BugsyCruiser

Once again just wanted to thank Steve for the invaluable information he has posted here especially steering me clear of Bubba Gump Shrimp Company and instead having dinner at Ocean Grille and Beach Bar. Definitely a local place that should not be missed for dinner!

Once again just wanted to thank Steve for the invaluable information he has posted here especially steering me clear of Bubba Gump Shrimp Company and instead having dinner at Ocean Grille and Beach Bar. Definitely a local place that should not be missed for dinner!

Here is something important for anyone considering a European cruise to remember:
 
Often a European cruise you may be considering may have a port or a city you are unfamiliar with. Or in the case of a stop in Montenegro, an entire country you never knew even existed. There is a reason why Royal stops at these places and that's because those ports and cities are unique, wonderful, and bonafide "Awesome".  The same goes for the arrival or departure times from certain ports. Venice and Malta are always on top of the list of a well traveled cruiser's "Most Beautiful Ports in the World" and that's because they are stunning when you arrive at noon and they get better when you depart at 9 pm at night!
 
I have to tip my RCL helmet to Royal Caribbean for making these choices; they do a great job year after year. I've NEVER heard a complaint that the itinerary of a European cruise didn't meet someones expectations while I've been onboard or back home online. That includes reading posts to the Crown and Anchor Facebook group and there is nothing those people won't bitch about.
 
So Dutchmanoftheseas, if your Norwegian ports of call are giving you pause because they are unfamiliar and are seemingly just words that have too many vowels; have faith that each of those ports is incredible and worthy of traveling half way around the world to see.

I would say you can't go wrong either way. Norway for the incredible scenery and Serenade has had some nice upgrades. Caribbean on Harmony would be fantasticas well... the newest and biggest ship with all the new bells and whistles. You will not be disappointed with either choice IMHO

I almost always stick to slots. I do not play the max but play in the middle.... in other words if the minimum is 30 credits say on a 30 line slot machine and the max is 180, I'll play 90. I never play on anything higher than a 25 cent machine.
 
I have never hit the big one but this last cruise aboard Liberty I came out 350 dollars ahead.

Review of Dining aboard Liberty:
 
Truth be told I was a little concerned due to the fact that Liberty has nowhere near the options for dining as Oasis and Quantum Class do. I was not disappointed. Once again the specialty venues excelled and I am kicking myself for not buying the dining package considering that I ate at Sabor four times alone. Giovannis and Chops were excellent, superior quality and very professional service. I even ate once at the Windjammer while we were anchored in Belize, which says a lot as I am typically not a buffet person. Only thing is and maybe Matt or someone else can answer this: where was the Izumi Express? I could never find it on Liberty.
 
Sabor is in a class by itself. I can see why Matt and so many others love this place. I like the flat cover charge version better than the ala carte version on Oasis class. Service was excellent, Red Snapper is to die for! And of course the guac, which was freshly prepared tableside each time it was ordered. Kudos to the staff for being able to accommodate extra people one day for lunch when my original reservation for 3 grew to 7 at the last minute. Best drink? The cucumber jalapeno martini hands down!
 
I did not visit the main dining room on this cruise and that was by choice. I find myself going there less and less on each cruise.
 
Next up: pool deck and waterslides! Yes I did them and it was fun

Balcony cabin review: 7710, E1 aft balcony
 
I can see why aft balconies are addicting! Loved the wake views from my balcony. Cabin was nice sized and the walk did not bother me. I hardly saw my cabin steward but when I did he was friendly and did his job well. Word of caution, I would avoid booking the aft balconies on deck 6.... the views are not good and worse, people in the balconies above can look right down into those balconies. If you value privacy, do not book this location.
 
Next up, dining review including my new addiction, SABOR ;)

I find that it makes the topic more enjoyable and interactive by doing it this way than trying to cram it all in one post. A looooong post will make me lose interest in a hurry

First impressions boarding the ship:
 
Royal Promenade is beautiful on Freedom Class. Not as wide as Oasis Class but still very classy looking.
Crew seemed genuinely happy and were very welcoming to cruisers boarding.
Not as many options open for lunch on embarkation day but Sorrento's was fine for me. I tend to avoid the Windjammer as I am not a big buffet person and also on embarkation day everyone seems to head there for lunch.
Cabins were ready at 1 pm and luggage had already arrived at a lot of the cabins(good job by the porters).
Alcohol options are limited due to Texas alcohol regulations. You can still get mixed drinks but it won't be with a lot of the premium liquors till the ship is 12 miles out from port. While in Texas they must use alcohol bottled in the state or with a TX alcohol board stamp of approval on it. This didn't bother me at all but it may bother some who prefer liquors such as Grey Goose, Hendricks, etc
Pool area is beautiful. The Solarium location threw me off as it is open and not at the very front of the ship. Chalk that up to being used to the one on Oasis Class and Quantum.
 
