Cruise Review: Liberty of the Seas Dining and Entertainment

Background:

I recently returned from my first Royal Caribbean cruise aboard Liberty of the Seas. In my last review, I highlighted the stateroom I stayed in as well as the ports that we visited. In this review, I’m focusing on the Liberty of the Seas dining and entertainment options on the boat.

Liberty of the Seas Dining:

Cafe Promenade is open 24 hours and offers casual quick bites complimentarily.

The other complimentary dining option was Sorrento’s Pizza which generally stayed opened until 2am.

Room service was also available starting at 5pm on the first day to midnight on the last day. A service charge per order of $7.95 and an 18% gratuity applies (except for Continental Breakfast).

Bars:

There were numerous bars spread across the ship. I think there are 14 bars in total.

Buffet:

The buffet included with your cruise fare was called Windjammer. It’s open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They closed at 9pm nightly.

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The breakfast is pretty extensive, with most of the same items served in the main dining room. I ate breakfast here on the final morning and was quite impressed given that it was a buffet.

While I didn’t have a formal lunch or dinner here, I did come by for dessert. On top of the iced tea and lemonade, they also offer fruit punch complimentary and I really liked that.

Paid Food Options:

For snacks, there is a Ben and Jerry’s, a store called Cupcake, and a Johnny Rockets which is a surcharge.

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In terms of specialty restaurants, there is the steakhouse Chop’s Grille, the Italian restaurant Giovanni’s Table, and the modern Mexican Sabor.

We tried Chop’s Grille for lunch on the first day, and it came out to $31.85 additional per person (including tax and gratuity).

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I had the shrimp cocktail to start, filet mignon, asparagus, and mac and cheese as sides, and the red velvet for dessert.

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Overall, I thought it was not bad, but the steak was a bit rough. I don’t know how much better it would have been than the steak offered in the main dining room during dinner. But, it was definitely fancier than the normal dining room presentation. I’m glad I tried it for lunch though.

Main Dining Room Breakfast:

You could have breakfast in the main dining room, which is what I did for the first two mornings. It does end earlier than at the buffet, at 8am. Lunch was not served in the main dining room during the cruise as on both days we were at a port.

I liked having my meals in the main dining room, ordering from the a la carte menu. I was quite boring and got the same thing both days. A fruit plate plus an egg white omelet (and hashbrowns + bacon on the side). Overall, I was very happy with my breakfast (minus the non-ripe pineapple). Tea and coffee were also included.

Main Dining Room Dinner:

We chose the first seating at 6pm and were assigned to the dining room on deck 3. The second seating is at 8:30pm, and there is also My Time Dining. There are 3 main dining rooms, on decks 3, 4, and 5. We requested a seat by the window in advance and it was granted.

Each night had its theme with different menus. There were some Royal Classics, such as the New York Strip Steak and the Royal Chocolate Cake, that stayed on the menu each night. Lemonade and Iced Tea were complimentary.

On the first night, it was the Welcome Aboard menu. I started with a crab cake, got the fried chicken as my main, and ended with the cheesecake and chocolate ice cream.

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The crab cake was a bit bland, but overall okay. I thought the presentation of the chicken could have been improved, but it tasted fine. The cheesecake was quite good, and probably the highlight of this particular meal.

The second night was Italian Night. I started with the minestrone soup, got the chicken parmesan as my main, and ended with the tiramisu and hazelnut cake.

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The soup was disappointing, and I think the Olive Garden minestrone is better. I did enjoy the chicken parmesan and the chocolate cake. The Tiramisu was much too creamy.

On the third night, it was Caribbean Night. I got pork bao tacos and crispy shrimp as my starters and the tiger shrimp as my main. All of the dishes were pretty solid, but nothing special. I ended the meal with the Pineapple Sunshine Cake, and that was enjoyable.

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Overall, I enjoyed the variety of options at dinner in the dining room and the service was excellent. However, the presentation and food quality could be a bit better.

Shows:

On the first night, the main show was a comedian and he was quite bad, to be honest. But, thankfully the Ice Show and Broadway Production Show of Saturday Night Fever were both very entertaining.

On the last day, they even had 30 minute sessions for individual ice skating which was fun!

There are also numerous live music venues around the boat in the pool areas, lounges, and bars. Anything from Caribbean Music, Classical Guitar Music, Pool Party Music, Latin Music, and Piano & Vocal Entertainment.

Casino Royale:

The casino had slot machines and table games. The table games got quite crowded at night.

Pools:

While I didn’t use them on this trip, highlights include the main pool, kids pool, waterslides, and Solarium (adults only).

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Sports:

There’s the famous FlowRider, which offers advanced surfing, boogie boarding, mixed wave, and self-assist stand-up surf. It looked kind of difficult, so I didn’t try this time but maybe I will try on my next cruise.

There is also rock climbing, which I did partake in and had a blast!

We also walked past the Liberty Dunes Mini Golf Course but didn’t have time to play.

Additionally, there is a shuffleboard and a basketball court. And, a video game arcade for kids.

There is also a very large fitness center for your workout needs.

The Verdict:

Overall, I thought the Liberty of the Seas Dining and Entertainment was pretty solid. While the food quality and presentation could be improved, at least it was tasty. And the entertainment options were vast and there was always something to do during the short 3-day cruise.

 

Have you been on this boat before? What did you think of the Liberty of the Seas Dining and Entertainment options? Comment below!

 

Cheers,

Ty

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Have any questions? Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. I’ve also started working with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays or planning trips. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!