Just Off Freedom Western

[neptune18]

Just off Freedom Western yesterday. Here are my thoughts:

 

PRE-CRUISE

 

Flew down on Friday, stayed at Residence Inn. Hotel was fine, would stay there again. It's actually one hotel closer to port than Radisson which is "at" the port. Spent a few hours in Coccoa Beach and glad we didn't stay there. We thought it was seedy. Went to KSC on Sat. It was interesting but somewhat of a letdown. They sent men to the moon so you would think they could figure out how to make tour busses start on time.

 

Ate at both Fishlips and Rusty's while watching ships depart on Fri and Sun. We thought Rusty's was much better.

 

ARRIVAL AT PORT

 

Got to port at about 10:30, on ship by about 11:30. The Freedom is gorgeous and huge. Looks brand new, would never know was four years old. We had a D1 balcony and an inside for our boys (16 and 14).

 

FOOD

 

We have cruised about 10 times with Disney, Princess, NCL, so we weren't expecting gourmet. The food in the MDR was fine-nothing great but mostly good. We did My Time and service was good with the same wait team each time. We thought desserts were awful. Did Chops once and Portofino twice and enjoyed both as they are cetainly a step up from MDR in both food and service. Still not gourmet or comparable to better land restaurants which was fine, as we knew that going in.

 

SHOWS/CRUISE DIRECTOR

 

Shows were great. We saw two production shows which were great. The two comedians were very funny. Drew Thomas, the magician was a little disapointing as he was heavier on theatrics than magic. Acrobats were great, too. The cruise director, Graham Seymour was hilarious before and after every show and especially every morning during his daily tv show. He even did a midnight "adults only" stand up routine one night at midnite which we snuck the kids into. Very funny but not so dirty. Just a few f-bombs.

 

PORTS

 

Kids and wife did zipline in Labadee. It took them two hours for a 60 second flight. They enjoyed it but wouldn't do again. Otherwise just hung on beach and in water. Kids also did aquapark and liked it very much. Labadee is beautiful.

 

In Ocho, did day passes at Sunset Jamaica Grand. This place is a dump, couldn't imagine staying there. Nice big beach but only about 5 umbrellas for whole beach. Cokes from bar tasted like cola flavored water. Self serve soda machines broken. Food was awful. Kids got to snorkel, kayak and took out a hobie so day was not a total waste. $60 pp was very steep for what you got, unless you drink like a fish, and even then, the liquor was not top shelf. This place really made us happy to go back to our beautiful, classy ship.

 

Grand Cayman, did a waverunner trip out to Sting Ray City with Ebanks sports. Just the four of us and another couple. This was awesome. From Sting Ray rode to a reef where we did some snorkeling, then back to the dock, jumping tour boats' wakes on the way. Then had mahi sandwiches at Hammerheads in town. Right on the dock. There are tons of huge tarpon there and you can snorkel the wreck Cali if you want.

 

In Cozumel, the kids did the dolphin Royal Swim which we booked directly. Chankanaab is pretty good but EVERYONE has their hand out for $$. If you wanted to go out on the dock to watch your kids swim with the dolphins it was an extra $5 pp. Some guy wanted to charge us for a tour of the park which he said was very important ("Here is the pool senor, that is the ocean, and this is the sand") Duh. After the dolphins we snorkeled. I thought the snorkeling was great there and you had to be in the water because it was so hot. Most agressive fish I ever snorkeled with. Got bitten twice. I guess they thought I was a side of beef.

 

FINAL THOUGHTS

 

We all loved the ship and the cruise. Almost everyone in crew was great. Kids did flowrider (crowded) and also the private lessons for $60 each. They also ice skated. It didn't seem the rink was open for skating at all during week and then it was all day on last day (sea day). My wife agrees that Princess food and dining experience is better/more refined. However, after being on this ship we agree that it would be difficult to go on a ship that wasn't as spectacular. Any questions, just ask.

[ncb106]

Just off Freedom Western yesterday. Here are my thoughts:

 

PRE-CRUISE

 

Flew down on Friday, stayed at Residence Inn. Hotel was fine, would stay there again. It's actually one hotel closer to port than Radisson which is "at" the port. Spent a few hours in Coccoa Beach and glad we didn't stay there. We thought it was seedy. Went to KSC on Sat. It was interesting but somewhat of a letdown. They sent men to the moon so you would think they could figure out how to make tour busses start on time.

