LIVE from the Freedom of the Seas 7/23/21

[jam19872016]

Well it's back to reality tomorrow so I'm going to bed now. See y'all on the other side.

[jam19872016]

Good morning everyone.

 

As usual for the last night I had trouble falling asleep. I was going to try for the dining room but I think I'm gonna lay here a bit longer and just hit up cafe promenade.

 

They are ahead of schedule calling luggage tags.

[jam19872016]

I'm going to regret it but I missed breakfast at cafe promenade as well.

[John&LaLa]

13 hours ago, jam19872016 said:

I'll be honest I've never understood why that one is so popular. Trying one of the Chinese machines I usually also stay away from  now.

 

Laura's go to game, that and Dancing Drum I think. She calls it Fu Baby

[jam19872016]

48 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Laura's go to game, that and Dancing Drum I think. She calls it Fu Baby

I'm sure Fu means something in Chinese but I always feel like that machine is mocking me.

[joanne59]

Thanks for taking us all along on your weekend getaway. We booked this last minute on Saturday night for the Friday 7/31 cruise. Just couldn’t wait any longer to be at sea and now have a little ‘appetizer trip’ before our 9/11 cruise on Adventure of the Seas. Safe travels home!!! 

[Baowen]

10 hours ago, jam19872016 said:

Thanks, unfortunately it wasn't my turn to do good this trip. The good news is M and I have helped rccg get back on their feet and should be turning a profit again real soon.😃

Well my turn is coming up to help them out.  Maybe you just paid for a few future cruises.  🙂

 

[sandebeach]

On 7/23/2021 at 11:17 PM, jam19872016 said:

I have never seen a video poker machine like that one. It automatically held your cards for you. Interesting as the house makes more money if you dont play by the book. It did give you the option to choose what you held. Either way it wasn't paying and I'm not on house money any longer.

 

Playing hot roll one of my favs that I have not seen in a while.

 

 

Hot rolls are my mom's favorite slot! She loves it when she gets to "roll" the dice!

[jam19872016]

Finally made it home. We waited till the last minute to disembark, which was not really necessary but old habits die hard. When M dinged off the ship her passport had been flagged by CBP. I am not really sure what the problem really was but she had bought a ring onboard and supposedly when they filed the paperwork, they filed it wrong and M had to pay duty on her purchase. I am not real familiar with the law, but I thought there was always a requirement to pay duty on the purchase after $800. But Effy is reimbursing her, so I don't know?

 

Anyway that added some more time to my travel home. I have to work pretty early in the morning so I will write up a summary of my thoughts on the cruise and post tomorrow.

[jam19872016]

9 hours ago, joanne59 said:

Thanks for taking us all along on your weekend getaway. We booked this last minute on Saturday night for the Friday 7/31 cruise. Just couldn’t wait any longer to be at sea and now have a little ‘appetizer trip’ before our 9/11 cruise on Adventure of the Seas. Safe travels home!!! 

 

Enjoy!

 

9 hours ago, Baowen said:

Well my turn is coming up to help them out.  Maybe you just paid for a few future cruises.  🙂

 

I really don't need anymore lol. I do have a new instant offer loaded onto my account, but I never got one from the host. It was very odd because they brought M one so I asked if I had one, and I was told no. But then there it is on my account.

[jam19872016]

5 hours ago, sandebeach said:

Hot rolls are my mom's favorite slot! She loves it when she gets to "roll" the dice!

Yes! That is my favorite part. I love games with a dice component. 

[prekteacher]

Thank you for posting your adventures and experiences!   It was great being able to finally read a trip report after so long.  Take care and I look forward to reading about your new adventures in the future.

 

Barbara

[jam19872016]

On 7/30/2021 at 3:21 PM, prekteacher said:

Thank you for posting your adventures and experiences!   It was great being able to finally read a trip report after so long.  Take care and I look forward to reading about your new adventures in the future.

 

Barbara

Thanks for reading along.

