Overview

Carnival Liberty -- the line's fourth Conquest-class vessel, and the first to sail a full season in Europe -- won't surprise folks familiar with the Conquest-style layout, public spaces and cabin amenities. As with its siblings, the ship features a plethora of themed bars and lounges, four restaurants, two main pool areas, a spa and fitness facility, a sprawling casino, and Harry's, a reservations-only supper club. Carnival Liberty boasts a high ratio of private balconies, a library, an ornate three-deck theater and a series of shops, and offers teens their own nightclub (which is uniquely located along the promenade with the rest of the "adult" fare). It's pretty safe stuff.

Where Carnival Liberty does elicit some head scratching is in its decorating scheme, celebrating the craft of art rather than having anything at all to do with the concept of liberty -- which appears, at first, a bit esoteric for a Carnival vessel.

At least it may well seem a stretch to those who haven't traveled on Carnival ever -- or even lately -- and who may still expect a neon-palace-type experience. That's because Carnival, long dubbed the "Fun Ships" line (with an onboard ambience that has been more likely to emphasize wacky, high-energy antics and oft-cartoonesque design schemes in the past), is in the midst of a gentle evolution.

Much of what has earned Carnival its distinctively lighthearted niche (and it's pretty much solely their niche these days) is a unique joie de vivre, an "anything goes" philosophy both in physical features -- bars, pools and theaters especially, not to mention entertainment varied enough to please just about anybody -- and in silly activities. If passengers were required to compromise on food, itinerary, a sophisticated decor, or even service in the past ... well, nobody's perfect.

But on our recent inaugural voyage on Carnival Liberty, this occasional (rather than habitual) Carnival cruiser found the experience genuinely exceptional in just about every possible way. Service was outstanding, both personal and efficient. Our standard balcony cabin was charming, low-key and spacious. The entertainment, particularly at night, was so varied and offered so many options -- from Vegas floor shows to jazz to the fabulous "piano man" who packed in the crowds with his group-style karaoke sing-a-longs -- that they kept us up way, way, way past our normal bedtime. Cuisine, particularly at Harry's Supper Club -- not to mention Emile's buffet, the fish-and-chips bar, the sushi station and even the pizzeria (which made fabulous thin-crust pies) -- definitely exceeded my expectations (only our dining room meals were mediocre).

And the artisan-themed public spaces designed by Carnival's uber-interior architect Joe Farcus were much more sophisticated than I expected: the colorful glass lamps along the walls of the art nouveau Emile's; the elegance of the Antiquarian Library, with its book-binding theme; the Cabinet Room, a bar for jazz and cigars that was downright low key in its elegance; and the genuinely lovely Flowers bar, which, with its garden pastel watercolors tucked behind iron gate like fixtures, literally seemed a breath of fresh air.

And yet, in an era in which some cruise lines are abandoning long-occupied niches to broaden their audiences -- and, in the process, forgetting all about what made them special in the first place -- Carnival is making no such mistake with Carnival Liberty. The line, which has already successfully evolved from a party-hearty budget option to one that's equally geared to singles, families and seniors (no easy feat there), is simply tweaking its well-established formula. Travelers are becoming more sophisticated and discerning across the board and Carnival, especially through its newer ships, is simply raising its bar to meet the new demand via coffee bars, supper clubs and sushi stations. And even while the line embraces a new, subtle sophistication, an oddly placed alarm sensor -- like those that appear in mall shops -- sits outside the photo shop. The reason? To prevent theft of photos!

Ultimately, the ship's onboard pizzeria best makes the point that Carnival Liberty can serve many masters well: Good ol' pepperoni sat side by side with a pie featuring goat cheese -- and both pretty much flew out of the oven.

Public rooms

On Carnival Liberty every room has not only a theme that's tied in with the artisan scheme but also a story -- which gives bars and other spots a nice added element of interest. All revolves around the ship's nine-deck-high atrium; here, the Grand Villa Garden features ironwork over lovely, lighthearted flowers in pastels.

Another room worth appreciating is the Venetian Palace, the ship's main theater, using as its major design element Murano glass made in Venice. There are also colorful tiles and chandeliers ... and check out the ceiling, which is dotted with the famous Venetian Carnival masks.

Other public rooms include the Antiquarian Library (lovely as it is the book selection is pretty meager so you'll want to bring your own supply); the Victoria Lounge, the secondary theater, which is genuinely elegant with its theme being English-style majolica glassware; and the Empress Room, a tiny gem of a room with a fake fireplace whose design revolves around Chinese Cloisonne.

Carnival Liberty has a hard-to-find Internet cafe (it's tucked away behind the Cabinet Bar) and seems underwhelmed with the number of computers -- there were lines on our trip. The good news is the ship is very WiFi-friendly; I'd advise you to bring your own laptop.

Entertainment

Frankly, the three-deck-high Venetian Palace is such a spectacular theater -- with its Murano glass, funky jester-like patterns on the chairs and wild Venetian masks on the ceiling -- that just walking in gives you a buzz. On Carnival Liberty, three mainstay shows are presented, all in the Vegas mindset. These include "Rock Down Broadway," "Wonderful World" and "Singin' with the Big Band."

