Live from the Freedom of the Seas - March 18, 2012

[luv2cruiserccl]

I didn't see coffee at Sorrento's, but I bet you can get regular coffee at Café Promenade.

 

Also, the coffee at Café Promenade appears to be Starbucks and not Seattle's Best Coffee now.

 

 

when i was just on fos recently they had the starbucks you could buy but i thought the regular coffee was still Seattle's best since it still had some logos on it etc maybe i am wrong but i swear i saw that.

 

getting ready to watch the webcam and sail away look like nice weather

[skyking]

I didn't see coffee at Sorrento's, but I bet you can get regular coffee at Café Promenade.

 

Also, the coffee at Café Promenade appears to be Starbucks and not Seattle's Best Coffee now.

 

Wonderful news:) thanks and Bon voyage!!

[sunnysavannah]

Oh gosh! I'm so excited about this thread! Can't wait to join you! What's the link for the webcam again?

ETA: I found it! yay! My kids and I are having fun watching! (And waving! even though they can't see us!) They're getting excited for their first cruise next year!

[Wildcatfish]

Thanks for taking us along on your cruise! We just saw FOS sail past the Two Palms . org cam. Have a great time!

[Daghis]

Just a quick note... I'll have more details tomorrow.

 

We had a pleasant dinner in the main dining room tonight (My Time Dining). The service was excellent and the food was quite good. They even brought out a cake with a candle for Bryan's birthday. Excellent job paying attention to the notes on the booking!

 

We did find that our SeaPass cards were a bit messed up because I had upgraded cabins so close to sailing. There was apparently still some information in their system tied to the old cabin number. We got that straightened out and have updated SeaPass cards that should be just fine.

 

The Welcome Aboard Show was nice. It's great to get a sampling of the week's entertainment. The comedian (Kenny Rogers?) was pretty good, so I look forward to hearing more from him during the week.

 

We spent some time in Vintages and I got a chance to try out their automated wine vending machines. My luck, the wine I chose ran out in the middle of dispensing my glass. It worked out in my favor since I was told the machine won't bill the SeaPass if it runs out during the pour. Good for me, I guess! :D

 

I stopped in the casino a bit and picked up my rebate from my last cruise. I met the Casino Host (I don't recall her name) and she even gave me some free drink coupons. Cool!

 

Tomorrow is the Meet & Mingle. Along with not receiving the Crown & Anchor coupon books in our cabin, we also didn't receive the invitation. Fortunately, I remember when it was scheduled, so we'll head up to the Olive or Twist lounge tomorrow morning and say "Hi" to everyone.

 

Good night for now... See y'all tomorrow (at sea)!

[Debsta]

Thanks so much for taking the time to post a live thread. I'm flying in from OZ for the 13th May cruise, so I'm even more excited now waiting for you updates :D

[hollon]

can wait to read more! pls let us know your thoughts if you think it would be hard to cruise "freedom" if you've already cruised Allure, do you think you'll compare and be disappointed, the reason I ask is we are going on allure in may and probably will do a lower ship at a later time b/c of price and thinking of the Freedom :)

[oneeyedguy]

Hey Mark, My son and his fiance are cruising with you. they just got engaged 2 weeks ago. If you see them around snap a picture and tell them "Gordie is so jealous." That will flip them out. There names are Mike and Kat. They are early 20's. He is a well built kid, spends lots of time in the gym. She is pretty, short blond hair. I hope you find them.

[Daghis]

pls let us know your thoughts if you think it would be hard to cruise "freedom" if you've already cruised Allure, do you think you'll compare and be disappointed, the reason I ask is we are going on allure in may and probably will do a lower ship at a later time b/c of price and thinking of the Freedom :)

You know, I had wondered this myself. We really loved the Oasis and Allure, but we're finding that the Freedom of the Seas is a beautiful ship with plenty of things to do and lots of places to hang out, just what we're looking for in a ship. Sure, we don't have the Boardwalk or Central Park, but I really don't miss them here.

 

We're having a great time on her and can highly recommend her.

[luv2cruiserccl]

good to hear you are having a good time. Hope your M and M goes well and can't wait to hear some more of your reports.:)

[cruizinmimi]

Onboard!

 

Just a quick note while we are taking a break at Sorrento's. Check-in was pretty fast and we immediately boarded at 11:00.

 

Our cabin is quite nice. For the person asking about the balcony table, it's approximately 16" across. Definitely not very big for a meal.

 

We have inquired about the cabins at Nellie's beach, but we've been getting a bit of a runaround. Supposedly, we need to talk to the Concierge, but since we can't get into the Concierge Lounge and we can't get him on the phone, it's a bit tricky to figure this out.

 

I had a humorous moment as we waved as some young kids who were in the Promenade cabin that we'd had before upgrading. They don't know that they ended up in that cabin because I upgraded ours. :)

 

Ok... More later.

 

You mentioned there is a new coupon book. Does it have the exact same coupons as the previous coupon books (D+)? Especially the BOGO coupon and laundry coupon

[Buffett fan]

I just found this thread - can't wait to cruise along through your eyes! Have a great trip!

[04mach1]

Marc, if you get a chance when you are in Labadee, could you take a picture of the hillside cabanas on Nellies beach. Could you also let me know how many they have and how's the location?

 

Kathy

 

Katy,

 

I have a few pictures of SOME of the cabanas. They are building more looks like they will have plenty to go around.

