cruise-y

I've just booked a cruise out of Southampton to Gibraltar, Cartagena, Mallorca, Barcelona, Nice, Corsica, Malaga and Seville. I never thought I'd be back to RC this soon, but the itinerary was too hard to beat since we will be in London anyway. Can anyone suggest the best day trips? Obviously Alhambra is one. Thanks much!

JLMoran I'm a little late to this thread but want to thank you for a fabulous post. Very well done! I loved the photos and descriptions and it makes me think again about possibly doing the chef's table.

I've cruised RC a lot in the past but only because it was really (and I mean really) convenient to drive to Galveston instead of flying all around and dealing with airports, oversold seats, packed planes, delays, etc. After 18 months away, I'm wondering.... have any of the Liberty itineraries changed? I'm getting tired of the same old venues and the food has consistently declined every time I've sailed. I was very disappointed in the quality of shore excursions and the MDR last time out. If RC wants me back, I'll need something new. I know everyone here is an RC fan, so sorry to be a party poop, but I'm just being honest. Hoping for good news. Thanks friends.

The big mistake was heading to Galveston. There was no hope of being able to dock. Nobody was predicting that storm would peter out or move on. If they had headed to Miami from Cozumel, they'd be there now and those with work and family commitments could be on their way (and off of Royal's food). I'm curious about the food situation. They were not able to restock in Galveston because the port was closed. If I were on board I'd be ok if the buffet remained good. Just lay by the pool and chill - no other option. But if food and booze runs out it could get ugly.

There are still cruise lines that are all inclusive. Oceania (charges for alcohol only) and Crystal come to mind. That includes bottled water, ice cream, soft drinks and juices all day. Yes, they cost a bit more but I appreciated not having to pay an extra $30+ every night just to get a high-quality meal. I was disappointed enough in the LIberty MDR that I probably won't be sailing with them again any time soon unless they add some new and interesting ports (not just private beaches) to the itinerary out of Galveston. There are plenty of cruise lines that go the cheap-o route to attract that crowd. People who are happy to eat hot dogs and burgers from a buffet so they can cruise for 3 days for $299. I hate to see RCCL head that way.

I'm sure I don't know everything that's going on, but when RCCL said they would wait outside of Galveston and hope to pull into port by noon on Sunday, delaying the next cruise by one day, I was confused. We in Texas have known since very early Saturday, when the hurricane hit, that it was going to move slowly and mostly just "sit" where it was - dumping 30 inches of rain in a 250-mile area for days. There was no way the ship could have hoped to pull into port on Sunday. The surrounding areas are all flooded. The airport has been closed since last night (Saturday). And they just left for Miami around noon today?

Actually, most of the tables in the MTD areas of the main dining room are for 2. There are also large tables for big family groups. You can always get a table for 2 when you do MTD.

We just got off Liberty a few weeks ago. People who put their luggage out the night before left before anyone else, which I think began around 7 or 7:30. The walk-off times (which were provided to us the day before) were based on your floor. The top floors went first. The time slot for floors 9 through 12 was 8:30 to 8:50. Then it went in 20 minute increments after that for groups of other floors. It didn't take any time to walk off, you just got in a long line and it went fast. I don't know if you could leave at other times that weren't assigned to you or not, because we just followed our instructions. But maybe.

Yes I compained in the post cruise survey but never heard back of course. Thanks for noting that. I didn't complain on the ship, because I had seen so many people in line at the service desk griping about petty things and I just didn't want to add to that. I was on vacation and just wanted to relax and not dwell on it. Thank you Doc!

