I’ve been on about a dozen cruises on pretty much all of the major cruise lines. We went on a cruise on the RCL Liberty of the Seas. We had 3 generations of our family there, with age ranges from 18-81. The ship was nice, similar to other large cruise ships we have been on in the past. A few callouts on what we thought of the ship. THINGS NOT TO MISS • Don’t miss out on the 5th floor. Sorrento’s Pizza was fantastic, far better than the pizza you could get on the Windjammer. The Hoof and Claw has a great, with an extended bar selection. There is also a café that has Starbucks for coffee junkies (for a charge, unless you have the drink package) • There were also great musicians on the 5th floor – both a piano and guitar players. • The wave runner was fun – and something even 50 year old me could do. But I wasn’t as impressed with the slide or the other things on the sports deck. My brother did the climbing wall and said it was nice. • Poolside was fine, there were different areas depending upon what you wanted to do. CABIN • We had room 7206, an odd shaped corner room in the front of the ship. THIS WAS A GREAT ROOM – had 2 huge windows. We also liked being in the front of the ship, because it was much easier to get around. Our room steward was great. • The other room that we didn’t stay in – but learned about, was room 6305 – which was the ‘sweet’ room. It overlooked Ben and Jerry’s on the promenade – and if you stayed there, you got free Ben & Jerry’s the entire week. FOOD • The food in the Windjammer was typical cafeteria fare. As long as you kept your expectations realistic, it was fine. Don’t skip over the Asian foods -- particularly the Indian food. The deserts were also very good. We ate dinner here one night, which was surprisingly better than we expected. • Main Dining room. The service was outstanding, but the food was only ‘fair’. It got MUCH better when I decided to let our waiter order for us rather than trying to pick. I would strongly recommend doing the same. • I didn’t go to the premium dining areas, but our family did go to Chops, which we were told was ‘just OK’. PORTS We had 3 ports – Roatan, Honduras , Belize and Cozumel. • Roatan –No need to book through the ship, they sell the excursions when you get off of the ship. We went on the zip line and also included visiting a few animals -- parrots and monkeys. The whole area was very touristy (that isn’t a bad thing) and limited to a small part of the island. We actually enjoyed it, but it was probably a ‘one time’ thing for me. Cost was $65 per person • Belize – THE BEST… This is the reason I wanted this itinerary. We went Cave Tubing with David from Cave Tubing R Us… We have been before – but as I was reminded by my 24 year old daughter – “I built it up so much – and it lived up to the expectations. I would DEFINITELY use David/Cave Tubing R Us rather than the ship. It was a lot more personal and fun. Cost is only $50 and it is the best shore excursion ever!!! I’d also suggest paying the extra $10 to get the meal at the end – it was a lot of fun getting to know Belizean food! I’ve heard that the scuba and snorkeling is amazing – and I’m sure it is. But if you haven’t been cave tubing, please do yourself a favor and do it. • Cozumel – been here many times and it’s not my favorite. If you haven’t been to Tulum, it is amazing – but a long bus ride (this is the one tour I would suggest booking through the ship). OTHER TIDBITS • Like all cruises, they are constantly trying to sell stuff to you. This is a sad reality of cruising in today’s world, because everyone needs to make a buck. • We brought dry erase boards and 3M strips, which was a really nice of letting everyone know where we were. It’s worth a trip to the dollar store to get these! • The drink package was probably overkill. It was nice because we didn’t have to think about anything – but I felt guilty if I didn’t have a drink in my hand. Unless you are a big drinker, I would pass on this. They do sell prepaid cards where you can buy 10 drinks for $79.99 or 15 premium coffees for $31.99 • Remember that you can bring a bottle of wine per person aboard. This is especially important if you listen to my suggestion above Read Less

We cruised this ship for the second time because it is just easier for us to drive to Galveston rather than fly to another port. It is a good size ship that has plenty of activities for the kids (aged 16 and 13.) Both kids had a blast! Embarkation was fine. It went smoothly enough. We decided to park and walk this time and we will definitely go that route again. The walk was so much better than having to ride a shuttle. In the MDR, the food was pretty good. Our service was excellent! Absolutely loved our waiter. We chose to eat at Chops and Sabor as well because the food is just so.much.better in the specialty dining rooms. Both were delicious! Lunch was usually pizza at Sorentos. I'm kind of over the Windjammer. The food is just strange and none of it is very good and the people everywhere make me crazy. Buffets are just not my thing. We didn't really take part in activities...we like to stay by the pool. There was never a long wait at the pool bars and the entertainment on the big screen as well as the pool activities (dancing, Belly Flop, etc) were lots of fun! The service was top notch! I love how the staff remembers your name and what you like. Ports and excursions: In Roatan, we chose the Plaza Maya beach break. It was all-inclusive and there were plenty of food and drinks to be enjoyed! The beach is super busy with vendors selling excursions, massages, bracelets, tobacco, etc. My daughter and I chose to parasail and we had a great time! This beach break was a great excursion if you aren't the type to be bothered by vendors and you are ok hanging out on the beach and in the beautiful ocean because it was hard to find a chair! We had blast! In Belize, we chose the Manatees and Mangrove boat tour. I wish I had chosen to see the Blue Hole or Cave Tubing. You couldn't see manatees, only their snouts when they popped up. The water wasn't clear enough to see them. The whole tour was 2.5 hours and we learned a lot about the country of Belize. The tour guides were great; we aren't nature watchers I guess. Now we know. In Cozumel we just toured on our own. Cozumel is fun! We will be cruising again soon I'm sure! Read Less

