Freedom of the Seas

Freedom of the Seas entered service in 2006 as the largest cruise ship in the world, and one decision explains most of what she is. Royal Caribbean did not start again. It stretched the Voyager-class template, kept the Royal Promenade as the ship's indoor high street, and used the extra size to put sport on the top deck. The FlowRider surf simulator debuted here. She carries around 4,500 passengers at roughly 154,400 gross tons, and now sails mainly short Bahamas and Caribbean itineraries from Miami. A Royal Amplified refit in 2020 brought her forward again.

That refit is why she still works. The Perfect Storm slides, Cyclone and Typhoon, race down three decks. Splashaway Bay gives small children a proper water park rather than a paddling pool. Playmakers, El Loco Fresh, Giovanni's Italian Kitchen and Izumi filled out a thin dining line-up. Studio B still holds an ice rink and now doubles as a laser tag arena. The Royal Promenade remains the best thing aboard: a covered street of bars, shops and parades that gives the ship a centre of gravity most rivals lack.

The complaints are consistent. Cruise Critic's editor review rates her 4.0 out of 5 and notes cabins that look dated, with chipped paint and old colour schemes, alongside congestion on the Promenade during sales events. Food in the main venues is called decent, though some passengers find it bland. Adult evening options are thin. Travel Weekly, reviewing the amplification, pointed out that the work missed the chance to add USB sockets at the bedside.

She suits families with children under about fourteen, first-time cruisers, and anyone buying a short holiday on price. She suits people who want to be busy. She does not suit couples looking for quiet, travellers who care about contemporary cabin design, or anyone expecting the food and service of a smaller premium ship.

Cabin choice matters more on this ship than on most, because the noise sources are unusually well defined. The interior Promenade-view cabins are the obvious trade-off. Their bowed windows look down on the Royal Promenade, which is genuinely entertaining and genuinely loud. Parades, the first-night kick-off and early shop activity all carry upward, and the supplied net curtains are thin, so privacy is partial. Deck 10 has a different problem: much of it sits directly beneath the pool deck, the gym and the Windjammer, where crew set-up, dragged loungers and dropped weights start before six. The FlowRider sits aft on Deck 13, above the aft cabins on the decks below it. We should be straight with you. Our per-cabin quiet and convenience scores are not published for Freedom yet, because we are still mapping her venues deck by deck.

Until they are, open the deck plan and read what sits directly above and below the cabin you are considering.