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Freedom of the Seas Aug 25-Sept 1st

CruisingMegan
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CruisingMegan

CruisingMegan

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Well, hello there!

 

As you can probably tell by the title, we are sailing on Freedom of the Seas on Aug 25 - September 1st. I'm pretty new to cruise critic, though my mom always tells me about the live reviews she’s reading! Needless to say, this is my first post here.

 

Anyway, a little about us:

 

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The top row is my mom and dad, Allyson and Larry. They cruise the most out of all of us. In the center is my older sister, Kaylyn, and far left is my older brother, Travis. And then there’s me, far right bottom. (Keep in mind, this picture was taken on our last family cruise…so maybe add 5 years on to us)

 

Our itinerary as follows:

1. SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO

2. PHILIPSBURG, ST. MAARTEN

3. BASSETERRE, ST KITTS & NEVIS

4. ST. JOHNS, ANTIGUA

5. CASTRIES, ST. LUCIA

6. BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS

We arrived yesterday, the 24th, to San Juan and stayed at the Hyatt House. A general consensus from my family is that we would recommend the hotel. It’s super convenient to the cruise terminal. It was less than a 10-minute drive. We’ve now boarded and had lunch at Sorrento’s. Okay, I know what you guys are thinking… ‘awful pizza’ but honestly, I’d take the meh pizza over the crazy windjammer any day.

 

We’ve got the 3-day dining package and the chef’s table, so I’ll gladly review any parts of that if anyone is curious. Some of us have the refreshment package (Allyson and Kaylyn) and the rest of us are living on the edge and paying per drink! Hope you enjoy! [emoji482]

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EeyoreRN

EeyoreRN

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Bon voyage!!! I am so in! We're sailing in Freedom in May, very similar itinerary. Love your photo and your review already. And yes please provide details about the specialty dining and the chef's table!! Deciding what to book for May...

 

Thanks for sharing your family time and have the best cruise ever!

 

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CruisingMegan

CruisingMegan

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Good afternoon everyone!

 

Thank you all for your kind words and interest in my review! I am beyond jealous of everyone doing a b2b soon… maybe I can find a way to become a stowaway for next week. So far, loving freedom!

 

Yesterday, we checked out a few of the different bars here. Honestly, not a huge fan of the Schooner bar on this ship. The atmosphere is meh, I prefer a more closed off area, where this ship is right next to the casino and pretty open to the elevator traffic. Maybe I’m just picky, though. I did like Olive or Twist! We also checked out the R Bar. I do like this one…even though it is also pretty open. 🤷🏼*♀️

 

For dinner, we chose to eat at Giovanni’s. As an Italian fan, I’d say it was pretty great. I’ve included a picture of the current menu. Between all of us, we were able to try quite a few dishes. I ordered the Gamberetti Alla Ligure, the shrimp dish, and I thought it was excellent. I had a cosmo to go with, and I like that the bar isn’t too far away so it didn’t take long for them to grab it! My sister and dad had the filet mignon and Kaylyn enjoyed it, just thought it was lacking a little flavor. My dad, on the other hand, wasn’t as impressed. Overall, between the pastas, appetizers, and desserts, it worked out for us. P.S. I loved the tiramisu.

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We snagged the 3-night dining plan for $75 per person so each restaurant comes to $25, so we felt the price is right.

 

The Welcome Aboard show was pretty good. The Cruise Director, Topi, did a great dance… very entertaining and funny. The comedian was also a hit. (Could’ve been the result of a few more cosmos but who’s counting?) If you like game shows, maybe check out the 60 Seconds or Less. It was entertaining but only lasted maybe 15 minutes.

 

 

 

Today, we docked in St. Marteen. We are very familiar with this island so we rented a car and drove around to some of our favorite places. My request was to have breakfast at Zee Best, which was great. Their pastries are the reason you go and the reason you come back. Try the chocolate croissant, if you ever stop by!

 

We stopped at Orient Beach, which seems to be rebuilding itself slowly. We all generally agree it’s our favorite beach on the island. The water was crystal clear and pretty warm! The island is making progress and I do recommend it. You can never go wrong with St. Marteen. I will come back with some pictures once I get them downloaded onto my computer!

