As is probably common knowledge at this point the Freedom of the Seas was operating at about 75% propulsion power during our Christmas cruise. That led to a reduction of the times in port of approximately 2 hours in Labadee, about the same in San Juan and 4 in St. Maarten. Additionally, we were late to Labadee further shortening the timeframe as well as to San Juan. We were given onboard credit for the initial announced delays but nothing beyond that for the additional delays. With that said, here is the rest of the review.

Embarkation - Port Canaveral was probably the least organized of the ports we have cruised from previously. They seemed to be understaffed and slow on top of it. The lines were long despite arriving early and there was simply no sense of urgency anywhere. Additionally, the room keys/Seapass cards for my kids were not ready despite them being on the reservation and previously checked in on line. Once we received the cards, the individual at the embarkation desk failed to activate the room keys so we had to go to guest services once on board to rectify his negligence.

Ship - The Freedom of the Seas is a beautiful ship and I cannot wait to see here improvements when she gets out of drydock. We had adjoining Promenade staterooms which were both excellent and decent enough space for everyone. The ship features an ice skating rink, rock climbing wall, miniature golf, wave runner and the usual bells and whistles. Read more