Background Information: We are a married couple in their 30's on our 11th cruise, 2nd on board Royal Caribbean. We are normally Celebrity or HAL cruisers, but decided this would be a good opportunity to try the big RCCL ship, Liberty of the Seas. After we booked and paid for our vacation, we had some difficult economic changes, but decided still to enjoy our cruise. A major priority was enjoying ourselves without spending too much money on activities, excursions, or other temptations. I was expecting lots of activities and a fun younger crowd, which is what we got. I was not expecting high quality personal service, delicious food, or quiet places to relax, so I was surprised when I got that too!

Travel Arrangements: We did the cruise line air and flew out of South Bend, through Detroit, to Fort Lauderdale on Northwest. Because of the cruise air, we did not have to pay for our checked bags (cha ching - a savings of $50). We took a cruise line transfer bus from FLL to MIA. Unfortunately had to wait almost 2 hours for this bus, but we made it to the ship on-time. Note to others - have your transfer paperwork out and ready. We did E-docs, but thankfully I printed the entire E-doc package. They made us give them that piece of paper to confirm our transfer arrangements, on other cruises they had our names on a list, no need to show the transfer vouchers.

Embarkation: There was a short line (maybe 20 minutes) at the pier. We went through security and baggage screening first and then got checked in. Priority check in line for suites and Platinum/Diamond members. We used that and were in and out in 5 minutes. I was traveling with a passport card and they acted like they had never seen one before. After some delay I just decided to give them my paper passport which they scanned and we were on our way to the ship. Read more