Freedom or Allure

[cruisefan2009]

My extended family of 12 (ages 10-70) is planning to go on a family vacation! We are deciding between the Freedom of the Seas and Allure of the Seas and wanted your feedback. Some are concerned if we go on the Allure it may be harder to find each other around the ship. Is the Allure too big? Would the Freedom be a better fit? Thanks!

[kmorg1234]

They are both large enough to get lost on, but at least on the Allure you can rent the phones and GPS them!

[Icruzthere4Iam]

Haven't done Allure but did Freedom with 14 friends and family and we loved it. Very easy to find your way around, lots to do and no issues finding each other. Would cruise Freedom again in a heartbeat. Take care, Jim

[I Church]

My extended family of 12 (ages 10-70) is planning to go on a family vacation! We are deciding between the Freedom of the Seas and Allure of the Seas and wanted your feedback. Some are concerned if we go on the Allure it may be harder to find each other around the ship. Is the Allure too big? Would the Freedom be a better fit? Thanks!

 

We love both ships, the Freedom has a great D+ room but the one on the Allure is not a good but on either you can get all the Cappuccino's you want. We do not drink alcohol so Cappuccino's and coffee we do partake in. We very seldom go in the evening to the concierce just mornings and during the day.

 

I found the Allure very big and that people should be moble to use this ship. I wear a pedometer and have clocked 9 miles in a day just wondering around down the cabin corridoors. But it was never crowed, in fact, most of the time I felt something was going on we forgot about because where was everyone? It was easier for embarkation and getting off because of the new terminal. Love the Allure tower for the pictures, the pictures are put in a note book and once they have your sea pass and get the picture off it, the face-recognition program let them know which ones went in your notebook. Also there are towers buy guest relations to allow you to print out your plane tickets on the day before you disembark... such a time saver when you get to the airport. This is not on any other RCI ship.

 

We just came off the Jewel of the Seas which is a radiance of the Seas ship a little smaller than the Freedom or Oasis class but we did have a wonderful time even if there were a few lines that we didn't like.

 

Hope this might help you... anything Royal Caribbean are great ships and we have been on many of them.

 

Take care....

Irene & Miles

Loyal to Royal but have been on Holland America, Disney, NCL, NCLA, Princess, and two U.S. Military tiger cruises so have some comparisons.

[pjsatc86]

We have cruised both and loved both. There was much more of a community feeling and the cruise director was more visible on freedom. We had the same cruise director on both cruises. They do all of the pool games and contests in the aqua theater on allure which we didnt like. We liked on freedom that they were in the main pool like most cruises. It was cool to have all those people surrounding the pool and watching. They are both big enough where they don't feel crowded with the amount of people. The balcony room was set up much better on freedom than on allure. On allure there was central park which we spent a lot of time in. We found Port Everglades (allure) is way more convenient than Port Canaveral (Freedom) for us. We fly in so that is why we find it that way. Either way you will have an awesome time.

[cruisefan2009]

Thank you all for your feedback. We are very excited!

[QTMichele]

Either!

 

I was on the Freedom last year, and loved her! She's a big ship, but well laid out with a lot of amenities. She was recently "Oasisized" too, making her more family friendly. Allure was my home 2 weeks ago - again, just wonderful! She is a BIG ship with a LOT to do. WONDERFUL for families, but expect to walk a lot (actually, you'll walk quite a bit on both ships). The Allure has a lot of places to eat - many free, some with surcharges. Sticking with the "free" places, it's nice to have a different environment to eat, depending upon your mood. I thought the Windjammer offered a little less variety, probably because there were so many other areas on the ship to get things. On the other hand, Freedom has fewer "free" choices, but the Windjammer had quite a bit more to offer in terms of variety. Just something to consider.

 

If budget isn't a factor, then I'd say go on the Allure. She is a remarkable ship. If you want to save some money, then go for Freedom. Consider the ports too. You can't go wrong with either.

 

Good luck! And check out my reviews in my sig - there are LOTS of pictures in both!

[ParamedicFF]

Michele: Your review of Freedom was thorough and very insightful. I am sailing on Freedom on May 22 and am staying in JS 9344, the same cabin you stayed in. I've never stayed JS before, but I'm surprising my wife as she's going to be 22 weeks pregnant on board and I figured she'd appreciate the extra room. Looking forward for it very much!

[QTMichele]

Michele: Your review of Freedom was thorough and very insightful. I am sailing on Freedom on May 22 and am staying in JS 9344, the same cabin you stayed in. I've never stayed JS before, but I'm surprising my wife as she's going to be 22 weeks pregnant on board and I figured she'd appreciate the extra room. Looking forward for it very much!

 

You're going to LOVE it!!! VERY convenient cabin - right next to the stairs/elevator, and centrally located vertically (does that make sense?). Nice size cabin with a tub instead of a tiny shower (which I'm sure your wife will appreciate VERY much!). You'll get priority check in as well. And TONS of storage space. But, you should know this if you read my reviews. ;) Sorry... I'm just very excited for you!

 

BTW, I'm from the Rochester area, and lived in Rochester for several years as a young adult. Miss all the things to do, but don't miss the weather.

[ParamedicFF]

BTW, I'm from the Rochester area, and lived in Rochester for several years as a young adult. Miss all the things to do, but don't miss the weather.

 

Thanks for the reply! I'm really looking forward to this cruise, even more so after reading your review. It's probably going to be our last vacation for awhile. New baby arriving soon plus a very active 3 y/o boy means lots keeping us busy at home.

 

I'm from Penfield, an eastern suburb of Rochester. And no, you're definitely not missing the weather here. It was a cold and very snowy winter.

[AF-1]

My extended family of 12 (ages 10-70) is planning to go on a family vacation! We are deciding between the Freedom of the Seas and Allure of the Seas and wanted your feedback. Some are concerned if we go on the Allure it may be harder to find each other around the ship. Is the Allure too big? Would the Freedom be a better fit? Thanks!

Hello, I had the same questions as you for my extended family. My wife and I are taking our kids/grandkids on Freedom. There will be 11 of us. We are paying for the entire cruise; so for us it was about how much bang could we get for our buck. We sailed Allure in Jan; while onboard Allure we walked around looking to see what our kids would like; the ship is amazing and has everything u could want for a family vacation. We chose Freedom; because it will cost us a lot less money for pretty much the same stuff. Freedom is only a little over 100 feet shorter than Allure; but holds 1500 less people. Other than the different neighborhoods on Allure; Freedom has it all. Our kids/grandkids have never been on a cruise; so they won't care if they sailed Freedom or Allure. Hope this helps.

[FLACRUISER99]

Thank you all for your feedback. We are very excited!

You will let us know what you decide to book.