From Canada…to Canada: Discovering Liberty, Eh? – LB 08/24/23 – 09/02/23

[asquared17]

i love the suite lounge on those ships, great views and there’s that balcony out the back

[OCSC Mike]

7 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

I get it though, if I booked a cruise to Bermuda expecting hot weather and got Portland and Halifax (brrr…), and found out two days prior to sailing,  I would be a bit upset too. But on the flip side, Royal cannot control the weather, and you have to expect itinerary changes if you book during hurricane season.

For sure, this is a much bigger change than getting your eastern Caribbean switched to western.

[Lovetocruise2002]

Some final thoughts…Itinerary 

All 4 of us loved this itinerary!! Completely loved it! Not one single complaint other than we wished we had longer at certain locations. 

We all had different favourite ports this sailing for different reasons. My favourite was Boston, followed closely by Bar Harbor, Portland, Saint John, and then Halifax. My top “Wow! I am speechless” port was probably at the sea caves in St Martins. My favourite eating port was probably a toss up between Boston and Portland. 

Hubby really loved Bar Harbor. That was his favourite. And he and the girls really loved Peggy’s Cove. D17 is a city girl like me, so one of her favourites was also Boston. D15 being a nature girl, loved Cadillac Mountain, the sea caves, and yesterday at Peggy’s cove. 

I would 100% do this itinerary again. And I would 100% do it again on a non-Oasis/QN class ship. Reason being that because it is so port intensive, and you are literally out all day in port, the evenings you just want to chill. I would have not liked to have to dress up for dinner, and catch some show at the theatre, Aqua Theater, or whatever each evening.

This sailing just reaffirms our decision to do the Western Med on Voyager next year instead of Oasis. The small ships have less entertainment, but for port intensive itineraries, I like that. It takes away the pressure to have to do something, or feel like you are missing something. Most nights all 4 of us just had dinner and came back to the room to relax and process the day. It was different than our usual cruising routine, but perfect for the type of sailing that this was. 

[Lovetocruise2002]

6 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

For sure, this is a much bigger change than getting your eastern Caribbean switched to western.

Yeah, you should see the chatter on the Liberty FB group. I am leaving that group soon lol 

[Lovetocruise2002]

Some final thoughts…the ship

You can probably already tell from some of the previous posts, I feel like this ship is just mid. This sailing completes the Freedom class ships for me. Compared to Freedom and Indy, this ship needs the amp. It’s tired. Everywhere from the cabins, hallways, common areas, it needs an update. The crew are amazing, the are working day in and day out, you alway see people cleaning and doing maintenance but the ship aging and it shows. 

I would not say that we had a terrible time on this ship, but I also would have no desire to sail this ship again if it was a Caribbean or hot weather itinerary. I would be bored, and it does not have all the amenities that I have grown to love when cruising. I would do it again if it was a port intensive one, where I am not spending much time on the ship, then it would be perfectly fine. 

[teddy]

I've been able to catch up again.  Thank you!!!

[Lovetocruise2002]

Some final thoughts…the crew

Each and every crew member that we have come across on this sailing has been fantastic! Some are overworked, you can tell. But that is not their fault, that is corporate cost cutting that has lead to that. More than one crew member has told us that as a result of recent changes, it does not leave them as much time to interact with guests, etc. But they are all doing their best, it shows. 

Our dining room team has been wonderful. Our assistant waiter is also the WJ “washy washy” guy. He is so funny. Each evening, I look forward to his smile and conversations with him. That is probably one of the highlights of my MDR experience lol

The suite concierge on board this sailing, Lorena, is a gem. So kind and attentive, and efficient. She has taken care of everything that we asked her for. Each night in the lounge, she is barely at her desk. She is always up and chatting with guests. The Diamond concierge, Jayson, is the same. We did not get to interact with him as much but from what I have heard, he and Lorena are both fantastic. They alternate between the two lounges. One month each. That seems to be what most of the concierges are doing these days. 

[Lovetocruise2002]

Some final thoughts…the food 

Don’t have much left to say here. You already know. Nothing was terrible, but nothing was great either. That pretty much sums up MDR and WJ for me. Kids and Hubby enjoyed it. They said their tastes are less refined

If it was just Hubby and I, we probably would booked either the UDP or at least a 3 night to break it up a bit. But with 4 of us, that was just too much and not worth it. I spoke to another couple in Chops this morning and they are not MDR people. They had the UDP, and they confirmed what I already thought. That on this ship, there is not enough specialty to make that worthwhile for 9 nights. This ship only has Chops, Giovanni’s, and Sabor. 

