Freedom Review w/Pics: 4/3-4/10/2011, some good, some bad, some meh.

[flipflopfun]

I will be on freedom next week on this itinerary and wondering if you remember which pier you were at in cozumel?

 

It was the International pier.

[PhoenixDawgCruising]

It was the International pier.

 

Well there ya go. I never keep up on things like that.

[Laurie996]

sailing on the FOS 12/11/11 Western too. Can you please add me so I can see all of your facebook pics. My email is Lfrischolz@aol.com or Laurie VanCott Frischolz through Facebook. I can not wait to cruise again. My girlfriend's first my 5th. Thanks again for all the reviews and answers to questions.

[AF-1]

Laurie, u are sailing the week after me. I have my five grandkids with me.

[matj2000]

I agree, Rahul needs to go. Maybe RC can transfer him to Monarch or any of the smaller ship..

[Raptor2010]

I agree, Rahul needs to go. Maybe RC can transfer him to Monarch or any of the smaller ship..

 

We are sailing on the FOS in 2 days and we have conversed with Rahul via email and he has booked us a cabana in Labadee and actually been quite helpful. He seems very nice and competent to us. :)

[PhoenixDawgCruising]

sailing on the FOS 12/11/11 Western too. Can you please add me so I can see all of your facebook pics. My email is Lfrischolz@aol.com or Laurie VanCott Frischolz through Facebook. I can not wait to cruise again. My girlfriend's first my 5th. Thanks again for all the reviews and answers to questions.

 

 

FB Friend Request has been sent. Have a great cruise!!:)

[PhoenixDawgCruising]

We are sailing on the FOS in 2 days and we have conversed with Rahul via email and he has booked us a cabana in Labadee and actually been quite helpful. He seems very nice and competent to us. :)

 

Here's my problem with Rahul. He wasn't rude or nasty, he just wouldn't fess up to what he was trying to pull, and liars piss me off.

 

If he would have come to me, admitted he gave me the cabana too early, and had made a mistake, I might, MIGHT (probably not) have given the cabana back (even if I didn't give it back, at least I would have respected him for the way he handled the situation).

 

However, instead of admitting his error (and it was HIS error, all I did was ask, he could have easily said "no"), he came at me with "something came up and you can't have the cabana" (sorry buddy, I ALREADY have it, along with a written confirmation) and tried to play me. That kind of dishonesty never works with me, and I will call a person on it every time.;)

 

I'm not sure if he's overwhelmed by his position, or if he's just incompetent. Either way, not a fan.

 

But it doesn't matter, I have a feeling it will be a long time before I'm on Freedom again. I think I'm gonna try Allure next, then stick with the Voyager class.:)

[mommywholuvstocruise]

Just wanted to let you know that after reading through you review, I decided to purchase day passes to the Hilton Rose Hall AI for our upcoming cruise on the Allure.

 

My family and I have visited Jamaica many, many times in the past and have always had a blast there. However, this time we're travelling with my 5 year old son who is too small to do any of the cool adventure type activities on the island. He's also too young to appreciate historical sites and such. The waterpark is just right for him and the AI food and beverage is just right for us ;).

 

Thanks for your great review.

[PhoenixDawgCruising]

Just wanted to let you know that after reading through you review, I decided to purchase day passes to the Hilton Rose Hall AI for our upcoming cruise on the Allure.

 

My family and I have visited Jamaica many, many times in the past and have always had a blast there. However, this time we're travelling with my 5 year old son who is too small to do any of the cool adventure type activities on the island. He's also too young to appreciate historical sites and such. The waterpark is just right for him and the AI food and beverage is just right for us ;).

 

Thanks for your great review.

 

Yay, that's 5 people who have booked Rose Hall. I should send them a note about getting paid to advertise for them!!!:)

 

Your 5 year old will love it. My now 6 year old first went when he was 3, and was able to ride the slides with our help. He had a blast both times.

 

Have a wonderful time.

[time4u2go]

What time did they show movies in the evenings on the outdoor screen? Thanks!

[time4u2go]

I booked the Hilton Rose Hall for my upcoming Oasis cruise just based on your review of it. Do you have anymore pictures of it that you can post on here?

