Freedom of the Seas has long been one of my personal favorite ships and now that is has received it’s $116 million dollar amplification, its definitely one of the stars of Royal Caribbean’s already insanely family friendly ships! For more information on the amplification process read our blog post What Does it Mean if a Royal Caribbean Ship Has Been Amp’d Up?

Freedom of the Seas is so family friendly, that the ship’s Godmother, Katherine Louise Calder, was a foster mother to over 400 children in the Portland, Oregon area!

We wrote this article to help you plan the most amazing cruise on Freedom of the Seas so we’re going to walk through:

• Amplification Improvements

• Kids and Family Activities

• Dining Options

• Covid Testing

• Unique Staterooms

• Packing

• What moms have to say about Freedom of the Seas

Freedom of the Seas will be making stops at Perfect Day at CocoCay so you can check out more information on Perfect Day at CocoCay Basics and on cabanas in our post Should We Book a Cabana For Our Family at CocoCay?

Amplification

The amplification of Freedom of the Seas brought loads of new adventures and activities for kids! They upgraded the water area for kids from an H20 Zone to a full fledged Splashaway Bay complete with expanded sections for diapered and potty trained kids. Splashaway Bay features colorful slides, water canons, fountains and, of course, a drench bucket! On the side that is available to potty trained kids, the minimum height requirement for the slide is 42 inches. Splashaway Bay has typically been open for all day fun but is currently operating on a modified schedule.

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Another family favorite arriving on deck is The Perfect Storm- an intertwined pair of slides, aptly named Typhoon and Cyclone, where you can race down to the bottom! On Freedom of the Seas and Adventure of the Seas, The Perfect Storm is made up of the two slides, Typhoon and Cyclone but on Oasis, Symphony, and Harmony, a third slide has been added to The Perfect Storm called Supercell and on Liberty of the Seas the third slide in The Perfect Storm is called The Tidal Wave where riders board a raft to experience the first boomerang slide at sea! The minimum height for The Perfect Storm is 48 inches but the maximum weight requirements vary so you’ll have to check when you board your ship.

Another fun addition for families is Laser Tag: Clash for the Crystal City. In a 15 minute laser tag experience, guests enter a glow in the dark universe that has been thrust into a winter night leaving only two forms of life behind- Yetis, the highly intelligent mountain beasts, and Snowshifters, mysterious mountain creatures that can shapeshift. Participants are either Yetis or Snowshifters and the two clans battle it out to reclaim the magical ice city. Guests must be at least 5 years old to participate and 40 inches tall. Laser tag can be booked in advance through your Cruise Planner or onboard at the Onboard Box Office.

Kids and Teen Activities

Your big kids WILL NOT be bored on Freedom of the Seas. Ok, lets get real, we’re moms. I wont guarantee they wont get bored. That’s what teens do sometimes- get bored and are too cool for school, right? But Royal Caribbean has provided a literal boatload of things to keep them busy and having a blast, even if they may not admit it!

Adventure Ocean- Adventure Ocean is Royal Caribbean’s top notch children’s program. This space was completely reimagined during the amplification and now features open play spaces and immersive adventures including the Play Place, the Arena, and the Hangout which offers them a more chill space to just cool down and take a quiet moment if they need to. Parents are currently able to sign up for 4 sessions on the day they board. The number of sessions and time limit for sessions vary depending on how many kids are on each sailing. Kids 2 and older are required to wear masks in the kids club. With the new amplification we are also seeing a rebranding of Adventure Ocean- they now offer Adventure Ocean Babies and Adventure Ocean Junior and then teen programming, so you may not see the name “Royal Babies and Tots used but don’t stress! The services are there.

For kids ages 3-11 there is no charge for child care, except from 10pm-2am, which is $7/hour, and we have seen charged in 30 minute increments, so $3.50/30 minutes. Adventure Ocean Babies charges $6/hour for day time hours then switches to $8/hour at 6pm. If you don’t plan to use the services you can still participate in the toy share program where toys can be “checked out” and taken back to your room (not sure how this will function with covid protocols).

Social033- Social033 is the “nightclub” and hangout space for teens. It features their own private deck, plus movies, games, and music.

Escape Room, Observatorium– is another fun family activity! You’ll want to make reservations for this activity in your Cruise Planner or onboard! There is a cost associated with this activity. Unfortunately, the Escape Room is not currently operating due to social distancing, but keep an eye open for its return.

And of course, no ship would be complete without an awesome arcade!

Another free activity for older kids is the International Scavenger hunt that can be completed over several days.

You won’t lack exciting activities on Freedom!

