Freedom of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

best vacation of my life. Had such a great time and met so many great people.

I have mixed reviews about this cruise. Tragedy struck in the beginning and the staff handled it very well; but the overall experience had me uneasy. I felt a bit bored on the boat; but my son had a blast! They need to do better with food management since I found a string of hair in the honey mustard and reported it. They also need to do better with managing the kids at teens club - staff should know when children come and leave out and if there is a change in the kids’ itinerary. The staff were friendly and helpful for the most part. Also, there should be more finger food available throughout the day. I understand there are restrictions given the number of people on the boat; but more options are helpful.

Overall this was another outstanding cruise with Royal Caribbean. I enjoyed my first time aboard the Freedom of the Seas and found the ship to be in good shape. The staff was friendly, helpful, and engaging. I enjoyed the various activities offered and really enjoyed the ports of call. I had a great time and can't wait until my next cruise in December of 2019.

Interesting. There was 1000 people who attended the cruise in our group and I dont think RCCL just wasn't quite prepared for us.

We had a fantastic time on our cruise.  We booked an outside stateroom (which I would highly recommend).  It connected to our adult children's stateroom.  The balcony, as well as the inside connecting door, opened up.  It made our living space seem enormous.  We ate in the Windjammer café every day for breakfast and most days for lunch.  The food was good, but did get old about the last couple of days.   There is a huge variety and I did enjoy the salad bar.  We were on My Time Dining and chose to eat in the dining room only 3 nights.   We aren't formal type of people and didn't want to get fancy for formal nights.  The service is wonderful.  Our stateroom attendant, Emanuel, was great.  He catered to our every need and would ask us all the time if we needed anything else.  The dining room staff work extremely hard and make you feel like royalty.  We visited Labadee, Falmouth, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel.   Cozumel was our least favorite.  If you don't have an excursion booked (which we didn't at this port) the only thing to do is shop and the store owners are beyond annoying.  

The only real negative about this ship is that there were over 400 teenage girls from Argentina on board and they were extremely rude.   We were told they came from privileged families and were entitled to jump to the front of the lines at the buffets or any thing else that required waiting.  The hallways to the staterooms are narrow and these girls did not move over or even try to get out of anyone else's way.  They literally ran in to us many times and never apologized.  Nearly every other passenger on board had the same opinion about these girls.  I was disappointed that RCL would allow these rude teenagers on board with little supervision. 

Hadn't been on a cruise since the pandemic, this was a long overdue vacation. The Freedom of the Seas was at one time the biggest ship at sea it's an older ship but very well maintained I didn't feel overcrowded the staff went out of their way to make me feel welcomed a great vacation

Royal Caribbean does not disappoint. We had amazing experiences and enjoyed every port of call. We were lucky to spend time in San Juan before and after. The ship is due for some updates but is clean and well maintained.

Loved this itinerary! Did not care for the port in San Juan. The ship was nice, dining room was rarely open for lunch, this particular cruise seemed to be understaffed. The excursions were amazing and the islands are beautiful!

I like this cruise but I have some problems of electricity in the cabin

Do it! Highly recommend... I would say I liked these ports of call so much better than doing the Western Caribbean. This itinerary felt a lot less hustle and bustle, a lot more chill, and less crowded than the Western Caribbean ports. The Freedom of the Seas: IMO, it is a wonderful cruise ship w/gr8 crew.

What a wonderful way to celebrate our 20th anniversary!

Overall was an amazing vacation and would do it again in a heartbeat. There's always some things that could improve but I won't dwell on those and just remember all the amazing memories my wife and I shared together.

Overall, our cruise was fantastic. We would do it again. This was our 12 cruise total, but our 1st cruise on Royal Caribbean. We may cruise with Royal again, or we may go back to Carnival. It is undecided at this time. This is probably not the best cruise to spend money on the drink packages, because, if you visit each port, by the time you get back to the ship and have dinner, it's time to get some sleep (even for us young people), as you have to be up early in the morning in order to travel great distances to see the next port. This is unlike the Caribbean where you just step off the ship, grab some beers and tacos and stroll about your day. We felt like seeing these cities was equivalent to going to work every day! You won't need to buy the internet package on the ship if you have cell service, since you can get service from shore even while the ship is at see on all days except for the last at sea day where the ship cuts across the Mediterranean Sea from Naples to Barcelona. Save your money, and only buy it on the last day.

Our favorite part of cruise... Well, we can't pick just one.  It was great to travel to multiple destinations in one vacation.  The food was amazing. Exceptional service by the staff.  We

have absolutely nothing to complain about!!

We were in a Grand Suite celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary. The suite was very spacious and the bathroom, including a full size tub, was huge in comparison to a regular cabin. The plumbing was horrible. I was nearly scalded in the shower when my wife turned the water on in the vanity. The vanity water pressure was very low and the "cold" water was almost hot at times. They do treat you very good in a suite with lots of perks, but at the end of the day, I would rather spend the same amount of money and get twice the number of days in a balcony room.

