We did the Independence in 22. Just got off carnival Vista this weekend. The freedom class are quite a bit larger than the Vista and the Vista is still enormous. Plus the freedom has a far less cramped interior design i.e. bars, halls, entertainer venues. We now have freedom booked Oct of 25😊
@@nicholasdonin1465 You’ll love Freedom! It’s basically the same ship as Indy and they’re both in about the same condition. We sailed on both over the last year and they were great cruises.
Went on Freedom in late 2022 and loved it. I will say those bridge dances in the promenade were pretty hilarious though. Certainly made for ridiculously fun people-watching while I sipped on a cocktail off in the corner.
@@CruisingKat I just remember that the guy who was the center of the firefighter show was also the guy who took care of our beds in our state room. It was wild going from checking in and requesting room service, to seeing him dance half-naked as a firefighter LOL
Just watched your wedding video on your channel. So beautiful! Love the moment when that garter hit the groomsman in the face 😂. You guys look so happy there. Keep it up 😊
2 місяці тому
@@CruisingKat awwwww thank you! We had a blast and that was actually on the Carnival Sunrise ship! Needless to say, we love cruising! 🥰
I’m on the freedom as I pulled up this video and I can not be happier for the money I paid I been on all the oasis boats I was a little nervous to go down a size don’t regret it
So glad to hear you're loving your cruise! Freedom class has been one of our favorites for a while, especially when we didn't want to have too big of a ship. Enjoy your cruise!
We sailed on Independence this spring and really loved it. My wife and I are sailing on Freedom this Dec then onto Oasis with the kids after. Can’t wait.
@@CruisingKat the Independence is a perfect size in my opinion but we haven’t sailed anything bigger. We’re looking forward to the Oasis class but probably won’t see our kids much except at dinner.
I sailed on Indy in 2020 just before Covid. The balcony cabin was supposed to sleep 4 adults, but my 13 and 15 year old teenagers had to share a tiny sofa bed and their feet were out of it... we sailed on Harmony and Symphony and the sofa bed was long enough... Still, we loved it and prefer the freedom class ships but the newer ships have better sofa-beds...
@@sianna1883 Thank you for adding that point! We haven’t sailed with four people in a cabin on this class ship so it’s good info to know. Once our kids got into teen years, we started getting two connecting cabins so we could have our sanity... 🤣 and 2 bathrooms. Kudos to you for being able to do it with 2 teenagers 😁.
We were on the Adventure of the Sea in May and loved it ! Casino was very tight but is was a great cruise , we like the mid size ships much better the the over crowded big ships
@@thomaslower5375 I’m with you on that. For a nice quiet getaway for the two of us, we find even smaller ships like Vision enjoyable. No crowds, no stress… 😂. Glad you enjoyed your cruise! I haven’t been on the Adventure in about 10 years. How is she holding up? Still in good shape?
Having been on both the Freedom Class and Oasis Class multiple times, I can say this video is spot on. The only thing I prefer on the Freedom class is the large top deck with pool. The Oasis class top deck is split up in sections, so everything feels disconnected.
Thank you! We've sailed on both of these classes many times and they each have pros and cons. Ultimately, they both serve a different purpose so it's a good thing to have choices. 😊
Have sailed on 90/120,135 and 160 ton (like Freedom) as well as the 245 ton ships. They are all good, unique ships. One should experience them all and decide which is right for them for that cruise.
I agree! We also find that different size ships work better depending on the type of vacation we want to have. If we want a nice quiet cruise, a smaller ship is better. For a fun cruise with a group of friends, a larger one is better. Thankfully, there are so many choices!
They were our favorite class ship even after Oasis class came out. Oasis felt too big and going back on Freedom class felt like coming home every time 😁
Glad you enjoyed your Freedom cruises! Food can vary based based on the actual crew members working in the kitchen during each sailing. After going through the kitchen galley tour a couple of times, I have no idea how they manage to make food good at all when they are cooking for thousands of people at each sitting, lol.
Me and my fiancé sailed on the allure two weeks ago We’re going back on the allure in a little over a month We’re going to try one of the freedom class ships after our next sailing as more of a laid-back Atmosphere
We're going on Allure in January too. I'm not sure how laid-back you want it to be but Freedom's feel is going to be very similar to Allure - a lot of families and people that like to have fun. It's a great ship but it's not much "slower" than Oasis class. If you want a truly laid-back vacation, a smaller ship would be calmer. But that would also mean an older ship if you're going on Royal. All are good options and just depend on what you're looking for.
@@michaelplunkett8059 That’s a nice class ship, especially for port heavy cruises. We sailed on Explorer (Navigator’s sister ship) for our Alaska cruise and it was perfect for that.
