Cruise to Bermuda, Puerto Rico, St. Marteen, Labadee Haiti

May 6 - 16, 2015

Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas: Cabin 7620

E3 Balcony Accessible

 

Port of Calls:

bulletDrive to Ramsay, NJ
bulletCape Liberty Bayonne, NJ
bulletAt sea
bulletKing Wharf, Bermuda
bulletKing Wharf, Bermuda
bulletAt Sea
bulletPhilipsburg, St. Maarten
bulletSan Juan, Puerto Rico
bulletLabadee, Haiti
bulletAt Sea
bulletAt Sea
bulletCape Liberty Bayonne, NJ
bulletOur Final Thoughts

Photos

 

May 5th, 2015 Drive to Ramsay, NJ

We had a great drive down to Ramsay.  The boarder had no cars ahead so that was great.  It was sunny all day and dry.  We started out at 14C and finished at 29C.  We arrived at our hotel around 3:45PM.  We had our usual handicap room.

May 6th, 2015 Cape Liberty, Bayonne, NJ

Since we had a late sailaway 7PM, we were not in any hurry to get to the port.  We left around 11:30AM and arrived at the port around 12:30PM.  I dropped off our luggage to the porter and then left Norman at the terminal will all our carry-ons.  I went to the parking lot which is the same as before, paid and parked in the handicap spot.  It took me 4 minutes to walk back to the terminal but they do provide a shuttle bus.

The new terminal is really nice, lots of X-ray machines and one dedicated for handicap.  Next on to register and get our Set Pass Card.  This went really quickly, we were brought to the Diamond area for our registration which took all of 5 minutes, really efficient.  Then off to board the ship where a ship photographer helped me with my carry-ons and brought us directly to our cabin, that was a big help, he knew all the short cuts for the elevators.  We boarded on deck 4 near the Schooner Bar.

Once in our cabin, I was able to unpack what I had with us.

We had an informal meeting between 3-4PM at the Sky Bar on deck 12 for our Cruise Critic friends.  I was the roll call keeper this time.

Next was the muster drill at 5PM.  We all met directly at our assembly station which I think is a better idea than meeting is some area in the ship then would have to move all those people to their assembly station if there was an emergency.

We are dining at 6pm at a table of 6.  We have a couple from Germany (Marcel & Sylvia) who are newlyweds and a couple from New Jersey (Bill & Donna from Cruise Critic).  We had nice conversation, it will be an enjoyable time chatting with them through out the cruise.

There was only one show tonight at 10:30PM - Welcome aboard show starring the Comedy of Gary De Lena and featuring Aerialist Lipari.  Our cruise director for this cruise is Luke Aerowsmith from England.  We decided to skip the show tonight as we were tired from our day.  The first day is always more tiresome as a lot going on.

Tonight we had to change our clocks ahead an hour.

May 7th, 2015 At Sea

We woke at 9AM today with some clouds with a forecast of 22C/71F.  The seas are very calm today, no white caps.

We had our Meet and Mingle (Cruise Critic) organized by Royal Caribbean in the Oliver and Twist Bar on Deck 14 at 11AM.  Our cruise director animated the event, they had a few prizes and then we could mingle with people from the roll call.  One of our members, Johanne, gave me a little thank you gift for organizing the roll call and keeping track of activities that others were organizing like the Slot Pull and Cabin Crawl which are always a great success. It was very thoughtful and much appreciated.

We then went to the Windjammer to have some lunch as we had missed breakfast.

We stopped by Sorrentos for a coffee waiting for our next event to start at 2pm.

History & Culture Lecture: The History & Culture of Bermuda by David Greenstein.  He was very interesting giving us the history of Bermuda.  We hope to go to his lecture tomorrow on the Bermuda Triangle.

Tonight is our first formal night where everyone is nicely dressed.