The cruise was so relaxing. Met and made friends during the cruise.  Easy to spend too much money.  Excellent food.  Loved the shows.  Over packed a little.  Book Excursions through the cruise line.

We had a great time!  The ship was fantastic and we lucked out on the weather.  The food was pretty good, however, being vegetarian we had more limited options.  I found out half-way through that you can order veggie burgers in the Windjammer Cafe by request and also grilled cheese.  They were both very good.  The balcony room was spacious enough and we loved sitting on the balcony watchnig the entry and exit of each port.  The shows were very good.  Our favorite was the magic show.  The ship was overall very clean and everyone was there to make sure we had a great experience.  I would definately recommend this ship.  

Our destinations included: Labadee, Haiti; Falmouth, Jamaica; Grand Caymen; and Cozumel, Mexico.  We enjoyed each one.  

In Haiti, we lounged on Nellie's Beach where is wasn't too crowded and the water and wind were calm.  I did the snorkel excurion while my wife soaked up the sun.  The water and guides were great but there really wasn't too much to see.

In Jamaica we did the Dunn's River falls and although it was crowded we had a blast.  We booked through the cruise line and our guide on the bus said to come straight back to the bus instead of spending time in the village at the top. They told us not tell anyone our name or they would carve it in a keepsake and expect you to buy it.  We did as told and told them no thanks and promptly made our way back to the bus. They brought video cd's straight to the bus if you wanted to purchase them.

In Grand Caymen we did the Sting Ray City and snorkel tour.  This was by far our favorite part of the cruise.  The sting rays were all over and they gave you food to feed them.  We both felt we had enough time with them and then we were off to snorkel in the crystal clear water.  I had to delete so many pictures of the teal water when I got back since apparently I kept taking them over and over in disbelief.  There was much more to see on this snorkel trip than in Haiti.

Next up was Cozumel.  I went on the 2 tank scuba dive while my wife who had been there before stayed on the boat to relax.  The dive was great and the water just as clear.  Visibility was around 70 feet as we sat on the bottom and could look up and see the boat plain as day.  Again lots of fish to see and neat things around the reef.

Overall we loved the ship, the food, the shows, and excursions.  We would highly recommend this trip to anyone looking for a Carribean get away.

