Grandeur of the Seas vs Liberty of the Seas

The Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas was built in 1996. It was renovated in 2021. It's 11 years older than the Liberty of the Seas, which was built in 2007 and renovated in 2016.

Comparison Overview

Ship Size

The Grandeur of the Seas is considered a small size ship. Coming in at 916 feet long and 106 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.5 football fields, as wide as 2 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 11-story building. Compared to the Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas, the Grandeur of the Seas is 52% smaller in terms of overall tons.

Number of Passengers

Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas holds 48% fewer passengers than the Liberty of the Seas based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you look at the "Space Ratio," or the total tonnage of a ship compared to the number of passengers, the Grandeur of the Seas has less space per person compared to the Liberty of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean
Grandeur of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
Liberty of the Seas
ClassVisionFreedom
Gross Tonnage73,817154,407
Length9161,112
Beam/Width106185
Passenger Decks1114
Passengers (double occupancy)1,9923,798
Crew7601,360
Passenger to Crew Ratio2.62.8
Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger)3741


Food and Restaurants

Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.

The Grandeur of the Seas has nine different dining options like Izumi Sushi & Hot Rocks, Giovanni's Table, and Chef's Table. Of those options, eight are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other six options have an additional fee.

The Liberty of the Seas has three more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Chops Grille, Sorrento's Pizza, and Cafe Promenade. nine of these restaurants are complementary and the other eight have an additional fee.

If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Liberty of the Seas might be a better choice. It has 33% more dining options than the Grandeur of the Seas.

Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.

Restaurants on Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas & Liberty of the Seas

Restaurant Royal Caribbean
Grandeur of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
Liberty of the Seas
Included
Cafe PromenadeLearn More
Main Dining RoomLearn More
Park Cafe
Sorrento's PizzaLearn More
WindjammerLearn More
A la carte
Cafe Latte-tudes
Cupcake Cupboard
Ice Cream Parlor
Izumi Sushi & Hot RocksLearn More
Vintages Wine BarLearn More
Flat fee
Chef's TableLearn More
Chops GrilleLearn More
Giovanni's TableLearn More
Johnny RocketsLearn More
SaborLearn More

Bars and Drinks

Royal Caribbean's Schooner Bar
Royal Caribbean's Schooner Bar
Royal Caribbean's Schooner Bar
Royal Caribbean's Schooner Bar

The Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas has 7 fewer bars than the Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean
Grandeur of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
Liberty of the Seas
Boleros
Casino Bar
English Pub
Island Bar
Olive or Twist
On Air Club
Pool bar
R Bar
Schooner Bar
Sky Bar
Solarium Bar
South Pacific Lounge
Squeeze
Star Lounge
Suite Lounge*
The Plaza Bar
Viking Crown Lounge
Vintages
* = this bar is exclusive and not open to everyone.

In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. Both ships serve the Coca-cola family of products. That means Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barqs Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship. Most Royal Caribbean ships also have Coke Freestyle machines where you can make 100 different flavor combinations.

You can check out recent the bar menus for the Grandeur of the Seas and the Liberty of the Seas below.



Pools and Hot Tubs

The main pool, 4 hot tubs and giant movie screen on Royal Caribbeans Grandeur of the Seas
The main pool on Royal Caribbean's Grandeur of the Seas
The main pools and giant movie screen on Royal Caribbeans Liberty of the Seas
The main pool on Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas

Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas has a total of 2 pools and 6 hot tubs.

Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas has more pools than the Grandeur of the Seas and more hot tubs.

Worried about lots of kids onboard? Visit The Solarium, an adult-only area for guests 18 and older only. Both the Grandeur of the Seas and the Liberty of the Seas have full-depth adult-only pools in The Solarium. Grandeur of the Seas’ adult-only area is covered by a retractable glass roof, while Liberty of the Seas’ is not enclosed. They’re both located in the middle of the ship.

Royal Caribbean
Grandeur of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
Liberty of the Seas
Total Pools23
Pools - General Access12
Pools - Adults Only11
Pools - Exclusive00
Total Hot Tubs67
Hot Tubs - General Access45
Hot Tubs - Adults Only22
Hot Tubs - Exclusive00


cruise coloring book

Cruise Coloring and Activity Books for Kids
Get your kids ready for their cruise or keep them entertained while on board with our custom made coloring and activity books. These are the Royal Caribbean editions with places like Studio B and Sorrento's featured.

Cruise Ship Coloring Book for Kids 3-5 - Royal Caribbean Edition

Let's Get Cruising Activity Book for Kids 6-8 - Royal Caribbean Edition


Ship Features and Activities

Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. You might up paying more while on board the Grandeur of the Seas. Only 62% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Liberty of the Seas, 81% of the activities are included at no additional cost.

Royal Caribbean
Grandeur of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
Liberty of the Seas
Adult Only Relaxation Area
Arcade
Basketball
Casino
Climbing Wall
Fitness Center
FlowRider
Ice Skating
Laser Tag
Mini golf
Pool-side Movies
Shows - Broadway play
Shows - musical review
Spa
Splash park
Water slides
Learn moreLearn more

Cruise Costs

Royal Caribbean is a mainstream cruise line. Mainstream cruise lines cater to a variety of guests, hoping to provide something for everyone. These typically cost about $100 - $350 per person per day.

Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year. Typically newer ships cost more, so a cruise on Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas will likely be cheaper than on Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas.

Onboard Costs

Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests can also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.

Typically guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.

The table below will help you understand what you might spend onboard a Royal Caribbean ship.

Royal Caribbean
Base Daily Gratuities*
(Per Person Per Day)
$18.50
Tip added to drinks & services18%
Soda Price$3.50
Domestic Beer Price$8.25
See drink menus
Drink Package Price$77 - $118
Learn more
Internet Plan$19 to $30 per device per day
*Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates.

Royal Caribbean uses dynamic pricing, which means the pricing for many things will vary per sailing. The daily gratuities and tip are consistent across the fleet, but the pricing for the drink package, internet, and excursions will change. The only way to know your price is to consult the Royal Caribbean cruise planner once you're booked.

We sailed aboard the Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas

Follow along on our sailing on the Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas. We take you through every aspect of our sailing, from getting to the port to debarking the ship. See the schedule of events, menus, what excursions we did, and what we really thought about the ship.

Liberty of the Seas - Cruise Blog - Day 1 - Bayonne

Liberty of the Seas - Cruise Blog - Day 2 - Sea Day

Liberty of the Seas - Cruise Blog - Day 3 - Bermuda

Liberty of the Seas - Cruise Blog - Day 4 - Bermuda Still

Liberty of the Seas - Cruise Blog - Day 5 - Final Sea Day

5 Hits and Misses on Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas

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