MS Freedom of the Seas is a cruise ship operated by Royal Caribbean International. She is the namesake of Royal Caribbean's Freedom class, and can accommodate 3,634 passengers and 1,300 crew ^[3] on fifteen passenger decks. The vessel also has 4 crew decks below the waterline. Freedom of the Seas was the largest passenger ship ever built (by gross tonnage) from 2006 until construction of her sister ship, Liberty of the Seas in 2007.

Quick Facts History, Bahamas ...

Freedom of the Seas in Port Canaveral, Florida in 2016, after her 2015 refurbishment
History
Bahamas
Name	Freedom of the Seas
Owner	Royal Caribbean Group[1]
Operator	Royal Caribbean International
Port of registry	Nassau,  Bahamas
Route	San Juan, Puerto Rico & Caribbean
Ordered	September 18, 2003[1]
Builder	Aker Yards Turku Shipyard, Finland
Cost	US$800 million
Yard number	52
Laid down	November 9, 2004
Launched	August 19, 2005[1]
Christened	May 12, 2006
Completed	April 24, 2006[1]
Maiden voyage	4 June 2006 (Caribbean)
In service	2006–present
Identification	Call sign: C6UZ7 IMO number: 9304033 DNV ID: 25177 MMSI number: 309906000
Status	In service
General characteristics
Class and type	Freedom-class cruise ship
Tonnage	156,271 GT (2015-present)[1] 154,407 GT (2006-2015)[2]
Length	338.774 m (1,111.46 ft)[1]
Beam	38.60 m (126.64 ft) waterline 56.08 m (184 ft) extreme (bridge wings)
Height	63.70 m (209 ft)
Draught	9.026 m (29.61 ft)[1]
Decks	19 total decks, 15 passenger decks
Installed power	6 × Wärtsilä 12V46 (6 × 12,600 kW)
Propulsion	Diesel-electric; Three ABB Azipod units, two azimuthing and one fixed. Four bow thrusters
Speed	21.6 knots (40.0 km/h; 24.9 mph)[2]
Capacity	3,782 (double occupancy) 4,515 (maximum occupancy)[3]
Crew	1,360

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Freedom of the Seas was built at the Aker Yards Turku Shipyard, Finland, which built the ships of the Voyager class as well as the other ships of the Freedom class. Upon her completion in 2006, she became the largest passenger ship ever built, taking the record from Queen Mary 2 (QM2), an ocean liner.

Freedom of the Seas is 2.4 metres (7 ft 10 in) narrower than QM2 at the waterline, 6 metres (19 ft 8 in) shorter, has 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) less draft, is 8.3 metres (27 ft 3 in) less tall and 8 knots (15 km/h) slower. Freedom of the Seas however is the larger ship in terms of gross tonnage. Its gross tonnage as verified by Det Norske Veritas, a Norwegian marine classification society, was 154,407 GT,^[4] compared with QM2's 148,528 GT.^[5][6] Freedom of the Seas had the highest gross tonnage of any passenger ship yet built until the 2007 completion of Liberty of the Seas.

The ship has four bow thrusters.^[7] When at sea Freedom of the Seas consumes approximately 12,800 kg (28,200 lb) of fuel per hour.^[8]

The ship has an interior promenade 136 m (445 ft) long called the "Royal Promenade".^[15]

The ship has three swimming areas: an interactive water park, a dedicated adult pool, and the main pool. Deck 13 has a sports area with a rock climbing wall, the FlowRider surf simulator, a miniature golf course and a full size basketball court. Other items include an ice skating rink, a casino and a three-deck-high broadway-style theater. Many of the ship's interiors were extensively decorated by muralist Clarissa Parish.^[16]

The ship docked at Blohm und Voss in Hamburg, Germany on 17 April 2006 to repair a damaged bearing in one of the three Azipod propulsion units and some minor modifications prior to her official handover to Royal Caribbean International on 24 April 2006. She then visited Oslo, Norway before sailing for Southampton, England. The ship sailed on its first transatlantic crossing on 3 May 2006.

Freedom of the Seas arrived in New York Harbor, United States, for her official naming ceremony on May 12, 2006 which was broadcast live on NBC's The Today Show from Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne, New Jersey (the ship's official New York berth), and thereafter traveled to Boston for the weekend of May 19–22. The ship's godmother was selected as Katherine Louise Calder, a Portland, Oregon foster care provider.^[17] She began operations out of Miami with her first cruise and maiden voyage on 4 June, sailing to western Caribbean locations.

On 4 May 2009, Freedom of the Seas moved her home port from the Port of Miami-Dade to Port Canaveral. The ship underwent her first dry dock refurbishment in March 2011.^[18] In January 2015, the ship underwent another 24-day dry dock. During the dry dock some new interior passenger cabins were added.^[19]

In winter 2016, Freedom of the Seas repositioned to Port Everglades, from where she undertook cruises in the Caribbean.^[20] After homeporting in Barcelona in the spring and summer of 2017, Freedom of the Seas returned to Port Everglades. In May 2018, she commenced sailing Southern Caribbean sailings out of San Juan, Puerto Rico until April 2021.

Freedom of the Seas underwent a $116 million dry dock in early 2020.^[21]