Hi and thank you for the great video, We have been on the Liberty 3 times and We have really enjoyed it. Going on the Freedom for the first time in October 2024. We invited some friends, first time cruisers, and we are worry if it would be a good cruise for them. What do you think? Any recommendations?
@@venezuelaentexas3456 I think you will really like Freedom. It is more updated than Liberty right now and I think, it is a good ship for first time cruisers. While there’s a lot of marketing going on for big ships, many people don’t like them and find them overwhelming. Freedom of the seas is a perfect midsize ship between the smallest classes and the huge mega ships. So your friends will be able to sample most of the things that cruise ships have available and then decide if they would like to have a bigger mega ship experience or a smaller quiet cruise. We find that we like all class ships depending on a specific vacation we’re looking for at the time.
Going on the Freedom in October as well. Biggest ship I have been on is the Allure. I have enjoyed the atmosphere of the Royal Caribbean ships compared to the other cruise lines. First time on the Freedom, looking forward to it. Eastern Caribbean, Oct 27.
@@amrusanieramsaran5650 Freedom is noticeably smaller than Allure but we also find we like that more sometimes. Much easier to get around, less crowds, and less planning needed. 😂 Enjoy your cruise!
Thank you for commenting! Most people will leave comments when they have a negative experience but not a good one. Not that I have a stake in the game, lol. RCCL doesn't even know this video exists. But I am here to try to help other cruisers make educated decisions so additional input really helps.
This ship is literally falling apart. The very first day the pool was filthy and it had so many resurfacing spots in it it was ridiculous. Tile was cracking around it it looked like they hadn't cleaned anything. The elevators didn't work on both ends and they knew about it but they still let people be crammed in there anyway and even as we hit the emergency button when it wouldn't take us to the floor and people were sweating there was no staff to come to our rescue. They put three of us over 60 and one of us was 87 in a room with bunk beds. You spend half your trip at Guest Services trying to rectify the manor and you just get the run around constantly. The Wi-Fi on the ship didn't work properly and what we were promised as in compensation never happened. And it was just a week ago I got off the ship I'll never go back it was a piece of junk and so was the service
So sorry to hear you had such a bad experience! The ship is definitely aging and it's going to dry dock refurbishment in December of this year. Hopefully, they can fix it up nicely. Obviously, it's still going to be an older ship but they can definitely fix the things that are broken and get it a fresh look. No excuse for bad service though. ☹️
@@CruisingKatan update since I've been home they've double charged me for things and what Kelson as the manager of guest services told me that I would not be charged for Wi-Fi that didn't work. He charged me for Wi-Fi and then deny he ever told me that. I even took a picture of it on the screen before I left on the ship and he changed it after the fact. Total scumbags in this whole line I would not cruise with them
I've seen enough old farts bitch about the most inane, arbitrary shit on cruises, to take your word for it. We just did the Independence, the twin ship and it was excellent. We just finished carnival Vista this last weekend, it was also fantastic, and I still witnessed old jerks bitch and moan. You wanna act miserable, you'll only attract misery.
And no but let me tell you cruising cat that it's more than that they charged me after the cruise for things I never agree to or used and when I filed a bank dispute they lied about it. This this ship was not well maintained in any sense. Everything was falling apart the tiles the pool surface the elevators didn't work everywhere you look the whole thing was coming apart it was a piece of junk so to say that they're maintaining these I don't know what you're cruising on but it's not this one or you have very low standards no offense @@CruisingKat
I appreciated your video and found in informative. However Freedom and Independence are not sister ships. Grandeur is a Vision Class ship built in 1996 while Freedom, Independence and Liberty are Freedom class ships with the Freedom being launched in 2006.
Thank you and I’m glad you found the video informative! 😁 Sorry, I’m slightly confused by the rest of the comment that says that Freedom and Independence are not sister ships, but then you mentioned that they’re both in Freedom class. I’ve always seen sister ships being defined as ships belonging to the same class. Maybe there’s another way to look at it. Either way, those two are nearly identical and, while being older, they’re still a good option for cruising.
@@joseruiz9290 Yes, they are definitely dated. There is not much they can do to make it look completely new. They can paint it, change carpets, but it’s still an old ship. Kinda like an old house… no amount of remodeling will make it look like a brand new one.
