Freedom of the Seas- April 10-17...

[alfaeric]

Just got off the Freedom yesterday- for the most part, it was like all of our previous cruises, which is to say really great!

 

Had an aft JS which was mostly smooth, but we got a little rocked Saturday night as we passed through some storms on the way back to Canaveral.

 

Not much to say about the ports- Labadee, Falmouth, Grand Cayman, or Cozumel- we don't do much at any besides wander around or run. Although, for all of the fear of Falmouth- we felt fine there the whole time. The only real issue was the lack of sidewalks in a lot of places. For the most part, it's very similar to Nassau.

 

And I can't comment on either the MDR or the WJ, as we never ate in either one- being nice and flexible in our food needs.

 

Two things I can comment on- Sabor and Vintages.

 

Sabor is new to us- and we tried it on the first night. Wow- what a great experience that was. Food was wonderful! The big issue I saw was the want of eating too many choices- not hard to over fill yourself here. Very nice addition to Chops and Giovanni's.

 

In Vintages, they have a dining event every night pairing wine with a dinner specific to Vintages. The food is pretty good- for the most part choices one can get in the MDR- but in some combinations that are not part of the main menu- both the seafood and grilled plate are multiple proteins that normally are not together. But the best part was the wine pairings- holy cow were they matched really well!!! I think we were served 8 glasses of wine total- which is a LOT. All of them specifically picked out for the food- including the 3 for desert. Great, great pairings.

 

For that matter- Lovely in Vintages really knows her wine. It's worth just talking and trying some new stuff. She will recommend some really nice wines- and not expensive ones, too. If you want to eat there, other than the dining event, you'll have to improvise- get some meats from Sorrento's, and order a cheese plate from room service to take with you. Or just get a pizza or sandwich. Great time.

 

I only really wanted to comment about those two things- but if you have other questions, feel free to ask. Can't be sure I can answer them, but it was another great cruise for us.

[M_BA]

Just got off the Freedom yesterday- for the most part, it was like all of our previous cruises, which is to say really great!

 

Not much to say about the ports- Labadee, Falmouth, Grand Cayman, or Cozumel- we don't do much at any besides wander around or run. Although, for all of the fear of Falmouth- we felt fine there the whole time. The only real issue was the lack of sidewalks in a lot of places. For the most part, it's very similar to Nassau.

 

We had the same impression in Falmouth. It's a very small city, but has a high population density. The drivers are a bit pushy, trying to drum up business but we never felt the conditions were anymore perilous than most urban cities.

 

Sabor is new to us- and we tried it on the first night. Wow- what a great experience that was. Food was wonderful! The big issue I saw was the want of eating too many choices- not hard to over fill yourself here. Very nice addition to Chops and Giovanni's.

 

We had Sabor for lunch on day three of our cruise. It was decadently good! We were still half stuffed when we showed up for dinner in the MDR that evening.

[Clarea]

... In Vintages, they have a dining event every night pairing wine with a dinner specific to Vintages. The food is pretty good- for the most part choices one can get in the MDR- but in some combinations that are not part of the main menu- both the seafood and grilled plate are multiple proteins that normally are not together. But the best part was the wine pairings- holy cow were they matched really well!!! I think we were served 8 glasses of wine total- which is a LOT. All of them specifically picked out for the food- including the 3 for desert. Great, great pairings.....

We saw something similar on Liberty, but there it was onyl the MDR menu to choose from. Do you recall the price for this on Freedom?

[alfaeric]

We saw something similar on Liberty, but there it was onyl the MDR menu to choose from. Do you recall the price for this on Freedom?

 

We've done the Liberty one, too.

 

Similar, but not the same- as you noted- the menu at the Liberty even it the same as that night in the MDR, whereas the Freedom is the same at menu every night.

 

It was $45pp on the Freedom. No idea if any of the packages allow this event to be part of it- as we have never gotten a drink package. But I would harbor a guess that the packages would not include this- as I doubt most of the wines are part of any of the drink packages. Could be wrong....

Edited April 18, 2016 by alfaeric

[alfaeric]

One other thing- we've done the Chef's table on the Oasis and Allure, and while the events are quite fun, they are not private and romantic either.

 

This, you can be very by yourselves. (or share it with the people in the table over).

 

The spaces to dine at Vintages are limited, maybe up to 5 couples at once. Which is half of Chef's table.

[Clarea]

We've done the Liberty one, too.

 

Similar, but not the same- as you noted- the menu at the Liberty even it the same as that night in the MDR, whereas the Freedom is the same at menu every night.

 

It was $45pp on the Freedom. No idea if any of the packages allow this event to be part of it- as we have never gotten a drink package. But I would harbor a guess that the packages would not include this- as I doubt most of the wines are part of any of the drink packages. Could be wrong....

I recall a similar price on Liberty. We probably should have tried it, but I was a bit put off by the price for MDR food. Should have looked closer at the wine pairings.

[alfaeric]

I recall a similar price on Liberty. We probably should have tried it, but I was a bit put off by the price for MDR food. Should have looked closer at the wine pairings.

 

Understood- we found it's not about the food, it's about the wine. And it makes the food taste a lot better.

[anteldel]

We purchased the four night specialty dining package which we will use for Chops Grille, Giovanni's and Sabor. Chef's Table is not included in the package; rather than eat in one twice, does anyone know if it could be used in Vintages for a wine pairing dinner? Or at least a credit toward it? Are they still offering dinner in Vintages on FOS? Thanks in advance :)