I thought hard about this before posting and then decided it would be better if I did. There are a lot of things that RCCL does right (at the top of the list is the roomy JS cabin with the huge walk-in closet and the big balcony). But they really need to work on their shore excursions. I'm talking about the western Caribbean. First, the shore excursion description needs to match what you are actually doing. It can't be that hard to get right - it's just editing. I choose my excursions (and pre-pay for them) based on the description. I totally understand island sensibilities and a laid-back atmosphere. Sometimes things don't go smoothly or as planned. That is ok and I get that. I've spent many months in the Caribe and love the people and places. What I don't get is when the RCCL description says you are going to get a leisurely, indigenous buffet lunch in a shady tree-top cafe with great views of the mountains - but you end up with a Styrofoam box on an outdoor picnic table next to a parking lot with a tiny piece of chicken, beans and a cup of warm fruit punch. I also don't like when the description says the excursion starts at 12 but your ticket actually says 10:45. That's a pretty big difference. The description should include the tender time. Another complaint is overcrowding. On one excursion, we sat on a pull-down bench in the very back of the bus, straddling backpacks, with no way to see out, because it was so overcrowded. The boat to the event was also way overcrowded - there weren't enough seats and at least a third of the people had to stand up in the sun for the 45-minute trip there and back. No water or refreshments were offered during the 5 hour excursion, which also included no breaks for us to even buy a beverage or food. When we returned to the port, there was another hour wait in the sun in a long line to board the tender. So nobody got lunch (or even water) that day and everyone's experience was bad. That can't be good PR for RCCL. And finally, safety. On another excursion we took a bus to some minor falls. The hike up was around a half hour. The guide told us to leave all of our belongings on the bus, because we could only wear a swimming suit to climb up. She said she'd stay with the bus and meet us at the top. There were no lockers. At the top, the guide got off the bus to greet us. We walked the few feet up to the parking lot and the bus had disappeared. With our towels, our wallets, our phones, our sea passes, passports, clothes, cover-ups, shoes, etc. The guide looked shocked as the bus had just dropped her off 5 minutes before. We wandered around dripping wet for at least half an hour, totally exposed and worried about our stuff. Nobody knew where the bus was or when he'd be back. Someone finally placated us by saying the bus driver had an emergency and had to leave. What? How could an emergency mean driving off with all our belongings just 5 minutes after arriving? It was all very strange and disconcerting. Was this RCCL's fault? Maybe not, but it doesn't sound like this tour was very well vetted. I've cruised a lot and the itinerary is important in my choice of cruise lines. Having 3 bad excursions in a row with RCCL doesn't bode well. Just saying.....

I just got off Liberty so I'll throw my 2 cents in on this subject, if anyone cares. We sailed on Navigator 2 years ago and thought MDR was great with lots of variety and innovative choices. This trip, we were still pretty pleased with the variety but definitely thought the quality (and presentation) had gone down quite a bit, which was disappointing. 2 years ago, there were so many fun things to choose we often shared multiple entrees just to try everything. This time, we had trouble selecting because many things just did not seem appealing. One night, I even sent back the crepes because they were overcooked and dried out - they tasted like hard, tasteless cardboard. Overall, I think the starters and desserts are still pretty fun and different, but the main dishes are lacking. We do think the Windjammer has a great buffet, although we never eat there at dinner, only breakfast and lunch. There is so much variety. Indian, Asian, Mexican, British, and traditional American with many different options in each category. One day there was chicken tikka masala, paneer, pakora, dosa, raita and a vegetable curry! My only complaint is that I would like to see more exotic fruits and juices and not just the usual stuff. For the first time we ate at a specialty restaurant (Giovanni's twice) and were very pleased. The atmosphere is nicer, relaxed and more upscale. The setting is much more intimate with just a few diners instead of thousands. The waitstaff is better. We had a great panoramic view of the ocean from our table. The food was very good. For example, the beef carpaccio was one of the best I've ever had and literally melted in my mouth with a wonderful pesto sauce (while the beef carpaccio in the MDR was tough and stringy, served with simply shredded lettuce). The carbonara and osso bucco were also outstanding - as good as any high quality restaurant in a large city. It was a nice change. However, the menu is limited and I hate to see the MDR go downhill so that RCCL can charge extra for specialty dining. And I agree the desserts were not stellar. 2 years ago, we ate at the same time every night in the MDR so had the same waitstaff. They bent over backwards to be accommodating and friendly, because they knew we'd leave an additional tip at the end. This time, we ate at different times so had different waitstaffs. Everyone was efficient and nobody was rude, but the difference was huge. Obviously because they knew that lack of loyalty meant no big additional tip at the end. And finally, this observation on a much-over-discussed topic. Dress. I'm all for being casual and not forcing people to dress up if they don't want to. Nice shorts with a collared shirt are ok. Nobody needs to be formal. But unless you are dining in the Windjammer, you need to be clean and neat. I saw cut-off jeans, t-shirts and flip-flops in Giovanni's. In the MDR, people came in straight from the pool area with dirty sweaty tank tops, sweaty hair and flip-flops. Even on formal nights. Again, I don't need to see tuxes and chiffon (unless you want to wear it) but please have some decorum. Perhaps that is why the MDR quality is going downhill.

As Waaaytooo explained, the main dining room is all one big room, with different deck levels. The different deck levels have different names (but the same menu). The deck levels that are set aside for My Time Dining have more 2-top tables and tables for really large groups (like extended families all traveling together). The deck levels for traditional dining (where you attend either the early or late seating) have more tables for 6 or 8. Usually the lower levels are the largest ones. It used to be the larger (lower) deck levels were for traditional dining, but as time goes on more and more people want MTD, so the larger (lower) deck levels are now switching to MTD.

