Liberty of the Seas – Cruise Blog – Day 1 – Bayonne

I just got off a 5-day sailing to Bermuda aboard Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas. It was an extended family trip with 15 of my family members sailing together, with ages ranging from 2 years old to 65. This cruise was the first sailing after many of the local schools let out, so the ship was at full capacity. Follow along on our 5-day journey to see everything we experienced. As usual, this will be a detailed cruise blog, not a review. Everyone wants something different when they cruise and no sailing is right for every person, so I’ll point out what we did, what we liked, and what we didn’t and give you the specific reasons why.

Liberty of the Seas Day 1 Overview

• Sailing from Cape Liberty Cruise Terminal
• Parking at Cape Liberty Cruise Terminal
• Cape Liberty security screening and check-in
• Stepping foot on Liberty of the Seas
• Embarkation lunch at the Windjammer Buffet
• Massive kids splash area on Liberty of the Seas
• Perfect Storm water slides
• Adults-only Solarium on Liberty of the Seas
• Promenade-view cabin
• Crossing under the Verrazzano Bridge
• Dinner in the Main Dining Room
• Encore! Ice Spectacular at Studio B
• Silent Discos – family and adult versions
• Other late-night activities

Sailing from Cape Liberty Cruise Terminal

The Liberty of the Seas recently relocated to a new home port in Bayonne, New Jersey. The port is called many things depending on the website, New York, New Jersey, Bayonne, Cape Liberty. The port isn’t by much, but it’s not too far from Manhattan and Newark Airport (EWR). We chose this specific sailing because we’re based in PA and NJ, so this meant we didn’t have to pay airfare for 15 people. 

Even though I live only 35 minutes from Cape Liberty Cruise Terminal, I never actually sailed from there. This cruise was my first time sailing locally, and the convenience was amazing. No TSA. No long waiting times. No delayed flights. I could get used to that. I really wish there were more sailings and ships out of the NYC area. 

Cape Liberty is kind of in the middle of nowhere, so driving was the best option for us. We considered Uber and Lyft, as well as a shuttle, but because there were so many of us, the cost was at least double for those compared to driving ourselves and parking. 

Parking at Cape Liberty Cruise Terminal

Cape Liberty has guaranteed parking which means you don’t have to worry about not finding a place to park, which is nice. The cost was $30 a day, and they only took credit cards. 

We scored an arrival time of 11 AM, so we left around 10 AM and hoped to park around 10:45 AM. Cape Liberty is a small cruise port, so it can get very crowded. If you arrive before 10 AM, you’ll still have crowds trying to leave from the previous sailing, and it’ll be messy. Stick close to your arrival time and you should be fine. 

Cape Liberty makes it easy to drop off your bags before parking. All cars are routed through a drop-off area before they get to the parking area. There you can jump out and unload all your bags for the porters to put onto the ship. Any guests who might not want to walk from the parking lot can also be dropped off here. This area is the same place you’d be dropped off if you had a taxi/Uber/Lyft.

Tip: Make sure your passport and other essentials are NOT in the bags you’re dropping off. The porters will take your bags as fast as possible, and if your documents are in there, you might not be able to board the ship. 

The drop-off was easy; just a few cars were in front of us. Then we followed the guide to the parking lot. Cape Liberty has a parking garage, but at the time of this sailing, it was used only for handicapped parking. Everyone else parked in an open parking lot. Overall, it took us 15 minutes to drop off our bags and park, which was not too bad. 

The attendants ran our credit card and then guided us to park in a large open lot. Sitting between two abandoned, decrepit brick buildings, it’s not the most scenic place, but it is convenient. It was about a 10-minute walk to the cruise terminal from there, and it was one of the furthest spots. A shuttle was also running to help people get to the terminal from the parking lot, but we opted to walk. 

As we headed toward the ship, my nieces and nephews were shocked at the size of the ship. None of them had ever seen a cruise ship in person before, and although they had watched videos of it beforehand, nothing prepared them for the sheer scale. “Cruise ship! Cruise ship!” the two-year-old yelled as the 6 and 7-year-old boys gawked at the size. I didn’t have to heart to tell them I’ve been on much bigger. 

Cape Liberty Security Screening

As we walked up to the terminal, they were letting everyone in, regardless of the arrival time. First, we walked through a metal detector while our bags went through an X-ray machine. Then, we proceeded to the check-in, where a staff member used a tablet to check us in. Because we filled everything out in the Royal Caribbean app beforehand, we just showed them our Seapass barcode in the app, they verified our passports/birth certificates, and we were cleared to make our way onto the ship. 

