While sitting in the Caribbean sun atop the massive new Liberty of the Seas, you might get an afternoon hunger for ice cream.

But which ice cream? And how much do you want to pay?

You could saunter inside and take an elevator to the middle of the 4,000-passenger Liberty, world’s largest cruise ship that is big enough to be a small city. Royal Caribbean’s signature indoor Royal Promenade, longer than a football field, features a Ben & Jerry’s scoop shop with a nice little set of tables and chairs for watching other passengers stroll past. Most items are less than $5 a portion.

Or, you could tootle aft to the popular indoor/outdoor Johnny Rockets diner for a  milkshake at $3.60, though you would have to queue up in a constant line of passengers bent on buying burgers, ogling enormous onion rings as they wait for a seat.

Or, you could amble over to the free soft serve machines on the pool deck, taking the tack that it’s hard to turn down free ice cream after paying a thousand dollars or more for your week at sea out of Miami.

This is the new world of cruising on the competitively priced big ships, where the joys of options on the newest vessels come with the need to make choices, particularly about how you want to spend your time and money.

Whether it’s ice cream, burgers, coffee or dinner, you may feast for free because such sustenance is included in the cruise price. Or, you may choose something a little special at an extra cost. And if you want dinner in the top specialty restaurant, you’ll need a reservation, perhaps days in advance.

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How to budget for a cruise

David Molyneaux is editor of TravelMavens.net