Just got off Liberty and the Junior Suites all have 2 loungers and 2 regular chairs and a table, as Tiny said. This is exactly the same setup on Navigator as well. The balconies are very nice and large, but I actually would have preferred one less lounger to make a little more leg room. The loungers lay flat. They aren't super comfy. You can see in Tiny's photo

Just boarded Liberty and I can report there is nothing in the fridge and no bottles of water on the vanity. So it looks like this practice has been stopped. The 12-pack of Evian I pre-ordered and paid for is here.

Just boarded Liberty and I'm pleased to report that the original, diverse and innovative MDR menu is still being used. Yay! Lots of different things to try and many with a Caribbean theme. I'm happy. Hope it stays.

I hate to be a party poop, but the new menus I have seen have LESS options than the old ones and the options are more traditional and less innovative. I've seen this same comment on other boards. RCCL is appealing to the masses that want shrimp cocktail, Caesar salad and steak. I guess I'm in the minority, because that is not what I want.

Your daughter does sound like a real foodie. What a great thing for a person her age! You should definitely take her to Chef's Table, even if you have to eat the cost for the wine she doesn't drink. She deserves it.

Thanks Skid. I want to see this practice stopped. Since I am sailing 1 day after the mandated stop, I will be curious to see if it actually happens. I hate to be jaded, but somehow I doubt they can institute this mandate that fast, especially after they promised it July 1 and it didn't happen. I'll let you know what I discover. I think the room stewards remove the water when cleaning, then the fridge/bar checkers come in and find them missing so they bill. It's a process that doesn't work, obviously.

Hey all, I can't remember the hanger situation in a JS. Are there enough hangers in there or do I need to bring extra? Yes, a lot of time we're in bathing suits and shorts - but all shirts, sports coats, sundresses and slacks need hangers. 10 hangers won't cut it for two people on a 7-day cruise.

I'm sailing on July 16. If they really stopped this practice on July 1, I'll be thrilled. That means I can fit all my pre-paid water in the fridge (without having to take out the stale candy bars and airline-size vodka bottles) and I also won't get charged for additional water left on my counter. I'll let you all know if it really got stopped. Now if they'd only package individual water bottles instead of those damned giant liter sizes all would be perfect. I can't even lift those to my lips with one hand.

I hope they do stop leaving anything in the fridge or on the counter. I always order a big package of bottled Evian (it is the only bottled water you can pre-order). They leave the package in our JS closet before we arrive. We drink a lot of water, take it on excursions, take it to the pool and have it on our nightstands. I really wish they were regular individual water bottles instead of those giant quart bottles - because those big ones are so hard to carry around and are heavy in a backpack. You never can drink it all and it ends up getting warm. It's just dumb to make you buy that giant size. I also wish the fridge was more than just barely cool so the water could be cold, and we have to take stuff out of the fridge to fit it in. However, with all that said, there are always 2 additional bottles left on our counter that we never use because we have to pay extra for them. Nonetheless, because we have empties from the pre-paid package in the trash, we inevitably get charged for those 2 extras. I guess the cabin steward just gets confused. I always have to call to fix it and it's really annoying, because they do act like it's a "courtesy" rather than a correction. I think RCCL just assumes most people won't bother with 2 incorrect charges for $4.75 each or whatever it is.

Just a word of caution about Hertz in St. Maartin. About 9 years ago we rented a car there (when we were staying on the island, not cruising). It was an SUV with one of those combination locks. Obviously the combination was given out to everyone on the island because the car was "unlocked" using the code while we were on a 10 minute hike to a scenic spot. We had a lot of things stolen that were locked in the trunk (iPod, phone, food, cokes, etc.) Also, the gas tank read "3/4 full" when it was really totally full, because we filled it to overflowing when we turned it in, right there at the Hertz gas station at the terminal. We noted that when we turned it in, but they still charged us for an extra 1/4 tank (at overpriced rates) when we got our bill. I contacted Hertz headquarters about it all and they couldn't have cared less. Not a pleasant memory. Maybe things have improved in the last 9 years.

Liberty actually has 6 sections on the tags: front, middle and back on both sides. That's why I was curious why my obviously middle section was instead coded at the front. I'm surprised some of them only have 4.

Hey this is really no big deal, but I'm curious. For an upcoming cruise, I have a JS that is definitely in the middle of the ship on deck 10. However, the ID section that is colored in on my luggage tag is at the front of the ship. I know the baggage handlers use that colored-in ID section to stage the luggage for easier distribution. Obviously getting it from the front to the middle isn't going to be a big issue, but I was wondering if this is an error or if it will delay my luggage arrival. Also, do the colors and letters in that ID section mean something? Mine is pink with the letter D. Thanks!

Actually that 4 port stop sounds nice, with a good variety for all different interests. Although I've been many places in Jamaica I've never been to Falmouth. Sorry to hear there's been trouble there.