Freedom of the Seas Review
Rating by category
Additional details
Background: my husband and I are in our early fifties and are independent, non-fussy cruisers. This cruise was #17 for us (across RCCL, Celebrity, HAL, and Carnival).
Pre-cruise: we drove to Port Canaveral from Virginia and stayed overnight at the LaQuinta Inn and Suites in Cocoa Beach, about five miles from the cruise port. This is a motor lodge whose bones date back to the Space Race, but is nicely updated. If you have problems negotiating stairs, make sure you have a ground floor room. We arrived too late to try out the onsite Thai restaurant or other Cocoa Beach offerings.
Embarkation: we had the first shuttle going to the port at 9 am. I’m glad someone else was driving – the traffic to this port is unbelievable and directional signage left (at least, as far as we could tell) a lot to be desired. Our shuttle driver from RoadRunners was terrific -- it only took about a half-hour or so to get through traffic and unload our luggage -- but we had at least another half-hour standing to wait to enter the terminal, and another half-hour to clear through security, which did my husband’s back no favors. If you can, try to arrive at 10 am or later to avoid standing on hard concrete for long periods of time; that was not an option for us when we arrived, and didn’t want to take the last (12:45 pm) shuttle.
Cabin Review
Promenade Stateroom
This cabin is a fully handicapped-accessible cabin, wider than standard inside cabins to allow for wheelchair mobility. It has a flat-floor shower with curtains rather than a step-in corner unit with drains in the floor; my husband now wants to add the exact same layout to our ground floor bathroom at home :*). The added space below sinks and cabinets meant a small loss of storage space, but we made it work. The location, near the aft elevators, was very convenient, and the cantilevered bow window overlooking the promenade was great for people watching.