Our Family Review

The Freedom of the Seas is one of Royal Caribbean’s older ships. We were curious how it would stack up against our all-time favorite cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Spectrum of The Seas. So join us while we give our authentic family review- Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas.

It’s easy to find lots of reviews for Freedom of the Seas. But not many of them include a full family review. My kids weighed into a lot of these opinions. Giving this a unique spin on our family review. This trip was a different one for me. I embarked for the first time, on this cruise, alone with my kids. This was a first of its kind for us and let me say it will not be the last. We had a blast! It’s the perfect opportunity to take a different look at Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas from a mom’s eyes.

This truly is our authentic family review – Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas ship. There were no endorsements or compensation of any kind for this review.

Booking Process

The booking process for this cruise was pretty simple. I found a great last-minute deal for this boat. The itinerary seemed perfect through the Bahamas and stopped at Royal Caribbean’s private island Coco Cay. All of this for less than $600 total. The cruise deal was too good to pass up.

**Pro-Tip: Royal Caribbean’s website is programmed to make you purchase upgrades throughout the entire booking process. Upgrading no longer makes a cruise a great deal. So, you don’t need to upgrade meals, drinks, or shore excursions when you book. You will have time to do this later.

A few questions came up during the booking process for me and I will cover those in more detail below. Since this is an older ship that is in the process of being refurbished, the boat feels old and new. There are a few cabins that are new and there are a few that you will want to avoid when you are picking your cabin.

Also, the question of what exactly is included in my cruise and what do I need to buy? This came up a few times during the booking process. I later learned this is the software trying to make me spend more money.

If you are traveling with more than 4 guests, Royal Caribbean does offer suites and connecting interior rooms. I would recommend calling for these options. That way you make sure that you get the best possible situation and save yourself money.

**Pro-tip: To save the most money, find a few cruise options, and then look for a travel agent. Travel agents have access to special rates and or onboard spending credit. They will guide you to the best possible deal for your family.

**Pro-tip: Royal Caribbean often runs a sale where kids sail free. If you are sailing with kids, I’d suggest watching for these sales. That is how I was able to take my family of 4 for under $600 for everything!

Freedom of the seas cabins to avoid

Freedom of the Seas is one of the largest ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet. It offers a wide range of cabins to suit different preferences and budgets. The ship has 1,817 cabins, including 842 with balconies, 193 oceanview cabins, and 782 interior cabins.

Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas is a large cruise ship. The ship has a variety of cabins, including inside, ocean view, balcony, and suite cabins. However, there are a few reasons why you will want to avoid some areas of the ship.

You may want to avoid certain types of cabins on the Freedom of the Seas, I have a few tips. You may want to consider your specific needs and preferences. For example, if you are sensitive to noise, you may want to avoid cabins near the ship’s public areas. Such as the theater or nightclubs, you may hear noise from these places until late into the night. I would also try to avoid any rooms near the elevators and staircases.

If you are prone to seasickness, choose a cabin on a lower deck or one with a balcony to get fresh air. Choose a room towards the center of the ship, this is where you will feel the least amount of motion. Always avoid the front or back of a ship if you are prone to motion sickness.

Pay very close attention to the exact cabin that you are choosing. So that you can maximize your money and your experience.

Overall, it’s important to research the cabin options on Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas before booking. This will ensure that you select a cabin that meets your needs. You can also consult with a travel agent or Royal Caribbean representative. They can help you choose the best cabin for your cruise experience.

The Floors on Freedom of the Seas that have been refurbished

Every floor has had some new touches on the Freedom of the Seas. The biggest refurbishments were spent on the pool decks. As well as at the new 2-story Coconut and Lime bar and you can tell. The pool decks are very nice. With new water slides and splash zones for the kids to play. We spent a lot of time just hanging out at the pool because there was always something to do.

