Liberty of the Seas - WOW!!!

Just got back from our pre-inaugural 2 nite sailing on Liberty of the Seas.

This is ONE FRIGGIN HUGE SHIP.

I totally LOVED it.

This ship takes Voyager class and spreads it out even more. Want
lounges.... there's about 200 of them. Just kidding of course, but there's
more of everything you'd ever want.

The flow rider is REALLY KEWL... I didn't have the nerve to try it, but even
if you can't surf, you can belly board on it.

Food was really good for RCI... and free booze was everywhere. Crew with
plates of drinks outside every event. Never a line for a drink (filling out
the charge forms didn't have to be done so it seemed they could do like 5x
as many drinks per person). And other than wine, the booze was the good
stuff.

We sailed about 120 miles out. Kind of toward Bermuda, and then returned.

They did the ice show and a music show on Monday nite, and had Micky Dolenz
from the Monkeys last nite. We were at the 80's dance party (in Studio B)
until about 3:00 am or so...

Got a table for 12 in the dining room, and most of our gang sat together.

Had a great time with everyone.

Since I took a vacation day, I'm off to the golf course. More later.

--Tom

Tom K wrote:
Just got back from our pre-inaugural 2 nite sailing on Liberty of the Seas.

This is ONE FRIGGIN HUGE SHIP.

I totally LOVED it.

This ship takes Voyager class and spreads it out even more. Want
lounges.... there's about 200 of them. Just kidding of course, but there's
more of everything you'd ever want.

The flow rider is REALLY KEWL... I didn't have the nerve to try it, but even
if you can't surf, you can belly board on it.

Food was really good for RCI... and free booze was everywhere. Crew with
plates of drinks outside every event. Never a line for a drink (filling out
the charge forms didn't have to be done so it seemed they could do like 5x
as many drinks per person). And other than wine, the booze was the good
stuff.

We sailed about 120 miles out. Kind of toward Bermuda, and then returned.

They did the ice show and a music show on Monday nite, and had Micky Dolenz
from the Monkeys last nite. We were at the 80's dance party (in Studio B)
until about 3:00 am or so...

Got a table for 12 in the dining room, and most of our gang sat together.

Welcome home Tom, glad you had a good time and enjoyed the ship!! Also
glad that most of the group were seated together!!

sue - who will watch for more later!!

Tom K wrote:
Just got back from our pre-inaugural 2 nite sailing on Liberty of the Seas.

This is ONE FRIGGIN HUGE SHIP.

I totally LOVED it.

I snipped most of Tom's post, but let me say I second everything he
said. I was not clamoring for this newer, larger class of ships, but I
have to give Royal Caribbean their props for taking the fabulously
successful Voyager concept and doing it one better with the Freedom class.

The Royal Promenade remains its most distinguishing feature, and in
addition to all the goodies you're already familiar with, this one has a
barber shop (Steiner run) where the men can get haircuts, shaves,
facials, scalp massages, etc. My husband had a wonderfully pampering
experience there.

There's also a new eatery on the Promenade, Sorrento's, which features
pizza and lite bites of antipasti throughout the day, from grilled
vegetables, marinated cheeses, Italian meats, etc. There's also a great
dessert section with cups of tiramisu, biscotti and other such treats.

As Tom said, they pulled out all the stops for us: open bars, fabulous
service, non-stop shows and entertainment, and a few Royal big wigs on
board (including president Adam Goldstein). They were very appreciative
of the travel professionals on board as their guests, and seem to truly
respect the partnership they have with the agents so many bookings come
from.

The casino could have been a bit nicer to us g, but we had GREAT fun.
It was a treat to sail with a bunch of friends from RTC, and we met up
with a group of Cruise Critic guests who were also quite nice.

I don't think I'd try the flow rider, myself, but it's a good show (with
lots of seating available) and would be a great way to spend some time.
The rock climbing wall, like everything else on board, is HUGE, with
many different courses up to the top.

The new H2O zone is INCREDIBLE. Brightly colored fountains, waterfalls
and and shallow water for kids of all ages to play in and enjoy.
There's also the traditional pool area and a lovely solarium pool for
adults only. The new cantilevered hot tubs, jutting out from the ship
and overlooking nothing but water, are a blissful retreat, and there
were lots of other hot tubs surrounding the main pool and in the solarium.

What else? So much, LOL. The bedding in the cabins is the most
comfortable we've experienced thus far. Comfy pillows, too. The
bathrooms have the rounded hard plastic shower doors instead of
curtains, and that's nice too. The rooms have gorgeous flat panel TVs.

