Carnival Cruise Line

MS Carnival Liberty

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Operator: Carnival Cruise Lines
Year Built / Last Refurbished: 2005 / 2005
Length / Tonnage: 951 / 110,000
Number of Cabins / Passengers: 1,487 / 2,974
Officers / Crew: Italian / International
Operating Area: Year-round Caribbean service from Fort Lauderdale

The 2,974-passenger "Fun Ship" is the fourth in Carnival's Conquest-class, which also includes Carnival Conquest and Carnival Glory, Carnival Valor and Carnival Freedom. She entered service in July of 2005.

Stretching more than three football fields in length (U.S.), the 952-foot- long vessels houses an unprecedented 22 lounges, nightspots and bars, everything from pulsating dance clubs and three-deck-high, 1,500-seat theaters showcasing lavish Las Vegas-style revues to piano bars, jazz clubs, sports bars, wine and caviar bars, cigar bars and a host of live music venues.

The CARNIVAL LIBERTY features an interior design theme that celebrates the work of fine craftsmen in many different media. From ironworking to wood- carving, from stone cutting to jewelry making, from pottery to photography, the public rooms on CARNIVAL LIBERTY showcases the skills of the artisans, including those who build the line's ships.

"I thought of the central idea of artisanship because these ships are built by true craftsmen," said Joe Farcus, Carnival's ship architect. "I thought it would be interesting to explore a particular craft in each room and tie it in to the overall design of the ship."

The central theme is nowhere more in evidence than in the Grand Villa Garden Atrium, where ironworking, masonry, pottery making and painting come together to create an elegant park-like atmosphere. The gray granite floor has an authentically worn look with borders of hand-painted decorated tiles in a floral motif, and the atrium walls have colorful floral designs under black ironwork in a curlicue design repeated throughout the atrium and promenade. Farcus noted that the goal was to create an "informal but grand" effect.

The atrium also features a giant 20-foot diameter chandelier designed from black iron curlicues supporting torches containing faux flames that create sparkling color-changing light effects throughout the room. The large wall of the nine-deck-high atrium is decorated with more color-changing lights set amid a bronze framework design with sculptural terracotta medallions.

The main show lounge is called the Venetian Palace, and its design captures the artistic variety and quality for which the fabled Italian city of canals is renowned. The walls are composed of Murano glass tiles in a striking red-and-gold checkerboard pattern surmounted by silver frames holding Murano glass panels in red, blue and yellow, all lit from within.

The ceiling is adorned with carnival masks in a dozen different motifs and at either side of the proscenium is a giant bowing harlequin figure holding back the curtain as if presenting the show to guests. The stage also is flanked by Venice's signature candy-striped mooring posts — much like the ones used to tie gondolas in the "Floating City's" many canals.

The craft of fashioning fine tableware is featured in the forward and aft restaurants — the Golden Dining Room and the Silver Dining Room, respectively. Artisans who work gold and silver are celebrated with decorative floor-to-ceiling elegantly decorated flatware handles, each containing a vitrine displaying fine gold or silver serving pieces. Along the ceiling are gold- or silver-leaf domes with Murano glass chandeliers.

Harry's, the ship's reservations-only supper club, is named after Harry Winston, the world-renowned jewelry maker. Displayed in vitrines around the room are finely made jewelry made of real gold with faux stones. The upper part of the walls has an iridescent wall covering with lights that look like jewels, mostly diamonds. The round columns along the walls feature a white-diamond necklace hanging down from the top with a larger light in glass resembling an oversized yellow diamond. The bottom of the columns look like a stack of huge gold rings decorated with cabochon rubies and sapphires.

Gloves Sports Bar explores the role of leatherworking, particularly as it relates to sports. The plush sofas look like big catcher's mitts in brown leather with heavy rawhide stitching. The walls are done in a red-stained wood trimmed with little pieces of rawhide, while vitrines framed in leather and wrapped in rawhide display actual gloves of sports legends. Between the sofas are giant models of sports gloves — a hockey goalie glove, an archery glove, football glove and soccer glove and hanging above the bar among the lights are more than 200 oversized red leather boxing gloves.

Without Batteries is a teen club that recall the days of yore when toys were kid-powered. Featuring old toys on a giant scale, the expansive room hosts toy soldiers, a steamship model, planes hanging from the ceiling, clowns, a blimp, racecars, cowboys and a giant teddy bear. The stools of the nonalcoholic bar are leather cushions topping oversized Duracell batteries. The walls are done in an Op Art laminate with a three-dimensional holographic trim with color-changing LED lights along the bottom.

Body art is the craft featured in the Hot & Cool Dance Club. Giant arms and legs are decorated with tattoo patterns in bright fluorescent colors. Wall panels are done in black and orange tiger stripes of a glittery metallic jeweled lacquer. The sofas resemble hands; the sofa backs are fingers of polished aluminum. Tabletops and bar tops feature tattoos. Black lights throughout the room will illuminate the fluorescent tattoos creating a darkened atmosphere, but with bright reflections of this popular body art.

