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| Liberty of the Seas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Reader's Review This was one of the best vacations me and my girlfriend have ever had. We had sailed on Royal Caribbean two times before this cruise, but this was our favorite cruise with them by far. We did a lot of research on this ship prior to booking and it was well worth it, as we had a great time! The ship left from Miami, so we had to fly in. The flight wasn't bad, and we took a cab from the airport in Miami to the cruise terminal. It was about a 12 minute ride, and we highly recommend that you take a cab on your own instead of the cruise line's transfer - it's cheaper and quicker. When we got to the ship we were able to give our luggage right to the porters at the dock. We gave a $1 per bag tip and he didn't seem too happy, he actually said "is that it?" I couldn't believe his nerve, but whatever, that's not a big deal in the sceme of things. We were able to check-in for the cruise after waiting on a fairly long line. It probably took about an hour or so before we actually got onto the ship. Right from the start of the cruise we noticed an extremely international crowd onboard this cruise. In particular, we noticed a lot of Americans, Spanish, Brazilian, English, Australian passengers. It was actually quite nice to meet so many people from such a wide range of places. This ship is simply breathtaking and amazing when you first see it. It's just huge, and has more things to do and places to enjoy than you could ever need. I really don't think a week was long enough to fully enjoy this cruise ship - it's really that big! After boarding the ship we went right to our room. We had a balcony room that was mid-ship, which is our favorite way to cruise. Our room steward gave us the meet and greet right when we got there, and he was extremely nice. After staying in the room for a few minutes we went to the main buffet, which was quite busy (and usually was throughout the cruise, during the peak dining hours). The rest of our first day included a bunch of relaxing and exploring of the ship. Some of the more noteworthly areas of the ship were the kid's H20 zone, which was a very large and impressive outdoor waterpark. The Royal Promenade was another amazing area. It's a large strip right in the middle of the ship, lined with bars, lounges, stores and even a barber's shop. The main reception desk was also right by this area, and was a good place to go if we had any general needs or questions. Tip: If you want to ask a question about your bill at the end of the cruise, try not to do so at the last minute the night before or morning of disembarkation, as the lines are very long then. We ate dinner at the main restaurant, at our assigned table. The dinner was quite good on most nights of the cruise. The second day of our cruise was a day at sea. We spend this day further exploring the ship. We tried out the rock-climbing wall, went ice skating and even did the FlowRider (a surfing simulator that really is fun). We also enjoyed the pool area and ate dinner at Porfoino, the Italian specialty restaurant onboard the Liberty. The ship ported in San Juan, Puerto Rico on the third day of our cruise. We were in port from 3:00 pm to 10:00 pm. At this port we did the Royal Caribbean shore excursion to the Bacardi Rum Factory. This was a lot of fun, but I wish that they actually let you into the real factory (they just let you into a museum area). The taste-testing of various rums at the start of the tour was the best part. Philipsburg, St. Maarten was the next port of call. We were there from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, which was plenty of time for us. We went shopping on our own, had a quick lunch, and then hired a cab driver to take us around the island to show us some of the landmarks and points of interest. We ate in the main dining room this night, and went to the casino for a while. The next day of the cruise was another day at sea, which we ended up loving quite a bit. Having another full day to relax on the ship was great. During this day we went to the fitness center and spa, enjoying a massage for each of us and a nice workout. The gym was huge, with a bunch of equipment. It was actually quite empty there when we went. We couldn't believe that there was a full-sized Everlast boxing ring in there - that was quite impressive. They even offered boxing lessons. On this night we went to Sterling Steakhouse, another specialty restaurant on the Liberty. The steak was 5-star quality and the staff was great. I had an amazing ribeye that I'll never forget (seriously - it was that good!). Labadee, Haiti was the next stop on our cruise. The ship was anchored offshore from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, and we had to use tender boats to get to and from the island. While there we quickly walked through a shopping market and went to the beach. They had a nice BBQ there and we enjoyed a few drinks, that we were able to charge using our SeaPass (the cruise card that you use to pay for things onto your onboard account). There was a lot of watersports available there, but we just decided to take the time to bake in the sun. The next day of our cruise was a third day at sea. This was just another relaxing day. We went to the main show, and also hung out in the night club and casino on this night. It was a nice change of pace from the rest of our week. We also ate lunch at the Johnny Rocket's hamburger place, which was fun. The employees start doing a dance during the meal, and it's a cool 50's style decor. We docked back in Miami at 7:00 am on the next day. This was the end of our fabulous week with Royal Caribbean. We can't wait to do it all over again. In fact, we have already called our travel agent to book a cruise on the upcoming Oasis of the Seas, an even larger ship than the Liberty (which I really can't believe and have to see for myself!). In all, I think that the Liberty of the Seas is one of the best cruise ships out there and if you have the chance to sail on it you should. |
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