 

[Daghis]

Ah, the joys of having a balcony. I'm taking a break from stuff on the ship and hanging out on my balcony while writing these notes. The water is a beautiful shade of blue and it would be quite relaxing out here except for the rattling of the balcony partitions. Nonetheless, it's still quite nice out here.

 

The mystery of our cabin continues. We discovered today that despite this being a 2-person cabin, the system seems to list four occupants here. Bryan and I are being accompanied by a mysterious couple. That has caused a bit of confusion for us and employees who look us up by cabin number and wonder where Mary and Vincent are. :) At least we are led to believe that the billing system isn't impacted by this confusion.

 

Anyway, I've got some good news. After an unfortunate situation regarding attempting to book a cabana at Nellie's Beach at Labadee (the Explorations desk incorrectly referred us to the Concierge who, later in the day, referred us back to the Explorations desk at which time the Nellie's Beach cabanas were sold out), we received a call from the Concierge who had put us on the waiting list for the cabanas normally available to suite guests telling us that we were able to get one! So, we get a cabana after all! I'm really looking forward to Labadee now. Plus, Bryan's booked himself a massage at Labadee upon a recommendation I passed along that I had read here at Cruise Critic.

 

Today was the Meet & Mingle. It was great meeting others from our roll call thread1 It's always nice to meet new people and then run into them later on during the cruise. I look forward to seeing them again over the next week.

 

After that, we played some bingo. It was a subdued crowd this morning, and none of us at our table won. Oh, well... maybe next time.

 

Leaving the Pharoah's Palace theater, we headed to Sorrento's for a very quick lunch, and then down to the casino for the slot tournament. Neither Bryan nor I did very well, so I don't expect to qualify for the final round on Saturday.

 

And here we are now, just relaxing before the ice show this afternoon. Bryan and I have Portofino's booked for tonight, so I'm looking forward to that.

 

Speaking of Portofino's, I saw that the main dining room, in addition to the Chops' filet they offer, now have a lobster (whole, I believe) available from Portofino's for $25. You can also go "Surf & Turf" (the filet plus the lobster) for $35. I may try that one night.

 

We're having a great time here. As always, more to come later. Pictures may have to wait until we return home since it takes about five minutes to upload each picture. If I get really good ones worth sharing, I will, of course. :D

[Daghis]

You mentioned there is a new coupon book. Does it have the exact same coupons as the previous coupon books (D+)? Especially the BOGO coupon and laundry coupon

The gold and platinum coupons were identical, but I haven't seen any other Crown & Anchor level coupon books to compare them.

[megr1125]

Hmm....Mary and Vincent...weren't they the couple who used to write these nice, really detailed reviews many years back here on CC???? All sorts of info from when and where the ship was built, and the engines, etc....

 

I am sure SOMEONE must remember.....:confused::)

 

 

Glad you are enjoying the cruise...I will be trying FR for the 1st time in November..can't wait! Should be a lot of fun as I am cruising with my CC buddies..( i was going to say normal CC buddies, but well...:D kidding!)

 

One warning about having a cabana...you will be SPOILED!!! and you'll never want to go there without one! We had one last November and had a blast! It's nice to have the comfy chairs, and the ceiling fan...really helps!

 

enjoy! thanks for taking time out to post!!!

[melodie12]

How much does it cost to hire a cabana?

[Buffettfan 225]

I just found this thread - can't wait to cruise along through your eyes! Have a great trip!

is shrimp cocktail an item on menu every night? Have a family member that really enjoys that choice. Thanks.

Haven't sailed RCI for a while do to teen son enjoying Carnival activities. Now ready to book Freedom next spring so researching thru you!

 

p.s. to the other buffett fan---no wonder I had to add a number after my screen name, you had taken it ;);)

[fischymom]

Daghis I am having such a good time reading about how your cruise is going. I have about 5 months till we are on the Freedom, so any nuggets of info you pass on is so greatly appriciated.;)

[Mickeylee]

I'm really enjoying your thread - always love to hear about the Freedom; we just love her.

[Daghis]

How much does it cost to hire a cabana?

Our price is $150, but I think they range up to $200 depending on location. We have a "regular" one... there are also hillside and waterfront ones.

[HB Cruiser]

is shrimp cocktail an item on menu every night? Have a family member that really enjoys that choice.

 

I'm not the op but can answer your question. No, it is not on the menu every night, it will be on night two, first formal night. I am the same way, I love the shrimp cocktail.

 

Here is what I do. On first night, I ask the head waiter for shrimp cocktail every night. He/she will tell me it will be on tomorrow night but I will make sure you get it every night. It doesn't hurt if someone else at the table likes it too as I believe their items are prepackaged to make four orders each night.

 

Tim

[Daghis]

is shrimp cocktail an item on menu every night? Have a family member that really enjoys that choice. Thanks.

No, it's not on the menu every night, but I think I've read elsewhere that when the dining staff has learned that someone really liked shrimp cocktail, it became available for them.

[Daghis]

I've got a small correction to my statement about coffee in Café Promenade earlier. The fancy coffees (espresso, latte, etc.) are Starbucks, but the regular coffee is Seattle's Best Coffee.

[njoyndride]

Hmm....Mary and Vincent...weren't they the couple who used to write these nice, really detailed reviews many years back here on CC???? All sorts of info from when and where the ship was built, and the engines, etc....

 

I am sure SOMEONE must remember.....:confused::)

 

 

Meg - I loved reading their reviews, it always started from home and the description of what type of music he brought to play in the car. He also always ordered roses in the cabin for his Mary. I've often wondered how they were doing and if they continued cruising.