This is 2024 August and I can tell you this ship is decidedly run down the pool needs resurfacing and it's filthy in general they're not even keeping it up anymore. Tiles are cracking showers are falling apart inside a pipe broke over my bedroom and the customer service and guest Services is terrible. They tell you one thing in person but once you're off the ship they'll change it on your account and you have no recourse and no way to contact them directly so don't fall for it make sure you get it in writing while you're sitting there and if they can't back it up they're freaking lying to you like they did to me. There were so many things Rusty on this ship that the fact that she's saying they put a hundred million into restoration is an absolute joke
So sorry to hear that you had a bad experience! We definitely saw that the ship is aging but have not experiences any major functional problems on it. Royal Caribbean refurbishes its ships every 5 years and Freedom is currently scheduled for dry dock refurbishment in a few months - in December 2024. It was last in dry dock in 2020. Hopefully, they'll spruce it up nicely.
I’d rather pay more to keep the lower element off of these cruises because all they do is ruin vacations for everyone else by being loud, obnoxious and disrespectful. Let them go on Carnival.
We did the Independence in 22.
Just got off carnival Vista this weekend.
The freedom class are quite a bit larger than the Vista and the Vista is still enormous.
Plus the freedom has a far less cramped interior design i.e. bars, halls, entertainer venues.
We now have freedom booked Oct of 25😊
@@nicholasdonin1465 You’ll love Freedom! It’s basically the same ship as Indy and they’re both in about the same condition. We sailed on both over the last year and they were great cruises.
Went on Freedom in late 2022 and loved it. I will say those bridge dances in the promenade were pretty hilarious though. Certainly made for ridiculously fun people-watching while I sipped on a cocktail off in the corner.
Haha! Yes, the Promenade parties on Freedom are always fun. Whether you want to just watch or do the silly dances 😂
@@CruisingKat I just remember that the guy who was the center of the firefighter show was also the guy who took care of our beds in our state room. It was wild going from checking in and requesting room service, to seeing him dance half-naked as a firefighter LOL
Yep! Love it! Where else will you get that but on a cruise? 🚢
Sailing on Freedom this Sunday 9/22 for my 1-year wedding anniversary! We're so excited! 🤩
Happy anniversary! And have an amazing trip 😁
Just watched your wedding video on your channel. So beautiful! Love the moment when that garter hit the groomsman in the face 😂. You guys look so happy there. Keep it up 😊
@@CruisingKat awwwww thank you! We had a blast and that was actually on the Carnival Sunrise ship! Needless to say, we love cruising! 🥰
my first cruise was on this ship out of port Canaveral in 2015!! its been 'amped' since then, and im now 14 cruises deep!!
@@LEO..TV.. Nice! We’ve been on it a bunch over the last 10 years too. It’s holding up well.
I’m on the freedom as I pulled up this video and I can not be happier for the money I paid I been on all the oasis boats I was a little nervous to go down a size don’t regret it
So glad to hear you're loving your cruise! Freedom class has been one of our favorites for a while, especially when we didn't want to have too big of a ship. Enjoy your cruise!
We sailed on Independence this spring and really loved it. My wife and I are sailing on Freedom this Dec then onto Oasis with the kids after. Can’t wait.
@@ThatGuyRy1122 we love both of those classes of ships!
@@CruisingKat the Independence is a perfect size in my opinion but we haven’t sailed anything bigger. We’re looking forward to the Oasis class but probably won’t see our kids much except at dinner.
I sailed on Indy in 2020 just before Covid. The balcony cabin was supposed to sleep 4 adults, but my 13 and 15 year old teenagers had to share a tiny sofa bed and their feet were out of it... we sailed on Harmony and Symphony and the sofa bed was long enough... Still, we loved it and prefer the freedom class ships but the newer ships have better sofa-beds...
@@sianna1883 Thank you for adding that point! We haven’t sailed with four people in a cabin on this class ship so it’s good info to know. Once our kids got into teen years, we started getting two connecting cabins so we could have our sanity... 🤣 and 2 bathrooms. Kudos to you for being able to do it with 2 teenagers 😁.
We were on the Adventure of the Sea in May and loved it ! Casino was very tight but is was a great cruise , we like the mid size ships much better the the over crowded big ships
@@thomaslower5375 I’m with you on that. For a nice quiet getaway for the two of us, we find even smaller ships like Vision enjoyable. No crowds, no stress… 😂. Glad you enjoyed your cruise! I haven’t been on the Adventure in about 10 years. How is she holding up? Still in good shape?
Thank you for covering mobility issues
Absolutely!
Having been on both the Freedom Class and Oasis Class multiple times, I can say this video is spot on. The only thing I prefer on the Freedom class is the large top deck with pool. The Oasis class top deck is split up in sections, so everything feels disconnected.
