Liberty of the Seas 3/7-3/12 Review

[TwitterCruise1]

Hey all, thought I'd give an honest review of this great ship.

Little about me: I'm 30, been on cruises since I was 4 (anyone remember the Big Red Boat?) In the past few years, I've been on a bunch of Royal Caribbean ships with groups of friends, big and small. The recession in 2008 coincided with me getting a lot of comp time *(no overtime) so I was fortunate to sail a bunch from 08-11 at great prices.

 

Took my girlfriend, 27, with me. She's traveled the world, but this is her first cruise.

 

4 nights. Cozumel the only stop. 2 days at sea.

 

Instead of day by day, I'll review by a few categories. Here it goes:

 

Pre-Cruise Stayed one night at the Westin Diplomat in Hollywood beach. WOW.. unbelievable hotel. $400 a night... but-- I paid $113. Love priceline- couldn't believe the deal I got with that. Rented a car with Thrifty. Paid $26 tax included for a car from the airport. Took it to the hotel and used it to get around Ft. Lauderdale that night. Dropped it off at the Port Everglades location; free shuttle to the ship. VERY very cheap.

 

Ship: Beautiful. Didn't see much, if any wear and tear. Hard to believe this is still considered the 2nd, or 3rd largest ship in the world. It's laid out so easily and well that you wouldn't have thought it.

 

Room: 7362, a D1, superior oceanview with balcony. Beautiful room, very roomy and the balcony could have easily fit 4 people in chairs comfortably. I did see an E1, deluxe oceanview with balcony room. Still a nice option, but yes, there IS a notable difference in size. At the time, a D1 was cheaper, go figure.

 

Service: Everywhere we went, the crew was great. Our room attendant, waiters, ass. waiters, etc. I had NO service issues whatsoever. Friendliness all around.

 

Food:

Main Dining room: great room, had a table for 2. 8:30 pm seating. New menus were great. The food was served hot, the portions were actually very good sized I thought. I think the last night's menu (with the Turkey on it) was a little "eh". We ate in the Windjammer that night.

Windjammer: The welcome aboard lunch needs to change.. for frequent cruisers, the honey stung chicken, paella, etc.. its fine and of course we're not cooking it, but you'd think with all the refurbishments and changes they would change it? Only ate lunch and 1 dinner there. Dinner was quiet, not crowded and not bad. Maybe they need some live cooking stations. I think that was what was missing from dinner. The pasta station was one, I guess, but it was very plain. My parents told me the Explorer of the Seas has a Mongolian wok station?

Cafe Promenade: Great place to get sandwiches, deserts, coffee..etc. I stopped there passing through a few times for a snack, but you could certainly make a lunch out of it if you were in a hurry.

Sorrentos: Despite other people's reviews, the pizza wasn't bad! Like Cafe Promenade, it's a great place to grab a bite while walking through. I'm from NYC, so I know pizza.. but no one expects authentic NY here. They change the variety every day, and also have paninis, salads, deserts (VERY good), etc. Again, this is great for a snack, but you can easily order a panini and salad and call it a lunch.

Portofino: EXCELLENT. We eat there the third night. Loved it. Portions great, quality great. Would have been $150 meal on land. Worth $40 for 2 people.

*Did not try Chops, Johnny Rockets

 

Entertainment: Crew was great. Compass was filled with lots to do. Ship always seemed to have something going on. SHOWS-Don't miss the ice show, Encore!. I was impressed. Flawless and was very very cool. In The Air- started off kind of weird, but again, the whole thing is supposed to be weird. It's like a Cirque de Soliel show. For a show at sea, WOW. Felt like a lot of effort was put into this. Didn't see Saturday Night Fever, but heard it was great.

 

Other:

Diamond Lounge: I am a diamond, the g/f is not. But she did come in with me (I only used it 1 night and got coffee 1 day) and had no problem. Saw some people getting kicked out who were not diamond. These people ran in, went right for the liquor. Kind of rude to people too. That would be why they got kicked out. Dinzel the concierge was very nice and saw my girlfriend with me, and didn't say anything. It could be because I was respectful, introduced myself and said thank you after he offered a drink? Who knows. Bottom line is with this: if you're a diamond and your significant other isn't, play it cool and maybe you'll be fine. The worst someone can say is no. Not a deal breaker.

Cozumel: We booked Mr. Sanchos beach resort ourselves and had a blast. 2nd time there, loved it.

Disembarkation: Longggggg... they need to fix this. Luckily, I booked us a 12:25 pm flight, so off the ship and out of theterminal by 10:45, airport by 11. No issues.

Nightclub on board (Catacombs): Weird to review this- but I just want to say- as much as I love Freedom class and Voyager class ships, I always loved having the "dance" club be the Viking Crown. My favorite was the Grandeur and Enchantment. You take the elevators up, and there's the dancefloor. Dark lighting, bar in front. Great time. Those ships, the club seems more packed too. Personal preference.

 

Final Thoughts: This 4-night cruise hooked her. She loved it, as did I. We did the Flowrider, saw shows, ate great food, relaxed, danced. Very impressed by the room size and cleanliness of the ship. Would do it in a heartbeat again!

 

There ya go! Any questions, ask away!

[ticktoneer]

Great comments. Thanks for taking the time.

 

Glad you had a blast !!

[Danish]

Thank you for the review - will be at Liberty in May:cool:

[Frankmac]

Yes. Thanks again. Will be on her for first time in June, sailing out of Naples. Really looking forward to it.

[5012nk]

thanks for the review. We'll be on the Liberty at the end of this month and can't wait. We sailed her in December and loved it.

