Liberty of Seas Thoughts and Recap

[KsucAts]

3 minutes ago, The Fun Researcher said:

 

We’ve never had the need for specialty dining.  I’ve thought about it many times but then I remember that I can find entrees and appetizers that I really enjoy on every MDR menu.  One of our cruises we’ll give it a try.

 

Dan

Yeah, we haven't felt the need to try them yet on Royal.  (We did eat at Palo and loved it on Disney, but kids were younger and treated it like a special date night)  I don't think we will on our LIberty cruise next June either.  We spend plenty on these cruises and the MDR has always been good enough for us.  Heck, we have even skipped it because our time didn't work and were satisfied with the buffet.  I can think of better ways for our family to spend the money on our trip than specialy restuarants, but glad the option is there for those who that is a priority for.  

[HBE4]

15 hours ago, SRQbeachgirl said:

 

We'll be on the 3/29 sailing too - our first time on Liberty! Trying to decide if we're going to buy a dining package or stick with the MDR. 

 

15 hours ago, George C said:

We always get package, normally do 5 nights specialty and two mdr. Chops was excellent on our last couple of cruises.

 

Agreed. Chops is very good as is Giovanni's.  Did not have a chance to try Sabor yet but the  reviews I've read have been mixed at best.

[Tulsacoker]

Sabor is my least favorite of the three. Like the Guac, chcken popper and Civichie but the reset of the menu I can go without.  

[HBE4]

15 hours ago, KsucAts said:

15 hours ago, The Fun Researcher said:

We’ve never had the need for specialty dining.  I’ve thought about it many times but then I remember that I can find entrees and appetizers that I really enjoy on every MDR menu.  One of our cruises we’ll give it a try.

 

Dan

Yeah, we haven't felt the need to try them yet on Royal.  (We did eat at Palo and loved it on Disney, but kids were younger and treated it like a special date night)  I don't think we will on our LIberty cruise next June either.  We spend plenty on these cruises and the MDR has always been good enough for us.  Heck, we have even skipped it because our time didn't work and were satisfied with the buffet.  I can think of better ways for our family to spend the money on our trip than specialy restuarants, but glad the option is there for those who that is a priority for.  

 

Every so often, we'll do a specialty restaurant just for a change of pace.  I know I've already paid for my food in the MDR and WJ but I don't mind paying a little more for better food/atmosphere. It was easier to justify when it was only $20 or $25 pp but now that the cost as risen to almost $50 in some cases, its getting harder to justify, especially if the food is only slightly better.

 

A dining package brings the average cost down to what I consider acceptable. On a 9 night cruise, I've done a 3-night dining package which allows me to sample the specialty restaurants while still allowing 6 nights for me to enjoy the "free" meals in the MDR and WJ .

 

 

 

[molsonschooner]

On 11/7/2019 at 7:30 AM, bobmacliberty said:

Thanks for the review.  Liberty was our first Royal ship (2010) and she hooked us!

LOS was our first Royal cruise, 2010 from Miami. We have fond memories of that cruise.

[lovetotraveltx]

Love your review. It will be our first time on Royal Caribbean and we will be on Liberty of the Seas. Two questions: Where do you go for lunch when you board the ship. Also, how did you get to the resort in Jamaica you reserved for the day? Thank you!

[Xtentions]

Great review.

 

We did Liberty for the first time this past May and are on her again in December.  We really like her.  You mention wanting to try the Vista we were on her in September and did not like that ship as much as the Liberty or even the smaller Carnival ships like Valor/Freedom.  Nothing really wrong with Vista we just did not like it as much.  Liberty is the only Royal ship we have done thus far but will not be the last for sure.

 

As for the specialty dining our favorite on Liberty is Sabor, Giavani's and then Chops.  We did not think Chops was anything special but I am a steak snob and don't really like any steak restaurant.  We have the key again for December so we will have lunch on embarkation day maybe they have gotten better.

[lovetotraveltx]

9 minutes ago, Xtentions said:

Great review.

 

We did Liberty for the first time this past May and are on her again in December.  We really like her.  You mention wanting to try the Vista we were on her in September and did not like that ship as much as the Liberty or even the smaller Carnival ships like Valor/Freedom.  Nothing really wrong with Vista we just did not like it as much.  Liberty is the only Royal ship we have done thus far but will not be the last for sure.