 

We made a quick pit stop in Phillipsburg because I came with the desire to buy a beach towel, which I found. My dad bought two t-shirts and a hat he liked…and subsequently lost them somewhere along the way. You win some, you lose some… literally! He did manage to find another pair of t-shirts where the ship is docked.

 

Tonight is the first formal night and we have reservations for Chef’s Table. I have heard mixed reviews about it, but I’m going in with an open mind, so I’ll let you know what our consensus is! For now, I will be waiting for my brother to bring me a slice of pizza from the Windjammer.

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EeyoreRN

EeyoreRN

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Thanks for sharing the Giovanni's menu! It looks delicious. We are dining in Chops for embarkation day lunch (DD has to dine gluten free and we have had better choices on embarkation day in specialty venues) so thinking of going for the BOGO to try dinner at Giovanni's and Sabor. One of those will be on embarkation night. Looking forward to reading what you think of Chops for dinner as I'm leaning toward skipping it. Also can't wait to read about the chef's table. Please take lots of pics of the venue and I hope it's spectacular for you! Glad you enjoyed Olive and twist and the R bar. Really looking forward to trying those!

 

Can't wait to read more!

 

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CruisingMegan

CruisingMegan

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Thanks for sharing the Giovanni's menu! It looks delicious. We are dining in Chops for embarkation day lunch (DD has to dine gluten free and we have had better choices on embarkation day in specialty venues) so thinking of going for the BOGO to try dinner at Giovanni's and Sabor. One of those will be on embarkation night. Looking forward to reading what you think of Chops for dinner as I'm leaning toward skipping it. Also can't wait to read about the chef's table. Please take lots of pics of the venue and I hope it's spectacular for you! Glad you enjoyed Olive and twist and the R bar. Really looking forward to trying those!

 

Can't wait to read more!

 

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I am really looking forward to Chops! I remember doing it for lunch on a sea day a few years back and thought it was a great time. Pretty sure I was the only one in there! I imagine Embarkation lunch day would be kind of similar.

 

I will keep you updated on the rest!

 

 

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MA cruisers

MA cruisers

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Megan, We are doing this same itinerary in October. I am looking forward to all your posts but especially the ones on St. Lucia, Barbardos and Antigua - three islands I have never been. We're doing Viggie Beach in St. Lucia, Pirate's Cove in Barbardos and Ffryes Beach in Antigua.

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BobNoxious

BobNoxious

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Megan - I'm on a similar itinerary in a couple months. Please share pictures from the islands and beaches... as well as the ship. It's been a few years since I've been on Freedom. Was Orient Beach quiet or were there a lot of people? I see the cruise beach excursions are staying on the other side. Really looking forward to this review. Subscribed!

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BillOh Holiday Sharing Rare

BillOh

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I am really looking forward to Chops! I remember doing it for lunch on a sea day a few years back and thought it was a great time. Pretty sure I was the only one in there! I imagine Embarkation lunch day would be kind of similar.

 

I will keep you updated on the rest!

 

 

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Chops can be hit or miss, but I've had two great dinners on Freedom's chops.

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CruisingMegan

CruisingMegan

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Yay! I keep searching for FOS Southern Caribbean reviews. Did you have time to do much in PR?

 

We flew in the day before but didn't land until 4pm. It was almost 6 by the time we made it to the hotel, so we just grabbed dinner and hung out at the hotel. We didn't do much of anything in San Juan, mostly because we had all been there many times.

 

However, embarking day, our cruise set sail at 8:30pm so there's plenty of time to do something in the morning/afternoon. In the past, we've visited the forts on this day.

 

Megan - I'm on a similar itinerary in a couple months. Please share pictures from the islands and beaches... as well as the ship. It's been a few years since I've been on Freedom. Was Orient Beach quiet or were there a lot of people? I see the cruise beach excursions are staying on the other side. Really looking forward to this review. Subscribed!

 

 

Orient was pretty empty. I have heard that the cabs are not taking people this far. The Bikini Beach bar looked very nice...just missing the people! More than half of the loungers there were empty.

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BobNoxious

BobNoxious

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Orient was pretty empty. I have heard that the cabs are not taking people this far. The Bikini Beach bar looked very nice...just missing the people! More than half of the loungers there were empty.

 

Thanks... I think we will stick to the Dutch side for our trip... maybe Divi Little Bay. Please keep up the review and pics!

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