Freedom of the Seas - Eastern Review 3-20-16 - Family with small baby

[mtsublueraider]

Just off of Freedom of the Seas for the third time in recent years. But this was the first time we've sailed with our 10 month old baby girl. As you can see in my signature we've cruised a handful of times before but this was a brand new ball game. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have. I don't normally post pictures just because it tends to be a little difficult for me to do but if there's something you just HAVE to see.... i'll see what i can do. :)

 

We stayed the night before at the Hilton Coco Beach hotel and really had a good time. Lunch was great at their outdoor tiki bar and we had dinner at the hotel restaurant. For a beach resort hotel the prices were reasonable. We drove to the hotel and that afternoon I went to the airport to get the rest of our family who was coming in.

 

We had the coveted corner aft balcony on deck 7 for the second time. I hate to tell more people about it because I want to keep it for myself! This time it was a game changer because we were able to put our pack and play out there for our daughter to play in. We also had a nearby oceanview room and another balcony room on deck 7 just down the hall.

 

Getting to the NEW pier was really easy. We were used to the other one and didn't know what to expect. The line to drop off folks opened just about 11:15. We waited about 15 minutes in line before they'd allow us to drop off bags. After I dropped off bags and my extended family I returned to the hotel to get my wife and daughter. It's about a 10 minute drive each way in cruise traffic. Upon returning to the parking garage I had my 40% off coupon in hand and payed $72 for the week of parking. That's a steal for what you get. Just by staying at one of the listed hotels you get a coupon at the front desk for the discounted parking rate. We zipped right in a spot and went to security.

 

As a platinum member with RCI we walked right up to the agent and right through the security line. Literally no wait at all. When we got into the gallery some people had already boarded and we went right up to the counter to check in. Really a breeze. As soon as we got our sea pass cards we walked right to the gangway. We were shaking our heads it was so easy.... before we knew it we were on board meeting up with family.....

 

Next.... the rooms and the experience....

[Clarea]

Nice start, following.:)

[mtsublueraider]

Because we were with a small child we ended up going to the top deck and grabbing a table so we could take turns eating and entertaining baby.... the windjammer was a zoo of course so we needed some space for her to crawl. I will preface this by saying we will never cruise during spring break again. It was simply too crowded in the dining areas all week. We had to do it this time because of our vacation schedule but that won't be the case again. I guess I'd say while it was uncomfortable at times it wasn't a deal breaker.

 

Rooms were ready on time (about 1-1:30) and we made our way back to the aft to enjoy the view.

 

We tried to unpack a little and get ready for sailaway. First I went down the Vintages to grab a bottle of sparkling wine for the sailaway. I recommend doing this rather than ordering online and waiting for it to come to your room. Much better choices on board and a couple traveling with us had to track their on-line order down so they wouldn't be empty handed at 4pm.

 

CHEERS!

 

Next.... the disappointment....

[mtsublueraider]

Really the scar on the trip was waking up the next morning and watching Coco Cay drift by.... the waves weren't too terrible under the overcast sky but as we drifted closer to the island I had a bad feeling.... and sure enough the captain came on the speaker and told us we would be missing the stop because of bad weather expected later in the day. It was the first time in a few cruises we had missed that stop and the sour taste in our mouth didn't go away. Especially because we had a few first time cruisers traveling with us. But, you can't do anything about the weather.... i guess the hard part is that our seven night cruise now only had two stops and the western schedule always has four stops. As much as I love St Maarten and St Thomas it's hard to compare the two when you skip Coco Cay. Sour grapes? Maybe. :D

 

Chair Saving

I believe I have an unnatural burning hatred for pool deck chair savers.... I don't even want a chair but I find myself obsessing over the bottles of bull frog that serve as a four hour paperweight on top of a blue towel that remains undisturbed until mid-morning when their owners return. That being said, I don't know what can be done about it.

 

We spent most of our pool time at the baby splash pad. our daughter LOVED IT. I dont' know if serenade has one for december but we pray it does! The RCI staff did a great job making sure that kids didn't play in it to make sure our baby was safe. We tend to be rule followers so we didn't have any drinks in the pool but they did approach us about having both parents in the water playing with her. However, they did say it wasn't a problem unless another family showed up to play. Nearly everyday we had the water to ourselves. Again... my how times have changed....

 

Next.... dinner.

[3CatsInMA]

We were on the week before you, and it seemed like a lot of the crew was dreading the start of your cruise because they said it would be about 60% teenagers. By day 7, there seemed to be more sad faces on the crew than on us soon-to-be-departing passengers! ;):D

 

Looking forward to the next installments...:)

Edited March 28, 2016 by 3CatsInMA

[mtsublueraider]

This was the first time we've done the early traditional seating. Again, with baby. Ha! We normally stick with traditional seating because we like to have the relationship with the staff each night. We, at first, thought we had a great table in the corner near a window but it ended up being quite the opposite. Keep in mind our perspective, we've cruised before.... but this time i've never felt more cramped at our seats. I could hardly move my chair to sit down. In fact, to get up I had to ask the person behind me to move so I could push my chair back. I know it has to do with a full boat and I know they're doing the best they can, but it's not ideal.