 

As for the specialty dining our favorite on Liberty is Sabor, Giavani's and then Chops.  We did not think Chops was anything special but I am a steak snob and don't really like any steak restaurant.  We have the key again for December so we will have lunch on embarkation day maybe they have gotten better.

We'll be on our first Royal Caribbean cruise in December. Where do you like to eat when you board the ship? And, what were your favorite MDR or Buffet foods? Thank you!

[The Fun Researcher]

43 minutes ago, lovetotraveltx said:

Love your review. It will be our first time on Royal Caribbean and we will be on Liberty of the Seas. Two questions: Where do you go for lunch when you board the ship. Also, how did you get to the resort in Jamaica you reserved for the day? Thank you!

 

The buffet is open, and in the Royal Promenade area there is pizza in Sorrento's and finger sandwiches in the Cafe Promenade.  Can't remember if any specialty restaurants are available to book for embarkation lunch.

 

-Dan

[JupiterTwo]

19 hours ago, KsucAts said:

Yeah, we haven't felt the need to try them yet on Royal.  (We did eat at Palo and loved it on Disney...) 

 

I don't think there is anything on the Liberty that compares to Palo. 

 

My wife and I only ate at Chops, otherwise it was the MDR for us. We once ate at Giovanni's, but that was for the Murder Mystery night that had a special menu.

 

Steve

[KsucAts]

2 minutes ago, JupiterTwo said:

 

I don't think there is anything on the Liberty that compares to Palo. 

 

My wife and I only ate at Chops, otherwise it was the MDR for us. We once ate at Giovanni's, but that was for the Murder Mystery night that had a special menu.

 

Steve

 

We sure couldn't find anything that looked like it did and at the time, I think Palo was just $20.  Not sure what it is anymore.  We have been on all 4 Disney ships and they have priced us out.  Been very happy with our switch to Royal.

[JupiterTwo]

1 minute ago, KsucAts said:

 

We sure couldn't find anything that looked like it did and at the time, I think Palo was just $20.  Not sure what it is anymore.  We have been on all 4 Disney ships and they have priced us out.  Been very happy with our switch to Royal.

 

We only sailed the Wonder twice out of Galveston. I think they are slightly discounted when here (Nov-Dec). 

 

We did Palo both for the dinner and the brunch. I think the upcharge was $45/pp.

 

Steve

[HBE4]

55 minutes ago, lovetotraveltx said:

Love your review. It will be our first time on Royal Caribbean and we will be on Liberty of the Seas. Two questions: Where do you go for lunch when you board the ship. Also, how did you get to the resort in Jamaica you reserved for the day? Thank you!

 

Most people will head to the WJ buffet so it'll be uber-crowded. In the Royal Promenade, there is Sorrento's Pizza and Cafe Promenade for finger sandwichs, salads and pastries as well. The lines may seem long but move quickly.

 

My strategy has always been to eat a big, late breakfast prior to embarking, explore the ship and then hit either WJ or Sorrento's as they wind down mid-afternoon. But I'm also a late dinner guy as well so if you have early dinner, that might not work. Oh, and carry some snacks with me as well!

 

As for the resort, the OP said they booked thru Shore Excursioneer  which is a big tour operator. They usually provide a shuttle to and from the pier.

[Xtentions]

12 minutes ago, lovetotraveltx said:

We'll be on our first Royal Caribbean cruise in December. Where do you like to eat when you board the ship? And, what were your favorite MDR or Buffet foods? Thank you!

 

When we were on Liberty in May that was the first time we had eaten at any specialty restaurants aboard any ship in our at that time 5 cruises.  This was also our first time on Liberty we are going again on the Dec 1 sailing. we had only done Carnival to that point.

 

If you want to stay non-specialty we ended up liking the wind jammer (buffet) better than the MDR but there is nothing wrong with the MDR.  We had/have my time dining which allows you to decide day to day what time you will eat in the MDR.  If you are not going to the MDR then that doesn't matter.  Almost everything is good but that is subjective.  Any diet can be cared for if you let them know what you need as far as allergies or diet needs (vegan/vegetarian/keto/gluten).  I think we ate at MDR on 2 nights.

 

For the specialty restaurants we liked Sabor(Mexican) best followed by Giovanni's (Italian) followed by Chops(Steak)  we did not eat at Johnny Rockets we just never got around to it but have eaten there on land several times and it's just a burger nothing special.  We did the 3 night package and ate at all 3 specialties but also had the key so we had Chops for lunch on embarkation day as well.  We also did the guacamole class at Sabor which counts as a lunch.

