For college spring break, we decided to take a family vacation with our young adult sons, ages 23 and 20. Thankfully, Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas is not a ship for a "girls gone wild" spring break vacation. We specifically chose a cruise out of Port Canaveral because of its proximity to the Orlando airport and the vast array of flight options offered (we were flying in from three separate cities). We stayed at the Hawthorne Suites Airport Hotel because it was the only suite option with two queen size beds in one room and a king size bed in the other bedroom. We rented a car at the airport from Avis and drove to Port Canaveral because it was considerably cheaper than using any port shuttles. It is an easy one hour drive to Port Canaveral. We dropped off our luggage with the porters at the ship and then drove to the Avis location a few miles south. The Avis shuttle then took us quickly and efficiently back to the ship. We made no attempt to get to the ship early which really worked in our favor because there were absolutely no lines for embarkation. We breezed through the process in about 10 minutes.

Our sons may have preferred a cruise ship that caters more to the college crowd, but I personally appreciated the fact that no drunken teenagers were running up and down the halls banging on doors in the night, as experienced by my friend on a Carnival spring break cruise. In fact, our 20 year old received a kiddy ship card (the ones with the holes punched in them). He reported being watched like a hawk when sitting across the table from his brother who was enjoying a drink in one of the late night clubs. The staff on Royal Caribbean definitely do not turn a blind eye to underage drinking, which is great for the rest of us!

We loved our time on board Freedom of the Seas - the meals in the main dining room were very good and the service was outstanding. We ate at Portofino's one evening and, while it was good, you really pay the premium for the ambiance and privacy rather than the quality of food. What truly delighted us was the quality of entertainment onboard. The lead female singer (Patti) was an exceptionally talented performer who would silence all those nasty "cruise ship performer" jokes. And the skating show was well worth standing in line the first morning to get tickets. The tickets are only offered once, so you must line up for all the performances held that week. That said, if you show up without a ticket there are rush seats available when ticket holders don't show up. Read more