Royal Caribbean Cruises, Freedom of the Seas, Caribbean

We have just returned from a 7 nights Western Caribbean cruise on the Freedom of the Seas. After we had booked the cruise, which we did on the spur of the moment, I wondered if we had chosen the right ship. Described in the Berlitz guide as a Las Vegas-style American floating resort-city, I thought that it might be too noisy with nowhere to go for some peace and quiet. I could not have been more wrong, I would recommend this ship to anyone. Brilliantly managed (as only the Americans know how)I could not critisize anything about this ship. The accomodation was fantastic. The air conditioning was superb, responding instantly to any adjustment. The bed was incredibly comfortable. The food was also fantastic, together with the service. We enjoyed all of the entertainment as well. The passengers were predominantly American but there were people from a large range of countries as well. Everyone was on best behaviour which made the cruise enjoyable. There was none of the bad behaviour that you come to associate with the British when they are abroad, particularly when they have been drinking alcohol. If you wanted peace and quiet, there are mant places to get it. The Berlitz rating for this ship is 1536 points out of 2000. I would give it a rating much closer to the 2000 figure! It was impossible to fault anything. My only negative comment was the "Ports of call". We went to Labadee, (Haiti) Jamaica, Caymen Islands and Mexico. Royal Caribbean should seriously take a close look at using Jamaica as a port of call. You are simply not made welcome in Jamaica. We found the people were rude and hostile, and aggressive when the question of tipping was raised. Every passenger that we spoke to agreed with us. We did not find a single passenger that enjoyed going ashore at Jamaica, which is a shame as it is a lovely country.