Sharon Sails

I'm on the Freedom today and here in Cozumel, we are right next to the Liberty. I've been up to 11 twice and noticed that there is a RCI employee standing at the top of the stairs to the children's pool (the part where they swim around in circles). There is no one around the pools here but the families using them. I guess they are giving more attention to that pool on the Liberty for now... such a sad thing to happen. Sorry for that family...

People,

You can call us complainers, whiners, over-exaggerators - whatever you want. I CAN'T SLEEP ON THIS MATTRESS, and I'm HERE, NOW, on my favorite ship, Freedom of the Seas. Employees recognize me on this ship, I've been here so often. I go greet employees the day of departure. Why would I complain over nothing? This has been my go-to ship for YEARS. I was here last March for a back-to-back after my best friend died. Employees/friends here were comforting me. So, make fun of me, call me a complainer - do what you please. Then when YOU are on an RCI ship (and by the way, the company is Royal Caribbean International, so for those who say RCCL, catch up on the company you're cruising with), decide for yourself just how comfortable the mattresses are. Perhaps you like extra-firm. If so, good for you -- you'll sleep like the proverbial baby.;)

All of the RCI cruise ships now have these wonderful mattresses. Just a heads up to anyone with a cruise in their future. I, for one, will never return. Sleep is important to all creatures, especially humans. A vacation without sleep is a vacation in hell. I don't need that.

Good luck to you all! And yes, there are always ugly trolls on every kind of posting. They like to think their inferiority makes them superior. Who cares. lalalalalala la.;)

I can't wait 'til lala jumps onto her rock mattress in March, and cannot complain, as she says we are all complainers. Best of luck to you, lulu.

Those who want us to complain: RCI does NOT care. They fill the ships, the money comes in. People will suffer for a cheap vacation, and cruising is about as cheap as it comes for seven days.

Best wishes to all of you who hope that egg crate toppers will help. Two and a duvet and I still couldn't sleep. I'm exhausted and counting the days 'til I'm home in my own bed to get some decent sleep again. A sad parting of ways, but I will NEVER cruise RCI again. They have lost at least two diamond-plus members.

I'm out of here now: it's 8:35 a.m. at Grand Cayman, and I need to find a place to rest all day.:(

LaLa lalalala...:confused:

" Bed comfort is subjective. Your description is slightly over the top and we are taught in statistics to throw out extreme opinions."

She knows something about stats...woo hoo! Hope you LOVE the beds. HAHA:p

I couldn't make any sense out of that last comment :confused:

For all the years that I've been cruising Royal, the beds have been very comfy.

Why would that make having hard mattresses make sense? Where is the connection to cruise ships and bad mattresses instead of comfortable ones like they used to have? Are you trying to say that they can no longer have comfortable beds because they have to have storage room under them? Then why were they comfortable before the change? Don't get the reasoning there...

Jill?

Happy to hear your husband is in remission. Regarding cruising RCI, honestly, I have loved Royal for many years - enough cruises to be Diamond Plus. But this mattress situation IS a deal breaker for me. I can't function without some decent sleep. These mattresses are awful. I can't believe that RCI doesn't "know about the problem," as our stateroom attendant and his supervisor (head of housekeeping) were BOTH at the ready with mattress toppers and whatever else might help. I'm quite certain that a lot of our fellow cruisers have asked for the toppers; however, as far as I'm concerned, they aren't really much help. I even bought my own, and it's under the comforter, along with an RCI egg crate topper and the inside of a duvet, doubled over. I still am uncomfortable and I dread the night. It's sad, because one my favorite things about cruising was laying in bed at night with the ship rocking me to sleep. Now i have to knock myself out with drugs - otherwise I would not sleep at all. Just my opinion - and from the other messages here, perhaps others as well. Something to think about...

I really don't think they are going to change the mattresses again after they spent all that money putting them on every single ship. To me, vacation doesn't include trying to figure out how to make my bed comfortable enough to sleep. Night time is frustrating. Now I'm counting down the days til I get home and can enjoy a good rest. So sad. I'm a Diamond Plus, and the perks have been nice. But I will not cruise on Royal again. Thanks for your support here.

