This was our second cruise and first with Royal. We previously cruised a Western Caribbean itinerary on the Disney Fantasy so I will ultimately compare the 2, but I will focus on the Freedom of the Seas. Overall though if we can afford Disney, we'd probably stick with them. I'd give Disney 5 stars and RCI 4.5. There were just a bunch of little things that we liked about Disney better
Embarkation: We stayed at the Hyatt in the Orlando airport for just over $100 (government rate) and took the RCI xfer bus to the port. Very easy process, however the line to get on the ship was very long. We were at the port around 11-11:30, and I think we were on the ship around 2-2:30.
Food: The food on the Freedom of the Seas is pretty average in our opinion. The lunch buffet was the same everyday. We liked Disney's food better as they had seafood and just overall better quality. The Windjammer Cafe had salad, fruit, and a variety of things such as Asian dishes, hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries, and an occasional taco/mexican section. For breakfast it was pretty much what you'd expect, but my wife definitely liked the omelette bar on the Fantasy better. The sit down dining every night was fine. We tried duck and lamb for the first time, and it wasn't bad. We skipped 2 nights for Johnny Rockets and to get "sushi", but had it not been for the 2 couples that we enjoyed hanging out with we probably wouldn't have gone back. Johnny Rockets was very good though! They give you way too much food though so don't be afraid to say "no" to the extra apps and desert since you pay $5.95 per person. The service was pretty good in the dining room, but this is one where Disney's dining room staff way outdid RCI's. That being said, our waiter did get our whole table extra lobster tails when we asked. The pizza wasn't very good at all in our opinion.
Small cabin and very dark with the lights off. You can fit everything in there if you unpack and store your suitcases underneath your bed. The bathroom is small. Our stateroom attendant was awesome though - very friendly and made awesome towel creatures! Looked a bit dated, but we were rarely in the room so no big deal. Also very quiet - were on deck 9 forward right by the elevators which was nice.