Freedom of the Seas....Just an opinion

[renman22]

I don't post much, but thought I might offer a few opinions concerning our recent seven day cruise on the Freedom in specific and Royal Caribbean in general. One of the reasons I don't post more is that often opinions are seen as attacks by (and I guess, on) RCI loyalists. My wife and I have cruised RCI since the eighties and are Diamond members. We are at the top tier of three other lines and enjoy trying different adventures. During the past few years our preferences have been toward Azamara and Paul Gauguin on the smaller size and Celebrity and Oceania on the larger. We have always enjoyed Royal Caribbean and our week cruise fit into a family visit to Orlando. So.....once again these are just opinions and not meant to offend or unduly criticize anyone. Rather, as a consumer who is fortunate enough to be able to travel fairly often, the following are the "good, bad" and even maybe a little bit of the "ugly."

Departure

The Coast Guard evidentially sprung an inspection so we were a bit late boarding. The staff was terrific, keeping everyone informed and we were impressed by the professionalism and pleasantness of everyone involved. Everything was smooth and impressive.

Cabin and Condition of the Ship

Since we were late in booking our cabin selection was limited. One of the new panoramic staterooms was available and although we like balconies etc. we decided to give it a try. In a word it was Fantastic! It was as large as the old mini suites and the floor to ceiling windows were unique. It was one of our favorite cabins ever. Our cabin steward was great and in general the ship showed its recent refurbish.

Service

Here's a "not so good." Service on the Freedom was very uneven. The main dining room seemed significantly under staffed and although our servers really tried, they were simply overwhelmed by the numbers. Most of the employees put on a smile but as someone who has hired a bunch of people (when I had a real job) there did not seem to be a great deal of going the extra mile. I don't know about staffing numbers, but again, a lot of workers seemed stretched.

Food

We are not "foodies" so we don't require much more than good quality, a little variety, and pleasant service. The quality was OK in the main dining room and Windjammer, but it was again somewhat overshadowed by the sheer numbers. Service was slow and food was subsequently often cold. In the Windjammer we experienced several situations where they just ran out of food. Once when I asked one of the servers why this was happening he replied that we should just try something else and that he was too busy to replenish. My question (unasked) was "too busy doing what?" It was part of a strange vibe.

Entertainment

We don't go to the shows much in that the genre seems to be unchanged over the years. From what we heard, most folks thought the entertainers were high energy who cared about what they were doing. It seems to me that the number of lounge entertainers has shrunk, but that is an anecdotal observation. The ice show is still pretty interesting given it is presented on a cruise ship!

Random Thoughts

The one word that kept popping up for us was that we often felt that the Freedom was really, really crowded. The venues, elevators, and public spaces were uniformly packed. We have been on many large ships but I have never felt as crowded as I did on this trip.

Our fellow travelers seemed to endure the numbers with generally good cheer. We did experience a group of smokers who decided to go to a non smoking venue to smoke because they thought the smoking area was too crowded. Of course this type of "I am the center of the universe" behavior is in no way confined to cruise ships.

Finally

In the end, we had a really fine time. The Freedom is a big, nice, interesting ship that is in very good shape and offers a lot of options for dining and activities. Listening (and reading) some of the criticisms I think we sometimes long for an experience that has been tempered by many years and changes in the vacation industry. Cruise lines are first and formost for profit businesses. For what we paid, we got a pretty good bang for our cruise buck. I guess it is all about expectations. I often feel sad for those first timers who thought that the brochures (which lead folks to believe that there are only about twenty other people on the cruise) were in anyway accurate. Our week on the Freedom of the Seas was just about all we could expect; and therefore pretty fun and a pretty good deal.

[Biker19]

One of the reasons I don't post more is that often opinions are seen as attacks by (and I guess, on) RCI loyalists.

Most of the time the blow back from loyalists is due to inflammatory language and attention grabbing headlines some posters use in their posts. Other than perhaps some comments about the crowding, I don't think you'll get attacked on this very even keeled review.

[ReneeFLL]

If you felt it was over crowded then you should be able to say so without anyone attacking you for it. As for any RCCL loyalists or any loyalist of any product, just because someone disagrees with what you believe they are still entitled to their own opinion. They also should not be attacked because of it.

 

I think you gave a good review of how your cruise was for you. Hopefully things will improve next time.

[denatravels]

Most of the time the blow back from loyalists is due to inflammatory language and attention grabbing headlines some posters use in their posts. Other than perhaps some comments about the crowding, I don't think you'll get attacked on this very even keeled review.

