Freedom of the Seas left Aker Finnyards Turku Shipyard, Finland on 24 April 2006 and started regular sailings out of Miami the next month.

The third ship of the class, Independence of the Seas, was delivered and started work out of Southampton in April 2008.

The Freedom-class ships are similar in design and layout to the earlier second-generation Voyager class, including an ice skating rink and a 136 m (446 ft) central atrium[1] named the Royal Promenade, featuring a pub, shops, arcades, bars, and a 24-hour Cafe Promenade.

New features added to the Freedom class include the FlowRider surf park, cantilevered whirlpools, and the H2O Zone waterpark.

[1] In March 2008, Aker Yards and Royal Caribbean announced a memorandum of agreement for a fourth ship in the class, subject to board approval and finalization of terms and conditions, but no actual order for the ship was ever announced.