Oct 23 FOS Review

[fairweather]

I'm sorry about posting this account of our Oct 23 FOS cruise so late. We came back at Halloween and it's been full speed ahead into holiday preparations since then.

 

But I did want to share our experience with those who have been so kind to share theirs with us in planning this trip. It's so helpful to hear how others feel about various aspects of their cruise experience.

 

This was our third cruise on RCI. We had previously sailed to the Bahamas on the Majesty and the Western Caribbean on the Explorer. When we found a great rate for this Eastern Caribbean itinerary October 23 on the Freedom, we grabbed it. My husband and I are in our 50’s and have also sailed on HAL to Alaska.

 

I love this ship. It has so many entertainment venues and dining opportunities. We found the quality and variety to be very good for the price. It was easy to navigate this larger ship although the elevators could be slow during high activity times. While there were many similarities to the Voyager class, there were also many new surprises to explore and enjoy as well. Lots of quiet places to relax, too.

 

We flew into Orlando the day before and ate lunch in Winter Park at an outside cafe and visited the Morse Fine Arts Museum which has the largest collection of Tiffany glass in the world. Just a short drive from the airport, it was the perfect way to start our vacation before we drove to Cocoa Beach to spend the night before embarking.

 

We stayed at the Comfort Inn Cocoa Beach which we found to be a good value. Nothing fancy but clean. It includes a free extended breakfast, free internet, and a great location just a block off the beach close to many stores and restaurants. We walked along the beach at sunset and ate dinner at a nearby seafood place.

 

The next morning, we left off our rental car at Avis after taking another walk on the beach and arrived at port via their van service by 10:45. It took maybe 30 minutes from the front door of the terminal to finding a seat in the WJ which was not packed yet but soon became crowded. We enjoyed some huge shrimp in the Paella dish and various salads and sandwiches. Then we checked out the desserts at the Promenade Café and Sorrento’s Pizza while getting acquainted with the ship’s various venues and taking photos.

 

We changed into our swimsuits when we were allowed into our state room at 1 pm and then spent the afternoon on the pool deck in the hot tubs, reading in the Solarium, looking out at sea, and watching football on the big screen. Afterwards we met our wonderful room steward Sergio who took good care of us throughout the cruise and was always available to answer questions or chat. We stayed in an inside cabin on the 9th floor close to the aft elevators and an easy two flight walk up to the pool deck and WJ.

 

After the muster drill and sail away party on pool deck, we dressed for early dinner and met our dinner mates for the first time. We enjoyed meeting with them each evening to share stories about our days in port. We missed the Welcome Aboard Show because one couple was celebrating a 25th anniversary with a special dessert. But it didn’t matter because we were able to see it and other shows staged in the theatre on the TV in our stateroom later.

 

We ended a long day with cocktails at one of the numerous lounges while catching parts of the World Series in the On Air sports lounge on the 3rd level which became our routine throughout the cruise. This was also where they do karaoke most nights.

 

It wasn’t till the sixth game that the World Series was finally shown on the large screen on pool deck. It was really a challenge being a Cardinals fan and still doing all the other fun things on ship at night, but we did it. There is nothing quite like watching the World Series on a large screen from a lounge chair under the stars at sea. It will be a memory we will cherish for many years to come.

 

I’m not going to get into so much detail about the rest of the cruise but just give our impressions.

 

We were blown away by Trunk Bay in St. Johns. Such a beautiful secluded beach with water so clear you could see all kinds of tropical fish without snorkeling. Our Island and Beach tour via Bernard’s Tours in St. Marten was also a standout day.

 

The Butterfly Farm in St. Thomas was overpriced. We would have felt ripped off if there hadn’t been a bird show included. Coco Cay turned out well for us but not for everyone. We tendered around 10:30 am and missed the rain the early risers experienced, but the water was too choppy and full of churned up seaweed to swim. So we enjoyed the BBQ and about two hours of sunbathing before the wind and clouds returned. The Captain wisely cut short our stay there before the weather got too bad to tender back to ship.

 

Our only specialty dining experience was the Making Pasta cooking class/three course lunch at Portifinos for $10. You are served your choice from three menu selections for each course with an optional $10 charge for some exceptional wine pairings with each course. Very well done. It was like getting a $30 dinner in this wonderful restaurant along with a personal interview with several of the ship’s chefs. It’s offered only once, so watch for the notification in your daily Compass and make a reservation early.

 

Loved the ice show, production shows, Motown Las Vegas entertainer who had everyone on their feet dancing and singing along, the flow rider, trivia and game shows, dance parties hosted by the cruise director’s staff, bartender in the Schooner Bar, and Latin band in Boleros. Sorry we missed the parades as they looked fun when shown on TV.

 

And did I mention the little sandwiches and desserts at the Café Promenade? There is a rum raisin bar there to die for. It was too rich to eat like a brownie. You had to use a fork. And there was an Amaretto chocolate pudding with lots of dark chocolate ribbons on top at Sorrento’s Pizza that came in as a close second. The tutti salad in the MDR at lunch on sea days was exceptional. They really piled on the smoked salmon and huge shrimp as an option.

 

I am proud that I kept a relatively healthy diet until Thursday night, after which I decided to try every luxury item on the menus I could find. You’re on vacation right? And we did try to walk on the 4th level wrap around deck at least once a day and/or evening. There were more than enough items cooked tastefully in the MDR to set me back about 3-5 pounds. I found the food there to be good to very good. The meat portions were usually huge and cooked as requested.

