Liberty of the Seas

Oceans and Seas » Caribbean
October 22nd 2015

Published: November 3rd 2015

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GeoffandJudy

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Day 1 of the cruise...so excited

I'm going to start this blog with some information about our home for the next 10 days. The information is copied from Wikipedia :

MS Liberty of the Seas is a Royal Caribbean International Freedom class cruise ship which entered regular service in May 2007. It was initially announced that she would be called Endeavour of the Seas, however this name was later changed. The 15-deck ship accommodates 3,634 passengers served by 1,360 crew. She was built in 18 months at the Aker Finnyards Turku Shipyard, Finland, where her sister ship, Freedom of the Seas, was also built. At 154,407 gross tonnage , she joined her sister ship, Freedom of the Seas, as the largest cruise ships and passenger vessels then ever built. She is 1,111.9 ft (338.91 m) long, 184 ft (56.08 m) wide, and cruises at 21.6-knot(40 km/h; 25 mph).

On April 19, 2007, she was delivered to parent company Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. On

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15 levels up there

April 22, 2007 she made her first port of call Southampton, on a promotional visit. She arrived at Cape Liberty Cruise Port on May 3, 2007.

Liberty of the Seas is the second of the Freedom class vessels. A third ship, Independence of the Seas, was delivered in April 2008. In 2009, the first in a new Oasis Class of ships measuring 220,000 gross tons displaced the Freedom class as the world's largest passenger ships.

In 2011, Liberty of the Seas underwent renovations in drydock the week of January 23, 2011 to include features introduced on Oasis class ships that have proven to be popular. One of the many features included in this renovation was the inclusion of the DreamWorks Experience.

In 2011, Liberty of the Seas completed her first transatlantic repositioning cruise, moving from

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Geoff outside the schooner bar

Miami, Florida to being home-ported in Barcelona, Spain. She stayed in Europe for the summer and part of fall, and then returned to Miami. Until 2015, Liberty of the Seas spends summers in Europe and winters in either Port of Miami or Port Everglades in Florida. In 2015, Liberty of the Seas repositioned to Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne, NJ from May to November, after which she will reposition to Galveston, Texas.

Now here is my experience on this amazing ship

Cruising Day 1

We used Uber service to make our way to the cruise terminal - Cape Liberty Bayonne. Our first time using uber and I think we are hooked. It is super easy to use, safe and costs a fraction of what a taxi would cost. We ordered our uber driver using the uber app and 6 minutes later a lady arrived to pick us up from our hotel. The cost for the ride was $28USD.

Embarkation onto the ship was a breeze too. 1pm and we were sitting on the ship and exploring all the nooks and kranies. 15 levels

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Onboard in Bayonne

of ship - so much to see and do. Our luggage arrived to our stateroom by 2pm so we unpacked and made ourselves comfortable for the next 10 nights.

We booked an inside stateroom 6257 above the promenade - we had a bay window over looking the shops below. Just perfect. We purchased the cruise online through "cruise direct" paying $1529 for the first ticket and second ticket was half price. Booking the cruise online through a US site saved us a stack of money.

We had lunch at the windjammer - it's a buffet restsurant with loads of choices. Sitting in the Windjammer you have great views of the never ending ocean. The sail away party was awesome. The ship passed under the bridge connecting Staten Island to Long Island. It was seriously amazing - the ship is so high I honestly didn't think it would make it under that bridge without incident. Passing under the bridge the ship sounded its horn and everyone onboard cheered. It was one of those times that will stay in the memory forever that's for sure.

The winds were blowing quite strongly so we

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A view of the Royal promenade

spent the remainder of the afternoon indoors. We enjoyed dinner in the "Chops Grille". This restaurant has a surcharge of $35 USD. Reviews were fabulous for this dining experience but it didn't live up to its expectations for us.

Don't get me wrong - the experience was good but it just wasn't up there (maybe we have been spoilt by the Celebrity experience). I ordered organic roast chicken as a main and was highly disappointed when I discovered the meat was as tough as old boots. The server couldn't have been more helpful and quickly removed the food and replaced it with a prawn dish. We had 3 courses here at Chops so plenty to eat but I wouldn't bother doing I again. I overhead other guests saying the menu had recently changed at Chops and it wasn't near as good as it used to be.

After dinner we made our way down to the "Platinum Theatre" to watch the Welcome Aboard show. Geoff says the show was good - I can't comment as I slept through the entire show - what can I say - jet lag had really caught up. After the

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Our first view of the Luberty

show straight to bed for us!

