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Royal Caribbean’s
newest ship, The Freedom of the Seas, is also the
largest cruise ship ever launched at 160,000 gross tons
and having 1,817 cabins. If you have ever cruised on a
Voyager Class ship from Royal Caribbean you will find
many similarities. As
the head of the Charter and Incentive Department called
the ship “A Voyager Class ship on steroids”, and
he is correct.
 If you are looking for a ship with a wow factor this is
the hands down leader of the pack but keep in mind you
will be cruising with a lot of other people. Without a
doubt the first thing your clients will notice is the
Royal Promenade which is longer than about two football
fields and you can just barely see the other end of this
shopping and entertainment mall. The Promenade features
numerous shops, a male only barber shop (a first in the
industry), an English Pub, a very well done wine bar,
Sorrento’s Pizzeria, a Champagne Bar, Ben and Jerry’s
ice cream parlor and access to the casino located one
deck below. Numerous activities take place during the
cruise in the Royal Promenade such as Captains Welcome
Aboard and several “parades”. On this same deck level
you will also find Pharaohs Palace which is the largest
lounge on the ship holding about 500. The other lounges
hold 100 or less so you have numerous options for
smaller groups.
If you have seen any of the ads for this ship then you
couldn’t have missed that they are offering surfing as
an activity, another first. I must admit I had my doubts
about this being used or even interesting. It’s a blast!
The technology is great and it got constant use. But
unlike the ads most people read, hardly anyone was able
to stand up, but using the surf board as a belly board
works great and most anyone can do it. There is arena
style sitting and a bar around the “Flowrider” and the
area is packed with spectators, really great fun. A tip,
make sure you are wearing really tight fitting swim wear
especially you gals.
Other activities include a rock climbing wall, miniature
golf, a golf simulator, and a full size basketball
court. As on the Voyage Class ships, the Freedom has an
ice skating rink where you can rent ice skates. The
evening ice shows are something not to miss as they are
excellent and a break from traditional cruise
entertainment.
The Olive and Twist Lounge is one of three rooms located
in the Viking Crown Lounge high atop the ship. This
venue features nightly jazz. The Boleros Lounge is a
Latin Themed bar with entertainment as well. Of course
as with all Royal Caribbean ships there is the nautical
flavor Schooner Bar. The Arcadia Theatre is a dramatic
three deck level show room hosting the nightly
production shows. The two deck level Crypt is the late
night disco. All in all there are plenty of lounges
spread throughout the ship so that you never feel you’re
on a ship with a cast of thousands.
Dining comes in all shapes and sizes as well. The main
dining room is an impressive three deck levels high with
each level having its own name. The way the rooms are
designed there is ample space to provide good group
seating. New to the Freedom is Chops Grill which is your
typical Chop House, additional charge for dining here.
Portofino Restaurant is also located on deck 11, as is
the Chops, additional charges also apply here as well.
Both of these restaurants share the Plaza Bar for pre or
post cocktails. Johnny Rockets is as popular on this
ship as on the other Voyager Class vessels and still
serve the best hamburgers and milk shakes at sea,
additional charge applies. The Windjammer Café is your
casual dining buffet area, but new to the Freedom is
Jade which features Asian fare located within the
Windjammer. In the Royal Promenade pizza and other
Italian specialties are available at Sorrento’s and
pastries and other light fare is also available at the
coffee shop.
There are three basic swimming pool areas. One is for
the kids and quite novel, another is for your typical
pool activities but if you want to get away from it all
there is the quiet and very well decorated Solarium (no
kids and no smoking). New to the Freedom, yet again, are
two large Cantilevered Whirlpools hanging over the side
of the ship enclosed in glass and 11 deck levels above
the ocean. Plenty of deck space and plenty of pool bars.
Freedom has the most meeting space at sea with a total
of 6 rooms that can be configured in numerous ways or
all as one big room. In the same meeting complex area,
which is tucked away from all of the traffic and active,
are a board room and a screening room. Additionally the
ice skating rink can be covered and used as a meeting
venue with really high tech a/v and sound and light.
Most of the cabins on the ship have balconies which are
bigger (deeper) than on most ships. The cabins are a
nice size with an ample sitting room area. New to the
Freedom is RCI's new and improved bedding program, which
will be going fleet wide. The pillow top mattresses are
great as are the high thread sheets, European Duvets and
nice fluffy towels. The flat screen TV can be directed
either at the bed or the sitting room. A great
improvement in the bathrooms are the showers that now
have semi-circular shower doors so the bathroom floor
stays dry. All rooms have wifi access, safes, mini bars
and a good hair dryer. You can also use your cell phone
on the ship while at sea if you have one of three cell
phone carriers (check for a current list of cell phone
companies that are compatible before you tell your
clients).
The Freedom is a great ship for small to mid size groups
but really doesn’t have the facilities for groups over
600. There are plenty of venues for private functions
for these smaller groups. As mentioned earlier this ship
certainly has the wow factor and will impress most
anyone. If you have a group that wants to be active
they’ll be out of breath when they get off of this ship,
if they want. For those that want a nice relaxing cruise
there are plenty of options as well starting with the
adults only swimming pool to several nice quite lounges.
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