Freedom Class is a group of three cruise ships for
Royal Caribbean InternationalRoyal Caribbean International is a Miami, Florida -based cruise line brand owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., with 21 ships in service and two under construction. All ships since 1991 have names ending in "of the Seas."-Company and brand history:...
. The first ship of the class, , was the largest passenger ship in the world, and the largest ever built in terms of passenger capacity and gross tonnage, when she was built. These two records are now shared by all three ships.
Freedom of the Seas left Aker Finnyards shipyard in
TurkuTurku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper in the Province of Western Finland. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
,
FinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland
, is a Nordic country and democracy situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland...
on April 24, 2006 and started regular sailings out of Miami the next month.
Freedom Class is a group of three cruise ships for
Royal Caribbean InternationalRoyal Caribbean International is a Miami, Florida -based cruise line brand owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., with 21 ships in service and two under construction. All ships since 1991 have names ending in "of the Seas."-Company and brand history:...
. The first ship of the class, , was the largest passenger ship in the world, and the largest ever built in terms of passenger capacity and gross tonnage, when she was built. These two records are now shared by all three ships.
Freedom of the Seas left Aker Finnyards shipyard in
TurkuTurku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper in the Province of Western Finland. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
,
FinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland
, is a Nordic country and democracy situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland...
on April 24, 2006 and started regular sailings out of Miami the next month. The second ship of the class,
Liberty of the SeasMS Liberty of the Seas is a Royal Caribbean International cruise ship of the Freedom class which entered regular service in May 2007. It was initially announced that she would be called Endeavour of the Seas, however this name was later substituted. The 15-deck ship accommodates 4,370 passengers...
sailed on her
maiden voyageThe maiden voyage of a ship, aircraft or other craft is the first journey made by the craft after shakedown. A number of traditions and superstitions are associated with it....
on May 19, 2007. The third ship of the class,
Independence of the SeasMS Independence of the Seas is a Freedom class cruise ship operated by the Royal Caribbean cruise line that entered service in April 2008. The 15-deck ship can accommodate 4,370 passengers served by 1,360 crew. She was built in the Aker Finnyards drydock in Turku, Finland, builder of Freedom of...
, was delivered and started work out of Southampton in April 2008.
New features of the Freedom Class include the
FlowRiderA FlowRider
® is an artificial sheet wave surfing environment incorporated in many waterparks and hotels. It was originally invented by Tom Lochtefeld, a surfer, for the Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort in New Braunfels, Texas....
surf park, cantilevered whirlpools, an ice-skating rink, a full-size boxing ring, and the H20 Zone waterpark.
On 3 March 2008 Aker and Royal Caribbean announced a
memorandum of agreementA memorandum of agreement or cooperative agreement is a document written between parties to cooperatively work together on an agreed upon project or meet an agreed upon objective. The purpose of an MOA is to have a written understanding of the agreement between parties.An MOA is a good tool to use...
for a fourth ship in the class, subject to board approval and finalization of terms and conditions.
Ships
- entered service June 2006 - entered service May 2007 - entered service May 2008
- A possible fourth ship announced 3 March 2008, to be delivered 2011 if realized
Destinations
Liberty of the Seas and
Freedom of the Seas sail alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries from their departure port of Miami,
FloridaFlorida is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the north. It was the 27th state admitted to the United States...
while
Independence of the Seas will sail European and Mediterranean itineraries while alternating with the Caribbean itineraries during the winter.
Features
- Restaurants: Sorrentos Pizzeria, Buffett, 3-Story Traditional Dining, Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, Portofino Italian Restaurant, Chops Grille Steak House
- Sports: Rock Climbing, Full Boxing Ring, Ice Skating Rink, Surfing, Mini Golf, Golf Simulator, Sports Pool, Gym, Running Track, Full Basketball Court (Converts to Full Volleyball Court)
- Adults: Spa, Adults Only Solarium, Adults Only Whirlpools, Nightclubs and Bars
- Children/Teens: Fuel - Teen only nightclub, The Living Room - A place for teens to hang out
External links