Introduced in a very low-key fashion is Carnival Cruise Lines' first-ever outdoor movie screen. Carnival's Seaside Theater is similar to that developed by Princess Cruises; towering over the main pool deck is a 270-square-ft. screen that thrums with programming day and night. During the day, the screen played music videos and basically took over the role of a band, while at night a variety of films were played, both family-oriented such as "Shrek" and retro-hits like "Titanic"; late in the evenings, concerts featuring performers such as Tom Jones were shown. Alas, it seemed as if Carnival wasn't really sure how to best handle the Seaside Theater on our voyage -- deck chairs were stacked high, there wasn't any genuine incentive to check it out (whereas Princess offers deck chairs and steamer rugs and free popcorn and a drinks service) and as a result, the area was pretty underutilized at night.

Far more popular is the indoor Promenade, an avenue of sorts that connects most of the bars, lounges and entertainment options. From here, you can check out the sports-themed Gloves Bar (which was rarely crowded and had the most comfortable leather chairs!); Hot & Cool, the disco whose decor celebrates the art of tattoos; Paparazzi, a wine bar that sits in a crook in the hallway and, as such, is the best people-watching spot onboard (another good place was the Flower Bar, in the lobby); Piano Man, which can get quite raucous as people sing along to the best of 60's, 70's, and 80's pop music; and the Jardin Cafe for after-dinner noshing. Cabinet, the ship's cigar bar and jazz venue, is tucked away a deck below but devotees managed to find it anyway. On the other hand, places like the Stage, billed as offering live music and karaoke, and the Empress Bar in the Club Lounge, were as desolate as graveyards.

During the day, Carnival features the usual wacky antics along with bingo, bad-hair-day seminars and shopping in its duty-free emporiums.

As far as shore excursions are concerned, we were quite impressed with the variety of options offered on this, the line's first full season in Europe. In addition to motorcoach trips, there were also active adventures; for instance, in Livorno (the port for Tuscany), shore excursions ranged from "Medieval Lucca by Bike" to "Wines of Tuscany" as well as the more traditional tour of Pisa and Florence.

Fitness and Recreation

The only big downer on Carnival Liberty is its main pool area. Oddly, the centerpiece of the main area, here called "Tivoli," is two big whirlpools -- the pool itself is tucked off to the side, literally under an overhang. It didn't inspire visions of wacky pool games, that's for sure. Seating is terraced so people are spread out all over the place -- I thought the configuration was confusing. Above the main pool area is Carnival's famous slide.

Much more appealing was the pool aft. The Versailles pool is center stage with two big whirlpools off to the side. This area has a retractable roof in case of inclement area and also has the advantage of being the site of both the grill and the pizzeria (plus a nice bar) so there's good reason to plant yourself down and spend the day.

The Spa Carnival health and fitness center pretty much features the usual (an expansive fitness center with a separate workout area; some classes, like Pilates and yoga require a $10 fee) and a funky waterfall-with-Jacuzzi.

The spa itself is pleasant if a tad barren in decor (no extravagant Thai or Santa Fe desert themes). The Beauty Salon has one wall lined by windows -- a perfect scenic place for folks getting pedicures and manicures. Our ginger/lime salt scrub and massage was exceptional ... and there was no Steiner product pitch afterwards! You can buy all the products you desire, though, in the spa's stand-alone boutique.

There's a jogging track.

Family

Camp Carnival's facility on Carnival Liberty encompasses some 4,200 square ft. First up is an enclosed play area -- features include an arts-and-crafts center, a video wall, a soft play area, a computer lab, PlayStation 2 consoles and a library. There's also a wading pool just outside.

Carnival divides kids into four age groups, and has introduced more edu-tainment offerings into its programs. Among them are "Sea Notes," a musical program; "H2Ocean," which focuses on hands-on science projects; "EduCruise," which features interactive projects on ports of call; and "ExerSeas," a series of recreational and fitness activities. Camp Carnival also offers activities that involve family members.

Most impressive was the ship's teen disco. Rather than lump the teens with the rest of the kids, its Without Batteries disco, located right on the promenade a few doors down from the adult disco, was in a central location with a high energy vibe. The club itself looked quite cool -- it's themed around antique toymaking before batteries were necessary, but lacks no high-tech toys. The dance floor was outfitted with special sensitive light panels that recreate your footprints as you walk across. Other features include a big juice bar in the center, multiple video screens, flashing lights and arcade games. Next door is another area of arcade games, this one open to kids (and adults) of all ages. Another cool feature: Teen-targeted shore experiences are offered.

Group babysitting is available; cost is $6 per hour for the first child, $4 per hour for each additional kid in the same family.

Fellow passengers

On Carnival Liberty's sailings in Europe this year and next, expect a more international crowd, with fellow passengers hailing from Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom and beyond, as well as Americans. Age-wise, the audience for this ship literally runs the gamut, from families with small kids to seniors -- and just about everybody in between.

Dress

There are two formal nights on a seven-night trip and most people really do dress up (about 30 percent of men wore tuxedos). The rest of the time the dress code is country club casual. Daytimes, dress is very casual.

Gratuity

Carnival automatically tags a $10 per person, per day gratuity onto onboard accounts; to adjust it, go to the purser's desk. Drinks get a 15 percent gratuity. In the spa, the gratuity is at your discretion.