Next up, my first ever aft balcony. Let's just say it won't be my last... :)

First up thoughts on Galveston and cruising from there:
 
Galveston is a great city to spend a few days in. Many thanks to Galveston Steve for his informative All Things Galveston thread. It is was because of this thread that I changed the pre cruise dinner location from Bubba Gump Shrimp Company to the Ocean Grille and Beach Bar. The restaurant was great and dining outdoors by the Gulf was a plus. My pre cruise hotel was the Doubletree, also right across from the Gulf with fantastic views from the balconies.
 
I also had the honor of meeting Steve and his wife along with another Facebook friend Friday night for dinner and drinks right at the Hotel's pool bar and grill, Longboard. Steve and his wife are class acts and wonderful people.
 
The Galveston Pleasure Pier was nice to see for the first time ever but it definitely is overrated. Next time I am there I will head for The Strand Downtown. One thing for certain is there is definitely a very friendly vibe in Galveston.
 
Cruising from the port can be a real pain. I do not fault Royal Caribbean for this but I will fault the Port of Galveston. Security was a nightmare. When they let people start going through the scanners before heading up to check in, they closed off 4 lanes and pushed everyone into 2. It was chaos. At 3:30 pm people were still boarding the ship. It also didn't help that at check in they could not take your picture due to their camera system being down but RCL handled that rather well.
 
Coming back today was a madhouse with Liberty and Carnival Breeze both in port plus the annual bike week in Galveston taking place. The Port definitely needs more porters, but at least there seemed to be plenty of customs agents. I think the port employees seem hard pressed to handle two big ships at one time. Again, this is just my opinion.

I am not good with absolutes and superlatives.  When people ask me my favorite cruise, my favorite ship, my favorite color...I never know the answer.  That in mind, Norway is my favorite destination.  
 
There are some similarities to Alaska, but while the destinations in AK are beautiful, and there is much to see in terms of culture and wonderful people (we're planning on going back soon) - Norway stands out even more.  The fjord towns in Norway look like things you've only ever seen in movies or in Epcot.  The construction of buildings is unique, with a quaint feel, while meshing amazingly well with the technologically advanced city that shows itself just blocks in from the water.  People are among the most pleasant you can imagine, and most destinations are very 'trouble-free' with lots to do and see very close to the port.  Similar to Alaska, you can enjoy great views for hours as you sail through the fjords, though Norway seems to have a near monopoly on water falls.
 
As you can tell, I'm all in on Norway.  Bergen is probably the city that stands out most for me, but I'm not sure there are any losers to be had.  I don't know you, so I generally refrain from saying, "you'll love X" or "you'll hate Y", but I think a 12 night Scandanavian sailing would be pretty swell by the standards of many.
 
Now - all of that in mind, the Caribbean is obviously a totally different ball game, and the Harmony is a totally different ship.  This is amplified all the more by the contrast to the Netherlands, so I can appreciate the desire to branch out in that way - something I'm bias toward living in the Caribbean.  So, we can load the points on that side, and then the cruise nut in me says, "Go for the longer sailing!"
 
Whatever you chose it seems you have little chance of being disappointed.

Hello everyone!
 
I'm thinking about making a cruise with my partner in 2017. We'll be together for 5 years that year.
I've been looking through some itineraries and different ships to see what I'd like to do.
 
Basically two options have come to the top of my list.
 
The Harmony of the Seas, sailing 8 days in the Caribbean. And the other one is the Serenade of the Seas sailing 12 days in Scandinavia.
My first and only cruise to date has been on the Serenade in Alaska rougly 12,5 years ago, so I know that this is an awesome ship.
But, months ago we've seen the Harmony docked in Rotterdam and it really looked amazing as well. And we've never been to the caribbean, so that's something I'd really like as well.
 
My question is, which cruise would you recommend? And has any of you ever been on a cruise to Norway and the North Cape?

It should be a fun and exciting day at Port Canaveral on Sunday 11/13. the Port Authority is holding  a special celebration at Jetty Park  from 3pm -6pm. I'll be there. I hope to see some of you crazy blog people there too!  :)

Hello everyone!
 
I am currently 40 minutes from landing at Chicago Midway so I thought I would start my review of my Liberty cruise! I will break this down into sections as to not try and cram everything in one post, and I will even include my thoughts on being Galveston and sailing from there for the first time ever.
 
Overall I enjoyed Liberty very much. There are a few minor complaints that I will get to but they didn't even come close to impacting my enjoyment of the cruise. The voom issue is a very sore subject with me.... more on that later.
 
