Freedom of Seas - private island? - spring break

[kentuckycruiser]

Hello all -

For the March 30th FOS sailing, I will assume there will be a zillion kids - assuming this do we need to make reservations before we sail for any activities - especially any activities on the private island such as the play area, water slide..I believe our ship stops in the Haiti location.

If the preteen boys in our group want to do those things, is getting a cabana then a waste of money? Is it even possible to get a cabana if we aren't in a suite?

Is there a place where the beach isn't rocky?

Sorry for all the questions! We've never done a cruise where we needed to do anything before we boarded so I want to make sure and know what I need to do.

[PattyG12]

You can get a cabana if you want ... I believe it's good for up to 6 people. You can pre book any of the beach things ... if any of them are that important. If not, the boys can have a fun time on the beach. If something is a "must do" it is probably easier to pre book it

[DrD]

See my reply in our M&M thread.

[cb at sea]

You don't need a cabana to have a great day! Labadee isn't so large that you can't stroll from one beach area to another....it's all totally walkable! Loungers abound....and so do trees for shade! You don't have to stay in one place, if you find your first choice isn't right, go to another!

[Bmorecruiser021]

Hello all -

For the March 30th FOS sailing, I will assume there will be a zillion kids - assuming this do we need to make reservations before we sail for any activities - especially any activities on the private island such as the play area, water slide..I believe our ship stops in the Haiti location.

If the preteen boys in our group want to do those things, is getting a cabana then a waste of money? Is it even possible to get a cabana if we aren't in a suite?

Is there a place where the beach isn't rocky?

Sorry for all the questions! We've never done a cruise where we needed to do anything before we boarded so I want to make sure and know what I need to do.

 

My wife and I honeymooned last January and stopped in Haiti. Labadee, was awesome! If you google earth it you'll see it's a private peninsula. So there are beaches on the bay side (no waves) and on the ocean side, both have no rocks. We pre-booked our excursions but found many who didn't. If there is something you really want to do, like jet skiing or the zip line, you might want to pre-book them just so the time you want to do those activities isn't sold out. The excursions seem to embark every half hour to 2 hours that day, but also keep in mind lunch is provided for you on the resort. (BBQ if I remember right) My wife and I did not know this and ended up not having enough time to enjoy our lunch before we were due at another excursion and we could not move the excursion time cause all other slots were sold out for the day. We were also there on a busy day, we sailed on the Enchantment, and the Independence docked with us that day effectively tripling the number of people at Labadee. Either way I hope you have as much fun as we did! Enjoy!

[hellsop]

Hello all -

For the March 30th FOS sailing, I will assume there will be a zillion kids - assuming this do we need to make reservations before we sail for any activities - especially any activities on the private island such as the play area, water slide..

 

The number of children may increase, but the number of *people* overall won't change much. Kids still take up a seat in a lifeboat, and that's the real limiting factor in how many can be sailed with. If they run out of places at a muster station, they won't be able to allowed to sell the 3rd and 4th persons in some of the cabins assigned to that station, even though there are bunks available. Consequently, the beaches won't be particularly fuller than any other sailing, and cabanas no harder (or easier) to get than before or after. That said, booking ahead is usually a good idea anyway.

[kentuckycruiser]

Thanks for all the info! I suppose part of my reasoning is that some activities (I am assuming) such as the water play area, would tend to be popular with more children vs. adults.