Having sailed on 40+ cruises, we were impressed with the appearance, cleanliness and staff of the Freedom. I must say my spouse and I were underwhelmed by the food in both buffet and the main dining room. Seldom have I ever not finished my dinner, but on three out of seven meals, I was turned off by taste and or quality. I see no need to have to rely on specialty dining to enjoy my meal. The excellent service and table companions kept us coming back for dinner, not the entrees. The exception were the lamb chops and the lobster dinners which were very good and well prepared.
Activities provided something for everyone but finding seating on deck was an issue due to lounge savers who seldom used the lounges but to store their stuff hour after hour.
Kudos to the cruise director who was "everywhere", when does he sleep? Officers always greeted you in passing and all staff were helpful and pleasant.
Balcony cabin, mid ship, was a bit lacking, i.e., we expected a sofa but only had a chair and the balcony had two chairs but no little plastic table to place drinks or early breakfast. The tube shower was small. There were no amenities in the bathroom with the exception of shampoo dispenser in the shower.Location was great with both stairs and elevators just around the corner. Onboard Hair dryer set off an alarm and was immediately responded to by a phone call from the front desk and a security person checking on us to make sure there was no problem.