|
|
|
|
|
MS Freedom of the Seas is a cruise ship operated by Royal Caribbean International. She is the namesake of Royal Caribbean's Freedom class, and can accommodate 3,634 passengers and 1,300 crew on fifteen passenger decks. The vessel also has 4 crew decks below the waterline. Freedom of the Seas was the largest passenger ship ever built (by gross tonnage) from 2006 until construction of her sister ship, Liberty of the Seas in 2007.
MS Freedom of the Seas is a cruise ship operated by Royal Caribbean International. She is the namesake of Royal Caribbean's Freedom class, and can accommodate 3,634 passengers and 1,300 crew on fifteen passenger decks. The vessel also has 4 crew decks below the waterline. Freedom of the Seas was the largest passenger ship ever built (by gross tonnage) from 2006 until construction of her sister ship, Liberty of the Seas in 2007.
Freedom of the Seas was built at the Aker Yards Turku Shipyard, Finland, which built the ships of the Voyager class as well as the other ships of the Freedom class. Upon her completion in 2006, she became the largest passenger ship ever built, taking that honor from Queen Mary 2 (QM2), an ocean liner.
Freedom of the Seas is 2.4 metres (7 ft 10 in) narrower than QM2 at the waterline, 6 metres (19 ft 8 in) shorter, has 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) less draft, is 8.3 metres (27 ft 3 in) less tall and 10 miles per hour (16 km/h) slower. Its gross tonnage as verified by Det Norske Veritas, a Norwegian marine classification society, was 154,407 GT, compared with QM2's 148,528 GT. Freedom of the Seas had the highest gross tonnage of any passenger ship yet built until the 2007 completion of Liberty of the Seas.
The ship has four bow thrusters. When at sea Freedom of the Seas consumes approximately 12,800 kg (28,200 lb) of fuel per hour.
The ship has an interior promenade 445 feet (136 m) long called the "Royal Promenade".
The ship has three swimming areas: an interactive water park, a dedicated adult pool, and the main pool. The 13th deck has a sports area with a rock climbing wall, the FlowRider surf simulator, a miniature golf course and a full size basketball court. Other items include an ice skating rink, a casino and a three-deck-high broadway-style theater. Many of the ship's interiors were extensively decorated by muralist Clarissa Parish.
The ship docked at Blohm und Voss in Hamburg, Germany on 17 April 2006 to repair a damaged bearing in one of the three Azipod propulsion units and some minor modifications prior to her official handover to Royal Caribbean International on 24 April 2006. She then visited Oslo, Norway before sailing for Southampton, England. The ship sailed on its first transatlantic crossing on 3 May 2006.
Freedom of the Seas arrived in New York Harbor, United States, for her official naming ceremony on May 12, 2006 which was broadcast live on NBC's The Today Show from Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne, New Jersey (the ship's official New York berth), and thereafter traveled to Boston for the weekend of May 19–22. The ship's godmother was selected as Katherine Louise Calder, a Portland, Oregon foster care provider. She began operations out of Miami with her first cruise and maiden voyage on 4 June, sailing to western Caribbean locations.
On 4 May 2009, Freedom of the Seas moved her home port from the Port of Miami-Dade to Port Canaveral. The ship underwent her first dry dock refurbishment in late March 2011.
In January 2015, the ship underwent another 24-day dry dock. During the dry dock some new interior passenger cabins were added.
In winter 2016, Freedom of the Seas repositioned to Port Everglades, from where she undertook cruises in the Caribbean.
Freedom of the Seas underwent a $116 million dry dock in early 2020.
![]() |
Welcome aboard one of the most elegant liners of Royal Caribbean, Freedom of the Seas ! She has served the company since 2006, and she continues to amaze travelers from every part of our planet with her distinctive features. Today, we’d like to talk about this ship and to unveil the secrets she... |
Let's continue our journey (Tour of the USA. From Orlando to the Western Caribbean. Jamaica)!
The next morning we came to the Cayman Islands. It was the first island where the ship stayed at the anchorage, and we were carried to the shore by the boats. First of all, Grand Cayman is a beach... |
When it comes to vacations, everyone wants the freedom to choose the very best in terms of travel. Now, with the Freedom of the Seas cruise liner, passengers can get the best of both worlds; traveling in style and endless entertainment options.
Photo by: Prayitno/Flickr/CC BY 2.0
RCI presented... |
Let's continue our journey (Tour of the USA. From Orlando to the Western Caribbean. Freedom of the Seas)!
In the morning we came in Haiti, in the port of Labadee. Royal Caribbean International bought this peninsula, so everything is safe and controlled. :) However, not only the crew serves the... |
Let's continue our journey. After getting enough sleep, we went to Port Canaveral. We reached the airport by taxi. We bought a transfer from a local company in advance. It turned out to be quite easy. We arrived at the port on a minibus, quickly and comfortably (in about an hour).
Some info about... |