A day at sea - great nights sleep. Woke to breakfast in our room and then headed up to Deck 11 to grab a spot by the pool. These spots get taken very quickly - so if you want one you need to be at the poolside before 9am to be in with a chance. Spent the morning relaxing poolside. There is plenty of poolside activities to keep you entertained from dance classes to band playing music. Some great people watching happens right here by the pool - trust me not all of it is beautiful - there is all shapes and sizes to observe!

Formal night in the restaurants this evening - so we got all dressed up and headed to the dining room. Food was nothing to rave about so we are hoping it improves as the days go (and it did). This evenings entertainment was a comedy show - well worth watching - side splitting laughter especially if you have a dry sense of humour.

Bermuda - ship docked at 8.30am. Grabbed breakfast at the Windjammer and headed downstairs for a day

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The Spinx...a room for meetings and dancing activities

off the ship. We had organised to pick up a 2 seater scooter to explore the island. We hired the scooter from Oleander cycles $89 for the day. It was a great way to see everything in our own time in our way rather than sitting on a tour bus.

Our first stop was the well known "horseshoe Bay". Every man and his dog must have stopped here - the place was ridiculously busy but you can understand why when you see how beautiful this spot is. The weather today was just perfect - warm with a slight breeze. Every so often a dark cloud passed by which actually gave us a break from the brightness of the sun. The coastline surrounding Bermuda is magnificent - many shades of blue and sparkling white sands surround the island and the ocean looks very inviting.

We cruised around the winding roads on our scooter with comfort. Half the population here ride scooters while the other half drive small cars. The roads were well maintained making the ride quite safe. The scenery along the way was quite spectacular and I was able to get loads of photos

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Not sure what this was about but it made a good photo

while Geoff was in charge of riding the scooter. Maximum speed we got to was just over 70 kms which was more than enough considering you are wearing very little in the way of protection - in fact the only protection was a helmet - compulsory here in Bermuda.

The houses on the hillsides were all painted in bright colours - all the houses were made of besser brick and then rendered. There is a huge golf course on Bermuda and a road going right through the middle of it. I can only imagine that this golf course is for those who are lucky enough to more than middle class citizens.

Bermuda is part of the British Colony - English being the language spoken. It is ruled by a Premier and a Governor also resides here. Driving around it seemed there were two classes of residents - the midDoe class and then the extremely rich. In either case it looked like a place where I could easily retire snd enjoy a relaxed lifestyle.

Next stop was for an ice-cream at a popular stop. The ice creams were delicious with plenty of

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With the red dog

flavours to choose from ($4.50 for a single cone). From here we had a short walk over to the crystal cave. $22 admission to the caves with a tour guide. Now don't get me wrong the caves were lovely and if you have never been in a cave before you may think it was good value for money. Unfortunately Geoff and I have visited numerous caves and did feel that the price of $22 was rather over the top. The tour doesn't go for long and the cave although having spectacular stalagmites and stalactites was very small. The highlight of the tour was me dropping my Guess Sunglasses into the water in the cave. Luckily the tour guide was able to retrieve them but it did take significant effort with a net to get them out of there.

Back on the scooter we headed back towards the cruiseship - filled up with fuel $1.93 per litre (total cost of a whopping $3.70) before dropping off the scooter at 3pm and heading back onboard for some much needed lunch before having an afternoon nap.

Unfortunately we napped right past our 6.30pm Dining room booking so

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Our inside promenade cabin 6257

we had to settle for dinner at the buffet instead. We made it to the 8.30pm show which consisted of some amazing acrobats in a cirq-de-sol-Ai type show. The theatre was jammed packed but we managed to grab a seat each - not the best of seats - a giant concrete pole was in the way of our vision but hey at least we got seats. The shows so far have been fantastic and all inclusive in the price of our cruise - bonus!

After the show there was a game show "love and marriage". We stayed for this one as we have seen this on a previous Celebrity cruise and it was super funny. What happens is the cruise director picks 3 married couples from the audience. The show is all about seeing how well each couple knows each other. They are asked a series of questions (some of which are quite intimate). The females are asked a series of questions while the males are taken out the back and then visa versa. The answers that correspond correctly to the given questions are given points. You really have to be there to appreciate how hilarious the

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Leaving NYC

show is! Highly recommended if you are on an upcoming cruise of your own.