And before anyone asks, I ate at Sabor four times. That pretty much says it all, but I will include a full review of the restaurant :)
 
I will try to start up the first part of the review later this evening or tomorrow for sure. The first part will be Galveston and sailing from there.
 
Stay tuned.... :D

Final thoughts:
 
Loved my first ever cruise on Freedom Class, definitely won't be my last. I am also excited to try out my first Radiance Class(Serenade) cruise next November. The voom issue needs to be addressed on Liberty as I find it inexcusable to market it and sell it as voom and then discover the service on this ship is worst than dial up. 
Would I sail Liberty again? More than likely yes. 
 
Hope everyone enjoyed this little review/ Any questions feel free to ask and I will try to answer.
 
Thanks everyone! :)

Pool deck and waterslides:
 
This area was great on Liberty. I found them to be not crowded at all most times during the cruise. The solarium is beautiful although I went right by it on embarkation day not realizing it was an open area. Chalk that up to being used to the one on Oasis and Quantum class. Bar service was exceptional, especially at the Solarium Bar. The pool in the Solarium was almost a perfect temperature.... not the "ice cube" effect that you feel at some pools when you first step in.
 
Watersldies were fun! The green one was definitely the faster of the two, maybe just a bit too fast! I did not try the tidal wave.... just seeing it made feel a little intimidated trying it. Staff in this area were very sociable and helpful.
 
Next up: Bars and entertainment 

First up thoughts on Galveston and cruising from there:
 
Galveston is a great city to spend a few days in. Many thanks to Galveston Steve for his informative All Things Galveston thread. It is was because of this thread that I changed the pre cruise dinner location from Bubba Gump Shrimp Company to the Ocean Grille and Beach Bar. The restaurant was great and dining outdoors by the Gulf was a plus. My pre cruise hotel was the Doubletree, also right across from the Gulf with fantastic views from the balconies.
 
I also had the honor of meeting Steve and his wife along with another Facebook friend Friday night for dinner and drinks right at the Hotel's pool bar and grill, Longboard. Steve and his wife are class acts and wonderful people.
 
The Galveston Pleasure Pier was nice to see for the first time ever but it definitely is overrated. Next time I am there I will head for The Strand Downtown. One thing for certain is there is definitely a very friendly vibe in Galveston.
 
Cruising from the port can be a real pain. I do not fault Royal Caribbean for this but I will fault the Port of Galveston. Security was a nightmare. When they let people start going through the scanners before heading up to check in, they closed off 4 lanes and pushed everyone into 2. It was chaos. At 3:30 pm people were still boarding the ship. It also didn't help that at check in they could not take your picture due to their camera system being down but RCL handled that rather well.
 
Coming back today was a madhouse with Liberty and Carnival Breeze both in port plus the annual bike week in Galveston taking place. The Port definitely needs more porters, but at least there seemed to be plenty of customs agents. I think the port employees seem hard pressed to handle two big ships at one time. Again, this is just my opinion.

Hello everyone!
 
I am currently 40 minutes from landing at Chicago Midway so I thought I would start my review of my Liberty cruise! I will break this down into sections as to not try and cram everything in one post, and I will even include my thoughts on being Galveston and sailing from there for the first time ever.
 
Overall I enjoyed Liberty very much. There are a few minor complaints that I will get to but they didn't even come close to impacting my enjoyment of the cruise. The voom issue is a very sore subject with me.... more on that later.
 
And before anyone asks, I ate at Sabor four times. That pretty much says it all, but I will include a full review of the restaurant :)
 
I will try to start up the first part of the review later this evening or tomorrow for sure. The first part will be Galveston and sailing from there.
 
Stay tuned.... :D

First impressions boarding the ship:
 
Royal Promenade is beautiful on Freedom Class. Not as wide as Oasis Class but still very classy looking.
Crew seemed genuinely happy and were very welcoming to cruisers boarding.
Not as many options open for lunch on embarkation day but Sorrento's was fine for me. I tend to avoid the Windjammer as I am not a big buffet person and also on embarkation day everyone seems to head there for lunch.
Cabins were ready at 1 pm and luggage had already arrived at a lot of the cabins(good job by the porters).
Alcohol options are limited due to Texas alcohol regulations. You can still get mixed drinks but it won't be with a lot of the premium liquors till the ship is 12 miles out from port. While in Texas they must use alcohol bottled in the state or with a TX alcohol board stamp of approval on it. This didn't bother me at all but it may bother some who prefer liquors such as Grey Goose, Hendricks, etc
Pool area is beautiful. The Solarium location threw me off as it is open and not at the very front of the ship. Chalk that up to being used to the one on Oasis Class and Quantum.
 