If you are looking for a refurbished interior room, focus on the rooms on decks 3 and decks 6. They added interior rooms on each of these floors. These rooms will feel more spacious. They will also have new features of the ship. Such as updated bedding more power outlets (which we had a problem with in the older rooms) and more.

Royal Caribbean says that all of the staterooms have been refurbished. But if you are looking for an interior room, focus on the upper floors. We stayed in an interior room on deck 5. It was not as nice or comfortable as the pictures I’ve seen of the newer ones on decks 3 and 6.

If you’re looking for a nicer room, I would recommend calling Royal Caribbean directly and asking for one of their refurbished rooms. Or ask a travel agent to find a refurbished room for you.

If you are looking for a nicer room I would recommend calling to verify that your room was part of the renovation. That is my 2 cents for our authentic family review- Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas.

My kids took turns sleeping in different beds in the room. They gave our room a 5/10. They said the bunk bed was scary and uncomfortable. The couch bed was better but still not very comfortable. The bathroom was older and badly needed a refurnishment.

Should I Buy Royal Caribbean’s The Key

We did purchase Royal Caribbean’s The Key for everyone in our group. The main reason I decided to purchase The Key was that it comes with an internet package for each guest. I am not opposed to screen time for my kids. This is especially true on vacation. So this was important to me so that my kids could have internet. The cost of Royal Caribbean’s The Key was only slightly more than an internet package alone. So I saw a lot of value in purchasing The Key to take advantage of more than just the internet.

The specific benefits of The Key can vary depending on the ship. Here are some of the most common perks included in The Key. These are also the perks that were offered on our Freedom of the Seas trip are:

1. Priority Check-in: Guests who purchase The Key can use an exclusive check-in area and are among the first to board the ship (I could not find this when we checked in, we left from Miami, FL).
2. Priority Embarkation: The Key members are given priority access to their staterooms upon boarding (this was nice, we could check in when it was convenient for us, and we didn’t have to follow an assigned time).
3. Private hours at onboard attractions: Guests with The Key have exclusive access to certain onboard attractions, such as the FlowRider, rock climbing wall, and zip line, during designated private hours.
4. Reserved Seating: The Key members have access to reserved seating at select onboard shows, such as Broadway-style productions.
5. Exclusive dining opportunities: The Key members have access to an exclusive welcome lunch on embarkation day and a special a la carte breakfast on disembarkation day.
6. Internet access: The Key provides guests with complimentary Voom Surf and Stream internet access for up to four devices per stateroom (this was the reason I purchased The Key).
7. Carry-on Luggage Assistance: The Key members have dedicated staff available to assist with carrying their carry-on luggage to their stateroom ( I could not find this amenity anywhere in the check-in area).

The biggest family benefit to Royal Caribbean’s The Key

In my opinion for our authentic family review – Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas

The other biggest benefit for us, disembarkment perks. This was a big perk to us so that we could stay on the ship longer on departure day. As a mom traveling alone with her kids, for me this perk was worth the entire package.

This is the way disembarkment works on a Royal Caribbean ship. The night before the cruise arrives at its final port, you will get a departure packet. This packet includes your designated departure times and procedures. You do not get to pick your departure time, it is assigned to you.

Typically you have to pack all your bags the night before and the cruise staff take them for you. This is nice because you don’t have to pull your bags off the ship yourself. Even without The Key, you can choose to keep your luggage. This just means that you have to carry it off the ship with you.

However, the assigned time and pre-packing, didn’t work great for our family. I was not prepared to be without all of our belongings the night before we arrived in port. Thankfully I bought Royal Carribean’s The Key. With this package, you have the option to leave the boat any time in the morning.

So what is our authentic family review of Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of The Seas The Key upgrade worth it? Since I was traveling alone with my children, yes! The Key made our arrival and departure easier, especially the checkout process. We were able to sleep in and leave the ship at our own pace.

What exactly is included in my Cruise Ticket with Royal Caribbean?

