Honeymoon on Freedom of the Seas - Sept 11

[Kilkenny Cruise]

Hi all,

Myself and fiancée are going on Freedom of the Seas departing on Sept 4 2011 as part of our honeymoon. Its western Caribbean by the way. Neither of us have cruised before. Not too many cruises in Ireland.

We are just wondering what to expect. I have been monitoring the cruisecritic board for ages and have so many questions to ask I really don't know where to start but here goes anyway

1. We have prepaid gratitudes included in the cost of our cruise - do we need to tip additionally

2. Is it worthwhile investing in wine package or just order wine as we go?

3. What excursions would you recommend at ports and is it good idea to pre-book them?

4. What are the formal nights on this cruise?

5. is it advisable to pre-book specialty restaurants?

 

Thanks for reading - I've still loads more to ask and will post them as we go along.

Thanks JK - Kilkenny, Ireland:)

[madra2112]

JK, just to prove it's a small world, while I live in Donegal now, I was born in St Luke's in Kilkenny and lived in a flat beside O'Reilly's Wallpaper Shop on Johns's Street for the first six years of my life!

 

My wife, kids and I did the Western Caribbean run on Freedom in 2009 and had a blast.

 

Briefly, to answer your questions

 

1. You don't need to tip additionally, but may choose to do so. We tend to prepay as well, and on all but one occasion, we have given extra to our cabin stewart, waiter and assistant waiter at the end of the cruise.

 

2. We don't really drink, so I'll pass on this one.

 

3. One of the things about cruising that really surprised me was how much fun you can have planning what to do on shore. If school study were half as much fun as cruise research, we'd all have gotten seven 'A's in the Leaving!

 

4. From memory, Monday and Thursday

 

5. Never used them!

 

There is a thread on the Western Caribbean route here - http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1411117 and of course, the legendary Trainman is also giving live updates from Freedom in his current thread.

 

My e-mail address is donalk at eircom dot net if you want to get in touch.

 

Donal.

[Kilkenny Cruise]

Hi madra2112,

Its one small world, I'm originally from Donegal - Killygordon to be exact. Thanks for the prompt reply by the way.

[mpoole3]

Hi all,

Myself and fiancée are going on Freedom of the Seas departing on Sept 4 2011 as part of our honeymoon. Its western Caribbean by the way. Neither of us have cruised before. Not too many cruises in Ireland.

We are just wondering what to expect. I have been monitoring the cruisecritic board for ages and have so many questions to ask I really don't know where to start but here goes anyway

1. We have prepaid gratitudes included in the cost of our cruise - do we need to tip additionally

2. Is it worthwhile investing in wine package or just order wine as we go?

3. What excursions would you recommend at ports and is it good idea to pre-book them?

4. What are the formal nights on this cruise?

5. is it advisable to pre-book specialty restaurants?

 

Thanks for reading - I've still loads more to ask and will post them as we go along.

Thanks JK - Kilkenny, Ireland:)

 

YOU HAVE TO WATCH THIS FREEDOM HONEYMOON VIDEO ON YOUTUBE

[Kilkenny Cruise]

Yea saw that video already - really impressed and really excited:cool:

[danne]

My husband and I sailed on a Transatlantic for our honeymoon and I must say that it was wonderful! You are going to have such an amazing time. We were 24 when we got married (30 now) and as young cruisers, I wanted to give you a few tips. So many people are more mature, but don't worry...there are plenty of young people on the ship. You just have to look a little harder for them. On each of our cruises, we have joined with other young couples and have found lifelong friendships. We now have cruising couples in London, South Africa, New York, Seattle and even a couple in our home town of Atlanta, GA. Make sure when you board that you make it clear to everyone that you are on your honeymoon. They will often offer you a few "extras" for free! Also, most of the cruises had a honeymoon "get together" and private show. Make sure you find out when and where that is! Best Wishes!

[Kilkenny Cruise]

Yea, that sounds very good indeed.

Anyone any advice on what excursions we should do on out Western Caribbean cruise

[QuickGold]

We will be on the same cruise! Congrats on your (upcoming?) wedding!

