Cruise Spotlight
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Radiance of the Seas vs Liberty of the Seas
The Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas was built in 2001. It was renovated in 2021. It's 6 years older than the Liberty of the Seas, which was built in 2007 and renovated in 2016.
Comparison Overview
- Ship Size
- Number of Passengers
- Food and Restaurants
- Bars and Drinks
- Pools and Hot Tubs
- Ship Features and Activities
- Cruise Costs
- Onboard Costs
- See Our Detailed Cruise Blog
Ship Size
The Radiance of the Seas is considered a small size ship. Coming in at 962 feet long and 106 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.7 football fields, as wide as 2 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 12-story building. Compared to the Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas, the Radiance of the Seas is 42% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas holds 44% fewer passengers than the Liberty of the Seas based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you compare the total tonnage of the ship to the number of passengers, or what we call the "Space Ratio," the Radiance of the Seas has more space per person compared to the Liberty of the Seas. This means that you might have a bit more space to yourself on the ship, although there still could be some crowded areas like buffets, pools, etc.
| Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas | Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Radiance | Freedom |
| Gross Tonnage | 90,090 | 154,407 |
| Length | 962 | 1,112 |
| Beam/Width | 106 | 185 |
| Passenger Decks | 12 | 14 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 2,143 | 3,798 |
| Crew | 894 | 1,360 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.4 | 2.8 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 42 | 41 |
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 Radiance of the Seas has eleven different dining options like Chops Grille, Windjammer, and Giovanni's Table. Of those options, nine are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other seven options have an additional fee.
The Liberty of the Seas has one more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Sabor, Windjammer, and Vintages Wine Bar. nine of these restaurants are complementary and the other eight have an additional fee.
The Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas has about the same number of dining options as the Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas.
Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.
Restaurants on Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas & Liberty of the Seas
| Restaurant | Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas |
Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Included | |||
| Cafe Promenade | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Dog House | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Main Dining Room | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Park Cafe | ✓ | ✗ | |
| Sorrento's Pizza | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Windjammer | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| A la carte | |||
| Cafe Latte-tudes | ✓ | ✗ | |
| Cupcake Cupboard | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Ice Cream Parlor | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Izumi Sushi & Hot Rocks | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Vintages Wine Bar | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Flat fee | |||
| Chef's Table | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Chops Grille | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Giovanni's Table | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Johnny Rockets | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Sabor | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Samba Grill | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
Bars and Drinks
The Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas has 4 fewer bars than the Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas.
| Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas | Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Boleros | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Champagne Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| English Pub | ✓ | ✓ |
| Jakarta Lounge | ✓ | ✗ |
| Lobby Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Olive or Twist | ✗ | ✓ |
| On Air Club | ✗ | ✓ |
| Pool Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| R Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Schooner Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Singapore Sling's | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sky Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Solarium Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Squeeze | ✗ | ✓ |
| Star Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Suite Lounge* | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Colony Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| The Plaza Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Viking Crown Lounge | ✓ | ✗ |
| Vintages | ✗ | ✓ |
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 Radiance of the Seas and the Liberty of the Seas below.
Pools and Hot Tubs
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 Radiance of the Seas has a total of 2 pools and 3 hot tubs.
Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas has more pools than the Radiance 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 Radiance of the Seas and the Liberty of the Seas have full-depth adult-only pools in The Solarium. Radiance 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 Radiance of the Seas | Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 2 | 3 |
| Pools - General Access | 1 | 2 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 0 | 0 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 3 | 7 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 2 | 5 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 1 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 0 | 0 |
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 Radiance of the Seas. Only 70% 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 Radiance 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 more | Learn 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 Radiance 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 & services | 18% |
| 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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