Freedom OTS- best places to eat?

What are your favorite and least favorite places to eat on the Freedom OTS?

Best specialty restaurant Giovanni's

Best late late night snack Cafe Promenade

Best Lunch Sabor

Best Burger and fast food type foods such as fried, onion rings, chili, chicken sandwich, hot dog, milkshake, floats- Johnny Rockets

We don't care for the food in the MDR or the lack of service, we dine at the specialty restaurants only.

Comparing Freedom, Allure and Oasis when we sailed Freedom, we found Chops to be the best dinner for us.

You would think it would be better on the Oasis class, not for us..

Freedom best place for dinner Chops!

Enjoy we did .............twice

We liked Giovanni's much more than Chops. The current price of Chops and the extra cost items takes it out of consideration for us anymore.

Its been years since I been on the FOS/LOS but when I was last on them I thought they did go downhill, only to try Chops on the Allure and Harmony, I have to say I hated Chops on the Oasis class and also feel its better on these other ships.

You can get an excellent steak at Giovanni's, the menu is very diversified to keep us happy going there even for 7 nights.

I’ve sailed on Freedom a couple of times. Never tried any of the pay restaurants as I always found the MDR to be wonderful for both food and service. I just can’t justify paying extra for food when I can get such good food already included. Many of my friends that I cruised with feel the same way.

For breakfast and lunch, I mix it up with the Buffet and MDR. Occasionally I will have lunch in port.

Cafe Promenade is great for anytime time snack and coffee.

Everything I’ve had has always been wonderful. Never had a bad meal on RCCL

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Nancy513- I am glad your very happy with the quality of the food in the MDR, I have cousins that are also, but my other half, myself and father in law cringe at the food we actually get served in the MDR, it makes all sense to pay just $24 a night more to dine in much better restaurants that give us better quality and a more better selection of food and the best service we can get compared to the overworked hard working staff in the MDR, they have too many tables/people to serve at once, its difficult for them to provide you with special and proper attention in these days. Nothing like the good old days of cruising when the food quality was excellent as so was the service.

Am currently on Freedom and had my first meal in the MDR. I read that it was bad, so my expectations were low. But I couldn't help but be upset when I bit into my overcooked salmon. My husband's steak looked like it was still frozen - the pink color looked like pork meat vs sirloin. It was such a sharp contrast to the amazing lunch I had in Barcelona before we boarded today. I will be paying up and going with specialty dining for the rest of the cruise and will report back on which we liked.

Just had my first meal on Freedom in the MDR. I didn't have high expectations after reading the reviews but it was just horrible. Such a sharp contrast to the amazing lunch I had prior to boarding today. The salmon was overcooked while my husband's steak had a weird pork like pink color. We will be dining in specialty dining going forward.

Just back from FOS...we could not fault the MDR. Excellent service every night and we found the food to be very good. The Windjammer is far too small....chaotic almost every time we were there, however you can go into Giovannis as an overflow, where it is so much more peaceful! The food was okay, but the fight to get near anything spoiled it! Didn't try any speciality restaurants. Loved the fruit tarts in the Cafe Promenade. But everyone's dining expectations differ.....I am sure you will enjoy whatever.

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We did Freedom last March and our top 3 favorites were -

Sabor

Sabor

And for a close third... Sabor.

We really loved dinner there. Had it the 2nd night just to try and kept coming back.

-Sean

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Freedom - on sea days for lunch

Use the MDR - they have a tutti salad where you select from about 20 different items and a chef will make and mix your salad with your dressing of choice.

On the last sea day they offer barramundi on their menu, a very tasty Australian white fish gently spiced. Also, they offer unlimited peeled shrimp on their buffet.

On sea days you can order off the menu and/or use their buffet.

Check your compass for times, since lunch only lasts about 1 1/2 hours.

I find the starters to be better than the main entrees in the MDR. I often fill up on shrimp cocktail and soups. Sometimes I skip MDR dessert and get dessert later in Cafe Promenade.

Cafe Promenade (deck 5), Sorrentos (deck 5), the Windjammer buffet (deck 11), and the main dining room (decks 3, 4, and 5) are all included in the cost of your cruise. Other venues cost extra -- I think even room service costs extra now. But I'm paying less for a 7-day cruise than I did 20 years ago, so I can't complain too much. Cafe Promenade is open almost all the time, and has the best free coffee IMO.

Tip: In the Windjammer buffet, the first food section is somewhat small. Continue walking to the back of the ship where you'll find more selections. I like the carved ham at breakfast.

I have read great revues for Sabre (the Mexican restaurant, $30 per person extra).

Don't rule out the buffet at night. It is usually quiet and very good.

It's our first time on Royal Carribean and I now realize that there are a LOT of paid places on the ship to eat, not just one fancier place. Guess I best get to researching...

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FYI...The main dining room (MDR) is "all you can eat".

If you order something and don't like it, order something else.

For evening dinner, the MDR can take 90 minutes or more.

MDR is open for breakfast and dinner every day, and for lunch on sea days.

For MDR breakfast and lunch, it is "open seating" -- you'll likely be seated with other passengers -- friends you haven't met yet.

For MDR dinner, you can choose either fixed time (traditional) or anytime (my time -- MTD) dining.

You choose this when you first make your ship reservation.

Sometimes a dining time (early, late, or MDR) is full and you have to take a less desirable slot.

And sometimes when you board you can change your slot -- just go to the MDR when you first board and ask.

MDR is not serving food when you board, but you can try to change time slots.

Note that the evening theater showtimes are based around traditional dining times.

I haven't been on the Freedom OTS, but the Liberty OTS is similar.

I did not care for the pizza in Sorrentos (deck 5, no extra charge) -- to dry for me -- but others seemed to like it.

My favorite MDR entree was "Fillet of Beef", usually served the first formal night -- but it appears it is no longer on the new menu. Sigh.

Giovanni's definitely,great food and service.