Life onboard the Liberty of the Seas.

What's up everyone?

Today we’ll be discussing what was available to us on our last cruise.  We were on Royal Caribbeans Liberty of the Seas.  It’s not the biggest ship in their fleet, but it is one of the bigger ones.  Liberty is the sister ship to the Freedom of the Seas.  A lot of the activities are similar, but Freedom does have some things that the Liberty doesn’t and vice versa.  Alright lets put on our dancin’ shoes and get going.

The first day is going to be the most chaotic and probably the most stressful part of your vacation.  We like to fly in the day before boarding and then catch a shuttle to the port the next morning.  This works out great for us, especially now that our family lives in three different states.  We can get there in our own time and regroup with everyone.  You can fly in on the same day if you want.  But be warned, problems can and probably will arise.  At least in my experience.

Once you arrive at the port, they will most likely take your bags.  From this point the bags will go through security checks and you will not see them until they are delivered to your cabin.  Unfortunately, you will not be able to get in to your cabin right away and your luggage may not be delivered until late.  I suggests having a backpack or a small carry-on to drag with you.  You can put swimsuits, books, cards or whatever you need to sustain you until your cabin is ready.

Once you make your way through security, you’ll head over to the check-in desk.  Here they will get your information, have your picture taken, and receive your SeaPass Card . The SeaPass is for identification card for onboard purchases, getting on and off the ship, and your cabin key.  So very important. DON’T LOSE IT!  From there you head to the waiting area for your turn to board.

Up the gangway we go.  Make your way to Deck 4 and wonder into the interior of the ship.  Inside you will find yourself in the Promenade.  The Promenade is the center of the ship.  Here you’ll find some shops, eateries and Guest Relations.  Once on board I would take some time to walk around.  This will start to familiarize you with the ship. You’ll be an expert by the end though.

Now that we have discussed some of the fun that you have on the first day.  Lets jump into the meat and potatoes of what there is to do.

Lets get started with the pool area.  Lets face it a lot of people spend most of there time here.  The Liberty has four pools.  Including the Solarium, an all adult pool, and Splashaway Bay for the little ones.  The Liberty also has six whirlpools.  Two of them are cantilevered over the side, so you can look out over the ocean.

My favorite part of the pool area lies in the back of the boat.  Here you will find the more entertaining water sports.  The FlowRider is a wave generator for surfing.  Depending on the time of day, you have two options.  Standing or body surfing.  We spent many an hour watching our group test out there surfing ability and it almost always ended the same way.  Slamming into the drink and being flung to back of the FlowRider.  I will say we had a few people on the boat, not in our group, that where really good at it.

If that is not your cup of tea, there are several waterslides you can try.  I highly recommend trying the Tidal Wave.  You take a two-man tube down a near vertical drop that flings you up the other side and drops you blindly backwards to the splash pool below.  It was pretty intense the first time I tried it.  The initial drop takes your breath away until about three-quarters of the way down when it comes rushing back in a scream of fear and delight.  Sound crazy, I know.  When you try it you’ll understand.

There is also a rock wall, mini golf and basketball court.  I did not have a chance to try out the rock wall.  I look forward to trying it out next time, if there is a next time I guess.

If you are not into the extreme side of thing there are more relaxing things to do.  Head over to library if you want to lose yourself in the serenity of a good book.  Or round up a few good friends and head to the game lounge.  Here you find a variety of card and board games.

Of course for the ultimate relaxation, checkout their world class spa.  The spa has a variety of signature treatment.  Body wraps, scrubs, facial treatments, massages and even acupuncture are all ready and waiting for you.

One of the coolest thing to me was the Ice show.  Yes, that right an Ice show.  The Liberty has a small ice rink onboard.  Through out the cruise they give you the opportunity to skate.  During the sea days they put on a ice show with top skater from around the world.  It was quite impressive to watch them preform their tricks and skills.  It hard enough on solid ground, I can’t imagine how hard it is on an ever shifting floor.  Occasionally they would fall, but pop back up like the professional they are.  Try to catch one of the shows.  Trust me, you will not be disappointed.

As I sit here writing, I’ve come to the realization that the is still a lot of things to do onboard that I wont be able to cover.  So the last things that I will discuss will be the nightly entertainment.

In the back of the Liberty lies the Platinum Theater.  Here is were they preform their nightly shows.  The shows change daily, but you will usually have comedians, musical performances and a Broadway style shows.  On our cruise we had two shows that really stood out.  

On the Wednesday of our trip we had a rope gymnastics show.  They had ropes and fabric draped from the top of the stage were the performers would attach hoops and other things to perform with.  But the stars of the show came at the end.  A couple came out on stage and with brute strength and grace would perform incredible and amazing acrobatic moves.  It is really hard to explain it in words.  Unfortunately I was unable to get any video to share with you.  It was definitely crazy awesome, something you would pay a lot to see in Vegas.

And lastly, on the final night of our trip they put on a production of Saturday Night Fever.  I have not seen the movie, so I can’t tell you if they had left out any parts of it do to their limited time frame.  Saying that, they did a really good job with it.  The acting, singing, and dancing seemed to be on point.  Definitely fun, especially for those that grew up in that time.

Well, this has been just a glimpse into what entertainment can be found onboard the Liberty.  Like I said there is still a lot that I was unable to cover.  You’ll have to schedule a trips to find out about the rest.

Thanks for stopping by.  Until next time.

Josh