 

It is a beautiful ship!!

[kimark]

Loved the format of your review. Thanks for writing it.

[kawapwesw]

We were on the same sailing and we loved every minute it of it! Wonderful ship and great crew! We were in cabin 9360 w/a balcony and it was incredible!

[eggroll]

Hey all, thought I'd give an honest review of this great ship.

Little about me: I'm 30, been on cruises since I was 4 (anyone remember the Big Red Boat?) In the past few years, I've been on a bunch of Royal Caribbean ships with groups of friends, big and small. The recession in 2008 coincided with me getting a lot of comp time *(no overtime) so I was fortunate to sail a bunch from 08-11 at great prices.

 

Took my girlfriend, 27, with me. She's traveled the world, but this is her first cruise.

 

4 nights. Cozumel the only stop. 2 days at sea.

 

Instead of day by day, I'll review by a few categories. Here it goes:

 

Pre-Cruise Stayed one night at the Westin Diplomat in Hollywood beach. WOW.. unbelievable hotel. $400 a night... but-- I paid $113. Love priceline- couldn't believe the deal I got with that. Rented a car with Thrifty. Paid $26 tax included for a car from the airport. Took it to the hotel and used it to get around Ft. Lauderdale that night. Dropped it off at the Port Everglades location; free shuttle to the ship. VERY very cheap.

 

Ship: Beautiful. Didn't see much, if any wear and tear. Hard to believe this is still considered the 2nd, or 3rd largest ship in the world. It's laid out so easily and well that you wouldn't have thought it.

 

Room: 7362, a D1, superior oceanview with balcony. Beautiful room, very roomy and the balcony could have easily fit 4 people in chairs comfortably. I did see an E1, deluxe oceanview with balcony room. Still a nice option, but yes, there IS a notable difference in size. At the time, a D1 was cheaper, go figure.

 

Service: Everywhere we went, the crew was great. Our room attendant, waiters, ass. waiters, etc. I had NO service issues whatsoever. Friendliness all around.

 

Food:

Main Dining room: great room, had a table for 2. 8:30 pm seating. New menus were great. The food was served hot, the portions were actually very good sized I thought. I think the last night's menu (with the Turkey on it) was a little "eh". We ate in the Windjammer that night.

Windjammer: The welcome aboard lunch needs to change.. for frequent cruisers, the honey stung chicken, paella, etc.. its fine and of course we're not cooking it, but you'd think with all the refurbishments and changes they would change it? Only ate lunch and 1 dinner there. Dinner was quiet, not crowded and not bad. Maybe they need some live cooking stations. I think that was what was missing from dinner. The pasta station was one, I guess, but it was very plain. My parents told me the Explorer of the Seas has a Mongolian wok station?

Cafe Promenade: Great place to get sandwiches, deserts, coffee..etc. I stopped there passing through a few times for a snack, but you could certainly make a lunch out of it if you were in a hurry.

Sorrentos: Despite other people's reviews, the pizza wasn't bad! Like Cafe Promenade, it's a great place to grab a bite while walking through. I'm from NYC, so I know pizza.. but no one expects authentic NY here. They change the variety every day, and also have paninis, salads, deserts (VERY good), etc. Again, this is great for a snack, but you can easily order a panini and salad and call it a lunch.

Portofino: EXCELLENT. We eat there the third night. Loved it. Portions great, quality great. Would have been $150 meal on land. Worth $40 for 2 people.

*Did not try Chops, Johnny Rockets

 

Entertainment: Crew was great. Compass was filled with lots to do. Ship always seemed to have something going on. SHOWS-Don't miss the ice show, Encore!. I was impressed. Flawless and was very very cool. In The Air- started off kind of weird, but again, the whole thing is supposed to be weird. It's like a Cirque de Soliel show. For a show at sea, WOW. Felt like a lot of effort was put into this. Didn't see Saturday Night Fever, but heard it was great.

 

Other:

Diamond Lounge: I am a diamond, the g/f is not. But she did come in with me (I only used it 1 night and got coffee 1 day) and had no problem. Saw some people getting kicked out who were not diamond. These people ran in, went right for the liquor. Kind of rude to people too. That would be why they got kicked out. Dinzel the concierge was very nice and saw my girlfriend with me, and didn't say anything. It could be because I was respectful, introduced myself and said thank you after he offered a drink? Who knows. Bottom line is with this: if you're a diamond and your significant other isn't, play it cool and maybe you'll be fine. The worst someone can say is no. Not a deal breaker.

Cozumel: We booked Mr. Sanchos beach resort ourselves and had a blast. 2nd time there, loved it.

Disembarkation: Longggggg... they need to fix this. Luckily, I booked us a 12:25 pm flight, so off the ship and out of theterminal by 10:45, airport by 11. No issues.

Nightclub on board (Catacombs): Weird to review this- but I just want to say- as much as I love Freedom class and Voyager class ships, I always loved having the "dance" club be the Viking Crown. My favorite was the Grandeur and Enchantment. You take the elevators up, and there's the dancefloor. Dark lighting, bar in front. Great time. Those ships, the club seems more packed too. Personal preference.

 

Final Thoughts: This 4-night cruise hooked her. She loved it, as did I. We did the Flowrider, saw shows, ate great food, relaxed, danced. Very impressed by the room size and cleanliness of the ship. Would do it in a heartbeat again!

 

There ya go! Any questions, ask away!

 

How did you get the rental so cheap? I was looking at Avis. The cheapest I found was 60 a day. Any ideas?