Since Freedom of the Seas was refitted in the spring of 2011, we read reviews from June onward before our August cruise to get a feel for the ship and its activities. We had a wonderful time and would love to cruise on Freedom again in the future.

If you want to know about shore excursions, please see earlier well-written reviews by other on those topics. This is for those splurging on a cruise but watching their budget in other respects. So read on concerning hydration on ship, dining, ship activities and exploring ashore.

Many posts and questions have covered the water issue. Though we cruised in early August, we had no problem with keeping hydrated on the ship. In fact, we bought stainless steel bottles to use on board, but used them only once, and that was in our cabin with flavor packets late one evening. Read more