Thank you! We've sailed on both of these classes many times and they each have pros and cons. Ultimately, they both serve a different purpose so it's a good thing to have choices. 😊
Freedom was the first ship my wife and I sailed on, some years ago and we will be sailing this September.
@@Aquatogo1 Enjoy your cruise! She is a great ship 🚢😁
So are we. Sept 8th
@@cynthiawolfe3419 Enjoy your cruise! A lot of fun things to do on this ship 😁
@@cynthiawolfe3419 we board Sept. 1
Have sailed on 90/120,135 and 160 ton (like Freedom) as well as the 245 ton ships. They are all good, unique ships. One should experience them all and decide which is right for them for that cruise.
I agree! We also find that different size ships work better depending on the type of vacation we want to have. If we want a nice quiet cruise, a smaller ship is better. For a fun cruise with a group of friends, a larger one is better. Thankfully, there are so many choices!
I love Freedom Class ships
They were our favorite class ship even after Oasis class came out. Oasis felt too big and going back on Freedom class felt like coming home every time 😁
I enjoyed freedom the two times I went 7/23 and 7/24. I think the second time the food wasn’t as great but I had a ball both times
Glad you enjoyed your Freedom cruises! Food can vary based based on the actual crew members working in the kitchen during each sailing. After going through the kitchen galley tour a couple of times, I have no idea how they manage to make food good at all when they are cooking for thousands of people at each sitting, lol.
Me and my fiancé sailed on the allure two weeks ago We’re going back on the allure in a little over a month We’re going to try one of the freedom class ships after our next sailing as more of a laid-back Atmosphere
We're going on Allure in January too. I'm not sure how laid-back you want it to be but Freedom's feel is going to be very similar to Allure - a lot of families and people that like to have fun. It's a great ship but it's not much "slower" than Oasis class. If you want a truly laid-back vacation, a smaller ship would be calmer. But that would also mean an older ship if you're going on Royal. All are good options and just depend on what you're looking for.
@ we’re going again in January on the 6 through the 10th
We’ll be there a coupe weeks after that. Enjoy your cruise! 😁
Excellent video. Thank you.
Thank you!!
Loved Navigator of the Seas. No desire for larger.
@@michaelplunkett8059 That’s a nice class ship, especially for port heavy cruises. We sailed on Explorer (Navigator’s sister ship) for our Alaska cruise and it was perfect for that.
I love you! Your videos are terrific - you have a new subscriber! 😃
@@davidtavakoli5858 Thank you so much!! I’m so glad to hear you’re enjoying these videos 😊
Did Indpendence of the seas in August and it was beautiful
Indy is a great ship!
Hi and thank you for the great video, We have been on the Liberty 3 times and We have really enjoyed it. Going on the Freedom for the first time in October 2024. We invited some friends, first time cruisers, and we are worry if it would be a good cruise for them. What do you think? Any recommendations?
@@venezuelaentexas3456 I think you will really like Freedom. It is more updated than Liberty right now and I think, it is a good ship for first time cruisers. While there’s a lot of marketing going on for big ships, many people don’t like them and find them overwhelming. Freedom of the seas is a perfect midsize ship between the smallest classes and the huge mega ships. So your friends will be able to sample most of the things that cruise ships have available and then decide if they would like to have a bigger mega ship experience or a smaller quiet cruise. We find that we like all class ships depending on a specific vacation we’re looking for at the time.
@@CruisingKat Thank you and yes, we are expecting to have a good time onboard the Freedom...
Going on the Freedom in October as well. Biggest ship I have been on is the Allure. I have enjoyed the atmosphere of the Royal Caribbean ships compared to the other cruise lines. First time on the Freedom, looking forward to it. Eastern Caribbean, Oct 27.
@@amrusanieramsaran5650 We are going on Oct 13th... Eastern C as well...
@@amrusanieramsaran5650 Freedom is noticeably smaller than Allure but we also find we like that more sometimes. Much easier to get around, less crowds, and less planning needed. 😂 Enjoy your cruise!
This is still my favorite class ship.
