The Carnival Liberty was delivered July 2005 at Fincantieri's shipyard at Monfalcone to her owners, Carnival Cruise Lines, the largest branch in the Carnival Corp, the world's leading cruise operator.
The ship is the fourth sister of the Conquest series and the first to sail a full season in Europe. She follows the Carnival Conquest and the Carnival Glory, delivered in October 2002 and June 2003, and the Carnival Valor, presented in November 2004. The Conquest class cruise ships are derived from the Carnival Destiny class.
Technical Details
The Carnival Liberty was built in record time, just 24 months (7 in the workshop, 9 in the building dock and 8 at the outfitting pier). At 110,000 gross tonnes, the 18-deck Carnival Liberty is 290 metres long, 38 wide and 64 high, and has a service speed of 20 knots with a maximum capacity for 4,890 (3,710 passengers and 1,182 crew) accommodated in 2,121 cabins (1,487 of which for passengers, with a high ratio of private balconies). Energy generation and propulsion is different from the other ships in the Carnival Conquest class. Energy is generated by six Warstila 12 W 46C diesel engines of 12,600 kW, each of which is coupled to a three-phase 14,000 kVA synchronous generator. Propulsion, as for the sister ships, is provided by two electrical motors, one for each shafting line, of 20 MW each but of a different make.
On Board
The Carnival Liberty provides the highest standards of comfort alongside a wide range of entertainment. On board there is a three-deck 1,500-seat theatre, two main pool areas (one with a retractable cover) with 5 swimming pools, 4 restaurants (with seating capacities of 1,104, 872, 736, 148), of which one self-service and one á-la-carte reservations-only Harry's supper club, 22 themed bars, a casino with 18 tables and 216 slot machines, a discotheque with 445 computerized video-monitors, an Internet café, a children's play area, a teens nightclub (which is uniquely located along the promenade with the rest of the "adult" fare), shops of various types, a spa and fitness facility with a gym area, a jogging track, a volleyball court and a basketball hall.
Fincantieri's Shipyards
The Carnival Liberty takes the total number of passenger ships built by Fincantieri since 1990 for Carnival Corporation to thirty three, and a further more are due to be built by 2007 and latter for five different brands in the Group (Princess Cruises, Carnival Cruise Lines, Costa Crociere, Holland America Line and Cunard Line) at the shipyards of Monfalcone, Marghera and Sestri Ponente. In economic terms these ships have brought Fincantieri revenues of over 16 billion dollars. Today, Fincantieri is the world's leading cruise shipbuilder with a market share of 45%.
Outdoor Decks
The two-level Emile's buffet offers hot and cold buffet fare for breakfast and lunch. This long, very long, area is broken up into several stations, with the food itself is displayed mostly in four main cafeteria-style lines, and six more substations. These sub stations are scattered along the sides, such as the Deli s sandwiches, or the desserts and salads, which occupying a kiosk of its own. A separate station also offers a "Taste of the Nations" offers varying international cuisines. Each day is a different taste! In the second level of the buffet is located Fish & Chips, another place on board which is easy to bypass, but the offerings here are delightful and prepared upon request. There are drink and ice cream stations all over the buffet area. This room has a nautical flavour (with ropes and brass details) and the colour scheme is mainly in blue (tapestry and tables) and green tones (marble, tile of the walls, etc.). The Versailles aft lido pool has also teak deck, with a like brick floor around the pool and a green plastic floor in some areas. It is much more appealing than the forward one. The pillars have newly the forged iron ornaments find on the atrium, also found in all doors. There are two big yellow Jacuzzis aft off to the side and has a retractable roof in case of inclement area. Also has the advantage of being the site of both the grill for burgers, hot dogs and the like, and the pizzeria, open 24 hours, plus a nice bar, so there's good reason to plant yourself down and spend the day. The only big downer on Carnival Liberty is its central main pool area, called Tivoli. This area has a terraced lay out forward, ending in the Carnival's 65 meter famous slide, that finish in a wading pool fitted also with a Jacuzzi. In the lower level of this lido area there are two big whirlpools, and the pool itself which is tucked off to the side, literally under an overhang. For this reason, the pool look ridiculous, far from the roominess feel found in other post panamax designs, such as the Voyager class. Maybe, even some lido deck of panamax sized ship, such as the new MSC Musica, or the Costa Atlantica class, transmit a more roominess sensation. But the big novelty here is that Carnival Cruise Lines install a big 25 square meters screen, with 70.000 watt sound system, towering over the main pool on the Carnival Liberty, on the forward part of the funnel. This borrowing the concept from Princess Cruises, which has 28 square meters screens on some of its Grand Class' ships. Carnival Cruise Lines first-ever outdoor movie screen were introduced last year in a very low-key fashion. The Carnival Liberty's LED screen show day and night movies, sporting events, concerts and other programming, including the ship's own "Morning Show" hosted by the Liberty's cruise director. During the day, the screen played music videos and basically took over the role of a band, while at night a variety of films were played, both family-oriented and retro-hits like "Titanic"; late in the evenings, concerts featuring famous performers are shown. But it seems as if Carnival isn't really sure how to best handle the Seaside Theater because don't offer deck chairs and free popcorn and a drinks service, and as consequence, the area is underutilized at night. A small stage is located down the giant screen. And if you're still not sated, Carnival is one of the few lines that still offer the occasional and splendiferous midnight buffet. The Chocolate Extravaganza is worth missing a few hours sleep.