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Ship comparison

Carnival Dream vs Liberty of the Seas

The verdict

Which should you choose?

Carnival Dream is a large Carnival Cruise Line ship carrying 3,646 passengers, in service since 2009. Liberty of the Seas is a large Royal Caribbean ship carrying 3,634 passengers, in service since 2007.

Choose Carnival Dream if you want more culture, more of a party or a more active cruise: it outscores Liberty of the Seas for cultural (8.0 vs 6.0), party (8.0 vs 6.0) and active (8.0 vs 7.0) in Cruiseable’s Bliss scores.

Choose Liberty of the Seas if you want a more romantic trip, more adventure and nature or more space per passenger: it outscores Carnival Dream for romantic (4.0 vs 2.0) and adventure & nature (4.0 vs 2.0) in Cruiseable’s Bliss scores and it has 42.5 gross tons per passenger (vs 35.7).

Side by side

Specifications

marks the better figure where more, or less, is plainly better.

Carnival DreamLiberty of the Seas
Cruise line Carnival Cruise Line Royal Caribbean
Ship size Large Large
Maiden voyagenewer highlighted 2009 (better) 2007
Last refurbishedmore recent highlighted 2015 2015
Gross tonnage 130,000 154,407
Passengers 3,646 3,634
Crew 1,367 1,360
Passengers per crew memberfewer is better 2.7 2.7
Space per passengergross tons per passenger; more is roomier 35.7 42.5 (better)
Decks 15 18
Length 1,004 ft 1,112 ft
Beam 122 ft 184 ft
Speed 26 mph 25 mph
Cruiseable ratingout of 10 8 / 10 8 / 10
Cruises on sale 12 26
Upcoming sailings 179 140
Cruise lengths 4 to 14 nights 4 to 15 nights
Fares fromlower highlighted $367 $349 (better)

Bliss scores

How they rate, out of 10

Cruiseable rates ships out of 10 on ten parts of a cruise holiday. Carnival Dream leads on 5 of the ten, Liberty of the Seas on 4, with 1 level.

  • Active Carnival Dream: 8.0 Liberty of the Seas: 7.0
  • Adventure & nature Carnival Dream: 2.0 Liberty of the Seas: 4.0
  • Cultural Carnival Dream: 8.0 Liberty of the Seas: 6.0
  • Dining Carnival Dream: 5.5 Liberty of the Seas: 6.0
  • Entertainment Carnival Dream: 7.7 Liberty of the Seas: 7.8
  • Family friendly Carnival Dream: 9.0 Liberty of the Seas: 8.0
  • Party Carnival Dream: 8.0 Liberty of the Seas: 6.0
  • Romantic Carnival Dream: 2.0 Liberty of the Seas: 4.0
  • Spa & fitness Carnival Dream: 8.0 Liberty of the Seas: 8.0
  • Staterooms Carnival Dream: 8.0 Liberty of the Seas: 7.5

Carnival Cruise Line

Carnival Dream

Carnival Dream, the first of Carnival's Dream class ships (followed by Carnival Magic and Carnival Breeze), features two dual-level dining rooms, a gourmet steakhouse and the Lido Restaurant. It also features Ocean Plaza, which combines tasty treats with entertainment.

Highlights

  • Waterslides at Carnival WaterWorks
  • Carnival's house brew at RedFrog Rum Bar
  • Thalassotherapy pool at the Cloud 9 Spa

Sailing now

12 cruises on sale, from $367.

Royal Caribbean

Liberty of the Seas

Liberty of the Seas is packed with experiences found in all of Royal Caribbean's Freedom class of ships, as well as new offerings created to stir your imagination. Share a high five with Shrek as part of The DreamWorks Experience.

Highlights

  • 30 different cupcakes at the Cupcake Cupboard
  • Shooting some hopes in the onsite basketball court
  • Gaming at the Vegas-style Casino Royale
  • Complimentary ice-skating shows

Sailing now

26 cruises on sale, from $349.

Questions

Carnival Dream or Liberty of the Seas?

Which is bigger, Carnival Dream or Liberty of the Seas?

Liberty of the Seas is bigger at 154,407 gross tons, against 130,000 gross tons for Carnival Dream. Carnival Dream carries 3,646 passengers and Liberty of the Seas carries 3,634.

Which ship is newer, Carnival Dream or Liberty of the Seas?

Carnival Dream is newer, with a maiden voyage in 2009 against 2007 for Liberty of the Seas.

Which has more space per passenger?

Liberty of the Seas, with 42.5 gross tons per passenger against 35.7 on Carnival Dream. The higher the figure, the more ship there is for each guest.

Which has more crew per passenger?

They are level, with one crew member for every 2.7 passengers.

Which is better for families?

Carnival Dream scores higher for family friendliness in Cruiseable’s Bliss scores: 9.0 out of 10, against 8.0 for Liberty of the Seas.

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