Also, when on an RCI ship, check out the floor of the elevator. You'll see the day of the week. This helps me keep track of my photos.
So, we got about 4 hours of sleep that night. We stayed up talking and packing. We could tell that this was going to become a pattern….
Woke up and dressed for our cruise. I decided to wear a free-flowing strapless dress. Figured it would be comfortable and would carry me into dinner that night if my luggage hadn’t arrived to the stateroom. Dresses like these make for light packing!
Since the sun was trying to come through the clouds, I decided to take a walk around the hotel property and explore a bit. We didn’t eat breakfast (I had some fruit and crackers), since we knew we were making a beeline for the Windjammer once we boarded.
I watched the bridge open to let the boats through from the hotel pier. I saw the water taxi and a couple boats pass. So cool.
Used the free internet for a couple minutes, then went back to the room to grab my suitcase.
I checked out at 10 AM. and got my cash deposit back. The valet parking was $25 for the night by the way.
So we returned Crystal’s rental car to Alamo at the airport, and the rental included a free shuttle to the cruise port. When we got upstairs the shuttle was waiting, and there weren't many people on the bus. Very nice and efficient! We were on our way to the ship by 11.
The bus dropped us off right in front of the Liberty’s terminal. Having sailed the Adventure and the Serenade, I was AMAZED at the size of the ship at first glance! She dwarfed the Princess ship in port. Sherrae, having only sailed the Carnival Glory, was completely blown away at her size and loved the ship's outer appearance.
We dropped our luggage off at the porters. One of them fell in love with Crystal, he offered to take us all to dinner when we got back, LOL! It never happened of course. Anyways, once we dropped our luggage off, we made our way through security and check-in.
Yay! Oh, the joy of getting my Seapass!
We took the customary boarding photo and sat down to wait to board. Something must have happened on the sailing previous to ours, because some people were still on the ship when we arrived. We had to wait about an hour and a half before boarding. We were so fortunate to take some of the last few seats before people had to stand in the larger check in area for that long. So glad to have seats!
Love that first "PING!" when you scan your Seapass upon boarding:
The first thing I did was take a look at the main dining room which was beautiful:
Then we went to the Windjammer buffet. We were able to find a table quickly. Crystal and Rae took a lap around before settling on what they wanted to eat. I watched our things at the table while they got their food.
My first meal onboard. Everything was great! The seafood paella was especially good. I got first dibs from a fresh batch that had just come out.
After lunch, we made our way to our room (#8459, inside cabin)- and promptly noticed that the bed configuration was wrong. I gave them the benefit of the doubt and assumed that turnaround happens so quickly on such a huge ship, and every 4-5 days, perhaps they don’t have time between cruises to fix the beds the right away. That’s okay. I took some pics of the cabin as it was and we headed back out to explore, leaving a note for the cabin steward, asking him to separate the beds, bring down the pullman bed for Rae, empty the fridge, and to provide an extra robe (there were two in the closet). Of course I asked nicely and left lots of please and thank you's and smiley faces on the note
We made our way to the Royal Promenade on Deck 5. I loved being on deck 8, which I chose since we could walk down three quick flights to the Promenade, or up three to the Windjammer and pool deck when the elevators got congested. Perfect location.
On our way, I noticed the nifty touch screen that showed you how to get around the ship. They were placed all around the ship, on each deck. These came in handy for us since we had an inside room in an interior corridor of the ship. It normally takes me about two days to get the hang of where everything is on the ship…but we only had 4 days on the Liberty! It was nice to have this as a guide.
We went to Guest Relations on Deck 5. I had to put cash down for my onboard account. Crystal signed the form to prepay her gratuities, and Rae had a credit card for her account, but wanted to put some cash down anyway. We were all taken care of within about 5 minutes.
Our first glimpses of the Royal Promenade.
Walking down the Promenade:
After walking the Promenade, we went to the pool deck for a glimpse of everything before the muster drill. We got soft serve from the Sprinkles machine near the kids’ H2O zone and found some lounge seats so we could rest a bit and enjoy the view. We were tired and a little sleepy already from the long night before and embarkation.
Muster drill was quick and painless. Our meeting area was in the Main Dining Room.
After the drill, Rae and Crystal decided to take a nap. We had late dining, and wanted to see the comedy show and go dancing in the Catacombs later that night. They wanted to rest up for all the fun ahead. Literally, we went dancing just about every night!
I left them in the room, and grabbed some food from Sorrento's out of curiosity. Pretty good food. I had a slice of pizza and a salad. The pizza was fresh and the crust nice and soft. They had some items for you to make your own salad. Italian ingredients like fresh mozzarella, marinated artichokes, salami, olives, etc. Pretty good. I took my food back to our room since there were no open seats there at the time.