[Shaney3401]

In Labadee the zipline and coaster are fun but my all time favorite excursion is the Malfini Beach trip.

 

In the Cayman Island you have got to try the snorkel and stingray bay trip....very fun!!

[Kilkenny Cruise]

Thanks for info on excursions. Where would you recommend eating on your port days?

[Gator0178]

Hi all,

Myself and fiancée are going on Freedom of the Seas departing on Sept 4 2011 as part of our honeymoon. Its western Caribbean by the way. Neither of us have cruised before. Not too many cruises in Ireland.

We are just wondering what to expect. I have been monitoring the cruisecritic board for ages and have so many questions to ask I really don't know where to start but here goes anyway

1. We have prepaid gratitudes included in the cost of our cruise - do we need to tip additionally--Depends on the level of service. We have also tipped additionally if the service was truely great!

2. Is it worthwhile investing in wine package or just order wine as we go? Depends on how much you drink and if it matters to you the quality of wine. We drank in the Diamond lounge mostly where it is free, but if you drink a lot and are particular about your wine then it may be worth it.

3. What excursions would you recommend at ports and is it good idea to pre-book them? This is tricky and depends on what you like to do. If there is something that you REALLY want to do, book it now. If you like it, many others may as well and it will fill up. In Labadee we just went to the beach and towards the end of the day we did the roller coaster. One ride is $19 and 2 rides is $24. In Jamaica we used Marva Tours, which is rated #1 on trip advisor. We did Dunnn"S River Falls, Tubing Down the white River, lunch and shopping. Made it back to the ship with over an hour to spare. GC- hired a taxi to take us to the turtle farm and then shopping. In Coz- booked the scuba diving excursion through RCL. It was the best diving I had seen in years!

4. What are the formal nights on this cruise? They are Mon and Thu nights

5. is it advisable to pre-book specialty restaurants? Again, we did because we wanted night #2 and 730pm and it was already paid for.

 

Thanks for reading - I've still loads more to ask and will post them as we go along.

Thanks JK - Kilkenny, Ireland:)

 

my opinions and experiences

[Kilkenny Cruise]

Thanks Gator0178 - your insight is much appreciated. On day trips - in your opinion which is the best stop for shopping for novelty items

[Kilkenny Cruise]

Just wondering if anyone could give me a few pointers on how to impress herself on our cruise considering it is our honeymoon after all:cool:

[Gator0178]

Thanks Gator0178 - your insight is much appreciated. On day trips - in your opinion which is the best stop for shopping for novelty items

 

 

Define "novelty"-- I bought some Big Black D!ck rum in Grand cayman. Go to the pirate novelty store.

[Kilkenny Cruise]

Very opened ended question in fairness I asked. I suppose where would i get the best shopping experience.:confused:

[The-Dude]

Hi all,

Myself and fiancée are going on Freedom of the Seas departing on Sept 4 2011 as part of our honeymoon.

 

I am going on the same cruise too! My wife and I have already planned our itinerary and excursions!

 

You're going to have a lot of fun!

[klb1978]

Yea, that sounds very good indeed.

Anyone any advice on what excursions we should do on out Western Caribbean cruise

 

 

My husband and I traveled the Western route (Mariner of the Seas) in October 06 for our honeymoon!! One of my favorite excursions we did was swimming with the dolphins. A truly amazing experience! We did one offered in Ocho Rios, but after finding Cruise Critic, I think it is said that the best place for that is actually in Cozumel. Hope you all enjoy your cruise and congrats on the wedding!

[Kilkenny Cruise]

Thanks folks for all your posts. I've to go to sleep now. Its 01.16am in Ireland. Work beakons soon. Will take it up tomorrow :):):)

[Gator0178]

Just wondering if anyone could give me a few pointers on how to impress herself on our cruise considering it is our honeymoon after all:cool:

 

RCL has some romance packages. Look into them and see if any of them interest you. I would definitely do a night at CHOPS and let them know you are on your honeymoon. I would get a balcony if you can afford it, and maybe do a couples massage.

[Kilkenny Cruise]

RCL has some romance packages. Look into them and see if any of them interest you. I would definitely do a night at CHOPS and let them know you are on your honeymoon. I would get a balcony if you can afford it, and maybe do a couples massage.

