Royal Caribbean Cruise Review: Liberty of the Seas

As many of you know I just got back from a wonderful vacation aboard Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas which stopped off in Labadee Haiti and Montego Bay Jamaica. We were actually suppose to go to Falmouth Jamaica but we had to re-route due to high winds. This post will be a review on the cruise as well as some great photos.

This is my 7th cruise in 4 years and thus far the cruise lines I have been on include: Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruise Line, Princess Cruise Line and now Royal Caribbean. I think cruising is a great way to travel because of the fine dining, entertainment, activities and you get to see more than one city, island or country all for one all inclusive price. Cruising is also the most pampering vacation you can take because everything is done for you, the service is fantastic and you don't have to lift a finger!

The Ship: Liberty of the Seas

The Liberty of the Seas can host an astonishing 4,000 guests and 1500 staff members on board. It is 15 stories high not including the staff quarters which is another 5-6 stories below sea level! This ship is the epitome of a floating city!  

The Cruise Compass

Every cruise ship has a lot to offer each day in terms of activities. On Liberty of the Seas the itinerary is called the cruise compass. The cruise compass is delivered to your room every night and it lists all the activities for the following day so you can plan out what you would like to do. There are also organized activities such as sports tournaments, trivia and game shows where the guests participate.

I also got some cute towel animals with my itinerary.

The Deck

One thing I loved about this ship was the layout. There was a lot of deck space, lounge chairs, a big screen to watch movies on and lots of swimming pools, bars and hot tubs. 

There are always movies being played, music, dancing, and deck parties going on that are a lot of fun. One of my favorite activities is lounging out on the deck at night in the warm Caribbean breeze and watching a movie under the stars!

 Beautiful photographs from the deck of the ship!

Another reason I love the deck of the ship is not only for relaxing but also for the beautiful views and photos I get from up there. 

Pulling away from the cruise port in Fort Lauderdale you can get some great photos of the coast.

From the side deck you can also get gorgeous photos of the ocean. I love being out on the open water with nothing but blue ocean surrounding me, it is very serene and peaceful. It is also one of my favorite places to lounge around because the side deck is usually very quiet and uncrowded. Some guests also report seeing dolphins although I have never been so lucky.

In the evening the deck is also the best place to get photos of the sunset!

Inside the ship

The Liberty of the Seas is beautiful on the inside. The Royal Promenade is designed like an outdoor street and looks a bit like a shopping mall. There are cute boutiques, cafes and restaurants that line the street as glass elevators whiz up and down the 15 stories and people sit out on patios munching on pizza and sipping coffee.

The inside of the ship was all decked out for Christmas!

Here is a view from above the street where you can see people shopping and strolling

Amenities

There are always things to do on a cruise. This ship has some of the best amenities at sea so lets review them!

Ice Skating at sea!

Yes, you read that correctly! On Liberty of he seas you can ice skate which is included in the price of your cruise. They also have amazing ice shows.

Rock Climbing

There is also a soccer court, tennis court and basketball court

A separate splash pad and pools for the kids

Casino for those who like to try their luck

Mini golf

The theater

This large theater is where I saw comedy shows, magic shows a Cirque du soleil type acrobatic show and even a full Broadway show!! 

The arcade

There is also a library, karaoke booths, sports bars, pubs, and an internet cafe.

Surfing

The gym 

Hot tubs

There are many hot tubs on board and a full spa 

Adult only area on the deck (night time)

More entertainment

One of the great things about this cruise was that the entertainers were fantastic! Along the Royal Promenade (the main street on the ship) they have full parades! The entertainers come dancing down the street to Soca music and there is a Caribbean parade with colorful costumes.

The ice skating show was my favorite, it was like acrobatics on ice! very impressive.

Dining and food

When you cruise food is in abundance, in fact many people gain quite a lot of weight on a cruise if they aren't careful. This is the the main dinging room. For dinner the cruise offers fine dining with a menu that changes every night. You can order as much or as little as you want and there are usually 3 courses with appetizers, main entree and desert. While on the ship the price you pay for your cruise includes unlimited food in the dining room, certain cafes and eateries as well as the buffets.

Room service is usually available free of charge but on this ship you do have to pay if you order anything after a certain time at night. There is a lot of food! and I thought the food on Liberty of the Seas was good. I would rate it 3/5. They did have a variety available but I found that some of the dishes lacked flavor. I like tasty food but since the chefs have to cater to such a wide variety of palettes they tend to under spice in my opinion. The deserts were fantastic!

The cupcake store was not included in the price of the cruise but they were only $2.50 each. I didn't buy one because there was so much free desert included that I didn't feel the need to buy more!

Bars, lounges, live music and night clubs

There are bars and lounges all over the ship if you are interested. They also offer live music in the lounges  throughout the ship and there is a club if you want to dance late into the night.

 I hope you enjoyed the photos. If you have any questions about taking a cruise vacation please leave a comment below.

I will have the photos of the stops we made on this cruise in Labadee Haiti and Jamaica up soon so stay tuned!