[jam19872016]

Summary:

 

Public Spaces and Cabin:

 

Freedom of the Seas was at between 30-40% capacity so for me, I felt the ship was very spacious. Everything was clean and in good working order. It was laid out well although I did find myself getting turned around a lot the first day or so. I think that was just from being on a new class of ship and not anything to do with the ship itself.

 

I especially loved the Royal Promenade. This was my first time on a larger Royal ship so it was my first time experiencing it. I thought it was very cool and enjoyed the touches that to me made it not feel like a mall like I see on so many reviews. For example, the large Mermaid sculpture coming out of the ceiling and the car with the stuffed bears in it. I've never been in a mall with anything like that. I get the point, an ocean view would be nice, but I did like that they made sure there was a little "whimsy" to the space.

 

The cabin felt dated and I don't think it received any love during the amplification, but that sort of thing does not really bother me. Everything was clean and in good working order and spacious. I believe my cabin was classified as extra spacious so it was probably bigger than an average cabin though.

 

Entertainment:

 

I think many of the entertainment options have been put on hold for the time being. Despite that there was never a shortage of things to do.

 

I missed the ice show and actually come to think of it, I never made it down to deck 3. I also missed the show in the theater. I am not really into that sort of thing, but looking at a piece of it on a recent video on YouTube, I think I would have enjoyed it and wished I had seen it now. I did attend a comedy show and found the first guy pretty funny, while I could have done without the second guy. Maybe sit near an exit, and make your escape when the second guy comes on lol.

 

Service:

 

After such a long pause in cruising I went into this cruise with lowered service expectations. I was pleasantly surprised and cannot say that I had disappointing service at any venue at any time. The crew were all top notch and so glad to be back to work.
 

[jam19872016]

Food:

 

I purchased the ultimate dining plan so I mostly ate at specialty dining. I got a small bite to eat at El Loco Fresh which was very good. I also grabbed a sandwich at Café Promenade which was good, and some pizza at Sorrento's which was....well cruise ship pizza and nothing more.

 

As part of my dining plan I enjoyed lunch at Johnny Rockets, Playmakers, and Giovanni's.

The atmosphere at Johnny Rocket's was fun and the food was good. As an added value to my dining plan I enjoy the food, but I could not see paying almost $11 to eat here. Guy's burgers (Carnival) are still hands down the best burger at sea, and included in the cruise fare. 

 

Playmaker's was another great value that I enjoyed, but probably would not pay for.

 

Giovanni's was amazing! I wish I would have returned but M is not big on Italian food. This was the best meal of the cruise and the menu was extensive. I could probably eat here everyday for 7 days and not need to repeat an order. But I probably would, I am still dreaming of that gigante meatball. Amazing! Highly, highly recommend.

 

Izumi hibachi was just as good, but included a $15 upcharge in addition to the dining plan. I would be happy just ordering from the sushi menu and skipping the extra charge for the hibachi. But it was a great experience and the food was good. It is also the only place that served lobster without an additional upcharge (although I guess I did pay an upcharge, but I was paying an upcharge for the hibachi, not because I ordered the lobster). I would say skip the filet, more on that below.

 

Chops, meh. First let me say, service far exceeded my expectations at all the restaurants including Chops. The food here was just okay. The filet was probably the worst quality I have ever seen for filet mignon. Perhaps there are some supply issues right now and this is not typical. M ordered it here twice, and at the hibachi. All three times it was fatty, had veins running through the meat, and tough. Not qualities of a proper filet. No self respecting steakhouse should serve meat of this quality.

I would also say that the menu is pretty limited. I found plenty to eat but I could see myself growing tired of the menu after a couple times eating here.

 

The sides were amazing, especially the tater tots. I could eat those all day.

For $50 on land at a steakhouse, I would probably not return based on the quality of the meal. For that price on a cruise ship where I have already paid for a meal in the dining room, I would certainly not recommend Chops.

 

None of this detracted from my experience, I simply wanted to share my honest opinion. I also can see how it may be supply chain related and that this may not be a normal quality level.

