To begin: I am an experienced cruiser, having sailed Celebrity 6x , RCL 3x, Princess 3x, Carnival 3x, and other, lesser-known lines as well. I am open-minded when choosing a ship and I have no loyalty to any particular line. I chose the Freedom (158,000 tons)based upon a March 2006 cruise on the Explorer of the Seas (138,000 tons) and a Legend/Seas (about 80,00 tons) Asian cruise a few years back, so I have no prejudice against RCL as a cruise line. Therefore, I hope it is no surprise to fellow readers that this review is going to point out a great many negatives that I (we) discovered--unexpectedly--on the Freedom of the Seas.
Very surprising to us, the passengers were about 50% foreigners, the majority of them from Europe, and sadly, most were unfamiliar with the American custom of queuing up/forming a line.
Yes, the FOS is a big, beautiful ship, I would be a liar if I stated otherwise. But to draw a good analogy: the FOS is like a gorgeous woman who shamelessly wheedles and pleads--all the time with a wide smile on her face--with the sole intention of draining you of as much money in as short a time possible.