Struggling again to find a comfortable enough layer under me to actually rest, and, hopefully sleep *sigh*. I'm exhausted and I just want to get this cruise done, go home, and never look back. End of rant...counting the days.

lol. Two crate toppers, the comforter, my heating pad, sleeping pill, Tylenol PM= sleep on RCI ship for me. At least I found a way to get some rest without waking up aching. And I figured out why some of the pillows are so hard and SO heavy: it's a long pillow doubled over into one regular sized pillowcase. The first night hubby woke up with a stiff neck...now we don't use those pillows. Some of the pillows are what I call "normal." I'm not here to tell anyone what's best as far as mattresses go - I'm just telling you about my experience this week. I can't handle a squishy soft mattress either--the mattresses they threw out felt great to me--other than being old and a bit lop-sided...lol. That said, we had a lovely time on the short cruise around the shore of the island today on Labadee. I got some great pics, and said "goodbye" to Labadee for the last time. Good luck to everyone who sails on RCI now - if you like a truly FIRM mattress, bless you, you'll love it. But if, like me, you already ache all over half the time (I'm old: 67 years...), you'll have to ask your stateroom attendant for some help - and bring a mattress topper if you can!:p

Great room attendant - he brought another topper--but three is too many and having yet another topper doesn't make it any better. It's night two, and again I can't get comfortable. We have a 9:15 a.m. excursion. I hope I can get some sleep before morning. Took a sleeping pill and hope I don't wake up in too much pain. All I want is to get back home to my own bed. I won't be cruising again.

2 mattress toppers, the comforter folded in half, a pillow at the small of my back, and my trusty heating pad. Also, Tylenol PM and one sleeping pill. I actually slept, and I don't hurt all over this morning. Our attendant is going to bring a second comforter for me to use for covering up. He's a wonderful, kind, efficient attendant, Bernie. Thanks to these items, I'll get through the seven days. I won't go through this again... If I had a terrible bed in a hotel room, I would simply cancel my reservation and move to a new hotel...can't do that on a full cruise ship. Hubby is fine! Even though the ONE excursion we ordered so far was canceled (Discovery cruise on Labadee), I will do my best to find some fun on this one last cruise :)

Made the reservations before I knew about the mattresses. I'm 67 years old with a bad back and bad knees. I've been on the Freedom at least 11 times over the past few years. The beds were always comfy and I always slept well. Now I hurt all over from just ONE HOUR on the new mattress. I'm even checking to see if I can fly out of Jamaica to get home and off this ship! I can't go without sleep for seven nights. What do I do? Any ideas for me? :(

Oh, and there IS a mattress topper on the bed - plus I read these posts the day before we left (yesterday) and hubby ran out and bought me a mattress topper - so I have TWO on the cement mattress. *sigh* Can't sleep there...

It's 10:17 p.m. I'm so tired - got up really early today. I can't sleep on this mattress, even with TWO crate mattress topers. My back is killing me already. Anyone have an idea about where I can sleep? It's going to be an awfully LONG week :(

I wish I could sleep on this thing as well as you did Linda.

On Freedom of the Seas right now. Our bed has an egg crate topper on it, but the bed is still hard as a block of cement. I've been on this shi at least ten times before--not returning after this cruise.

These new mattresses sound awful! We are on FOS on Sunday. Hubby is out looking for an egg crate to buy for me. UGH.

Vaping is considered smoking and you HAVE to go with the smokers. You will be turned in if someone sees you doing it where you are not supposed to be. I would just go with the smokers - you're still smoking whether you want to admit it or not. I understand that all smokers are very, very sensitive about this issue. Smoking is an addiction, just like crack cocaine. But you are smoking, so join in with the other smokers.;)

They give me little bottles of shampoo and cream rinse (and a body wash that I don't use), plus smalls soaps. I ask for them every time I cruise - and I'm usually in an inside room, as I prefer them to balcony rooms. I don't know if it matters that I'm Diamond Plus, but I'd certainly ask for the little bottles if you want them.

I'm on the Freedom today too. Cayman looks like the only port that won't have a lot of rain. I don't mind, as I cruise a lot, so stormy/rainy seas are great to me. Happy to see that the Cayman Islands' weather is looking good for those who want some port time.

Thanks for posting that website! So far, no change for Freedom's 8/23 cruise. :D

Looks like Danny will be heading right into our path next week. Ready to "rock n roll?" :cool:

I haven't heard anything yet from RCI about the Freedom's ports for this coming week. We're leaving Sunday!

As original poster, I was just wondering... Not really concerned, as I LOVE a stormy cruise! Nothing better for me than a little "rock and roll." ;)

I'm leaving Sunday for the Eastern Caribbean on the Freedom. Hoping Danny doesn't cause problems for us!