 

OK I'm confused...I thought this wasn't an actual RCI shore excursion, but a do-it-yourself thing. How did you book it?:confused:

[mommywholuvstocruise]

OK I'm confused...I thought this wasn't an actual RCI shore excursion, but a do-it-yourself thing. How did you book it?:confused:

 

I booked mine through Jamaica for a Day.

[PhoenixDawgCruising]

OK I'm confused...I thought this wasn't an actual RCI shore excursion, but a do-it-yourself thing. How did you book it?:confused:

 

I never book anything through the ship, too overpriced. All you do is take a cab to the hotel and pay the concierge at the front desk. No planning ahead is necessary.

 

I explain the whole process in detail earlier in this tread.:)

[PhoenixDawgCruising]

What time did they show movies in the evenings on the outdoor screen? Thanks!

 

It varied because of Final Four basketball, but usually around 7 or 7:30pm. They also showed movies in the middle of the day, we watched Wizard of Oz around 1:00pm.

[BrianAlt]

Great review. Thank you for taking the time.

 

Your review points out how everyone can have a completely different experience on a cruise ship. That's what makes this a great vacation!

[funfamilyof6]

I never book anything through the ship, too overpriced. All you do is take a cab to the hotel and pay the concierge at the front desk. No planning ahead is necessary.

 

I explain the whole process in detail earlier in this tread.:)

 

Thank you so much for your great review, pictures, and details!!! Your postings are always so informative and very helpful. Your kids are so cute.:) I was laughing so hard about the "teenager" part.:eek: My kids are 15, 12 and 8, 3 girls and 1 boy. My husband is already having a hard time dealing with all of the female hormones in the house. I feel really sorry for my son, but I told him he will be well prepared for marriage.

 

I especially loved your information about the Hilton Rose Hall Resort. We are having a really hard time figuring out what to do in Falmouth this summer. We wanted to do the White River Tubing but don't want to spend an hour on the bus each way to get there. We did Blue Hole last time and LOVED it.:)

 

My question for you is...Does the Hilton Rose Hall Resort AI price include frozen drinks like Virgin Strawberry Daquiri's and Virgin Pina Colada's??? Also can you do Banana Boat rides there?? Also, if we don't want to do the the Hilton can you get off the ship and find somebody at the pier to take you to do Banana Boat rides??? I'm looking for something fun for the kids.

 

We are doing a Dolphin excursion in Cozumel, stingray city and snorkeling in Grand Cayman, and a beach day in Haiti (may let our oldest do the Zipline for her 16th Birthday present). Are there any other exciting excursions near Falmouth that all of our kids may enjoy. We usually don't do so many excursions, but this cruise is for my daughter's birthday.

 

We also enjoyed info about Cabana's, we will give it a try also, although we will be last on the list since we aren't even staying in a JS.:eek:

[PhoenixDawgCruising]

Thank you so much for your great review, pictures, and details!!! Your postings are always so informative and very helpful. Your kids are so cute.:) I was laughing so hard about the "teenager" part.:eek: My kids are 15, 12 and 8, 3 girls and 1 boy. My husband is already having a hard time dealing with all of the female hormones in the house. I feel really sorry for my son, but I told him he will be well prepared for marriage.

 

I especially loved your information about the Hilton Rose Hall Resort. We are having a really hard time figuring out what to do in Falmouth this summer. We wanted to do the White River Tubing but don't want to spend an hour on the bus each way to get there. We did Blue Hole last time and LOVED it.:)

 

My question for you is...Does the Hilton Rose Hall Resort AI price include frozen drinks like Virgin Strawberry Daquiri's and Virgin Pina Colada's??? Also can you do Banana Boat rides there?? Also, if we don't want to do the the Hilton can you get off the ship and find somebody at the pier to take you to do Banana Boat rides??? I'm looking for something fun for the kids.

 

We are doing a Dolphin excursion in Cozumel, stingray city and snorkeling in Grand Cayman, and a beach day in Haiti (may let our oldest do the Zipline for her 16th Birthday present). Are there any other exciting excursions near Falmouth that all of our kids may enjoy. We usually don't do so many excursions, but this cruise is for my daughter's birthday.

 

We also enjoyed info about Cabana's, we will give it a try also, although we will be last on the list since we aren't even staying in a JS.:eek:

 

Gald you enjoyed the review.

