Liberty of the Seas Review
Liberty of the Seas is the second sizeable offspring in the Freedom-class family, a litter of vessels that began with Freedom of the Seas in 2006 and culminated with Independence of the Seas in 2008. There is little new on Liberty of the Seas that either sister ship Freedom of the Seas or, for the most part, the other five Voyager-class vessels do not already possess -- including popular onshore brands such as Johnny Rockets and Ben & Jerry's, cruising's only ice rinks, a rock-climbing wall, the novel "Promenade" concept, and Boleros Latin lounge.
There were certainly new additions that debuted with the Freedom class, which had the benefit of approximately 15 percent more space than its Voyager-class siblings. In 2006, cruisers became acquainted with surfing at sea through the FlowRider, were able to experience a dynamic new children's offering with the H20 Zone water park, and deal with suppressed rage in the Everlast boxing ring. But the ship's overall concept -- both in terms of design and choices -- actually emerged some time ago. Introduced back in 1999, Voyager of the Seas is the ship responsible for the majority of the above-mentioned features, which are now staples of the Royal Caribbean fleet. (In fact, Johnny Rockets and Boleros have proven so successful they were added to the older Sovereign-class vessels during that class' extensive refurbishment.)
And so, through a culmination of Voyager- and Freedom-class innovations, Royal Caribbean has introduced a ship in Liberty of the Seas that offers infinite options in the areas of fitness, recreation and entertainment. With the sheer number of options onboard (especially if the seas are calm), you may find yourself forgetting that you're actually on a massive floating object, gliding quickly through the Caribbean Sea.
While little has changed in terms of new facilities, dining options and cabin styles, Liberty of the Seas is presenting at least one novel concept, the Explorer Weddings program. This is an extension of RCI's Royal Romance program, allowing guests to create a customized wedding experience or renew vows at sea -- though technically, ceremonies cannot be performed at sea. Marriage licenses must be obtained in port, and a symbolic wedding and reception can occur onboard. See Editor's Picks: Best Cruises for Weddings for more info. What the Explorer Wedding offers is the option for guests to fashion an adventure-minded "ceremony" at onboard venues such as the FlowRider, rock wall or ice rink, or onshore (helicopter ride in Alaska; medieval castle in Europe).
The problem -- and this may not be a "problem" at all if you're a Royal Caribbean fan -- is that the combination of innovative features -- particularly aimed at a younger, more active cruiser -- may make it difficult to ever settle for another line, or even a smaller ship within the RCI fleet, with fewer options.
There's one essential caveat, however. There are two key factors that may make a cruise on Liberty of the Seas the most expensive mainstream cruise you've ever taken. The booming popularity of Freedom-class vessels has summarily driven up base prices for cruising onboard Freedom and Liberty of the Seas. When we compared the rates of Liberty of the Seas against the newest models from Princess and Carnival (same date range in November 2007, same itinerary of seven-night Eastern Caribbean), we were surprised to find prices ranging from $499 for an inside cabin with Princess, $599 for an inside cabin with Carnival, and $849 for an inside cabin on ... Liberty of the Seas. Even its older fleetmate, Radiance of the Seas, featured a November 10 weeklong Eastern Caribbean cruise from significantly less ($599).
And then there are the a la carte items. More so than any other cruise on which I've traveled, Liberty of the Seas' list of a la carte items does harm to cruising's reputation as a relatively all-inclusive experience: Ben & Jerry's, the specialty restaurants, onboard bars, specialty coffee drinks, the most impressive arcade at sea, Johnny Rockets, etc. It's not that other ships don't have these things on offer, but that Liberty of the Seas has all of them -- and more. And the issue? The for-fee items are generally quite hard to resist. The meals in the specialty restaurants are significantly better than those in the dining rooms, and following my first meal at Johnny Rockets (the fourth meal of the day, between lunch and dinner), I was addicted and quite willing to pay for future meals there for the remainder of the cruise.
 Read Complete Liberty of the Seas Review
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