It was time for sailaway, and I didn’t want to miss it. I made my way to the helipad. I heard about the helipad from some veteran cruisers here on CC. To get there, you take Deck 4 all the way forward. When you can't go forward anymore, take those doors to the outer deck. You'll see stairs in front of you, climb those and walk straight ahead. Follow that walkway forward and you'll emerge at the front of the ship. It's very windy out there, but you get a fabulous view of the ship leaving the dock.
There were about 50 or so people with me on the helipad. I sat out there by myself and enjoyed a peaceful moment out there. It was beautiful and exhilarating to sail at the very front of the ship. Again it's very windy- so if you're wearing loose clothing or a hairpiece, anchor it all down! 
We could see the Captain on the bridge. He's in the center of this photo:
And, we're off! People on shore came out to watch us leave and waved goodbye.
A couple more shots of sailaway:
As I was leaving Deck 4, I noticed a couple admiring the beautiful view. They asked me to take a pic of them and I happily obliged. They were so giddy and happy. I love seeing couples cruising, it's such a great way to travel together and enjoy some really beautiful moments.
After that, I joined my friends for a nap in our cabin. Our beds weren't ready yet, so Crystal and Rae napped on the bed, and I came in to nap a little on the couch in the room. No big deal. Once we woke up, we unpacked and freshened up a bit for the evening. We had lots to do!
Some notes about our cabin. We had an inside cabin for the three of us. A lot of people tend to ask whether sharing an inside for 3 is too cramped. For us, it worked well. Here were some pointers:
1. We each tried to limit the amount of clothes we packed. Rae and I brought just one carryon. Crystal had one medium-sized suitcase. We each used about 5 hangers in the closet (doubling up on dresses hanging from them), one shelf each, and two dresser drawers each. Everything fit fine, even with all our shoes.
2. We unpacked everything we could immediately, and stored our suitcases under the beds. This made for more space. You'll see that once the beds are separated, the room felt much more spacious.
3. I brought a Scentportables air freshener from Bath and Body Works (Coconut Leaves), and a concentrated fragrance mist (Coconut Water) as well. Kept the room smelling fresh all the time.
4. I showered in the gym/spa area once in a while to free up time in the bathroom for the other girls. The stalls in there were larger anyway, and I got the chance to enjoy the steam room a couple times. A win-win.
5. When all of us showered in the room, we would shower, wash our faces, etc, then finish hair and makeup at the vanity instead of in the bathroom. This allowed the next person to get into the shower quickly.
I think three in a room is fine and works well...as long as you are all generally upbeat, optimistic, and willing to compromise. You kind of have to take a look at who you're sailing with and really be honest about whether you can get along with them in such a small space. We were laughing and joking so much as we got ready each day that it never felt like we were packed like sardines.
It was about 8:15 when we emerged from our cabin. We had late dining, and this worked nicely for us.
Before our sailing, I sent a nice email to RCLDining@rccl.com to request a table for just the three of us, and by a window. We were confirmed for our table within about 3 business days. I was excited to see where we would be sitting. We had table 351, on Deck 3, right next to a large window.
1. We each tried to limit the amount of clothes we packed. Rae and I brought just one carryon. Crystal had one medium-sized suitcase. We each used about 5 hangers in the closet (doubling up on dresses hanging from them), one shelf each, and two dresser drawers each. Everything fit fine, even with all our shoes.
2. We unpacked everything we could immediately, and stored our suitcases under the beds. This made for more space. You'll see that once the beds are separated, the room felt much more spacious.
3. I brought a Scentportables air freshener from Bath and Body Works (Coconut Leaves), and a concentrated fragrance mist (Coconut Water) as well. Kept the room smelling fresh all the time.
4. I showered in the gym/spa area once in a while to free up time in the bathroom for the other girls. The stalls in there were larger anyway, and I got the chance to enjoy the steam room a couple times. A win-win.
5. When all of us showered in the room, we would shower, wash our faces, etc, then finish hair and makeup at the vanity instead of in the bathroom. This allowed the next person to get into the shower quickly.
I think three in a room is fine and works well...as long as you are all generally upbeat, optimistic, and willing to compromise. You kind of have to take a look at who you're sailing with and really be honest about whether you can get along with them in such a small space. We were laughing and joking so much as we got ready each day that it never felt like we were packed like sardines.
It was about 8:15 when we emerged from our cabin. We had late dining, and this worked nicely for us.
Before our sailing, I sent a nice email to RCLDining@rccl.com to request a table for just the three of us, and by a window. We were confirmed for our table within about 3 business days. I was excited to see where we would be sitting. We had table 351, on Deck 3, right next to a large window.
