MS Freedom of the Seas
Encyclopedia
MS
Freedom of the Seas is a cruise ship
owned and operated by Royal Caribbean International
. It is the namesake of Royal Caribbean's Freedom class cruise ships, and can accommodate 3,634 passengers and 1,300 crew on fifteen passenger decks. Freedom of the Seas was the largest passenger ship
ever built (by gross tonnage
) from 2006 until construction of the Oasis Class ships in late 2009, also owned by Royal Caribbean International
.
drydock in Turku
, Finland
, which also built the other ships of the Freedom Class. Upon its completion, it became the largest passenger ship ever built, taking that honor from Cunard's
RMS Queen Mary 2
.
Freedom of the Seas is 2.4 metres (7.9 ft) narrower than QM2 at the waterline, 6 metres (19.7 ft) shorter, has 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) less draft, is 8.3 metres (27.2 ft) less tall and 10 miles per hour (4.5 m/s) slower. Freedom however is the larger ship in terms of gross tonnage
. While its gross tonnage was estimated to range from to , its official rating by Det Norske Veritas
, a Norwegian marine classification society
, is , compared with QM2's . Freedom of the Seas had the highest gross tonnage of any passenger ship
yet built, until the 2009 completion of the MS Oasis of the seas
.
The ship has three swimming areas
: an interactive water park
, a dedicated adult pool
and the main pool. There are two adults-only whirlpool
s cantilevered out from the ship's sides, the Royal Promenade sports, a coffee shop, Sorrento's Pizzeria, a Ben and Jerry's ice-cream shop, Vintage's winery
, the Bull and Bear Irish pub, and many Duty-free shops. The 13th deck has a sports area with a rock climbing
wall, the FlowRider (an onboard wave generator for surfing), a miniature golf
course and a full size basketball court
. Other items include an ice skating
rink, a casino
, a Johnny Rockets
restaurant, Wi-Fi
capabilities throughout the ship, flat panel
televisions in all staterooms, and cell phone connectivity.
, Germany
on 17 April 2006 to repair a damaged bearing in one of the three Azipod
propulsion units and to put on some of the finishing touches prior to its official handover to Royal Caribbean International on 24 April 2006. It then departed to Oslo
, Norway
on 25 April for official festivities. It then sailed for Southampton
, England
on 27 April and arrived at 9am on 29 April. The ship sailed on its first transatlantic crossing on 3 May 2006.
Freedom of the Seas arrived in New York Harbor
USA
for its official naming ceremony on 12 May 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. It began operations out of Miami
with its first cruise and maiden voyage
on June 4, sailing to western Caribbean
locations in Mexico
, the Cayman Islands
and Jamaica
as well as Labadee
, in Haiti
, one of Royal Caribbean's private resorts.
The added width of the ship is utilized by cantelivered whirlpools in the adults only solarium of the ship. The promenade
, first seen on Royal Caribbean's Voyager-Class in 1999, extends through the upper decks of the ships. This gives most upper level cabins a window, either to the port or starboard side or inwards to the promenade. This design was first used in the cruiseferry
M/S Silja Serenade
in 1990 and its twin ship, M/S Silja Symphony
in 1991.
On May 4, 2009, Freedom of the Seas moved its home port from the Port of Miami-Dade
to Port Canaveral
, where it replaced Mariner of the Seas
.
The ship underwent its first drydock refurbishment in late March 2011, where it received some of the new features found on the Oasis and Allure of the Seas such as new touchscreen
kiosks around the ship as well as making the theater capable of showing 3-D movies.
Motor ship
A motor ship or motor vessel is a ship propelled by an internal combustion engine, usually a diesel engine. The name of motor ships are often prefixed with MS, M/S, MV or M/V.- See also :...
Freedom of the Seas is a cruise ship
Cruise ship
A cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience, as well as the different destinations along the way...
owned and operated by Royal Caribbean International
Royal Caribbean International
Royal Caribbean International is a Norwegian and American cruise line brand based in Miami, Florida and owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.. With 42 ships in service under 5 different brands and one more under construction, it controls a 25.6% share of the world cruise market...