 

Looked into the Romance Packages - great idea - will take up one of those for sure. Ive booked the balcony cabin 6274 I think so hopefully thats a good location. I am defiantly going to book chops - just wondering would it be a good idea to have it booked on our formal night and can we sit as couple or will be on a group table. Also love the idea of a couples massage - any recommendations when to book this?:)

[madra2112]

JK,

 

Chops will be a table for two.

 

Regarding excursions, we just relaxed on Labadee while the kids used the Arawak Water Park features.

 

In Jamaica, we visited the Ruins at the Falls, Fern Gully and climbed the Dunns River Falls as part of RC's "Best of Ocho Rios" package. I'm presuming your stop is in Falmouth, so bear that in mind. Climbing Dunns River Falls was an exhilarating experience, and I'm delighted we did it.

 

The persistence of the vendors as we tried to leave...............was not a highlight of the cruise!

 

In Grand Cayman, we did Captain Bryan's Stingray City and Snorkelling package. It was superb, and highly recommended.

 

In Cozumel, we did RC's Discover Mexico and Chankanaab Package, which was perfect for us.

 

Bearing in mind we had a 15 and 16 year old with us, you may have different priorities, but as I said in an earlier post, the research and planning is half the fun.

 

I'll try to post a few pics from our adventures later, but leave you with yet another coincidence.

 

Two years ago, a good friend of mine got married, and I helped her plan their honeymoon cruise on Voyager OTS in the Med. She's originally from........The Cross, Killygordon!!

[Kilkenny Cruise]

JK,

 

Chops will be a table for two.

 

Regarding excursions, we just relaxed on Labadee while the kids used the Arawak Water Park features.

 

In Jamaica, we visited the Ruins at the Falls, Fern Gully and climbed the Dunns River Falls as part of RC's "Best of Ocho Rios" package. I'm presuming your stop is in Falmouth, so bear that in mind. Climbing Dunns River Falls was an exhilarating experience, and I'm delighted we did it.

 

The persistence of the vendors as we tried to leave...............was not a highlight of the cruise!

 

In Grand Cayman, we did Captain Bryan's Stingray City and Snorkelling package. It was superb, and highly recommended.

 

In Cozumel, we did RC's Discover Mexico and Chankanaab Package, which was perfect for us.

 

Bearing in mind we had a 15 and 16 year old with us, you may have different priorities, but as I said in an earlier post, the research and planning is half the fun.

 

I'll try to post a few pics from our adventures later, but leave you with yet another coincidence.

 

Two years ago, a good friend of mine got married, and I helped her plan their honeymoon cruise on Voyager OTS in the Med. She's originally from........The Cross, Killygordon!!

 

That is crazy - you are getting closer to the home place all the time - scary!!!!:D - we will be fairly easy going about the whole cruise - its great to pick the brains of seasoned cruisers like your good selves - thanks again - Joe:)

[Gator0178]

Looked into the Romance Packages - great idea - will take up one of those for sure. Ive booked the balcony cabin 6274 I think so hopefully thats a good location. I am defiantly going to book chops - just wondering would it be a good idea to have it booked on our formal night and can we sit as couple or will be on a group table. Also love the idea of a couples massage - any recommendations when to book this?:)

 

 

CHOPS has lots of 2 tops. They will seat you as a couple especially if you let them know it is for a special occasion.

 

We did a nice couples massage at the top of Labadee overlooking the ship. It was great!

[Gator0178]

As far as shopping in Grand Cayman- most of the shopping is high end fashion and jewlry. It is all easy walking distance from the pier where you will have to tender to.

[Kilkenny Cruise]

As far as shopping in Grand Cayman- most of the shopping is high end fashion and jewlry. It is all easy walking distance from the pier where you will have to tender to.

 

Thanks for info on Grand Cayman - when you refer to high end - would it be fair to associate high end prices too? I know my fiancée wants to buy some nice jewelery - is here the best place to get it or elsewhere - also bear in mind we are staying in Orlando for a week before the cruise. Thanks again:)