Background information: This was our 9th cruise - all on Royal Caribbean. We have always tried to be objective when we cruise and we understand that on a large ship like Freedom that you will have people that don't like anything.

Our group of eight adults flew into Orlando on Friday from Ohio and Maryland - we immediately headed to the Hampton Inn in Cocoa Beach for 2 days of pre-cruise relaxation on the beach. We have all cruised before (4-9 cruises each couple) We had beautiful weather in Cocoa Beach (sunny & low 90's) and had nice dinners both nights on the water at Mulligan's Reef (overlooking Port Canaveral) and at the Lobster Shanty.

Arrived at Port Canaveral around 11 AM on Sunday after dropping off our 2 rental cars at Budget rental on Astronaut Blvd ($73 each with Entertainment coupon) - free shuttle by Budget to the port. The wait was short at the port- maybe 20 minutes before the line started moving. They need a better method of lining up the arriving people as even the port and RCCL workers were in disagreement with each other as to who had priority entry (wedding parties, Crown and Anchor folks, etc.) and where to snake the line - very disorganized. We entered the terminal around 11:20, and were eating lunch at the Windjammer by 11:45 AM. Our set sail passes streamlined the process - it took maybe 5-7 minutes at the counter. Don't forget to ask for the priority check-in if you are Platinum or above in Crown and Anchor. Read more