My Very Own Titanic: The Liberty of the Seas

June 21, 2013

Before our vacation, the little knowledge I had about ships was merely derived from a three-hour movie we’ve all known as Titanic. I knew that I could possibly meet prospective Jacks. And that ships could look like hotels. And that I could maybe fly. And that there are fancy dinners. Lots of it. And that someone could draw me wearing a necklace and only a necklace. And that ice burgs are to be afraid of. And that the best thing to do when the ship sinks and you don’t get to ride on a boat is to ride on a floating door, if it’s one of the remnants of the wrecked ship. And it’s good to have a whistle in your pocket in case of emergency.

It was only when I went on a five-day cruise that I realized the true essence of cruising beyond a sob movie. It involved a lot of shivering and eating and themed dances and parties and the whole shebang. It involved birds and the captain and befriending and exploring each port. We were in a ship that carried 4,000 passengers and so much food and energy, and time was not enough for us to do what could be done in the 12-deck craft.

And so I came up with a list of my top 10 things to tell someone who has as limited knowledge of the ship as I had before my Western Mediterranean encounter in my very own Titanic, the Liberty of the Seas.

1.     Eat each meal like it was your last. The food is already part of what you paid for. Meaning it practically feels like you’re having free breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks everyday. There’s an option to dine in the buffet area called Windjammer or the more formal dining area nicked as the Botticelli Restaurant. We preferred dining in Botticelli though since it was quieter and they served quality gourmet meals. But stuff yourself and eat to your heart’s (or your tummy’s) content. Order eggs ben for breakfast and eat all the burger that you can at lunch. Gladly accept the special adobo that Reuben, the head waiter prepared for dinner even if it’s of a different take from the adobo you’ve come to know and love. Eat ‘til you’re sleepy. Eat ‘til you have sufficient energy for the day.

2.     Go down at every port. In our case, our stops were Cannes, France, and La Spezia and Rome, Italy. We maximized our time and did what we could in every stop, given that the ship only docked from 8am to 5pm in every place. We ate in a modern French restaurant called Mocca in Cannes, and roamed its streets and people-watched in a nude beach. From La Spezia, we went to Pisa to celebrate Mother’s Day by the famous Leaning Tower and the Duomo beside it. We lay down on the grass, and neared a state of slumber when we were jolted by giggles from a group of friends also seated near us. Finally, we revisited Vatican City and the romantic streets of Rome. We ate pizza and gelato and once again, made a wish at Fontana Di Trevi. It is said that making a wish in that fountain guarantees a next trip to Rome. And maybe this is true because my wish from two years back was granted. And with all this, I say you do the same. Explore and make the most out of your nine hours in each destination. Discover part of the city, ride their trains, find interesting wall signs and hurry back to your ship at the end of the day.

3.     Watch shows. Remember Cirque du Soleil? The ship has a version of it.  It’s called In the Air. And if you haven’t watched a show on ice, take a chance to watch the crew dance and glide on glassy frozen water.

4.     Attend the Captain’s Night. You’ll be surprised at all the merry-making that happens in the ship. Consider the Captain’s Night an excuse to glam it up and see everyone garbed in decent clothing. It’s a chance for you to meet and greet the captain. It doesn’t matter if he speaks in garbled words or in hushed tones for no one to hear. It’s just nice to kind of feel that you belong in this swarm of passengers that the captain is welcoming aboard. And all these are happening while you’re sipping on a free glass or two of champagne.

5.     Attend the White Party. Even if majority of the crowd is comprised of senior citizens. It’s always fun to watch choo-choo train dances going around the top deck of a moving ship at night. More so because it’s a packed crowd of literally all kinds of nationalities in white. It’s fun and you sort of forget about the rest of the world while ironically mingling with people of the world. All these folks are coming together for this kind of clowning around and merry-making so join them. Make fun of them and make fun of yourself. Most of the people there are retired and just want to have plain solid fun and don’t really care about what you think. So stop caring about what they think and be as awkward as you can be.

6.     Make new friends. Out of the 4,000 passengers in the ship, make at least three friends. It doesn’t matter what age they are and where they’re from. The ship is as diverse as diverse gets. If anything, I was quite surprised to find more than five Filipino passengers there. I knew I was there to have quality time with my family but there were way too many people around me to resist not talking to them. I met Heftsiba, a middle-aged redhead flute diva from Israel who taught me how to say shalom and toda raba, whose of a very interesting mix, coming from Yemeni and South African descent. And Sergei, a nine-year-old boy from Santa Rita in Spain who is every bit of sophisticated, being suited up and being so polite while ordering his Sprite from the waiter while waiting for In the Air to start. And our cabin keeper, Norwin from Jamaica who makes birds and monkeys out of towels. And the friendly Filipino crew, some of whom were Maria, Fermolito and Harold, who were very cordial and accommodating. Talk to the guy on the roof deck or the kids in the elevator singing and dancing Gangnam Style. Talk to anyone who seems interested; not necessarily one who seems interesting.

7.     Explore. Gamble in the casino. Check out the auction. Go to Starbucks or the cupcake store. Have a family photo shoot. Have a dip in the Jacuzzi. Play hide and seek and end up in the bunk bed of your cabin. Have a round of beer in Hoof & Claw Pub. Play arcade. Walk for wishes. Learn how to burn fat fast. Guess that Michael Jackson tune at The Sphinx. Join the soccer competition at the sports court. And at the end of the day, get a massage.

8.     Walk along the top deck track. I typically rested on one of the beach beds and watched people, if there were any. There were occasionally smokers or joggers up there. But for most of it, I found myself wondering where everyone was, and ended up roaming around the track, taking photos of birds, the sea and the skyline. Walk along the track and do the flying pose in Titanic and reenact the scene where Rose saw a boat and let her coarse voice endure compulsory squealing. It’s fun up there and it’s what you’ll probably miss most after your trip.

9.     Watch the sunset. Block off at least one afternoon and patiently watch it. I just recently realized something about sunsets. It’s this natural thing that occurs daily but means different things to different people at different times in different ends of the world. And yet, all these levels of difference all boil down to a unifying idea – that witnessing sunsets is special. It’s indicative of a day’s end yet still being alive and watching it. It’s the same sun that goes down wherever you are yet that ‘wherever you are’ determines how glorified the final orange burst of light looks like. It’s, in fact, your surroundings that determine the specialness of the moment. Others marvel at the picturesque Boracay sunset. A honeymoon couple may be witnessing their first sunset together at Benirras in Ibiza and it’s marvelous because of the romantic air. And perhaps for me, the sunset on our last day was wonderful because I didn’t know where I was. And this brings me to my last point.

10.     Constantly remind yourself that you don’t know where you are. That special moment watching the sunset was the only time I’d have the chance of witnessing the last burst of orange rays in that particular spot of where-am-I-ness. All I saw was a massive blanket of water, the dark heavy clouds, and that final surge of fiery color that illuminated my face in a dramatic way. I guess, after this long-arse babble, it’s what the ship is supposed to be about. Exploring, eating, making friends, and doing all that jazz while in the middle of nowhere. The sense of not knowing will always keep you wondering and the inaccuracy of your knowledge of where you are makes things seem a bit simpler.  When asked what you did, you say you met people and saw places and watched the sunset somewhere in the ocean. And it was damn splendid.

Written by monicasees Posted in Travel Tagged with Cannes, Captain's Night, Cruise, Florence, France, In the Air, Italy, La Spezia, Liberty of the Seas, Mocca, Pisa, Rome, Royal Caribbean, The Vatican, White Party