We chose this cruise because it worked well with our children's spring break. We got a great deal, booking 14 months ahead of time and overall, had a fun and memorable experience. This was our 2nd cruise and the Freedom of the Seas was a larger ship than our first (Rhapsody of the Seas). We were a bit disappointed in the staffing. The cruise was at capacity with about 4000 guests and 1400 of those, under the age of 18. There were many activities onboard but lines for pretty much everything. You had to arrive at the Arcadia Theater a good 30 minutes ahead of time to get a decent seat and one elevator was non-functional the entire trip. Ice skating was only offered 2-3 times and you had to be in line 30 minutes there as well to ensure a spot. It's a good thing we are able to take stairs because if one had to wait for the elevator each time, it would have been ridiculous. The dining room seemed understaffed. While I understand dinner is meant to take 1.5 hours, we often waited an inexorable amount of time between courses. The waiters seemed frazzled and over-worked compared to the dining experience on the Rhapsody. We loved the ports and enjoyed the sea days but again, finding a chair near the pool was like stalking fellow guests. Lines at Sprinkles were always long. While we really loved the promenade and the shops, I'm thinking we may return to a smaller ship for better service and a more relaxed atmosphere. My advice to Royal Caribbean is that they need to properly staff their ships and make sure all equipment is functional on sold-out sailings or their customer base is going to start looking elsewhere.