LIVE FROM Liberty of the Seas Repo

[majarosh]

I was on the cruise where we had the Oscar Oscar Oscar

[EmpressofPurple]

As promised, here are some comparison photos of similar venues on the Explorer, and how Liberty falls far short in decor and artwork (except the main dining room, which is gorgeous):

 

Casino entry on Liberty:

 

 

Casino entry on Explorer:

 

 

Never even took a picture of the Windjammer entry hall on Liberty, just glass front cabinets with menus and plates from the specialty restaurants... but here's the art in that area from Explorer:

 

Ditto outside the fitness center, just glass front cabinets showing spa services and products. On the Explorer:

[EmpressofPurple]

Inside the Gym -Boxing Ring on Liberty:

 

Thallassotherapy Pool on Explorer:

 

Wall art in gym on Liberty:

 

And on Explorer:

 

While this balancing pickle was kind of cool sculpture on Liberty, it didn't compare to the awesome suits of armor on Explorer (alas no photos of those)

 

I also missed the amazing Aquariums in the Aquarium Bar on Explorer (can't find any photos), and the gorgeous glass floor entry shadowbox to the Casino (which I found online):

[DKNYC]

I like the Casino entry floor on Explorer with the jewels and money under the glass. Like those birds and a ship I think in the windjammer also. Nice for Alaska. I see you posted about the Casino floor. [emoji1]

Denise

 

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Edited November 23, 2015 by DKNYC
Posted at same time

[EmpressofPurple]

A few more side-by-side comparisons to Explorer, and then back to the current Liberty cruise.

 

 

 

 

Here's some hallway art on Liberty -- please note, there are the ONLY interesting ones I saw worth taking pictures of, whereas on Explorer nearly everything on every floor in every stairwell and elevator waiting area had some artistic value.

 

A few examples from Explorer:

 

 

 

[EmpressofPurple]

Just a couple more of the dozens of photos of more interesting and unique artwork on the Explorer... you get the idea.

 

 

 

Regardless of your taste in art, you can see the difference in quality between that and what there is on the Liberty. It's not a dealbreaker, for sure, just strikingly different.

 

(I tried to take lots of pictures of the art on Explorer because she was heading into drydock for refitting for the Asian market, and I assumed a lot of it would be removed. Perhaps it will reappear on other Royal ships in the future!)

 

One more thing, I saw no cooking demonstrations, fruit carving or other culinary presentations on the Liberty, while there were several on Explorer. Around Day #10 I saw this in the Windjammer, so someone carved it sometime:

 

Still, that's a far cry from the welcome aboard carvings on the Explorer in 2012:

 

Or the great culinary and fruit carving presentation by the executive chef and his staff:

 

I will add here, in addition to beautiful fruit carvings, I miss seeing the ice sculptures of yore, and having fresh flowers on the dining table. Those little touches are what make cruising such a special and unique experience.

[EmpressofPurple]

Wow, all those photos and we're only on day #2!

 

Reading along in my daily journal, here are the next photos:

 

Rainy solarium after stretch and abs:

 

Empty main pool in the rain:

 

And H20 Zone:

 

Day #2 Breakfast - Bagel with cream cheese, lox, tomato, onion, capers:

 

Aft wake view from the Windjammer:

 

Cup of savory snacks from the Concierge Lounge:

[EmpressofPurple]

Enjoying Schooner Bar art and decor while waiting for Progressive Trivia

 

Over 300 people signed up for the Meet & Mingle, and the Sphinx was packed!

 

Then it was off to the slot pull, run by Jeremy

 

Second hobbit lunch of steamed fish, caponata, potato wedge and green beans... plus sugar-free flavored water

 

Sunset on the Promenade Deck

 

First formal dinner with our great tablemates

[Yorkvillain]

Great photos. I wish I was in that rainy solarium right now.

[handwcruisers]

Denise,

 

We are taking our 1st trip on Liberty next year after dry dock, we have sailed on Explorer 3 times. With all the difference that you are talking about between the 2 ships like the artwork, the food art, the cooking and food carving classes will we be disappointed with Liberty after having sailed on Explorer so much.