As you go through the booking process, don’t be too stressed. It is confusing exactly what is included in your basic cruise ticket with Royal Caribbean. They send you so many offers for upgrades. It’s hard to tell exactly what you need to purchase.

So to simplify, here are the things that are included in your basic cruise ticket:

• Your stateroom which includes a private bathroom
• All of your meals (including breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
  • You can choose to eat these in the main dining room, a Mexican restaurant by the pool, or the Windjammer (buffet style)
  • There are also snack restaurants open in between meal times. You can find included snacks by the pool and in the shopping area at the pizza restaurant and the coffee shop.
  • When available, room service is also included
• Basic coffee, tea, water, and juices
• Onboard activities such as ice skating shows, trivia games, movies by the pool, and more are included in your basic ticket.

What Extras Should I Purchase on Royal Caribbean?

Some of the extras I like to purchase when cruising:

• Drink Package
  • Royal Caribbean has a few different drink packages. If you are planning to drink more than one soda, upgraded coffee, or alcoholic beverage per day, I’d highly recommend pre-purchasing a drink package.
• Internet Package
  • This is a must for myself and my kids (almost the same cost as “The Key”)
• Excursions
  • Royal Caribbean makes this so much easier if you just purchase through them. They are usually more expensive than planning an activity yourself but I think it is worth the extra cost.

Those are the 3 options that I recommend purchasing. Especailly before you set sail on Royal Caribbean, it will save you 30% if you purchase these items in advance. You can also purchase any upgrades once you are on board the boat. So don’t stress if you may have forgotten something.

Ignore the Other Offers

You will get so many upgrade offers (such as upgraded meals, etc). Royal Caribbean sends so much, in my opinion, just ignore them. Book the packages you think will benefit your trip. Ignore the rest.

Remember this is where they make their money. So don’t fall into the trap of purchasing upgrades without being sure you will use them and that they will add benefits to your trip.

When was Freedom of the Seas Refurbishment

Royal Caribbean spent over $116 million on Freedom of the Seas refurbishment in 2020. You can definitely tell the areas that have been refurbished versus the areas that are original to the ship. For example, the Windjammer (this is where you can eat buffet style meals) has been refurbished. The other areas that are new include Coconut and Lime Bar, the Splashaway pool area, new rooms, and the kid’s play areas. In these areas, you can feel the difference for sure.

The older areas of the ship are starting to feel outdated. My kids rated the pool area an 8 out of 10. The splashzone was a great hit for all of them. Their only complaint was that the water was always cold in the pools.

The refurbishments made our authentic family review-Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas a lot more positive than they would have without the newer areas. As I’ve mentioned before, the old parts of the boat feel old.

My kids favorite was swimming in the new Splashaway pool. Also, they couldn’t get enough of the water slides, splash zones, and free poolside ice cream.

That being said, they also added bigger waterslides and a Flowrider on the upper decks of the ship. My kids were afraid to try these out but they are great additions to the ship for older kids.

For all of the details and a floor-by-floor description of all the refurbishments, I’d suggest taking a look at Cruise Mapper’s post here for all the details.

Check-in Procedure for Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas

We sailed out of the Maimi port. Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas arrival process was the most confusing part of trip. Typically Royal Caribbean asks you to pick your arrival time before your cruise. You will get an email a few days before your cruise with your options. You are supposed to arrive during your assigned time, this helps to keep lines from getting too long.

However, when you purchase Royal Caribbean’s The Key package, you can arrive at any time. This is a huge benefit when traveling with kids. This allowed us to show up when it was easy for us. This took the stress out of getting to the boat on time for me. I would have also loved this if I was traveling with babies because you can plan around nap time.

As soon as you get to the port, you are met with a tizzy of guests and workers. You will be greeted by a Royal Caribbean employee who will take your checked luggage from you. Make sure all of your bags have a bag tag on them with your room number and your name.