Tip: Always save a screenshot or printout of your pass. The cell phone service in the Cape Liberty Cruise Terminal was spotty. I had T-Mobile and couldn’t pull up my Set Sail pass. Of course, this was the one time I didn’t print out my boarding pass just in case. Luckily, one of my siblings still had reception and could pull up all our passes. 

We went back and forth through the hallways up to the ship. The kids watched through the large glass windows as we made our way closer and closer. “It’s just like boarding a plane,” one of them declared. Overall, it took 8 minutes from when we walked up to the cruise terminal until we were heading up to Liberty of the Seas.

Stepping foot on Liberty of the Seas

Finally, it was the moment of truth, and we boarded the ship. Unfortunately, it was a bit underwhelming. On Liberty of the Seas, you don’t step into the ship but instead walk onto the exterior promenade of the ship on Deck 4. It’s very industrial, just the white ship metal walls and the lifeboats above. It’s a lackluster entrance compared to some of the other ships out there. 

We decided to complete our e-muster drill before anything else. We had already completed the first steps of the muster drill (watching a video) using the app while we were parking, so all we had to do was check in at our location. Luckily, ours was right on the exterior promenade but on the other side of the ship. We crossed through the ship at the nearest elevator bank and checked in with our safety rep. 

 While we were checking in, my 5-year-old niece saw the Statue of Liberty in the distance. She had been talking about seeing “Liberty” for a while now, and you could see her way off in the distance if you squinted. That would be the best view of her this trip; our ship wouldn’t pass the Statue of Liberty as we made our way out to Bermuda. 

Embarkation lunch at the Windjammer Buffet

Before we started exploring the ship, we decided to grab some food. It was 11:40 AM, and the kids were already hungry. We took the elevator from Deck 4 to Deck 11, where the Windjammer buffet was located.

We walked up and an attendant gave us hand sanitizer to “washy washy.” Unlike the newer ships, Liberty of the Seas doesn’t have sinks at the entrance, so hand sanitizer was the best we could do. 

We walked in and the place was absolutely packed. In the front of the Windjammer is a large bar, then it splits into two paths with identical setups on the left and right side of the buffet. 

Before we grabbed food, we tried to find a table. That was a nearly impossible mission; every table was taken. Our group of 15 wandered around, trying to look for something while trying not to lose a kid. At this point, we just wanted a table for the kids, and the adults would stand. 

After about 5 minutes, we finally found a table for four by the window. I went to fill a few plates with chicken tenders and french fries for the kids so they could share. The lines were long and confusing. This Windjammer had a horrible layout. The stations all ran into each other, and the tables themselves were laid out awkwardly and made it a maze trying to get to a table. 

While waiting, I wanted to get my caffeine fix with a Diet Coke, but Liberty of the Seas doesn’t have Coke Freestyle machines. That meant I’d have to wait in the long bar line to get one. That wasn’t worth it at this point.

Overall, the lunch was exhausting, and I was really worried about how this cruise would be. Keeping track of everyone and navigating the dense crowds at Windjammer was not the ideal start to a vacation. Normally, on boarding day, I avoid the main buffet at all costs, but on this ship, it was the only option at the moment unless I wanted to go back into the crowds on Deck 5 for Pizza. 

Massive kids splash area on Liberty of the Seas

After lunch, we decided to let the kids play in the splash area. We exited the buffet and walked right outside to the kid’s area. The kids were literally jumping up and down with excitement when they saw it. The splash area was huge, easily the largest I’ve seen on any cruise ship. 

The area had a large kids-only pool with a waterfall, a large splash park called Splash Away Bay, a dedicated area for babies called Baby Bay, and two kid-friendly hot tubs. The Splash Away Bay had three relatively large slides and a classic dump bucket. The kids were so excited to try it out. 

Tip: Have your kids wear their swimsuits onto the ship. It’s much easier than finding a bathroom to change them in. Also, if you’re not wearing it on, make sure to bring your sunscreen and swimsuits in your carry-on; your checked luggage won’t arrive until later in the day. This time is the least crowded the pools will ever be. 

We grabbed a few loungers by the kids’ area to use as a base station and set the kids off. Immediately, the kids separated and went in different directions. Thankfully, by having all the kids’ stuff in one spot on the ship, with a large colorful wall separating it from the rest of the pool deck, it was easy to set boundaries with them. Several lifeguards were stationed throughout the ship, but we still made sure an adult was watching each kid. 

The kids were having a blast even though it was overcast and the sun wasn’t out. One kid was jumping in the large pool and playing in the waterfall, while another immediately went for the biggest water slide, a curving tube slide that had to be 10′ to 15′ tall. 