 

Ate at both Fishlips and Rusty's while watching ships depart on Fri and Sun. We thought Rusty's was much better.

 

ARRIVAL AT PORT

 

Got to port at about 10:30, on ship by about 11:30. The Freedom is gorgeous and huge. Looks brand new, would never know was four years old. We had a D1 balcony and an inside for our boys (16 and 14).

 

FOOD

 

We have cruised about 10 times with Disney, Princess, NCL, so we weren't expecting gourmet. The food in the MDR was fine-nothing great but mostly good. We did My Time and service was good with the same wait team each time. We thought desserts were awful. Did Chops once and Portofino twice and enjoyed both as they are cetainly a step up from MDR in both food and service. Still not gourmet or comparable to better land restaurants which was fine, as we knew that going in.

 

SHOWS/CRUISE DIRECTOR

 

Shows were great. We saw two production shows which were great. The two comedians were very funny. Drew Thomas, the magician was a little disapointing as he was heavier on theatrics than magic. Acrobats were great, too. The cruise director, Graham Seymour was hilarious before and after every show and especially every morning during his daily tv show. He even did a midnight "adults only" stand up routine one night at midnite which we snuck the kids into. Very funny but not so dirty. Just a few f-bombs.

 

PORTS

 

Kids and wife did zipline in Labadee. It took them two hours for a 60 second flight. They enjoyed it but wouldn't do again. Otherwise just hung on beach and in water. Kids also did aquapark and liked it very much. Labadee is beautiful.

 

In Ocho, did day passes at Sunset Jamaica Grand. This place is a dump, couldn't imagine staying there. Nice big beach but only about 5 umbrellas for whole beach. Cokes from bar tasted like cola flavored water. Self serve soda machines broken. Food was awful. Kids got to snorkel, kayak and took out a hobie so day was not a total waste. $60 pp was very steep for what you got, unless you drink like a fish, and even then, the liquor was not top shelf. This place really made us happy to go back to our beautiful, classy ship.

 

Grand Cayman, did a waverunner trip out to Sting Ray City with Ebanks sports. Just the four of us and another couple. This was awesome. From Sting Ray rode to a reef where we did some snorkeling, then back to the dock, jumping tour boats' wakes on the way. Then had mahi sandwiches at Hammerheads in town. Right on the dock. There are tons of huge tarpon there and you can snorkel the wreck Cali if you want.

 

In Cozumel, the kids did the dolphin Royal Swim which we booked directly. Chankanaab is pretty good but EVERYONE has their hand out for $$. If you wanted to go out on the dock to watch your kids swim with the dolphins it was an extra $5 pp. Some guy wanted to charge us for a tour of the park which he said was very important ("Here is the pool senor, that is the ocean, and this is the sand") Duh. After the dolphins we snorkeled. I thought the snorkeling was great there and you had to be in the water because it was so hot. Most agressive fish I ever snorkeled with. Got bitten twice. I guess they thought I was a side of beef.

 

FINAL THOUGHTS

 

We all loved the ship and the cruise. Almost everyone in crew was great. Kids did flowrider (crowded) and also the private lessons for $60 each. They also ice skated. It didn't seem the rink was open for skating at all during week and then it was all day on last day (sea day). My wife agrees that Princess food and dining experience is better/more refined. However, after being on this ship we agree that it would be difficult to go on a ship that wasn't as spectacular. Any questions, just ask.

how was the latin band at boleros

[WeWant2BCruzin]

Glad to hear that you Loved the ship we will be on the Freedom in less than 7 weeks:D.

Can you tell me if you went to the casino?

[hillbillybob]

Just off Freedom Western yesterday. Here are my thoughts:

 

PRE-CRUISE

 

Flew down on Friday, stayed at Residence Inn. Hotel was fine, would stay there again. It's actually one hotel closer to port than Radisson which is "at" the port. Spent a few hours in Coccoa Beach and glad we didn't stay there. We thought it was seedy. Went to KSC on Sat. It was interesting but somewhat of a letdown. They sent men to the moon so you would think they could figure out how to make tour busses start on time.