. It is the namesake of Royal Caribbean's Freedom class cruise ships, and can accommodate 3,634 passengers and 1,300 crew on fifteen passenger decks. Freedom of the Seas was the largest passenger ship
Passenger ship
A passenger ship is a ship whose primary function is to carry passengers. The category does not include cargo vessels which have accommodations for limited numbers of passengers, such as the ubiquitous twelve-passenger freighters once common on the seas in which the transport of passengers is...
ever built (by gross tonnage
Gross tonnage
Gross tonnage is a unitless index related to a ship's overall internal volume. Gross tonnage is different from gross register tonnage...
) from 2006 until construction of the Oasis Class ships in late 2009, also owned by Royal Caribbean International
Royal Caribbean International
Royal Caribbean International is a Norwegian and American cruise line brand based in Miami, Florida and owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.. With 42 ships in service under 5 different brands and one more under construction, it controls a 25.6% share of the world cruise market...
.
Construction
The Freedom of the Seas was built at the Aker YardsAker Yards
STX Europe AS, formerly Aker Yards ASA, a subsidiary of the South Korean industrial chaebol STX Corporation, is the largest shipbuilding group in Europe and the fourth largest in the world. With headquarters in Oslo, Norway, STX Europe operates 15 shipyards in Brazil, Finland, France, Norway,...
drydock in Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, which also built the other ships of the Freedom Class. Upon its completion, it became the largest passenger ship ever built, taking that honor from Cunard's
Cunard Line
Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century...
RMS Queen Mary 2
RMS Queen Mary 2
RMS Queen Mary 2 is a transatlantic ocean liner. She was the first major ocean liner built since in 1969, the vessel she succeeded as flagship of the Cunard Line....
.
Freedom of the Seas is 2.4 metres (7.9 ft) narrower than QM2 at the waterline, 6 metres (19.7 ft) shorter, has 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) less draft, is 8.3 metres (27.2 ft) less tall and 10 miles per hour (4.5 m/s) slower. Freedom however is the larger ship in terms of gross tonnage
Gross tonnage
Gross tonnage is a unitless index related to a ship's overall internal volume. Gross tonnage is different from gross register tonnage...
. While its gross tonnage was estimated to range from to , its official rating by Det Norske Veritas
Det Norske Veritas
Stiftelsen Det Norske Veritas is a classification society organized as a foundation, with the objective of "Safeguarding life, property, and the environment". The organization's history goes back to 1864, when the foundation was established in Norway to inspect and evaluate the technical condition...
, a Norwegian marine classification society
Classification society
A classification society is a non-governmental organization that establishes and maintains technical standards for the construction and operation of ships and offshore structures...
, is , compared with QM2's . Freedom of the Seas had the highest gross tonnage of any passenger ship
Passenger ship
A passenger ship is a ship whose primary function is to carry passengers. The category does not include cargo vessels which have accommodations for limited numbers of passengers, such as the ubiquitous twelve-passenger freighters once common on the seas in which the transport of passengers is...
yet built, until the 2009 completion of the MS Oasis of the seas
MS Oasis of the Seas
MS Oasis of the Seas is an Oasis-class cruise ship in the fleet of Royal Caribbean International. The first of her class, she was joined by her sister ship Allure of the Seas in December 2010. Both vessels cruise the Caribbean from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida...
.
Features
The ship has an interior promenade 445 feet (135.6 m) long. The promenade has shops on each side.The ship has three swimming areas
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
: an interactive water park
Water park
A waterpark is an amusement park that features waterplay areas, such as water slides, splash pads, spraygrounds , lazy rivers, or other recreational bathing, swimming, and barefooting environments...
, a dedicated adult pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
and the main pool. There are two adults-only whirlpool
Whirlpool
A whirlpool is a swirling body of water usually produced by ocean tides. The vast majority of whirlpools are not very powerful. More powerful ones are more properly termed maelstroms. Vortex is the proper term for any whirlpool that has a downdraft...
s cantilevered out from the ship's sides, the Royal Promenade sports, a coffee shop, Sorrento's Pizzeria, a Ben and Jerry's ice-cream shop, Vintage's winery
Winery
A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, bottling lines, laboratories, and large expanses of...
