Royal Caribbean / Freedom Of The Seas

[griz400]

We have never sailed Royal Caribbean yet, and was wondering a few things ...

We are looking at the Haiti, Jamaica,Grand Cayman, Cozumel around the end of

April out of Port Canaveral on the Freedom Of The Seas.

We have sailed both Carnival and Norwegian and was allowed to take 2 bottles of wine and like a 12 pack of Coke Zero .. is this allowed on Royal ??

We are looking at a Promenade stateroom and what deck would be a good one ?? We usually book an Empress deck or higher.

Seems prices are changing constantly, was about ready to pull the trigger on this cruise and increase happened, now a 100.00 obc but rate jumped 150.00...

so, when is best time to book on Royal ?? sales around the holiday season ???

Seems like alot bigger ship than what we are used to, does it take a long time to disembark ?? Will we still like to sail smaller ships after this cruise ???

Also, what is your favorite thing about the Freedom Of The Seas ??:)

Thanx all, Jeff and Cyndee

[Ken at the beach]

We have never sailed Royal Caribbean yet, and was wondering a few things ...

We are looking at the Haiti, Jamaica,Grand Cayman, Cozumel around the end of

April out of Port Canaveral on the Freedom Of The Seas.

We have sailed both Carnival and Norwegian and was allowed to take 2 bottles of wine and like a 12 pack of Coke Zero .. is this allowed on Royal ??

We are looking at a Promenade stateroom and what deck would be a good one ?? We usually book an Empress deck or higher.

Seems prices are changing constantly, was about ready to pull the trigger on this cruise and increase happened, now a 100.00 obc but rate jumped 150.00...

so, when is best time to book on Royal ?? sales around the holiday season ???

Seems like alot bigger ship than what we are used to, does it take a long time to disembark ?? Will we still like to sail smaller ships after this cruise ???

Also, what is your favorite thing about the Freedom Of The Seas ??:)

Thanx all, Jeff and Cyndee

 

2 750ml bottles of wine are allowed per cabin at embarkation port. No corkage fees so enjoy your wine anywhere on the ship.

 

Officially water and soda are not allowed but that is only sporadically enforced and usually only at peak spring break times.

 

The best time to book is always yesterday. Book now and watch the prices. If the price drops prior to final payment just call and they will adjust the price as long as you booked under North American terms and conditions.

 

Deck 7 or 8 would be a good decks as there are cabins above and below yet you are still close to the promenade on deck 5

 

The ice show is fantastic.

Edited November 12, 2015 by Ourusualbeach

[Terre]

The ice show is my favorite, however, they are all very good. The shows on the FOS are not your typical cruise shows so you won't be seeing a Rock through the Ages or a Broadway medley. The shows are very professionally done and much better than all the typical cruise line shows.

 

Links to my review and pictures are below. You will like the FOS.

[griz400]

2 750ml bottles of wine are allowed per cabin at embarkation port. No corkage fees so enjoy your wine anywhere on the ship.

 

Officially water and soda are not allowed but that is only sporadically enforced and usually only at peak spring break times.

 

The best time to book is always yesterday. Book now and watch the prices. If the price drops prior to final payment just call and they will adjust the price as long as you booked under North American terms and conditions.

 

Deck 7 or 8 would be a good decks as there are cabins above and below yet you are still close to the promenade on deck 5

 

The ice show is fantastic.

 

water is not allowed on Carnival now, but, they sold it real cheap on our last cruise and we bought it pre-cruise from fun shops and was only like 3.00 a 12 pack ...( so do you think that a 12 pack of coke zero will fly ??) :)

 

You mentioned Promenade deck (5) , is that where everything is ???

[griz400]

The ice show is my favorite, however, they are all very good. The shows on the FOS are not your typical cruise shows so you won't be seeing a Rock through the Ages or a Broadway medley. The shows are very professionally done and much better than all the typical cruise line shows.

 

Links to my review and pictures are below. You will like the FOS.

 

We looked through some of your pics, (Real nice ) but 6 am here and will look at review after work ... Thanks for reply and if you have anything else .. would you add ?? now, these shows, are they included ?? and do they have anytime dining ?? we seen johnny rockets .. there is a fee for it correct ?? but, on the flipside , sorrentos we hear is included , correct ??

[Ken at the beach]

water is not allowed on Carnival now, but, they sold it real cheap on our last cruise and we bought it pre-cruise from fun shops and was only like 3.00 a 12 pack ...( so do you think that a 12 pack of coke zero will fly ??) :)

 

You mentioned Promenade deck (5) , is that where everything is ???

 

Yes the 12 pack of Coke Zero should be OK.

 

 

Yes deck 5 is the main interior deck.

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/ships/ship/decks/deck/home.do?deckCode=05&shipCode=FR&shipProfile=1632&sailDate=1151115&hasNavigation=false

[Ken at the beach]

We looked through some of your pics, (Real nice ) but 6 am here and will look at review after work ... Thanks for reply and if you have anything else .. would you add ?? now, these shows, are they included ?? and do they have anytime dining ?? we seen johnny rockets .. there is a fee for it correct ?? but, on the flipside , sorrentos we hear is included , correct ??

 

Sorrentos is free. JR's has a $6 charge per person. All shows are included. Freedom also as MTD (anytime dining)

[legaljen1969]

We sailed on Freedom this past April. I thought she was a great ship. There is plenty to do, offering lots of great family activities, without having to resort to the Oasis class ships and the feeling that you are on a floating city.