The reason the check-in was confusing for us is that we had purchased The Key package. In my emails, it said there was a designated area for The Key Passengers to check-in. I asked multiple Royal Caribbean employees but none of them understood me.

In the end, it worked out because there wasn’t a line at all for check-in. So if you purchase The Key, don’t expect to get special treatment at arrival. At least in our experience, this didn’t happen.

Must-Have Item

This was very nerve-wracking for me, so let me save you some trouble. When you arrive at the port, a Royal Caribbean employee will just grab your bags from you. They roll them over to a pile of other bags. They didn’t say much just that our bags would be in our room later. I looked at the hundreds of bags and thought they were going to lose my bag for sure.

Thankfully all of our bags made it to our room without any problems. The next time I go on a cruise, I will definitely be putting Air Tags in my checked bags so that I can track them. Air Tags“>Make sure to get some here on Amazon before you go.

After they take your luggage, you proceed to the Royal Caribbean check-in area of the port. This is another tizzy of Royal Caribbean employees who do not seem to know what “The Key” is. I asked multiple employees where the dedicated Key check-in area was (as instructed in my emails). But no one seemed to know what I was talking about.

That being said, the normal check-in process was very easy and we were able to get through very quickly. Once you are on the ship, you can start enjoying all of the boat’s amenities. However, your room will not be ready until they notify you. So grab a drink and some food, it’s time to relax! Let’s take a look at the next step of my Freedom of the Seas Review.

What excursions are kid-friendly on Royal Caribbean?

If you are planning to purchase excursions through Royal Caribbean, make sure to check for age restrictions. For example, a lot of the excursions are for ages 6 and over. When we traveled, my youngest was 5 years old. I was surprised to find that there were a lot of excursions that she could not do yet.

Dolphin Encounter with Royal Caribbean

This was the only excursion I booked for our cruise. So it is the only excursion that I can leave our family review of Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas excursions. We sailed through the Bahamas on our cruise. Since I was traveling alone with my 3 kids, I wanted an excursion that would be fun and easy for us.

The dolphin encounter ended up being perfect for us. On this excursion, you take a short boat ride to a private island in Nassau. The island itself was stunning with crystal blue water and beautiful white sand beaches.

We had enough time to swim and have lunch on the island before we played with dolphins. Make sure to take a credit card with you. The food on the island was not part of our excursion. We did have to pay extra for it. Also, there are stores on the island where you can purchase souvenirs.

The staff on the island were not as friendly as the Royal Caribbean staff. They seemed to be annoyed with all of the tourists and just wanted to shuffle you through the process. In our authentic family review- Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas, I would say this was the biggest disappointment of the cruise. The staff on this island were grumpy and difficult. It made us feel like we were a burden.

The kids said they loved the island, the dolphins, and the boat ride out to the island. They gave this excursion a 10/10 rating.

That being said, the dolphin encounter was amazing and absolutely worth it! You get to pet, hug, and play with the dolphins. I would highly recommend it!

Things to pack for your excursion

• Towels (can be checked out on the pool deck on the Freedom of the Seas)
• Sunscreen (available on the island but very expensive)
• Water to drink
• Snacks for your kids
• Flip flops
• Change of clothes if you don’t want to ride back in your swimsuit
• A sturdy bag to carry everything,Beach Bags“> I suggest one like this one from Amazon

Do You Have to Reserve an Excursion

A little note that I was not aware of the first time I cruised. You do not have to purchase an excursion to get off the boat. You can just walk off the ship and tour any destination on your own. Just beware, if you are late coming back to the ship, they can and will leave without you.

I recommend not purchasing an excursion on Coco Cay. There are multiple pools, beaches, splash areas, and many other things you can do there that do not require an excursion. There are fun local shops on the private island as well.

What to Pack Cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas

I have been on several cruises. I have learned a few items that you must have. As well as a few items that I wished I had not packed to save space. So here is my suggested packing list for your cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas.