You’ll also find, at no charge:

• FlowRider

• Mini Golf

• Rock Climbing Wall

• Sports Court

• Outdoor Movie Screen

Dining

Kids are allowed to order off the main menus in the main Dining Room, but there are also kids menus available.

Ages 0-5 are complimentary in the specialty restaurants and children 6-12 are $10.

What You Need to Know About Covid Testing and Requirements to Sail

The absolute best place to stay informed with the most up to date and accurate information for your sailing can be found in the Healthy Sail Center on Royal Caribbean’s website. Unvaccinated kids will have additional testing, require additional insurance, and be limited to Royal Caribbean excursions (parents of unvaccinated children will also be limited to Royal Caribbean excursions).

Getting Ready to Cruise: Here’s everything you need to know before your vacation — from vaccination and testing requirements to checking in, and other steps to help ensure a smooth boarding day experience.

All unvaccinated guests will need to register for testing via an email that will be sent before you sail. It will look something like this:

All testing will be conducted indoors upon arrival at port. We’ve seen kids describe the swab as “tickly” and, coming from someone who worked in pediatrics for many years and has administered tons of PCR tests on kids, I was impressed by the way the clinicians interacted with the kids in the videos I’ve seen!

After you or your child have been swabbed, you will proceed to check in and then you will wait in the terminal for a text message confirmation of your negative test, which takes about 30-45 minutes to process. You will then proceed to a desk to have your results printed and then onto the ship!

Looking to book? Family Friendly Cabins on Freedom of the Seas You May Not Know About

We have an entire article for Freedom Class Family Friendly cabins here as well!

• Forward cabin 8200/8500 1K ultra spacious Family ocean view feels like a full two bedroom because instead of a curtain to the bunk beds they have an actual door and the Royal king bed is in an entirely different room blocked off with a curtain then there’s a small living room so it feels like a 2bedroom suite.

• Forward cabins 9218/9220 and 9518/9520 both connect 3M (ocean view) and 3B( ocean view balcony) categories. These connecting cabins are great for families with 6-8 ppl including those with littles. The balcony cabin connects to the ocean view cabin via interior doors making it a perfect family configuration without worrying about the young ones possibly opening the balcony doors and the adults not giving up the balcony life. Must book 3 minimum in each cabin to book together.

• Another similar configuration to 9218/9220 are 9676/9881 & 9376&9381. These connecting configurations are located in the aft of the ships and they are categories 4V ( Interior) and 4B (ocean view balconies) they can sleep maximum of 4 total maybe 5 if approval with a pack and play for babies under 3. This is another perfect option for those with littles that don’t want them to have access to a balcony while sleeping in the connecting cabin. These also connect inside the cabins maximum 2 per cabin to book cabins together.

• One particular forward facing 1L PANORAMIC OCEAN VIEW is cabin number 1864. It feels like you’re in the VP (category) ocean panoramic suite room without the suite price. But it can only sleep 4 and doesn’t have the bunk beds like the VP but the views are amazing.

Helpful Items to Pack for Your Freedom of the Seas Cruise and What You Can Get From the Ship (Shop our AMAZON STORE)

• Magnetic Hooks and Shower Curtain (shown with pack and play provided by Royal Caribbean)

• High Chairs are available in all dining venues throughout the ship

• Medical grade coolers for breastmilk can be ordered for your room. We recommend putting a request in prior to your boarding.

• a Wet Bag for suits or clothing that gets wet during excursions, etc.

• Collapsible buckets for CocoCay!

• Poo-Pourri Ship Happens!

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What do other moms have to say about Freedom of the Seas?

“My fav ship. Had two cruises on that ship and I love it” Victoria Ferris

“Loved Freedom. Would do it again in a heartbeat if the flight wasn’t so long from the West Coast” Polly Hwang

“Freedom is a great ship! It’s smaller than Oasis but still considered a larger ship! It will be awesome for your family!” Brittany Watson

“Loved the Freedom been on her twice!! My whole family loved it” Sandy Fink

“It’s still a big ship. I preferred it over Oasis. Still lots going on and lots to do.” Jo Lawton

“Sailed freedom in 2016 and we loved her. Bigger ship (our first cruise was on radiance) but not a mega ship. Lots to do, we were never bored (unless we wanted to be!) without the crowds or lines. Never waited anywhere. Sailing harmony soon. It will be our first time on oasis class and I’m a bit apprehensive of the wait-lines. But it’s all part of the experience!” Marjorie PG

“Freedom will always be my favorite. Going back in October. Kids are 15 13 and 8 and they loved it.” Kim Berly

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