Royal Caribean Cruises- what can you share?

[ChitownFamily]

Hi Everyone,
I'm one very lucky girl. My dad is taking us all on our Cruise this March 2013. It is a Royal Caribbean- We will be traveling on the Liberty of the Seas. Stopping in Labadee, Haiti and Falmouth, Jamaica.

I have cruised one other time, as a child on a Disney cruise.

I hear people say cruises are wonderful, so fill me in on things i should do/see or not miss! Thanks!

 

[Tina]

On Liberty of the Seas, I can say Don't Miss the Cupcake Cupboard. Awesome cupcakes!

 

[ChitownFamily]

Thanks! Drooling already!

 

[sam_gordon]

Go to http://www.cruisecritic.com. The main site has reviews & information about most (if not all) cruises. There's also a "Forum" like the Dis that's broken down by line, AND there's probably also a "Roll Call" thread dedicated to your sailing. You can also get information on various excursions (ship sponsored and "on own"), as well as pre & post cruise suggestions.

 

[ChitownFamily]

Go to http://www.cruisecritic.com. The main site has reviews & information about most (if not all) cruises. There's also a "Forum" like the Dis that's broken down by line, AND there's probably also a "Roll Call" thread dedicated to your sailing. You can also get information on various excursions (ship sponsored and "on own"), as well as pre & post cruise suggestions.

AWESOME!!! Perfect suggestion.

 

[IamErica]

Hi Everyone,
I'm one very lucky girl. My dad is taking us all on our Cruise this March 2013. It is a Royal Caribbean- We will be traveling on the Liberty of the Seas. Stopping in Labadee, Haiti and Falmouth, Jamaica.

I have cruised one other time, as a child on a Disney cruise.

I hear people say cruises are wonderful, so fill me in on things i should do/see or not miss! Thanks!

My son and I did this same cruise last Feb. It was SOOOOO MUCH FUN!!!
In Labadee we did the Dragon tail coaster unlimited rides. You only have to pay for the "car" that two people can ride in. So basically we bought one unlimited wrist band for the two of us.
We also went on the Zipline and it was AWESOME!!!
The view alone was worth the price. It took about 2 minutes to go down and not scary at all. You also go on a shorter zipline as a test run before the main one.
We relaxed on the beach and did a little shopping. The shopping 'alley' is a bit much as they hound you CONSTANTLY however the little market building is great. No pressure and very neat stuff. The ship is docked right there so you can go off and on the ship several times if needed.

In Falmouth, it is just a shopping port. Anything worth doing is about an hour bus ride away. We chose the Dolphin Experience and Dunn's River Falls activity.
THe bus ride is fun and our tour guide was a hoot! We stopped at Dunn's river first where you climb a waterfall. Very cool! Then we drove a quick bit to the Dolphin cove where we got to have some time with the dolphins. There were about 8 of us in the pool with "Betty" for about half hour. She pulled us on her belly, swam around us, did some tricks and then we got to hug and get a kiss from her for the camera. There are a few different levels of the Dolphin time, so the more you need to look into that depending on how much you would want.
By the time you are done and back, the ship is almost ready to be boarded.

The ship is amazing and there is so much to do!
I can post a link to my trip blog and also to the Cruise Critics boards. You can learn as much about cruising on that site as you can about Disney on this site.

Here is the link to our trip
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1591461

Here is a link to the RCC boards http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=83

Have FUN!!

 

[NHdisneylover]

2 years ago we took back to back cruises, one week on the Disney Magic and then one on the RCI Liberty--if you are interested in our notes on how we felt the two compared, here is the thread i wrote after that:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2803659

 

[laurajetter]

Go to http://www.cruisecritic.com. The main site has reviews & information about most (if not all) cruises. There's also a "Forum" like the Dis that's broken down by line, AND there's probably also a "Roll Call" thread dedicated to your sailing. You can also get information on various excursions (ship sponsored and "on own"), as well as pre & post cruise suggestions.

Took the words right out of my mouth! You'll find tons of info there and as mentioned, there are the forum threads that are for specific weeks. Find your ship's week and start reading and posting! My group actually decided to meet up on the ship one afternoon since we had gotten to know each other. Check out any forums that give tips for cruising or are for first timers (even though you went a long time ago)... they'll have a wealth of info!!! Have fun!!!

 

[laurajetter]

Oh, just thought of something. Regarding the different ports of call it's a matter of personal preference as to what you do, whether you prefer to relax at a beach or take an adventurous tour. DH and I LOVE taking tours... it's such a neat way to experience the places we visit. We've gone on an off-road jeep caravan to visit ancient ruins, gone tubing through spectacular caves, climbed up waterfalls, etc. If you do take a tour you can either book it through the cruise line or you can book it on your own and not involve the cruise.

