I have just returned from a Family holiday on board Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Sea. This trip was a special treat for my youngest daughter Georgia aged 11 years as she had made her Confirmation on the 11th of May and her dream was to do a cruise (with the nation of why not?).
We flew out to Barcelona on the 22nd of May and did a quick overnight in the Novotel Barcelona City Centre. After a good breakfast and a little retail therapy in the Shopping centre opposite we jumped in a taxi and headed to the Port in Barcelona to board the ship for our 5 night cruise. Check in was relatively straight forward and our bags were taken from us leaving us to board and explore 15 Decks of wonder which is the Liberty. There is so much to this ship from the amazing Promenade on Deck 5 which is a Street of Bars, shops and entertainment to the Pools and H2O Zone on Deck 11, with the Flowrider and rock climbing wall all vying for attention. The weather was lovely and so we enjoyed a few drinks at the Pool Bar before returning to our Stateroom to unpack and prepare for our first evening on board.
We had arranged to meet friends in the English Pub on the Promenade Deck for a quick drink before dinner and were entertained by a big parade of Dream Work characters such as Shrek and Fiona and Puss in Boots. All the children and a lot of the adults were enthralled by this amazing display. We had chosen to dine at 7.30pm and we were always impressed with the menu and food that was served to us.
Our first Port was Cannes and it was looking especially lovely as the Film Festival was still on. After leaving the Ship by Tender (a short boat ride into the centre) we found a Petite Train tour which took you all over Cannes and gave you a history of the town and its involvement with the world of film. It took 50 minutes and was a great way of seeing everything without wearing out the legs. That evening we dined in the main restaurant again and then went to see the 21:15 showing of Saturday Night Fever in the Theatre. This was a professional production which had the audience on its feet singing and dancing and I enjoyed it and the amazing Ice Show which we went to see the following evening.
We visited the port of Livorno where you could choose to visit Florence or Pisa or both or maybe just a half day tour in Tuscany in a winery. The following day we were in Citavecchia where you could visit the eternal city of Rome. We tried the fine dining restaurants; Portofino which was a beautiful Italian restaurant with food displayed to the highest level and Chops which was an amazing steakhouse. Both restaurants charge a fee of $30 per person to visit but it is well worth it.
Food is an important part of any cruise but Liberty really excels. From the stunning dining rooms, the amazing Wind Jammer which is a buffet restaurant serving food nearly 24 hours a day, the fine dining options and the Pizza/Pie bar (Sorrento’s) on the Promenade Deck you really can experience every type of food including just a quick slice of pizza to accompany your drink whilst you relax. Georgia loved the café on Deck 5 where she could help herself to home-made cookies and cakes whenever she was passing.
There is a wide array of entertainment on board, from spectacular shows to the Cinema, live music in the bars, the large casino, pool parties on Deck 11 and the nightclub called the Catacombs you literally are spoilt for choice. However there is always a quiet oasis where you can just sit and relax like the Olive n’ Twist Bar on deck 14. I can honestly say I only saw half of what was on offer.
The notion that Cruising was only for the more mature clients was blown apart for me as there were families with babies, toddlers and teens. Groups of friends in their twenties, thirties and forties, families of all ages celebrating special birthdays and anniversaries and honeymoon couples. We as a family loved it and can’t wait to experience another cruise.
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