A lot of people say you can't see anything outside if you dine late and by the window, but I actually was able to see the moon reflecting on the ocean a couple nights, as well as the water frothing up as the ship passed through the ocean. It was worth it to me to ask.
Here are the menus from dinner:
I had the tortilla soup, and was so happy to see one of my favorite entrees: the Truffled Wild Mushroom Linguine. Delicious!
Crystal joked that there was an unspoken rule that they had to wait until I took pics of the food before they could start eating. At least they knew the routine, lol.
She had a spinach salad, and the pork medallions:
She had a spinach salad, and the pork medallions:
Rae enjoyed the spinach salad as well, with the sirloin (medium) from the alternative menu.
Now this is one thing about Royal I don't really enjoy: the MDR desserts. They always sound good, and the presentation is gorgeous, but they end up being a disappointment to me about 80% of the time. My mother is an amazing baker so I grew up around great cakes and pies....Royal just isn't cutting it in this area. To satisfy my sweet fix, I would either get a cone from the Sprinkles machine, or the tiramisu from Sorrento's. I also brought some Dove chocolates (my little indulgence) with me, so I could have one or two at the end of the night. The ladies agreed with me. This doesn't bother me enough to stop cruising Royal, I know they're doing the best with what they have. I'm happy with their food otherwise.
This time, I tried the strawberry pavlova. Pretty good.
This time, I tried the strawberry pavlova. Pretty good.
Crystal tried the Savarin, tried a bite, and didn't like it. It had a strange texture. Very pretty, but 'meh.'
Rae had the chocolate cherry cake. It was pretty dry, she was disappointed.
After dinner, we strolled the Royal Promenade for a bit to kill time before the comedy show. We were hanging out, singing to the piped in music in the souvenir shop while Crystal looked for gifts for family and friends. I bought a $1 gold satin pouch to hold my Seapass and camera on formal night since I forgot to bring a purse that matched the dress. It went perfectly. I also bought a postcard of the Liberty.
We exited the shop and randomly walked into the 70's party on the Promenade. We totally went with it, and were in the perfect spot for the party. At first, Rae was like, I don't like 70's music...but about 5 minutes in, she was dancing with us, lol. Whether you could dance or not, you couldn't help but move a bit to the music.Not sure if the construction worker was aware...but his pants started to fall.
If he knew, I guess he was too embarrassed to pull them back up. Made for some funny conversation among us cruisers as the party went on!
We exited the shop and randomly walked into the 70's party on the Promenade. We totally went with it, and were in the perfect spot for the party. At first, Rae was like, I don't like 70's music...but about 5 minutes in, she was dancing with us, lol. Whether you could dance or not, you couldn't help but move a bit to the music.Not sure if the construction worker was aware...but his pants started to fall.
If he knew, I guess he was too embarrassed to pull them back up. Made for some funny conversation among us cruisers as the party went on! 
The Cruise Director is in the middle. He was such a hoot the entire cruise!
So the 'Village People' came down off the bridge and made a beeline for our area. I think they liked our dancing, lol.
Go Crystal!
Go Crystal!
The cowboy twirled Rae around a bit, lol:
I danced on the side a bit and kept snapping away. The scene was too funny to miss a second:
After partying a bit more, we dropped our bags off in the room (our beds were fixed by then), and made our way to the Platinum Theatre for the comedy show. So.....I love comedy shows. The three of us and our husbands love heading to NYC or the local scene in New Brunswick for comedy shows. This comedian was kind of funny....like you're laughing more at him than at his jokes. To each his own. Maybe that was part of his act. He had a couple funny jokes once in a while. We still had a good time since we would add our own quips to the end of his jokes 
The cruise director introduced him- that CD was everywhere! He did a fantastic job.
To top off the night, we spent the rest of the evening in the Catacombs dancing away. The DJ was awesome, the songs got better and better throughout the entire night. You could tell he loved what he was doing, and his energy was contagious.
We got back to the room pretty late and went straight to bed. We were exhausted but happy . Here's a pic of the room with the correct configuration. Doesn't it feel a little more spacious now? Rae took the Pullman bed. I slept on the left, and Crystal was under the Pullman. Rae's and my suitcases went under my bed, and Crystal's larger one stayed under hers.
. Here's a pic of the room with the correct configuration. Doesn't it feel a little more spacious now? Rae took the Pullman bed. I slept on the left, and Crystal was under the Pullman. Rae's and my suitcases went under my bed, and Crystal's larger one stayed under hers. 
Well, that's the end of cruise day 1! I hope you had a great time along with us. Up next, our first day at sea!
For Part 3, click here.
For Part 3, click here.
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