The Captain welcomes us from the flying Bridge before showtime in the Royal Promenade.  It is too difficult for us to manoeuvre, with the scooter, there with the crowds so we just go directly to the Theatre prior to the show.

Production Showtime: In the Air with the Royal Caribbean Singers and Dancers take us on a musical cirque odyssey exploring the earth's elements fire, water and of course In the Air.  We both enjoyed the show very much, great athletic dancers.  If you every get a chance to see this show, don't miss it and get there early.

May 8th, 2015 King Wharf, Bermuda

We woke up to another beautiful calm sea day as we only arrived in Bermuda at 7PM tonight.  The temperature today is 23C/72F.

We decided to have lunch in the Rembrandt dining room on Deck 3.  We shared a table with Carol & Mike from Cruise Critic.  It was nice getting to know them, great conversation.

History & Culture Lecture: Beyond the Bermuda Triangle.  Today it was held in the Sphinx Lounge which is more compact than the theatre were we were yesterday.  We both enjoyed his talk very much.

We had an appointment with the Next Cruise Sales Team, I wanted to check to see if I did have a next cruise still on their books, and I did.  This is useful when I come to book another cruise on Royal Caribbean as you get extra perks, which we enjoy very much.

We went to the Diamond Lounge for our cocktail tonight.  It is a little different that we have seen on the Explorer of the Seas.  There is a table coming into the Sphinx Lounge.  You can still order a drink if they don't have it on the table. Here the drinks are not counted on our allotment of 3 free drinks between 5-8:30PM. What I liked I was able to take a glass of wine back to our dinner table to enjoy.

The ship arrived about 15 minutes later than predicted as they has to wait for the Norwegian Breakaway and Celebrity Summit to leave the port.  Once the ship was cleared, around 8PM, we were allowed to go on shore.  Many left but we decided to stay on the ship.

Family Karaoke was playing so we headed there to watch the new upcoming stars, some were good others not so good but we had a great time.  Donna and Bill joined us for this event.

Liberation Showtime starring the Liberty of the Seas Musicians where all the musicians who play all over the ship, would entertain us.  There was only one show tonight at 10PM as lots of people went ashore,  we decided to skip it.

May 9th, 2015 King Wharf, Bermuda

The forecast for today was 21C/70F mostly clear and bright.  By the afternoon, I am sure it was more like 25C, it was getting very warm.

We had breakfast in the Windjammer then proceeded to go of the ship.  We walked a little bit just past the taxi stand and sat there for a while.  My legs have been giving me trouble this cruise and since we will be back next May for 3 days in Bermuda, we decided to wait to explore then.  We have been many times to Bermuda this being our 5th time.

Back on the ship, we went over to the pool area to have a nice frozen yogurt, it was nice and refreshing.

We spent the rest of the afternoon on our balcony looking at the turquoise sea which is the most beautiful sight.

Headline Showtime starring Jeffrey Allen who did a tribute to Sir Elton John he was good, dressed like Elton sang his songs and playing the piano at the same time.  The Liberty Orchestra was also there to accompany him.

50's & 60's Rock n Roll Party at the Sphinx Lounge we skipped this event as it would have been too crowded for us with the scooter so we went to the Adult Karaoke, On Air, some of the performers are excellent, some are good and some are not so good.  We sat with Bill & Donna and had a great time.

Tonight we change the clocks back to DST.

May 10th, 2015 At Sea

Today was another sunny day at sea with temperatures of 23C/74F.  The seas have been pretty calm so far.

We met Bill and Donna at the Windjammer so we had breakfast together, we enjoy their company very much.

After breakfast we came back to our cabin as I wanted to connect to the Internet.  On Royal Caribbean they have changed the way you purchase Internet minutes, now it is for a period of 24 hours and it cost $15/day.  Since we are diamond we get a free 24 hrs or if you purchase a package you get two days free.  Today I am using Norman's free day and when that is finished I will sign on and will get the two days free and the rest will be covered with my on board credits at $15/day I should only have to pay for 3 days.