[Lovetocruise2002]

Some final thoughts…VOOM

Wifi has been awesome this sailing. From every location that we have been. Aft, forward, mid, all great. I had no trouble at all uploading things for this blog. Kids were FaceTiming and streaming without issue as well. 

[Lovetocruise2002]

43 minutes ago, asquared17 said:

i love the suite lounge on those ships, great views and there’s that balcony out the back

Views definitely fantastic! Just wish they had the bar. 

[OCSC Mike]

4 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Kids and Hubby enjoyed it. They said their tastes are less refined

Definitely #teamhubbyandkids when it comes to food, lol.

I can appreciate the filets I've had in a specialty restaurant, CK, or the Beach Club, but I'm fine with whatever.

[Floski]

What is this "suite lounge" of which you speak?

 

Hahahaha  The only way I'll ever visit there is if I take a job as a waiter!!

[Xaa]

1 hour ago, OCSC Mike said:

Hopefully the people boarding tomorrow like it... b/c they booked Bermuda but are getting yours due to the hurricane (unless they decided to take the refund, of course).

I hope some stick with it and go with an open heart.  I think they'll come out impressed.  This looks like a gem of an itinerary.

Thanks @Lovetocruise2002.  I really appreciate the effort that goes into bringing us all along.

[Matt]

1 hour ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

I would 100% do this itinerary again. And I would 100% do it again on a non-Oasis/QN class ship.

How about October on serenade!

[Lovetocruise2002]

10 minutes ago, Matt said:

How about October on serenade!

Will you be funding me? The next few months are really bad for final payments coming up

[Lovetocruise2002]

A WJ post for @OCSC Mike

[OCSC Mike]

11 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

A WJ post for @OCSC Mike

And you didn't even taste it, did you? To be fair, that's a lot of icing, lol.

[Lovetocruise2002]

9 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

And you didn't even taste it, did you? To be fair, that's a lot of icing, lol.

Nope! Lol 

I prefer salty over sweet. Not a huge cake fan.

[Sweety]

1 hour ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Some final thoughts…the crew

Each and every crew member that we have come across on this sailing has been fantastic! Some are overworked, you can tell. But that is not their fault, that is corporate cost cutting that has lead to that. More than one crew member has told us that as a result of recent changes, it does not leave them as much time to interact with guests, etc. But they are all doing their best, it shows. 

Our dining room team has been wonderful. Our assistant waiter is also the WJ “washy washy” guy. He is so funny. Each evening, I look forward to his smile and conversations with him. That is probably one of the highlights of my MDR experience lol

The suite concierge on board this sailing, Lorena, is a gem. So kind and attentive, and efficient. She has taken care of everything that we asked her for. Each night in the lounge, she is barely at her desk. She is always up and chatting with guests. The Diamond concierge, Jayson, is the same. We did not get to interact with him as much but from what I have heard, he and Lorena are both fantastic. They alternate between the two lounges. One month each. That seems to be what most of the concierges are doing these days. 

Great insight!

[Lovetocruise2002]

37 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

And you didn't even taste it, did you? To be fair, that's a lot of icing, lol.

Just for you! 
 

[OCSC Mike]

1 minute ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Just for you! 

Awww… thanks. Those cakes are just a nice touch to see. I always have a piece, of course, gotta try everything, lol, but it’s just average cake.

This one from Alaska in 2018 was my favorite. Maybe not the most perfectly decorated icing mountains but I appreciated the effort & creativity.

 

 

[themillennialcruiser]

3 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Some final thoughts…Itinerary 

This sailing just reaffirms our decision to do the Western Med on Voyager next year instead of Oasis. The small ships have less entertainment, but for port intensive itineraries, I like that. It takes away the pressure to have to do something, or feel like you are missing something. Most nights all 4 of us just had dinner and came back to the room to relax and process the day. It was different than our usual cruising routine, but perfect for the type of sailing that this was. 

I would agree with you on the smaller ship 100% for the Med! It is nice to be on a ship and not have the FOMO feeling like you do on an oasis class ship at times. 
 

Also, if you can I would recommend a land trip to Maine to soak in all that the state has to offer! Southern Maine is our favorite particularly the Cliff House in Cape Neddick, Maine. They have rooms that overlook the cliffs and WOW! Its truly majestic and so so beautiful!

[Lovetocruise2002]

50 minutes ago, themillennialcruiser said:

Also, if you can I would recommend a land trip to Maine to soak in all that the state has to offer! Southern Maine is our favorite particularly the Cliff House in Cape Neddick, Maine. They have rooms that overlook the cliffs and WOW! Its truly majestic and so so beautiful!

Thanks! I will keep that in mind if we ever decide to do a road trip. 