 

We ended the cruise on Sunday and got another one-way car rental for our overnight stay in Orlando at the Hampton Inn Florida Mall and flight back the next day. Again, this was a nice hotel for the price with all the extras like an extended breakfast, free internet, and well equipped exercise room.

 

My husband insisted on doing another Old Florida attraction, Gatorland. What a surprise. This was a beautifully maintained property; more like a zoo with several shows and a mile-long boardwalk through a classic FL swampland with birds, reptiles, and an abundance of flora. With the temp in the 70s and low humidity, it was a perfect way to end our vacation. Not sure it would have been as much fun in the summer.

 

The only weak points in the cruise were boarding and disembarking. We were herded into a special Gold member line for check in with only one person working the desk. It took over twice as long as the regular line which had four staff members on duty. Leaving the ship, someone took one of our suitcases and left it at a different carousel. After searching for almost 15 minutes, a porter finally found it just sitting where someone dumped it when they realized they had the wrong bag. No big deal.

 

Don’t hesitate to book this ship and itinerary. All the staff was super friendly, fun, and dedicated to making your cruise a memorable experience.

 

I'd be happy to answer any questions.

[BugsyCruiser]

Great review. I am booked on Allure in October but considering FOS afterwards. Sounds like boarding the ship was a breeze? I've read so many stories that made it sound like Port Canaveral was a nightmare for boarding

[fairweather]

Boy, you're a quick read. I just finished re-reading my post to see what I should have left out. I get too long winded.

 

Boarding wasn't bad at all. I think it depends on when you board. The TA wanted us to get to port at 2 pm. After reading everyone's reviews here, we decided to get there early and beat the crush around noon.

 

Hope you enjoy Allure. It sounds like a floating Vas Vegas with great entertainment if you book all the shows as soon as you can after booking. Everyone here seems to think it's better if you get a balcony with a sea view since the ship faces inward a lot.

 

Allure will be out next RCI cruise, too. Wish it went to different ports than the FOS but I guess both ships are so big there are only so many places they can visit. Which intinerary are you taking?

[BugsyCruiser]

Boy, you're a quick read. I just finished re-reading my post to see what I should have left out. I get too long winded.

 

Boarding wasn't bad at all. I think it depends on when you board. The TA wanted us to get to port at 2 pm. After reading everyone's reviews here, we decided to get there early and beat the crush around noon.

 

Hope you enjoy Allure. It sounds like a floating Vas Vegas with great entertainment if you book all the shows as soon as you can after booking. Everyone here seems to think it's better if you get a balcony with a sea view since the ship faces inward a lot.

 

Allure will be out next RCI cruise, too. Wish it went to different ports than the FOS but I guess both ships are so big there are only so many places they can visit. Which intinerary are you taking?

 

I'm taking the western itinerary... Labadee, Falmouth, and Jamica. Thankfully it's still almost a year away so I got plenty of time to book shows, excursions, and all that. In fact, it's so early that can't even book that stuff right now

[BugsyCruiser]

Sounds like the food was good on there too. Always a plus. Did you ever encounter way too many people at the buffet or did they keep it flowing pretty well?

[gcvt]

Thank you for the review and great info! I'm there in 54 days. Ahhh.

[fairweather]

Bugsey, the WJ was never too crowded on FOS. We could always find a seat. Ate breakfast there all but one day. Fast and convenient. For lunch we tended to graze among the other venues on board like Johnny Rockets, Sorentos Pizza, and the little sandwiches at the Cafe. Wish they had a BBQ grill outside on the pool deck.

 

We've never been to Labadee or Falmouth so that's the intinerary we'll probably take on the Allure, too. If you get your show and dinner reservations figured out early, I think you'll have a great cruise. That seems to be the only big complaint among those who didn't like the big ships.

[BugsyCruiser]

Bugsey, the WJ was never too crowded on FOS. We could always find a seat. Ate breakfast there all but one day. Fast and convenient. For lunch we tended to graze among the other venues on board like Johnny Rockets, Sorentos Pizza, and the little sandwiches at the Cafe. Wish they had a BBQ grill outside on the pool deck.

 

We've never been to Labadee or Falmouth so that's the intinerary we'll probably take on the Allure, too. If you get your show and dinner reservations figured out early, I think you'll have a great cruise. That seems to be the only big complaint among those who didn't like the big ships.

 

That's same complaint I heard about the big ships as well. Not sure which itinerary I will book on FOS. The eastern route gives you more days at sea but the western one stops at Grand Cayman, which I won't have done yet. So I guess just toss a coin, either way sounds like you can't go wrong on this ship.

[Muushka]

Thank you for your report.

 

We also did the pasta lunch. It was very good. I took a chance and asked if I could have a sampling of all the pastas and they gave it to me!

[fairweather]

Envy you doing a cruise this winter. There is something really special about the tropics when it's freezing back home.

[fairweather]

Now why didn't we do that? Both my husband and I had the lobster raviolli because it looked so good when they were preparing it at the demonstration table. Not thinking.

 

Everyone in Portofinos seemed so eager to please that day. I really enjoyed the chefs explaining how they feed so many people in the MDR and what goes into a meal in the specialty restaurants.

 

I'm planning to review the materials they gave us as handouts and try to make a special made-from-scratch pasta for the family on New Years. Using only quality ingredients seems to be the the real secret and not letting the pasta dry out while working with it.

 

I really didn't know before this cruise that RCI had been working so hard to update their enrichment offerings on board. This was certainly a great experience. Hope you had a great cruise beyond this class. We certainly did.