LIVE from Freedom of the Seas 9.27.21 - 10.01.21

[John&LaLa]

2 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

I can’t tell for certain what ship that is, but it is definitely not Freedom. The bottom part of the hull is painted light blue on Freedom. It is all white on the ship in this picture. 

 

My bad, it was Mariner. 

 

Blame it on an early Happy Hour 😉

Freedom used to sail from here.

[sandc4e]

2 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

I can’t tell for certain what ship that is, but it is definitely not Freedom. The bottom part of the hull is painted light blue on Freedom. It is all white on the ship in this picture. 

Here is a recent image of Freedom in Miami last week.  Looks the same to me.

[brookmill18]

Love the review--thank you! Especially loved the post about your DD. I'm supposed to go next week on my first ever solo trip and I know I'm going to keep thinking about mine at home--though I'm sure DH and DD can manage 4 nights alone??!  Quick question--was lunch offered in MDR? Ours next week has only 1 CocoCay stop but a few weeks ago the app stopped showing lunch as an option in MDR. Not sure if it's a glitch or if they've stopped MDR lunch?

[PhillyFan33579]

44 minutes ago, sandc4e said:

Here is a recent image of Freedom in Miami last week.  Looks the same to me.

it’s not the clearest picture, but you can still see the bottom of the hull is painted light blue, not white. It was very easy to see when it was at the port next to Mariner, which is still painted all white, when we were at Coco Cay a few weeks ago. 

[CaroleC]

On 9/28/2021 at 5:35 PM, John&LaLa said:

This is y'all sailing past our place last night

You’re making me jealous again! I want to come and live with you, all that goes past our place is traffic driving up and down the street 😁

[cruizzing]

Mariner (left)  and Freedom (right) in Coco Cay a few weeks ago. 

[Maryscooking]

1 hour ago, brookmill18 said:

Love the review--thank you! Especially loved the post about your DD. I'm supposed to go next week on my first ever solo trip and I know I'm going to keep thinking about mine at home--though I'm sure DH and DD can manage 4 nights alone??!  Quick question--was lunch offered in MDR? Ours next week has only 1 CocoCay stop but a few weeks ago the app stopped showing lunch as an option in MDR. Not sure if it's a glitch or if they've stopped MDR lunch?

 

I wrote a detailed hour by hour schedule for my peeps at home, so they'd know who needed to do what. They are responsible but I handle a lot they don't normally do. Its day 3 and so far, so good!

 

MDR is only offering breakfast and dinner on this cruise, but we also don't have any sea days. And I don't think MDR has ever offered lunch on sea days?

[Maryscooking]

Day 2, Coco Cay

We are finally on the pier, and walked right onto a tram that saved us from walking down it! (Some background on us: Michelle has chronic pain from being smashed and almost dying in a car accident 14 years ago. I have early onset RA and have been dealing with a bad flare up in my hip. B/c of covid, I am avoiding immunosuppressive medication. So long walks on sand and concrete are hard for both of us.)

 

 

(This pic is actually on the way back, when we did walk.)

 

We had scoped out a spot earlier in the Chill Island area near good snorkeling (we brought our own equipment), the lunch spot, and the pool, and headed there.

 

 

 

It was really really empty, which makes sense considering the ship is only 1/4 capacity right now. The following pics were around 10:30-11:00am I think.

 

 

We had our choice of spots. Our first mission was snorkeling. I knew from past experience that we'd see lots of fish around the rocks, and that proved true again. We even saw a sting ray!

 

The area I circled on the map is where we snorkeled. I would not go all the way around the rocks unless you have a flotation device and are a confident swimmer. But it is worth it. Hopefully I will get some underwater camera pics off Michelle's camera that I can share. I forgot mine :(.

