I know that some on this forum are cruising on Freedom of the Seas soon. Well, I'm on it now and I thought I'd file this brief report.

First, the good news:

1. This ship is absolutely beautiful! Big, and so much to do. And did I mention how big it was?

2. With 4,172 passengers and a crew of 1401, it does not feel crowded at all.

3. Breakfast is somuch better now. You grab a plate and grab a table and the service folks come around with coffee and juice. No more trays and saves the inconvenience of carrying coffee plus a tray.

4. The ice rink and the theater are spectacular, with more state of the art special effects, especially in the theater.

5. More shops and restaurants to eat and shop in. Difficult to get tired of eating the same food every day.

6. Because this ship is so big, we were only able to dock in one place, Jamaica today. But the tender process goes very smoothly and quickly.

Now, the bad news:

1. Stateroom, wireless internet service is slow and expensive. Hence my quick report. I signed up for the best deal, which is 155 minutes for $50. Otherwise, it's .50 cents a minute!

2. While the new theatre and ice rinks are spectacular, I can't believe they were built with poles that block the views of some seats. With all the money that went into this ship and the technology today, I can't believe they couldn't build it without any poles.

3. There is a #3.95 cents cover charge if you want to eat at Johnny Rockets. There shouldn't be as every other restaurant is free, or shall I say, included in the cruise rate.

Well, that's it for now, fellow cruisers. We're leaving Jamaica and headed to Labadee. Feel free to ask question here or PM me.