Freedom Of The Seas

The 2006-built Freedom of the Seas cruise ship is the first Freedom-class Royal Caribbean liner, with sisterships Liberty OTS and Independence OTS.

History - construction and ownership

Royal Caribbean International (RCI) is a US passenger shipping company, trademarked travel brand, and subsidiary owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL, shipowner). RCI was established in 1968 and currently has over 1/5 of the worldwide cruise market. RCI also has RCCL's largest fleet as both numbers of vessels and GT tonnage (ship sizes and capacities). All RCI liners have names ending with "of the Seas".

The 4000-passenger ship Freedom OTS debuted in May 2006 as the world's biggest cruise liner. The ship introduced a new class of ships for Royal Caribbean, surpassing Cunard's Queen Mary 2 by 7000 GT-tons and carrying 1014 more passengers. Besides her size, Freedom of the Seas also made waves in other ways. She was the first to feature a surf simulator, a regulation-sized boxing ring, an interactive water park for children and even a barbershop. Yet in many ways, Freedom of the Seas was an evolution of the Voyager class, which made its own headlines when it debuted with biggest-at-sea status back in 1999. The design is nearly the same and the promenade is back, as is the rock-climbing wall, the ice-skating rink, Johnny Rockets, the Promenade Cafe, Ben and Jerry's, etc. It is as if Voyager of the Seas cruise liner was simply super-sized, and beefed up with innovative spaces and concepts.

Cruise itinerary program

Freedom of the Seas itinerary program is based on mini-cruises (3-night and 4-night itineraries) from homeport Miami Florida to Bahamas (Nassau and CocoCay). In May 2018, the ship was repositioned from Florida (Fort Lauderdale) to Puerto Rico, with homeporting in San Juan (between May 2018 and March 2019).

Following the Coronavirus crisis, in 2021 (July through October) Freedom OTS had scheduled cruises to Bermuda (overnight in Kings Wharf) leaving roundtrip from NYC New York (Port Cape Liberty NJ).

Decks and Cabins

Freedom Of The Seas staterooms (2012 total) include 127 Suites, 768 Balcony, 711 Oceanviews, 168 Promenade View, 642 Inside. Most cabins are sized 150-190 ft2 (14-18 m2). Most cabin balconies are sized 65 ft2 (6 m2). The largest is Royal Suite (1360 ft2 / 126 m2 plus 315 ft2 / 29 m2 terrace). Wheelchair-accessible cabins are 33.

The boat has 15 decks, of which 14 are passenger-accessible and 9 with cabins.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

The 3-deck Main Dining Room (the restaurants Leonardo-Isaac-Galileo) offer assigned-seating dining with two sittings at 5:30 pm and 8 pm), as well as My Time Dining, in which guests pick a preferred mealtime between 5:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., but are able to change reservations on a daily basis. Those who opt for My Time Dining have to pre-pay gratuities. The Windjammer Cafe, ship's lido buffet, offers flexibility and variety - best for families with kids. The Windjammer has one very long self-service line of cold and hot items, plus stations for salads, fresh sandwiches, pizza, carved meats and petite desserts. An omelette station features made-to-order eggs in the mornings; in the afternoons, guests can try Jade area that specializes in Asian food and goes off the beaten path with changing fare including Vietnamese and Indonesian specialities.

Follows the complete list of Freedom of the Seas restaurants and food bars.

• Leonardo Restaurant (883-seat aft Dining Room)
• Isaac Restaurant (500-seat aft Dining Room)
• Galileo Restaurant (652-seat aft Dining Room)
• Windjammer Cafe Lido buffet restaurant (744-seat, offers Early Breakfast at 6:30 a.m., Breakfast between 7:00-11:30 a.m., Lunch 11.30-3:30 p.m. and Dinner 6.30-9:00 p.m.)
• Chops Grille (104-seat speciality restaurant; reservations recommended)
• Giovanni's Table (Italian speciality restaurant, reservations recommended)
• Johnny Rockets Restaurant (84-seat burger bar)
• Sabor (Mexican speciality restaurant; reservations recommended)
• Sorrento's Pizzeria (79-seat complimentary restaurant)
• WipeOut Bar (20-seat complimentary burger bar).

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

The tone aboard Freedom of the Seas is set by the Centrum, which serves as a central spot for activities in the heart of the ship. During the evenings, its Lobby Bar is the hottest spot on Freedom for after-dinner dancing. The lavish Arcadia Theater hosts the production shows and games. The ship has a real modern feel and does a fine job in incorporating some of the best facilities that have become Royal Caribbean trademarks. Onboard cruisers will find classics like Schooner Bar and Windjammer Cafe, as well as a climbing wall up to the smokestack, tiny golf and a surf simulator.

