We recently sailed on Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas for a quick three-night guys’ cruise, and while short sailings always fly by, this one gave us a solid chance to experience the ship, entertainment, food, nightlife, and overall atmosphere onboard.
Liberty of the Seas may not be Royal Caribbean’s newest ship, but after spending a weekend onboard, we walked away with a better appreciation for why Freedom-class ships still have such a loyal following.
Here’s our honest Liberty of the Seas review, including what stood out, what surprised us, and what we’d do differently next time.
Embarkation Morning & First Impressions
After a slow morning at our Airbnb with some fresh coffee in the pot, it was time to Uber over to the cruise port. For the most part, the Uber ride was quick, until we got closer to the port, where they were checking everyone’s IDs. Once dropped off, embarkation was extremely quick overall. One of the guys forgot to complete the online check-in beforehand, which slowed us down slightly because he had to finish everything at the terminal desk. Even with that, we were on board within about 15 minutes.
Most of us had sailed this class of ship before, so the layout felt familiar immediately. The guys who hadn’t been on board this class before still learned the ship quickly because the layout is pretty straightforward.
We stayed in a mix of standard interior cabins and one upgraded Promenade View Interior. Overall, the rooms were basic but functional, and we felt like there was enough storage and space for a short sailing.
One thing we noticed was the lack of charging outlets, though that should improve now that the ship has gone through dry dock.
You can definitely tell Liberty of the Seas is an older Royal Caribbean ship, especially compared to the newer Oasis or Icon Class ships, but overall, it still felt well-maintained.
Liberty of the Seas Entertainment & Nightlife
We really enjoyed the Broadway production show, Saturday Night Fever. The dancing was impressive, and the stage designs and effects added a lot to the overall experience.
We skipped the ice show on this sailing, and while there was a juggler/comedy-style performer named Adam Bonk onboard, that show honestly wasn’t really our thing.
Most of our evenings were spent bouncing between the pub and the casino. We also spent time at the karaoke lounge and had a blast during Crazy Quest in Studio B, which is Royal Caribbean’s adults-only scavenger hunt game. The final night, they also had their live orchestra band playing in one of the lounges, which was a great way to spend some of our final night on the ship.
One thing we appreciated was that none of the entertainment venues ever felt overwhelmingly crowded. We were able to get seats everywhere we wanted without needing to line up super early.
Activities Around The Ship
While this was definitely a cruise where we enjoyed the shows and activities, we also found ourselves really appreciating the ship’s more laid-back spaces.
One of the funniest moments from day one was an unexpected “bench off” competition in the gym, which quickly set the tone for a fun and relaxing weekend on board. Outside of that, though, we spent a large portion of our sea days hanging out in the Solarium. Between the quieter atmosphere, poolside drinks, and plenty of lounge chairs, it easily became our favorite place to unwind throughout the cruise. In fact, we enjoyed the Solarium pool so much that we actually never even got into the ship’s main pool area.
Of course, we still made time for some of the more active attractions onboard as well. We checked out one of Liberty’s waterslides, which was a fun way to break up the afternoon and cool off in the Caribbean heat. Unfortunately, we never got the chance to try the Tidal Wave waterslide during the cruise because the water wasn’t balanced while the ship was in port, so it remained closed during the times we planned to ride it.
Another underrated feature we really enjoyed on board was the sauna and steam room, both complimentary in the men’s and women’s locker rooms inside the fitness center. It turned out to be one of our favorite ways to relax after long days in the sun.
Even though we didn’t personally try everything Liberty of the Seas has to offer during the daytime, there were still plenty of activities available around the ship, including basketball, pickleball, and the rock climbing wall. Whether you want a more active cruise or prefer to relax by the pool with a drink in hand, simply, Liberty definitely offers a good mix of both.
The Food on Liberty of the Seas
The Windjammer experience varied from day to day. During Nassau lunch hours, it actually wasn’t too busy, but breakfast on the CocoCay morning was packed. Tables were difficult to find, and they even ran out of silverware in multiple stations. On our Nassau morning, some of us had breakfast in the main dining room, which was a nice change of pace, with great service and food!
One small hack we used was grabbing extra food from the Windjammer before they closed around 9 p.m., so we had snacks later at night.
We ate in the Main Dining Room twice during the cruise and really enjoyed both nights. We had the Welcome Aboard menu and Caribbean Night menu, and our server, Alfonso, became one of the standout crew members of the sailing because he would do little tricks and riddles every evening.
Caribbean Night was probably our favorite included dining menu overall. The bao bun tacos, coconut shrimp, and jerk pork chop were all highlights, although a couple of the guys thought the pork was slightly tough.
We also spent a decent amount of time at Sorrento’s Pizza early in the cruise, although a couple of the guys felt like it upset their stomachs a bit, so we slowed down on eating there later in the sailing.
Our best overall meal on board was easily Giovanni’s Table, which we’ll break down in a separate dedicated review post.
Service & Atmosphere Onboard
Alfonso, in the Main Dining Room, was easily the standout crew member of the trip. Between his personality, little riddles, and overall energy, he made each night’s dinner more memorable.
Our room stewards were all solid throughout the sailing, and while there wasn’t anything especially over-the-top, everything was consistently clean and taken care of.
Bar service was a little hit-or-miss, especially around the Solarium pool area. Sometimes it was honestly faster to get out of the pool and walk to the bar directly instead of ordering through the roaming bartenders because they would often take 10–15 drink orders at once.
Even though this was a short three-night cruise, nothing about the service ever felt rushed.
Is Liberty of the Seas Worth Booking?
Liberty of the Seas honestly works for almost any type of traveler. Couples, friend groups, first-time cruisers, and families can all have a good experience on board.
Compared to newer Royal Caribbean ships, you do miss some of the newer venues and mega-ship features, but Liberty still has the classic Royal Caribbean Promenade and one of our favorite Solarium layouts in the fleet.
Pricing was one of the biggest strengths of this sailing. Because the ship was heading into dry dock soon, prices were lower than usual, and we felt like the overall value for the experience was excellent.
If you’re looking for a fun, social Royal Caribbean weekend cruise, Liberty of the Seas still delivers a strong overall experience.
Make sure to check out our full official review and trip recap over on our podcast, and stay tuned for other upcoming blogs from this trip!