We are a family of 4, with 2 daughters ages 17 and 20. This cruise was our younger daughter's high school graduation gift, and our first time cruising with Royal Caribbean (we have sailed with Disney, Princess, and Norwegian Cruise Line previously). Based on sail date and itinerary, we chose RCL Freedom of the Seas, although we prefer sailing on smaller ships. Overall, we were very pleased with the cruise ship and its many amenities, and only noticed the thousands of other passengers a few times - during embarkation, disembarkation, getting off the ship in St. Thomas, and trying to find a table for breakfast at the Windjammer a couple of times.

We flew into Orlando and stayed a couple of days at the Floridays Resort Orlando which we loved - great 2 and 3 bedroom suites, new, clean, spacious, on-site cafe, bar, fitness center, pool, walking distance to Benihana restaurant, and free shuttle service to the amusement parks. We went to Universal's Islands of Adventure and had a great time - highly recommend the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! We rented a shuttle from the airport to the hotel, hotel to Port, then the reverse afterwards, but based on the total cost, we probably should have rented a car.

We arrived at Port Canaveral about 1 pm on Sunday, June 17 (Sail Pass suggested 1:30 boarding time), but there were already lots of people there and we had to wait in a long line for about 45 minutes (felt like we were back at the amusement park!) At least we were inside the air-conditioned cruise terminal. Once we got checked in and on the ship, we had fun exploring. The ship is huge! The Promenade is like a shopping mall, with restaurants, bars, and shops. There is even a Starbucks (for an extra cost), although we usually ended up drinking the complimentary coffee (Seattle's Best) which was just as good. The coffee house also provided desserts and small sandwiches for no extra cost. There are 3 dining rooms, and we chose the My Time Dining option, which meant we could eat anytime between 5:30-9:30. But we didn't realize that we would always be eating in Galileo's. Reservations were recommended and it looked like the other dining rooms (Leonardo and Isaac) were stacked below Galileo. One of my daughters is a vegan, so we contacted the Head Waiter, Ricardo, who was very gracious and accommodating to her special diet. We didn't always have the same waiters, but service was always great, and our favorites became Ali and Yemliha, the 'boys from Turkey'. We didn't end up eating at any of the specialty restaurants since we were happy with the dining room choices and the Windjammer buffet selections. We purchased the soft drink plan for our younger daughter, which worked out well. Read more