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SHIP INSPECTION: Royal Caribbean International
Freedom of the Seas
By Lee Sidor, Director of Cruise Sales
May 2006
In all of my years in the travel biz, I cannot remember a cruise ship getting more hype and publicity, than
Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas. A year before her inaugural, the cruise websites were a buzz with activity. Before the official design was released, many of these sites already had sketches and crude drawings of what the ship would look like. This hype has certainly resulted in much interest in the ship as the
Freedom of the Seas is sold out on many of this year sailings, and a very good amount of cabins have already been sold for 2007. Royal Caribbean has done a great job of marketing this ship. Not only is it the largest, longest, and tallest, it now is the most booked ship in the RCI fleet.
I was extremely lucky to have been selected to sail this ship for two days as part of the inaugural festivities. The client requests have been very strong, and the best way to sell this ship, is to visit her, or better yet, sail her.
Royal Caribbean has always been an innovator in the industry, and the Freedom continues this tradition, big time! If you are familiar with the features of the Voyager class ships, than you will feel comfortable on this ship. She has a very similar floor plan to the
Navigator of the Seas, but she is 90 feet longer.
All of the sports features are on board, rock climbing, basketball court, mini golf, jogging track, killer gym, with a boxing ring, and of course the signature ice skating rink on deck three. However, the
Freedom of the Seas ads a very new dimension to cruising, you can now surf, or body surf on the FlowRider surf machine. This device simulates the surfing experience, with a tremendous stream of water aimed on top of a rubber surface. Your surfboard rides the water stream, as you attempt to balance and hold on. This new sports feature is certainly not for everyone, but the active sports enthusiast will love this ride, as well as providing some very funny entertainment for those sitting in the stadium-style seats on either side of the FlowRider.
The new kids water park located mid-ship, has a shallow kids pool, water sprayers, and dumping water buckets. Parents can sit around on comfortable lounges, while the kids have the time of their lives.
There are two over sized hot tubs overlooking the ocean, close to the kids play area. There are plenty of shaded areas to escape the sun, if you wish.
As on the other Voyager class ships, the promenade deck is the hub of many of the ships activities. Shops, bars, and eateries flow nicely along the 800-foot long, extra wide walkway. On some evenings this area is transformed into a parade route, where the ships entertainment staff, dressed in colorful costumes perform.
A pizza place called Sorrento’s is located at one end of the Promenade and serves a variety of slices in a nicely decorated area. The pizza is good, and the place is opened 24 hours. This will certainly be a popular area for teens to meet.
There is also a little sandwich and sweet shop located just down the street from Sorrento’s. This area has a nice selection of light bites, coffee and teas, and is also open 24 hours.
While on board, we were able to see many of the different cabin categories. Although Royal Caribbean has never been known for having large cabins, I find that even the smallest inside cabin is well designed, and extremely comfortable. The bathroom is a bit tight, but manageable. The shower is the round capsule type, with a sliding plastic door. There are no shower curtains to fight with here.
Royal Caribbean is currently upgrading the beds and bedding on all of their ships, fleet wide. We sampled the new sleep systems while on board the
Freedom of the Seas. The mattresses are nine inches thick, and are covered with a 2-inch thick mattress cover. The sheets and comforters are very soft and fluffy. This combination was wonderful. This is truly a luxury experience!
The very large showroom is located forward on decks two through four. The new production show,
"Once Upon A Time," was the best production show I have seen on Royal Caribbean. The music, costumes, and special effects were overwhelming. The passengers offered the cast a standing ovation,
Overall, quite impressive!
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