Passengers: 3,634
Best for: Adrenaline junkies and families looking for non-stop action
Sails: The Caribbean
At a Glance: After a refit in 2016, this Freedom-class vessel gained new restaurants, bars, and staterooms, as well as a brand-new waterpark, making it the first Royal Caribbean ship with onboard waterslides.
The Cabins Are Spacious
Staterooms are roomy and comfortable, ranging in size from 180 square feet for an Interior cabin to 1,358 square feet for a Royal Suite, which comes with a baby grand piano and a whirlpool on the balcony. For big groups, there’s also the 1,209-square-foot Four-Bedroom Family Suite, which also has a balcony with a whirlpool and can sleep up to 12. As part of the refurbishment, 26 new Panoramic Ocean View cabins with an entire wall for a window were added to the mix, along with 53 other new staterooms.
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There Are Waterslides
When Liberty of the Seas emerged from dry dock in 2016, it became the first Royal Caribbean ship with a Perfect Storm water park, made up of two racing slides, Typhoon and Cyclone, along with a boomerang-style slide called Tidal Wave. (There’s now a Perfect Storm on Harmony of the Seas and Adventure of the Seas, and the list is sure to grow.) For younger children, there’s the new Splashaway Bay aqua park, which has water canons, geysers, and a kid-friendly waterslide of its own.
There’s a Healthy Activities List
Passengers who’d rather move than loll by the pool will find plenty to keep them active. Along with the waterslides, the ship has a FlowRider surf simulator, ice-skating rink, rock-climbing wall, ping pong tables, and four pools. There’s also mini golf, a full-size basketball court, and a fitness center where you’ll find a long list of classes (yoga, tai chi) to kick off your day.
Kids Will Love It
As part of Royal Caribbean’s Dreamworks Experience, characters from Shrek to Puss In Boots are on hand for parades, character meals, and photo ops. When your kids aren’t at Splashaway Bay, they can hang out at the Adventure Ocean club, which keeps kids busy with everything from science experiments to theme parties to gummy-making classes. Teens congregate in the Living Room lounge during the day and the teens-only Fuel disco at night.
The Restaurant Selection Is Vast
If you don’t like to eat at any restaurant more than once during a vacation, you’re in luck: There are 10 dining spots on board, including two new specialty restaurants: Sabor Modern Mexican, where passengers can order a tequila flight, then try dishes like mole short rib and chicken and roasted corn empanadas; and Giovanni’s Table, which features traditional Italian fare like veal meatballs and mushroom risotto. Another specialty restaurant, Chops Grille steakhouse, received a facelift. The menu? Still the same crowd-pleasing mix of rib eyes, strip steaks, and veal chops. As for complimentary dining, even though the ship doesn’t have Royal Caribbean’s popular Izumi restaurant yet, you can now find Izumi sushi at the Windjammer Café buffet. The main dining room is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but if you’re looking for something easy and casual, check out Café Promenade for sandwiches and pastries or swing by Sorrento’s for New York-style pizza slices or a gluten-free pie.