 

 

Agreed. Your review actually sounded more positive to me than negative. Sometimes staff says stupid things-- sounds like the waiter in the windjammer did that-- although he may have felt it to be true, it was pretty dumb that he said it!!

I was on Liberty recently, and while there were periods of feeling crowded, on the whole I didn't find that, at all. But you are certainly entitled to YOUR opinion. Sounds like it was a (somewhat) good last minute vacation-- which is always better than NO vacation!!

[Big_G]

Thanks for the well balanced review.

[papaflamingo]

I agree with other posters, your review was very thought out and intelligent. Thank you for that. You make it clear that you realize that no cruise is "perfect." Where people get attacked is when someone says their "cruise was ruined because a waiter in the Windjammer wouldn't refill one pan one day." You weren't like that. Kudos for some great insight.

I agree with you, too, on much of what you said. We returned from Rhapsody a few weeks ago, and although a fantastic cruise, we experienced some of the same issues you did. A Greek Isle cruise is so port intensive, that we didn't spend much time on board or after hours in clubs. But I have also noticed that Lounge singers, Schooner Bar, etc. seems to be less. We had entertainment in the Schooner Bar, and also the Centrum. But there was also times when everything just shut down around midnight. Seems that in the past there would be something going on somewhere until around 2 am. Not an issue for us on this last cruise. But we have noticed it on larger ships in the Caribbean, including Freedom.

Dining... I agree wholeheartedly. We had a great waiter, not the best, but maybe one of the nicest. Our Asst. Waiter, was "interesting." He never smiled. But we all grew to like him. We were a group of 10 and made it our mission to get smiles out of him. They both worked extremely hard, but had trouble keeping up. I strongly believe the staff has been cut way too much. Waiters need to get drinks for those with Drink Packages. Takes too much time. Our waiter explained to me that if he gets his order in last, he has to wait until everyone else gets their orders until he gets his. So, best not to be late to dinner, or your server ends up waiting in line. We had a couple of friends who liked to "make an entrance," so we were usually toward the end of the line. But that one was partly on us and partly on RCCL understaffing.

So, I feel your observations and opinions were spot on as to where RCCL has decided to take the cruise line. In my opinion they need a new management team to bring them back to the premier line they once were. Now, they're "just like all the others." Another "race to the bottom" in the U.S.

[queenschick9b]

I don't post much, but thought I might offer a few opinions concerning our recent seven day cruise on the Freedom in specific and Royal Caribbean in general. One of the reasons I don't post more is that often opinions are seen as attacks by (and I guess, on) RCI loyalists. My wife and I have cruised RCI since the eighties and are Diamond members. We are at the top tier of three other lines and enjoy trying different adventures. During the past few years our preferences have been toward Azamara and Paul Gauguin on the smaller size and Celebrity and Oceania on the larger. We have always enjoyed Royal Caribbean and our week cruise fit into a family visit to Orlando. So.....once again these are just opinions and not meant to offend or unduly criticize anyone. Rather, as a consumer who is fortunate enough to be able to travel fairly often, the following are the "good, bad" and even maybe a little bit of the "ugly."

 

Departure

 

The Coast Guard evidentially sprung an inspection so we were a bit late boarding. The staff was terrific, keeping everyone informed and we were impressed by the professionalism and pleasantness of everyone involved. Everything was smooth and impressive.

 

Cabin and Condition of the Ship

 

Since we were late in booking our cabin selection was limited. One of the new panoramic staterooms was available and although we like balconies etc. we decided to give it a try. In a word it was Fantastic! It was as large as the old mini suites and the floor to ceiling windows were unique. It was one of our favorite cabins ever. Our cabin steward was great and in general the ship showed its recent refurbish.

 

Service

 

Here's a "not so good." Service on the Freedom was very uneven. The main dining room seemed significantly under staffed and although our servers really tried, they were simply overwhelmed by the numbers. Most of the employees put on a smile but as someone who has hired a bunch of people (when I had a real job) there did not seem to be a great deal of going the extra mile. I don't know about staffing numbers, but again, a lot of workers seemed stretched.

 

Food

 

We are not "foodies" so we don't require much more than good quality, a little variety, and pleasant service. The quality was OK in the main dining room and Windjammer, but it was again somewhat overshadowed by the sheer numbers. Service was slow and food was subsequently often cold. In the Windjammer we experienced several situations where they just ran out of food. Once when I asked one of the servers why this was happening he replied that we should just try something else and that he was too busy to replenish. My question (unasked) was "too busy doing what?" It was part of a strange vibe.

