Just got off Freedom, any questions?

[Beardface]

I am hoping you still have the Cruise Compasses from your trip. I would like to know what hours the flowrider was open each day for stand up surfing (or if you could post that page of the Compasses if you have them...even better). I want to make some plans, but flow time has to take priority;)

 

Hope you get this before you head down to Port Canaveral. Just found the Cruise Compasses for the week:

 

Day 1 (Departure from PC)

1:30p to 3:30p -

Boogie Boarding

4:45p to 5:45p -

Stand-Up Surfing

5:45p to 6:45p -

Boogie Boarding

 

Day 2 (At-Sea Day)

8:30a to 9:15a -

Advanced Stand-Up Surfing

9:15a to 11:00a -

Stand-Up Surfing

11:00a -

Boogie Boarding Safety Demonstration

11:00a to 3:00p -

Boogie Boarding

3:00p -

Stand-Up Surfing Safety Demonstration

3:00p to 5:00p -

Stand-Up Surfing

 

Day 3 (Labadee from 8:00a to 3:30p)

8:30a to 9:00a -

Advanced Surfing

9:00a to 10:00a -

Stand-Up Surfing

10:00a to 11:00a -

Boogie Boarding

2:30p to 4:30p -

Boogie Boarding

4:30p to 6:30p -

Stand-Up Surfing

 

Day 4 (Falmouth from 10:30a to 6:30p)

9:00a to 10:00a -

Stand-Up Surfing

10:00a to 11:00a -

Boogie Boarding

3:30p to 5:30p -

Stand-Up Surfing

5:30p to 7:30p -

Boogie Boarding

 

Day 5 (Grand Cayman 8:30a to 3:15p)

9:00a to 10:00a -

Stand-Up Surfing

10:00a to 11:00a -

Boogie Boarding

3:00p to 5:00p -

Boogie Boarding

5:00p to 7:00p -

Stand-Up Surfing

 

Day 6 (Cozumel 10:00a to 6:30p)

8:30p to 9:00a -

Advanced Stand-Up Surfing

9:00a to 10:00a -

Stand-Up Surfing

10:00a to 11:00a -

Boogie Boarding

4:00p to 6:00p -

Stand-Up Surfing

6:00p to 7:30p -

Boogie Boarding

 

Day 7 (At-Sea)

8:30a to 9:15a -

Advanced Stand-Up Surfing

9:15a to 11:00a -

Stand-Up Surfing

11:00a to 3:00p -

Boogie Boarding

3:00p to 5:00p -

Stand-Up Surfing

5:00p -

Best of the Best Surfing Competition

[Beardface]

Went of FOS in August last year, first cruise EVER, and loved it! Of course, I had nothing to compare it to but I will on our next cruise which will be Oasis. I would love to do Freedom again but I have a list of "to do ships" that will come first (Harmony, Norwegian Epic)...but loved Freedom!!

We did the reverse. Went on the Oasis in 2014 and then the Freedom last week. Its crazy, but the Oasis makes the Freedom feel small.

[Nickymjw1]

How did you like the cruise director. We really enjoyed Casey, just wondering if you had the other guy, John Perry I honk I read on these boards

[Russ Lomas]

Hope you get this before you head down to Port Canaveral. Just found the Cruise Compasses for the week:

 

Day 1 (Departure from PC)

1:30p to 3:30p -

Boogie Boarding

4:45p to 5:45p -

Stand-Up Surfing

5:45p to 6:45p -

Boogie Boarding

Day 2 (At-Sea Day)

8:30a to 9:15a -

Advanced Stand-Up Surfing

9:15a to 11:00a -

Stand-Up Surfing

11:00a -

Boogie Boarding Safety Demonstration

11:00a to 3:00p -

Boogie Boarding

3:00p -

Stand-Up Surfing Safety Demonstration

3:00p to 5:00p -

Stand-Up Surfing

Day 3 (Labadee from 8:00a to 3:30p)

8:30a to 9:00a -

Advanced Surfing

9:00a to 10:00a -

Stand-Up Surfing

10:00a to 11:00a -

Boogie Boarding

2:30p to 4:30p -

Boogie Boarding

4:30p to 6:30p -

Stand-Up Surfing

Day 4 (Falmouth from 10:30a to 6:30p)

9:00a to 10:00a -

Stand-Up Surfing

10:00a to 11:00a -

Boogie Boarding

3:30p to 5:30p -

Stand-Up Surfing

5:30p to 7:30p -

Boogie Boarding

Day 5 (Grand Cayman 8:30a to 3:15p)

9:00a to 10:00a -

Stand-Up Surfing

10:00a to 11:00a -

Boogie Boarding

3:00p to 5:00p -

Boogie Boarding

5:00p to 7:00p -

Stand-Up Surfing

Day 6 (Cozumel 10:00a to 6:30p)