 

I would still likely purchase the dining plan again but overall, I would not likely pay for any of these restaurants individually based on the price except for maybe a special occasion.

 

Bar:

 

I purchased the ultimate beverage package which I was worried I would regret. It was bundled with Voom but individually it would have been $71 per day. I wish I had purchased it at $63 but that honestly seemed too high. That ended up being a sale price and it never went back down. 

 

It was advertised as 20% off onboard pricing which also seemed unlikely but I didn't want to take a chance so I purchased it. Onboard it was $89 per day.....except it was bogo half off. That worked out to $67.75 per day, I am assuming they would have given it to me at that price not actually charge me full price as a solo but I could be wrong. For my personal drinking level, this was not a good value for me and I would not purchase it again.

 

The thing that surprised me was that if I had only purchased the non alcoholic plan I would have also not gotten my money's worth. This was because I am not a big soda drinker, but I love the fancy coffees and sports drinks. The coffees I had no trouble with, but as far as I could tell the only bar that stocked Vitamin Water and Powerade was Ben & Jerry's. Every where I tried, I was directed to Ben & Jerry's. I would likely still purchase just the non alcoholic plan again but go in knowing I need to head to a specific bar instead of it being I can pick up at whatever bar I happen to be near.
 

[jam19872016]

The "C" word:

 

I avoided talking about the C word for the most part during the review because I did not want the thread to derail like many reviews and every other topic on these boards has done lately. But now that I am closing up, I will briefly share some thoughts while trying to stick to just the facts of my experience without offering up my opinion except where it directly relates to my experience.

 

First I will say, anyone looking to cruise right now needs to be flexible. These are still not normal times and protocols can and will change and not always with much notice. If that does not sound like something you are prepared to deal with, cancel your trip - seriously.

 

If you do not feel comfortable, cancel your trip - seriously.

 

This is not a vacation for anyone worried about their safety or who wants assurances that there will not be anything but smooth sailing ahead. There is a lot of uncertainty and this is really still just for those who love cruising enough that they want to get back out there no matter what.

 

When I booked my first cruise post pandemic I was down for whatever, including masking up on vacation. Then my vaccination status allowed me to unmask at work and I became pretty hesitant about the though of wearing my mask on vacation, but I was still going to go and have a great time. Thankfully, mask protocols were abandoned and truthfully, there was almost nothing out of the ordinary on my cruise (Celebrity Millennium).

 

Fast forward to this cruise and I am back to masking up. For me personally, I don't like it but I will respect the rules. It was pretty well enforced by the crew. But it goes so far beyond that most obvious reminder of the times we are living in. The blocked off tables for social distancing, the venues for vaccinated only, social distancing enforced at the dance club for gosh sakes. No big events which would draw a large crowd (IE no sail away party, no promenade parties).

 

And finally the wristbands. I am very sensitive to wearing things on my hand I won't even wear a watch. I was happy to see it was removeable so I could take it off at night and in my room. It was not terrible at first but after a couple days it did start to irritate my hand and I took it off a few times when I was sitting in place somewhere or in a venue open to everyone. In the end it was not as bad as I feared and I think the fact it was removeable played a big part in that.

 

It was hard to remember that you were on vacation with the constant reminders of the C word. Many of these same protocols are in place on the Bahamas sailings, so it would not be accurate to blame it on the circumstances surrounding Florida sailings. It is so interesting to see the two very different paths that RCL and Carnival have taken, and I do not envy the decision makers at either company.

 

As a guest of the casino I have many future trips planned with Royal (come on instant Diamond status!!) but if I were choosing a cruise as a full paying customer, no contest I would choose Carnival for no other reason than the relaxed protocols onboard. 

 

I typed that last paragraph last night, and now today Carnival has changed its protocols, and they are now stricter than Royal since there is nowhere inside we can take off our mask. So it would seem no matter where I spend my money, I am likely to be wearing a mask.