 

As for what specifically is served in the MDR you can check the Royal Carribean App and see the menus for my sailing right now so if you are also on the Dec 1 sailing take a look later sailings may also be available.  On one of the formal nights will be Lobster we always eat MDR that night.

 

The Wind Jammer has a wide variety of foods available including some of what is in the MDR.

[HBE4]

11 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

Most people will head to the WJ buffet so it'll be uber-crowded. In the Royal Promenade, there is Sorrento's Pizza and Cafe Promenade for finger sandwichs, salads and pastries as well. The lines may seem long but move quickly.

 

I should add that if you purchase The Key, lunch at Chops on embarkation day is included.

Edited November 11, 2019 by HBE4

[The Fun Researcher]

Totally up to you, but for our 9 night March cruise on the Navigator out of Miami, for the first time we ate on land before boarding the ship and showed up around 12:30 - 1pm. 

 

There was literally not one soul in line at security, and no one in front of us for the check-in process.  Walked onto the ship and all staterooms were available.  We could put our bags down in our rooms and grab our SeaPass cards immediately.  The three hours we could have gained by getting their early were FAR more offset by the convenience at the port, not dealing with the Windjammer madhouse, and being able to go straight to our rooms.

 

The last time we sailed out of Galveston on the Liberty we showed up around 10:30am and we dealt with the typical crowds, and the Windjammer, etc...   Anyone know if the crowds drop around 1pm in Galveston like we experienced in March on the Navigator?

Dan

[Tulsacoker]

5 minutes ago, The Fun Researcher said:

The last time we sailed out of Galveston on the Liberty we showed up around 10:30am and we dealt with the typical crowds, and the Windjammer, etc...   Anyone know if the crowds drop around 1pm in Galveston like we experienced in March on the Navigator?

Dan

Don't know .. we show up at 10:30 😄

 

I would bet its the same as you experienced on Navigator 

Edited November 11, 2019 by Tulsacoker

[HBE4]

I showed up in Galveston around noon, I think. The drop-off was pretty hectic and after parking the car (around 12:30-12:45-ish), there was probably a 20 minute long line at check-in. We were on-board with drink in hand by 1:30 and there was still a very long line of cars at the drop-off.

 

This was last Nov during Lone Star Biker rally weekend so that might have had an effect on traffic.   i drove down from Houston day of cruise.

[Tulsacoker]

Galveston's drop off area is like a third world country 

[Sports Mama]

Thank you for the review! We are sailing LOS for the second time March 22, 2020! We love the ship!

 

[Junkhouse]

On 11/6/2019 at 12:24 PM, The Fun Researcher said:

GHave you sailed the Enchantment before?  We're considering it for next summer (Key West, Coco Cay, Nassau).  Impressions of the ship, staff and food?

Dan

Have been on a 4 and 5 day cruise on Enchantment. It's Viking Crown Lounge is so much bigger then Liberty's because Liberty uses most of its space for diamond, suite lounge, and Olive and Twist.  Very quiet and nice place to chill and enjoy a drink. Enclosed Solarium is great for the first and last seas days because the weather can be iffy from September to April. Really like the current cruise director, "Lizzy" who did some unique things in Quest and Battle of the Sexes to keep it fresh and get more people involved.

[The Fun Researcher]

@Junkhouse

 

Thank you

 

Dan

[Cedric35]

On 11/6/2019 at 3:36 PM, Host Clarea said:

 

No Coke Freestyle on Liberty.

How does the Classic Soda package work on Liberty? Do you have to go to the bars and restaurants to get refills?

[Clarea]

40 minutes ago, Cedric35 said:

How does the Classic Soda package work on Liberty? Do you have to go to the bars and restaurants to get refills?

 

Exactly.

[John&LaLa]

On 11/7/2019 at 2:58 PM, 1Texansgo said:

Z pak was $60.00 US for three multi day doses. They only sold a three pack so in essence the mult-day z-paks were $20 a piece. There is a farmacia in the port but we exited and turned right at the street and there were multiple farmacias across the street from the Carnival port.

 

Good price, they are $25 at the pharmacy in the port. But you can buy single dose pkg

 

On 11/9/2019 at 9:58 PM, Doug S said:

As has been said, antibiotic. Zithromax. Usually a 5 day RX in my experience.  So I assume a 3 pack would have three 5 day doses.

 

Mexican Z packs only do 3 doses per treatment

@Ocean Boy

Edited November 24, 2019 by John&LaLa