Disclosure: I received this trip in exchange for sharing my honest opinion.
After our amazing time at Universal Orlando Resort and Parks, we began our trek to our home away from home for the next seven days via the newly renovated Freedom of the Seas from Royal Caribbean International. We took a shuttle bus that took about 45 minutes and once we got there we had to go through the main line to get all checked in to the cruise. This is where you get your SeaPass card which is basically your ID, your wallet and room key all in one. We got all situated on the boat around 1 PM and immediately hit up the Windjammer which is a buffet that is practically always open and packed with so many different options. It was so nice to be able to eat right away!
This is the Windjammer, which is a the buffet. It is surrounded by windows so lots of beautiful views!
Oh and this is the carpet from the elevator that they change out everyday, which I absolutely love for our photo albums:
First off here is our room, it is for four people with a big (king?) bed and a pull out out sofa sleeper. Yep there is bathroom with a shower too. We had a balcony as well.
So much storage!
After we ate we of course had to explore the pools which there are four of them plus the splash park area. Our room was our next stop. We brought our bathing suits in our carry-on bag so we could swim right away luckily since our luggage hadn’t been delivered yet. There are tons of hot tubs as well but we spent all of our time in the pools. (If you want time away from kids, there is a pool just for adults.)
First ice cream of course, the first of many:
We even got to see some DreamWorks characters for the Sail Away Party:
I could have sat in the room all day and just enjoyed the balcony but the kids had other plans.
We also checked out the Award-Winning Adventure Ocean Youth Program which is for kids ages 3-11 years old. Kids ages 6-36 months have the Royal Babies & Tots which is an additional fee, but for ages 3 and up kids are free. Have a tween or teen? Yep they have their own area as well! Each age group has their own room and activities available. I admit I was worried about leaving my kids there, thinking they wouldn’t want to be without us and because my middle son has egg/nut allergies but my kids honestly would have spent every minute in their Adventure Ocean clubs if they could.
Every night there is a live show and then dinner. You can choose to eat in the Windjammer if you want but we ate in the main dinning room at our assigned table every night. You do get seated with strangers which I think is fun! For dinner you receive a specific menu eat night but you can order as many appetizers, entrees and desserts as you’d like. They are smaller portions so you won’t really have leftovers, so don’t feel bad ordering something else.
Some of our food:
Other choices for dinner are the speciality restaurants on the ship which do cost a little extra, but are unlimited as well. They are more of an intimate restaurant rather than a huge dinning room with a thousand people! We ended up eating at two of them later in our trip, which I’ll share later on.
At the end of the day, I admit I was wiped out but it was just the first day and I was ready for more fun. My kids were just in awe of everything on the ship and couldn’t stop talking about everything until they literally crashed in the bed. Our cruise had four port stops and two full days at sea.
Our itinerary:
So up next was our full day at sea, which yes there is a lot more to do then eat and swim!
Stay Connected:
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You can read more about the Royal Caribbean International® and Universal Orlando® Resort vacation package and plan your family’s amazing vacation.
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Wow. That almost makes me want to go on a cruise ship. Such a lot to see and do and new foods to try, people to meet..... what fun!
What a fantastic cruise. I would love to go there. Very nice photos by the way.
Wow, how were you able to review a cruise? It looks like so much fun. I really like how they change the carpet in the elevator every day. Your room looks like a good size too. I hope you all continue to have a wonderful time.
Wow, looks like an amazing trip :) I want to go! haha
Cher,
Hi! The room looked nice! Sounds like your family had an awesome time.
Looks like you guys had a great time! The room looks comfortable!
What a wonderful cruise! I'd love to be there one day.
The rooms looks pretty nice for being on a boat. I have never seen inside one before. Look like you had a lot of fun.