 

All that being said, I really do mean it when I say I just want to get back onboard. These restrictions do not sway me away from continuing to cruise for as long as cruises are allowed to sail. The big silver lining here is how uncrowded the ships are right now. These are capacity levels that we will just not be able to enjoy for long (either because capacity goes back up, or the lines go bankrupt from not filling their ships). The experience is amazing. 

 

Next up for me is a 14 day B2B on Carnival Horizon from 8/7-8/21. I will not be live this time but plan to write a review when I get back.

 

Thank you all for coming along with me on my cruise, and for reading my summary so long after the cruise ended.

[dswallow]

12 minutes ago, jam19872016 said:

It was advertised as 20% off onboard pricing which also seemed unlikely but I didn't want to take a chance so I purchased it. Onboard it was $89 per day.....except it was bogo half off. That worked out to $67.75 per day, I am assuming they would have given it to me at that price not actually charge me full price as a solo but I could be wrong. For my personal drinking level, this was not a good value for me and I would not purchase it again.

 

Typically they truly mean Buy One Get One onboard unlike the Cruise Planner version where it really means 25% off each individual one. I've been right next to too many people trying to argue that one out onboard. And that offer is usually only available the first day of a sailing, if it's available at all; you just cannot count on it.

[dswallow]

15 minutes ago, jam19872016 said:

The thing that surprised me was that if I had only purchased the non alcoholic plan I would have also not gotten my money's worth. This was because I am not a big soda drinker, but I love the fancy coffees and sports drinks. The coffees I had no trouble with, but as far as I could tell the only bar that stocked Vitamin Water and Powerade was Ben & Jerry's. Every where I tried, I was directed to Ben & Jerry's. I would likely still purchase just the non alcoholic plan again but go in knowing I need to head to a specific bar instead of it being I can pick up at whatever bar I happen to be near.

 

Vitamin Water and PowerAde are also in the Coke Freestyle machines, with a full suite of flavor options, so you can get them as part of just the Classic Soda Package.

[jam19872016]

4 minutes ago, dswallow said:

 

Typically they truly mean Buy One Get One onboard unlike the Cruise Planner version where it really means 25% off each individual one. I've been right next to too many people trying to argue that one out onboard. And that offer is usually only available the first day of a sailing, if it's available at all; you just cannot count on it.

Bummer, o well it's done now either way. Wasn't worth it for me and I know not to do it again. I look forward to my free diamond vouchers soon enough 🙂

 

Edited August 4, 2021 by jam19872016

[jam19872016]

2 minutes ago, dswallow said:

 

Vitamin Water and PowerAde are also in the Coke Freestyle machines, with a full suite of flavor options, so you can get them as part of just the Classic Soda Package.

Holy cow I can't believe i didn't think of that.

 

Thanks I'll be sure to hit the freestyle machines next time. I'm not a big soda drinker and didnt even bother getting my free refill cup. 

[Mikew0805]

On 7/25/2021 at 7:39 PM, jam19872016 said:

I'll be honest I've never understood why that one is so popular. Trying one of the Chinese machines I usually also stay away from  now.

I love this one and the red one. (Dancing Drums)

[brillohead]

5 hours ago, jam19872016 said:

The thing that surprised me was that if I had only purchased the non alcoholic plan I would have also not gotten my money's worth. This was because I am not a big soda drinker, but I love the fancy coffees and sports drinks. The coffees I had no trouble with, but as far as I could tell the only bar that stocked Vitamin Water and Powerade was Ben & Jerry's. Every where I tried, I was directed to Ben & Jerry's. I would likely still purchase just the non alcoholic plan again but go in knowing I need to head to a specific bar instead of it being I can pick up at whatever bar I happen to be near.

FYI, if there is something in particular you like and there is one particular bar that you frequent more than others, it is worth asking the bartender/manager if they would be willing to stock that item at that location for the duration of your cruise.  It doesn't always work, but it does often enough to at least try.

[perfect match]

Thanks, @jam19872016! I enjoyed cruising along with you! Brought back wonderful memories of our time on Freedom of the Seas. 🛳😀

[twins23]

Was smoking in the casino allowed?