 

I enjoyed almost everything about Freedom. Our stateroom was nice. Our stateroom attendant was very sweet. The food and service in Chops was wonderful. I enjoyed being able to sit in the Windjammer at quiet times to read. Lots of great light and plenty of glass to people watch those in port. Sabor was quite good. My husband and I were not initially that excited about trying it, but we liked it a lot.

[whitshel]

If you're going to get a PR room, try and get room 6305, its the Ben and Jerry's "Sweet"! Same as the other PR rooms but the view is blocked by the Ben and Jerry' cow butts:D But the perks are great, you get free ice cream at Ben and Jerry's all week and the best perk of all is you are considered a suite pax so you get access to the concierge lounge and concierge. That means free drinks every night in the lounge, and an easy way to score a cabana at Labadee at the old rates. Same price as the other pr rooms as well, so if its available take it!!

 

Even decorated like cows!

 

 

 

[Terre]

We looked through some of your pics, (Real nice ) but 6 am here and will look at review after work ... Thanks for reply and if you have anything else .. would you add ?? now, these shows, are they included ?? and do they have anytime dining ?? we seen johnny rockets .. there is a fee for it correct ?? but, on the flipside , sorrentos we hear is included , correct ??

 

I think some of your questions have been answered...yes, the shows are included, there is a cover charge for Johnny Rockets, Sorrentos is free, and yes there is anytime dining, which is what we booked. I would get there when they open, though because if you wait to go, you may have a wait to get in.

[frank808]

Sorrentos is free. JR's has a $6 charge per person. All shows are included. Freedom also as MTD (anytime dining)

Johnny rockets is now $6.95 charge per person. It went up from $5.95 sometime after june 2015. Went on this past October and was surprised that it went up a dollar more per personl

[griz400]

It shows we can book a promenade room on decks 6,7,8 for the same price -- is 8 better ??

And we were looking, is water avail to buy on ship, or can you bring a 12 pack ???

[Terre]

We were on deck 7 and were just above the promenade. 8 would be a little higher...look at the deck plans and see where you want to be. Look at my pictures to see how close we were when looking out the window.

 

Not sure about bringing water; water is always available for purchase, but you will certainly pay for it. I feel certain you can bring on water, but I don't know how much. We carried on around three-four bottles just to take on excursions in case none was available and for taking meds.

Edited November 13, 2015 by Terre

[LEMJMcC]

Johnny rockets is now $6.95 charge per person. It went up from $5.95 sometime after june 2015. Went on this past October and was surprised that it went up a dollar more per personl

 

So how does that work at JR's? Is it one price upfront then order what you like or are you limited to specific items and quantities? I've heard they have good milkshakes.

[garnetpalmetto]

So how does that work at JR's? Is it one price upfront then order what you like or are you limited to specific items and quantities? I've heard they have good milkshakes.

 

You pay the cover and you get an unlimited amount of anything you want...except soft drinks and milkshakes, both of which are a separate charge. Otherwise, you could pull a Ron Swanson and eat all the hamburgers they have, if you so choose. ;)

[Clarea]

So how does that work at JR's? Is it one price upfront then order what you like or are you limited to specific items and quantities? I've heard they have good milkshakes.

One cover charge per person, for food items. Beverages (including shakes) are extra and charged individually. Shakes are not covered by any unlimited beverage package.

[Russ Lomas]

It shows we can book a promenade room on decks 6,7,8 for the same price -- is 8 better ??

And we were looking, is water avail to buy on ship, or can you bring a 12 pack ???

 

From you signature, I notice you have done four cruises previously. Two of our first three cruises were on the same ships you sailed -NCL Sun and the Valor. Our next cruise was on the sister ship to the Freedom, the Liberty of the Seas. Since sailing it, we only book RCCL. The ship will blow away your previous sailing experiences in terms of beauty and what the ship has to offer. Our past four cruises have been the Oasis and Freedom class ships and we love them. We have the Freedom booked in March for the same itinerary you are considering and the Freedom booked for again for the following year. Give it a try, I think you will love it.

Did you check the prices on panoramic oceanview cabins? Look for photos online of them and you may want to try one of them.

[griz400]

From you signature, I notice you have done four cruises previously. Two of our first three cruises were on the same ships you sailed -NCL Sun and the Valor. Our next cruise was on the sister ship to the Freedom, the Liberty of the Seas. Since sailing it, we only book RCCL. The ship will blow away your previous sailing experiences in terms of beauty and what the ship has to offer. Our past four cruises have been the Oasis and Freedom class ships and we love them. We have the Freedom booked in March for the same itinerary you are considering and the Freedom booked for again for the following year. Give it a try, I think you will love it.

Did you check the prices on panoramic oceanview cabins? Look for photos online of them and you may want to try one of them.

 

We have really just started our cruising ... lol . But we are looking at different places to go and nice excursions at every port .. we always do something .. we have liked all the cruiselines and each ship seems ton us has its own different things, we try not to nitpick anything, and make the best of it all, (even a bad excursion) ..

We actually are looking at Aruba and Bonaire as places to go, this will probably be on the magic, we want to also want to sail the Oasis of the Seas and Norwegians Epic, we hear it is a nice older big ship, (it was docked next to us in Cozumel one day last year) also the Star is in Tampa now .. Tampa port is only 13 miles away for us, and Canaveral is only 1 hr, 45 minute drive ..