Guest Blog Post: Lisa Bauer on Liberty of the Seas After Dry Dock
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Last week was a great opportunity to combine our Anchored in Excellence (AIE) visit to Liberty of the Seas with the chance to sail on her immediately after her dry dock last week to access the impact of the new venues and programming.
It was actually hard to believe what the team accomplished in seven days! When we boarded the ship, there was no evidence of construction, not a ceiling panel out of place, and all the new venues looked like they had been there forever. I’m very proud of the team. The only venue that we weren’t able to complete was the nursery, but we knew that would take longer and it will be open beginning this week.
The Cupcake Cupboard is prominent on the Royal Promenade and by the time I got there, my favorite flavor, Red Velvet was sold out! Thought everyone might enjoy a picture of the third Cupcake Cupboard in the fleet.
Another Royal Advantage enhancement was within Vintages. Our guests really loved the new furniture and atmosphere of the Vintages on Oasis class, so we remodeled the Vintages on Liberty, added a wine tasting table, and the very popular Wine dispensing technology. These new machines offer the ability to have 1, 3, or 5 ounces of wine and it is a great way to try new wines.
The new screen on the pool deck is already a huge hit with our guests. We showed Secretariat the first night it was up and the pool deck was packed. I can’t wait to see the reaction when our guests get to watch popular sporting events, like the Super Bowl, on the screen.
We were busy, because not only did we add the screen on the pool deck, we also added the 3D movie capability in the theatre. This 3D programming is one of the many elements of the DreamWorks® Experience that we launched this week on Liberty. The sail away party was very festive, and adults and kids alike approached the characters for a hug or picture. We did two character breakfasts this week, and I was very happy to have had chocolate waffles for breakfast! The parade is amazing on Liberty, and Shrek, Fiona, Po and the gang seem to “pop” up around the ship.
I really enjoyed watching our guests interacting with the digital signage. It was such a huge success on Oasis that we added it to Liberty, and it has quickly become a great resource for our guests.
During dry dock, we also greatly extended the WIFI capabilities of the ship, what we now call pervasive WIFI, so I was able to keep up with my colleagues in Miami from the comfort of my stateroom. The entire ship now has WIFI instead of just select areas.
I will be back on Liberty in late April, as our timeline to officially open our Broadway Show Saturday Night Fever is the April 21st sailing, and I can’t wait!
Not only was I able to sail and spend time on Liberty, but Radiance of the Seas was docked right across from us in Cozumel, so I joined Captain Claus and Hotel Director Clunis for a total walk around of Radiance to review all the new venues that Radiance will receive when she goes into dry dock in May this year.
Allure became known as the Ship of Entertainment, and now I am going to name Radiance the Culinary ship! When we did the full tour, the totality of all the new food & beverages was overwhelming. Radiance will feature a Samba Grill where the current SeaView café currently is located, a Rita’s Cantina, an Izumi, our highly acclaimed Chef’s Table, Giovanni’s Table will replace Portofino and both the Boardwalk DogHouse and the Park Café will be added! We may need to add more equipment in the gym with this plethora of food offerings. Of course there is a lot more to the revitalization than dining, and I believe the new Diamond Lounge will be beautiful, as will the new Concierge Lounge.
will you be doing the same enhancements to the Freedom of the Seas and if so, when do you anticipate doing the updates? I was very empressed with these and lov my daily updates from RCCL which I share with friends, clients & family or FB and via e-mail forwards. Thanks for making your article’s easy to share via FB and e-mail forwarding!
Hi Diane. Thank you for your kind words and great feedback! You can read all about our future enhancements, including those on Freedom of the Seas, here. We are happy to hear you shared our article! Thanks so much for reading and we hope you continue to enjoy our blog as well as being an active member of our community.
We are thrilled to have the Park Café added to Radiance. Just in time for the Radiance repositioning to Austrailia.
Hopefully Park Café will eventually be available on every RCI ship. Our favorite venue when we were on Oasis.
We are glad you enjoy Park Café so much, Bob and Jane. We’ll definitely take your feedback into consideration. We hope you enjoy your cruise with us. We can’t wait to have you back onboard.
I was wondering if the new cupcake cupboard is going to be included in the price of the cruise or if this will be a specialty shop? Thanks!
Hello, Haily. The Cupcake Cupboard will be offered as an a la carte restaurant.
We are confirmed RCI cruisers, Crown & Anchor Platinum, and as I tell everyone I meet to hasn’t cruised or hasn’t cruised with RCI, they have the best ships in the industry, by far!!! Keep it up. Looking forward to our next voyage on Allure, but now must add another voyage on Radience and also a first time on Liberty. Nice work guys!!!!
Thanks so much, Keith. We really appreciate your kind words and are blessed to have such a loyal to Royal member with us. We and can’t wait to have such a valued guest back onboard. We hope to see you soon.
What a great idea — putting a movie screen on the pool deck! I LOVE THAT.
We are very proud of our innovations, Sandra, and we’re happy to hear you enjoy our addition.
I’ll be sailing on the Radiance of the Seas right after she comes out of drydock. I’ll be curious about the changes. Will the Radiance of the Seas get the extended WiFi capability? I tried Royal Caribbean’s WiFi for the first time on my November 2010 cruise on the Navigator of the Seas and, I was very impressed with it however, it was a little annoying having to take my laptop to a designated WiFi area. It would be really nice if the Radiance of the Seas received that upgrade.
Hello, Ron. You can read all about Radiance of the Seas enhancements, including Wi-Fi service, here. Thanks so much for your feedback and we look forward to having you onboard.
