Liberty of the Seas - She's a Beauty!

This was our second time on the LOTS and her first out of a $48 million dry dock.  New additions were Sabor (wonderful Mexican restaurant), water slides (had some glitches), new putt putt golf course, new cabins, and other improvements.  Embarkation was easy, as was debarkation.  We opted to take our own luggage off and we were in our car headed out within an hour of standing in line on the ship. 

Just a brief synopsis:  married couple in their early 60's, this was our belated Christmas present, balcony cabin on deck 8, no excursions planned, one visit to a specialty restaurant (a bit more about that later).

Our itinerary included Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel and three sea days.  However, because of choppy seas, we were not able to tender in at Grand Cayman and had to skip the port.  Our port charges were refunded before we left the ship.  Weather was a bit nippy, but no biggie.  It was February, so we were prepared.

Jamaica's port was Falmouth and RC has built a very nice pier shopping area.  It is very clean and the shops are very nice.  However, once you step out of the exterior gate, you are in another world.  We have been here before and were aware of what to expect.  It is definitely not for everyone.  We walked around for about 30 minutes and then headed back to the pier.  It made me a tad uncomfortable. 

Surprisingly, our trip to Cozumel was our favorite, although we have been here many times on cruises.  We decided to take a taxi to the downtown area ($8 one way) and did some shopping. Cozumel is my place to look for some new earrings and it did not disappoint.  We took a taxi back to the pier where Carnival docks, as some of our friends were on that cruise and we managed to easily meet them and have drinks and chips.  It was a short 10 minute walk back to our pier.

Food was to our liking at every restaurant/buffet.  No problems.

Entertainment was wonderful:  Saturday Night Fever is fabulous so don't miss it, but it may not be suitable for the very young.  The ice show was the best we have seen and the other night's entertainment was top notch. 

I must say that our cruise director, Jeff Arpin, was one of the best we have encountered.  He didn't come across as a used car salesman!  He was very approachable and real.  Hope to see him again. 

The captain and hotel director were also good sports and approachable.  When the water slides officially opened, they were the first two down the slides. 

We had never had to use the ship's medical facility but did this time.  My husband hurt his knee in one of the games and could hardly walk.  The ship's doctor was attentive and his staff was professional.  The charges were about what we would pay in the US.  My husband was much better the next day, thank you. 

Guest services was very nice to us in that we were in Jamaica for Ash Wednesday and they were able to help us find a church to attend when in port.  They even let us call the church from the desk to find out mass times.

There are only two things that concerned me.  First, some of the tv programming is definitely not suitable for youngsters.  I know many parents book an adjoining cabin for their kids and if they are channel surfing at night, they can get an earful and eyeful.  Perhaps parents can block these cabins for certain channels?  I hope so. The second thing that bothered me was the use of my on board credit.  We had quite a bit, so we booked Sabor (Mexican restaurant) before we left home.  It was not taken off of my OBC but went against my credit card.  That did not make me happy.  The restaurant was a good experience.  I recommend the spicy specialty margarita with cinnamon around the rim.

Overall a great cruise.  RC is our cruise line of choice.  We are booked on the Oasis for September!  And we are now Emerald!