, the Bull and Bear Irish pub, and many Duty-free shops. The 13th deck has a sports area with a rock climbing
Rock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
wall, the FlowRider (an onboard wave generator for surfing), a miniature golf
Miniature golf
Miniature golf, or minigolf, is a miniature version of the sport of golf. While the international sports organization World Minigolf Sport Federation prefers to use the name "minigolf", the general public in different countries has also many other names for the game: miniature golf, mini-golf,...
course and a full size basketball court
Basketball court
In basketball, the basketball court is the playing surface, consisting of a rectangular floor with tiles at either end. In professional or organized basketball, especially when played indoors, it is usually made out of a wood, often maple, and highly polished...
. Other items include an ice skating
Ice skating
Ice skating is moving on ice by using ice skates. It can be done for a variety of reasons, including leisure, traveling, and various sports. Ice skating occurs both on specially prepared indoor and outdoor tracks, as well as on naturally occurring bodies of frozen water, such as lakes and...
rink, a casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
, a Johnny Rockets
Johnny Rockets
Johnny Rockets is an American restaurant franchise whose concept is to create a classic American restaurant atmosphere. The theme is the diner-style restaurant that had become a common sight by the 1950s...
restaurant, Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...
capabilities throughout the ship, flat panel
Flat panel display
Flat panel displays encompass a growing number of electronic visual display technologies. They are far lighter and thinner than traditional television sets and video displays that use cathode ray tubes , and are usually less than thick...
televisions in all staterooms, and cell phone connectivity.
Career
Freedom of the Seas was docked at Blohm und Voss in HamburgHamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
on 17 April 2006 to repair a damaged bearing in one of the three Azipod
Azipod
Azipod is the registered brand name of the ABB Group for their azimuth thruster. Originally developed in Finland jointly by Kvaerner Masa-Yards dockyards and ABB, these are marine propulsion units consisting of electrically driven propellers mounted on a steerable pod.The pod's propeller usually...
propulsion units and to put on some of the finishing touches prior to its official handover to Royal Caribbean International on 24 April 2006. It then departed to Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
on 25 April for official festivities. It then sailed for Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
on 27 April and arrived at 9am on 29 April. The ship sailed on its first transatlantic crossing on 3 May 2006.
Freedom of the Seas arrived in New York Harbor
New York Harbor
New York Harbor refers to the waterways of the estuary near the mouth of the Hudson River that empty into New York Bay. It is one of the largest natural harbors in the world. Although the U.S. Board of Geographic Names does not use the term, New York Harbor has important historical, governmental,...
USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for its official naming ceremony on 12 May 2006 which was broadcast live on NBC's The Today Show from Cape Liberty Cruise Port
Cape Liberty Cruise Port
The Cape Liberty Cruise Port , sometimes called Port Liberty, in Bayonne, New Jersey is one of three trans-Atlantic passenger terminals in New York Harbor...
in Bayonne, New Jersey
Bayonne, New Jersey
Bayonne is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Located in the Gateway Region, Bayonne is a peninsula that is situated between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill van Kull to the south, and New York Bay to the east...
(the ship's official New York berth), and thereafter traveled to Boston for the weekend of May 19–22. It began operations out of Miami
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
with its first cruise and maiden voyage
Maiden voyage
The 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 June 4, sailing to western Caribbean
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
locations in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, the Cayman Islands
Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands is a British Overseas Territory and overseas territory of the European Union located in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman, located south of Cuba and northwest of Jamaica...
and Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
as well as Labadee
Labadee
Labadee is a port located on the northern coast of Haiti. It is a private resort leased to Royal Caribbean International. Royal Caribbean International has contributed the largest proportion of tourist revenue to Haiti since 1986, employing 300 locals, allowing another 200 to sell their wares on...
, in Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, one of Royal Caribbean's private resorts.
The added width of the ship is utilized by cantelivered whirlpools in the adults only solarium of the ship. The promenade
Promenade deck
The promenade deck is a deck found on several types of passenger ships and riverboats. It usually extends from bow to stern, on both ddd,çsides, and includes areas open to the outside, resulting in a continuous outside walkway suitable for promenading, thus the name.On older passenger ships, the...
, first seen on Royal Caribbean's Voyager-Class in 1999, extends through the upper decks of the ships. This gives most upper level cabins a window, either to the port or starboard side or inwards to the promenade. This design was first used in the cruiseferry
Cruiseferry
A cruiseferry is a ship that combines the features of a cruise ship with a Ro-Pax ferry. Many passengers travel with the ships for the cruise experience, staying only a few hours at the destination port or not leaving the ship at all, while others use the ships as means of...
