Freedom of the Seas Cabins to Avoid For Your Cruise (And the Best Ones to Book)

Freedom of the Seas first debuted back in 2006, and she was the original ship in the Freedom Class, to be followed by Liberty of the Seas and Independence of the Seas within the following two years.

The Freedom Class ships are exceptionally popular even to this day, which has been boosted by the renovations that Freedom of the Seas and Independence of the Seas have been through as part of the Amplify program. Freedom of the Seas was upgraded in early 2020.

On this ship, you’ll find plenty to see and do, and a wealth of accommodation options available as well. Which means you might need a hand deciding on the best option for you.

In this guide, I’ll take you through some of the best and worst choices, so that you pick the right one for your Freedom of the Seas cruise.

How to choose the best cruise cabin

I’ve made a free checklist of everything you should look out for when choosing a cruise cabin. If you’d like a copy, just leave your details and I’ll send it over to you right this moment.

The different rooms on Freedom of the Seas

Freedom of the Seas has 1,839 cabins. Around half of the rooms on this ship have balconies and around half of all the rooms can accommodate families of three to six.

Freedom of the Seas has more than 20 different cabin types to choose from. These can be categorised into; inside cabins, outside cabins, balcony rooms and suites.

This table shows all the room types on Freedom of the Seas:

The size of the rooms

The sizes shown in the table above are averages for staterooms in each category. Some staterooms are much bigger than others. If you can get hold of one of these, you’ll get a much bigger room for the same price!

The Freedom of the Seas deck plan (click here to open it in a new window) shows every room on this ship and is drawn to scale. Studying the deck plan is the best way to spot any cabins that are larger than others in the same category and get more space for your money.

Freedom of the Seas cabins that you should avoid

There are some cabins that you’ll certainly wish to avoid on this ship. These may be noisy, in less-desirable locations or may have quirks that will annoy you during your cruise.

1. Noisy cabins (or at least, potentially noisy)

Cabins towards the aft of Deck 2: These cabins are above the engine room so there’s a chance that you will be disturbed by engine noise and vibrations. Some of these cabins are also below the dining room so you may be able to hear chairs being moved around or the staff vacuuming the carpet above your head while you’re in bed.

Most cabins on Deck 3: If you like to go to sleep early, you should steer clear of most of the cabins on Deck 3 of Freedom of the Seas.

The deck above Deck 3 has the Royal Promenade where you’ll find the theatre, casino, Schooner Bar, Playmakers Sports Bar, Boleros nightclub and the Main Dining Room. With so much going on up on Deck 4, there’s a good chance that you’ll hear some of it late into the evening from your cabin on Deck 3, especially with the late nights at Playmakers and Boleros.

Deck 6 cabins above the Star Lounge: The Star Lounge is a live music venue on Deck 5 of Freedom of the Seas. You should avoid staying in the cabins directly above it if you like silence while you sleep.

Cabins towards the aft of Deck 6: These cabins are located above the Main Dining Room. While diners have usually left the restaurant by 10.30 pm at the latest, you may hear some noise from vacuum cleaners as the dining room is cleaned afterwards.

Most cabins on Deck 10: If you like to sleep in late, you should avoid most cabins on Deck 10. One deck above, on Deck 11, is where you’ll find the gym, the pools and the Windjammer Cafe. Early morning noise might come from weights being dropped in the gym, deckchairs being moved outside or people getting breakfast. Either way, this is not the best deck for a lie-in.

Interconnecting rooms: You should only book an interconnecting room if you need two cabins with a door between them. Doors between cruise cabins are never as soundproof as walls and if you have strangers behind the door you may be able to hear them chatting, or worse!

2. The worst cabins for seasickness

All cabins on Deck 12: These are the highest cabins and they’re all towards the front of the ship, where you’ll feel the movement most. If you’re worried about nausea, avoid this area.

Aft cabins on Deck 10: Still quite high up, if you choose a cabin right at the back of the ship you’ll feel some movement in rough seas.

Suggested read: How To Know If You’ll Get Seasick On A Cruise

3. Cabins with tiny portholes

Certain cabins on Deck 2: Most Ocean View cabins on Freedom of the Seas have a decent-sized round window. However, six cabins on this deck have just a tiny porthole instead, for the same price.

This photo, taken by a cruiser on Freedom’s sister ship Independence of the Seas, shows one of the small windows compared to the standard size…

Below, you can see how the small porthole is so much smaller than the large window of the cabin next door.

The cabin with the small window is 2296. On the opposite side of the ship is 2596 which will most likely have a small window too. However, the numbers of cabins with smaller windows aren’t published anywhere. To be sure, you may wish to avoid Deck 2 if you’d be disappointed with the size of the window.

