk shack by the pool that serves up jerk chicken all afternoon and it was superb if you can take the spice.

 

PROMENADE ACTIVITIES: We had the 70s party and Captains Welcome parties in the promenade and the RC singers who performed were really good. The dancing was good and we always think these activities are fun.

 

RANDOM THOUGHTS:

1. Although there is some upselling going on every day we did not find it at all intrusive and seemed even less intrusive than prior cruises.

2. Deck 4 is a great walking deck if you can climb up the stairs to the heliport.

3. If you want to walk/jog on the track do it early or late.

4. They start selling the 10 drinks/$79 onWed. morning and there are signs at every bar.

5. Best frozen drinks are at Squeeze Bar on deck 11.

5 Don't expect to watch your favorite college football games; Sat night they had Pitt/Penn State as the only college game shown on the cruise while there were great games on ESPN that they didn't show-A&M/Clemson etc.

6. Everyone we encountered was quite courteous and friendly-both staff and passengers.

7. If you hate Texans stay away from LOS.

8. Hard to believe but the country band (Nashville Junction I believe) was from Canada.

9. We didn't see the cruise director much but that is because we didn't go to shows etc. So no opinion.

10. Take negative statements and reviews with a grain of salt; if you walk aboard with a good attitude you will walk off the ship with a better attitude

11. Cruising is really a very good cost effective vacation

12. So to conclude we live in the Houston area and have a second home in Galveston so we understand the economic benefit RC and Carnival have had on our area. We have been on Carnival multiple times over the years and have enjoyed all of our Carnival cruises .Carnival Vista was in port with us in Cayman and she is a beautiful ship and we are lucky to be getting her in Galveston. However, based on all of the above our next cruises out of Galveston will be on the beautiful LOS.

 

If you have any questions I will try to answer them.

[Ladysilver]

Thank you for the review! I'm getting really excited to cruise on the Liberty for the second time in December! :hearteyes:

[BecciBoo]

Good concise review!

 

We board Sunday after next. Can't wait:hearteyes: This will be our 6th trip on Libby.

[lljun]

Nice, informative review. Thank you! We live in Southeast Texas with a second home in Crystal Beach, so cruising out of Galveston works perfectly for us, as well. January 2019 will be our first time on the Liberty, but we have enjoyed the Rhapsody, Voyager, and Navigator.

Thanks again for the review!

[TravelGirlinDallas]

Thanks for the review! We will be sailing on LOS next June; can't wait.

[Tree_skier]

44 days until we sail LOS out Galveston. We just can't wait. Thanks for this great and informative review.

[wolfganghowell]

Thanks for your review - we're itching to get back. Going to be a long 6 months! I think it's still Phil in the Schooner Bar but seems like I heard he will be leaving at the end of this contract. He's been out of Galveston for years. I wish they would get a more high energy inclusive performer in there. He really hasn't changed his act in...well.....ever.

[1Texansgo]

Our guy in Schooners was Bill Forrest; Phil was there a year ago and we prefer Phil.

[SciFiGuy1960]

Thanks for your review - we're itching to get back. Going to be a long 6 months! I think it's still Phil in the Schooner Bar but seems like I heard he will be leaving at the end of this contract. He's been out of Galveston for years. I wish they would get a more high energy inclusive performer in there. He really hasn't changed his act in...well.....ever.

 

Bill Forrest has taken over the Schooner Bar from Phil. Can't comment since I never went to see him while I was on the week before 1Texansgo.

[wolfganghowell]

new guy doesn't sound like my cup of tea then. Don't blither at people - play music! ;)

[funtexascruiser]

Thanks for the review and the info you provided. Can't wait to board LOS in 3 weeks, Oct 7!

[Mr. Traveler2112]

Enjoyed your review. Was on the same cruise

 

The only thing where I would say I differ is the food in the MDR. I thought it was bad on a couple of nights. Perhaps it was the 8:00 o'clock time slot that had something to do with it. For example, they ran out of lobsters on lobster night. "Sorry you only got one. We ran out." But it was cooked really well and tasted good. The lamb that was served to us at the end of the cruise was inedible because there was so much salt in the sauce. Our entire table sent it back. It also tasted old. Really awful. I went to the Windjammer and enjoyed a chicken curry dish with rice which I thought tasted pretty good. The hamburgers on Royal tasted like they were not really hamburgers. I don't know if they were some kind of hybrid cereal/meat mix. I really enjoyed the burgers on Carnival at Guy Fieri's Burger Joint and Royal ought to least get a simple hamburger done right. But all in all I was very satisfied by the food in the Windjammer.

 

My culinary peak experience on Liberty was in Chops with the filet mignon and Ben & Jerry's when I had them make the Phish Food into a chocolate shake. So good.

 

I was dragged to the shows by my girlfriend who loves this sort of thing. I have to say they were of much better quality than Carnival. I don't even like plays or musicals but was pretty impressed by the Saturday Night Fever show, the sets, the dancing and who doesn't love all those good old songs. The actors were great.

 

Enjoyed the 70s and 80s party in the Promenade area.

 

Totally agree with you about the piano player in Schooners. I got tired of his blather but waited politely for him to finish the song before my girlfriend and I got up to leave. He called attention to the fact we were leaving, he seemed hurt and made some comment about us probably going to something better like karaoke. Really? Geez.