 

Our server was nice, remembered our names and our drinks, but he looked so stressed out we felt sorry for him. He covered a ton of tables and it really lacked the back and forth with our staff we were used to. Hated to see that.

 

The food as a whole was great. The only problem is when you order a meat they ask the temperature you would like it cooked.... i'm not even sure why they do that because it all comes out the same.... prime rib... lamb....steak.... we all ordered rare to medium rare and in some cases we had to send it back because it was medium to even well done. Cooking for the masses is HARD but that ended up being something we scratched our heads about.

 

For the baby, the part where it fell short was the timeliness of the food. Each night we requested we have steamed carrots or squash and some steamed rice for the baby to eat. We brought some snacks but this kind of food is great for her. In some cases we would have already ordered our food before hers came. For anyone with a child of that age, you know that as soon as she gets in the high chair the food should be there or you're going to have a fussy baby. I do feel sorry for our neighbors. We tried our best but had to make several laps around the dining room until the order came.

 

We did do Giovanni's Table one night.... really have made that our Go-To treat on each cruise over Chops. It ended up being a long night because we tried the nursery but our poor daughter just didn't take to it very well. It ended up they called us to come check on her and after my relatives were done eating they were gracious enough to watch her while we finished our meal. Our server was AMAZING because he saw what we were doing and slowed our service down so accommodate our delay without making a fuss. That really stood out to me. New moms and dads done get much time out alone so we really appreciated them.

 

We also splurged while we had help with our daughter to do the wine paring dinner at Vintages. WHAT A TREAT that was. Multiple courses and, no kidding, NINE glasses of wine..... not tastes... glasses.... woah boy.... :eek:

 

You could get a whole lobster and it wasn't an upcharge. We paid $49 a person for the experience and I can't recommend it enough. We had white, rose, red, sparkling, and port. For a wine lover it was a real treat.

 

Next.... the ports of call...

[mtsublueraider]

We were on the week before you, and it seemed like a lot of the crew was dreading the start of your cruise because they said it would be about 60% teenagers. By day 7, there seemed to be more sad faces on the crew than on us soon-to be-departing passengers! ;):D

 

Looking forward to the next installments...:)

 

 

Ha ha! Yeah, that's what the Adventure Ocean staff told us too. But to be honest, aside from the Water Park area i didn't notice a TON of kids. Seemed to be about normal to me but they were mostly well behaved. Can't complain too much. I mean it was spring break! :)

[mtsublueraider]

St Thomas

Thankfully the skies started to clear a little and we were able to really enjoy our day in St Thomas. Unfortunately the seas were a little rough and we had to change our plans a little bit. We chose to charter a sail boat with Sail with Liberty and had a blast. It was $90 a person and that included a four hour sail from the Red Hook Marina. It was $10 a person each way to get there and we met the captain at the dock where he ferried us out to the sailboat. Instead of going to St John where we wanted to go, we went to a nearby cove for some swimming, snorkeling, and for the company. The waves were simply too rough to go over to St John. NEXT TIME! The highlight of the trip was the fact there was a PIZZA boat in the cove where we were able to order a pizza and have it delivered to our sailboat. Such a unique experience I can't stand it....

 

 

St Maarten

We decided to have a beach day in St Maarten. I can't understand why there are so many pages of threads in the Port of Call message board for this port. Yes, I get it if you need to see something else, but if you're looking for a simple day with sun and sand it can't get any easier...

 

Take the $7 round trip water taxi from the port to the beach. PLENTY of guys are yelling at you to take you to their location.... we paid $20 for two chairs and an umbrella. To be honest, I'm not sure anyone would have said anything if we just walked to a chair ourselves. Didn't look policed at all. The bar we sat in front of had free wifi and five beers for $10. This is not rocket science. HA HA!

 

Yes there were some vendors but nobody was aggressive. Not a bad way to spend the day at all.

[mtsublueraider]

Drink Prices

 

Yeah, I really can notice a difference from previous cruises....

 

It's getting to the point that i'm wondering what's the point when it comes to some of the cocktails. My wife and I do enjoy a few drinks but when an absolute martini and a jack and coke will run you $26 it's a bit of a sticker shock.

 

We did find a good deal on the sea day was to go to the Bull and Bear pub where they would give you five beers for the price of two. ends up being about $25 after tip. but they wouldn't let you mix the brands.

 

Was disappointing to see that the menu said $5.5 for Guinness but we kept being charged $6.5.

 

NEVER had a problem finding a bartender for a drink though. Pool bars got crazy but if you weren't in a wet bathing suit the bar in the windjammer was great.