The 2-year-old put on his swim diaper, and we took him into Baby Bay. This area was actually one of the key reasons we chose this ship. Royal Caribbean doesn’t allow children in swim diapers in pools or splash parks, but this ship had its own Baby Bay where it was allowed. Here there were lots of sprinklers and nozzles and a 3-foot slide. 

Perfect Storm water slides

The kids were having a great time in the water, but I wanted to check out the larger water slides at the back of the ship. Liberty of the Seas has a pair of curving water slides called Perfect Storm and a slingshot slide called The Wave. The Perfect Storm has a minimum height of 48″, so from our group, only the kids over six could ride it. 

The slides had no lines at all (later in the cruise, they were much longer). To ride the Perfect Storm, an attendant checks to make sure everyone is tall enough to ride, and then you climb through an interior stairwell. It’s a smart design choice. By being inside, the sun doesn’t beat down on you, and the stairs don’t burn your feet. 

We got to the top and I raced down against one of the boys. We threw ourselves into the slide. I was prepared for the rush of sliding around the tube, but this slide was slow…really slow. Laying fully back and crossing my arms and legs did little to help me move down the slide quickly. The last few feet, though, had a steeper incline, leading to a speed boost and a big splash at the end. It made it look like everyone was going down the whole slide very quickly. 

I waited at the bottom as the other nephew slid down the slide. We could hear him coming down the tube. It was so slow that my nephews were actually talking to each other during the slide. One was at the bottom of the slide, yelling up the tube slide to the other. “I’m coming; I’m coming,” he said. Overall, it was a downer for me, but the kids loved it and did it again.

I’m not sure why they were so slow. Royal Caribbean added these slides years after they built the ship, and it’s possible they weren’t designed well. They don’t seem to have enough incline to get people moving. Another possibility is that the water pressure wasn’t turned up high enough. Either way, it was one of the slowest water slides I had ever been on. 

After the water slides, we headed back to meet the group. It was 1:30 PM, and the cruise director announced that the cabins were ready. Most of the family went down to check out their cabins, but I decided to check out the Solarium while I still had my swimsuit on. 

Adults-only Solarium on Liberty of the Seas

On Royal Caribbean, the Solarium is the adults-only spot on the ship (although they oddly define adults as 16 years old and up). In the past, the Solarium has been one of my favorite spots on a Royal Caribbean ship. On Ovation of the Seas, the fully enclosed area with pools and hot tubs was a perfect space to relax (read more here). On Liberty of the Seas, it’s a bit of a letdown. 

Rather than a quiet, private getaway like you’ll find on newer ships, on Liberty of the Seas, the Solarium is in the middle of the pool deck, where people walk through it to get to the elevators/other pools and people above and look into it. 

The space has a large pool with a bridge over it and bar seats in the water. It has a variety of upgraded loungers and seating as well. Two large whirlpools are cantilevered over the side of the ship with huge glass windows looking out. It also has a dedicated bar. 

But even though it had all those things, it felt a bit cramped. Royal Caribbean packed too much stuff into this small area. At this part of the day, it was absolutely empty, but later on in the cruise, it filled up completely. 

Promenade-view cabin on Liberty of the Seas

After some relaxation in the Solarium, it was time to check out the cabin. Typically, I’m a balcony kind of guy. I love the view of the ocean and the ability to relax in peace and quiet. But I also usually try to sail during the Winter/Spring when getting a balcony is much cheaper. This sailing was during the peak season, and sailing from the NYC area (which is typically more pricey). A balcony on this 5-day sailing of an older ship almost cost as much as the 7-day cruise I took in March on the newest Carnival ship. Because of that, I went with an interior cabin which was about $500 cheaper. 

Personally, I’m not a fan of interior cabins; I find them too cave-like and cramped. This ship, though, had what’s called a Promenade View Interior. This type of cabin has a window that looks out onto the Royal Promenade, a 4-story venue down the center of the ship. I thought this might make the room feel more spacious. 

I arrived at the cabin and grabbed my room key/sea pass card from an envelope on the door. This ship uses magnetic-style room keys (instead of the touch room keys on newer ships), so I put it into the slot and opened the door.

Immediately, I was impressed by the size of the cabin. It didn’t feel as closed off and small as I feared. With the Promenade-view cabins, Royal Caribbean put a seating area under the window and another perpendicular to it, making the sitting area feel pretty large. While the view from Deck 8 wasn’t superb (I rarely looked out the window, we were too high to see anything happening on the Promenade), it made it feel much more airey. 

