Need advice.....Liberty/Freedom

[iliketorelax]

Hi,

This is a great forum for priceless info!!

 

I am trying to decide on the Liberty Eastern Caribbean trip or the Freedom Western Caribbean trip for next June.....

I(40) will be traveling with my wife(38) and 2 kids (10 & 12)....the Freedom trip will be approx.$400 more for the same cabin.....is it worth the $$ to take the Western route for the more $$???

I keep hearing that the western itinerary is nicer.

 

Also, is it advisable to go on a new ship (Liberty) on only it's 2nd or 3rd trip or is it better to go on the Freedom which will have a year of cruising under it's belt and thus have more of it's bugs worked out??

 

Any advice and comments will be very much appreciated.

[K1200S]

Based on what those that went on Freedom's first few trips have said going on a new ship shouldn't be viewed as a drawback. Go for the one which has the route you prefer.

[caviargal]

I was one of FOS's very early sailings. Personally, I would wait til the kinks were worked out as I am not one who would want to pay top dollar and then not have things up to par.

 

IMO, FOS has a few things to work on that negatively impacted the experience. Yes, it was pre-inaugaural but I doubt the issues were immediately resolved. It always takes a while for the crew and staff to come together as team and there will always be glitches.

 

If you are the type that feels a brand new ship is a big thrill, then go with it, just do not expect that everything will run like clockwork.

 

As for Easter vs Western, they are both very crowded with cruise ships, they both have a lot of shopping, there are beaches and similar shore excurstions, etc.

 

If you truly have no preference (I am a beach person so I like the Southern route myself) then go for the best value as the ships will be virtually the same.

 

CG

[herewegoagain]

We have booked the Liberty for Thanksgiving 2007. We thought of Freedom, but we did not want 3 sea days. We love 2 sea days...one on the first day and one on the last so Liberty became our choice. Check out the ports and the sea days and book the itinerary you prefer. I am sure they will both be awsome ships. I do think the best crew are found on the newest ships...

[FitzLA]

Eastern, all the way! I would much prefer any eatern over westen. Go with Liberty's eastern.

[mtebor]

I recently had the same dilemna. August 2007 had fos about $300 more for the same cabin same week than LOS.

 

I originally book LOS but after much thought, I realize I only cruise every few years so I change to FOS because of the itineary.

[TheWog]

I would say the Liberty Eastern for a first cruise.

[Matisse05]

I'm partial to the Western route, however that could change next year since we are sailing Freedom's eastern route.

 

I personally think you can't go wrong with either ship/route.:D

[cruiseman_tx]

I'd take the Liberty and use the $400 for fun things like shore excursions, shopping, etc...

[zotzer]

If memory serves, the Liberty Eastern is three sea days...and one of the port stops is Labadee...which is basically a beach day. This is an awesome itinerary for me, as I LOVE LOVE LOVE sea days.

 

I was on the first revenue sailing of Freedom, and am planning a B2B on the first two weeks on Liberty. That should give you some indication of my impressions. And I am no pushover. I'm a single 40-year old childless woman, who likes to have fun, but was raised with an expectation of excellence in service and environment.

 

Having been on Freedom for a week, I was blown away. The dining staff maybe needed some time to find their rhythm, but that's about it as far as "new ship" blues....and it was far from dreadful service...just not WOW.

 

Look at reviews of those who sailed her for an entire week with a full compliment of passengers. I think you will find them overwhelmingly positive.

 

I don't imagine that Liberty will have *quite* the extensive pre-inaugural shakedown period that Freedom had, so that may be something to consider as well. It's not scaring me off though.

 

You probably can't go wrong either way.

T

[dml]

We just completed an eastern caribbean cruise on Navigator of the Seas, had a great cruise. We booked our next cruise on LOS for nearly $400.00 less than the NOS cruise. Same cabin, a deck seven promenade view.

 

The time of the year one books a cruise affects prices more than the age or size of ship.

 

Regards

 

David L.

 

Counting down to next cruise - LOS 10/13/2007

[Anton]

I am trying to decide on the Liberty Eastern Caribbean trip or the Freedom Western Caribbean trip for next June.....

 

I keep hearing that the western itinerary is nicer.

 

Also, is it advisable to go on a new ship (Liberty) on only it's 2nd or 3rd trip or is it better to go on the Freedom which will have a year of cruising under it's belt and thus have more of it's bugs worked out??

 

Any advice and comments will be very much appreciated.

 

I was on the first revenue cruise of Freedom and was quite impressed - to the point that within a week of returning from the Freedom I booked the Liberty eastern run for June 23, 2007.

 

I wouldn't worry too much about the Liberty being still "new". RCCL will have over a year of experience with the Freedom by next summer, and these lessons (and some crew) will be transferred to the Liberty.

 

I happen to like at-sea days and so the eastern itinerary is appealing because it has three sea days and the day at Labadee too. Why don't you join us on the 6/23/07 cruise of Liberty?

[iliketorelax]

I appreciate the offer Dave as well as all the friendly advice I have received on this great forum.

 

Based on all the info I have picked up here and disussions with the boss (wife) we have booked on the 5/27/07 FOS Western Caribbean trip.

 

Now I have a whole year to wait and 21nd guess myself........stay tuned or many more questions to come.

 

Thanks all.

[CruiseExplore06]

I would do the Eastern Caribbean. Plenty of Sea Days to enjoy the new ship and you also get to stop at Labadee which is favorite port because its a private island. With the $400 extra you can use it for shopping and excursions. :)