 

And yes, on the final two sea days they would sell the 10 drink punch card for $65 plus 18%. A great deal considering $6.50 a drink certainly beats the $10.50 normal price for makers mark. And we had a handful of patron margaritas that would have probably been $15 each. Great way to end the cruise! :)

[AggieCard]

 

We also splurged while we had help with our daughter to do the wine paring dinner at Vintages. WHAT A TREAT that was. Multiple courses and, no kidding, NINE glasses of wine..... not tastes... glasses.... woah boy.... :eek:

 

You could get a whole lobster and it wasn't an upcharge. We paid $49 a person for the experience and I can't recommend it enough. We had white, rose, red, sparkling, and port. For a wine lover it was a real treat.

 

Next.... the ports of call...

 

Loving the review!!! My question is around the dinner at Vintages? This might be a dumb question, but is the dinner actually at Vintages? What menu did they offer from? How many people were at this dinner? This sounds like a lot of fun, just looking for a few details on it.

[mtsublueraider]

Loving the review!!! My question is around the dinner at Vintages? This might be a dumb question, but is the dinner actually at Vintages? What menu did they offer from? How many people were at this dinner? This sounds like a lot of fun, just looking for a few details on it.

 

 

Yeah! Certainly! It really was fun. They limit it to 10 people per night and on our night we had a table of four and there was a table of two that came in later. They do it at the tables on the right just as soon as you walk in the venue. VERY unique place to eat. It's a set menu each night that's posted outside. Basically there's an app, a seafood salad, and set dessert course but you get to choose if you want the mixed grill, the seafood, or the whole lobster. My wife got the lobster and I got the mixed grill with a filet of beef, lamb, and sausage. The other dish had salmon, scallops, and shrimp.

 

If i was REALLY honest with myself, other than the lobster, the food was uniquely prepared and displayed but was on par with the MDR. The $49 gets you the unique atmosphere and THE WINE. Oh my goodness the wine. Ha!

[mumeof3]

St Thomas

Thankfully the skies started to clear a little and we were able to really enjoy our day in St Thomas. Unfortunately the seas were a little rough and we had to change our plans a little bit. We chose to charter a sail boat with Sail with Liberty and had a blast. It was $90 a person and that included a four hour sail from the Red Hook Marina. It was $10 a person each way to get there and we met the captain at the dock where he ferried us out to the sailboat. Instead of going to St John where we wanted to go, we went to a nearby cove for some swimming, snorkeling, and for the company. The waves were simply too rough to go over to St John. NEXT TIME! The highlight of the trip was the fact there was a PIZZA boat in the cove where we were able to order a pizza and have it delivered to our sailboat. Such a unique experience I can't stand it....

 

 

St Maarten

We decided to have a beach day in St Maarten. I can't understand why there are so many pages of threads in the Port of Call message board for this port. Yes, I get it if you need to see something else, but if you're looking for a simple day with sun and sand it can't get any easier...

 

Take the $7 round trip water taxi from the port to the beach. PLENTY of guys are yelling at you to take you to their location.... we paid $20 for two chairs and an umbrella. To be honest, I'm not sure anyone would have said anything if we just walked to a chair ourselves. Didn't look policed at all. The bar we sat in front of had free wifi and five beers for $10. This is not rocket science. HA HA!

 

Yes there were some vendors but nobody was aggressive. Not a bad way to spend the day at all.

 

We did this a few years ago in St Martin and loved it but then reading people talk about the polluted bay I was worried, and now wonder where to go in May.... But your saying it's ok???

[mtsublueraider]

We did this a few years ago in St Martin and loved it but then reading people talk about the polluted bay I was worried, and now wonder where to go in May.... But your saying it's ok???

 

Yeah, I seem to remember reading some reviews about the bay but really I didn't see anything that made me not want to get in the clear blue water. Really was a great day!

[NCSU#1]

Thanks for all the info! My wife and I + two girls (19 and 22 years old) are taking this cruise May 15th. Do you remember the menu each night? We're trying to do some scheduling and would like to know the menu order from a recent cruise (i.e. which night's were Mojo, Saffron, Pimiento, Shiitake, Basil, Jasmine and Pomodoro) as well as which night's were the formal nights. Clarea was kind of enough to post this order on a different thread but mentioned it wasn't one of the more recent cruises.

 

Thanks for the help!

[mollyeilis]

We did this a few years ago in St Martin and loved it but then reading people talk about the polluted bay I was worried, and now wonder where to go in May.... But your saying it's ok???

 

 

We were there in early 2014 and had read that stuff but I think it was old info even for that cruise. We saw nothing that worried us about the water just off Phillipsburg then.

 

This time (same cruise as OP) we did a tour and I was so underwhelmed by the French side I was stressed the whole tour about the waste I felt it was.

[WeBCruisin]

MTSUBLUERAIDER

 

Thanks for your review! Freedom is currently my favorite ship - however that may change in June as we are cruising the Allure.

 

I am enjoying the review very much and brings back memories of when we cruised when our boys were still toddlers. Lots of work - but lots of fun!!

 

Just wanted to say congrats on the Raiders great showing in the Tournament! I'm originally from Tennessee and though I didn't go to MTSU (Murray State Grad here) I had lots of classmates that attended there and my Mom received her Master's degree from there - so I still lay some claim to the school :-)