Liberty of the Seas-Showing her age?

[PGHProducer]

I just got off Oasis and loved the ship. There were some issues that kept it from being a perfect 10, but it was great being back on a ship.

 

We are now looking at a cruise on Liberty for next year. I sailed on her years ago and loved the ship, but I’ve seen many reviews that she is showing her age and is in desperate need of the dry dock that was canceled because of COVID.

 

For people who have been on Liberty recently, what are your thoughts? Will I be disappointed by an experience that isn’t up to the standards I’m used to from Royal?

[smokeybandit]

I was on in March and didn't see anything that screamed "old lady" 

[footzz]

51 minutes ago, PGHProducer said:

I just got off Oasis and loved the ship. There were some issues that kept it from being a perfect 10, but it was great being back on a ship.

 

We are now looking at a cruise on Liberty for next year. I sailed on her years ago and loved the ship, but I’ve seen many reviews that she is showing her age and is in desperate need of the dry dock that was canceled because of COVID.

 

For people who have been on Liberty recently, what are your thoughts? Will I be disappointed by an experience that isn’t up to the standards I’m used to from Royal?

Got off of LOTS recently and yes there are some areas that shows signs of wear and tear. None of it was enough of a distraction to be of concern to me. Some chairs are old, some areas of carpet are worn and the large screen TV in the pool area isn't (hasn't been) working.

 

Some people have a need for the newest 'whatever' and won't be satisfied with anything less. In my experience over several cruises on the 'old gal' the excellent crew and staff have more than made up for any minor deficiencies in her appearance. YMMV

Edited July 24, 2022 by footzz

[awhfy]

We were on her in October 2021. Does she need a buff up?  Yes. Did it affect our cruise?  No. She was clean & safe (my top criteria). 

[CruisingHogFan]

1 hour ago, PGHProducer said:

I just got off Oasis and loved the ship. There were some issues that kept it from being a perfect 10, but it was great being back on a ship.

 

We are now looking at a cruise on Liberty for next year. I sailed on her years ago and loved the ship, but I’ve seen many reviews that she is showing her age and is in desperate need of the dry dock that was canceled because of COVID.

 

For people who have been on Liberty recently, what are your thoughts? Will I be disappointed by an experience that isn’t up to the standards I’m used to from Royal?

screen by the pool hasn’t been working in over 6 months and the flow rider is currently not working but is supposed to be fixed by next sailing.

 

Other then than that just normal wear and tear 

[firefly333]

I've done her 5 times since restart and every time the aft elevators have had various issues where buttons dont work or I have to push the button on the other side. And one section seems prone to a lot of shaking. 

[LuCruise]

Interested in this post as DH and I are on Liberty end of the year for a short cruise.  

It's funny you say you have "seen many reviews...." as I can't seem to find many at all....and very few roll calls.  For us, I'm not worried as we love Royal product and a bit of wear and tear doesn't bother us (but would be nice to have things functioning)  

[PGHProducer]

2 minutes ago, LuCruise said:

Interested in this post as DH and I are on Liberty end of the year for a short cruise.  

It's funny you say you have "seen many reviews...." as I can't seem to find many at all....and very few roll calls.  For us, I'm not worried as we love Royal product and a bit of wear and tear doesn't bother us (but would be nice to have things functioning)  

There are lots of reviews and comments on FaceTwitTok and things like that lol

[HicksRA]

I was on in May and didn’t notice anything in desperate need of refurbishment other than the big screen which I never watch anyway. 
But, the crew was severely limited and the food sucked. 

[Rusty_lock]

I was on her in December 2021 and thought everything was just fine.  The TV at the pool was the only glaring issue.  

[pyrateslife4me84]

She is aging like fine wine. 

[cruiselvr04]

Getting on her next week.  I'm not worried.  The furniture in the rooms are dated but we will still enjoy her.

[arlodog]

We were on Liberty in June for our 3rd sailing on her.  She is showing her age and does need a dry dock for carpets, updates ect.  The staff was amazing and went out of the way to ensure we had a great trip.  Especially the MDR. 