Oldie but goodie 😊
I have and it was so much fun
Thank you for commenting! Most people will leave comments when they have a negative experience but not a good one. Not that I have a stake in the game, lol. RCCL doesn't even know this video exists. But I am here to try to help other cruisers make educated decisions so additional input really helps.
loved it was on 1/27 and going again 8/18
@@mmsocialmedia926 We keep sailing on her too. Great ship! 🛳️
This ship is literally falling apart. The very first day the pool was filthy and it had so many resurfacing spots in it it was ridiculous. Tile was cracking around it it looked like they hadn't cleaned anything. The elevators didn't work on both ends and they knew about it but they still let people be crammed in there anyway and even as we hit the emergency button when it wouldn't take us to the floor and people were sweating there was no staff to come to our rescue. They put three of us over 60 and one of us was 87 in a room with bunk beds. You spend half your trip at Guest Services trying to rectify the manor and you just get the run around constantly. The Wi-Fi on the ship didn't work properly and what we were promised as in compensation never happened. And it was just a week ago I got off the ship I'll never go back it was a piece of junk and so was the service
So sorry to hear you had such a bad experience! The ship is definitely aging and it's going to dry dock refurbishment in December of this year. Hopefully, they can fix it up nicely. Obviously, it's still going to be an older ship but they can definitely fix the things that are broken and get it a fresh look. No excuse for bad service though. ☹️
@@CruisingKatan update since I've been home they've double charged me for things and what Kelson as the manager of guest services told me that I would not be charged for Wi-Fi that didn't work. He charged me for Wi-Fi and then deny he ever told me that. I even took a picture of it on the screen before I left on the ship and he changed it after the fact. Total scumbags in this whole line I would not cruise with them
I've seen enough old farts bitch about the most inane, arbitrary shit on cruises, to take your word for it. We just did the Independence, the twin ship and it was excellent.
We just finished carnival Vista this last weekend, it was also fantastic, and I still witnessed old jerks bitch and moan.
You wanna act miserable, you'll only attract misery.
And no but let me tell you cruising cat that it's more than that they charged me after the cruise for things I never agree to or used and when I filed a bank dispute they lied about it. This this ship was not well maintained in any sense. Everything was falling apart the tiles the pool surface the elevators didn't work everywhere you look the whole thing was coming apart it was a piece of junk so to say that they're maintaining these I don't know what you're cruising on but it's not this one or you have very low standards no offense @@CruisingKat
I want on liberty of the seas
I like the freedom class
Me too!
I haven't been on a ocean cruise ship yet. I'm 31 and I'm waiting for my parents to give me permission to go.
You should try it soon!
Freedom is fine but royal is charging too much for everything these days
@@markr7131 Yes, prices have really been going up. But the demand is there and people are willing to pay so they’ll keep charging more.
I traveled freedom one time but I will do it again in 2025
It's still a great ship with a lot to offer. Enjoy your cruise!
I appreciated your video and found in informative. However Freedom and Independence are not sister ships. Grandeur is a Vision Class ship built in 1996 while Freedom, Independence and Liberty are Freedom class ships with the Freedom being launched in 2006.
Thank you and I’m glad you found the video informative! 😁 Sorry, I’m slightly confused by the rest of the comment that says that Freedom and Independence are not sister ships, but then you mentioned that they’re both in Freedom class. I’ve always seen sister ships being defined as ships belonging to the same class. Maybe there’s another way to look at it. Either way, those two are nearly identical and, while being older, they’re still a good option for cruising.
🙏🦆I like this ship it go to ports that Icon and Oasis can't go to 🦆🙏
Yes! That's a big plus for Freedom class ships.
The ships ate in good condition but the rooms look dated 😮
@@joseruiz9290 Yes, they are definitely dated. There is not much they can do to make it look completely new. They can paint it, change carpets, but it’s still an old ship. Kinda like an old house… no amount of remodeling will make it look like a brand new one.
Freedom of the seas was great
Awesome! Glad to hear you liked it.
This is 2024 August and I can tell you this ship is decidedly run down the pool needs resurfacing and it's filthy in general they're not even keeping it up anymore. Tiles are cracking showers are falling apart inside a pipe broke over my bedroom and the customer service and guest Services is terrible. They tell you one thing in person but once you're off the ship they'll change it on your account and you have no recourse and no way to contact them directly so don't fall for it make sure you get it in writing while you're sitting there and if they can't back it up they're freaking lying to you like they did to me. There were so many things Rusty on this ship that the fact that she's saying they put a hundred million into restoration is an absolute joke
So sorry to hear that you had a bad experience! We definitely saw that the ship is aging but have not experiences any major functional problems on it. Royal Caribbean refurbishes its ships every 5 years and Freedom is currently scheduled for dry dock refurbishment in a few months - in December 2024. It was last in dry dock in 2020. Hopefully, they'll spruce it up nicely.
I’d rather pay more to keep the lower element off of these cruises because all they do is ruin vacations for everyone else by being loud, obnoxious and disrespectful. Let them go on Carnival.
Yes, we've seen some rowdy crowds on this class ship, especially on the 3 day weekend cruises.
If someone thinks Freedom is too old then what do they think about Vision class? 😂😂😂
They think Vision class is ancient! 😂