Carnival Liberty

The 2005-built Carnival Liberty cruise ship is the 4th of all 5 Conquest-class vessels - with sisterships Conquest, Freedom, Glory, Valor. This series preceded the new Dream-class trio of newbuilds. In 2011, Liberty became the first CCL liner overhauled as part of the USD 0,5 billion "Fun Ship 2.0" drydock refurbishment project - a multi-year program centered on adding "signature" dining and entertainment venues to all older vessels in the fleet.

The vessel (IMO number 9278181) is currently Panama-flagged (MMSI 371083000) and registered in Colon.

History - construction and ownership

Carnival Cruise Lines (CCL) is a US shipping company, trademarked brand and subsidiary of Carnival Corporation (shipowner). CCL was founded in 1972 as an independent company by Ted Arison (1924-1999, co-founder of NCL Norwegian). 

CCL has the Corporation's largest fleet as number of vessels and GT-tonnage (ship sizes/volumes and passenger capacities). In 2023, CCL had ~9% (by revenue) and ~19% (passengers) share of the cruise industry's worldwide market. In 2024, the parent company (Carnival Corporation) had ~51% stake in the US$64+ billion industry.

The 3000-passenger ship Carnival Liberty and the sisterships are larger versions of earlier Destiny-class CCL liners, as well as more feature-filled. More space reveals into additional decks, more bars and lounges, an upscale steakhouse, and well-proportioned public areas.

Decks and Cabins

Carnival Liberty staterooms (1489 total, in 27 grades) include 54 Suites, 521 Balcony, 330 Oceanview and 566 Inside cabins, including 29 wheelchair-accessible (in all cabin categories). The ship has no "family cabins" but instead offers connecting rooms in various categories. Most cabins are sized 170-185 ft2 (16-17 m2). Cabin balconies are sized 35-75 ft2 (3-7 m2). The ship has 3 types of suites - Captain's, Grand, Ocean. The largest are Captain's Suites (500 ft2 / 46 m2 plus 150 ft2 / 14 m2 terrace).

The boat has 13 passenger decks, of which 8 are with cabins. Over 50% of all staterooms are outside, 60% of those are with balconies.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

On Carnival Liberty, the two main dining rooms offer traditional dinner with set times and tablemates or flexible dining, via "Your Choice Dining" Carnival program. Silver Olympian Restaurant is nicer of the duo. It is located aft and framed by 3 walls of windows. Golden Olympian is positioned in a central spot, but both offer the same menu. At dinner, vegetarian and low-carb fare is served, as well as Spa Carnival choices. Cuisine often exceeds expectations, especially at Harry's Supper Club and the complimentary Guy's Burger Joint, not to mention the fish-and-chips bar, sushi station and also the dining room, where all waiters sing and dance. The casual two-level Emile's buffet offers a number of food stations with a variety of choices, including a salad bar, deli, dessert station, daily regional cuisines. The 24-hour room service provides a limited selection of items.

Follows the complete list of Carnival Liberty restaurants and food bars.

• Golden Olympian Restaurant (744-seat forward Dining Room, with two fixed dinner seatings or Your-Time Dining; offers Seuss At Sea-themed breakfasts for $5)
• Silver Olympian Restaurant (1122-seat aft Dining Room, with two fixed dinner seatings and open seating breakfast and lunch)
• Bluelguana Cantina (complimentary Mexican fast food bar; offers burritos, tacos)
• Guy's Burger Joint (complimentary fast food bar by Guy Fieri)
• Emile’s Lido Buffet Restaurant (1396-seat, self-service buffet restaurant with various food stations; operates as a bistro in the evenings)
• Herry’s Steakhouse (108-seat specialty restaurant for steaks and seafood; with dance floor and live music)
• Origami Sushi (complimentary)
• Sushi at Sea (Lido Bar) mini version of Bonsai Sushi, offers a la carte priced menu with rolls, sushi, sashimi, prices vary between USD 1,50-7,50.

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

Amongst Liberty's plethora of new offers, cruisers can find a candy shop, four signature bars and comedians approved by George Lopez. Like her Conquest-class sisters, Liberty also boasts a 3-deck theater and a series of stores. The hard-to-please teen set gets their own disco, positioned along the promenade with the rest of the "adult" fare. Carnival Liberty offers the typical Carnival experience blended with a handful of twists. The "old faithful" are also there: personal service and diverse evening entertainment ranging from Vegas floor show to jazz to the "piano man". There is also an EA Sports Bar onboard. With its video games, flat-screen TVs and beer it has to be the best man's cave at sea.

Follows the complete list of Carnival Liberty lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens, and adults.

