Back from sailing on the Freedom of the Seas

[daveky]

We were on the same May 9th sailing and had a wonderful time!!! The ship was beautiful and the staff was great.

 

The one thing I do wish RCCI would do is have some 50's/60's dance music for us "baby boomers". They had this on one of the Carnival ships we sailed and the club was packed out every night. We had so much fun!!

 

We are booked on the exact same cruise in November and are very much looking forward to it!!!

 

Was on the May 9th sailing also. Had a great time. Your comment about the 50's/60's dance music, I was telling the folks back home, the dance they have in the ice skating room used to be 60s, now it was 80s on FOS. Guess times moves on (smile).

 

Dave

[GTO-Girl]

My daughter age 16 (the book worm) wants to ask what the library is like. Is there places to read in the Library? Do they loan out books or sale books? She is going with a group of Girl Scouts and sometimes needs down time. They are booked for the Deck 7.

 

They did have a small library which I believe was on Deck 7 (I may be wrong). You select a book and then sign it out yourself. All books have to be turned back in I believe by 6pm on the last day and there is a container to drop your books in.

 

There are also some nice chairs that look out over the Promanade and some comfy couches where you can sit and enjoy reading.

 

I'm sure she won't have a problem finding a book that interests her.

[SusanC67]

regarding the food allergy, did you by chance notify them in advance and they still gave you the dessert anyway?

 

Also, since your daughter has a food allergy, did she notice the almonds prior to eating them?

 

I know when one makes reservations, you can indicate any specific dietary needs.. also, one can talk with the maitre'd or waiter.

 

Additionally, when ordering dessert, one can read the description and determine if its got dairy or nut products..

 

Good luck in your cruising future!

[Capt_BJ]

just back from FOS yesterday the 23rd

 

- food was a disappointment for this first time RCL cruiser with 30+ under our belts. We don't expect 5* just as good as what we've gotten on other lines. It was far from bad, but no where near the top of our memory list. The servers try hard to make it sound good but there's only so much they can do. That said, overall cruise food has gone downhill over the years. 20 years ago Princess made the pasta course at the table and flamed the banana foster/cherry Jub'ly before your eyes. Alas, that's long gone due to safety and heath concerns . . . Baked Alaska??? Well they did have free soft serve by the pool. To us, the dining 'experience' is a major part of the cruise experience and quality of food is a part of that. Unfortunately 4 of 5 in our party had experienced a day of Montozuma's Revenge by the time we got home and we ate nothing off the ship . . . But the servers had the same desire to please we've always loved on the ships (and we tipped appreciatively)

 

- library: if she's a reader she should bring her own books; the library totals a couple of hundred volumes at best. Finding a quiet spot to read should not be a problem however. Despite the size of the ship and the # of pass' we could always find a quiet spot. I saw many Kringle readers . . .

 

- there'a a lot of music in the small lounges but it can be hard to derive that from the 'compass'. We enjoyed the 8pm Trivia contests in the schooner ... build a team and meet each evening. If you want the secret answers necessary to slam the game ask nicely.... last week late dining was 8:30 PM

 

- We found WindJammer to be friendly and filling but the least inspired buffet area in all of our cruises. If there wasn't a note in the Compass telling us what the day's theme was we'd never have guessed it from the food presented.

[jenjes3]

Just another note to try and answer some questions of prior posts...

 

Unfortunately, my husband & I didn't see any comedians. My daughters did see one late at night at one of the show areas. They really enjoyed him but he was on very late. We failed to see any comedians and missed this. Did not hear much before dinner music either. One night in Bolero's .. a singer but for the most part nothing.. :(

 

Again - we didn't go hungry but the food was not what we were previously used to on prior cruises. We like to dress for dinner and not go to the Windjammer for dinner. We enjoy it for breakfast but like the fine dining in the MDR. We also like to dress for formal night. We were disappointed in the formal dinner too... Just our opinion..

 

As for my daughter's food allergies - I had written to the cruise special needs dept. before our cruise. Our travel agent also notified them. I did receive a response from someone that referred me to meet with the head waiter, etc. I did do this two times prior to dining to be sure they knew extent of daughter's nut & shellfish allergies. For the most part, the head waiter was involved with daughter's food - but once time apple pie was brought out and we both looked a little late and noticed a couple of almonds .. So this was our mistake too! After that we made sure to remind them of allergies.. head waiter took order and brought daughter's food and we always made sure we had benedryl, epipen - and looked at food!

 

Again.. we all enjoyed but thought some things like entertainment and food was lacking and could improve. Would I sail on RCCL again/and or FOS - you bet! : )

Karen

[MERCE4]

Karen,

 

Do you have dining room menus or copies of compasses you would be willing to share?

 

Thanks,

Ann

[_tinkerbell_]

Can't wait to do this cruise. We are also on Deck 7 with balcony. It's our first cruise and have nothing to compare too and we are so excited. I hope it lives up to all expectations including the food. :)