The contest, which began on April 2, 2007, celebrates the long-awaited arrival of Liberty of the Seas, which will share the title of world's largest cruise ship with sister Freedom of the Seas. For two weeks, members were encouraged to write and submit original poems about Liberty of the Seas. Five finalists, chosen by Cruise Critic's editorial staff, were then voted on by the Cruise Critic community; there were nearly 900 votes in all. Check out the Liberty of the Seas Poetry Contest results.

The poetry contest concept was born in 2006 when the Pink Boa Society, a group of Cruise Critic members planning to sail on the not-yet-launched Freedom of the Seas, wrote a tribute to the vessel; that poem is mounted onboard. The winner of the Liberty of the Seas Poetry Contest will present her poem to a ship's officer and be one of the lucky few invited by Royal Caribbean to cruise on the ship during its series of pre-inaugural voyages.

The contest is just a part of Cruise Critic's coverage of the new Liberty of the Seas, one of the most exciting ships to debut this year. Read news and watch videos on Cruise Critic's The Next "Big" Thing: Countdown to Liberty of the Seas. And stay tuned for Cruise Critic's exclusive "sneak preview" by our European correspondent, offering highlights of the ship before it arrives in the United States.

About Cruise Critic
Cruise Critic is the leading cruise community and editorial site on the Internet providing cruise reviews, cruise line profiles, ports of call highlights, cruise deals, cruise news and features, and active cruise forums.

Cruise Critic is a Webby Award Honoree and has twice received a bronze in the prestigious Society of American Travel Writers’ Lowell Thomas Awards. The site has been critically lauded by publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, among others, and was named to Travel + Leisure’s "The 35 Best Travel Sites."

Cruise Critic is published by The Independent Traveler, Inc., a closely held New Jersey Corporation.