Cruise Review: Liberty of the Seas Stateroom and Ports

Background:

I recently returned from my first Royal Caribbean cruise aboard Liberty of the Seas. This was my second cruise overall, with my first cruise dating back to 2016 aboard Princess Cruises’ Star Princess. I’m going to split the review into two, with this post focusing on the stateroom and ports. The next review will highlight the dining and entertainment on the boat.

Itinerary and Booking:

A friend and I went on a 3 Night Weekend Bahamas and Perfect Day Cruise aboard Liberty of the Seas. It began on Friday and ended on Monday morning in Fort Lauderdale. The cruise had a port stop each day, with the first stop at Royal Caribbean’s private island CocoCay, and the next day stopping at Nassau, Bahamas.

I booked the cruise via Royal Caribbean’s Casino Royale Program. They were running an offer match program if you had offers from other cruise ships. I had an offer for a free Carnival cruise from providing Carnival with my casino statuses, so I utilized that Carnival offer for the match. Then a few weeks later, I was given a menu for a complimentary cruise in a balcony cabin of 3-5 night cruises in the Bahamas, Caribbean, and Mexico. Our fellow BoardingArea site posted all the specifics of the program if you’re interested in the details.

The complimentary cruise came with a “Guaranteed Balcony” cabin. Not wanting to risk the location of the cabin, we upgraded to a “Spacious Ocean View Balcony” midship for a total of $80 for the cruise. We were also on the hook for a total of $220 in fees, taxes, and port expenses.

Liberty of the Seas Cabin: Spacious Ocean View Balcony

I found the stateroom to be quite roomy for a boat! Online it states that this room is 207 square feet and the balcony is 65 square feet. For reference, the entry-level balcony room is 188 square feet and has a 46 square foot balcony.

We chose deck 9 so that there were no public areas on top of us for less noise. Also, we were midship for a smoother ride. I’m not sure if the boat was just going very slow as our ports of call were close by, but it was not bumpy at all which was nice. My first cruise along the Pacific was much bumpier.

After entering the room, there is a large closet to the left, with plenty of hangers, shelf space, and a safe.

Bathroom:

Immediately to the right is the bathroom. While tight, it was designed very well. There was a shelf underneath the sink for storage and a medicine cabinet for additional storage. The standup shower had sliding doors which were great for space and keeping the water in the shower.

A bar of soap was provided, and the shower contained a pump with a “3 in 1 Shampoo, Conditioner, and Body Wash” in the Royal Caribbean brand. The scent was actually not bad. No body lotion was provided, but I asked housekeeping and they were able to provide me with a single-use bottle.

Continuing into the room is a living room area with a sofa and table. A very small TV and desk area are across the sofa, and there are plenty of drawers for more storage. Power outlets were located in the desk area, and the only con was that these were the only power outlets! There were none by the bed or nightstands.

A hairdryer and tissue box were provided in one of the desk drawers.

Then towards the balcony, is the bed area. Originally at booking, I had requested 2 separate beds, but when we checked in it was set up as a King bed. No worries though, our stateroom attendant separated them during the nighttime service. I’ve been reading that Royal is moving to once daily housekeeping service, but on our cruise, it was still twice daily.

In terms of the bedding, the pillows were too firm and thick, making it a bit uncomfortable. Also, the bedsheets were quite thin, if I had to nitpick. But after the 1st night, I got adjusted to it.

Balcony:

The balcony was quite large and had two chairs and a table in good condition. It was a great place to relax and get some fresh air.

Overall, the room was clean and comfortable for our 3-night stay.

Wi-Fi:

Royal Caribbean’s VOOM Internet service is billed as “The Fastest Internet at Sea.” My friend purchased the Wi-Fi which was about $20 a day. It did cut out quite a bit in our room, so I don’t know if it really is the fastest. Wi-Fi is free to use on the Royal Caribbean App to view the ship details and you can message other guests there as well.

Embarkation and Disembarkation:

For embarkation, my friend did the check-in 45 days in advance to choose an early boarding time and got 11:30am. We cleared security and check-in at the port in about 20 minutes and were on the boat! The room was ready at 1pm, so we ate lunch first.

For disembarkation, check-out from your room is at 8am. You’ll get assigned a time to depart the boat if you want them to take care of your luggage, but if you’ll carry your bags off the boat, you can leave anytime.

Port 1: Coco Cay

Our first port was Coco Cay, which is Royal Caribbean’s private island. There are a lot of paid activities like the Thrill Waterpark, Ziplining, and a Helium Balloon Ride.

We opted for the complimentary parts and relaxed on the beach at Chill Island and South Beach. I think I preferred the sand at South Beach more as it was a bit less rocky. We were the only Royal Caribbean boat docked there that day (sometimes there are 2), so it was very easy to find a seat on the beach and the island didn’t feel crowded at all.

There is also a main pool area, but the bar there was blasting music, so we opted to stay at the quieter beach areas. The island as a whole is pretty walkable, but there are trams running too if you don’t want to walk. We ended up taking the tram back at the end of the day.

Food is also included, and they were pretty good! We ate lunch at Skipper’s Grill, and it was buffet style with a taco bar, burger bar, and salad options. There are also drink stations around the island and juices and water are complimentary. I really liked the mango juice!

Port 2: Nassau

The next port was Nassau, Bahamas. My friend had been there before but I hadn’t. We walked around the cruise port area and the Queens Steps attraction, then headed back to the port to catch a cab to visit Atlantis at Paradise Island. There wasn’t much to do in the port area (or downtown really).

The taxi ran us $15 USD both ways, and we explored the grounds of the Atlantis Resort, and ate lunch at the Four Seasons. The beach outside of the Four Seasons is beautiful, and Cabbage Beach extends from the Four Seasons to Atlantis.

Next time I might opt to pay to visit the Aquaventure Water Park at Atlantis.

The Verdict:

Overall, I had a fun cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas for a weekend getaway. Despite the outdated rooms, they were still in pretty good shape. I really enjoyed the oversized balcony too. And, the Coco Cay private island was a fun place to relax for the day and go to the beach.

 

Have you been on Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas before? How was your experience? 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!