 

Ate at both Fishlips and Rusty's while watching ships depart on Fri and Sun. We thought Rusty's was much better.

 

ARRIVAL AT PORT

 

Got to port at about 10:30, on ship by about 11:30. The Freedom is gorgeous and huge. Looks brand new, would never know was four years old. We had a D1 balcony and an inside for our boys (16 and 14).

 

FOOD

 

We have cruised about 10 times with Disney, Princess, NCL, so we weren't expecting gourmet. The food in the MDR was fine-nothing great but mostly good. We did My Time and service was good with the same wait team each time. We thought desserts were awful. Did Chops once and Portofino twice and enjoyed both as they are cetainly a step up from MDR in both food and service. Still not gourmet or comparable to better land restaurants which was fine, as we knew that going in.

 

SHOWS/CRUISE DIRECTOR

 

Shows were great. We saw two production shows which were great. The two comedians were very funny. Drew Thomas, the magician was a little disapointing as he was heavier on theatrics than magic. Acrobats were great, too. The cruise director, Graham Seymour was hilarious before and after every show and especially every morning during his daily tv show. He even did a midnight "adults only" stand up routine one night at midnite which we snuck the kids into. Very funny but not so dirty. Just a few f-bombs.

 

PORTS

 

Kids and wife did zipline in Labadee. It took them two hours for a 60 second flight. They enjoyed it but wouldn't do again. Otherwise just hung on beach and in water. Kids also did aquapark and liked it very much. Labadee is beautiful.

 

In Ocho, did day passes at Sunset Jamaica Grand. This place is a dump, couldn't imagine staying there. Nice big beach but only about 5 umbrellas for whole beach. Cokes from bar tasted like cola flavored water. Self serve soda machines broken. Food was awful. Kids got to snorkel, kayak and took out a hobie so day was not a total waste. $60 pp was very steep for what you got, unless you drink like a fish, and even then, the liquor was not top shelf. This place really made us happy to go back to our beautiful, classy ship.

 

Grand Cayman, did a waverunner trip out to Sting Ray City with Ebanks sports. Just the four of us and another couple. This was awesome. From Sting Ray rode to a reef where we did some snorkeling, then back to the dock, jumping tour boats' wakes on the way. Then had mahi sandwiches at Hammerheads in town. Right on the dock. There are tons of huge tarpon there and you can snorkel the wreck Cali if you want.

 

In Cozumel, the kids did the dolphin Royal Swim which we booked directly. Chankanaab is pretty good but EVERYONE has their hand out for $$. If you wanted to go out on the dock to watch your kids swim with the dolphins it was an extra $5 pp. Some guy wanted to charge us for a tour of the park which he said was very important ("Here is the pool senor, that is the ocean, and this is the sand") Duh. After the dolphins we snorkeled. I thought the snorkeling was great there and you had to be in the water because it was so hot. Most agressive fish I ever snorkeled with. Got bitten twice. I guess they thought I was a side of beef.

 

FINAL THOUGHTS

 

We all loved the ship and the cruise. Almost everyone in crew was great. Kids did flowrider (crowded) and also the private lessons for $60 each. They also ice skated. It didn't seem the rink was open for skating at all during week and then it was all day on last day (sea day). My wife agrees that Princess food and dining experience is better/more refined. However, after being on this ship we agree that it would be difficult to go on a ship that wasn't as spectacular. Any questions, just ask.

 

Neptune-nice review. Question for you as it relates to Chankanaab . Do you recommend this and whats best way to get there just take taxi and get dropped off? What does entry cost? Whats ths most frugal way to visit Chankanaab is what I am getting at?:D

[lv2BonBoard]

Thank you for your review. We are leaving on Freedom western this Sunday. We were considering Sunset Grande also, but now I think we will pass on that. We have booked the Royal Swim for our teens directly also. How is the pool area at Chankanaab? Also can you tell me about food and drink there? Our kids will do the swim early in the day. Is it a nice place to hang out at the pool all day?

[Ariel's Mum]

No Qs - Just wanted to say Great review....

