Had a week off in late November, so one week out we began to search for a cruise deal. We had a back-up plan at the beach and live in Central FL so we were not too concerned about getting shut out. On Tuesday before the departure we decided on Freedom of the Seas. A good deal on a balcony cabin, but had we waited until Wednesday, the deal would have even been better. But who can guess perfectly.

PARKING -- Drove over from Orlando with plenty of time to spare and time to find a low-cost off port parking facility, but none of these looked well-managed so we made the more expensive and better choice of parking at the Port.

EMBARKATION -- From the time we got out of the car until we were in our room was about 90 mins. A few long lines but we were getting on at prime time and this is a huge ship. Read more