I can not begin to tell you the extent of the work that has had to take place, but suffice to say I’ve tracked down and begun to implement a great many changes to the site. My goal remains to keep the process of shifting to a new server, and upgrading how the site works as seamless as I can. Indeed, you are actually reading the new installation of the blog running off a separate server than what the rest of the site remains on.

At some point within the next month or two, the entire site will make the leap. For your own sake, I would recommend using www.RoyalCaribbeanFan.com as the address you use to find us here. There are a number of technical reasons why your current bookmark/favorite link may not be valid after the change.

I’m making changes to CruiseAficionados.com at the same time. I think folks will like what is coming.

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Prior the joy of a short work week, I was talking about how the subtle differences in Liberty of the Seas, makes such a big difference in the experience aboard ship. This week we’ll work our way though the ship, and I’ll show you some of the details the ship.

Some changes which Royal Caribbean made are obvious, such as the Fuel bar for teens. Set below the Wipeout bar near Flowrider, it provides the first truly open space for teens. Previously that space was restricted to an indoor space (which remains) but gives the pre-adults someplace to hang out, without crowding either the H20 Zone. I think the addition, so long as you don’t point it out to teens, which would immediately make said bar “uncool,” the idea works. Royal Caribbean has been making overt efforts to include teens in design work, going so far as to provide them with their own membership category in the Crown and Anchor Society.

Yes the night shot is in black and white. Long story. You can see the stairs to the Flowrider to the middle right, and deck chairs which continue un-interrupted to the other side of the deck. Fuel is very much intended to run all day and serve as a anchor point for the teen set. Very worthy of note, is the fact that you can walk around the stern of the ship on this deck, which allows those who like to walk aboard ship to continue in true promenade style non-stop.

Above Fuel is the Wipeout Bar, which serves the Florider, Rock Climbing wall, Mini Golf, and Basketball court. It too features tables (and after Liberty of the Seas enters service, chairs I should think.) This is notable as it is a service area with outdoor tables along the side of the ship. As I noted before, there is a much greater emphasis on sitting space, tables, and places to dwell which do not require a person to enjoy deck chairs.
The new stem deck space affords a new view on an Royal Caribbean ship. Yes, the bleacher seats for viewing Flowrider also provide lots of new space to view the water.

The Voyager class featured a “peak-a-boo” bridge, which allowed curious onlookers to see the space-age, Star-Trek style command center of the ship. A curtain could be drawn to allow for privacy (from passengers, since cameras record most all activities on the bridge) but it was considered an annoyance be some captains in the fleet. On the Freedom class, in its place, is a much welcomed public space, as seen above.
Ahead of the welcome array of deck chairs, are the hammocks, tables, and chairs in this area. Yet more space where you can relax, eat, drink, read, and sleep. The aerodynamics of the ship keep this space pleasant even while she is underway. Plus the space is not an obvious destination to those aboard ship. The array of stairs and such make this space unfriendly to random foot traffic.
Next post we’ll wind our way a bit lower on the Liberty of the Seas and continue to look at the details of this class.

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The pool deck gains significantly from the extra length on Liberty of the Seas. The ship features the H20 Zone, which is specifically for the kids. There is an adults only pool area forward, with every indication the teens and kids will indeed be kept out. The main pool area changes greatly from its old form on the original Voyager class.

The traditional band area has been moved to the after most part of the pool area, against a brightly colored wall. As you can see below, there is a great deal of space on a deck between the two pools. The idea is to provide much more space for dancing and such, where before a small patch of teak wood was in place ahead of pool side bar. It functioned for the task. However this expanded area is simply far better. The pools themselves seem bigger, though I have no hard measurements to confirm that. A bridge crosses the wall between the pool and H20 Zone.

There pool area really gains from having the kids sequestered away in their own areas. Not that they can’t be in this area, but as you will see later, they would hardly want to be here when they can be in their own water park. The deck space on Liberty simply feels greater to boot. A geometry expert could likely explain how a few feet here and there actually does provide more real room per deck chair. But in this case, the gut feeling you get is what counts the most.

Another small change on Liberty of the Seas which makes a huge difference, is the running track. On the Freedom class, it extends fully around deck 12. Actually, to be fair and honest, the running track doesn’t, but you can walk unimpeaded from stem to stern. Or to be fair, honest, and technically accurate, the forward most part of the deck, to the after most part, without having to go inside at all.

