This was our first cruise with RCI, although we have tried other cruise lines. Liberty of the Seas is big and beautiful. Even when the seas were rough, I hardly felt any movement. There is lots (Lots!) to do on board, and as with most cruises these days, you can be as busy or as quiet as you want.

Lesson #1 - On Liberty of the Seas (and I suspect the other ships in this class for RCI) don't book the 2nd or 3rd deck. These decks do not allow access for the length of the ship, which means there are times when you have to walk in the opposite direction you want to go, take an elevator (or the stairs) up to at least the 4th deck, then walk the length of the ship to get to where you want to go. This applies to the dining rooms if you are in the front half of the ship, or the Platinum theatre if you are aft.

Lesson #2 - Don't be afraid to ask the cruise ship staff for some assistance. When we got to Civitavecchia, we discovered that the train workers were planning a strike. The trains were running early in the morning and we had no problem getting into Rome. However, all the trains were cancelled in the afternoon, and we ended up taking a taxi back to the port at cost of 140 euros!. We realized afterwards that we should have asked for assistance from the cruise staff, and would probably have been able to hitch a ride with one of the shore excursion buses for a fraction of the cost. Read more