[DKNYC]

I don't know what Explorer looks like now, but she hasn't really gone to Asia really yet just Australia. I think She will be summering in Alaska next year. In Liberty 's defense there were these Pumpkins for Halloween on the prior cruise.

Denise

 

 

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[denatravels]

After reading your comparison, I realize now why I have very few pictures of my two weeks on Liberty. That aquarium looks cool.

[EmpressofPurple]

Denise,

 

We are taking our 1st trip on Liberty next year after dry dock, we have sailed on Explorer 3 times. With all the difference that you are talking about between the 2 ships like the artwork, the food art, the cooking and food carving classes will we be disappointed with Liberty after having sailed on Explorer so much.

 

Not disappointed... A couple others have mentioned that they just had a null impression of the decor on liberty, while they usually notice the beautiful ship's artwork, etc. Also, who knows what they might add are drydock!

 

I guess it depends how much the artistic atmosphere affects you. I've been on explorer 3 times too, and seemingly on every sailing I took pictures of that gorgeous gym, stairway and halfway art, and random decorative touches even in the bathrooms... Liberty could have been more modern and spare in its decor, but the quality just isn't the same.

 

You'll probably notice it, having been on Explorer three times... But I'm sure you'll still have a great cruise.

 

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[EmpressofPurple]

I don't know what Explorer looks like now, but she hasn't really gone to Asia really yet just Australia. I think She will be summering in Alaska next year. In Liberty 's defense there were these Pumpkins for Halloween on the prior cruise.

Denise

 

 

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Great pumpkins! Maybe the food carver was on vacation :)

 

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[EmpressofPurple]

Crew was your college sport. You are the most multifaceted person I know. 😀 My college sport was bowling. Glad you got a solution to the photo problem.

Arzeena, how are you! Didn't know you knew Denise. I met her on the Explorer repo last year, before I met you and RJ on Quantum in January.

Denise - the other one.

 

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Hey D, sorry I missed this comment in the midst of my photo sharing marathon. Yep, college crew, my coach was on the first team in the Olympics where they actually let women row (considered too demanding a sport for ladies before the 1970s)... I medaled at the Eastern Sprints and rowed through finals at the Nationals, quite an accomplishment considering I was almost a foot shorter than every other woman in the boat, and had never rowed before but joined the team as a walk-on. Yale sailing team tried to recruit me, saying their beer budget was larger than our entire team budget! (Probably true.)

 

But hey, let's go bowling!! And let's invite Arzeena and RJ, two of my favorite people from the Explorer repo, they truly had my back in the face of some CC nonsense. ;) You'd love my new friends from the Liberty repo, too... I meet the best people on repos -- like you!:)

 

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[MADflyer]

Great pumpkins! Maybe the food carver was on vacation :)

 

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The only food carver demonstration I saw was at the entrance to the Windjammer on day 10 at lunch time. They did have both food and ice carvings spread across the evening Windjammer and changed them around a bit during the sailing.

 

I was a bit surprised they did not have an ice carving for the Portofino's brunch that was offered on day 9 of the sailing.

 

The art for all RCI ships up until Allure had been handled by the Oslo office of the company that is now ICArt (International Corporate Art) and this market of course goes through the same cycles as the international art market.

 

http://icart.net/clients

 

Sadly the new RCL has moved away of it's support for the arts and they have given up their RCCL Arts grant in Norway from this year. They had previously been very supportive of the arts and appear to have had a strategy shift recently.

Edited November 23, 2015 by MADflyer

[MADflyer]

Great pumpkins! Maybe the food carver was on vacation :)

 

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I think one factor that might have effected our sailing a bit was the fact that the Hotel Director was not onboard until Grand Cayman as he was away at a conference for all of the HD's.

[texastennis]

Very much enjoying your blog/review. I have never sailed solo, but am considering it in the near future as my children are all getting older and husband is not a huge fan of cruising (though he would go every few years).