We love cruising and realize the benefits of staying with one cruise line. After trying a few, Royal Carribean has won our vote. The food is excellent, service was quick and friendly, wide open pool area with many more places to sit and see the pool and activities. Shows and entertainment were wonderful and there were multiple choices for all types of personalities and ages through each day. The boat was very clean, our room had plenty of space. If you go to Honduras, do the extreme zipline adventure...more fun than I could have imagined. I ziplined upside down!!! Also got an maxing massage at the spa. There were very few “overly drunk” people but plenty to drink and drinks were made just how you wanted them. If you didn’t like it, they made you another. No drink limit unlike other cruise lines. We can’t wait till our next cruise Read Less

We absolutely loved everything about this cruise. The food was fantastic, the entertainment was amazing! Our cabin was clean and a nice size. We had a balcony room. The balcony was so nice to sit on and watch the ocean. The staff were so friendly and helpful:) Every person I met had a smile on there face and greeted me! The embarkation process went fairly easy, but we did have to wait in line for awhile. Now the embarkation process went so fast. We got off the ship in like 15 minutes and that was with customs. Get a porter to help you with your luggage and you will fly through! I will say this ship has there exit process down. Also, loved every morning the cruise director had a morning rant on our television about everything you need to know for the day. It is so helpful! I would go back on this ship anytime!! Also, they have a awesome huge fitness area with a workout room that has classes offered all the time. It was great! Read Less

I was little nervous about being in the water. After, i did my research it appeared pretty safe. Our 1st family cruise was amazing! My time dining was great. Our servers were on point. Very attentive and friendly. food was tasty. buffet was average, but definitely a variety for everyone. Desserts are delicious in my time dining. You can try several or share if you don't like the 1st one. Housekeeping was good. He kept room maintained and made cute animals everyday for my daughters. The shower area is small, doable. I am glad we decided to get an ocean view room. Certainly, worth the cost. Wonderful view to look out and see the ocean. Formal night was nice. there were 2 formal nights on 7 day cruise. We wore cute sunday dresses and sandals. Overall, all crewmembers and guests are cordial. entertainment has plenty of things for all ages. I loved all the shows. Definitely, will do Royal Caribbean again Read Less

We love RC and have cruised with them three years in a row, plus a few in the last 30. The staff is amazing and always smiling. The food this year was five stars better than the past two years. Pools are crowded and it’s difficult to get a chair. Not sure how to remedy this issue. This last cruise we tried to enjoy Olive R Twist (sp) but the DJ literally played rap music almost every song. The country band in the Star Lounge was not at all enjoyable. I liked the fact a second “club” was available in Studio B. DJ was MUCH better but it closed at midnight. We will continue to cruise with RC. It seems each year there are improvements in the check in/out process. The clubs are not why we cruise but we do enjoy good music. Maybe next time ALL areas will receive 5 stars. Read Less

