This was a cruise that we weren't at all prepared for. The reason for this was that as UK agents we had 2 ‘agent rate’ places provisionally booked for a luxury cruise on the Crystal Symphony but, having already booked our flights to Miami, were told at the eleventh hour that a US agents seminar was to take place on board and that we couldn't go.
The Liberty of the Seas therefore was the only option available.
As our cab approached the Royal Caribbean International check-in area it was becoming quite clear how large this ship is. Absolutely huge.
As you would imagine the hall where we checked in was extremely busy as there was near on 4,000 people trying to get on board but, given all of these people, the check in went pretty well and we were on board within 30 minutes.
We were in an E1cabin with private verandah which was of a decent size.
The great thing about having a verandah is that if one of you wants an early night
the other can always sit outside under the stars.
We tried the buffet breakfast and lunch in both the Windjammer Cafe and Jade restaurant and a couple of times in the 3 tier main dining room which is waiter service.
Food was acceptable but not great.
Dinner in the main restaurant was a very pleasurable experience with attentive staff and excellent food and a lovely atmosphere. We did try Chops Grille, one of 2 speciality restaurants, one evening and had a great fillet steak for a few pounds extra.
I managed to get chocolate on my linen suit however and sent it to the laundry next day. Bearing in mind that a linen suit is a casual suit it came back all pressed with creases in the trousers and looking ridiculous. Anyway when i tried on the trousers they didn't fit...yes they had shrunk them. How can one shrink anything by dry cleaning i ask? Well because they were washed....in water!!
I got nowhere other than a refund for the 'cleaning' but i did take the suit back in the UK as there was some loose stitching on the jacket and i got my money back for this.
The Royal promenade 4 storey shopping mall is quite magnificent with lots of decent shops and an English bar plus a barbers shop who knows how to charge.
It's in the promenade in the early evening where all the entertainment happens with live music and dancing aptly called 'dancing in the street'.
The Ice-Rink, where one can get ice-skating lessons, is home to some superb ice shows from skaters who are absolutely top drawer. They seemed to come from either USA, Canada or Russia. Entertainment on cruise ships is definitely on the up!
At night we frequented a few of the bars with the best one being the Olive or Twist bar on deck 14. Great views and excellent bar staff who wanted to interact with you.
The Schooner bar was OK but the bar staff were unfortunately not so enthusiastic.
The casino, which we don't use, was large as is the norm on American cruise ships, with lots of rich old people sitting there all evening trying to win $250,000 but apparently losing $'000's instead. I know this as 2 people who we shared dining with a few times used the casino and told us!
Outside offers lots to do but on sea days forget it. Can you imagine 2,3 or even 4,000 people on 2 decks at one time? Nightmare! The Americans are just as bad as the Germans I’m afraid (sorry i don't mean to generalize but most of those on here were from the United States)as they tie either their towels or (yes we saw underwear too) t-shirt to the sun-beds and left them like this for hours with no-one using them. Now how selfish is that? At times like this we just went and used our verandah (or balcony as we say in the UK).
Anyway, when you can get access, the crazy golf is quite fun as is the giant chess. The most entertaining however was the flowrider. This is for those younger folk who are body boarders with varying degrees of proficiency or for the older generation who THINK they are all experts but serve up some real entertainment by being totally useless and end up hurtling backwards into the hard rubber wall at a fair rate of knots. There are also the usual sports courts and gymnasium for those who seek to work off the calories consumed over the past few hours, plus the extremely daunting rock climbing wall up the side of the ship's funnels.
There are lots of child facilities on board and fortunately these were all in close proximity to each other centered around decks 11 & 12 where there are separate pool areas, a teens disco, Johnny Rocket's Cafe and an arcade.
To summarize, the Liberty of the Seas is a magnificent cruise ship with something to offer most cruise people but could be made more enjoyable if people were less selfish (read above). We of course have gained valuable knowledge about who we send on a cruise on the Freedom class of ship but it won't include people such as us I’m afraid. Just too busy.
Now then, where’s that luxury cruise ship?!