I am currently onboard the Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas sailing out of Galveston en route to Roatan, Honduras. I noted earlier that RCCL was having trouble with how their account balances displayed, and that problem seems to have resolved itself– I am now onboard and have received all of the packages and promotions I was expecting to receive. While I will publish my reviews of this trip over the next several weeks, I am trying to write as much as possible while still on board. Rather than the traditional style of travel blog reviewing a day or an entire cruise, I am going to review particular elements of this ship. Today I want to discuss the Liberty of the Seas spa.
This is going to be a negative review, and I want to put that in some context: I am in a great mood. The meals, even in the buffet, have been great. My cabin is comfortable, I am winning money in the casino, and I am sitting on the balcony of a cruise ship. Life is good. That is why it stands out to me all the more that the spa was such a negative experience.
I had pre-booked a package of three treatments. I received a discount for booking in advance. When I boarded, I went immediately (11 a.m. on boarding day) to the spa to confirm. At that point, I was told that the technician who provided my service was no longer on board due to an emergency. I understood that, although I was disappointed that nobody bothered to contact me to let me know. I then tried to book a different massage, which I was able to do. However, the would not extend to me the same pre-booking discount which had been available when I originally booked. To make it worse, they insisted there was no such discount. They did say, however, that I would get 15 minutes extra for booking on embarkation day. Ready to get the vacation started, I agreed.
I showed up 15 minutes early and filled out the standard paperwork. If you have never been in a Royal Caribbean spa, know that it works a bit differently than a spa on land: There is no locker room where you change into your robe. You stay in your regular clothes until you go directly to your treatment room. My therapist came by promptly, introduced herself, and off we went.
She did excellent work except for one thing: My treatment ended promptly on time, and I did not receive my promised 15 extra minutes. That, however, may not have been her fault. The front desk may not have told her what they promised. I was also disappointed that I could regularly hear people talking in the hallway outside my treatment room. We were also directly beneath the miniature golf course, and there was a great deal of noise coming from that. All in all, the noise made it difficult to relax and enjoy the massage.
I had another treatment booked for the last day of the cruise, and I cancelled that. The woman at the front desk was unpleasant, and she made me repeat four times that I insisted on doing it. So– this is a great cruise on a great ship, but the spa is definitely not worth it.
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