Imagine an invitation to cruise for two nights on the most forward-looking and innovative cruise ships ever built. The Freedom of the Seas, the largest passenger cruise ship in the world and we would be two of its first passengers on one of its inaugural voyages.

You can imagine my excitement when my wife, IPA's associate editor and owner of Travel Pavilion, called me to inform me that we had been invited to a special inaugural voyage on this great ship.

I jumped at the opportunity to spend some time on this ship and must admit that I am a cruise lover. Between IPA and our travel business, we have become world travelers and over the years have visited the Amazon, Africa, Hong Kong, China, Egypt, Italy, most of the major US parks including Yosemite, Yellowstone, Bryce and Zion, Grand Canyon and many other parts of the world. I tell you this, not to impress you or have you envy us, but rather to let you know we are well seasoned travelers.

I have shot thousands of images and many have been published on web sites and other international publications, but cruising on a luxury ship is well, for me a vacation.

Imagine packing not only all your clothing and personal items, but all the camera and video gear usually required for most assignments and vacations and you can imagine how I feel before going on one of our trips. Cruises are great for me because I am able to take my small camera bag loaded with one Nikon digital SLR and a few lenses and a few pair of pants, some shirts and swim suits and my tux or suit for the formal night and that's it.

I love cruising and have been to Alaska, the Mediterranean (which included stops at all the major Greek Islands), the Caribbean and so many other destinations, that one would think I have become jaded or bored with such a peaceful way to vacation, but you would be wrong. Always working on deadlines, on the computer until the wee hours of the morning means little time to just kick back and relax. Once you get on a ship, you unpack and leave the rest to the cruise line.

When our shuttle bus pulled up to this magnificent ship, we were awed by the the size and beauty. Larger then five football fields laid end to end and over 160,000 tons, this ship will accommodate 3,600 passengers comfortably. Like its sister Voyager class ships the Freedom has all the features we have come to expect including the ice skating rink, indoor promenade, rock climbing wall and signature restaurants, but that is where the similarities end.

Not only does it have all the features of its sisters in the Royal Caribbean fleet, but it has the biggest and best of these features. It has the largest rock climbing wall on any cruise ship. It has three separate pool "regions" (other Voyager class ships have two) and it has many new features none of the other ships have.

We thought their very cool H20 Zone, was a great interactive water park, geared for the entire family. We especially enjoyed it on this cruise because it was for the trade and press only so no kids...we had it all to ourselves and we loved it. We even cooled off in the two unique splash pools. One was a circular pool with a strong current so you could float as it took you round and round...it was a blast. We even took some dramatic images in the evening when it was illuminated by spectacular lighting.

Now if H20 and their regular pools weren't enough for you, how about a new sports pool, dedicated for all your water buffs that love to play water games like volleyball, basketball, synchronized swimming or at times lap swimming. If you are a surfer or would just like to look like one, head on over to their WaveRider pool and try your hand at it. Their instructors make it look so easy, but from what we saw, not many could stand up on their boards, but riding the waves on a Boogie Board still looked like lots of fun.

At night, they want to entice passengers back to the main pool area with an open-air nightclub. There's a large dance floor between the two pools and Royal Caribbean anticipates themed parties and disco events. Of course we went to one the second night on the ship and the music, light displays and electricity from all the dancing passengers was incredible.

If they don't own you with all the great outdoor activities, they will surely get you when you open the door to your stateroom. Staterooms on Freedom of the Seas are larger, on average, than those found throughout the rest of the fleet and that all are outfitted with flat-screen televisions.

When we opened the door to our cabin, we thought they gave us a junior suite, but discovered it was a just an upgraded stateroom...Wow!. You will see some of the photos of our cabin in our slide presentation along with some shots of the Presidential Suite. The Presidential suite is truly something to behold. It is a whopping 1,215 square foot suite with an additional 810 square foot balcony. This suite comes complete with its own whirlpool, wet bar, dining area and lounge chairs for everyone. The suite can accommodate up to 14 people and do it comfortably.

