My View: Freedom (and the verdict on 1700 vs. 7408)

[kandj05]

Here is what we put on the card:

 

Name: Ron (with borrowed handwriting from wife)

 

The Winning Joke:

Two bikers stop at a red light. A nun with a broken arm crosses the street in front of them.

 

One biker asks, "Hey, Sister! How did you break your arm?"

 

The nun says, "I slipped in the bathtub".

 

Biker, "Oh."

 

After the nun crosses, one biker asks the other, "What is a bathtub?"

 

Other biker, "How would I know? I'm not Catholic."

 

:D

 

Ha ha ... thanks for sharing

[JamesEM]

Following along, and enjoying your reports and photos.

[APDMOM]

Following along, and enjoying your reports and photos.

 

Thanks for reading along. :)

[APDMOM]

My View: Day 5 - Grand Cayman

 

 

What do you do when you wake up early in the morning on Freedom? You play a solo game of mini-golf, of course!

 

 

 

For anyone interested in the golf simulator, this was posted:

 

[APDMOM]

Due to the cloudy skies and rain during the past two days, we never got to see the full moon rise or set. Today, I finally got a glimpse of the almost full moon setting, and sat on the Helipad to enjoy a quiet morning.

 

 

 

 

We arrived to sunny skies in Grand Cayman. As has become our tradition in GC, we just hopped onto the tender to get pictures of the ships in port, then turned right back around to enjoy the relatively quiet ship (or what usually would be the quiet ship). To our surprise, many people opted for a ship day, so it was a bit more busy than usual.

 

In port with us were Norwegian Getaway, Holland America Eurodam and Navigator of the Seas (our next adventure over spring break).

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

A few more of the ships in port... do you have any of these on your bucket list? We have Navigator booked, and we keep an eye out for a special on Getaway.

 

Freedom from the tender:

 

 

 

We got a glimpse at our future cabin on Navigator...or at least the mirror image thereof. Our cabin in March will be the one with the circle opening, aft balcony. It is the top circle of these:

[APDMOM]

Today was also the day of our "Top tier event". They did not have two events for platinum members. We used to be able to attend a general Crown & Anchor party for gold and up, plus the top tier event. On this cruise, only gold members got to attend the first Crown & Anchor party (which was on day 4 at 4:45 p.m.).

 

We did receive an invitation for the platinum and up event:

 

It was also printed on the Compass. You do not need to bring your invitation, just your seapass card. However, they did not check at the entrance this time. Mike Rasmussen was at his best again, entertaining us with his wit. Drinks offered included cosmo, whisky sour (not as good as Carnival's), sparkling wine, chardonnay, a red wine (forgot to ask what it was) and non-alcoholic fruit punch.

 

 

Tonight was the second formal dinner. It was also Thanksgiving, and they did indeed have a special menu. So, there is the answer for those who wonder if Royal does a Thanksgiving Dinner... They did on Freedom.

 

 

This would also normally be lobster night, but that was nowhere to be found on the menu. No worries... they ended up offering it on Day 6, Casual night.

 

Our take on the dinner: Pumpkin bisque soup 6/6 (oh, wow! I need that recipe too!)

Turkey with stuffing, green beans, cranberries and mashed potatoes - 4/6 (although the cranberries get 6/6)

 

We decided to skip dessert and just stop by the Windjammer for a peek at what they offered after the show (Once Upon a Time). We found pumpkin pie and bread pudding, then noticed the cook-to-order crêpe station. The pumpkin pie was a disappointment (too much spice) and the bread pudding on this cruise has been consistently dry and over-cooked. However, the crêpes with my choice of white chocolate and strawberry compote was the third 6/6 on this cruise.

[APDMOM]

Here are a few pictures of tonight's show, "Once upon a Time." Casey opened the show with some great comedy, again:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 5, 2015 by APDMOM
Add Casey

[APDMOM]

We got a few pictures for our Christmas card and some of the ship:

 

 

 

I took these during my early morning walk and forgot to post them. This is the construction zone at the Promenade Cafe. I must say, the people who did the work on this area were very polite and considerate. It has to be hard to do this job while the ship is fully booked. What am I saying? They were on a cruise ship :D

 

I read on another thread that the construction has been completed.

