I had never experienced the extravagance they call a cruise, until this past summer. The Freedom of the Seas is the cruise ship that was selected by my parents. We had a group of eight ages ranging from 3-55. We all had interior rooms, which were non-adjoining but all side-by-side. This trip had only been planned a couple of months ahead of time and I wasn't for certain how I felt about it. I had many apprehensions such as cell phone service, rooms, dining, crowds, and experience.

We could see this majestic ship from at least a mile away, finally it was time to unload the luggage and check in. We were only permitted one carry on per person until the rest of our things arrived later that day. Checking in seemed to drag on forever when we were eye level with the ship. Once we got the paperwork done it was on to stand in line to take a picture for the sea pass cards, which was your access for everything. From the time we unloaded our bags until the time we stepped on the ship it was only about 45 minutes.

We stayed at port for a few hours before setting sail which I was very thankful for. Being a teenager I got to text, Facebook and tweet for just a little longer before losing service. The ship did offer Wi-Fi but it was extremely expensive as well as the extended cell phone service provided in the middle of the ocean. They had a computer room with several computers and you could buy the packages with just a swipe of your sea pass card right on the computer. Another possibility was doing it on your own computer or phone from your room or wherever on the ship you were. Only one port of call had U.S. cell service, but with all the activities you barely had time for a phone. Read more