8:30p to 9:00a -

Advanced Stand-Up Surfing

9:00a to 10:00a -

Stand-Up Surfing

10:00a to 11:00a -

Boogie Boarding

4:00p to 6:00p -

Stand-Up Surfing

6:00p to 7:30p -

Boogie Boarding

Day 7 (At-Sea)

8:30a to 9:15a -

Advanced Stand-Up Surfing

9:15a to 11:00a -

Stand-Up Surfing

11:00a to 3:00p -

Boogie Boarding

3:00p to 5:00p -

Stand-Up Surfing

5:00p -

Best of the Best Surfing Competition

Thank you sir for all your effort typing that up for me. I owe you a beverage if we cross paths on a ship one time. The times vary considerably in a couple ways from the sailing only a month earlier. Crummiest thing I notice is that they start 30 minutes later most days on your voyage. Guess they reduce the number of free sessions to squeeze in some more sessions where people pay to rent it privately.

 

A couple questions about what I saw on the January 2016 compasses that were absent from what you posted. They had a 8p-9pm adult surfing session on Day 3 and also an 8pm til 9pm surf under the stars session on day 4. Did they offer them on your cruise or were they cut from January as well?

[Beardface]

Thank you sir for all your effort typing that up for me. I owe you a beverage if we cross paths on a ship one time. The times vary considerably in a couple ways from the sailing only a month earlier. Crummiest thing I notice is that they start 30 minutes later most days on your voyage. Guess they reduce the number of free sessions to squeeze in some more sessions where people pay to rent it privately.

 

A couple questions about what I saw on the January 2016 compasses that were absent from what you posted. They had a 8p-9pm adult surfing session on Day 3 and also an 8pm til 9pm surf under the stars session on day 4. Did they offer them on your cruise or were they cut from January as well?

 

I'll have to go back and look. I know there were events listed in the main compass agenda that weren't in the Flow Rider operating hours, like a teens only session the 2nd to last night.

[Beardface]

How did you like the cruise director. We really enjoyed Casey, just wondering if you had the other guy, John Perry I honk I read on these boards

 

We had John Perry and both he and his entire CD staff were wonderful. Absolutely no complaints and they made the trip more fun by being there.

[klslater0721]

Can you elaborate on the nightlife? I the club is now Olive or Twist... did it seem like just a lounge?

[Beardface]

Can you elaborate on the nightlife? I the club is now Olive or Twist... did it seem like just a lounge?

 

During the day, its mainly a lounge, but at night it can get pretty fun. The same can be said for most venues, really. For example, the Schooner Bar had trivia multiple times a day, and turned into a lively piano bar at night. Bull & Bear was a relatively quiet pub during the day but got pretty rowdy at night with the live music. The Pool Deck had big parties going on a couple times during the week at night which were fun. And I heard the cigar bar (Connoisseur's Club) was jam packed most nights.

[Gopherpharm]

I didn't see a single one. And believe me, I spent a bunch of time at the bars (Pool and Schooner were my go-to's for the entire trip). It did seem like most had drink plans, though.

 

 

Thanks!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[KimKTN]

If you can scan and attach a copy of your Compass, it would be greatly appreciated! I am having trouble finding any recent ones online for the Western. :)

[Simply mad]

yes me to

[Nickymjw1]

We had John Perry and both he and his entire CD staff were wonderful. Absolutely no complaints and they made the trip more fun by being there.

 

Thanks!

[Nickymjw1]

During the day, its mainly a lounge, but at night it can get pretty fun. The same can be said for most venues, really. For example, the Schooner Bar had trivia multiple times a day, and turned into a lively piano bar at night. Bull & Bear was a relatively quiet pub during the day but got pretty rowdy at night with the live music. The Pool Deck had big parties going on a couple times during the week at night which were fun. And I heard the cigar bar (Connoisseur's Club) was jam packed most nights.

 

What times were the pool parties? I had made a suggestion they should start earlier , not wait until 11pm

[TM38Rob]

Yes, we stayed at Cabana Bay and it showed something similar on our details. I would call up Royal Caribbean and make sure its all aligned behind the scenes. Apparently we were supposed to get some kind of email verification of the booking, which we never got, and we were supposed to get some kind of voucher to use for transportation and tickets, which, again, we never got. When we called RC a couple weeks before the trip, they explicitly said we should easily find the transportation at the airport, the hotel would have information on how to get to the ship, and the ship would have information on how to get to the airport. None of this happened.

Sorry to hear about your issues with the Universal package. All of the info and vouchers can be found in your Cruise eDocs or Cruise Document booklet (for suite guests or for an extra charge) that you should have received in your email or mail after final payment deadline. If you received an email with your Cruise eDocs, then you would need to print out the vouchers.

