Name Liberty of the Seas Cost US$800 million Beam 39 m Builders STX Europe, Meyer Turku | Port of registry Nassau, Bahamas Length 339 m Draft 9.03 m | |
 | ||
Owner Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Operator Royal Caribbean International Christened May 18, 2007 by Donnalea Madeley | ||
MS Liberty of the Seas is a Royal Caribbean International Freedom-class cruise ship which entered regular service in May 2007. It was initially announced that she would be called Endeavour of the Seas, however this name was later changed. The 15-deck ship accommodates 3,634 passengers served by 1,360 crew. She was built in 18 months at the Aker Finnyards Turku Shipyard, Finland, where her sister ship, Freedom of the Seas, was also built. Initially built at 154,407 gross tonnage (GT), she joined her sister ship, Freedom of the Seas, as the largest cruise ships and passenger vessels then ever built. She is 1,111.9 ft (338.91 m) long, 184 ft (56.08 m) wide, and cruises at 21.6-knot (40 km/h; 25 mph).
Contents
Liberty of the Seas is the second of the Freedom class vessels. A third ship, Independence of the Seas, was delivered in April 2008. In 2009, the first in a new Oasis Class of ships measuring 220,000 gross tons displaced the Freedom class as the world's largest passenger ships.
History
On April 19, 2007, Liberty of the Seas was delivered to parent company Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. On April 22, 2007 she made her first port of call Southampton, on a promotional visit. She arrived at Cape Liberty Cruise Port on May 3, 2007.
In January 2011, Liberty of the Seas underwent renovations to include features introduced on Oasis class ships that have proven to be popular. Features of this renovation included an outdoor video screen in the main pool area and the inclusion of the DreamWorks Experience.
Later in 2011, Liberty of the Seas completed her first transatlantic repositioning cruise, moving from Miami, Florida to being home-ported in Barcelona, Spain. She stayed in Europe for the summer and part of fall, and then returned to Miami. Until 2015, Liberty of the Seas spent summers in Europe and winters in either Port of Miami or Port Everglades in Florida. In 2015, Liberty of the Seas repositioned to Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne, NJ from May to November, after which she repositioned to Galveston, Texas.
In February 2016, Liberty of the Seas again underwent renovations, adding additional cabins atop the front of the ship, introducing new restaurants, and making enhancements to the pool deck. After the enhancements, Liberty of the Seas was 155,889 gross tonnage (GT), making her larger than the other two Freedom-class ships, and the 6th largest cruise ship in the world, beating the Norwegian Epic by 16 GT.
Amenities
Liberty of the Seas, like her sister ships Freedom of the Seas & Independence of the Seas, features extensive sports facilities including the FlowRider onboard wave generator for surfing, an interactive water play area for children, a full-sized volleyball / basketball court, an ice skating rink, a boxing ring, and a large fitness center. A 2016 drydock refurbishment added the "Perfect Storm" water slide complex, featuring two racing slides and a boomerang-style slide, and the "Splashaway Bay" kids-only water play area, featuring smaller waterslides.
Other amenities include two whirlpools that are cantilevered and project out from the sides of the ship to provide unimpeded views of the sea below, Wi-Fi and cell phone connectivity throughout most of the ship, a modular conference center for business meetings, and flat screen televisions in only some of the rooms. Many of the ship's interiors were extensively decorated by muralist Clarissa Parish.
Restaurants include a three level formal dining room, Jade Cafe Asian themed casual dining, Windjammer Cafe traditional casual dining, Sorrento's Pizzeria, Promenade Cafe, Ben & Jerry's Ice cream shop, Johnny Rockets diner, Chops Steakhouse, and Portofino Italian restaurant. The 2016 refurbishment changed the "Portofino" Italian restaurant to "Giovannis Table", and added the "Sabor" Mexican restaurant in the space formerly occupied by the ship's nightclub.
New additions made during the 2011 refurbishment include 3D Movies, passenger service kiosks, the DreamWorks experience, Cupcake Cupboard, Royal Babies, Tot's Nursery, and the addition of Broadway show "Saturday Night Fever: The Musical". The Cupcake Cupboard took the place of the barber shop on the Royal Promenade, relocating the barber shop to the Vitality Spa.
DreamWorks Experience
The DreamWorks Experience began on Liberty of the Seas January 30, 2011. The DreamWorks Experience includes a variety DreamWorks characters and stories into the cruise experience. Such features of the DreamWorks Experience include character meet and greets, character parades, table-side visits from characters during meals, DreamWorks movies on stateroom televisions, and 3D DreamWorks movies on board.
Features of the DreamWorks Experience specific to Liberty of the Seas are character meals, DreamWorks characters parade, photo opportunities with the characters, 3D movie theater, first-run DreamWorks films on board, special DreamWorks programming available on stateroom televisions, Adventure Ocean activities with characters.
The DreamWorks Experience was first introduced on the Oasis class ship, Allure of the Seas, on December 12, 2010, and later on the Oasis class ship Oasis of the Seas on February 26, 2011 and Freedom of the Seas on March 27, 2011.