While I appreciated the cabin’s size and layout, I immediately noticed how dated it felt. Liberty of the Seas was built in 2007 and you can tell. It was in good condition, but it didn’t look as modern or contemporary as the newer ships I’ve sailed. It made me realize how far cruise ship design has come over the years. 

The cabin had minimal storage, mostly a few drawers in the corner with a small TV on top. It had a spacious closet with several shelves and a safe on the left side. It also had only a handful of outlets, all on the desk. I was definitely glad I bought my favorite USB fast charger with multiple ports on it. There are no outlets by the bed, guests who had a CPAP machine can request an extension cord.

The bathroom felt about the average size for a cruise ship but also dated. I loved the corner mirror that could be used to store things, although it showed its age with the shelves starting to come apart. The shower was a rounded tube/stall that felt smaller compared to newer ships. 

Overall, it was serviceable. If you have never sailed before, this cabin would likely feel perfectly fine, but it felt dated after sailing on much newer ships for my last five sailings. 

Crossing under the Verrazzano Bridge

As we were in the cabin, we felt the ship start to move, so we headed out to the deck to watch our departure. 

We started at the helipad on Deck 5. Liberty of the Seas is one of the few ships where guests can walk to the front of the ship and access this area (and yell, “I’m king of the world). To get there, you go to Deck 4 and walk forward. You’ll see a set of white metal stairs, and take those up and to the front. It’s a really cool view, but because it was a bit hazy out, it wasn’t the best possible view for departure. 

In the distance, we saw the Verrazzano Bridge, a large suspension bridge that connects Staten Island and Brooklyn. I remembered on my cruise on the Norwegian Prima (read that blog here), watching the ship narrowly fit under the bridge was a whole event. It’d be a better view from higher up, so we went to the mini-golf course area at the front of Deck 13. 

This area was much more full of people, with everyone eagerly anticipating the ship to go under the Verrazzano. As it got closer, we realized how tight a fit it was. During high tide, most ships clear the bridge by just 13 feet. Visually, it looked like it was scraping the top because of the angle. As we passed under, the crowd cheered, quickly dispersed, and made their way to other events. 

Dinner in the Main Dining Room

For this sailing, we opted for set time dining, which meant the whole group would have dinner at 5:30 PM each night. Since our reservations were linked, we were set up at two tables next to each other. Each night, we’d go to the same tables and have the same servers. It made the experience much easier for a large group. 

The kids were impressed by the upscale feeling of the dining room. The massive 3-story dining room oozed old-school elegance. The tables were all topped with crisp white table cloths, and the place settings had more silverware than my family knew what to do with. As they sat down, the waiters put their napkins on their laps.

Our waiters, Ida and Sagar, introduced themselves and gave us a rundown of the menu along with paper copies (Carnival needs to take note of this, I’m done with QR codes). This sailing would be the first time I’d be able to try Royal Caribbean’s new dining room menus. Earlier this year, Royal Caribbean totally revolutionized their rotational menus in the main dining room. The new menus still rotate daily, but each day has a different “theme.” Royal Caribbean also got rid of the “classics” menu or items that would be on the menu every night. I had read nothing but bad feedback online about the change before this sailing, so I was interested to try it for myself. 

Tonight was “Welcome Aboard” and featured entrees like prime rib, southern fried chicken, and herb-crusted stuffed portobello. Since most of my family hadn’t sailed before, I made sure my family knew they could get multiple appetizers since the portions were very small.

I went with the crab cake starter and the prime rib. The crab cake was a good size and not too full of mayonnaise, but I wish it had bigger clumps of crab meat. The prime rib was excellent. It was a generous portion that was not too fatty, although the “side” of vegetables was three pieces of broccoli and two carrots. 

Overall, it took an hour and a half for the 3-course dinner. The food was decent, and everyone seemed to enjoy what they ordered. I was also impressed the younger kids were able to sit through the whole meal. 

Encore! Ice Spectacular at Studio B

After dinner, we headed to Studio B, the ice skating rink located at the dead center of the ship. This evening would be the first showing of Encore, the Liberty of the Sea’s ice skating show. The theater hold a good amount of people. When setup for a show, this theater can hold a little over 800 guests. But it’s a compact space which makes the shows feel immersive. Guests in the first sections of seats literally make eye contact with the performers. You won’t get this close to the action on land.

The ice show itself was impressive. Royal Caribbean is the world’s number one employer of ex-Olympians, and you can see it. The skill the skaters had was impressive. It was shocking that they could do complex jumps, spins, and flips while the ship bobbed on the ocean. The entertainers were undoubtedly talented.