The dining experience on cruise ships is usually boring after the first few days, but not on Freedom. We usually eat breakfast and lunches in a ships huge buffet restaurant and did so on this one too. But, if you do get bored here you can eat at one of the many smaller niche eateries and on this ship.

If you like Johnny Rocket's the California hamburger joint, then get ready to have it here. You could also have pizza and italian pastries, a simple sandwich and salad, or some Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, all available, most of the time in their promenade eateries. Their dining rooms are truly beautiful and none can compare to the size and decor on this ship.

We have traveled the world and have had the opportunity to eat in some of the finest restaurants, but none can match the absolute glamour and grandeur of the ships. Although we did not have an opportunity to dine in one of their optional upscale restaurants (there are three on this ship vs. two on the sister ships) we can tell you from our past experience cruising with RCL they are a wonderful break from the regular dining choices and well worth the small fee they charge.

The quality of the food and service on this ship, including the two dinners we ate, were truly wonderful. I am one of those fussy eaters and actually loved both nights in the dining room.

So what about the night life on a ship like this? Well you won't be wanting that's for sure. We only had two nights on board, but saw three fabulous shows. The first night they treated us to a "The Beatles Experience" show performed by Rain a talented, Beatles tribute band that looked like the Beatles, sounded like the Beatles, but unfortunately as we know, weren't the Beatles.

This American group was truly amazing and after a few minutes of listing and watching these talented performers, we felt we were back in the 60's at a live Beatles concert. Needless to say, the audience sang all the words and danced all the dances we all came to know and love over all these years.

Night two was a special night with two shows to see. Our early show was a fantastic Ice Capades type production. What a talented and handsome troupe of skaters with colorful costumes and exciting routines. One routine was a magic act of sorts that had our female skater changing into at least 15 outfits and doing it within a second or two behind that magical curtain or tent they pull up and drop down quickly. I was amazed and really enjoyed this show and would have been happy to pay to see such a professional show on any stage.

But just when you think they can't do anything more, they pull another one out of the hat. A full blown Broadway style, original production called "Once Upon A Time". This show took some of the favorite child hood classics and brought them into our world by adding some great popular music which told the stories in a more modern way.

You knew the stories and you knew the songs and they were able to combine them to make this show a feast for the eyes and ears. The sets, dancing, costumes were all top notch and a great way to spend the evening, unless you love to gamble. Well, we are not gamblers, but I have to admit winning a few dollars on some of the many slots we played made us walk out of the casino with a big smile on our faces.

I can only give this cruise, the ship and RCL a 5 Star Rating and recommend that everyone that has the opportunity to cruise to do so on this ship. It might cost a bit more, but I promise you, this is one cruise you will never forget.

Although we had to keep our slide show short on this site, we urge everyone reading this article to visit the Freedom of the Seas Award Winning web site and see what I consider one of the best and most exciting sites I have visited in years. You will love the interactive features of the site and enjoy exploring the ship right from their web site. This site is probably the most technologically advanced site I have seen so make sure to visit it when you have some time to really enjoy it.

We would personally like to thank RCL and their wonderful, hand picked staff and crew, who made our two days on board the ship one we will not soon forget.

In this world of full disclosure we must tell you that we are very minor RCL stock holders too, I suppose you would call us fans of this company and their products.

A copy of their Inaugural Book can still be purchased, click here for more information.

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Join us now and see our complete photo slide show with over 80 photos from these two shows.

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IPA Members and those looking to cruise on this great ship, read this offer. Now you can book your cruise with our "IPA Travel Services". Enjoy lowest rates, personal service and one of the best vacations on this World Class Passenger ship. For more information contact Gladys Rapoport by clicking here. This slide show was produced by IPA to show members how it is done. Learn how to cover important events with your video or digital cameras and put together a portfolio DVD just like this one.

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