Freedom of the Seas, the biggest and most advanced cruise ship in the world, left Southampton on May 3, 2006 to go to New York.
Chairman and CEO Richard Fain says that when the Freedom of the Seas makes its debut in May 2006, it will be the largest cruise ship in the world. It will weigh 160,000 tonnes and be able to hold 3,634 guests in double occupancy. He said that the cruise line chose the name "Freedom" for the ship to show how welcoming it will be to everyone. "You have the freedom to do whatever you want," he said.
In addition to the Voyager-class signature features like an improved rock climbing wall, ice skating rink, and Royal Promenade, the 3,600-passenger ship will have a number of new features: large sculptures that spray water in all directions, a circular current pool, and a swimming pool fed by a waterfall; a full-size boxing ring; and a 14-person family suite.
The combined pool area on Freedom of the Seas is 43% bigger than on Voyager-class ships.
At night, the main pool area will be turned into an open-air nightclub with a large dance floor in between the two pools. There will be a water park, a promenade, and a casino for people to use. She will make 1.8 million gallons of fresh water and need 35 tonnes of ice every day.
Freedom of the Seas will arrive at the Port of Miami on May 25. From there, she will go on a series of short trips until June 4, when she will start her regular 7-night Western Caribbean tour, making stops in Cozumel, Mexico; George Town, Grand Cayman; Montego Bay, Jamaica; and Labadee, Hispaniola, which is Royal Caribbean's private destination.
Freedom of the Seas beats Queen Mary 2 to become the largest ship ever.
Before the Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas was launched in June 2006, the QM2 was the largest, longest, tallest, widest, and most expensive ocean ship ever built. Freedom of the Seas can hold 6,000 people, while QM2 can only hold 2,620 people.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. ordered the world's biggest cruise ship. They agreed to pay Europe's biggest shipbuilder a record 900 million euros ($1.1 billion) for a ship that will hold 5,400 people. In late 2009, Aker Yards ASA, which is based in Oslo, will hand over the Project Genesis ship. At 222,000 gross register tonnes, the Project Genesis ship from Royal Caribbean International will be almost half as big as the Queen Mary 2 and 43% bigger than the Freedom of the Seas, which is currently the biggest cruise ship.
Carnival Corp. and Royal Caribbean Cruises, the two biggest cruise lines in the world, are building bigger ships because more and more people are buying vacation packages on board. According to the New York-based Cruise Lines International Association, the number of cruisers rose by 5.7% to 8.35 million in the first nine months of 2005.
