Freedom of the Seas Review
Freedom Jr. Suite cruise worth the time and money.
Rating by category
Additional details
This was my 9th cruise overall. I have cruised Carnival once, Princess twice and now Royal six times. I am 53 and I sailed with my mother who is 72 who is also an experienced cruiser.
Embarkation was the earliest and easiest I've ever experienced especially since this was my first time as a Platinum member and we had booked a Jr. Suite. We were in line to get into Terminal 1 at 10:30. I think we were actually onboard the ship at 11:15. Windjammer opened at noon. This was the first time, however, that we had to wait until nearly 3:00 to get our luggage. Usually it is waiting for us at 1:00 when the cabins are made available.
This was our first time on Freedom (as well as a Freedom-class ship). We normally sail Voyager-class. The layouts are almost identical with a few extras on Freedom such as Sorrentos and the Cupcake Cupboard. Even so, I felt Freedom was a little bit too large. It certainly felt more crowded than my other cruises. But this might also be due to the fact that the ship was sold out. Even so, the ship was lovely and in excellent shape. I did not notice much wear and tear.
Cabin Review
Junior Suite
We had aft cabin 1706 which is a Jr. Suite and directly below the Windjammer. We NEVER heard any noise from the Windjammer. The cabin was fantastic and the balcony rocked my world. It had two loungers, a small round table between them, a large round table that made it easy to eat meals outside and three regular chairs for the large round table. There was till plenty of room on the balcony with all that furniture. Next to my favorite Voyager-class cabins (the aft cabins 7388 and 7688), this cabin had a very large balcony. Due to its being directly below the Windjammer, there is a very deep overhang, so if you are looking for a balcony with sunshine this will not be the best cabin for you. We don't like sunny balconies, so this was perfect for us. There was plenty of drawer space and the walk-in closet was nice, however the layout inside was a bit of a hassle since your hanging clothes either block the shelves or your face as you open the door. This cabin also has a bathtub since it is a Jr. Suite which is a very nice feature. The cabin also had a flat screen TV that had some swivel capabilities, but not as much as we would've liked.