Freedom of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Officially hooked on cruising & is my new favorite way of vacationing!

Definitely a Must!! You will not be disappointed!!

This cruise on Freedom of the Seas was the best of many cruises we have taken. It had excellent and personal service and great food and entertainment. As with many other cruises on Freedom Class and Radiance Class ships, at least during the shoulder seasons, there was never a feeling of being crowded or just another number on the ship, we knew waiters assigned to us and those not assigned to our table by name and they knew us by name. We feel this is by design, effort, and has been consistently excellent during our 5 cruises on this beautiful ship.

Freedom of the Seas offered fantastic service throughout our 8-day voyage. There was a variety of activities and entertainment offered at convenient, non-competing times. All in all, an excellent value.

Highlights- ports of call and the shore excursions - Costa Maya was fun because we have never been there before - Cayman Islands - our second time there; the first time we did stingray city, this time around we enjoyed kayaking in the Caribbean along with snorkeling and a beach break.  Cozumel was also fun - and also our second time there; we did a tour of the Mayan Ruins and then enjoyed some beach time.  The Diamond status definitely made our embarkation seemless and relatively quick compared to prior cruises. We also enjoyed the Diamond Perks like the free food and drinks every night between 4:30 and 8:30 along with up to 3 complimentary drinks from any of the other bars on the ship.  The lowlights - it was the week before Christmas - and there were very little by the way of holiday cheer on the ship - other than the very large tree in the Promenade.  The service was not nearly as good in the main dining - we often felt forgotten as people were served their deserts and we were still waiting on salads and water refills.  And the lines- we waited in line for everything it seemed - which is typical I guess for a cruise vacation - but this one we definitely felt the presence of all 4400 passengers - and over 1000 of them were under the age of 21. I dont think we will cruise the holiday time frame again - but overall we had a great time together and made the most of the ships amenities; theater show, ice show, flow rider, rock wall, and the Promenade.  If I could make any suggestion here - I would suggest that if you know you will drink a lot - regardless of the beverage type, and if you know that you want a lot of the photos taken by the ship's photographer, and if you know you will want an internet package - it really does save you money to buy these packages ahead of time; online; and before you board the ship.  I wasn't sure if it was legit or not - or just away to upsell you on the front end when booking the cruise - but I did buy the internet package and a water package - both about 50% less than if you do it on board.  same with shore excursions - take advantage of any online discounts you may be offered on booking the shore excursions because it does save you money.  On board - everything is expensive - for example - one 6x8 photo is $16.99 - and you know how many photos are taken - so buy a package and do it online.  Beers are $7.99 each (with gratuity) - so if you have at least 4 to 5 per day - it makes sense to buy the alcohol package.  And mixers - can run $12+.  If you have a lot of sea days - that is where you will spend the most money - that is when these beverage packages really make sense.  We only had 2 sea days and we took advantage of the freebies in the Diamond lounge so our drink cost was minimal.  Lastly - the internet was DREADFULLY SLOW AND CUMBERSOME TO LOG INTO and it would boot you out without warning and frequently. The cool thing is that wireless is available throughout the ship - and you can text message family and friends at home using imessage if you all have iphones - just don't expect speed. We really do like Royal Caribbean and it is nice to earn a "status" that allows you to save money and convenience while sailing.

From the moment I stepped on this ship, I was thinking, "WOW"....and didn't stop thinking it until I left! I had never done a Royal cruise before and this cruise made me a believer. I will never cruise with Carnival again (sorry)!! The children were well-contained, and the clientele seemed more, what...mature? It was less of a college-spring-break feel, anyway, and more of a let's-enjoy-the-beautiful-sights feel. This ship is massive and the promenade contains more than enough shops and stalls to keep you happy for even an eight day trip. There is a large variety of bars and clubs so the nightlife is plenty entertaining.  The decor is just beautiful and you could spend a whole day just walking around and checking out the details. For example, in just one of the clubs there are half a dozen stained glass windows to admire.  This cruise features more activities (obviously) than on the smaller class of ships. I enjoyed the cupcake decorating class with my older family members and my husband gave the rock-climbing wall and the surf-riding pool a try. You can even ice skate! This is the cruise that made me a Royal Caribbean loyalist. So two thumbs up for sure!

Overall the cruise was amazing but way too short! I wish we had had at least one at sea day just so that we could have explored the ship more. A three night cruise just isn't quite enough. The food was okay, the main dining room was much better than the wind jammer. Service on the whole ship was impeccable.

This was my first Royal cruise & it will not be my last. Cruised with my brother since our spouses were not available. Had a really nice time. We’re normally Carnival cruisers and this, IMHO was night and day. Loved the process to board especially the app related muster info. Everyone we met was happy, friendly and smiling.

This is the best amaizing cruise i had in my life.....is a dream, come in and enjoy it 💕

Went on the cruise for a honeymoon. Couldn’t have dreamed of a better trip.

Ship was extremely clean and well maintained. There was plenty of everything... plenty food, plenty beverages, plenty fun!!! The food was great, we purchased the drink package. Definitely worth it, we didn’t have to worry about any drinking expenses. It included everything from water to mixed drinks. Our dinner waiter was kind and knowledgeable of what was being served. We enjoyed all the ports. In St. Martin we did in excursion with Billy Bones Tour, got to see all of the island and have lunch at one of the beaches. We are definitely considering another cruise with Royal.

Lots of fun royal carribean is a great line. The food was really good. We did the drink package. Well worth it. Activities director Abe deserves a shout out. Great job!

Had a great time on Freedom. It is the perfect size ship for taking someone on the first cruise. The staff was great.

Loved this ship to me this class of ship is a good size and has something for everyone without being too crowded. We were back to full capacity so there were some lines but wasn't bad. This was a four day and it wasn't long enough! So much to see and do and with just 1 sea day we missed out on some stuff. Plus I think the younger crowds on this cruise took away from the experience from being rude and not polite. I do not plan on taking another short trip our of Miami again but that is not Royals fault. The ship is updated and very clean. The staff was great! I think the casino could use an update though. Seemed liked like the machines were dated and it seemed cramped to me.

I’m happy to have returned to cruising during “the pandemic,” so I’m very appreciative to be back. It was a bit of a ghost ship as the ship was only operating at 30% (which is good and bad). Look forward to my next cruise next month. I do like the staff serving the food because I’ve seen over the years people being totally disgusting and grabbing food with bare hands…. 😒

The muster drill was the worst we've ever done. It was hot and humid and we were crammed in the back of the ship near the trash on the pier. Didn't let that ruin our trip though. We always have fun on our cruises. Love going on excursions during the day and the night life on the ship. Love the itineraries out of Puerto Rico.

I would definitely go on this cruise again and have recommended it to several cruisers in my family.

I realize that this was our first cruise and I am not an expert. However, we have traveled a lot in general and I hope people with be nice when leaving comments. We really enjoyed our cruise and the ports and had a wonderful trip for our 16 year anniversary and my friends wedding.

Had a awesome first cruise experience that too being a solo.. The ocean view cabin was way more spacious than i had expected.. The staff is way more friendly and greeting with smile. The entertainment on ship is incredible.

This cruise was during Valentine’s Week. Royal decorated with red and pink balloons. It was my first time on Freedom. I had a great time.