Liberty of the Seas first look report: surf's up!

We had the chance to sail onboard Royal Caribbean's brand-new Liberty of the Seas recently from the line's artfully named Cape Liberty Port in Bayonne, New Jersey. Like sister ship Freedom of the Seas, Liberty is a home run for the target "active adventure cruiser" market. Take a look at our brand-new Liberty of the Seas photos, and previous Freedom of the Seas photos, to see what we mean.

Freedom and Liberty are the world's two largest cruise ships, weighing in at 160,000 tons and carrying 3,400 passengers. An evolution of the line's successful Voyager-class vessels, Royal Caribbean uses the extra space made available on these behemoths for eye- and adrenaline-popping additions like surfing and boxing, plus a general upsizing of popular Voyager-class features like the rock climbing wall, "main street" Royal Promenade, and ice skating rink.

Surely the catchiest feature remains the Flowrider surfing machine, surrounded by stadium seating for the less adventurous, on which intrepid guests can either bodyboard or stand-up surf.

Lest you think bodyboarding sounds less exciting, wait to pass judgement until you've mastered executing a barrel roll, 360-degree spin, or bodyboarding while standing on your head--all skills the staff there will be happy to demonstrate and teach. Speaking of whom, we tip our hats to the staff manning this attraction, who bend over backwards to make even raw beginners feel welcome and have fun while they learn. The fancy surfing hardware is not what makes the attraction a huge success--rather it's the terrific Royal Caribbean employees working there.

Liberty and Freedom now sail Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries from Miami. Contact us to book and for free bonuses with each booking.

We could go on and on about Liberty of the Seas, but a picture is worth a thousand words so check out our Liberty photos!