 

Scuba dived in Cozumel and Grand Cayman and enjoyed it very much. Went with a paid excursion in Cozumel and they were very professional and helpful. In Grand Cayman we went on our own and caught a cab to Lighthouse Point and dove the mini wall. Beautiful dive there with a statue of Neptune at around 65 feet.

 

I had heard of the extreme tourist harassment in Jamaica if you left the protected shopping area in Falmouth and wanted to see if it was true. It was as bad as I'd heard. Highlight was being completely surrounded by Jamaican men while trying to walk down the street and a old guy in his backyard ran up to his back fence and said "What you need, mon?" LOL. Never experienced anything like that. Made it half a block and turned back to the protected tourist area. Glad it's not like that in Cozumel or Grand Cayman. Next time I'm in Jamaica I'll do your itinerary.

 

I only have one tip to add for the budget minded.

 

If you want to bring a pack of water bottles on the ship you can do this, but it's how you do it that gets it on the ship. You can't check it in with a luggage tag and get it delivered to your cabin. You have to carry it with you when you check in to get on the ship. I saw people bringing sodas and water and getting it onboard but they had to carry it in line with them, a huge pain. Also, they wouldn't let you bring your two allowed bottles of wine AND water. One or the other. To those who brought both, they had to leave the alcohol or the water behind.

 

I had a good time on Liberty of the Seas and would sail on her again. Thanks for your review and insights on how to cruise better.

[cruiselovingDJ]

Hi all,

Going on Liberty b2b in one week and have a question for anyone who has recently been on the ship.

Are the inside air conditioned areas generally cold (need sweaters and long sleeves), comfortable, or on the warm side. Have been on different ships and seems to vary alot.

Thanks,

Debbie

[Clarea]

Hi all,

Going on Liberty b2b in one week and have a question for anyone who has recently been on the ship.

Are the inside air conditioned areas generally cold (need sweaters and long sleeves), comfortable, or on the warm side. Have been on different ships and seems to vary alot.

Thanks,

Debbie

My wife finds the theater cool and usually wears a light sweater in there.

[cruiselovingDJ]

Thanks Bob,

Will pack a sweater and closed shoes too!

[Merion_Mom]

Thank you for your extremely thorough, personal and well-written review. It will be helpful to many, I am sure.

 

Just a couple of questions, if you don't mind.

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT AND ACTIVITIES: We may not be the best reviewers for this. We became fairly set in our ways early on with our nightly routine. We would usually be dressed for dinner by 7:00, pick up a drink at Boleros (which was close to our room) and walk around usually having a second drink in the casino and then having 2nd seating dinner at 8:00. Let me say here that our time in MDR dinner was never more than an hour unlike some dinners I have read about. After dinner we would go to Schooners for piano music. Here is my only significant complaint. The singer in Schooners had a pretty good voice but he wanted to BS and proselytize more than he wanted to sing songs. Every night the Compass would tout a Billy Joel tribute, Eagles tribute Elton John tribute which excited us but his nonstop blabber really turned us off to what would have otherwise been entertaining. On one night we walked through Schooners around 11:00 and the place was virtually empty. This has never happened on prior cruises we have been on.

 

What do you mean by "proselytize"?

 

PORTS: In Cozumel we opted to get a day pass at El Cid next door so we walked over there and spent the day. Had a really good grilled grouper for lunch and plenty of libations. The facilities would probably be rated like a Best Western but for us it worked out fine because we didn't want to cab to and from a beach club, the weather looked like it could rain and we have been to Nachi, Santos etc. quite a few times. Also, having all aboard at 3:30 didn't seem to make a beach club look too appealing. So a good quiet day for us.

 

Would you please give more information about El Cid? I have walked past it many times, and it never occurred to me to spend the day there. Price? Did you reserve ahead of time or just walk in? What did it include? What are the facilities like?

 

If you have any questions I will try to answer them.

 

Thank you for answering.

[1Texansgo]

With regard to Schooners Bill Forrest would sing the first verse of an Eagles song and then tell us when , why and where the song was written, why another group didn't record it etc. etc. I really didn't care about that and simply wanted to listen to the music. For El Cid we arranged a day pass before sailing through either Resort for Day or Shore Excursioneer. It was $50pp and included lunch off the menu and all drinks and use of facilities. They have a very small beach area and a decent pool. This package only includes Dos Equis (sp?) draft beer and all cocktails including frozen and exotic drinks. The drinks were good and the food was also good. The menu is basic burgers, sandwiches nachos, fajitas etc but does have fresh fish as well as fish tacos etc. I thought the food was good. They also have a package that you can get without a reservation where you pay an entry fee (maybe 25pp) and you get a credit back for half of that for food and drink. I would contact the hotel directly for specifics.We like it because it is convenient and we can quickly return to the ship if the weather turns bad etc. We were going to Park Royal this trip but their all inclusive starts at 11:00 and with LOS being the first ship to leave port we didn't think it would be worth the money. Most posters say Park Royal has nicer facilities. We read our books on their small beach and then spent the majority of our day at the hotel pool so for us it was very enjoyable.