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

My View: Day 6 - Cozumel

 

Okay, this is not quite Cozumel yet, as we were scheduled to arrive at 10 a.m. However, I got to see another beautiful sunrise from our balcony:

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

Norwegian Star was already in port:

 

 

 

 

We docked next to our sister ship, Liberty of the Seas:

 

 

It looks like they are expanding the market space. I hope they add more placed to sit down for a drink... and maybe free wifi for customers:

[APDMOM]

Sunny skies in Cozumel meant finally shopping for that shirt for DS. TIP: We have been buying caribbean shirts for years and we find the RIMA brand is the best quality. They don't shrink and they last for years!

 

It still surprises me how different the Royal Caribbean port area is from the Carnival port area. It is just not as pretty as the Carnival side. The sales people on the Royal side are also much more pushy than I experienced during any Carnival stop in Cozumel. We did find the best store to be up the stairs, in the left corner. Their products were also displayed well and it did not feel as crowded.

 

Another tip: If you go up the stairs, you can find this nice spot for a picture:

 

We decided to enjoy a frozen Margarita at one of the smaller establishments in port. It was too icy and overall a bit of a disappointment for a "Mexican Margarita".

 

There were no Carnival ships today - a first in our 7 or 8 visits to Cozumel. There were two Norwegian ships - Star and Getaway. We shared the pier with Liberty of the Seas. It was kind of fun to see "our" balconies on a sister ship. A while ago, there was some speculation about whether Liberty still had loungers on the large aft balconies. Well, we could see them from our point of view, so they are there.

 

Here is "our balcony" (1700) on Liberty, as seen from the Windjammer on FOS:

[APDMOM]

Tonight's dinner was casual with the lobster served. The menu was Rosemary. I don't know why I did not rate the dinner :D Maybe next cruise...

 

Since FreedomIce.com was repeated tonight, we decided to do some

stargazing on the helipad. We only got to sit there for about five minutes when they needed to close the area due to high winds. It is a great place to view the stars from, as the light from the ship is fairly limited.

 

Night time on the balcony was nice and cool again, so we enjoyed a muffuletta and cheap Aldi wine to close out the day. If you like black olives, don't miss the muffaletta:

 

By the way, tonight we had the best towel animal I had seen. The TV was appropriately set to ESPN, with our towel swordfish claiming control of the remote!

 

We were a bit disappointed to also see our luggage tags awaiting us, announcing that departure is eminent... Oh, we will get that mortgage paid off and do our hard-earned back 2 back within five years (we hope).

 

Side note for those paying off a mortgage... Go to crown.org and see how much interest you can save by paying an extra $50-$300 per month on your mortgage. During our first five years, we saved $22,000 of interest on a $115,000 loan by just paying an extra $50-$300 per month.... that is a lot more dough for future cruises!

Edited December 5, 2015 by APDMOM
Add mortgage tip

[APDMOM]

It came... We knew it would - always too soon...

 

My View: The Last Day at Sea:

 

 

The day started out very windy and stormy, but turned out to be nice and sunny most of the time.

 

Nothing says, "It is the last day" like the giant cake in the Windjammer (and the luggage tags, and the empty hangers):

 

The pool was very busy, and as it always is on the last sea day, there were 'sales galore". I ended up buying two t-shirts for $20. We also bought the only alcoholic drink of the cruise. We do not splurge on these new outrageous prices, but the Freedom Fest on the promenade (between noon and one) had "buy two Bahama Mamas for $15". They also had Sangrias and Mojito's for the same special:

 

 

[APDMOM]

I was surprised at how quiet deck 4 was during sea days, so if you need a quiet spot where you can watch the ocean, this is it.