 

1. Frozen drinks: The AI price includes all drinks that they have, so if they have frozen virgin drinks, they will be included. However we only had water,sodas and my husband had a frozen Margarita, so I cannot confirm if they have frozen virgin drinks. But if they have them, they are included.

 

2. Don't know about Banana Boats, didn't see any, but they do have Windsurfing and a ocean trampoline. Plus the waterslides, lazy river, and lots of poolside group activities led by the hotel staff. Also ping pong and a huge poolside chess set.

 

Hope that helps.:)

[funfamilyof6]

Gald you enjoyed the review.

 

1. Frozen drinks: The AI price includes all drinks that they have, so if they have frozen virgin drinks, they will be included. However we only had water,sodas and my husband had a frozen Margarita, so I cannot confirm if they have frozen virgin drinks. But if they have them, they are included.

 

2. Don't know about Banana Boats, didn't see any, but they do have Windsurfing and a ocean trampoline. Plus the waterslides, lazy river, and lots of poolside group activities led by the hotel staff. Also ping pong and a huge poolside chess set.

 

Hope that helps.:)

 

Thank you. Did you hear or know about any other excursions that may be good with kids??

[05mak05]

Yes, by far, the food was my major, almost only complaint. But it's a big one. Most of the WJ food was just awful. I saw a huge drop in both quality and variety. It's like they wanted to feed people pizza and burgers for a week. No thanks.

We were on the Radiance on April 2nd out of Tampa with our family. Some are picky eaters, some are not, however, each and every one of us agreed that the food was by far the best we've ever had on a cruise. What we need to do is figure out who the chef is and put him in charge!

[PhoenixDawgCruising]

We were on the Radiance on April 2nd out of Tampa with our family. Some are picky eaters, some are not, however, each and every one of us agreed that the food was by far the best we've ever had on a cruise. What we need to do is figure out who the chef is and put him in charge!

 

Ahh Radience, the class I have never sailed on...yet! Soon I hope. Alaska perhaps?:rolleyes:

 

Glad your food was great!!!:D

[05mak05]

Ahh Radience, the class I have never sailed on...yet! Soon I hope. Alaska perhaps?:rolleyes:

 

Glad your food was great!!!:D

We haven't been on the Oasis/Allure but have that booked for November. Other than those 2, we've been on most RCI cruises and the Radiance class is our very favorite. I'm wondering if the food is better because the ship is smaller and there aren't so many people to feed? The Windjammer on the Radiance class doesn't have that frantic feel to it. The lighting is dimmed (or so it seems) and you can also go outside on the aft to eat. Pretty awesome.

[PhoenixDawgCruising]

We haven't been on the Oasis/Allure but have that booked for November. Other than those 2, we've been on most RCI cruises and the Radiance class is our very favorite. I'm wondering if the food is better because the ship is smaller and there aren't so many people to feed? The Windjammer on the Radiance class doesn't have that frantic feel to it. The lighting is dimmed (or so it seems) and you can also go outside on the aft to eat. Pretty awesome.

 

I'm probably going to try Allure next, then Radience to Alaska, if the dates work out. Somewhere in there there's a Disney cruise out of LA as well.

 

I have always wanted to try Radience because of those magic pool tables!!!:)

[later]

I guess we all have different experiences with diamond lounge concierges. We have had Rahul Barua several times and he has been great every time. It seems that when some people get a no for an answer they immediately think the concierge is terrible. They can not make every thing happen but in Rahul's case he has always tried for us. The week you are in the diamond lounge can make a difference too. There can be anywhere from 30 to 230 diamond/diamond plus members cruising on a given week on the Freedom OTS.

[PhoenixDawgCruising]

I guess we all have different experiences with diamond lounge concierges. We have had Rahul Barua several times and he has been great every time. It seems that when some people get a no for an answer they immediately think the concierge is terrible. They can not make every thing happen but in Rahul's case he has always tried for us. The week you are in the diamond lounge can make a difference too. There can be anywhere from 30 to 230 diamond/diamond plus members cruising on a given week on the Freedom OTS.

 

 

That's JUST it, I didn't get a "no", I got a "yes" then he tried to change his mind 2 days later, no dice.:p

 

I'm glad you like him, I don't.:) But as I said, I got what I wanted, and I will probably never see him again, so who cares.