We just came back from our cruise on Liberty of the seas. We really got spoiled on our first cruise on Freedom last year, it was first class. Comparing the two together, this time it was kind of a let down. We still had a great time, but it just was not the same.

Here is the good parts:

-We were on board by 11:30 the first day
-Food was excellent in dining room & chops
-Food was very good in windjammer
-There was no extra charge for steaks in dining room
-All the staff was very helpful & friendly
-Went to see a production show and enjoyed it
-Went to see the Quest, really enjoyed it
-Virgin pina coladas, my favorite drink!
-Margaritas, my husbands favorite drink!
-Towel animals & chocolates on the pillows ever night
-We got a junior suite this time and LOVED the extra room.
-Adventure ocean was great with our son, he loved going every night.
-Tortuga rum cakes were delicious
-Sorrento's pizza was very good, our son kept them in business!
-Disembarkment was easier. All US citizens went to the front of the ship. All non US citizens went to the aft of the ship.

The parts we didn't like:

-Our room was never made up until afternoon, sometimes as late as 2:00 pm.
-The sofa bed in our room was never changed back into the sofa. It was just left open in a bed the whole cruise, until the last day.
-The dining room on most nights did not open until 6:00 pm on the dot. There was a huge backup of people waiting to get in on each floor.
-The gift shop did not have all the neat stuff like freedom did.
-No hand sanitizer wipes in the windjammer. We asked about that and she said that they don't always use them, just sometimes.

We are not ones to complain. We just enjoyed all the good parts and had a great time!

sounds like you had a pretty nice time....if you look at the list of "not so goods", none of them are really that major, so thats good!

As for the dining room, show up at 6:05 and you will be fine. Or hang out in a nearby bar and watch the line till it gets small.

Hand sanitizer is nice, but if you don't have it just be sure to wash your hands thoroughly and often.

I can understand being a little unhappy about the sofa bed not being put away - not a huge thing, but I'm pretty sure the room steward should have taken care of it. Did you mention it to him/her? I sure they would have corrected the problem if you did.

as many say - there is no such thing as a bad cruise, just some that are better than others

Welcome back, time to start booking the next one. For the first cruise to be on the Freedom, it would seem to me, the rest would be a bit of a let down. After all, the Freedom is magnificent. However, it sounds like everything went relatively well and you had a great time, which is what it's all about! I'm surprised about the sofa bed and them not making the room up until late. I wonder if someone was pulling double-duty. I'm sure it happens, someone quits or gets sick and someone else has to cover more rooms. I'll bet if you had called the front desk or talked to your cabin steward, it would have been fixed. Glad to hear there was no extra charge for the steaks and that the food was good. Be sure and let us know what you pick for your next cruise!

Opening up exactly at the published time is the norm for dining rooms. Opening early is unusual. We do as Mike recommends and wait at a nearby bar for the mob to dissipate - usually just a couple of minutes or so will do the trick.

As noted in other threads, the extra-fee steak is only being tested on the Freedom and the Majesty.

As for the sofa, now that I recall we had the same thing happen on the Liberty last year. It didn't bother us so we didn't mention it and the steward made it up as a bed every day. It wouldn't surprise me if the line has reduced the number of cabin stewards which means they have more cabins to take care of.

I am glad you had a good time and the bad things on your list could have been worst. I will be on the Liberty November 8th and can't wait. We booked a grand suite (yuppee)!

Wesnlin,

When you were on the Liberty did you spend anytime in the casino? If so, do they now charge a fee to get money off your seapass account for casino playing?

Hi wesnlin,

Your good points far outweigh the bad and the bad ones were tiny! and things that could have been easily recified if you mentioned them to reception, Im glad you enjoyed your holiday, Im just back from Liberty and had a great time.

was freedom your first ever cruise? If so, nothing ever ever compares to your first cruise, My first was on voyager last year and this was my second on Liberty, the wow factor of the size of the ship etc is all gone but still fantastic - and I'll definitely be chosing Royal Caribbean again, they are the friendliest most efficient staff around!

i wonder if they left the sofa bed open in case someone might want a nap in the middle of the day...cruising can get tiring, especially for kids

maybe they figure it might be worse to have someone try and open the bed themselves if they wanted a nap

i dunno, just a thought

Hi Mike,

Yeah Im the same I think I would prefer not to have to go to the bother of having to make up a bed every night as so little time is spent in the rooms, I would prefer to just have it made up! I would think thats standard,

I usually lie on the bed when I watch tv very relaxing with all those pillows at your back!!

Dave I can finally agree with you 100% on this one we also wait just 5 min or so and then there is no line. mike

I think its a good idea not to open the dining room until exactly the right time, they close it down after the first sitting and the line restarts again for the 8.30 sitting. I dont get how people Queue all the time, Americans love it!!! I cant stand it so always arrive a few minutes late and straight to my seat for fantastic service!

Back in the "old days," the dining room doors would close 15 minutes after dinner began. I believe lines are more flexible with that, today. (Not that I advocate showing up late.)

Thanks for the review, wesnlin. I'm glad you were able to focus on the good and have a great time!

nicholegore,

quote:

When you were on the Liberty did you spend anytime in the casino? If so, do they now charge a fee to get money off your seapass account for casino playing?

Wow you are going to have a great room! I have never been in anything larger than a junior suite. On our compass it says "You can us your seapass card for up to $2000 a day for gaming purposes only. A 3% convenience charge applies. "

We just took a little bit of cash to play in the casino and didn't have to worry about that fee. I hope you enjoy your cruise!

Grand suites are very nice! You'll really enjoy the spacious bathroom and living room area. We had one on our transatlantic cruise in April. Next week we'll be in a D-1 balcony cabin and it will probably seem smaller than usual.

Sonny

sonny enjoy your trip maybe i will run into you the week of the 26th

Thanks, cruise boy. Maybe we will, I'll be the guy sitting in the Captains chair.


Sonny