 

Thanks for sharing.:D

[cruznagain]

We also just got off the Freedom. We didn't do the dolphin swim this time, but did it 5 years ago and it was fun. I would really recommend the swim with the Sea Lions at the same place. They are really personable and fun to play with. The beach was o.k. As for our trip, we stayed at the Radisson the day before. It was a decent hotel. The pool bar was great and the bartenders are very engaging. We had fun. Two of us also did the zipline at Labadee. It does take about an hour and a half, but you practice on the smaller zipline before going on to the main one. The two in the family that did it, really enjoyed it. We were in Labadee 5 years ago, and it is vastly different now. They really built up the island. We had an enjoyable day there. Jamaica, we just hung out at Margaritaville. Having done the major attractions before, we weren't really interested in exploring the island. Margaritaville was fine. Pool was nice, but small. The beach is very small, and while it's free to go in the water (can't charge you for the water), you had to pay to be on the beach. Didn't cost much, but was a nuisance. We did the Stingray city, coral gardens, starfish snorkel with Nativeway Water Sports in Grand Cayman. This is the second time using them, and I would recommend them to anyone. The guys on the boat are great and the tour was great. My regret was that we didn't go to the beach after the tour, we instead went into town and there really wasn't much to enjoy there. In Cozumel, we took the LONG tour to Tulum. I had read the horror stories before booking and knew it wasn't going to be great, but someone else in our party was interested, so we went for it. It was really nice to see Playa Del Carmen. The beach there was beautiful. The ruins and the beach surrounding are gorgeous, but as other people have said, it just isn't worth the trek and it takes up your whole day. As for the ship, the Freedom is beautiful. We had been on the Mariner before and the Freedom is pretty much the same with a few additions and a little more room. We made a point to make it to every bar on the ship. The singer at the Bull and Bear was amazing. However, I don't think he was going to be there for an extended period of time. There was some decent entertainment (but a little throw back to the 70's) in Olive or Twist. The bar itself is a great place to sit because it overlooks the back end of the boat. I thought the food was good and the wait staff was amazing. We did my time dining, but ended up requesting the same table every night, so we could have the same waiters. The pool area was crowded, but we never had trouble finding a chair or a drink, ha,ha. The kids did the flowrider a couple of times and there were lines, but they moved well. They also did the rock wall and ice skating which they enjoyed. Don't know if I have much more to offer, but there is definitely plenty to do and it was a great trip. Oh, and if Graham is still there, you need to check out his morning show...very amusing.

[neptune18]

how was the latin band at boleros

 

The latin band was awesome.

[yogimax]

Wasn't Drew Thomas the magician from "America's Got Talent?" I thought his act then was not the best.

[neptune18]

Glad to hear that you Loved the ship we will be on the Freedom in less than 7 weeks:D.

Can you tell me if you went to the casino?

 

I go to Vegas twice a year and gamble often. After years of cruising I have come to the conclusion that it is very difficult to win on a ship. Not enough black jack tables, too many amateurs and losy odds at craps. That being said, I still went and gambled moast nights, lost and had fun.

[neptune18]

Neptune-nice review. Question for you as it relates to Chankanaab . Do you recommend this and whats best way to get there just take taxi and get dropped off? What does entry cost? Whats ths most frugal way to visit Chankanaab is what I am getting at?:D

 

Just take a cab. Admission was $19 I think.

[neptune18]

Thank you for your review. We are leaving on Freedom western this Sunday. We were considering Sunset Grande also, but now I think we will pass on that. We have booked the Royal Swim for our teens directly also. How is the pool area at Chankanaab? Also can you tell me about food and drink there? Our kids will do the swim early in the day. Is it a nice place to hang out at the pool all day?

 

Not much too the pool area- kind of dinky. Good snorkeling though. Didn't eat there. Went back to ship, rinsed off and went to Pancho's Backyard in town for a late lunch.

[neptune18]

Wasn't Drew Thomas the magician from "America's Got Talent?" I thought his act then was not the best.

 

Yes that's him. I thought he was good on the show.

[ksc37]

Thank you for your review. We are leaving on Freedom western this Sunday. We were considering Sunset Grande also, but now I think we will pass on that. We have booked the Royal Swim for our teens directly also. How is the pool area at Chankanaab? Also can you tell me about food and drink there? Our kids will do the swim early in the day. Is it a nice place to hang out at the pool all day?