Additional amenities include Complimentary 24-hour Room-Service, Supervised Youth program, Internet/WiFi Access, Laundry.

Follows the complete list of Freedom of the Seas lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens and adults.

• Arcadia Theatre (1320-seat, features grand production shows with dance, acrobatics, comedy and games)
• Studio B Lounge (indoor ice-skating rink; also serves as a spot for ice shows, cooking demos, game parties)
• Focus Photo Gallery and Shop; Art Gallery
• On Air Club (140-seat karaoke and sports bar); The Centrum (7-deck social hub, offers aerial acrobatics entertainment); Observation Lounge; Star Lounge; Next Cruise Lounge; Concierge Club (suite and past guests only); Seven Hearts (33-seat card room); Diamond Club and Lounge; Viking Crown Lounge and Bar
• Schooner Bar (112-seat piano bar); Boleros Lounge and Bar (77-seat Latin bar); Connoisseur Cigar Club and Bar; Bull and Bear English Pub; Vintages Bar (wine bar); Ben and Jerry's Bar (ice cream parlor); Cupcake Cupboard Shop (bakery); Cafe Promenade (24-hour; serves snacks and drinks, as well as Starbucks specialty coffee); R Bar; Squeeze Bar; Sky Bar; The Plaza Bar; Olive or Twist Lounge and Martini Bar; Cloud 9 (24-seat sports bar)
• Casino Royale (447-seat)
• Royal Caribbean Online centre (Internet computers room; 24-hour)
• Royal Promenade Boutiques (perfumes, jewellery, duty-free alcohol, general store, logo/souvenirs); SeaTrek (shop for diving equipment)
• Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center; 7 jacuzzis (2 cantilevered); 3 swimming pools
• Solarium lounge (includes Cafe Bar, pool bar and adults only pool area)
• Outdoor movie screen
• Challengers Video Games Arcade; Fuel Teen Disco club; The Living Room; Royal Babies and Tots Nursery
• H2O Zone Water Park; Adventure Beach; Adventure Ocean kids lounge area
• Sports Court (golf simulator, table tennis, basketball court); Jogging Track; Rock-climbing Wall; Freedom Fairways Mini Golf Course; FlowRider (surf simulator, complimentary)
• Skylight Wedding Chapel (40-seat, used for religious services).

Freedom is Royal Caribbean's first Freedom-class liner, with sisterships Independence and Liberty. The vessel was built in 2006 at Aker Finnyards Shipyard (Turku, Finland). Aker Finnyards was later acquired by STX Europe (a subsidiary of the multinational STX Holding, South Korea). Freedom OTS was the world's biggest passenger liner in 2006, taking first place away from Cunard Line's RMS Queen Mary 2.

Ship's godmother was Katherine Louise Calder. She won a contest among 171,000 viewers of "Today" (USA TV show focused on charity and social responsibility). Katherine is a foster mother to over 400 children. The naming ceremony was held in New York Harbour on May 12, 2006. The inaugural cruise (maiden voyage) started on May 19, with a weekend mini-cruise from NYC to Boston MA.

In 2022, RCI scheduled Freedom OTS to host the 10th "Monsters of Rock Cruise 2022" (MORC 2022). The 5-night Caribbean itinerary (February 9 to 14) is a PortMiami roundtrip visiting Bahamas (Coco Cay) and Haiti (Labadee).

• The music-themed voyage had planned live onboard performances by Alice Cooper (1948-born American singer, songwriter, actor) and 35+ other artists.
• MORC 2022's rock and metal bands include the American bands Queensryche, Cinderella (Tom Keifer), Skid Row, Lit, LA Guns, HEAT, Kix, Winger, Great White, Loudness, Y&T (Yesterday & Today), Vixen, Rose Tattoo, Black 'N Blue, Lillian Axe, Faster Pussycat, Dangerous Toys, Beasto Blanco, Little Caesar, XYZ, Roxanne, Signal 13, also KiLLeR DWaRfS (Canada), Pink Cream 69 (Germany), Eclipse (Sweden), Electric Boys (Sweden), Crazy Lixx (Sweden), Firewind (Greece).
• The list of solo performers includes Mike Monroe (Finland), Patrick Henry Travers, Christopher John Holmes, Joel Hoekstra (guitarist), John Corabi (MORC's Mayor).