We had reservations to the Ice Show at 2PM called Encore! which featured samples of West End Shows from London.  The costumes were fantastic, skating on a moving ship is phenomenal.  If you get a chance to see it, don't miss it.  All the ice shows on Royal Caribbean ships are not to be missed.

We spent some more time in our cabin, on the balcony watching the sea go by.  I am still so amazed at the calm seas.

We went again to the Diamond Cocktail in the Sphinx Lounge and of course brought two wine glasses back with us to enjoy at dinner.

Tonight is the second formal night, but we will be a little more casual than usual, Norman will wear his shirt and tie but a nice sweater for a jacket.  This cruise there are three formal nights.

Headline Showtime: Marcus Terell & The Serenades.  Marcus was an America's Got Talent Semi-Finalist, he is sexy and the talented ladies alongside are dynamic, vocal powerhouse.  They sing, dance and entertain in this show by celebrating the music of MOTOWN, SOUL and POP hits of today.  They were fantastic, great show.  We both love it...

The Love and Marriage Game Show were they test the couple's knowledge of each other.  They pick a newlywed couple, a couple who has been married around 25 years or so and one couple over 50 years of marriage.  It is always a very funny show.  We have seen this show many times so we decided to skip it tonight.

May 11th, 2015 Philipsburg, St. Maarten

Today, we arrived in St. Maarten at 1PM, it was cloudy and the temperature was 27C/80F.

We decided to have lunch in the dining room before going off the ship.  We had a table for 10, always an enjoyable experience.

After lunch, we headed off the ship, (the ship was cleared by 1:15PM).  Since we were just here in February, we decided to just walk around the different little shops around the port area.  We were back on the ship an hour or so later.

It is nice and shady on our balcony though we are not docked on the side where we got off.  We are docked on the port side and our balcony is on the starboard side.  It is still nice and peaceful.

We headed for the Diamond cocktail in the Sphinx Lounge.

Tonight the dress was ALL-WHITE because they have an all-white poolside party at 10:45PM.  Since I did not know about that, we will not be in all white for dinner.  We will be casual dress instead.

Our all aboard was at 7:30PM as our Sailaway is at 8PM.  Since we dine on deck 4 which is the Promenade Deck, we were able to watch the Sailaway

Headline Showtime starring the Action Comedy of Rick Novell.  He is very funny, he does a lot of improvising with the audience.  Besides being a comedian, he does some juggling and riding unicycles.  We have seen him before but still enjoyed the show very much.  He had us laughing all through the show.

All WHITE ATTIRE Poolside Party at 10:30PM, we did not make this event, again very hard with a scooter.

May 12th, 2015 San Juan, Puerto Rico

We arrived in San Juan at 7AM and we left at 1PM, weird hours to visit.  The weather is mostly cloudy and 32C/89F.  I did not sleep much last night so we decided to stay on the ship.

We had a light lunch at the Windjammer's and we are going to rest this afternoon.

There is no show tonight for the early dinners as it was the Broadway musical Saturday Night Fever which lasts 82 minutes.  We will get to see it tomorrow.

We had dinner with our table mates.  I lost my voice, so it was funny for me trying to have a conversation.  But by the end of the meal, my voice was coming back slightly.

Tonight is the 70s Disco Inferno Street Party with the Entertainment singers and dancers which is held on the Royal Promenade.  It is a fun night, lots of singing and dancing by everyone.  We decided not to go as I would want to sing and dance and that would not be good for me tonight.

May 13th, 2015 Labadee, Haiti

We arrived in Labadee at 8AM today.  It is sunny, warm 33C/92F.  We ordered room service for breakfast then left the ship around 10:30AM.