 

I'm jumping in here because we were also at Chankanaab on Friday. We did the first dolphin swim that we could, caught the sea lion show, had lunch at the "Laguna" restaurant, and then snorkeled.

 

We had a great time. The kids loved the dolphins (and so did we), the sea lion show was okay, but we did enjoy the food at the restaurant (the sit down restaurant, not counter service). We had a great view of the beach and water, and I really enjoyed my enchiladas (they had mole, which I love but can't find too many places here). The kids had a chicken sandwich and a burger, both of which they enjoyed. We drank bottled water and canned sodas (avoiding the ice). Beers on the beach were $3 (Dos Equis). No one got sick... which I know is a concern for a lot of people.

 

The snorkeling was good. It was like swimming in a fish tank. We saw lots of fish, anemones and sea urchins and plant life.

 

We left Chankanaab around 4:15 to go back to the port area.

[Cruising89143]

I was also on board this sailing. Overall a good cruise. Here are my thoughts.

 

This was our second time on Freedom. Ship still looks very good and was very clean. We did have a minor noro issue on the ship. By the third night, no more fruit in the drinks and hand sanitizers were everywhere. Crew admitted that there was an issue and we were not surprised. Each time that we used the the public restroom, most walked out without washing their hands. Full ship. Very full ship and it felt more crowded than the Oasis.

 

Kids allowed in the Concierge lounge during cocktail hour. I guess some parents felt that the rules did not apply to them but the concierge also did not do anything about it.

 

Cruise Director Graham Seymour was very funny.

 

We had MTD and only used it once. Not a good experience at all. More t-shirts and shorts than I have ever seen on a cruise. Add in the mediocre food. Reminded me of a high school cafeteria. I don't usually have an issue with what a person wears but I also believe in following the suggested dress code and if not, then I will make other arrangements for dining. Add to that a drunk punk at the next table who had too much to drink in Cozumel. The wait staff made it worse by egging him on.

 

Windjammer just as bad in quality and selection as what we experienced on the Oasis. No lemonade. Just water, tea and some horrible lemon-lime water. Not sure how much more RCI can cut back on the food budget but they must be going for a record.

 

Dined twice in Chops and once in Portofino. Both very good. This is now the way that we will go when cruising with RCI. The best way to get a decent meal.

 

Service was great throughout the ship. Crew very friendly. Entertainment was good but to be honest after seeing the entertainment on the Oasis, I was a little bored.

 

Ports of call were good. Enjoyed Labadee. We rented a cabana and would do it again. Very nice.

 

Very quick embarkation/debarkation. We left the ship exactly at 6:00 on Sunday morning and were in the car by 6:10. That is outstanding.

 

Overall we had a good cruise even with the food issues. RCI just needs to step it up here. I'm no food snob but the decline in overall quality is becoming more obvious with each cruise.

[neptune18]

We don't dress up but we aren't sloppy either. Either way, it doesn't bother me what other people wear. I agree the MDR is far from fine dining but I would rate it higher than a high school cafeteria.

[ksc37]

Did anyone else think this was an unfortunate combination of magazines to have in a cruise stateroom?? :eek:

 

 

Do we really need to be reminded of the Titanic right before setting sail?

[Sarahgraci]

Did anyone else think this was an unfortunate combination of magazines to have in a cruise stateroom?? :eek:

 

 

Do we really need to be reminded of the Titanic right before setting sail?

 

LOL. Thanks for the laugh! I don't know if I would have even noticed had they been in my room (I can be a bit slow).

[birdylady]

Did anyone else think this was an unfortunate combination of magazines to have in a cruise stateroom?? :eek:

 

 

Do we really need to be reminded of the Titanic right before setting sail?

Great Catch. Too funny...

Erika

[Barbiegator]

I wonder what area of Cocoa Beach you did not like. The historic downtown area is very nice with many locally owned restaurants. The pier is where the young people like to meet and surf but still an interesting place to view the ocean.

The port area has 4 good places to eat, Milliken's is the newest, but all have good seafood.The area around the port called Cape Canaveral has lots of rentals and condos.

Many of the homes in Cocoa Beach were built in the 50's or 60's and are typical of older beach areas.

There are many lovely condos and very nice homes on the ocean.

Sooo I wouldn't call the entire area seedy--more like a beach area with all types of housing and beach characters.