[teddy]

3 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

This sailing just reaffirms our decision to do the Western Med on Voyager next year instead of Oasis

Our Italy cruise next month is on Explorer and with a port every day, we have the same thoughts as you about just coming back to the ship to relax.  We booked an aft balcony specifically for this reason.  We love Anthem, but I’d feel like I had to be out and about doing something when we got back rather than resting up for the next day. 

[Lovetocruise2002]

12 minutes ago, teddy said:

We booked an aft balcony specifically for this reason.

We have an aft cabin booked for voyager too next year. Will use the same strategy, MDR and WJ and plan to eat more meals in ports.

[SMOKEY0202]

How this cruise went by so fast with another great blog.

You survived the WJ and MD like a champ.  Could you do it again?

Think since you "roughed" the week in the MD and WJ with no food coma or even Effy in port, it's only a fair trade for hubby to get another cruise booked even a quick getaway short sailing.  Seems his credit card is in a dry spell on this sailing and needs that swipe of love....

[OCSC Mike]

9 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

MDR and WJ

But far more pics this time, right?

[PPPJJ-GCVAB]

4 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

For sure, this is a much bigger change than getting your eastern Caribbean switched to western.

I would imagine anyone who booked B2B and are now getting the same itinerary might be a little perturbed .  I would be!  But as noted…we cannot control the weather.

[SMOKEY0202]

As always safe travels back home with no issues

Hope you packed a supply of Ranger Cookies to go

We all can't wait for the next blog which can't be soon enough 

[Lovetocruise2002]

6 hours ago, Xaa said:

Thanks @Lovetocruise2002.  I really appreciate the effort that goes into bringing us all along.

Thank you, and everyone else for coming along! It is always the interaction that makes it more fun! 

3 hours ago, SMOKEY0202 said:

How this cruise went by so fast with another great blog.

You survived the WJ and MD like a champ.  Could you do it again?

Think since you "roughed" the week in the MD and WJ with no food coma or even Effy in port, it's only a fair trade for hubby to get another cruise booked even a quick getaway short sailing.  Seems his credit card is in a dry spell on this sailing and needs that swipe of love....

We can, and we will on Voyager next July! And rest assured, the credit card will definitely not be on a dry spell. In fact, it will be quite busy. We have final payments coming up for Odyssey, Icon inaugural (possibly ), and Oasis. 

3 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

But far more pics this time, right?

Nope. I told you that’s your job for your next live blog

2 hours ago, SMOKEY0202 said:

As always safe travels back home with no issues

Hope you packed a supply of Ranger Cookies to go

We all can't wait for the next blog which can't be soon enough 

Thank you for coming along! Next live blog in a few months and the Ranger cookies were not that good this cruise. They were really hard

[OCSC Mike]

18 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Nope. I told you that’s your job for your next live blog

The issue is my wife and I barely even take pics when we cruise alone, lol. Most of those Wonder pics from June were either from my MIL or SIL.

If I do force myself to take pics, maybe it will keep me from being so long-winded with my text.

[JVPIII]

Hope your travels home were safe and without incident. Thank you for another great cruise vlog! 

[Lovetocruise2002]

3 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

The issue is my wife and I barely even take pics when we cruise alone, lol. Most of those Wonder pics from June were either from my MIL or SIL.

If I do force myself to take pics, maybe it will keep me from being so long-winded with my text.

You can tag team like Hubby and I. Most of the pics you see in the blog are from him. The random pic is from me. I do all the writing. 

2 hours ago, JVPIII said:

Hope your travels home were safe and without incident. Thank you for another great cruise vlog! 

Thank you for coming along with us! Not much longer until yours

[Lovetocruise2002]

Last night in the MDR (Night 9) 

Tonight was the Bon Voyage menu. D17 ordered the grilled cheese and Mac n cheese. Still a kid at heart I guess. 

We really enjoyed our waiter and assistant waiter this cruise. They were funny guys with a great personalities. 

[Lovetocruise2002]

Packing is done. Heading to bed. Early wake up tomorrow. They want us to vacate the room by 8am so we will likely just head straight to EWR and wait there. Leaving from the new terminal so we will have some time to check it out. When we arrived last week, we rushed out of there. 

Happy to answer anything that I didn’t talk about. Feel free to ask.

[WAAAYTOOO]

Safe trip home !

[Ampurp85]

Have a safe and uneventful trip home.

Did you ever get all your D+ amenities?

[asquared17]

enjoy the new terminal a!! 

my favorite and so much easier to navigate on literally every level. 

[Neesa]

Enjoyed your journey! Safe and uneventful travels. 

[PPPJJ-GCVAB]

It was great following along on your adventure.  Safe travels home so you can get ready for the classroom!