Today I have my voice back, had a good night sleep so ready for our day in Labadee.  This is our first time here.  RCCL have done a nice job redoing this part of the island.  There is a cement path all around, so it makes it easier for scooters to get around.  We walked from the ship to the Artisan Market where they sell Haiti souvenirs and then walked all the way back.  We stopped at the Dragon's Café for lunch.  It is a BBQ type lunch where they serve hot dogs, hamburgers, ribs, salads, corn on the cob and much more.  After lunch we headed back to the ship where this time I took one of the beach wheelchairs back to the ship.  By this time my leg was getting very tired.  It was hot, on the island, we stopped many times under some trees, we watch the Zip Liners for a bit.  There are lots of beaches, lots of chairs, lots of shade if you want some, there is something for everyone.  We all have to be back on board by 3:30PM and we sail at 4PM.

We went to the Diamond Cocktail at the Sphinx Lounge.

Production Broadway Musical Showtime: Saturday Night Fever - The Smash Broadway & West End Musical - based on the 1970's hit film.  The show combines scintillating disco choreography with the best-selling soundtrack by the Bee Gees featuring classic tracks such at Stayin' Alive, Night Fever, How Deep Is Your Love, You Should be Dancing, Tragedy, Disco Inferno.  Tonight show is for the early dining seating.  This show runs neerly 90 minutes and is a must see and you need to get there early to get a good seat.  I was amazed how seamlessly they change the sets and that they are so detailed.  We enjoyed it very much.

May 14th, 2015 At Sea

We slept in this morning.  The temperature today was 29C/85F.  We had lunch in the dining room on deck 3 with two other couples, very enjoyable.

We walked around a bit and came back to our cabin to enjoy our balcony.  It was a very quiet day for us.

We found another place for the Diamond Cocktail on deck 14 in the back of the Oliver and Twist bar.  You need your key card to enter.  Very nice, small so tomorrow we want to arrive earlier.  We chatted with two gentlemen who cruise a lot.  One cruises at least 6 months a year.

Headline Showtime: Greg London - International Recording Artist and Master Musical Impressionist.  We both enjoyed the show very much, he was very energetic.  He did headline in Las Vegas for 3 years.

The Quest Game Show was tonight in Studio B.  We have seen it many times and is hilarious, but tonight we opted to skip it this time.

May 15th, 2015 At Sea

Today was a cloudy day with temperatures of 21C/70F.  We again slept in, this is the best part of a sea day.

We went to lunch in the dining room again, love that, all the staff was very helpful with Norman by helping him getting seated at the table.  We again had a couple and two singles.

Nothing on today that interest us so we went back to our cabin to enjoy our balcony and of course packing as we leave the ship tomorrow morning.

Variety Farewell Showtime featuring the Liberty of the Seas World Class Orchestra, Aerialist Jaden Osbourne and the wit and wizardry of Martin Lewis.  Another great show.  Loved Martin Lewis, great and simple tricks.

May 16th, 2015 Cape Liberty, Bayonne, NJ

We got up at 8AM got ready and left our room to find out that our number had been call so off the ship we went.  It was much quicker to get to the terminal.  The walk may be long but not any longer than other terminals that we have sailed from.  Once in the terminal, we found our suitcase.  We wanted a porter but the wait was about 30 minutes so we were able to manage ourselves.  Norman took our carry-on which helped.  I left him at the curb at the passenger pick up and I walked to the parking lot then drove back to pick up Norman.  This part is more like a zoo, so many trying to pick up their people and not enough curb to handle everyone.  We were off by 10:15AM for our drive home.  We had a dry drive home, which is always appreciated.  I was worried that the boarder would have lots of cars since this is our Victoria Weekend but when we got there only 3 cars were ahead of us.  We were home by 6:30PM.

Our Final Thoughts

We had a great cruise, great weather, the crew was great with us, the shows were mostly great and our tablemates were the best.  We had a great time, lots of laughs.  Our waiter was new at his job so the head waiter help a lot to make the transition as smooth as possible.  Our stateroom attendant did everything that we asked and more.  I can't think of one thing that was not great about this cruise.

 

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