 

After we snorkeled, we grabbed lunch. They had typical grill/picnic food, prepared individual salads, some sandwiches, taco bar, and brownie and cookie desserts. I'll be honest - I got the rib eye sandwich and Caesar salad, and only took a couple bites of each. I went back and got a hot dog and fries and was much happier. The choc chip cookie was good, but the brownie seemed slightly undercooked. 

 

 

 

On the plus side, being able to use our drink package on the island was great, and waiters were everywhere.

 

I have more Coco Kay (and show reviews and casino winnings) from day 2 to share later, but I have a spa appt to get to, so I'll post more later!

[Havin'fun]

Loving this review and all of the great pictures

[Maryscooking]

 A few more Coco Cay pics.

I didn't dwell on it earlier, but this was such a nice spot. Quiet, great sand, great water (appearance and temperature) and plenty of umbrellas for shade. An appropriate sign below:

 

This is a free kids play area.

 

Empty food service/buffet area:

Here's the big pool - something lagoon :), i can't remember. Nice zero depth area, nice areas with under water seats. And a swim up beach bar, with loud music:

When we got to the pool they were playing more of club music than beach music, but it got better later in the afternoon. It was LOUD though.

 

The big zero depth area:

 

It's a BIG pool:

 

Not crowded at all:

 

My thoughts: I remember Coco Cay when it felt like a deserted island, and you had to take a tender to get there. The amenities now are top notch (maybe they could add a beachfront spa lol) but part of me misses the original Coco Cay. This Coco Cay is like a Disney park. That might be a positive or negative for you. And just like Disney, the pricing for any extras is pretty much through the roof.  And I'll leave it at that.

[Maryscooking]

My next post is all about my vanity, so feel free to skip it. But other people with long hair will understand.

There is nothing faster than my long fine hair when it is tangling in the Caribbean Sea. I swear I just look at the water and I have a halo of frizz and a head of hair just looking for fight.

 

I also want to complain that the ONLY time I have any real body to my hair is after I get it soaking wet and let it knot all up. 

 

So that's what this face is about. How do I come back from all day at the beach, let my hair down, and get this? It was a true rats nest underneath the "normal." But if I wanted this hair for an event, I could never make it happen. Sigh.

Edited September 30, 2021 by Maryscooking
Finished the post

[Maryscooking]

Cafe Promenade - After we showered and got dressed for the night, we stopped by and I got a cold white satin iced spirited coffee drink. It is very good.

 

Here are their other offerings:

 

 

 

 

[Missusdubbya]

Wonderful review so far! 

[Sadebud]

Enjoying this review.  We'll be on the FOS in November for a family reunion cruise!  This is making me even more excited!  Thank you for your time and effort!

[discru]

Thank you for the review!  Can’t wait to hear abt your casino experience!!

 

Does the chat feature on the app work on the Freedom- where you can text other guests without having to buy the internet package?

[Maryscooking]

A note about the dress code: Night 2 is "dress to impress" night. There was a definite elevation in the evening outfits tonight, but only a few examples of actual formal wear. Not surprising I think, considering the relaxed nature of this cruise. Michelle and I went with "summer outdoor wedding" when choosing our dresses.

 

There's a funny/odd story about this pic. A fellow passenger offered to take our photo. She took at least four shots with my phone camera, bit when I looked, there were no pics. I asked her to try again, apologizing for my defective(?) phone. But she tried again, and STILL NOT ONE PHOTO. So she used Michelle's phone, took multiple shots. Guess what? There was ONE picture on Michelle's phone. I honestly think she might've been punking us 🤣. She was younger than us, so definitely would've been able to handle a standard smart phone camera.

 

Anyway, at least we got one photo!

The entire point of this pic is to show you how my mask and dress coordinate. (White mask with black polka dots and black dress with white dots). I told you I like selfies 🤣.

 

Dinner was on point tonight! First, a really nice napkin fold:

 

Cheese plate appetizer. It needed more bread/crostini, imho.

 

Beef tenderloin medium rare. This has been the best meat of the cruise. It was excellent. The mashed potatoes were also very good. The asparagus was disappointing. It was just short of being cooked enough, and wasn't seasoned at all.