We chose this cruise because we had not been to Cozumel, Grand Cayman or Jamaica, Mon. This cruise gave us the opportunity to sample each of them. The Liberty was also a larger ship than the previous two ships we were on. We were not disappointed in the least. The nightly entertainment was very enjoyable especially the Elvis impersonator. The comedian on the second night had us laughing so hard the whole time. Saturday Night Fever play was a very well done production. Saw the newest Thor movie by the pool. The adult swimming pool was the place for us when relaxing on the ship. Don't forget to watch the Rant on the TV each morning. Jeff from Tampa does an excellent job giving an overview of the day along with important information about getting off and back on to the ship. But the most enjoyable part of our cruise was there dinners in the main dining room. We looked forward to them each evening. These meals are top notch. Prime rib, escargot, shrimp cocktail, creme brulee and lobster are just a few of the delicious items we ate. Who needs to spend extra money at the specialty restaurants. Save your money and use it to tip the wait staff. They worked extremely hard to give us a great experience. On Cozumel, we did the helmet diving shore excursion. We enjoyed the experience but felt the staff was more interested in taking pictures to sell us at the end. The picture package was very expensive and there did not seem to be a way to buy individual pictures. In Grand Cayman, we did the dolphin swim, push and pull with seven mile beach. Don't do that one. Just do the dolphin swim, push and pull part. That was a lit of fun! Because it is a very short day in port they don't give you enough time at the beach. We complained about that and was refunded the beach portion. In Jamaica, mon, we did three VIP Blue Beach excursion. Nice beach but it got very crowded. Small swim area. We were very disappointed in the meal at Blue Beach. The jerk chicken was good as was the pasta. Everything else was sub par. Instead of doing the VIP, just do the Blue Beach excursion and buy the food at the Jerk Hut. It's probably better and definitely fresher than the buffet line had. I think the Liberty has one other itinerary to other ports. We'll be looking for that one sometime in the future. Embarkation upon return to Galveston was very easy. We did self assist and were off the ship very quickly and through customs in a short period of time because the long lines hadn't formed yet. Overall we had a great time! Read Less

This was our first cruise ever and the ship overall appearance was always clean. We did have a blast but there are some things that need improving. The Windjammer food was ok and I do understand that it would be hard to keep food warm when you are cooking in bulk,but I do think that there are things that can be done to keep the food warm. I would suggest that they stir and mix food while on the hot plate ever 10 to 20 minutes. The waffles and pancakes were always ice cold. The Windjammer did offer a variety of dishes including a variety of fruits and salads. The lemonade, ice tea, orange juice and apple juice were always watered down even when I ask for no ice. I ate all my evening meals in the MDR because our waitstaff was superb when it come to making sure that you had a fabulous dinning experience. There was times in the MDR the food was not always tasty and warm but it was durable. If RC had hot rolls with butter maybe some honey in the MDR that will go well with the cruisers. Our room was always clean and spotless. Our steward was very discreet when it came to coming in cleaning and leaving the compass. We loved the balcony room and will always book a balcony. I do think they could do a little better with more entertainment on deck especially on sea days. There was a meet and mingle and not sure what I was suppose to expect. We introduce ourselves and told a little about ourselves then the cruise director did a drawing and gave out prizes. It was about 15 people that showed up to the meet and mingle that was at around 1030 am Monday morning. I would also suggest that the DJ play edited versions of music in the Olive and Twist lounge during the night life club time. The music can be very explicit. In Cozumel we did the Monster Jeep to a Hidden Mayan Ruin and Virgin Beach with lunch. The jeep ride through what seem to be a jungle was awesome. The Mayan Ruin wasn't as impressive along with the lunch that was provided. The lunch consist of small corn tortillas, chicken and Carne Asada, chips,guacamole, salsa, pineapple, watermelon, water and soda. I would not recommend this excursion. In Grand Cayman we did the Atlantis Submarine and that was a pretty cool excursion. We went down about 105 ft. We saw a stingray, different types of fish and coral reefs. It was really cool to go that far down and not get wet and enjoy seeing the ocean life. I would recommend doing this excursion. In Falmouth, Jamaica was were we had the most fun all the way until it was time to get back on the bus to head back to the ship. We opt for the Chukka Zipline and Tubing Combo with lunch. This was our first time zip lining and it was fun. Our tube guide gave us some history about the river we were tubing, the lingo in Jamaica and some Jamaica history. The tubes were linked together and all we had to do was just relax and enjoy because the tube guide is the one that control the direction while we went down the river. What we had for lunch was jerk chicken, rice and peas, fried cabbage, Festival, fruit punch and water. Chukka is by far the best excursion for the money and I will go here again and recommend it to others. I would definitely cruise with RCL Liberty of the Seas again. Everyone on the ship that I came in contact to from our Steward, wait staff, cruise director, customer service,deck crew, 2 to 3.5 stripes officers were all approachable and pleasant. Our 1st cruise was a blast and I am ready to do it again. Happy cruising!! #royalcaribbean #libertyofseas Read Less