Sea Day- Yah a chance to lounge by the pool on yet another beautiful sunny day here in paradise. Breakfast at 7am and relaxing by the pool by 8am. Poolside entertainment today was line dancing, a belly flop competition and a flash mob rehearsal to the Michael Jackson sOMG "thriller". Weather is just beautiful - the sun feels extremely bright in this part of the world - a definite need to wear your sunnies.

After a bite to eat at the windjammer buffet we headed to "Studio B" to watch the "ice spectacular". The show is shown several times during the cruise and is an absolute "must do". The choreography was amazing and remembering it is performed on a moving stage (the ocean) making it even more amazing!

The afternoon consisted of people watching and shopping on the promenade before going to a bingo session. Had a good time there but didn't win a thing. As much as we enjoyed the game we decided it was a little over priced to play more than once. A book

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Stateroom bathroom

of tickets was $20 each with the major prize being $500. There was also 2 raffles with the prize being an upgrade to a balcony room. That was what I was wishing for but no such luck!

This evening we attended the Portifino speciality restaurant for dinner and a murder mystery theatre act. It was an Agatha Cryistie scenario of "who did it". Food was Italian and the show was very entertaining. Great way to end a perfect day at sea.

The majority of cruisers on this ship are American locals coming from New York, New Jersey, Philly and surrounding States. They are attracted to the departure port of Cape Liberty, making it an easy drive to the port. Havent come across any other Australians - I would say we are the minority!

SAN JUAN - Day 5.

Room service for breakfast this morning followed by a mandatory nap afterwards. Cruising is certainly the way to relax - I'm totally convinced of that. We spent the morning chilling by the pool sipping on vodka and freshly squeezed OJ. The weather is hot and hotter - a different heat

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Lido deck

to what we are used to in Australia where humidity is a key factor in the weather. This heat is dry and the occasional dark cloud provides us with some welcoming reprieve from the scorching sun.

Our stateroom attendant Diago is very efficient ensuring everything in our room is up to standard. Anything we wish for is never too much trouble and quickly provided. Diago is from Goa India - he is married with 3 young children and spends 7 months at sea before returning home to see his family for a 2 months break. Not exactly an ideal life for a married man but Diago says working on the ship provides him with the opportunity to send his kids to a good school and allows his family to have a comfortable lifestyle - something that is not possible if he were to be working in his home town.

Our ship docked in San Juan at 1pm and we had all had to be back onboard by 10.30pm. San Juan is on the north coast of Puerto Rico and it is well known for its landscape of green mountains, waterfalls white sand beaches and

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Ready for 10 days at sea

coral reefs. We had decided to do a walking tour of Old San Juan and this turned out to be ideal for us. We wondered around the blue cobble stone streets admiring all the nicely painted buildings and soaking up the local atmosphere. We jumped on board a free shuttle bus which took us up the hill to the national historic site of the old walled city - Castillo San Cristobal.

From the top of the hill we had great views of the city and the coastline below us. The native language in the Caribbean is Spanish but everyone here speaks English. We had a drink in a local bar (something we like to do at every stop).

Once the sunset we went back on board the ship for dinner and catch the show "EL Gaucho" - a show of interactive comedy music and visual effects. Tomorrow another port stop with an early start.

St. Thomas Day 6

We had room service for breakfast and left the ship ready for our 9am tour. We have booked independent tours for today and tomorrow. Today's tour is with Godfrey's Tours

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Excited plus

($35USD each)and our tour guide Haajji did a great job of showing us around the island.

St. Thomas is an island of the United States and its capital Charlotte Amelie is acharming, idyllic holiday spot. This world renowned Caribbean island is home to amazing beaches, gorgeous sea and great duty free shopping. In the 18th century St. Thomas was at the centre of a pirate culture and is where those famous pirates, Blackbeard bad Drake traded stolen wares.

We started the tour by doing some shopping before driving up the the famous mountain Top where we were given a banana daiquiri while enjoying the stunning views below us. We visited one of the world's most beautiful beaches "Magens Bay Beach" which is certainly a tropical paradise.

St Thomas is a 32 square mile island that is known to be the most lively of the US Virgin Islands. We did a spot of window shopping before heading back on board for 5.30pm departure.

After an amazing dinner we went to a show "Beatlemanics" which was just the best show ever. Tomorrow we are in St. Martin for the day

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We just fit under

- another early start at another Caribbean hotspot.

Day 7 - St. Marteen/St. Martin

We were docked and ready to disembark by 7.30am this morning. This amazing island 37 square island is the smallest landmass in the world owned by two countries - the French and the Dutch. We arrived in the capital - Philipsburg where the Dutch influences dating back to thr colonial days are quite evident.