What to Pack

• Bathroom bag that hangs on the door like this one from Amazon
• Swimsuit and cover-up for everyone
• If you plan to attend the formal night, pack a dress or suit. Don’t forget dress shoes
• Inflatable tub for babies/toddlers. This one from Amazon is easy to pack and will work great in the shower on the ship.
• Lanyards for your room keys.

My number one recommended item to pack is:

This bathroom bag can easily hang on a hook in the bathroom which gives you tons of extra space to store all your makeup and skincare. This is my number one pick for what to pack for a cruise. Don’t miss it!

• Medicine such as Tylenol, Advil, and Pebto
• Seasick medication. I like to take a capsule and this is my favorite if you prefer to wear a patch, I like this brand.
• Dramamine for kids (my kids love this grape flavor)

• Melatonin for kids
• Sunscreen
• Shampoo/conditioner
• Feminine products if needed (these are very expensive on the ship)
• I would also recommend taking a magnetic whiteboard to put on the back of your cabin door. This is a great way to communicate with other family members since your cell phones may not work. Here is a great option on Amazon that is inexpensive and easy to pack.
• Don’t forget this amazing bathroom bag, you can keep all your makeup and skincare in it for the whole cruise and it easily hangs on a hook so it’s out of the way.

There are so many things that you could take on a cruise. But remember storage is limited in the cabins. So don’t overpack (like me) and save yourself the hassle.

***Pro-Tip: You can request extra hangers from your stateroom attendant. This is a great resource when you’re traveling with kids.

Checkout procedure

Checking out on a cruise is a fairly simple process. As you are booking your flights and cruise, be aware that most cruise ships dock overnight. They begin disembarking very early in the morning on the last day of the cruise. You can easily catch an early flight out if you are in a hurry to get back home.

The last day of your cruise is strictly breakfast and disembarking. Everything else will be closed (including the fitness center). So do not save anything until the last day because it won’t be available.

Most cruise ships will collect your bags for you the night before arrival if you’d like them to. This is done so that you do not have to push your bags through the ship when you are leaving. Instead, the cruise line will take them off the ship. Then you will pick them up at the port the next morning.

You can choose to keep your luggage but then you are responsible for getting it off the ship. I always choose this option because I am not packed and ready to have my bags taken the night before.

You will also be given a disembarkment time the night before arrival. Thankfully I had purchased Royal Caribbean’s The Key. Our disembarking time would have been 6:00 am and I am not a morning person. Since I had The Key, I had the luxury of leaving the ship any time I wanted.

Once you have packed up and had breakfast, it is easy to check out. You just proceed to the bottom level and walk off the ship. I had scheduled an Uber to take us to the airport from the port. It was very easy to find the car pick up. I would highly recommend scheduling a car to pick you up. Uber gets very busy during pick up time.

Overall our authentic family review – Royal Caribbeans’ Freedom of The Seas

I thoroughly enjoy Royal Caribbean’s service and I love cruising with them. We all enjoyed the Freedom of The Seas ship for the price. I was happy that we were able to experience it for our girls trip. Overall this ship is dated and matches the price that we paid. We sailed for a discount price of just $79 per person per night. The price is part of the reason that I give a more positive spin on our authentic family review- Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas review.

That being said, this ship shows its age when it is full. The elevators are slow and small, meaning we often used the stairs. The food service lines were slow and less organized than the newer ships. The fitness center was dated and overcrowded. (I was unable to get to the free weights any of the mornings that I was on the ship).

The newer cabins are very nice. But our cabin was a dated interior room that felt dark and less efficient than the newer cabins. If you are planning to sail on this ship, I would highly recommend booking one of the remolded cabins for an overall better experience.

All in all, for our family review of Royal Carribean’s Freedom of the Seas, I would sail on this ship again but it wouldn’t be my first choice. I would look for a newer ship with more amenities and better thought-out floor plans. That being said, I will stick with Royal Caribbean for their great service, fun onboard activities, and amazing food!

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