Vision of the Seas vs Liberty

The Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas was built in 1998. It was renovated in 2021. It's 7 years older than the Liberty, which was built in 2005 and renovated in 2025.

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

Ship Size

The Vision of the Seas is considered a small size ship. Coming in at 915 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 Carnival Liberty, the Vision of the Seas is 29% smaller in terms of overall tons.

Number of Passengers

Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas holds 31% fewer passengers than the Liberty 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 Vision of the Seas has more space per person compared to the Liberty. 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 Vision of the Seas	Carnival Liberty
Class	Vision	Conquest
Gross Tonnage	78,340	110,000
Length	915	952
Beam/Width	106	116
Passenger Decks	11	13
Passengers (double occupancy)	2,050	2,974
Crew	742	1,160
Passenger to Crew Ratio	2.8	2.6
Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger)	38	37

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

The Liberty has three more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Mongolian Wok, Seafood Shack, and The Chef's Table. Thirteen of these restaurants are complementary and the other four have an additional fee.

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

If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Liberty might be a better choice then the Vision of the Seas. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.

	Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas	Carnival Liberty
Total Dining Options	9	12
Complimentary Dining Options:	8	13
Additional Fee Dining Options:	6	4
% of Included Options	33%	67%
	See the options	See the options

Bars and Drinks

The Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas has 7 fewer bars than the Carnival Liberty. The Vision of the Seas has 7 bars like Pool bar, Solarium Bar and Some Enchanted Evening Lounge. On Liberty, you can grab a drink at 14 different bars such as Alchemy Bar, Piano Man Bar and RedFrog Rum Bar.

Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas	Carnival Liberty
•Casino Bar • Pool bar • R Bar • Schooner Bar • Solarium Bar • Some Enchanted Evening Lounge • Viking Crown Lounge	•Alchemy Bar • Atrium Bar • BlueIguana Tequila Bar • Casino Bar • Hot & Cool Night Club • Jardin Cafe • Piano Man Bar • RedFrog Rum Bar • Serenity Pool Bar • SkyBox Sports Bar • The Cabinet Bar • The Stage Bar • Versailles Bar • Victoria Aft Lounge

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 Vision of the Seas and the Liberty 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 Vision of the Seas has a total of 2 pools and 6 hot tubs.

The Carnival Liberty has the same number of pools as the Vision of the Seas and fewer hot tubs.

Tired of loud kids and splashing? One of the pools and two of the hot tubs are adults only on Vision of the Seas.

	Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas	Carnival Liberty
Total Pools	2	2
Pools - General Access	1	1
Pools - Adults Only	1	1
Pools - Exclusive	0	0
Total Hot Tubs	6	4
Hot Tubs - General Access	4	2
Hot Tubs - Adults Only	2	2
Hot Tubs - Exclusive	0	0

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 Vision of the Seas. Only 62% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Liberty, 73% of the activities are included at no additional cost.

	Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas	Carnival Liberty
Adult Only Relaxation Area	✓	✓
Arcade	✓	✓
Basketball	✗	✓
Casino	✓	✓
Climbing Wall	✓	✗
Comedy Club	✗	✓
Dr Seuss Breakfast	✗	✓
Fitness Center	✓	✓
Jogging Track	✗	✓
Mini golf	✗	✓
Pool-side Movies	✓	✓
Shows - musical review	✓	✗
Spa	✓	✗
Water slides	✗	✓
	Learn more	Learn more

Carnival is also known for its energetic theme parties which vary per ship.

Cruise Costs

Royal Caribbean and Carnival are both considered "Mainstream" cruise lines. 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 Vision of the Seas will likely be cheaper than on Carnival Liberty.

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 compare onboard prices to see if you might spend more on a specific ship.

	Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas	Carnival Liberty
Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day)	$18.50	$17.00
Tip added to drinks & services	18%	20%
Soda Price	$3.50	$3.25
Domestic Beer Price	$7.49 See drink menus	$8.25 See drink menus
Drink Package Price	$77 - $118 Learn more	$83 - $88 Learn more
Internet Plan	$19 to $30 per device per day	$18.70 to $23.80 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.

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