The pastel coloured houses line the narrow streets and the second storey verandahs and courtyards are filled with flowers. On the French side you will find international cuisine and amazing markets selling local products.

Our tour today is with "Bernard's Tours" ($45USD each for a full day). Tour guide DJ was great. Raised on the island he was full of terrific local knowledge which he willingly shared. Yesterday's and today's tours also came with unlimited cold drinks of water Coke, beer and today a special blend of rum punch.

We had an hour and a half at Orient Beach where we soaked up the sun. This Beach is known as the French riviera of the Caribbean and

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Washy washy before coffee

clothing is optional. On this tour we met a local guy 'Calvin' who fished out local sea creatures for us to hold. Along the way we also saw loads of iguanas who put on a good show of colour.

Both sides of the islands have their own rules and live as two separate counties. The Dutch and English reside on St. Maarten on the south side of the island and on the north side the French reside (speaking French of course and the euro for currency). The population here is close to 40,000.

Last stop was a Maho Beach famous for low flying aircraft - the planes land very close to the beach and on take off the jets engines blast off directly in front of the beach where people hang onto the fence rather tightly to avoid being thrown backwards. I'm sure many injuries happen here. In fact it was one place we really wanted to visit but really it was a bit of a disappointment - turned out to be a place where people drink excessively and act rather silly. Still we are glad to have had the experience.

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Ain't she grand

After our tour we tried the islands famous Guavaberry - a beverage that is an integral part of the local culture - and it sure has a kick to it!

Exhausted we hit bed early straight after dinner. Thank goodness we have 3 days at sea to recuperate.

Days 8 to 10 - Sea days

These 3 days are days to sit by the pool and soak up the Atlantic Sun. Up early in the mornings we find ourselves on the deck chairs and totally relaxing. The weather for this entire cruise has been superb. Temperatures in the mid 30's C and the heat is hot,hot and hot! It is a dry heat requiring plenty of fluids to be consumed and numerous dips in the pools and hot tubs.

We have taken to having our lunch in the dining room where the selection has been wide and varied. It's been wonderful as each day we sit and dine with complete strangers - no better way to get to know our fellow cruisers.

This blog is not meant to be a review of the ship but

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Scooter at bermuda

comparing RCI to celebrity - well really no comparison. We have had an amazing time on the Liberty but Celebrity does go one step higher in lots of areas. Celebrity has the touches that set them a above the other cruise lines especially in the food department. You just can't compare the two. Food has been good on this cruise but choices are limited. The windjammer on the lido deck has a reasonable selection on the buffet but the menu doesn't change making it boring after the first few days. Also after 9pm the restaurants are closed so the only choices are those down on deck 5 promenade which is basically pizza, sandwiches and an assortment of sweets.

Room service is available 24 hours a day - and the selection of food is pretty good. After midnight there is a surcharge of a few dollars but from 6.30am it's all complimentary.

Entertainment has been fantastic on the entire cruise - always something to do or do as little as you wish. The ship is opulent and we could easily stay onboard longer. We purchased a drink package for the cruise - $22 a day

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Horseshoe bay Bermuda

gave us unlimited virgin cocktails, fresh juices, speciality teas and coffee, bottled water and sparkling water too. We only purchased one package so Geoff had to order the drinks s d we could only have one at a time but it worked well for us.

Second night of our 3 days at sea and we had the best dinner ever - lobster tails - so delicious and our server spoilt us by bringing us more and more till we felt like we were going to burst. The ship had Halloween celebrations this evening. Was such fun watching all the people in dress ups. There was a parade down the promenade, loads of music and festivities.

We have met some great people on this trip - Jody and Tom from Rochester quickly became our new American friends..it's great to learn so much from local Anericans. Our cultures are so different yet so the same on some levels. We definitely plan on keeping n touch with Jody and Tom and who knows we may meet up on another cruise somewhere sometime.

The last day at sea brought cooler North Atlantic weather - we

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Enjoying the day at Bermuda

are definitely nearing the end. It was a sad time and we were so sad to leave the haven of this magnificent ship. We paid our gratuities to our favourite ship staff, took loads more photos and reluctantly left the ship early on Sunday 1 November (day of the NY marathon).

Disembarkation was quick and easy. We got a shuttle bus $70USD to 42nd street where we had a quick transfer to the subway heading to 135th street Harlem.

Well thats the finish of this blog - my next one will be about our NYC stay.

Enjoy xxx?❤️

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