Liberty is our favorite ship and we were not disappointed. We live in Texas so we drove down the day before. We stayed Sat night in League City (about 35 min from Galveston). Rooms there are much less expensive. However, if you have not been to Galveston go for it! It is a charming city with lots of interesting shopping on the Strand, fun things to see and do and great food. Boarding in Galveston gets a bad rap, we did not have a problem. We boarded around 10:15-a little early and yes, it is a bit congested because people are trying to get OFF from the previous cruise. So to avoid the crowd crossover, I would suggest waiting until at least 11 am. Surprisingly the Windjammer was never crowded, not once during the cruise!! We ate in the MDR every night, we both thought the food, while never bad before, was much improved from previous cruises. We enjoyed it. We also had the MDR lunch on sea days, they had shrimp on the salad bar every time, yum. (Yes, there were people in MDR dressed in tank tops and wearing cover ups over bathing suits, but not many. Most stayed within the dress code and were very nicely dressed each night.) Entertainment was excellent, Flying show and Elvis were top notch. I had seen Saturday Night Fever several times so didn't go this time, it is amazing, especially if you are a "show" person. Lots of great port/pier shopping in Cozumel and Jamaica, not so great in Georgetown, Cayman. No real shopping at pier and only one lonely hot dog stand for lunch, so if you go this route have some "plans" for Cayman. I do think you can maybe walk to places to shop or take a cab, unlike Jamaica, Cayman is known for being very safe outside the pier. These are some "new" things we noticed on Liberty. Not bad, just different. No straws available unless you ask (save the seas); ice machine at café on Promenade but never had ice in it? You can get free ice at any bar. "Wow" envelopes at end of cruise are now called "Tip" envelopes. IMPORTANT: On the last day of the cruise a staff member comes through around 7:15 am and OPENS all the balcony dividers!!! So we are all standing at our balconies watching as we dock (some in pajamas?) and all of the sudden we are all standing on one giant balcony together :) Very friendly way to end a cruise. I know they want you out of your rooms and to your waiting area, but please be dressed if you are a balcony/coffee last day person. Follow the rules, there was a dog sniffing for something (food/fruit/or "something" in Mexico). The officers on this trip were fabulous, the captain is amazing! They were out and about all over the ship every day, chatting with everyone, so nice. Departure: We were on the road back to DFW by 8:15 am. Easy. I did see on Compass there was a RC transfer to Bush Airport (Houston) for $47 and Hobby for $32 if you need that. I think they were the first ones off the ship. We were on the Liberty a year ago and the departure was a total mess, so disorgazed and crazy. They have fixed this!!!! There are now over 1000 people (like us) that choose self assist luggage, so they have actually given the "self-assist" people a "ticket' now, You have a designated time and place to depart and it works SO much better. I hope you get to go on Liberty of the Seas soon! Read Less

We have friends who travel several times a year on Royal Caribbean. They were an excellent resource with providing guidance in preparation for the cruise. Goes without saying, YouTube was another great resource for people needing cruising advice. I referred to it frequently, as well as, Cruise Critic and Trip Advisor. I learned about Cruise Critic on YouTube. It's nice to have access to numerous resources when planning a vacation. We sensed that Royal Caribbean would be a good choice for us. Fortunately, this turned out to be the case. This Cruise Line offers a good balance between high energy activities and low key options. This Cruise Line has a great reputation as many who we talked with acknowledged that Royal Caribbean is better than some other competitors. We booked a couple shore excursions via Royal Caribbean for Cozumel and Jamaica. In both cases, we went with the beach option. Both included beverages, alcoholic drinks and lunch. In Cozumel, the umbrellas were included. In Jamaica, they charged extra for umbrellas or use of a cabana. $10 for umbrellas and $60 for a cabana, which you may share with two others who are charged the same amount. Unsure as to whether they should have been charging extra for these items. There were some free shade trees which work just as well. For the Grand Cayman port, we booked an excursion separately to visit Stingray City. It was less expensive and a much less crowded on the boat. A friend had provided this tip of who to use, which was excellat advice. Note: If you book a separate excursion, be sure that the group will have you back in plenty of time to catch your ship departure time. For excursions that you book via Royal Caribbean, they will hold the boat if the trip runs late. This is not the case, for separate bookings. Tips to save money include skipping the specialty dining packages and not buying the alcohol package. We noticed some of the same food items on the menu at specialty restaurants are provided at the Windjammer, which is included with the original cruise price. If you're not a big drinker, save your money for having a beer or drink in port as opposed to the expensive alcohol package RC offers. We opted for the beverage package that included specialty drinks such as coffees, hot and cold available at Cafe Espresso on the ship. Fresh squeezed orange juice is included with this package. Also, as we exited at a couple ports, bottled water was included on this beverage package. A good value. Although my son enjoyed what he ordered, I wasn't impressed with the food at Chops Grille and Sabor on Liberty of the Seas. Giovanni's was much better though and they brought out an extra entreé that was lobster. This was the 6th night of a 7 night cruise. I wondered if they had to get rid of the lobster before the end of the cruise. We noticed several other tables had the lobster as well. As for a couple of onboard tours, we took part in the Bottomless Galley Brunch and an All Access behind the scenes tour. Both were informative and fun! We thoroughly enjoyed our cruise experience on Royal Caribbean. We look forward to going again. Read Less