M/S Silja Serenade
M/S Silja Serenade
MS Silja Serenade is a cruiseferry owned by the Estonian shipping company Tallink Group, operated under their Silja Line brand on a route connecting Helsinki, Finland to Stockholm, Sweden via Mariehamn. She was built in 1990 by Masa Yards, Turku, Finland....
in 1990 and its twin ship, M/S Silja Symphony
M/S Silja Symphony
MS Silja Symphony is a cruiseferry owned by the Estonian shipping company Tallink Group, operated under their Silja Line brand on a route connecting Helsinki, Finland to Stockholm, Sweden via Mariehamn...
in 1991.
On May 4, 2009, Freedom of the Seas moved its home port from the Port of Miami-Dade
Port of Miami-Dade
The Dante B. Fascell Port of Miami is a seaport located in Biscayne Bay in Miami, Florida, United States. It is connected to Downtown Miami by Port Boulevard, a bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway. The port is located on Dodge Island, which is the combination of three historic islands that have...
to Port Canaveral
Port Canaveral
Port Canaveral is a cruise, cargo and naval port in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is one of the busiest cruise ports in the world with nearly 2.8 million multi-day cruise passengers passing through during 2010. As a deep water cargo port, it has a high volume of traffic. Over of bulk...
, where it replaced Mariner of the Seas
Mariner of the Seas
MS Mariner of the Seas is one of five Voyager-class cruise ships from Royal Caribbean International; it is one of the largest in its fleet and among the largest passenger ships in the world. It was constructed at Aker Finnyards in Turku, Finland and had her maiden voyage in 2003. Currently the ship...
.
The ship underwent its first drydock refurbishment in late March 2011, where it received some of the new features found on the Oasis and Allure of the Seas such as new touchscreen
Touchscreen
A touchscreen is an electronic visual display that can detect the presence and location of a touch within the display area. The term generally refers to touching the display of the device with a finger or hand. Touchscreens can also sense other passive objects, such as a stylus...
kiosks around the ship as well as making the theater capable of showing 3-D movies.
Facts and figures
- The ship has 30 lifeboatsLifeboat (shipboard)A lifeboat is a small, rigid or inflatable watercraft carried for emergency evacuation in the event of a disaster aboard ship. In the military, a lifeboat may be referred to as a whaleboat, dinghy, or gig. The ship's tenders of cruise ships often double as lifeboats. Recreational sailors sometimes...
- It is about 229 ft (69.8 m) longer, about larger, and can accommodate 2,147 more passengers than RMS Titanic
- It has 75,000 lightbulbs and 4,700 works of art, and uses 35000 kilograms (77,161.8 lb) of ice daily
- It has 1.5 million tiles in the bathrooms, shower rooms, etc.
- The largest suite, the Presidential Suite, is 113 square metres (135.1 sq yd), accommodates 14 people and has ten flat panel TVs, a private whirlpool, a wet bar, and a YamahaYamahaYamaha may refer to:* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services** Yamaha Motor Company, a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company...
GC1 baby-grand piano. - Rooms for the maiden voyage were priced from $1,900 to $22,000 for the week.
- It consumes approximately 28,000 pounds (12,800 kg) of fuel per hour, enough to refill a 13 gal tank in a car at one tank a week for over six years.
- It is one of the few ships with 4 bow thrusterBow thrusterA bow thruster is a transversal propulsion device built into, or mounted to, the bow of a ship or boat to make it more maneuverable. Bow thrusters make docking easier, since they allow the captain to turn the vessel to port or starboard without using the main propulsion mechanism which requires...
s on each side with 8 bow thrusters in total.
Provisions
During a typical week long cruise, the Freedom of the Seas goes through the following amount of food:- 234,000 appetizers (6 appetizers per day per person); 105,000 meals and 300,680 desserts (7.5 desserts per day per person) of beef, including 69,000 steaks (1.7 steaks per day per person) of chicken of seafood; 2500 lbs of salmon and 1400 lbs of lobster of fresh vegetables and 35000 lbs of fresh fruits (2.5 lbs of fruit and veg per day per person) of cheese
- 28,000 fresh eggs
- 18,000 slices of pizza of ice cream of coffee and 1500 gal of milk
- 11,500 cans of soda; 109,200 bottles and cans of beer and 2,900 bottles of wine