We loved watching the waves break at the bow of the ship:

 

The day came and went in no time, and it closed with another beautiful sunset:

 

 

We took a peek at the Dreamworks Parade from deck 6 - right next to the elevators. It was not the best place, but we had seen the parade twice before and did not want to be in the crowd today:

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

I don't remember dinner, as I forgot to write it down. I only know DH had the lamb. I also remember that the Windjammer had bread bowls for the soup and I was bummed I had missed that. I am about as addicted to soup as I am to cruising!

 

The evening show featured Jim McDonald, Comedian, the Freedom Band, as well as Peter and Ildinko (Aerial Adagio).

 

 

 

 

Jim McDonald was hilarious! He started off a bit slow, but really had me rolling after a while, especially when he made fun of Carnival (and I am a fan of Carnival too).

 

The Crew Farewell:

 

[APDMOM]

It is almost over... The bags are packed and labeled. We have zone 10...

Like before boarding, I take a picture of our suitcases, in case they get lost:

 

We opted for a quiet breakfast in the main dining room. We had a nice table by the window. We always keep some $1 bills for the last morning to hand out to the MDR breakfast staff, as well as any staff members we see cleaning around the ship. It is such fun to tip the people who never expect it!

 

Too soon, we were docked in Port Canaveral:

 

 

 

Disembarkation was about 30 minutes behind schedule, but the process was extremely easy. As always in Port Canaveral, there were many customs agents, and we got through customs within about 10 minutes after grabbing our luggage. We waited for the Radisson shuttle for about 5 minutes. I love how easy it is to get out of Port Canaveral!

 

That is it for the cruise report. I will post more ship pictures tomorrow, as well as the Adventure Ocean program and the Compass.

 

Good bye to our balcony, until next time...

 

[JamesEM]

Have you ever had any vibration problems by booking an aft cabin? As for saving money on a mortgage, if you can swing it go for a 20 year, if not, even making small extra payments to principal especially in the early years of a mortgage really helps shorten the pay off time.

[APDMOM]

Have you ever had any vibration problems by booking an aft cabin? As for saving money on a mortgage, if you can swing it go for a 20 year, if not, even making small extra payments to principal especially in the early years of a mortgage really helps shorten the pay off time.

 

Here is what we experienced: In 7408 on Freedom, there was virtually none. In 7708 on Indy, it was notable, but not uncomfortable. This time, on deck 10, we felt it significantly more. To us, it was a trade off that is well worth it. The vibration was not constant, and obviously not present while in port. The only times I really felt it more strongly, were two "at sea" nights - right when I went to bed. Those nights, I could not sit on the bed with my head against the headboard, because I could feel the vibration through my head.

 

I LOVE the aft cabins. I will still choose an aft cabin every time I have a Freedom class or Voyager class cruise. :)

[APDMOM]

Here are the answers to the quiz:

 

 

Number 1: Elton John

 

Number 2:Willie Nelson

 

Number 3: Sonny and Cher

 

Number 4:Paul McCartney - The Beatles

[APDMOM]

Time to tour some of the new areas on the ship:

 

I often get asked how I get pictures without any people in them. I am an early riser, and that is the best time to get pictures of the ship.

 

The R Bar replaced the Champagne Bar

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

Sabor replaced one level of The Krypt:

 

I wish Sabor on Freedom would switch to the A la Carte menu that they have on Oasis. We would eat there if this were the case. We just cannot justify the cover charge. Sabor on Oasis was GREAT! There, we ordered the sampler to share and it was enough food for 3, for about the cover cost of one.

 

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

The Star Lounge replaced Pharaoh's Palace

 

 

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

The Gym is very well equipped on Freedom.

 

Here is another answer to a question I saw recently: The spin bikes are only for classes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

I did not take near as many pictures as in the past, as my previous FOS review has many of the pictures of the sip.

 

Here are a few more venues I got pictures of.

 

Bull & Bear Pub

TIP: The tables outside the Bull & Bear Pub offer great seating for the parade. However, be sure to show up at least 45 minutes early, and enjoy the wait while seated, in stead of standing on the crowded promenade.

 

 

 

 

Sorrentos: The Pizza Place