 

Entertainment

 

We don't go to the shows much in that the genre seems to be unchanged over the years. From what we heard, most folks thought the entertainers were high energy who cared about what they were doing. It seems to me that the number of lounge entertainers has shrunk, but that is an anecdotal observation. The ice show is still pretty interesting given it is presented on a cruise ship!

 

Random Thoughts

 

The one word that kept popping up for us was that we often felt that the Freedom was really, really crowded. The venues, elevators, and public spaces were uniformly packed. We have been on many large ships but I have never felt as crowded as I did on this trip.

 

Our fellow travelers seemed to endure the numbers with generally good cheer. We did experience a group of smokers who decided to go to a non smoking venue to smoke because they thought the smoking area was too crowded. Of course this type of "I am the center of the universe" behavior is in no way confined to cruise ships.

 

Finally

 

In the end, we had a really fine time. The Freedom is a big, nice, interesting ship that is in very good shape and offers a lot of options for dining and activities. Listening (and reading) some of the criticisms I think we sometimes long for an experience that has been tempered by many years and changes in the vacation industry. Cruise lines are first and formost for profit businesses. For what we paid, we got a pretty good bang for our cruise buck. I guess it is all about expectations. I often feel sad for those first timers who thought that the brochures (which lead folks to believe that there are only about twenty other people on the cruise) were in anyway accurate. Our week on the Freedom of the Seas was just about all we could expect; and therefore pretty fun and a pretty good deal.

 

 

My cruise was last year but I agree about the crowded feeling. I really wanted to love FOS, but it felt so crowded to me on the pool deck - maybe because we only ended up with two nice days. It was weird because the allure had so many pools and areas it never felt that way (and that was a July cruise the inaugural year) and the AOS looks the same but has less people so I never had a problem.

 

I know it is just preference but I feel like I would do a Voyager or Oasis class again before doing a Freedom class.

[Clarea]

... I know it is just preference but I feel like I would do a Voyager or Oasis class again before doing a Freedom class.

We also prefer a Voyager class ship over Freedom class because of the higher passenger count on Freedom class.

[Ocean Boy]

RCI cuts staff and adds to the number of cabins, and passengers, on the ships. Something is going to give and, apparently, it is service.

Edited October 7, 2015 by Ocean Boy

[JalenR]

People who have been on Voyager and Freedom class before and after their renovations have you noticed them being more crowded? I'm going to Indy in Feb and I know what to expect. We are going on Navigator in January of 17 and am concerned about the additional people.

[ttown]

Staff cuts are not unique to RCL. We have noticed it also on Carnival but good staff members still do their best and usually deliver service that continues to make cruising a wonderful vacation. Next week we will be on the Navigator and hope it is as good as it was last October even though it will be fall break and the ship is fully booked. Voyager class ships seem to handle crowds better than similar sized Carnival ships.

[rtazz17]

As far as crowding on royals ships,Ive never felt crowded on any of the three classes of ships weve been on.Navigator,freedom x 2,oasis x2 and allure x 2..

But I can say imo oasis class seems to be the least crowded weve been on.. Even with the high amount of passengers,the ship is bigger but has soooooo much to do that everyone is spread out across the ship.We are sticking to the oasis class from here on out.I just like the set up of the ships.

[Clarea]

People who have been on Voyager and Freedom class before and after their renovations have you noticed them being more crowded? I'm going to Indy in Feb and I know what to expect. We are going on Navigator in January of 17 and am concerned about the additional people.

I did not experience any noticeable increase in crowding on Navigator. I've not been on Freedom since they added the extra staterooms.

[ryano]

Very nice review and I echo most of your sentiments about Freedom of the Seas. I had a good cruise on her this past April but I too noticed a huge cutback in service and the ship seeming more crowded than it did in 2012 during the same time of year. I think this has to do with more cabins being added on and cutbacks in staff.

 

I would hope that you will not be attacked for this well balanced review. If so, hopefully Admin will step in.

[clott]

We are just off the freedom on Sunday. Although we had excellent service throughout the ship doesn't mean it was the same for you. It can vary from week to week. We did not feel it was crowded but we are used to traveling on the bigger ships

[BillOh]

RCI cuts staff and adds to the number of cabins, and passengers, on the ships. Something is going to give and, apparently, it is service.

 

Ironically, I felt my dining room staff was over worked and we had bad service on Jewel in 2014. I was so pleased to have very good service on Freedom again in 2015. Was the OP on MTD? Do those people have to hustle more?

[queenschick9b]

I will say on the FOS, I had late seating and it was empty in the dining room. I had never seen anything like it. So our service was excellent :)

 

There was big group on board (that was never in the way -- no spaces taken by them in bars, etc), but I think they all had early seating.