Our favorite cruise ship is the Freedom of the Seas from the Royal Caribbean fleet. We liked all the ships we've been on, but the Freedom was easily our favorite. We went on the Western Caribbean cruise last February with my sister and her fiance. We drove to Port Canaveral and the morning we left it was cold and snowing in our part of North Carolina. We were leaving during a snowstorm that would dump nearly a foot of snow on our hometown. It was all sunshine and smiles for the next 8 or 9 days for us. We always spend the night before the cruise at a park and cruise hotel near the cruise terminal. We had a great dinner and drinks at the restaurant next to our hotel after a nice afternoon sitting around the hotel pool listening to the music. After a delicious complimentary full breakfast complete with omelette and waffle stations and (delicious) fresh squeezed orange juice, we caught the shuttle to the cruise terminal at about 11:30. This is the way to go if you drive to the port, you're well rested and ready for the cruise, and you leave your vehicle at the hotel parking lot with your parking and shuttle fees included in your hotel bill. The added benefit is you can be one of the first on the ship and pick a good table for the afternoon and bon voyage party. The ship doesn't usually leave port until around 4:30, so you have 3 or 4 hours to have your first taste of the buffet for lunch, and have a couple bon voyage drinks during the afternoon of partying on the pool deck before you cast-off. After the bon voyage party, the first evening is kind of casual, but 90% of the time we still eat in the main dining room. Dining is an event in itself, with several formal nights per 7 day cruise. The food on Freedom was very good with many choices at every meal. On the days at sea we would usually have a sit down breakfast in the main dining room, but days at a port we would opt for the buffet to spend less time eating and more time in port for our excursions and shopping or sightseeing. Our first port was Labadee, Haiti. It was Royal Caribbean's private beach and section of the island. We spent the day on the beach with a couple tropical drinks and sand and sun. It is a beautiful beach in a secluded cove. The highlight of the day was on our way back to the ship at the end of the afternoon, we passed the entrance to the zip-line. It looked like a 30 minute wait in line to board the ship so I thought I would try the zip-line for the first time ever. This one was really cool, it was about 500ft above the ocean cove in front of the beach, and a little more than a half mile long. It was a blast, and I didn't have to stand in that long line boarding the ship. By time I finished the zip-line, the line boarding the ship had just about disappeared. Our next port was Ocho Rios Jamaica, I would like to spend a vacation there because there is a lot to see and do in Jamaica. We took a tour that visited a beautiful plantation and toured part of the island. Then we went to the Dunn's River Falls to finish the tour. Regretfully I did not walk up the falls, I will next time. Jamaica is definitely a place I want to see more of. Next stop was Grand Cayman, Beautiful water and beaches. We took a cab to Seven Mile Beach for the afternoon lounging on the beach. For a late lunch we went to Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville. Had a real good time and good food and drinks. We always choose the late dining setting on the ship so we don't have to cut our day in port short. So after a full day of fun, sun, and whatever our excursions consist of, we always have time to shower and dress for dinner. The meals are usually delicious, there are usually many choices for the different courses. Our last and one of our favorite ports was Cozumel, we always go to Passion Island on the excursion. We did the snorkeling/party boat our first visit, but now we go to Passion Island. There are several different type boats to take you there, from slow ferry type to the Screamer speed boat(it's a blast) but my wife likes the slow ones. While on Passion Island all the food and drinks are included. It is a beautiful beach with games and water craft, a nice outdoor cafeteria with fish and chicken. The tropical drinks all include rum. We always have a real good time at Passion Island, the staff are always very friendly. After that there is usually a day at sea for your last full on the ship. Formal night is always a favorite for the ladies, complete with photographers all over the ship to take your pictures with different backgrounds. The last morning everyone is usually a little bit down, knowing we're heading back to the cold and sometimes snow. I almost forgot all the things the Freedom has to do while on the ship. It is our favorite ship because of all the different and exciting things there is to do. This ship has a wonderful promenade deck(we had a promenade room with a large bay window overlooking the entire Promenade street. The Promenade is a street-like section in the middle of the ship, full of restaurants, shops, and bars that is set to resemble an Italian or French section, with sidewalk cafes. The main pool and buffet area is the place to spend the day if you want to be where the party is at. The wave rider looked real fun, but we didn't try it. Our favorite time on the ship is the magnificent shows, especially the ice show(it was awesome). The casino is always a fun place to spend some time after the shows, or if you want to get away from the crowd for a while during the day. All in all the Freedom of the Seas is a great place to spend a vacation!!