[Mrsdee]

Just off Freedom Western yesterday. Here are my thoughts:

 

PRE-CRUISE

 

Flew down on Friday, stayed at Residence Inn. Hotel was fine, would stay there again. It's actually one hotel closer to port than Radisson which is "at" the port. Spent a few hours in Coccoa Beach and glad we didn't stay there. We thought it was seedy. Went to KSC on Sat. It was interesting but somewhat of a letdown. They sent men to the moon so you would think they could figure out how to make tour busses start on time.

 

Ate at both Fishlips and Rusty's while watching ships depart on Fri and Sun. We thought Rusty's was much better.

 

ARRIVAL AT PORT

 

Got to port at about 10:30, on ship by about 11:30. The Freedom is gorgeous and huge. Looks brand new, would never know was four years old. We had a D1 balcony and an inside for our boys (16 and 14).

 

FOOD

 

We have cruised about 10 times with Disney, Princess, NCL, so we weren't expecting gourmet. The food in the MDR was fine-nothing great but mostly good. We did My Time and service was good with the same wait team each time. We thought desserts were awful. Did Chops once and Portofino twice and enjoyed both as they are cetainly a step up from MDR in both food and service. Still not gourmet or comparable to better land restaurants which was fine, as we knew that going in.

 

SHOWS/CRUISE DIRECTOR

 

Shows were great. We saw two production shows which were great. The two comedians were very funny. Drew Thomas, the magician was a little disapointing as he was heavier on theatrics than magic. Acrobats were great, too. The cruise director, Graham Seymour was hilarious before and after every show and especially every morning during his daily tv show. He even did a midnight "adults only" stand up routine one night at midnite which we snuck the kids into. Very funny but not so dirty. Just a few f-bombs.

 

PORTS

 

Kids and wife did zipline in Labadee. It took them two hours for a 60 second flight. They enjoyed it but wouldn't do again. Otherwise just hung on beach and in water. Kids also did aquapark and liked it very much. Labadee is beautiful.

 

In Ocho, did day passes at Sunset Jamaica Grand. This place is a dump, couldn't imagine staying there. Nice big beach but only about 5 umbrellas for whole beach. Cokes from bar tasted like cola flavored water. Self serve soda machines broken. Food was awful. Kids got to snorkel, kayak and took out a hobie so day was not a total waste. $60 pp was very steep for what you got, unless you drink like a fish, and even then, the liquor was not top shelf. This place really made us happy to go back to our beautiful, classy ship.

 

Grand Cayman, did a waverunner trip out to Sting Ray City with Ebanks sports. Just the four of us and another couple. This was awesome. From Sting Ray rode to a reef where we did some snorkeling, then back to the dock, jumping tour boats' wakes on the way. Then had mahi sandwiches at Hammerheads in town. Right on the dock. There are tons of huge tarpon there and you can snorkel the wreck Cali if you want.

 

In Cozumel, the kids did the dolphin Royal Swim which we booked directly. Chankanaab is pretty good but EVERYONE has their hand out for $$. If you wanted to go out on the dock to watch your kids swim with the dolphins it was an extra $5 pp. Some guy wanted to charge us for a tour of the park which he said was very important ("Here is the pool senor, that is the ocean, and this is the sand") Duh. After the dolphins we snorkeled. I thought the snorkeling was great there and you had to be in the water because it was so hot. Most agressive fish I ever snorkeled with. Got bitten twice. I guess they thought I was a side of beef.

 

FINAL THOUGHTS

 

We all loved the ship and the cruise. Almost everyone in crew was great. Kids did flowrider (crowded) and also the private lessons for $60 each. They also ice skated. It didn't seem the rink was open for skating at all during week and then it was all day on last day (sea day). My wife agrees that Princess food and dining experience is better/more refined. However, after being on this ship we agree that it would be difficult to go on a ship that wasn't as spectacular. Any questions, just ask.

Neptune 18............You say you had a D1 cabin. Im planning a cruise March 2011 and will be getting 2 E1 or D2 cabins and a D1. Was the D1 a lot larger than an E1? I plan on 3 of us being in that D1 cabin. It says it is larger but you never know what that means. Wider or longer or what........Thanks for any input. What deck were you on?

Cant wait.