 

Although I've sailed Freedom, I've done this package with Monarch and most recently with Enchantment staying at Cabana Bay Resort. In the eDocs there's a voucher to contact Quick Transportation with your flight arrival info. A driver should greet you at baggage claim. My driver was busy with another party (shared ride) when I arrived at baggage claim and didn't find him until after I got my luggage (no big deal).

 

At Cabana Bay they had my reservation in the system, so no voucher needed. However, the voucher said to ask for a "welcome letter" from Royal Caribbean. They did not have a letter for me and told me to wait by the "Bus Stop" across the lobby driveway for the transfer to the ship. (I'll come back to this in a moment.)

 

The voucher for the park tickets to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure park to park had to be redeemed at the ticket box office at one of the main gates of either park (the park ticket desk in the hotel doesn't accept the vouchers). Again, no big deal.

 

Back to the "welcome letter". I went back to the check-in desk the day before check-out and they went in the back and printed out the personalized "welcome letter" they received in an email from Royal Caribbean with my specific date and sailing. The letter mentioned a motor coach, and I had taken a motor coach 4 years prior on Monarch that went to another hotel, then to the airport to fill the bus. (The bus was a little late and I called Day of Travel phone number on that trip. While on hold, the bus arrived.)

 

Next day I checked-out and lugged all my luggage to the "Bus Stop" at least 20-30 minutes early. My time frame for pick up comes and goes, and no motor coach. Remembering my experience 4 years prior, I give it time. 45 minutes later I finally call the Day of Travel phone number. To make a long story short, apparently they are doing something new and using a private town car service for the hotel pickups instead of the bus for smaller parties. That would have been helpful to know in the "welcome letter".

 

Anyway, the driver was looking for me at the check-in entrance and didn't see anybody waiting there. Although he noticed me at the "Bus Stop" as I was the only person waiting with luggage, he couldn't be bothered to stop and ask if I was his fare. They sent the owner of the car service to pick me up and drive me to the ship. I arrived later than I would have liked, however, arrived on the ship just as they were allowing access to the staterooms. So I guess it all worked out in the end.

 

Better luck next time.

[pumpkinfish]

Thank you for your review! Would also love to view the latest Compass since we have same itinerary, leaving this Sunday!

[Plum Happy]

I was on the Freedom in early January, and I am still wondering what type of construction was going on the Sports Deck? The info plastered just said something exciting was coming. Any ideas?

[Big_G]

As I said.... Also..... It obviously wasn't the azipod. It was there long before the azipod issues.

 

We noticed the shimmy twice on Freedom and while it wasn't a real issue, it was definitely more pronounced further aft. I'm real curious what it is. We're on her again in May so maybe if I make it to the Captains Corner I'll ask. My record of attendance isn't very good so no promises. :D

[JerseyGirlNoPumpGas]

Oh heavens to Betsy, maybe you can help me! I've been wracking my brain trying to remember the name of the first comedian. He was only on the ship the first 2 days. Alcohol may have clouded my memory of this guy;) The second one was Mike Pace. I ran out of drinking money by then. If you have your Cruise Compasses maybe he's listed. Thanks in advance!

[lbatarseh]

Did they offer any drink package specials or drink cards on the Freedom? Did you try any of the specialty restaurants?

 

Lawrence

[John&LaLa]

I was on the Freedom in early January, and I am still wondering what type of construction was going on the Sports Deck? The info plastered just said something exciting was coming. Any ideas?

 

The never ending scrubber install, been going on for almost a year. Really not that exciting to most passengers.

[John&LaLa]

I didn't see a single one. And believe me, I spent a bunch of time at the bars (Pool and Schooner were my go-to's for the entire trip). It did seem like most had drink plans, though.

 

Last week on Freedom they offered punch cards on second to last day. 10 drinks, $65 including tip. they also did a two day UBP for $115 including tio and the last day it was $57

[Beardface]

Oh heavens to Betsy, maybe you can help me! I've been wracking my brain trying to remember the name of the first comedian. He was only on the ship the first 2 days. Alcohol may have clouded my memory of this guy;) The second one was Mike Pace. I ran out of drinking money by then. If you have your Cruise Compasses maybe he's listed. Thanks in advance!

 

Carl Banks

[Gopherpharm]

Last week on Freedom they offered punch cards on second to last day. 10 drinks, $65 including tip. they also did a two day UBP for $115 including tio and the last day it was $57

 

 

Fingers crossed it may appear on my May 1 cruise!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[Clarea]

Last week on Freedom they offered punch cards on second to last day. 10 drinks, $65 including tip. they also did a two day UBP for $115 including tio and the last day it was $57

Great price on the drink card. It was $85 for the same thing on Vision last week.

[JaniceB]

Thank you for your report!