We've done both, but one thing to keep in mind if you go on a tour is that in the rare event that something happens to delay your timely return to the ship to reboard, the cruise line will make sure not to leave if you booked through them. If you booked on your own, they will not hold the ship and it will be your responsibility to somehow make arrangements to meet up with them at the next port of call. Just make sure that any non-cruise sponsored tour will end with ample time to get back to the ship.

 

[wdwmom2]

DH and I sailed on the Freedom, Liberty's sister. Wonderful ship and easy to navigate.

The Flowrider is awesome!!!! BUT, it can easily "displace" your swimsuit!!! I suggest either a one piece suit, or wear a shirt over your swim top.

If you choose to ice skate, you will need long pants and socks.

Johnny Rockets was a lot of fun!!! The servers really got into the music and dancing!!!

Have a great cruise!!!!

 

[Kimberle]

John (co-owner of Dreams Unlimited) & Kevin (both on the Disunplugged podcast) have gone several times. They have a new site, Foodie Tales with food reviews.

http://foodietales.com/

 

[themrsp]

We went on Mariner of the Seas in 2008 for our honeymoon and loved it. The ships are huge and we had wonderful service! I have zero complaints! They offer great room service breakfast too!

 

[ChitownFamily]

Thank you! Thank you! All the amazing websites & suggestions are incredibly helpful.
Y'all of given me lots of reading material

 

[fly girl]

We did an excursion on our own in Falmouth, hired a guide (I can't think of the company but look on Cruise Critic they will recommend reputable companies) to take us to Mystic Mountain. It was a drive, but our whole party thought it was well worth it.

SOOO MUCH FUN!! They have a bobsled track and a zipline park. The workers there were fabulous. Also had a great lunch at the sit down restaurant. Highly recommend if you are the thrill seeking type.

Enjoy your cruise!!

 

[mdsoccermom]

I love Royal Caribbean. We sailed on the Oasis of the Seas last month and had the most amazing time.

Labadee is wonderful. We were all about relaxation, so we headed over to Columbus Beach for the day, and got the kids passes for the water slide. Royal Caribbean sponsors a school in the area, L'Ecole Nouvelle. The day we were there the cruise line hosted a Christmas party for the kids in one of the pavilions on the beach.

In Falmouth, we got a day pass to the Hilton Rose Hall Resort through www.resortforaday.com. That was a fun time.

Ice skating on the ship was fun. I suck at it, but now I can say I skated in the middle of the ocean. If you do it, be aware that they make everyone wear helmets.

 

[minkydog]

We took our first cruise last year on Radiance of the Seas. We all fell in love with the ship. RCCL really takes care of their guests. I'd go again in a New York second!

 

[SLP958]

You will not be disappointed. Have cruised with RCI many times. Never a bad experience. We have been in the Oasis and Freedom as well as a couple of the smaller ships.

Plenty to do on board. Beware of the flow rider. Go in knowing that it can strip you naked, but do it anyway. So fun! I advise ladies to wear a shirt and shorts over swimsuits.

 

[tvguy]

Best advice, read the newsletter every night carefully so you don't miss anything you want to do the next day.

I did laugh at the OP's comment "disney cruise as a kid"........as Disney is the newest cruise line out there ....only existing for just over 14 years..........made me feel old . My first cruise was 33 years ago.

Labadee was wonderful the first time we went there, the second time, they starting allowing local merchants to sell stuff on the island. Kind of ruined the tropical paradise for us.

 

[a1tinkfans]

LOVE rccl and LOVED labadee more
the ships are good the service is good too.
Prepare to get Hooked...awesome advice previously given, I also say go to c/critic...and we too met up with people ...wonderful times...ENJOY!

 

[4nana]

Lucky girl is right!! Congrats, what a wonderful gift from your Dad ! Let the cruise shopping begin!!

You will not be disappointed! Having tried several diff cruise lines, we've have never had a bad cruise . We did the Liberty 3 yrs ago for our Anniverary - it's a huge beautiful floating 15? deck vessel, that will leave you in awe ! Be prepared to have time of your life - wonderful service and food to spoil you to your hearts content, great shows, room service/towel animals/choclates on pillows, formal evening if desired, several pools, fitness center, spa, adult Solarium, and be sure to try the cantilevered whirl pools hanging over side of ship ! It's your vacation, you can relax or stay busy as you want all day w/lots of activites and adventurous excursions. Enjoy to the max, fun times for sure making special memories.... we are planning our next in 2014....we have many fond memories on Liberty, specially our over the top annv. champagne breakfast on our balcony....ahhhh...take me away!

I agree w/sam_gordon - 'cruise critic' is worth it's weight in gold for info! IamErica ~ thx, loved your review and pix!