We were a group of 12 and our first night they combined all our reservations together and set us up with the same table/wait staff every night so we could enjoy our meal together.  They remembered our drink preferences and that our youngest grand daughter wanted spaghetti every single night with chocolate cake for desert 🙂  Was it gourmet dining?  No, but the grands had a great time and that is what counts!  We have priceless family memories (and no one noticed the little things like paint/carpets ect...)

We will be going on Harmony for our next cruise and are looking to sailing a newer ship without the whole family; but wouldn't have changed our Liberty cruise for anything! 

[kruzerci]

It is honestly very outdated and needs a refurb. It is practically untouched since she came out in 2007.
 

The main areas for me that have an ick factor are the carpets and cabins. The carpeting in the hallways, elevators banks, and cabins are truly old, outdated,  and gross. 
 

Not to mention things like the poolside movie screen has been non functional with a tarp over it since the ship returned to service. 

[RockHoundTX]

Been on her 8 or so times. Definitely showing her age. Don't be at all surprised if the TV in your room doesn't work (had that problem on the last trip) or problems with the shower (door, drain, etc.). As mentioned, the pool-side screen has been covered since lasy year (with no plans to fix) but hasn't actually worked correctly for at least 3-4 years (pixels out and blocks of "differnt" colors where they had previously tried to fix areas). If you look around, you will find rust, bad carpets, etc but nothing bad eneough to make it not worth the trip.

 

The BIGGEST variable on Liberty is the staff. Liberty is a "trainer" ship for the bigger (Quantum/Oasis class) ships. My experience (and knowledge based on talking with many of the staff) is that you will see more "brand-new" staff on this ship (or class of ship) than just about any other. They do a staff rotation something like every 60 or 90 days. New staff start off in the Windjammer (so they can work on their speaking/interaction skills), then go to either room-service or side restaurants. As such, you can have great service in the Windjammer one week and it be terrible the next (since the trained staff have rolled to another area of the ship and been replaced by newbies). You would think that they would rotate folks gradually (i.e., a few each week) but that is not the case since they rotate in large blocks (i.e., 1/3 - 1/2 of the Windjammer wait-staff all at once). Becasue of this, don't be at all surprised to hear someone say "wow, service sucked" and then someone else say "what? I was on the week before and It was fantastic. You must be too picky".         

[HBE4]

Funny, I think the fact the pool side big screen TV doesn't work is kinda an upgrade. 😊.

[footzz]

52 minutes ago, kruzerci said:

It is honestly very outdated and needs a refurb. It is practically untouched since she came out in 2007.

Uh, not really. In 2016 the Liberty of the Seas underwent renovations adding additional cabins above the bridge, added new restaurants and the Splashaway Bay on the pool deck.

[kruzerci]

22 hours ago, footzz said:

Uh, not really. In 2016 the Liberty of the Seas underwent renovations adding additional cabins above the bridge, added new restaurants and the Splashaway Bay on the pool deck.

I said practically, not completely. Largely, everything is the same, except they added more cabins, water slides, and changed up a couple venues. The decor, carpet, amenities, cabins, etc for the most part are unchanged. It is by far the most dated and least refreshed of the Voyager and Freedom class ships. 

[CanadaRob]

I actually watch a couple of movies under the stars every cruise(previously on Liberty) and I would still cruise her, have loved my previous 3 or 4 times on her, granted I haven’t been since start up

[Lane Hog]

I'd agree with the datedness.  It's definitely worn out in places.  The elevator problems are real, the video screen at the pool might not be missed, but having it out of service for six months is inexcusable.  Replace it or remove it.

There was no shortage of visible rust on the outdoor surfaces (e.g. the stairs up to Liberty Dunes), and the rubber coating on Deck 11 as well as our balcony on Deck 10 was bubbled and peeled up in a lot of places.

Service was great, and so was the food.  But yes, it's in need of a light overhaul.

[DCPIV]

On 7/24/2022 at 6:02 PM, HBE4 said:

Funny, I think the fact the pool side big screen TV doesn't work is kinda an upgrade. 😊.

 

I couldn't agree more. We were on board Liberty in January, and the lack of the screen was a blessing. It had been a long time since I last enjoyed the pool area that much. 

 

Yes, there are many cosmetic needs, but she was otherwise in fine shape. I'd happily sail on her again right now.