• Venetian Palace Theatre (1400-seat main show lounge for musical productions and shows; also used for movies and bingo)
• Liberty Atrium Flowers Lobby (9-deck high open floor area; features Flowers Lobby Bar with piano and stage for live performances)
• Persian Card Room (28-seat); Satin Room Art Gallery (36-seat); Antiquarian Library (17-seat; offers board games); Photo Gallery and Shop; Tapestry Conference Room (100-seat)
• Circle C (complimentary kids club lounge with video games, parties, and planned activities)
• The Web Internet Cafe (24-hour, 6 Internet computers room)
• Cabinet Bar (147-seat cigar bar with live music)
• The Fun Shops (offers “Bon Voyage” items, duty-free liquor, jewelry, fashion boutiques, souvenirs, logo items)
• Cherry on Top (candy shop; offers branded gear, special occasions gifts and tuxedo rentals)
• EA Sports Bar; Jardin Cafe (specialty coffee bar); Taste Bar (offers complimentary appetizers); Alchemy Bar (serves made-to-order cocktails); Piano Man Bar (100-seat piano bar); The Stage bar (88-seat jazz bar)
• Czar’s Palace Casino (484-seat); The Promenade Bar (23-seat); Kiosk (S and S Card service)
• Club O2 (teens' lounge for video games, movies, karaoke, and themed parties); Without Batteries Video Games Arcade (24-hour)
• Hot and Cool Disco and Nightclub (211-seat); Victoria Lounge (425-seat; hosts Punchliner Comedy Club/brunch).
• Versailles Pool area (with two Whirlpools, Versailles Bar, Grill, and Pizzeria)
• BlueIguana Tequila Bar; RedFrog Rum Bar (offers Caribbean rums selection and ThirstyFrog Red drought beer)
• Aqua Park (Coney Island Pool area which is connected to the Twister Waterslide; with one Whirlpool, splash pools, water fountains)
• Carnival Seaside Theatre (LED screen outdoor cinema; with a stage for live performances)
• Spa Carnival complex (with Steam Rooms, Saunas, Massage Room, Beauty Salon, Spa Pool, Gymnasium)
• Sports Deck (multi-sports court/basketball, volleyball; Tennis Tables, Shuffleboard); Jogging Track; 9-hole Mini-Golf Course
• Serenity (adult-only sundeck with Serenity Bar, two Whirlpools, padded lounges)
• Camp Ocean (kids' club lounge hosting complementary programs with supervised activities, an outdoor playground). Camp Carnival's wading/paddling pool for kids is no longer available.

Itineraries

Carnival Liberty itinerary program is currently based on short breaks to The Bahamas leaving out of Port Canaveral/Orlando (Florida USA). The roundtrips (3-4-day) visit Nassau or Nassau+Princess Cays/Eleuthera.

Before the COVID crisis, Liberty (since March 2016) was homeported in Galveston Texas for 3-4-day Mexico itineraries visiting Cozumel and Cozumel+Progreso.

In May 2024, Carnival Liberty starts voyages from NOLA/New Orleans (Louisiana USA) replacing Carnival Glory (to be homeported in Port Canaveral). Departing on Sundays from Port NOLA, Liberty will operate 7-day Western Caribbean itineraries plus a 7-day Bahamas+Eastern Caribbean itinerary. Call ports include The Bahamas' Nassau and Freeport, Mexico's Cozumel and Costa Maya, Jamaica's Montego Bay, Honduras' Roatan Island (Mahogany Bay), Grand Cayman, Belize City.

Fun Ship 2.0 upgrade was done in 2016. The vessel was christened by Mira Katherine Sorvino (1967-born US actress). After drydock refurbishment in 2011, Liberty became the first Carnival liner with "Fun Ship 2.0" upgrade. It is also the first Fun Ship with "Seaside Theater" - CCL's huge outdoor LED screen for movies (12x22 ft, or 3,7x6,7 m) on Lido Deck.

Liberty is of Carnival's Conquest-class liners (Fincantieri Monfalcone-built), with sisterships Conquest, Freedom, Glory, Valor. In April 2017, Carnival Cruise Line announced the names of a cruise booking record-breaking couple from Florida - Bernard and Janice Caffary. The retired couple had booked its 200th Carnival cruise on Carnival Liberty leaving out of Port Canaveral. This record was achieved in 15 years (first booking in 2002), meaning they averaged over 13 Carnival cruises a year and spending 878 days at sea with the company - the equivalent of nearly 2 1/2 years. The company honored the couple with welcoming signage throughout the Port Canaveral cruise terminal. They also were guests of honor during special onboard VIP celebrations. In 2017, the couple already had 30 more Carnival cruises booked.

Drydock 2016 was in the period December 1-16.

In 2021 (October) Carnival Liberty was drydocked at Navantia Shipyard (Cadiz Spain), mainly for general maintenance (technical and routine) works and also repainting (received CCL's new livery).