 

You'll love it! I will not do it any other way from now on. My husband does not like cruising, we are empty nesters, and I now call my solo cruises, "solo sabbaticals." Nothing but rest and relaxation!

[DKNYC]

Hey D, sorry I missed this comment in the midst of my photo sharing marathon. Yep, college crew, my coach was on the first team in the Olympics where they actually let women row (considered too demanding a sport for ladies before the 1970s)... I medaled at the Eastern Sprints and rowed through finals at the Nationals, quite an accomplishment considering I was almost a foot shorter than every other woman in the boat, and had never rowed before but joined the team as a walk-on. Yale sailing team tried to recruit me, saying their beer budget was larger than our entire team budget! (Probably true.)

 

But hey, let's go bowling!! And let's invite Arzeena and RJ, two of my favorite people from the Explorer repo, they truly had my back in the face of some CC nonsense. ;) You'd love my new friends from the Liberty repo, too... I meet the best people on repos -- like you!:)

 

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Aww [emoji1]

You are so kind. You will be happy to know that I actually went in the ocean up to my neck in St. Thomas. I haven't been bowling in about 7 years though. [emoji33]

 

Denise

 

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[Arzeena]

<quote>Originally Posted by DKNYC

Crew was your college sport. You are the most multifaceted person I know. 😀 My college sport was bowling. Glad you got a solution to the photo problem.

Arzeena, how are you! Didn't know you knew Denise. I met her on the Explorer repo last year, before I met you and RJ on Quantum in January.

Denise - the other one. </quote>

 

Hi Denise DKNYC!

 

We are fine! How have you been?

You met us on the Explorer too!:D:D The Rogue Wave Cruise! It was a thrilling sailaway night!

We were also going on the Q but we switched to Breakaway for better pricing and itinerary.

[DKNYC]

<quote>Originally Posted by DKNYC

Crew was your college sport. You are the most multifaceted person I know. 😀 My college sport was bowling. Glad you got a solution to the photo problem.

Arzeena, how are you! Didn't know you knew Denise. I met her on the Explorer repo last year, before I met you and RJ on Quantum in January.

Denise - the other one. </quote>

 

Hi Denise DKNYC!

 

We are fine! How have you been?

You met us on the Explorer too!:D:D The Rogue Wave Cruise! It was a thrilling sailaway night!

We were also going on the Q but we switched to Breakaway for better pricing and itinerary.

Oh yeah, now I remember. I took two cruises so close together and you were on both roll calls so I sort of mixed them up.[emoji3]

Denise

 

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[EmpressofPurple]

First Towel Animal:

 

Day #3

 

Most beautiful jogging track anywhere

 

View of the pool (with no chair hogs)

 

Omelette, corned beef hash, veggies

 

Ken organizing the Cabin Crawl

 

First stop on the Cabin Crawl: streamers and noisemakers!

[EmpressofPurple]

Cabin Crawl continued...

 

The Aquarium

 

Ben & Jerry's "Sweet"

 

Cow Butts on the Promenade

 

Cow decor

 

Amazing Aft Balcony view

 

Upper Floor Balcony view

[EmpressofPurple]

I served candy, cookies and nuts and played Voytek's CD on my laptop for my cabin crawl guests (notice my dancing "iDog" speaker):

 

My C&A towel gift, towel animal... and travel cat:

 

Texas Pete, our grand suite "host with the most"... light-up blinkies on his hat!!! (he and DW DFWJenny provided light-up pins for all the guests):

 

Grand suite bathroom

 

Hmm, I think these pictures are out of order... this looks like the Junior Suite...

 

Oversized pole aft cabin balcony:

[EmpressofPurple]

MDR Lunch -tutti salad

 

Gnocchi w/gorgonzola cream

 

Roulade... and coffee ice cream

 

(No pool deck pix from the afternoon)

 

Pre-dinner music from Voytek in Bolero's

 

Only dinner pic: seafood pasta

 

After dinner music from the latin band in Bolero's