 

The carrot cake was good but I do personally like more cake and less icing.

 

I will post the dinner menu next.

[MacMarauder]

Great pics the view from your balcony in Miami reminds me so much of my last trip on Oasis back in December of 19. I need to book a cruise!

[thomasale]

Nice time and review! 

 

[Sea Dog]

1 hour ago, Maryscooking said:

Dinner was on point tonight! First, a really nice napkin fold:

Nice looking dinner. Tenderloin looks fantastic.  Carrot cake for me needs lots of icing. I love cream cheese icing. Interesting about the pics you do have to wonder what happened?

[Maryscooking]

1 hour ago, MacMarauder said:

Great pics the view from your balcony in Miami reminds me so much of my last trip on Oasis back in December of 19. I need to book a cruise!

 

Do it! These times of reduced capacity are the way to go!

 

The brand new cruisers are going to be really surprised once capacity goes up 🤣.

[Maryscooking]

Finally to the day 2 shows!

 

First up was Stephanie Parker. This was her first show back on a ship in 18 months. She had a six month contract with Bellagio in Las Vegas during the shut down.

 

 

 

My photos are blurry - we were kind of far back and it was dark. But you get the idea of the atmosphere.

 

My thoughts: GO TO THIS SHOW!!! Stephanie has an absolutely beautiful voice, with wonderful control. She knows how to work the crowd, and actually got decent interaction from guests. That can be very difficult on cruise ships, when I have seen people just sit like bumps on a log even while the performers are asking for claps and sing alongs. (Why do people do that? Would they like to get up there and perform and have people just stare at them? Respect the entertainers!)

 

Even if you aren't a Whitney Houston fan, you will enjoy this show. She isn't trying to be Whitney, she is performing her songs as her own person. But she really has Whitney's talent. 

 

(About me: We always buy the Broadway series at Cleveland's Playhouse Square, and so I see (or used to see, pre-covid) professionals regularly, and am used to talented, very strong voices. Stephanie Parker stands out for me.)

 

Late night adult comedy next!

[brookmill18]

Question about timing dinner for an 8pm show--I did MTD and was only able to get a 7pm reservation. I will probably not get dessert--do you think it is enough time? I will go to dining at 6:45 hoping to get in, but not sure if they'll accommodate? Also not sure how many 8pm shows there are?

[CRUISINGCPA]

Thank you so much for all of this information!  My daughter & I will be on the 3 nighter next week as the family guinea pigs for getting back on cruises.  I feel like it has been forever since our last cruise (Aug 2019) and SO excited even though its just a short one.   

One question - can we get towels on Coco Cay or do we need to bring them from the ship?  Trying to figure out which beach bag to bring.

Enjoy your last full day! 

[Maryscooking]

4 hours ago, discru said:

Thank you for the review!  Can’t wait to hear abt your casino experience!!

 

Does the chat feature on the app work on the Freedom- where you can text other guests without having to buy the internet package?

 

Yes, it is offered at $1.99/day, and you need to buy it for each day. We didn't try it though b/c we have the internet surf and stream package.

 

One cell phone plan note - my T-Mobile plan includes international texting and data up to 2 megabytes speed. And only $5/day extra if you want faster data speeds. On this trip in the Bahamas, I've never lost my texting ability.

[Maryscooking]

35 minutes ago, CRUISINGCPA said:

Thank you so much for all of this information!  My daughter & I will be on the 3 nighter next week as the family guinea pigs for getting back on cruises.  I feel like it has been forever since our last cruise (Aug 2019) and SO excited even though its just a short one.   

One question - can we get towels on Coco Cay or do we need to bring them from the ship?  Trying to figure out which beach bag to bring.

Enjoy your last full day! 

 

I haven't seen a towel station on Coco Cay. I'd plan on bringing the bigger beach bag to carry towels off the ship.