The Liberty of the Seas is one of the largest cruise ships ever built. At 154,407GT, the 18-deck ship has a total passenger capacity of 4,375 and cost an estimated $947m to build.
In April 2007, the ship arrived in Southampton, UK, on a promotional visit. The Liberty then went on to Cape Liberty Cruise Port, New Jersey, US, in May.
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The Liberty of the Seas currently sails Caribbean itineraries from Miami. The ship is registered in the Bahamas and has a notation class of 1A1 Passenger Ship RP E0 F-M LCS-DC BIS.
Technical
Overall ship length is 1,112ft (338.92m), length between the perpendiculars is 995ft (303.28m), the beam is 184ft (38.63m), the net tonnage is 127,545t, the deadweight is 10,500t and the draft is 28ft (8.5m) with a cruising speed of 21.6kt. The full crew complement is 1,360 and the ship has 30 lifeboats. There are 1,817 staterooms. Of the 1,086 Ocean View staterooms, 844 have private balconies. There are 733 interior staterooms, of which 172 have a promenade view.
There is also a range of suites including the President’s Suite (sleeping 14), the Owner’s Suite, the Royal Family Suite, and the Royal Suite.
Ship facilities
The Liberty has a range of luxury facilities that include the Day Spa and Ship Shape Fitness Centre, which boasts a fully equipped gymnasium and boxing ring; the H2O Zone water park, which has three pools and several pool bars, six whirlpools (two of which are cantilevered 200ft above the ocean), and the FlowRider surf simulator; the Studio B ice-skating rink; a rock-climbing wall; basketball court; nine-hole miniature golf course; Ben & Jerry’s ice cream scoop shop; video game room; Casino Royale; library; jogging path; and a wedding chapel.
Public areas
The main dining room has three decks – Leonardo, Isaac and Galileo – designed to accommodate all of the passengers in two sittings (the evening shows are run twice to coincide with dinner) with gold leaf trim on the balconies and elaborate crystal chandeliers. The Royal Promenade runs down the middle of the ship and is common feature to all RCI vessels. This has a range of shops, restaurants, and bars.
There are a number of themed rooms used for hosting events, lectures or smaller shows such as the Bolero Latin-themed lounge, Viking Crown Lounge, the Conference Centre, the Schooner Bar, Pharaoh’s Palace (the second largest theatre), the Windjammer Café, the Asian-themed Jade Cafe, the Windstar Cafe, Squeeze juice bar; and Adventure Ocean, a youth club running events and discos.
Architects and designers
Several architects were responsible for different areas of the Liberty. Arkitektbyran AB of Gothenburg, Sweden, was responsible for the children’s areas, sports deck, solarium, pool deck, and the FlowRider. Designteam Limited of London was responsible for several main areas including: Royal Promenade, Shops, The Sphinx Show Lounge, Connoisseur Club, The Catacombs Night Club, Library & Internet Lounge, and Art Gallery.
International Corporate Art of Florida was consulted on the artwork for the ship. Morris Nathanson Design of Rhode Island, US, designed six of the spaces aboard the Liberty including Vintages, Sorrento’s, the Hoof & Claw pub, Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream parlour, and Café Promenade. RCCL Newbuilding & Fleet Design designed the crew quarters and some public areas. Project International Ltd of the UK was responsible for lighting systems and RTKL of
Florida undertook design work on the Photo Gallery, Jazz Club, Diamond Club Members Lounge, Conference Center, Business Services, and the Casino Royale.
Stephenjohn Design Ltd of the UK designed the Spa and fitness centre and Tillberg Design AB of Viken in Sweden designed the main dining rooms. Tom Graboski Associates Inc of Florida was responsible for onboard signs and Wilson Butler Architects of Massachusetts designed the On Air Lounge (Karaoke Club), Studio B (ice rink and performance studio), and the 1,350-seat Platinum Theatre.
Propulsion systems
The ship’s propulsion system power is generated by Six Wartsila 46 V12 diesels each rated at 12.6MW (17,000 hp), which drive electric generators at a speed of 514 rpm. Propulsion is provided by three ABB Azipod podded electric propulsion units (supplied by ABB Oy, Marine & Turbocharging), two of them azimuthing, one fixed (Fixipod) and four additional bow thrusters. The eight auxiliary boilers were provided by Aalborg industries OY and the emergency generator diesel
engines by Caterpillar Inc. The vessel consumes 28,000 gal of fuel per hour.