Planned shipboard interactive events (artists and tourists meetings) include Q&A sessions, Gong Show Karaoke, Cooking and Painting With Rock Stars, Rock Stars vs Average Joe Basketball, Beach Volleyball, themed nights.

Freedom OTS refurbishment 2020 review

Ship's 2020 drydock refurbishment (January 12 - March 7) was a USD 116 million project (Royal Amplified) that resulted in the following deckplan changes:

• (deck 2) Conference Center replaced with 25 Inside cabins
• (deck 3) Arcadia Theatre renamed to "Royal Theater"
• (deck 3) Leonardo Dining Room renamed to "Main Dining Room"
• (deck 3) On Air Club replaced with 12 Inside cabins
• (deck 4) SABOR (Mexican restaurant) replaced by "Izumi Hibachi and Sushi" (Japanese restaurant)
• (deck 4) Focus (photo gallery area) redesigned into "Playmakers Sports Bar and Arcade"
• (deck 4) Isaak Dining Room renamed to "Main Dining Room"
• (deck 6) Loyalty Desk replaced with 4 Inside cabins. The aft VS-Suite (4-Bedroom Presidential Family Suite, cabin 6714) replaced with 4 Balcony cabins
• On Sports Deck 13, RCI's waterslides "Cyclone" and "Typhoon" (Perfect Storm aqua park) were installed next to the FlowRider (surfing simulator, also new facility).
• On Spa Deck 12 (aft), the "Splashaway Bay" kids aqua park was added. This is an interactive water play area (with cannons and geysers), replacing the old Outdoor Youth Area (aka "back deck").
• On Pool Deck 11, swimming pools' sunbathing areas received more shaded seating, including daybeds, hammocks, swing seats, casitas (small wooden cabins). The fore-located Solarium (adults-only complex) was renewed.
• All staterooms were renovated. Many existing venues were redesigned and renovated.

Following the refit, the liner now features as new facilities:

• In addition to "Perfect Storm", a new water coaster (trademarked as "The Blaster") and a new headfirst mat racing slide (trademarked as "Riptide") were installed. Both names were trademarked by RCI in September 2018. The Blaster aqua coaster has length 244 m (800 ft) - ranking it the longest at sea 2-person raft slide. The Riptide mat racing waterslide features a transparent tube.
• "To Dry For" is a new blow-dry bar (specializing in quick beauty fixes/hairstyling) and also serving champagnes and wines by the glass.

The list of other new venues and activities includes:

• Lime and Coconut (2-level bar lounge with live music)
• Bamboo Room (bar lounge)
• Johnny Rockets Express
• Playmakers Sports Bar and Arcade (with "Owner's Box" VIP room)
• Starbucks Bar (specialty drinks and pastries)
• new restaurants (El Loco Fresh, Jamie's Italian, Hooked Seafood)
• The Observatorium (Royal Escape Room)
• Battle for Planet Z (laser tag course at Studio B) for the "Clash for the Crystal City" gaming experience
• redesigned Mini-Golf Course and Chops Grille (steakhouse)
• redesigned and upgraded Adventure Ocean (youth complex) and Social033 Hangout (fka Living Room, teen club lounge)

Freedom OTS refurbishment 2015 review

The list of deckplan changes after drydock 2015 (January) refurbishment includes:

• All cruise accommodations were renovated.
• Cupcake Cupboard (bakery) was added on Promenade deck 5.
• "DreamWorks Experience" (Walt Disney-themed entertainment program) was implemented.
• The RCI's Nursery was added on deck 12.
• 3D Cinema was added on deck 2.
• On decks 3 and 4, "The Crypt" (disco nightclub) was replaced by new inside cabins (deck 3) and by the Sabor (Mexican restaurant on deck 4 / upper level).
• On Lido Deck 11 (in the main pool area) a huge movie screen (outdoor theatre) was installed.
• Vintages (wine bar) was upgraded.
• BRITTO (Art Gallery) was added on Promenade deck 5.
• R-Bar (1960s-themed lounge bar) was added on Promenade deck 5.
• Two new restaurants were added - "Giovanni's Table" (Italian trattoria on Lido deck 11) and "Sabor Modern Mexican" (deck 4).

A cluster of 44x new Spa cabins was added on Deck 12 forward, in categories Q-Interior, Spa Oceanview (PF-Family Panoramic, P1-Larger, P2-Panoramic) and E3-Spa Balcony.