B2B On the Freedom ~ August 18th & 25th: My Diary

[maxs mom]

Tuesday ~ August 27th ~ At Sea

Up around 7 this morning. I strolled around a bit to make some pictures while no one was around. Then I had coffee in the CL. Here are some of the shots I made.

Here is the Café Promenade:

Ben and Jerry's and the Cows!

[The Big Booper]

Yes....since I am retired now.....driving is easy for us' date=' too. Very tiring....but we can do it. Driving to Bayonne next month. The best cruises are from San Juan, so hope you can do that![/size']

 

Ack!! That is one tough drive, especially thru No. Va, Md. and DC. Lots of roadwork on 95 south of DC right now. Where are you in NC in relationship to Lumberton, our halfway point?

[maxs mom]

This is Vintage's:

This is Sorrento's:

And Guest Services:

[ericrz]

Jane, loving this review and can't wait to read more! We leave on the FOS in two weeks, so I'm scouring all the reviews for hints and tips!

[maxs mom]

Ack!! That is one tough drive, especially thru No. Va, Md. and DC. Lots of roadwork on 95 south of DC right now. Where are you in NC in relationship to Lumberton, our halfway point?

 

I hate that drive!! We are on 85 until you get to Petersburg, VA, then that's where we pick up 95. I don't see how people live in the DC area or even anywhere north of there! Too congested! But we'll drive to Mays Landing in South Jersey and stay with John's sister. They are going on this next cruise with us. We live a good bit west of Lumberton.

Edited September 8, 2013 by max'smom

[maxs mom]

Jane, loving this review and can't wait to read more! We leave on the FOS in two weeks, so I'm scouring all the reviews for hints and tips!

 

Well... hope I can be of some help. If you have any questions......ask away!! Hope you have a great cruise!

[rednancy1]

I hate that drive!! We are on 85 until you get to Petersburg' date=' VA, then that's where we pick up 95. I don't see how people live in the DC area or even anywhere north of there! Too congested! But we'll drive to Mays Landing in South Jersey and stay with John's sister. They are going on this next cruise with us. We live a good bit west of Lumberton.

 

 

We lived in the DC area for 30 years and to this day I hate being in a car. The traffic was terrible. I don't know how I did it.

 

I'm really enjoying your review. I think we may have sailed with you as you look very familiar. Maybe from the CL?:)

[maxs mom]

Here are the soda machines, if you get the soda package. We don't drink soda, but I think these are neat.

Here is the Gateway to Evil!!

When you descend down these stairs you can't breathe and you lose money!! Actually.....we came out ahead on this cruise.....so I shouldn't say anything bad about it!

The English Pub:

So Quiet!! I just love to wander the ship early in the morning. It is just so peaceful.

I loved these stop lights!

[maxs mom]

We lived in the DC area for 30 years and to this day I hate being in a car. The traffic was terrible. I don't know how I did it.

 

I'm really enjoying your review. I think we may have sailed with you as you look very familiar. Maybe from the CL?:)

 

Hey Nancy! Not sure if we've sailed together or not. I know I've seen you around on these boards a good bit. So it's nice to meet you!

[1ParticularHbr]

Jane,

Have they added the tapas menu at Vintages? We loved that on Allure and were disappointed that even though Liberty had a remodel/expansion to Vintages, no tapas to be found.

[Ocean Boy]

That's what I thought! It's good' date=' whatever it is. Puts all the desserts in the WJ to shame!

 

Except for the bread pudding. Did they have it?

Edited September 8, 2013 by Ocean Boy

[Ocean Boy]

It annoys me that Freedom has a Logo shop and Indy doesn't. :(

Edited September 8, 2013 by Ocean Boy

[maxs mom]

We sat with three other couples in the dining room this morning and had great conversation. Service was extremely slow this morning, but we didn't have anything pressing, so no big deal.

The Meet and Mingle for this sailing was today at 10:15 so we went up to the Olive or Twist Lounge to meet and mingle. Extremely good turn out for this one. Again .....lots of people that never posted.....but there were also a lot of people who did post and it was nice to meet them. Here are some shots of the CC'ers in all their glory:

Here are the snacks that we had:

Once again Katie ran things and she was quite funny.

Our friend, Gerry, won the bottle of wine this time for having the most unique name.......Ship Faced. Here he is getting his prize!

[maxs mom]

Jane,

Have they added the tapas menu at Vintages? We loved that on Allure and were disappointed that even though Liberty had a remodel/expansion to Vintages, no tapas to be found.

 

Hmmmm.....you know......I think they DID have that. I would never be able to get John to go to that so of course, we did not partake. But I think I remember reading something about it somewhere. I may be mistaken, though. They had tables set up in there for something like that, though. Sounds good to me......I'm up for anything!

[maxs mom]

Except for the bread pudding. Did they have it?

 

Oh yes....and I DO love the bread pudding. I think they may have had that most every day, but I couldn't eat that and frozen yogurt, too, so I made the sacrifice. They always have bread pudding at the 3:30 snack time in the WJ along with scones, that I love. But had to pass on that, too.

[maxs mom]

This picture was made at the end of the M&M:

After the M&M about 37 of us went down to the Casino for the Slot Pull that one of our members organized for us. I've never done one of these before and it was a lot of fun! Harleymouse had a list of all our names and was very organized. We each put in $15 on a Wheel of Fortune machine and we each had 5 spins. We just kept spinning and spinning and whatever we ended up with .......we split. Unfortunately our machine was not very co-operative. It hit a few things, though and we hit the Spin twice....one for $100 and one for $25. When all was said and done, we won $341. We each got $10 of our investment back. Lots of fun!