We all love to cruise and getting a good deal is part of the process. On a dreary Super Bowl Sunday (2/5/2012,) getting the best deal on our cruise ship was not even an issue. We were about to experience the most expensive staterooms on board the Freedom of the Seas and we were all excited. We arrived at Port Canaveral and easily found the employees parking lot where we received complementary parking that day. We walked the short distance to the terminal and joined the rest of our group waiting to board the ship. At 11:00AM there were basically no lines. The employee stationed just outside the entrance must not have slept well the night before because he was a little grumpy with everyone - the only employee to be so. Soon we cleared security & proceeded upstairs to check-in with our group leader & receive name tags. We then relinquished our drivers license to RCCL personnel & received our SeaPass cards on lanyards. After settling into comfortable seating, we were greeted by a most pleasant informative RCCL representative Joanne (Jo) Cotterman, Business Development Manager. At exactly 11:30 Jo led our eager group of 34 for quick ID photos and then we all boarded the ship. For the next hour or so we viewed most of the ship's deluxe suites. We viewed Junior Suite-1544, Grand Suite - 1548, Owner Suite 1620 and Royal Suite - 1640 among others located on Deck 10. We also viewed a very roomy (handicap) Accessible Junior Suite - 1628. Jo showed us the more standard inside Staterooms (Cat. L) which were very lovely but it was the luxury suites that all of us were interested in seeing - staterooms that most of us would never get see otherwise. They were gorgeous. If you can afford one, what a way to cruise! Later we rode the elevator to Deck 6 and viewed the unusual Promenade Staterooms. These inside cabins have a large window that looks out on the Royal Promenade below. One unusual Promenade Stateroom is #6305 called the Ben & Jerry Suite. It is an inside stateroom that faces the backs of the cow sculptures over the Ben Jerry Store. To compensate for this view, the ship offers you free Ben & Jerry Ice Cream throughout your cruise. What fun! The Promenade Staterooms cost more than regular inside staterooms but I think that they are worth it as they give you a more open feeling. Of course, when you turn on lights you lose privacy unless you close the drapes. The Promenade Staterooms also give you an excellent view of the parades & dance shows that are staged during your cruise. The spacious Presidential Suite - 6414 received the most accolades from us. It sleeps 14 passengers - this is not a typo - for $80,000. All of us were wowed by what we saw - complete luxury. If you book a suite larger than a Junior Suite for 4-nights or longer on RCCL you also receive extra special amenities. Your'll have priority check-in, departure tender boarding, complementary Concierge Club Service plus luggage valet service including free pressing service on the first formal night. You have use of luxury Spa bathrobes & slippers and even get to choose your own type of pillow. There is also VIP pool deck seating, reserved seating in the theater & private breakfast & lunch seating in specialty restaurants. The complete breakfast, lunch dinner menus are available for your in-room dining. Ghirardelli chocolates will greet you at turn down service. You can wave around your special Gold SeaPass Card to impress the rest of us onboard. There are lots of other perks and upgraded amenities too numerous to mention. After an hour of viewing the many spacious staterooms the main public areas, we had lunch in the beautifully appointed Leonardo Dining Room Deck 3 AFT. I dined on Seafood Salad, Duck and Lemon Meringue Pie. In addition, I also sampled the shrimp entre. Oh my! My husband had a very different tasting Eggplant entre. At the large windows where we sat, we had a perfect view of the Disney Dream docked right next to us. Our service was polite, efficient and unobtrusive. After the delicious lunch, we were free to further explore the ship until 3 PM. It wasn't just the gorgeous staterooms that wowed our group or the scrumptious lunch but also the many unusual amenities available on this beautiful ship. One that I especially want to try is the ice skating rink. Be sure to pack casual comfortable long pants for this one. The ship provides the skates. You can take lessons, too and watch the ice shows that are a combination of dance and athletics. Another is the 3D indoor theater showing first run movies. There is also a large poolside outdoor TV screen showing first run movies and sporting events during the day & under the stars. After food entertainment, the cruise industry knows that passengers are very interested in the pool areas on board.. The Freedom of the Seas has 10 pools and whirlpools. Two huge pools & 4 whirlpools are right on the pool deck. Although none of us on the tour travel with children, we were very impressed with the innovative H2O Zone Water Park. It contains colorful fountains, geysers and water guns plus shallow water to keep kids safe and entertained all day long. We all tasted the complementary soft ice cream cones available on the pool deck. I loved the 2 large cantilevered whirlpools in the adults only Solarium that extend 12 feet over the water. For the males, there is a boxing ring in the large fitness center. Ladies you, of course, can use it also. The most unusual amenity is the FlowRider. Watch brave passengers ride the waves on body boards eventually wipe out. Padding prevents anyone from getting hurt. Stadium seating around the attraction permits you to be entertained for as long as you like or why not try it yourself? Children as young as 6 months are accommodated in the colorful and cheery Royal Babies Royal Tots Program. Older children have special activities through the day in the Adventure Ocean Youth Programs: Aquanauts 3-5, Explorers, 6-8, Voyagers, 9-11. Tweens & Teens have their own disco with more independence. There is Challenger's Arcade to keep the kids occupied also. Children as young as 1 yr. old can be babysat in either a group situation or in your own stateroom at additional charge if parents need more free time for themselves. Puppet shows and Dreamworks Character Parades also keep the kids happy and engaged. Of course, the ship has the more typical amenities such as a challenging rock climbing wall, basketball court, ping pong tables and a mini golf course as well as the large Shipshape Fitness Center. The Skylight Chapel on Deck 15 is available for weddings or to renew your vows. We saw two brides getting married the day that we toured the ship. I checked out the Day Spa and found that you can choose from over 100 different treatments including tooth whitening acupuncture. Another exciting place is the Royal Promenade. The centrally located 4-story Main Street on Deck 5 is named after a street in Milan & it is the hub of activities - boutiques, dance shows, parades, Meet the Captain events, pubs and eateries. We spent lots of our free time here tasting the complementary goodies. My husband is still raving about the pizza he sampled. I loved the chocolate moose and the amaretto cookies also available at Sorrentino's. Cafe Promenade had delicious Starbucks coffee and complementary cookies and confectionaries of different types. We sampled several of them. At Vintages you can self-pour a glass of wine to sample for a fee. Or, take a decorating class at Cupcakes Cupboard. I saw on display large cupcakes decorated like Giants & Patriots footballs in honor of Super Bowl Sunday. I could spend more time talking about the theater, casino, hair salon, lounges, library, specialty restaurants, nightclubs bars but I think that you get the idea that this ship is a destination in and of itself. If you think that this ship is just too large for you to navigate, think again. Throughout the ship there are innovative signs called Cruise Compass - directional aides with interactive touch screens that tell you the location of rest rooms, your stateroom, public areas - if fact every place on the ship - plus give you the route to get there. In addition, they list the daily activities. You won't be roaming the halls aimlessly. I was so impressed with everything that I purchased a voucher for a future cruise. The offer never expires and gives us our $200 back on our deposit and up to an additional $200 shipboard credit depending on the length of our next cruise. Freedom of the Seas cruises the Eastern & Western Caribbean from Port Canaveral. The Independence of the Seas (Western Mediterranean) Liberty of the Seas (Western Caribbean, Western Mediterranean & Transatlantic) are also Freedom Class ships with similar amenities. As we left the ship, the sun was shining and we all hurried home to warm up our TVs for the Super Bowl Game. Perhaps we'll see you on my next cruise aboard the Freedom of the Seas.

The service was amazing, the food was great, and the ports were beautiful. Overall, I had a great time on this cruise and I would go on it again.

This was my first time doing a solo cruise and it definitely won’t be my last. RCCL is my favorite and will always be. The food. The service. The onboard amenities and activities. 10/10 would recommend. Already have my next cruise booked.