WORLD`S BIGGEST PASSENGER SHIP

Ms Freedom of the Seas is a cruise ship owned and operated by Royal Caribbea International. It is the namesake of Royal Caribbean's Freedom Class of cruise ships, and can accommodate over 4,300 passengers and 1,300 crew on fifteen passenger decks. In addition to two sister ships, Freedom of the Seas will keep the title of the largest passenger ships ever built (by gross tonnage) until construction of the Oasis Class ships in 2009, also owned by Royal Caribbean International.

The Freedom of the Seas was built at the Aker Yards drydock in Turku, Finland, which also is building the other ships of the Freedom Class. Upon its completion, it became the largest passenger ship ever built, taking that honor from Cunard's RMS Queen Mary 2. Freedom of the Seas is 2.4 metres narrower than QM2 at the waterline, 6 metres shorter, has 1.5 metres less draft, is 8.3 metres less tall and 10 mph slower. Freedom however is the larger ship in terms of gross tonnage. While its gross tonnage was estimated to range from 154,000 GT to 160,000 GT, its official rating by Det Norske Veritas, a Norwegian marine classification society, is 154,407 GT,compared with QM2's 148,528 GT. Freedom of the Seas has the highest gross tonnage of any passenger ship yet built.

The ship features three swimming areas: an interactive water park, a dedicated adult pool and the main pool. There are 2 adults only whirlpools cantilevered out from the ship's sides, the Royal Promenade sports, a coffee shop, Sorrento's Pizzeria, a Ben and Jerry's ice-cream shop, Vintage's winery, the Bull and Bear Irish pub, and many Duty-free shops. The 13th deck features a sports area with amenities such as a rock climbing wall, the FlowRider (an onboard wave generator for surfing), a miniature golf course and a full size basketball court. Other items include an ice skating rink, a casino, a Johnny Rockets, Wi-Fi capabilities throughout the ship, flat panel televisions in all staterooms, and cell phone connectivity.

The ship has 30 lifeboats. It is about 229 ft (69.80 m) longer, about 108,000 GT larger, and can accommodate 2,147 more passengers than RMS Titanic. It has 75,000 lightbulbs and 4,700 works of art, and uses 35,000 kg of ice daily. It has 1.5 million tiles in the bathrooms, shower rooms, etc. The largest suite, the Presidential Suite, is 113 square meters, accommodates 14 people and has ten flat panel TVs, a private whirlpool, a wet bar, and a Yamaha GC1 baby-grand piano. Rooms for the maiden voyage were priced from $1,900 to $22,000 for the week. It consumes approximately 28,000 pounds (12,800 kg) of fuel per hour, enough to refill a 13 gallon tank in a car at one tank a week for over six years. It is one of the few ships with 4 bow thrusters on each side with 8 bow thrusters in total.

During a typical week long cruise, the Freedom of the Seas goes through the following amount of food: 234,000 appetizers (6 appetizers per day per person); 105,000 meals and 300,680 desserts (7.5 desserts per day per person) 20,000 lbs. of beef, including 69,000 steaks (1.7 steaks per day per person) 12,000 lbs. of chicken 4,000 lbs. of seafood; 2,500 lbs. of salmon and 1,400 lbs. of lobster 65,000 lbs. of fresh vegetables and 35,000 lbs. of fresh fruits (2.5 lbs. of fruit and veg per day per person) 5,800 lbs. of cheese 28,000 fresh eggs 18,000 slices of pizza 8,000 gallons of ice cream 1,500 lbs. of coffee and 1,500 gallons of milk 11,500 cans of soda; 19,200 bottles and cans of beer and 2,900 bottles of wine