Another improvement was in the simple act of replacing the old style deck chairs with something you wouldn’t mind having on your patio at home. Gone are the tube metal and rubber strap chairs which never seemed to match the quality of the ship they were on. In their place are sturdy metal chairs with white painted enamel and real cushions. As you will see later, they also come in several different sizes and shapes. So sitting on deck no longer means having to lay out.

The neat and sharp look of the chairs actually make the decks seem more open as well. I’ve read comments by people that insist a large ship with so many people couldn’t possibly leave any room to spread out or avoid crowds. Next post I’ll show you exactly why that view isn’t accurate. As I have said before, the theme that develops to the sharp eyed observer, is truly how the refinements in the Liberty’s design, make her even more comfortable and open feeling than you would think possible.

About as quickly as you can finish unpacking, most of us find our way to the Windjammer Cafe for the “welcome aboard” buffet. The original Voyager class attempts to break the space in Windjammer into four distinct areas. The thinking must have been that a single basic theme would seem boring. But the themes didn’t really work well. There were different ethnic styles of food, a welcome addition to the Windjammer concept. But the need to spread people evenly really prevented them from making each type of food exclusive to any one area.

As the newer units in the Voyager class came out, I noticed the themes in the four areas became more visibly distinct, and more of an attempt to cut the area into quadrants seemed to be attempted. Royal Caribbean wisely dropped attempts to label the quadrants. Most people had ignored the labels and rightly called the entire area “Windjammer.” However the remaining physical divisions did was to create bottlenecks in passenger flow. In all cases, it was hard to manage the large numbers of people cramming into Windjammer at certain points of the day and cruise.

The Liberty of the Seas seems to have fixed these issues. To start with, the attempts to divide the space are gone. The soft serve ice cream machines are also gone from the middle points. This makes passenger flow in and out of the area much smoother. The decor in each quadrant does vary, but no attempt is made to declare each a separate area. As seen in Navigator of the Seas, the serving stations replicate themselves, but small “island” stations in the after most part of the cafe, allow for free movement, and greatly speed people along who are going back for seconds.

The greatest advantage of the elimination of the physical divides between quadrants, was in how Royal Caribbean has added space along the sides of the ships.

Seen here, the area near the exit used to extend to the side of the ship. In its place, is an extension which hangs of the side of the ship. This creates a pathway with four person tables along the windows, and two person tables along the side.

As you can see above, this view, which I photographed from my cabin balcony on deck 9 (port side) shows the extended Windjammer. Below, you can see the actual seating space along this area. The thing to remember, is that on those mornings, when you are trying to find a quick space to sit, there is almost always an empty table along this area. The staff is very quick to clear them around here, and most people don’t see the entrance along the side.

Having just been on Navigator of the Seas, and now having seen what Liberty of the Seas has to offer, I can say Royal Caribbean has done good things with the food in Windjammer. The little things are where they really have picked things up over the last four years. More variety, better tasting, fresher, etc. And adding fruit punch to the lemonade, water, and ice tea was a nice touch.

The thing that starts to become clear about the Liberty of the Seas, and her Freedom class sisters, is that despite being larger than Voyager class, and with notably more passengers, the ship actually feels more open. The little things that improved on passenger flow might seem like very minor changes, yet the effect is much greater.

Next post we’ll go up on deck and see how Liberty of the Seas compares to her fleet mates in terms of deck features, chairs, pools, etc.

Meanwhile, for fans of the Daily Show, here is your moment of Zen.

LOOK A NEW YORK SUBWAY!

My accomedations for the cruise were a balcony cabin on deck nine. The ship is so new, that the doors were still stiff. The drawers still snapped open as I looked through the storage spaces. It was a very special feeling being in the ship so soon after she was completed.

The decor was what you have come to expect from Royal Caribbean. Which is to say the interiors of Liberty of the Seas was tasteful and not hard on the eyes. Flat screen LCD TVs have replaced the older CRT displays that have been staples of cabins for decades now. This has allowed for a much larger screen to fit in the limited space the cabin affords. It also allows for a TV mount that permits you to angle the set for viewing more directly from all points in the cabin. Before the larger CRT units could only shift forward or backward, with slight turns to the left or right.

Liberty of the Seas also has the new style of bedding you may have red about. A vast improvement over old style bedding, it almost makes it hard to get out of bed the mornings.

The deck furniture on my balcony was of a new type I have not seen on Royal Caribbean ships before. Rather than the hollow metal tube with rubber straps, they chairs are a firm, hard metal, with real cushions. They are far more comfortable than their predecessors.

Next post, it is up to Windjammer Cafe, where we see the first real changes in the Freedom class. As always, drop by the chat room nightly after 9 p.m.