Guests choosing to enjoy a glass of wine on the promenade may feel like celebrities caught in the lenses of the many cameras in Paparazzi, where the craft of photography is honored. The bar front is a series of giant models of the popular Leica M-3 camera used extensively by the original paparazzi in the 1950s. The ceiling over the bar has a giant Speed-Graphic camera extensively used by the press in the 1940s complete with a huge flash bulb that flashes periodically. The walls are decorated with three-dimensional life-size cutouts of famous celebrities set at different depths on a mirrored background.

Named after a famed art nouveau glassmaker, Emile's, CARNIVAL LIBERTY's casual poolside restaurant, takes as its theme the Galle lamp style. There are authentic reproductions of colorful Cameo Glass Galle lamps along the walls and even some in the ceiling. Art nouveau curved designs adorn the walls, above which are iridescent glass tile mosaics reminiscent of that style. Tabletops have inlaid Galle motifs and banquettes are separated by open grillwork.

Among the other arts and crafts represented in CARNIVAL LIBERTY's public rooms are beadwork in the promenade patisserie, Café, trompe l'oile in the Hermitage Club casino, ivory work in the Piano Man Piano Bar, wood carving in the Stage Jazz Club, Chinese-style cloisonné in the Empress Club, English-style majolica glassware in the Victoria Lounge, book binding in the Antiquarian Library, cabinet making in the Sheraton Room and traditional Japanese flower arrangement in the Ikibana Sushi Bar.

CARNIVAL LIBERTY offers a seemingly endless array of formal and casual dining options. From a spacious poolside restaurant housing a 24-hour pizzeria, an upscale seafood venue, and a New York-style deli to an intimate supper club serving U.S.D.A. prime beef and other gourmet cuisine, CARNIVAL LIBERTY features a variety of dining venues to suit any mood or taste. These options are part of Carnival's Total Choice Dining dining program featuring a wide variety of formal and casual options at sea.

Carnival has placed particular focus on upgrading and expanding its casual offerings. And Emile's, CARNIVAL LIBERTY's poolside restaurant, certainly embodies this philosophy with a wide range of delectable choices.

Available within the expansive 1,250-seat eatery are extensive breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets, a 35-item salad bar, a 24-hour pizzeria serving seven kinds of pizza and calzone and Caesar salad, a 24-hour self-serve ice cream/frozen yogurt station, an Asian specialty station and a grille area serving hot dogs, hamburgers and grilled chicken and steak sandwiches. New to CARNIVAL LIBERTY is a Mongolian-style buffet venue where guests can select from a variety of meats, seafood, vegetables and sauces and have the items cooked to order before their eyes.

The spacious restaurant also houses an upscale specialty seafood area offering ceviche, bouillabaisse, conch fritters and fried oysters, along with pasta- and meat-carving stations, a New York-style deli serving a variety of hot and cold sandwiches, and a "Taste of the Nation" venue with a different international cuisine each day.

Like other rooms aboard CARNIVAL LIBERTY, Emile's décor takes its cue from great artisan works – in this case, the Galle lamp style, with faithful reproductions of colorful Cameo Glass Galle lamps that will be featured along the walls and in the ceiling. Iridescent glass tile mosaics reminiscent of the Galle style will be located above the walls, while tabletops will be inlaid with Galle motifs and banquettes separated by open, ornate grillwork.

For those seeking a more intimate dining experience, there's Harry's, CARNIVAL LIBERTY's reservations-only supper club. Modeled after upscale steakhouses ashore, Harry's offers only the finest hand-cut, dry-aged U.S.D.A. prime beef, including a nine-ounce filet mignon, 14-ounce strip loin, and a 24-ounce porterhouse, along with traditional accompaniments such as creamed spinach, wasabi mashed potatoes, and sautéed mushrooms.

The restaurant's extensive menu also features items such as double-cut lamb chops, broiled lobster tail, veal chops, and Chilean sea bass. Impeccable, leisurely paced service, elegant surroundings, nightly entertainment, and one of the finest wine lists afloat make Harry's truly an unforgettable dining experience. Harry's carries a $30 reservations fee.

The room's interiors are inspired by the famous jewelry pieces of Harry Winston, with vitrines displaying finely made jewelry made of real gold with faux stones located throughout the intimate 108-seat restaurant. Round columns along the walls feature a white-diamond necklace hanging down from the top with a larger light in glass resembling an oversized yellow diamond.

These venues complement CARNIVAL LIBERTY's two-deck-high Golden and Silver Olympian dining rooms which offer traditional full-service multi-course meals in elegant surroundings, all served by friendly and attentive staff.

The Golden and Silver dining rooms each feature diverse menus with six appetizers, two salads, six entrees, including the ever-popular broiled lobster tail once each voyage, and four delectable desserts. An extensive wine and after-dinner drinks list will also be available.

Dinner menus also include low-carb and vegetarian selections, and Spa Carnival Fare, delicious guilt-free items that are lower in fat, sodium, cholesterol and calories.

