Upon her completion in 2006, she became the largest passenger ship ever built, taking the record from Queen Mary 2 (QM2), an ocean liner.

[9] On July 7, 2019, 18-month-old Chloe Wiegand died after falling through an open window on the 11th deck while the ship was docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

[12] On December 11, 2019, Chloe's parents sued Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. over the death of their daughter, alleging that the company was negligent for not properly securing the windows.

Deck 13 has a sports area with a rock climbing wall, the FlowRider surf simulator, a miniature golf course and a full size basketball court.

[16] The ship docked at Blohm und Voss in Hamburg, Germany on 17 April 2006 to repair a damaged bearing in one of the three Azipod propulsion units and some minor modifications prior to her official handover to Royal Caribbean International on 24 April 2006.

Freedom of the Seas arrived in New York Harbor, United States, for her official naming ceremony on May 12, 2006 which was broadcast live on NBC's The Today Show from Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne, New Jersey (the ship's official New York berth), and thereafter traveled to Boston for the weekend of May 19–22.

The ship's godmother was selected as Katherine Louise Calder, a Portland, Oregon foster care provider.

[17] She began operations out of Miami with her first cruise and maiden voyage on 4 June, sailing to western Caribbean locations.