Freedom of the Seas is the flagship of the Freedom class of ships and is owned by the Royal Caribbean International. Freedom's maiden voyage was in June 2006, and Freedom was built in the STX Europe - Aker shipyard in Turku, Finland. At 158,000 gross tons, this ship hosts 3634 guests and 1360 crew. The ship's Royal Promenade has shops and eateries on each side, and many interior staterooms have windows offering a view of the Royal Promenade. The Royal Promenade has, a coffee shop, Sorrento's Pizzeria, a Ben and Jerry's ice-cream shop, Vintage's winery, the Bull and Bear Irish pub, and several Duty-free stores. The ship has an interactive water park, a dedicated adult pool and a main pool. The 13th deck has a sports area with a rock climbing wall, a FlowRider surfing pool as well as a miniature golf course and a full size basketball court. Other items include an ice skating rink, a casino, a Johnny Rockets restaurant and there is Wi-Fi connectivity throughout the ship. more

The ship then turns around and cruises back to either Seattle or Vancouver where passengers disembark the ship to spend a couple of extra days in Vancouver, Victoria, or Seattle or they may just fly home. Since they begin and end in Seattle or Vancouver, cruise passengers prefer Alaska-Roundtrip Cruises because of availability of better airline flight schedules and fares. With Seattle only 3 ½ hours from the cruise piers in Vancouver, there are even more flight options to consider. If you plan to use your airline frequent flier miles for your Alaska Cruise . . . book your trip early. Frequent Flier seats go quickly. Alaska Roundtrip Cruises are also very popular for families. Most will maintain very active kids programs and in some instances have special shore excursions just for them. If you require a cabin that can accommodate 4 passengers, book your cabin early. Triple and quad cabins sell out quickly. more