The décor of the rooms celebrate the craft of fine tableware, with decorative floor-to-ceiling elegantly decorated flatware handles, each containing a vitrine displaying fine gold or silver serving pieces. The ceiling features gold- or silver-leaf domes with Murano glass chandeliers.

And the dining choices don't end there. CARNIVAL LIBERTY also houses a patisserie offering specialty coffees and sweets, a sushi bar with authentic Asian specialties and 24-hour stateroom service with an array of sandwiches, salads and other fare. A wine bar where guests can enjoy a variety of wines by the bottle or glass, including selections from Carnival's new Presidential Wine Club, is also be available.

CARNIVAL LIBERTY also features nightly late-night buffets, along with a more elaborate Gala Midnight Buffet and Chocolate Extravaganza offering a variety of all-chocolate desserts once each cruise. Like other "Fun Ships," CARNIVAL LIBERTY features the "Fountain Fun Card, which, for a one-time fee, offers unlimited soft drinks throughout the voyage.

Any ship that can comfortably accommodate 3,700 passengers needs to have a lot of cabins, and the CARNIVAL LIBERTY does. And on as many as seven different decks, she has 1,487 rooms. That gives her a double occupancy of 2,974 which means, of course, those other 800 passengers are sleeping in upper berths and/or sofa beds. Taking their cues from the FANTASY class ships' cabins to develop the private quarters on this new ship, Carnival has arranged these hundreds and hundreds of cabins into the same twelve easy to understand categories it has always used....unlike their competition out in Los Angeles who, so desperately hungry for a buck, have set up THIRTY-FIVE different cabin categories for their GRAND PRINCESS.

Don't forget, almost all of the standard cabins are the same size, and fitted with all the same amenities, the difference in price is a result of the three most important factors in the real estate biz¼location, location, location! And while we are on that subject, Carnival suffers no delusions of grandeur, unlike the folks out west, so there is no need to mortgage the homestead or dip into the baby's college fund to enable yourselves to take a cruise on the CARNIVAL LIBERTY. We won't bore you with details of every cabin type...but must tell you that the CARNIVAL LIBERTY's cabins have been furnished with a lot more soft fabrics and softer, attractive color schemes than cabins in earlier Carnival vessels. You will want to know that the overriding majority of cabins in every category from 4 through 12 have two beds that are convertible to a king.

Never mind that most of these rooms have a small sitting area...432 cabins have private balconies...16 rooms on Spa Deck have floor to ceiling windows. But okay, we give...confess...this ship has 40 suites with balcony and 8 penthouse suites with large balconies...and the décor in all of these is quite pretty. The three lowest grades have Carnival traditional one lower bed with one upper...in categories 1 and 2...and1 lower and an upper or 1 lower and a convertible sofa in some category 3s....these moderately priced digs make dandy singles. And yes, there is plenty of storage space for a one week cruise....and110 volt AC outlets in the cabins means you can use your hairdryer. Carnival has not left interactive technology on the dock...quite popular for those few minutes you are going to be in your cabin when not sleeping is fun vision, which besides allowing you to order pay per view movies, provides you with all kinds of fun and games and information options.

EVERYBODY who likes cruises ought to cruise with the CARNIVAL LIBERTY at least once. A typical passenger load includes a pretty fair cross section of the bulk of America's people. More clean cut and well scrubbed than you might think, and a lot younger than you will find most anywhere else, CARNIVAL LIBERTY can and does appeal to any age group from cradle to grave.

Is the CARNIVAL LIBERTY really perfect for everyone? Theoretically, yes....but practically, no. This is not a ship for you if you need the quiet ambience of a retirement home, the soothing confines of the nave of the Cathedral of Notre Dame...it's also probably not the ship for the insecure who need to be front and center, the star attraction among cruise passengers...because very few people are likely to be noticed for long here.This does not mean that you won't get good service, because you will...but don't expect this crew of over 1000 to remember your name. Nor is it for anyone demanding a high level of constant personal service and attention. Other ships in Carnival's extended family would be better choices for someone seeking that.

CARNIVAL LIBERTY started offering year-round service from Fort Lauderdale in November of 2006.

On its year-round program from Fort Lauderdale, six-day cruises departing Sundays visit Freeport, The Bahamas; George Town, Grand Cayman; and Costa Maya, while eight-day voyages departing Saturdays alternate to the eastern and western Caribbean.

Eight-day eastern Caribbean voyages feature five ports: San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. Thomas/St. John, U.S.V.I.; Antigua, Lesser Antilles; Tortola/Virgin Gorda, B.V.I.; and Nassau, The Bahamas. Western Caribbean cruises include Limon, Costa Rica; Colon, Panama and Costa Maya , Mexico.

If you still don't think Carnival's got the fun, you would be wrong....and if the other ships in this amazing fleet aren't for you....and we guess there are some people out there who wouldn't like them....you need to check out the CARNIVAL LIBERTY. Enough said.