The food was quite good. We were invited by Corporate Communications to
dine in Chops on the first evening, and although the menu was limited
because the restaurant isn't open for regular business until the actual
inaugural, we had a nice selection and the food and service were
outstanding. The Windjammer features an Asian section (Jade) before
heading back to salads, pastas, hamburgers, sandwiches, and the usual
buffet assortment. It wasn't open for dinner on the pre-inaugural, so I
can't tell you what that would be like, but for breakfast and lunch the
food was fresh and tasty. One nice innovation for breakfast is they
give you a number when you order from the omelette station, so you don't
have to wait on a long, congested line. You can head off to pick up
some other stuff and then come back for your order when it's ready. One
minor problem for the short ones among us is that the signs describing
the contents of the buffet table were placed so high you will have
trouble reading them without standing on your toes or having a taller
friend along.

The lounges are pretty much the same as on the Voyager ships, but
there's a new lounge called "On Air" which is dedicated for karaoke.
Tons of flat panel video screens and good viewing from everywhere. We
didn't see in action, but I bet it's fun. There are also a couple of
closed booths where you can make a dvd of your performance if you're not
ready to meet the public. The Viking Crown lounge has a dedicated
martini bar area, "Olive or Twist," where the martini menu is limited
only by your imagination. Absent from the bar scene, best we could
tell, though, is a sports bar. Not a huge factor year round, but we've
always enjoyed congregating there on our January cruises for football
playoffs. I'm sure they make alternate arrangements somewhere else on
board.

I'm almost done, don't worry ;-).

The gym is awesome. You see the boxing ring when you first walk in.
Doesn't do anything for me, but the boxing fitness classes were the best
attended on the ship, at least according to the sign-in sheets. There
is a ton of equipment with state of the art strength training machines,
free weights, a dedicated spinning area, treadmills, elliptical trainers
and stationary bikes (upright and recumbent) all with individual TV
screens. There's a separate room for classes (yoga, pilates, etc.) and
changing rooms with a sauna and steam bath. My only gym quibble was
there was no disinfectant spray with which to clean off and wipe down
the equipment when you were done. Eeew.

But I don't want to end with a complaint, however minor. We were
extremely fortunate to have been invited along on this preview. Going
with friends from RTC made it even better. On sailaway, the Captain
took us a little out of the way so we could sail past the Statue of
Liberty before heading under the Verrazano Bridge out to sea. It was
just the first magical moment of a truly wonderful whirlwind of a trip.
We crammed A LOT into the time we had, so if there are any questions,
I hope we can answer them.

Thanks for bearing with my stream of consciousness reflections. If I
didn't get it out now, I don't know when I would have gotten around to
it. :-)

~ Peri

Peri wrote:

I snipped most of Tom's post, but let me say I second everything he
said. I was not clamoring for this newer, larger class of ships, but I
have to give Royal Caribbean their props for taking the fabulously
successful Voyager concept and doing it one better with the Freedom class.

So for someone like me who has not sailed a Voyager class ship yet,
should I just go for the Freedom or Libery of the Seas first?

There's also a new eatery on the Promenade, Sorrento's, which features
pizza and lite bites of antipasti throughout the day, from grilled
vegetables, marinated cheeses, Italian meats, etc. There's also a great
dessert section with cups of tiramisu, biscotti and other such treats.

Is there normally a charge for this or is it like the International Cafe
on the Crown Princess where most things are free? Of course you may not
know the answer since this was not a normal cruise.

The new H2O zone is INCREDIBLE. Brightly colored fountains, waterfalls
and and shallow water for kids of all ages to play in and enjoy.

I have been fasinated with the H2O zone and am glad to see that even
adult kids can play in it.lol

The new cantilevered hot tubs, jutting out from the ship
and overlooking nothing but water, are a blissful retreat,

Glad that the cantilevered hot tubs are as good as I thought they would be.

One nice innovation for breakfast is they
give you a number when you order from the omelette station, so you don't
have to wait on a long, congested line. You can head off to pick up
some other stuff and then come back for your order when it's ready.

I believe it was on the Crown Princess that they did this and it is
very, very nice. Place your order and go get whatever else you want.

Thanks for bearing with my stream of consciousness reflections. If I
didn't get it out now, I don't know when I would have gotten around to
it.

Peri, welcome home and thank you for a great review!!

sue

In article , Tom K
wrote:

Had a great time with everyone.

I also had a great time and it was great meeting everyone from r.t.c.
who were on board.

Royal Caribbean treated us very well, not just the food and drink, but
also with the entertainment on board, and the nice balcony cabin they
provided. I thank them for the invite.

I have always liked the Voyager class ships. They are innovative ships.
Liberty of the Seas is an even better, expanded version of those and
they have done a great job in adding new features and using the
additional space.

