Royal Caribbean’s latest ship, Liberty of the Seas, set sail on her maiden voyage to the Caribbean in May 2007. The 5 storey ship can accommodate over 4,300 passengers and along with her sister ship, Freedom of the Seas, Liberty is the largest cruise ship in the world. With a surf park, whirlpools, rock climbing wall, boxing ring, ice skating rink, nightclub, bars, speciality restaurants, shops and much more, Liberty of the Seas offers an exhilarating cruise experience. Debbie and Sheila were invited onboard Liberty in April 2007. Read their report to find out more or call 0121 250 2200 or 01543 412768 to book your cruise on Liberty of the Seas.

Embarkation
We travelled to Southampton on Virgin Trains and arrived approximately 30 minutes before embarkation was due to begin. Check-in and embarkation was swift and well organised with coaches shuttling to and from the main railway station.

When we first saw Liberty of the Seas we were overwhelmed by the size – the forward and aft section could not be viewed in one go as the ship is so long (the equivalent of three football pitches!)

Cabins
We were quickly shown to our twin balcony stateroom cabin, which was of a good size with tasteful, bright décor. The bathroom had a roomy shower with semi-circular sliding doors, and was well lit with good storage space. However, apart from the standard bars of soap and shampoo, it lacked the usual complimentary toiletries and we later learned that these are only provided in certain higher tier cabin grades.

Our cabin had a good size balcony with two upright chairs and a small table. The glass balcony dividers allow two balconies to be interconnecting, which would be ideal for families. There were no tea and coffee facilities in the cabin, but the usual 24 hour room service.

There is an impressive choice of cabins available and we visited most of them. The family suites are very roomy, with a separate curtained off double bunk area, which makes it ideal for families with smaller children.

Other higher grade staterooms had both one and two separate bedroom areas as well as a living area and balcony. The Owner’s Suites consisted of a queen sized bedroom with a private balcony, a living area with queen sized sofa bed, private bathroom with bathtub, Jacuzzi and walk in shower, flat screen TV and a mini bar refrigerator. The Royal Suite had the above, plus a hot tub on the balcony, full size bar and a baby grand piano! For less able bodies passengers, the physically challenged Staterooms were equipped with a private bathroom/wet room, plus there are pull down bars in the wardrobe providing easy access for handing clothes at wheelchair level.

Deck Areas
The ship’s layout was typical of a Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines ships as it has the Royal Promenade spanning various decks and running through the centre of the ship and although the ship is a huge length, the companionways were cleverly staggered so that at no time could you see the full length of the ship and consequently how far you needed to walk to arrive at your destination! There were plenty of artistic touches to please the eye and the décor is bright, impressive and luxurious without being too glitzy.

Outside deck areas appeared spacious with plenty of loungers. However these were quite regimented to accommodate the numbers required and it would be difficult to say just how much deck space would be available when the ship sailed at full capacity (4,300 passengers).

Restaurants
The open dining/self service restaurant (The Windjammer Cafe) was very big but well sectioned so as not to appear like a vast canteen. The food was excellent in choice but perhaps could have been hotter. We enjoyed a lunch here whilst we toured the ship. The main restaurant spread over three decks in height and we felt this was airy, bright and beautifully decorated with plenty of space between tables. Our entire group dined together that evening and the restaurant seemed to cope well with no overcrowding.
The meal that night was extremely good with excellent service and we enjoyed a firework display which we watched out on deck. This was followed by the usual array of evening entertainment including a Casino which was the size of a Vegas hotel lobby!!

Summary
Our overall impression of the ship was excellent and much better than expected. It is however, a huge ship and this needs to be taken into account when booking. It occurred to us that it would not be able to dock in all the European ports due to its size and tendering would be quite lengthy if the ship sails at capacity. We would recommend the Liberty to younger couples and families who would take advantage of the numerous facilities available.