Next up, my first ever aft balcony. Let's just say it won't be my last... :)

First up thoughts on Galveston and cruising from there:
 
Galveston is a great city to spend a few days in. Many thanks to Galveston Steve for his informative All Things Galveston thread. It is was because of this thread that I changed the pre cruise dinner location from Bubba Gump Shrimp Company to the Ocean Grille and Beach Bar. The restaurant was great and dining outdoors by the Gulf was a plus. My pre cruise hotel was the Doubletree, also right across from the Gulf with fantastic views from the balconies.
 
I also had the honor of meeting Steve and his wife along with another Facebook friend Friday night for dinner and drinks right at the Hotel's pool bar and grill, Longboard. Steve and his wife are class acts and wonderful people.
 
The Galveston Pleasure Pier was nice to see for the first time ever but it definitely is overrated. Next time I am there I will head for The Strand Downtown. One thing for certain is there is definitely a very friendly vibe in Galveston.
 
Cruising from the port can be a real pain. I do not fault Royal Caribbean for this but I will fault the Port of Galveston. Security was a nightmare. When they let people start going through the scanners before heading up to check in, they closed off 4 lanes and pushed everyone into 2. It was chaos. At 3:30 pm people were still boarding the ship. It also didn't help that at check in they could not take your picture due to their camera system being down but RCL handled that rather well.
 
Coming back today was a madhouse with Liberty and Carnival Breeze both in port plus the annual bike week in Galveston taking place. The Port definitely needs more porters, but at least there seemed to be plenty of customs agents. I think the port employees seem hard pressed to handle two big ships at one time. Again, this is just my opinion.

First up thoughts on Galveston and cruising from there:
 
Galveston is a great city to spend a few days in. Many thanks to Galveston Steve for his informative All Things Galveston thread. It is was because of this thread that I changed the pre cruise dinner location from Bubba Gump Shrimp Company to the Ocean Grille and Beach Bar. The restaurant was great and dining outdoors by the Gulf was a plus. My pre cruise hotel was the Doubletree, also right across from the Gulf with fantastic views from the balconies.
 
I also had the honor of meeting Steve and his wife along with another Facebook friend Friday night for dinner and drinks right at the Hotel's pool bar and grill, Longboard. Steve and his wife are class acts and wonderful people.
 
The Galveston Pleasure Pier was nice to see for the first time ever but it definitely is overrated. Next time I am there I will head for The Strand Downtown. One thing for certain is there is definitely a very friendly vibe in Galveston.
 
Cruising from the port can be a real pain. I do not fault Royal Caribbean for this but I will fault the Port of Galveston. Security was a nightmare. When they let people start going through the scanners before heading up to check in, they closed off 4 lanes and pushed everyone into 2. It was chaos. At 3:30 pm people were still boarding the ship. It also didn't help that at check in they could not take your picture due to their camera system being down but RCL handled that rather well.
 
Coming back today was a madhouse with Liberty and Carnival Breeze both in port plus the annual bike week in Galveston taking place. The Port definitely needs more porters, but at least there seemed to be plenty of customs agents. I think the port employees seem hard pressed to handle two big ships at one time. Again, this is just my opinion.

Hello everyone!
 
I am currently 40 minutes from landing at Chicago Midway so I thought I would start my review of my Liberty cruise! I will break this down into sections as to not try and cram everything in one post, and I will even include my thoughts on being Galveston and sailing from there for the first time ever.
 
Overall I enjoyed Liberty very much. There are a few minor complaints that I will get to but they didn't even come close to impacting my enjoyment of the cruise. The voom issue is a very sore subject with me.... more on that later.
 
And before anyone asks, I ate at Sabor four times. That pretty much says it all, but I will include a full review of the restaurant :)
 
I will try to start up the first part of the review later this evening or tomorrow for sure. The first part will be Galveston and sailing from there.
 
Stay tuned.... :D

Hello everyone!
 
I am currently 40 minutes from landing at Chicago Midway so I thought I would start my review of my Liberty cruise! I will break this down into sections as to not try and cram everything in one post, and I will even include my thoughts on being Galveston and sailing from there for the first time ever.
 
Overall I enjoyed Liberty very much. There are a few minor complaints that I will get to but they didn't even come close to impacting my enjoyment of the cruise. The voom issue is a very sore subject with me.... more on that later.
 
And before anyone asks, I ate at Sabor four times. That pretty much says it all, but I will include a full review of the restaurant :)
 
I will try to start up the first part of the review later this evening or tomorrow for sure. The first part will be Galveston and sailing from there.
 
Stay tuned.... :D

And that means something on a ship where dining there is not al la carte.

"And before anyone asks, I ate at Sabor four times. That pretty much says it all, but I will include a full review of the restaurant :)"
 
 
Only four??