The Flowrider looked like a lot of fun. This is something many
passengers will enjoy doing, and if not doing, watching. I will try it
this December when I do a full sailing on Liberty. I did not try it
this time because of the cool weather.

I took a bunch of pictures which I hope to put up soon.

--
Charles

and now my 2 cents!!

I will 2nd everything said already other than we didn't get to eat with the
hoity toity like peri and peter!

From the time we boarded till we got off, we were treated extremely well.
We also had a balcony although it was too cool to use it. The drinks were
everywhere and they weren't chintzy with the alcohol in them.

Lunch at Jade and Windjammer was very good, we met up with Tom, Karen,
Charles, Peter and Peri there.
Off to start exploring then to the champagne bar for the CC party where we
got to meet Diana Ball and her husband Craig and Bill and his wife Leslie.

Of coursei had to try a ben and jerry's scoop, then to the coffee bar. they
had the most outrageous cookie there, called a mudslide. wow!!

The H2O zone looked like so much fun.

Dinner was very good, the ice show was excellent and the production show was
ok. then they had a 70's dance party on the promenade. what a blast!!
yesterday, i ventured to the solarium pool, a bit windy but i got some sun.
I also found Susette and her friend Sharon at Johnny Rocket's so i could get
my milkshake! If it was warmer I would have belly boarded in the surf pool!

Another good dinner, a table for 12, then Mickey Dolenz performed. Hit the
casino for a bit, more exploring then onto the 80's dance party
Have to say i haven't done this much dancing in a long time.
Thanks to RCI for such a great 2 nighter. It was a lot of fun, sailing with
RTCers made it better and it really makes me want to give them another try,
especially on one of these ships.
Didn't get to say good bye to everyone, it's such a huge ship we went all of
yesterday without running into anyone other than susette at jr'sl

sheree
"Peri" wrote in message
...
Tom K wrote:
Just got back from our pre-inaugural 2 nite sailing on Liberty of the
Seas.

This is ONE FRIGGIN HUGE SHIP.

I totally LOVED it.

I snipped most of Tom's post, but let me say I second everything he
said. I was not clamoring for this newer, larger class of ships, but I
have to give Royal Caribbean their props for taking the fabulously
successful Voyager concept and doing it one better with the Freedom class.

The Royal Promenade remains its most distinguishing feature, and in
addition to all the goodies you're already familiar with, this one has a
barber shop (Steiner run) where the men can get haircuts, shaves,
facials, scalp massages, etc. My husband had a wonderfully pampering
experience there.

There's also a new eatery on the Promenade, Sorrento's, which features
pizza and lite bites of antipasti throughout the day, from grilled
vegetables, marinated cheeses, Italian meats, etc. There's also a great
dessert section with cups of tiramisu, biscotti and other such treats.

As Tom said, they pulled out all the stops for us: open bars, fabulous
service, non-stop shows and entertainment, and a few Royal big wigs on
board (including president Adam Goldstein). They were very appreciative
of the travel professionals on board as their guests, and seem to truly
respect the partnership they have with the agents so many bookings come
from.

The casino could have been a bit nicer to us g, but we had GREAT fun.
It was a treat to sail with a bunch of friends from RTC, and we met up
with a group of Cruise Critic guests who were also quite nice.

I don't think I'd try the flow rider, myself, but it's a good show (with
lots of seating available) and would be a great way to spend some time.
The rock climbing wall, like everything else on board, is HUGE, with
many different courses up to the top.

The new H2O zone is INCREDIBLE. Brightly colored fountains, waterfalls
and and shallow water for kids of all ages to play in and enjoy.
There's also the traditional pool area and a lovely solarium pool for
adults only. The new cantilevered hot tubs, jutting out from the ship
and overlooking nothing but water, are a blissful retreat, and there
were lots of other hot tubs surrounding the main pool and in the solarium.

What else? So much, LOL. The bedding in the cabins is the most
comfortable we've experienced thus far. Comfy pillows, too. The
bathrooms have the rounded hard plastic shower doors instead of
curtains, and that's nice too. The rooms have gorgeous flat panel TVs.

The food was quite good. We were invited by Corporate Communications to
dine in Chops on the first evening, and although the menu was limited
because the restaurant isn't open for regular business until the actual
inaugural, we had a nice selection and the food and service were
outstanding. The Windjammer features an Asian section (Jade) before
heading back to salads, pastas, hamburgers, sandwiches, and the usual
buffet assortment. It wasn't open for dinner on the pre-inaugural, so I
can't tell you what that would be like, but for breakfast and lunch the
food was fresh and tasty. One nice innovation for breakfast is they
give you a number when you order from the omelette station, so you don't
have to wait on a long, congested line. You can head off to pick up
some other stuff and then come back for your order when it's ready. One
minor problem for the short ones among us is that the signs describing
the contents of the buffet table were placed so high you will have
trouble reading them without standing on your toes or having a taller
friend along.