4. Cabins with less privacy

Promenade View cabins on Deck 6: Promenade View cabins on Decks 6, 7 and 8 and look down over the Royal Promenade on Deck 5. But, just as you can look out, people can also look in. The net curtains are a little flimsy, so if you want a Promenade View cabin, you may be best to go for a higher deck, as the ones on Deck 6 offer the least privacy.

This video shows what you can expect from a Promenade View Interior Room on Freedom of the Seas…

5. Cabins with obstructed views

Aft-facing cabins on Decks 6, 7 & 8: Freedom Class and Voyager Class ships have what I would consider to be a poor design at the aft because most of the views are obstructed. There is a metal structure between the edge of the balcony and the ocean which blocks some of the view, particularly when looking down.

This video shows the view from an aft balcony cabin on Deck 7 of Freedom of the Seas…

As you can see from the video though, not everybody minds the obstructed view. And the person who posted this video commented on how deck 7 is the best of all of the aft-facing rooms as it’s not overlooked like the others are.

6. Cabins in an awkward location

All cabins on Deck 3: Freedom of the Seas has elevators located towards the front and aft of the ship. On most decks, you can use either elevator. However, on deck 3, you cannot walk through the mid-section of the ship as it is blocked by Studio B and the ice rink. If your cabin is on Deck 3, you must always use the correct elevator (front or aft) to reach your room, which can be annoying.

The best rooms to book on Freedom of the Seas

Now it’s time to take a look at the best cabins on the ship. Look out for these gems when you book your cruise…

1. Balcony cabin connected to an inside cabin

Towards the aft of Deck 9 on Freedom of the Seas, there are balcony cabins that are connected to inside cabins. These cabins are extremely rare, but a great find for families who like to have two connecting cabins. Families love these cabins because the adults can enjoy the balcony, while the kids have the cheaper (and safer) inside room.

The overall cost of the two cabins is less than a suite, but you get more space and the bonus of having two bathrooms!

2. Suites, especially for larger groups

Freedom of the Seas has some excellent choices for suites, and if you have the budget then they’re definitely worth looking at.

The Junior Suites don’t get many extra perks, but they’re still significantly larger than the Balcony Staterooms on Freedom of the Seas.

And then you have the much more expensive but significantly larger options which come with even more perks, and can sleep up to 8.

3. Cabins with the best views

Ocean View cabins and suites on Decks 11 and 12: These cabins are high up towards the front of Decks 11 and 12 and have floor-to-ceiling windows.

Cabins in this area of the ship come in various shapes and sizes, but all the same price. 1802 and 1852 are also much larger than average, and forward-facing for the best views.

Take a look at this video of a Spacious Panoramic Ocean View room:

Aft-facing cabins on Deck 10: If you love an aft view, then Deck 10 is your best choice. These cabins don’t have the obstruction to your view as the ones on lower decks do. Plus, they’re much larger than average.

The best deck

The best decks on Freedom of the Seas are Deck 7, Deck 8 and Deck 9. These decks are the quietest and also the most convenient, being in the centre of the ship.

The worst decks on Freedom of the Seas are Deck 3, Deck 6 and Deck 10 as these have the most problems with noise. If you get seasick, you should also avoid Decks 11 and 12.

And the best room is…

If you have the budget for it, the best room on Freedom of the Seas is the Royal Suite. It has a grand entrance with a doorbell, a separate bedroom with a king-sized bed and a private hot tub on the balcony.

Here’s a video of the Royal Suite on Freedom’s sister ship Liberty of the Seas (they’re pretty much identical)…

Of course, the best room for one person is not necessarily the best for someone else. It all depends on what your priorities are.

Should you choose your own room or go for the ‘guarantee’ option?

Royal Caribbean usually gives guests the option to choose their exact stateroom number, for an extra fee. You may see two prices, which look like this on the Royal Caribbean website.

If you opt not to choose your room number, you can still choose the cabin type e.g. inside, outside, balcony or suite, but your room number will be assigned to you.

This is known as a ‘guarantee cabin’, as you’re guaranteed a cabin in the same category as you’ve chosen.

If you’re not bothered about which cabin you get, then letting Royal Caribbean choose for you can be a good way to save money. However, if you want a particular cabin such as one of the Panoramic Ocean View cabins, then you’ll need to pay to select that.

Booking multiple cabins

If you want adjoining cabins which have a door between them, you’ll have to choose your own room numbers.

If you just want cabins next door to each other, you can let Royal Caribbean choose your rooms and request that your cabins are nearby. Whilst most requests are met, there’s no guarantee that they will be.

If you have adjacent balcony cabins on Freedom of the Seas, you can ask your stateroom attendant to open the balcony dividers to create one large balcony.

Find more information about Freedom of the Seas cabins

If you still have questions about any specific rooms on Freedom of the Seas, or you just want to chat to people who’ve cruised in those rooms before, these are some handy resources:

You might also want to take a look at some of my other articles about cruising with Royal Caribbean…

Related posts:

Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.

Read more about me