Just got back from a week on the Freedom of the Seas and had a wonderful time. We have sailed previously on Disney, Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Holland America, and this was definitely our best cruise ever, for a variety of reasons.

Embarkation - we stayed the night before at the Hampton Inn Gateway village near the Orlando airport and then had a 45 minute drive in the morning. We had pre-paid our parking in the port ($120), so parking was quick and we were easily able to get covered parking. We arrived at about 10:15, went through the short security and check-in lines, and were on board exactly as advertised at 11 am.

Ship - this is the largest ship we have been on and we were really impressed by all of the activities, venues, and especially by the vibe on the Promenade. It really felt like a town square. Read more