I love all the new enhancements of the Liberty of the Seas…..now it’s time to send her to us at Cape Liberty!!!!
Thanks for the recommendation, Miriam. We’re happy to hear you approve of the enhancements we’ve made on her. We hope you can make it onboard with us to experience them first hand soon.
I’ve been eagerly anticipating seeing the upgrades to Liberty of the Seas! I sailed on her in November of 2010 and she looked fantastic even then! I bet she looks just incredible throughout now.
I will be on Independence of the Seas out of Southampton to the Canary Islands this coming May.
Hi Steve, we were just as eager to deliver her and all of her enhancements as you were anticipating them. We’re proud to say, if you thought she looked great then you’ll be WOWed when you see her now. Thank you so much for your feedback and we will see you on Independence of the Seas in May.
Hi Adam & Lisa,
I am an agent with Cruise Holidays of Milford.
My favorite cruiseline and best seller is RCCL.
Was on Allure for her inaugural and was spellbound.
talk about the WOW factor. Your ships are the best at Sea. No one else can compare!! Love the enhancements on Liberty, my clients would love to see her up here in Cape LIbery. Would sell out immediately. Met you both at a Cruise Holidays convention a few years back , look forward to meeting up again in the future. Keep up the good work.
Pat Groll
Hello, Pat. We are so happy to hear that you are such a great fan of Royal Caribbean. We appreciate your kind words and will continue to strive in bringing the WOW and continuous innovations to all of our ships.
We are up next to cruise the Liberty Of The Seas. Wow we sure will enjoy the new outdoor big screen and cup cake parlor. I am even more excited about the new wine tasting table as well. So ready to see this ship!!
We can’t wait to have you onboard, Diana. Please let us know what you think when you get back!
wE WERE ON LIBERTY WITH MY WHOLE FAMILY 3 YEARS AGO. SHE WAS GREAT THEN AND WILL BE EVEN BETTER NOW AS WE JUST CAME OFF OASIS IN SEPT. THE ADDITION OF PARK CAFE AND GIOVONNI WILL BE GREAT AS WE LOVED THEM ON OASIS. wE HEARD ABOUT THE NEW SHIPS TO BE ORDERED FOR THE FUTURE AND HOPE WE WILL GET ONE OF THEM IN NEW YORK. THAT WOULD BE GREAT. WE HOPE THEY PUT A POOL WITH A DOME ON IT. THAT WOULD BE EVEN BETTER FOR TRAVEL OUT OF NY IN WINTER MONTHS. WE WILL BE ON BRILLANCE IN THE FALL AND I HOPE ALL THE PROBLEMS IN EGYPT ARE GONE BY THEN, THANK YOU AGAIN.
Thank you very much, Mario. We are glad to hear you are excited to see our enhancements onboard Liberty of the Seas. Thanks for your suggestion and we will pass it along to the appropriate department. We look forward to seeing you in the fall.
So happy to see the doghouse and Rita’s Cantina being added to another ship! We sailed on the Allure on Dec 1st and our favorite new additions from the Oasis were these two restaurants. Everytime we smell hotdogs or crave Mexican we think of being on a ship! We are sailing on the Allure in May and then again with a group of 1st timers in September. I can’t wait to show off the ship and get them hooked on cruising with Royal Caribbean! Thanks for all of the great new innovations, you truly stand out from all the rest!
Thank you for the kind words, Debra. We are looking forward to having you back onboard and showing off our ship to your 1st timers. We are sure that you’ll do a great job of showing off our WOW on our ship. See you in May!
I was just on my first cruise with Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, last November 2010. You really had a lot to offer than other cruise lines !!! I really had a great time on Liberty Of The Seas. And I am now “hooked” on your cruise line and nobody else. I have been on Disney Cruise Line before, and you have them beat by a long way. And now, I will be celebrating my “50th” Birthday in May 2011 on Oasis Of The Seas cruise. I have heard there are a lot of “surprises planned for me by my family. Looking foward to another great cruise with the only cruiseline that I will travel on from now on !!!
Thank you so much for the kind words, Neal! We are honored that you will be spending your 50th birthday with us. Rest assured, that our entire crew will do everything we can to make it a memorable experience and deliver the “WOW” for such a momentous occasion! We can’t wait to see you with us onboard Oasis of the Seas in May. Until then, take care and we’ll see you soon!
Just returned from a cruise on the Enchanment of the Seas. Although it isn’t the biggest, newest or most beautiful of your fleet, we had a WONDERFUL time. The crew was fantastic and couldn’t be more helpful or pleasant, everyone from the cabin steward to the dealer in the casino. No matter where one went there was beautiful music to be heard throughout the ship. Look forward to another cruise on this ship!
We are so happy we were able to WOW you on all levels, Barbara. The Enchantment of the Seas definitely has her own personal beauty, not to mention the Royal Advantage, which is our drive towards providing the best personal service and memorable experience on all of the ships in our fleet. Thank you for the wonderful feedback, and we can’t wait to have you back onboard again.
I am sailing on Vision of the Seas on Aug 19 from Stockholm. I heard that there was supposed to be refurbishment in November 2010. Can you tell me if it was done, or when it will be done?
Hi, Marion. Currently we have no planned enhancements for Vision of the Seas but you can read about how she, along with her Vision class sisters, are still delivering the WOW here. We’re confident that you will have a great and memorable experience on your cruise and are looking forward to having you onboard with us this August.
We are looking forward to our cruise on April 2, 2011. The Transatlantic cruise will be our first, along with our 2 other couples. We have enjoyed the other Royal cruises and have had a lot of fun.
We can’t wait to have all six of you onboard this April, Jim. We just know that your group will have a splendid time.