The lounges are pretty much the same as on the Voyager ships, but
there's a new lounge called "On Air" which is dedicated for karaoke.
Tons of flat panel video screens and good viewing from everywhere. We
didn't see in action, but I bet it's fun. There are also a couple of
closed booths where you can make a dvd of your performance if you're not
ready to meet the public. The Viking Crown lounge has a dedicated
martini bar area, "Olive or Twist," where the martini menu is limited
only by your imagination. Absent from the bar scene, best we could
tell, though, is a sports bar. Not a huge factor year round, but we've
always enjoyed congregating there on our January cruises for football
playoffs. I'm sure they make alternate arrangements somewhere else on
board.

I'm almost done, don't worry ;-).

The gym is awesome. You see the boxing ring when you first walk in.
Doesn't do anything for me, but the boxing fitness classes were the best
attended on the ship, at least according to the sign-in sheets. There
is a ton of equipment with state of the art strength training machines,
free weights, a dedicated spinning area, treadmills, elliptical trainers
and stationary bikes (upright and recumbent) all with individual TV
screens. There's a separate room for classes (yoga, pilates, etc.) and
changing rooms with a sauna and steam bath. My only gym quibble was
there was no disinfectant spray with which to clean off and wipe down
the equipment when you were done. Eeew.

But I don't want to end with a complaint, however minor. We were
extremely fortunate to have been invited along on this preview. Going
with friends from RTC made it even better. On sailaway, the Captain
took us a little out of the way so we could sail past the Statue of
Liberty before heading under the Verrazano Bridge out to sea. It was
just the first magical moment of a truly wonderful whirlwind of a trip. We
crammed A LOT into the time we had, so if there are any questions, I hope
we can answer them.

Thanks for bearing with my stream of consciousness reflections. If I
didn't get it out now, I don't know when I would have gotten around to it.
:-)

~ Peri

Sue and Kevin Mullen wrote:

So for someone like me who has not sailed a Voyager class ship yet,
should I just go for the Freedom or Libery of the Seas first?

I don't think you could go wrong with either, Sue. You wouldn't be
disappointed in any of the Voyager class ships, that's for sure. Yes,
there are a few more bells and whistles on the Freedom ships, but it's a
difference of degrees only.

My hope is that pricing will also become better on the older ships with
the introduction of all the new inventory...but I'm not holding my breath!

Is there normally a charge for this or is it like the International
Cafe
on the Crown Princess where most things are free? Of course you may not
know the answer since this was not a normal cruise.

Food at Sorrento's and the Cafe Promenade is included. Specialty drinks
are additional, but (excellent) regular coffee and decaf are available
at no charge.


~ Peri

On May 9, 4:56 pm, Peri wrote:
Sue and Kevin Mullen wrote:

So for someone like me who has not sailed a Voyager class ship yet,
should I just go for the Freedom or Libery of the Seas first?

I don't think you could go wrong with either, Sue. You wouldn't be
disappointed in any of the Voyager class ships, that's for sure. Yes,
there are a few more bells and whistles on the Freedom ships, but it's a
difference of degrees only.

My hope is that pricing will also become better on the older ships with
the introduction of all the new inventory...but I'm not holding my breath!

Is there normally a charge for this or is it like the International
Cafe

on the Crown Princess where most things are free? Of course you may not
know the answer since this was not a normal cruise.

Food at Sorrento's and the Cafe Promenade is included. Specialty drinks
are additional, but (excellent) regular coffee and decaf are available
at no charge.



~ Peri

Welcome home .I watched you guy"s go from my block .I had to go to the
end and look south but i saw you go .I can"t wait to go in august !!
If Tom likes it ,t really must be something eles !!!!
Ken G...........

Tom
WOW you liked it you really liked it! I think the Vikings will be very
happy!
Someone asked which is better Well I done both and there is something
warmer or homier about the Liberty to me for some reason! I like them
both and like the Voyager class too so ANY will be fine!
I feel like I need AA! they were NOT chintzy at all on the booze, and
what was nice is that there was not alot of drunken TA lushes!
hahahahha
Very nice crowd..
This was good! ANd I am so glad that Sheree got her Milkshake!

Charles wrote:

I also had a great time and it was great meeting everyone from r.t.c.
who were on board.

Boo Hoo!!

Welcome home and glad you had a good time!

I took a bunch of pictures which I hope to put up soon.

Can't wait to see them!

sue