[jameybano]

Jamey!! How in the world are you!? I've got some cruise buddies that will be on the 9-30 Enchantment. Will you be in the Concierge Lounge at all?

Hope y'all are doing well! Loving our tempurpedic! Ha Ha!

 

No, I will not be going into the CL--traveling with my best friend from high school, she is a first-time cruiser! We are staying in an OV cabin.

We miss our tempurpedic, we miss it when we travel-- EXCEPT when we cruise, the motion of the ocean rocks me to sleep (that or all the alcohol).

[The Big Booper]

I always thought that everybody in the cabin got the status level of the highest ranking cruiser. Or do you have to be related?

[petesweet]

"I had salmon and apple pie a la mode."

Sounds yummy!;)

Actually, just commenting so I can follow the rest of your report. Enjoying it so far. Thanks.

Kathy

[smeck]

Greetings Cruise Critic Family!!

For those of you that do not know us......we are Jane and John from North Carolina. We are Diamond Plus Crown and Anchor members. We are 60 somethings and this cruise was to celebrate my retirement. I retired in June after teaching for 40 years. We stayed home all summer until we found these two weeks on the Freedom for a great price. It was a perfect time to do a back to back.......the first week was when teachers went back to school' date=' and the second week was when the students returned. Yay!!![/size']

We used about 4 cameras and my iPhone on this trip and were trying out a brand new camera. I was pleased with the new camera. But somehow or another during the course of the trip.....the lens got a couple of spots on it and I didn't realize it, so I apologize for that. It's always something with my cameras!!

We left home on August 16th and drove to Brunswick, Georgia.......then drove the rest of the way on the 17th. We stayed at the Hampton Inn on Cocoa Beach and were quite pleased with this hotel. It is an older HI, but quite nice. It had a great pool area and there was a short walk to the absolutely gorgeous beach. They provided a decent breakfast as long as you didn't want bacon and eggs!

Here is the pool and the beach at the Hampton Inn:

That night we went to Grills for dinner. I called ahead for call ahead seating since they don't take reservations on the day that you're eating. That worked out well. We didn't have to wait too long. We snapped this picture while we were waitingI had the coconut shrimp and it was delicious!

Sunday ~ August 18th ~ Embarkation

We made reservations at Park and Cruise on line for parking our car for the two weeks. They are on Merritt island and very close to the port. We got to P&C about 10:30, got our car parked, luggage on the shuttle, and to the ship by 11:00 AM. We never had to touch or lift our luggage, which is a good thing, because since we didn't fly.....we brought everything...including the kitchen sink.

Only one problem. John left his sunglasses in the car.....so he had to ride the shuttle back to get those. I waited for him at the drop off point for about 30 minutes so he could retrieve those. It was here that I got the first good look at our ride:

After he got back, we were in the security line in no time. Security wasn't bad at all.....no searches this time. We went up the escalator and straight to the desk for check-in......no waiting. The Welcome Aboard picture was made....and we were on the ship!!

Yay!! Love the Freedom Class ships, although our very favorite ships are the Radiance Class.

We went to the Champagne Bar to hang out until our cabin was ready at 1:00. I went up to make reservations at Chops, Portofino, and My Time Dining. We didn't have to wait in the CB for too long.

Ready for a great two weeks of fun and relaxation on the Freedom of the Seas!

I've been looking forward to your review I've enjoyed your previous reviews. Thinking of freedom for our next cruise your review can be the decision maker. Lol

[SherriZ366]

Yes....since I am retired now.....driving is easy for us' date=' too. Very tiring....but we can do it. Driving to Bayonne next month. The best cruises are from San Juan, so hope you can do that![/size']

I'd like to do one -- last time was in 2002 on Radiance. We've never done a Curacao run so would love that itinerary (we were on a land vacation there in the 70's).

[SherriZ366]

I hate that drive!! We are on 85 until you get to Petersburg' date=' VA, then that's where we pick up 95. I don't see how people live in the DC area or even anywhere north of there! Too congested! But we'll drive to Mays Landing in South Jersey and stay with John's sister. They are going on this next cruise with us. We live a good bit west of Lumberton[/size'].

I lived in the MD suburbs of DC for over 30 years. Hated the traffic and never drove through the mixing bowl until we drove down here to SC. Have only been back twice (kids are in SC also). I took the Metro as much as possible. Love living in the South although Atlanta is just as bad traffic wise.

[SherriZ366]

Hmmmm.....you know......I think they DID have that. I would never be able to get John to go to that so of course' date=' we did not partake. But I think I remember reading something about it somewhere. I may be mistaken, though. They had tables set up in there for something like that, though. Sounds good to me......I'm up for anything![/size']

Don't know about the Tapas menu but I think they do have a wine-pairing dinner where you get the Main Dining Room meal in Vintages and they pair it with wines. Would like to do this someday.

[The Big Booper]

I'd like to do one -- last time was in 2002 on Radiance. We've never done a Curacao run so would love that itinerary (we were on a land vacation there in the 70's).

 

Explorer is doing a final repositioning run in Nov 2014 as it moves to PC. The ABCs plus St. Lucia plus lots more. And you wind up near the theme parks!!

 

I lived in the MD suburbs of DC for over 30 years. Hated the traffic and never drove through the mixing bowl until we drove down here to SC. Have only been back twice (kids are in SC also). I took the Metro as much as possible. Love living in the South although Atlanta is just as bad traffic wise.

 

You ain't lived until you try to get out of Manhattan on a rainy Friday afternoon. DC and Atlanta are chump change compared to that nightmare. Bridges and tunnels and breakdowns, oh my.

[Angelsea57]

WOW, amazing pictures and postings.

I really enjoyed reading them.

You did a fantastic job, I know this is a lot of work,

Thank you!!