Freedom of the Seas Leaves Yard

Aker Yards NB 1352 -- Freedom of theSeas -- left Finland on April 13, 2006 heading for Hamburg, where it will be delivered later in the month, after a short docking. The European tour is over on May 3 when the ship will depart for a transatlantic crossing to New York, where she will be officially named, before being repositioned to Florida where the ship will operate cruises to the Caribbean. Freedom of the Seas is the largest and most innovative cruise vessel in the world, with a length of 339 meters. The ships in the Freedom class build on the Voyager-class ships, but are 15 percent larger than those, and have new features: Along with features such as the surfing simulator "flow rider"and cantilevered whirlpools that have never before been seen on a cruise ship, Freedom will be outfitted with the world s largest fitness centre at sea and the first a full-size boxing ring! Rock-climbing, ice-skating and Royal Promenade introduced by the previous vessel series can of course be found onboard, too. The Freedom of the Seas takes ship design to the edge and beyond, e.g. with a top-deck aqua environment unparalleled in the industry, featuring three massive pool areas. Each area introducing innovative new concepts, including an interactive water park, the most dramatic whirlpools afloat and a dedicated sports pool. The cabins and balconies are among most spacious ever built. One example being the 14-person Presidential Suite with 113 sq.m interior space and an 75 sq.m outdoor living area with whirpool. Two sisterships for Freedom of the Seas are building at Aker Yards, Turku. The next in the series, NB 1353, will be called Liberty of the Seas.