This is a pretty good cruise, and I would sail again if they can figure out how to bridge some of the gaps in the entertainment. We just had too many boring evenings waiting for things to do. I'm telling you we searched out cruise compass top to bottom to find entertainment and unless you wanted to blow money in the way to tight casino there weren't many options. There also aren't enough seats in the entertainment areas where they hold things. This ships was not at capacity when we cruised. I have to say I would hate to see it on an at capacity week - i bet it is very crowded. The service was great and so was the food/beverage.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Pretty smooth process - stayed in Galveston the night before so we arrived early and didn't wait long to check in.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
We ate in windjammer for breakfast and lunch and it was acceptable buffet food. Got the job done.
We ate in the main dining room for all of our dinners and we enjoyed our meals. I did have a few that were not home runs, but for the most part everything was good. The service was great in the MTD room which is on the 3rd floor. We purchased the Deluxe Beverage package and my husband and I both agree we will never sail without this again. It was great to get whatever we wanted to drink. We had specialty coffees and fresh squeezed orange juice every morning and a variety of alcoholic beverages every day. I truly enjoyed swiping my card knowing I had already purchased and paid for this packages at 20% off prior to cruising. I was skeptical but I highly recommend this option. The cocktails and frozen drinks are $12 and if you add the 18% gratuities they come out to roughly $14 a pop.. makes it worth it to be able to swipe and go.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
The pools were nice and the water was fresh and warm. We enjoyed relaxing in them. We tried to use the slides and other activities but they were often closed which we found annoying. The put put course was fun.
Entertainment
2 out of 5
The entertainment staff is kind of a joke on this ship. The cruise director is ok, but his staff is not great. The karaoke machine was broken most of our cruise so that left a lot of dead nights. The comedians brought in were the highlights. The scheduled shows were kind of boring, and too spaced out. We were often bored and looking for things to do on this ship. We had early dining at 5:30 and after dinner we couldn't find much to do between dinner ending and the 8:30 or later shows. No where to watch sports that you feel welcome. The bars on promenade don't have entertainment. The space in On Air is not large enough to accommodate the activities they host in there.
Children's Programs
5 out of 5
My 14 year old was highly entertained and we mostly saw her for dinner as she had plenty of activities to participate in. The ship has an enforced 1 a.m. curfew for guests under 17 which is nice. I thought this was a great program for her.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Our waitstaff and room steward were wonderful and treated us great. We didn't have a need that wasn't met. The bar staff was fast and the drinks were great and there were plenty of waiters around the pool to provide service.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Although the ship was recently remodeled it still has some areas that look like they need updated or remodeled. It has odd decor, but overall its a pretty ship. It is very clean, but there are areas that need to be updated like I said.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Our cabin was clean, comfortable, quiet, and the size was fine for two of us. We had a connecting cabin to our daughter and it was prefect to keep tabs on her.
Ship tip
The Schooner's bar has some different drinks and I really enjoyed the Tropical Old Fashioned. I highly recommend trying it.
Not much in walkable distance at this port. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Beach front, it was a little pricey, but the complimentary shuttle was very nice and efficient. We would use this service again.
This is a tiny, tiny port that is basically a few t-shirt and souvenir shops. If you want do something here book an excursion. We literally spent maybe 45 min walking around and got right back on the ship and enjoyed the less crowded pool.
We did not do an excursion, but walked around the port which is designed to host the cruise ship. We encountered very friendly people in every shop we visited and enjoyed this port. I recommend walking around the outskirts of the main shopping area and finding the Tequila tour, there will be a guy passing out Margarita tastes. Its a cute tour and they let you taste three tequilas at the end, once you complete it your at their bar and their prices are much cheaper than what we saw around the pool. We enjoyed several margaritas, beer, and chips with pico and guac for a reasonable price and great service. Not many people stumbled upon this tour, and it was a shame. We only tipped the tour provider, no cost associated with it. This is a small port if you want beach access or a less tourist feel you should book an excursion. I enjoyed this port very much as everyone was so nice and not pushy.
We booked our own excursion to Mr. Sanchos, and took a $20 taxi ride to and back. This excursion was an all inclusive beach break and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves there. The drinks were a little watery, but the food was so so good. We will definitely book this excursion again. We also had massages on the beach here and enjoyed them very much. The shopping right off the ship is good for souvenirs and we purchased shirts, socks, and bed sheets from our favorites Cariloha.
This process could be improved. We did self carry and on other ships it is the fastest option. On this boat we had lines and still had to wait in a dining room. I'm not sure why Liberty of the Seas does this, but when we Self Carried off Oasis it was a straight shot off the boat. We missed our transfer because of this long waiting process. I would not recommend Self Carry - its the normal process but your stuck carrying your own bag.
I don't have the cruise compass handy sorry. We didn't bring those home. We had several comedians and they were the better end of the entertainment on the ship. I'm sorry I don't recall their names off hand.
do you have a cruise compass that you could post a picture of?
Also, do you know who the comedian was on your cruise?
We are going in dec and were on liberty of the seas last dec. Hoping it will be a different guy... thanks!!! :)
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