Encore was dedicated to performances from around the world. There was no dialogue, and I didn’t see a straightforward plot going on. Some of the first numbers were songs from Phantom of the Opera and the opera Carmen. Later, they traveled the globe with elements from Russia and Japan. Finally, it ended in the USA with songs like “Peace of My Heart” by Janis Joplin, “Babe” by Sonny and Cher, and finally, “Viva Las Vegas” by Elvis. The crowd’s energy significantly increased once it got to more familiar songs they knew. 

Overall, it was a good show. It wasn’t as good as the one I saw on Harmony of the Seas (read that blog here), but the performers were amazing. The theater was a bit dated; it didn’t have the high-quality projection mapping on the floor like the new ships. Also, most of the spotlights didn’t seem to be working, so the performers danced in the dark for parts of it.  

Silent Discos – family and adult versions

Next up, we checked out the Silent Disco. If you’ve never been to a Silent Disco, they’re a lot of fun. I attended one on my sailing on Ovation of the Seas (read more here), and it was really cool. All guests get headphones to wear, and all music is played through them. There are two streams of music playing, and you can switch between which track you want to hear. The headsets light up either blue or green, so you know what others are listening to.

It’s so funny watching the people dance around to different songs at the same time. It’s also weird how eerily quiet it is. You hear people shuffling and dancing but no music. Honestly, I wish every disco was a silent disco because it makes it so much easier to talk if you want to. 

The Liberty of the Seas had two versions of the Silent Disco, a family version at 7 PM and an 18+ at 10:30 PM the first night. Both took place in the Olive and Twist Bar, a large venue with panoramic windows overlooking the main pool deck. 

We first went to the family version with all the kids in the group. The kids loved it, dancing around to the songs, although they didn’t seem to know any of them. The event was well attended but didn’t feel too full. The lights were halfway turned down, making it easier to keep track of kids and get around. While there were plenty of headsets to go around, the bar didn’t seem ready to handle the crowd well. Olive and Twist has a huge bar, but at this point, it only had one bartender to work it, leading to long waits for drinks. 

Later on, we went back to the 18+ version. They scanned room keys at the door to ensure teenagers didn’t get in. As we entered, the space felt completely different. Olive and Twist became a full-on nightclub, with the lighting dimmed down all the way and lighting effects being used on the dance floor. 

This version was much more well-attended, and the place was really hopping. Thankfully, they brought in two extra bartenders to help out, so drink service was much better at the event. Everyone was singing along and dancing and having a great time. 

Personally, I didn’t care for the DJ. Royal Caribbean had just one DJ mixing both tracks, and he seemed overwhelmed. For one of the channels, it was all 70s music (which we realized was just the soundtrack for the 70’s party they do on the Royal Promenade later in the cruise). It was like he just hit play on a playlist and forgot about it. He also played every some all the way through, not moving from song to song fluidly. 

Other late-night activities

After some time at the Silent Disco, we weren’t quite ready for bed yet, so we decided to see what else was going on. 

First, we stopped at the Schooner Bar, Royal Caribbean’s piano bar. On my last cruise on the Carnival Celebration, the piano bar was our main after-hours go-to spot and was a lot of fun (read that blog here). On Liberty of the Seas, it was much more subdued. At this point in the night, the place was only half full. The pianist was talented, but it wasn’t an energetic performance. He did a lot of slower songs which just made me sleepy. I wish Royal Caribbean had higher-energy piano players in their bars; it’s the third time I experienced this. Thankfully, Royal Caribbean seems to have listened, they’re Icon of the Seas will feature two piano bars, the traditional Schooner Bar and a high-energy dueling piano bar. (read more about the new Icon of the Seas entertainment)

Lastly, we went to another venue on the ship called Star Lounge for a cover band. I had high hopes, as on my Ovation of the Seas cruise, their cover band that performed in the Music Hall was top-notch (read more here). Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case here. We showed up at 11:15, the start of this set, and there were only six people in the room. The band didn’t come on until 11:21, and then the energy was noticeably absent. It’s hard to blame them; I’m sure playing at 11 PM with no audience isn’t fun, but it was disappointing. 

Overall, it was a jam-packed day, and the first day of our family vacation was a success. Tomorrow would be a sea day and I was interested to see how the ship would feel seeing that this was a fully sold-out sailing.

Follow along on the rest of our Liberty of the Seas cruise

Liberty of the Seas – Cruise Blog - Day 1 – Bayonne

Liberty of the Seas – Cruise Blog - Day 2 – Sea Day

Liberty of the Seas – Cruise Blog - Day 3 – Bermuda

Liberty of the Seas – Cruise Blog - Day 4 – Bermuda Still

Liberty of the Seas – Cruise Blog - Day 5 – Final Sea Day

5 Hits and Misses on Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas

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