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Royal Caribbean's newest and biggest ship plies the Caribbean Sea and gets a full inspection from FTF's cruise admiral and her kids.

I admit it was the promise of on-board surfing that inspired us to try a seven-day Caribbean cruise on the new Liberty of the Seas. But once on board, my 14-year-old daughter Chloe and I discovered that surfing is just part of the ship's new Vitality Program, which turned out to be surprisingly appealing, even though one of us is a gym-phobe and the other is – well – a teenager.

During our weeklong voyage, which included three at-sea days, we also sampled just about everything the ship had to offer in terms of shopping, dining and, of course, hitting the spa. Here's how we made out:

Check-in

Quick and easy from the Port of Miami, but cruise passengers should keep in mind that the snarl up at check-in can be as much about the embarkation port as about the cruise line. (Let's just say that we applaud the improvements on tap for New York's Manhattan Cruise Terminal.)

Tip: Single parents (or those traveling without their spouse) need to have notarized permission from the child's other parent to travel outside of the country. I always travel with such a form, but this time I misplaced it. I wasn't asked, but I could have been, so this is a clear case of do as I say and not as I do.

Décor

The Liberty is a Freedom-class ship, the signature feature of which is an atrium-style interior Promenade lined with shops, restaurants and pubs. This is the heart of the ship, and although scheduled shows still take place in the theater, on any given hour along the Promenade you can expect anything from classical trios playing on a bridge over your head to clowns and magicians entertaining the youngest cruisers.

Staterooms

Only about half of the staterooms on this ship are inside, but unlike on most ships, some offer views overlooking the Promenade (vs. no view at all). Since a big part of cruising for me is watching the ports of call come into view each morning, I'm not tempted, but if you think you won't mind not being able to gaze out to sea from your room, it is an option. We had plenty of room in our nearly 190-square-foot superior balcony stateroom for the two of us, even when we were competing for mirror space and the hair dryer on the two formal nights. We also liked the upgrade features, such as the flat-screen TV and Wi-Fi.

The bathroom was tight quarters – after a few days I start to fray around the edges without a bathtub – but there was plenty of closet space for the two of us. Had we brought the rest of the family, we could have opted for a family stateroom or even a two-bedroom, two-bath Royal Family Suite to keep from stepping on each other's toes.