Beagle’s Fun-Filled Freedom Cruise – A Review That Just Won’t End

[Beagleluv6107]

Lee gave me this sea sickness patch to drop off to my niece. She was feeling the boat rock a little, but I don’t think she ever used this.

 

 

I have no idea what we did right after dinner. I know DH went to bed early.  I was hanging out with the gang at the Pub and when I went to leave, I was almost run over by an old lady scooter race. There was an actual video on the fb site. Hilarious!!!!! I wish I had taken a picture.

 

I went to the Alchemy for a chocolate martini.

 

 

 

 

Wow it was amazing and really hit the spot. I decided to keep the tradition alive without the Husband and headed for Pizza about 11:30. Wow there was no line.

 

 

 

Up Next – Our Last Sea Day - Let’s Make It Count!

[okikio]

Anxiously waiting on the rest of your trip review 🤗

[Beagleluv6107]

2 hours ago, okikio said:

Anxiously waiting on the rest of your trip review 🤗

Hey there Okikio, 

Sorry for the delay. Time to finish up this week because you all have got to hear the end of this wild adventure. 😁

[Beagleluv6107]

Day 8 – Sea Day

 

 

I hopped up out of bed and was ready to roll. What a beautiful day on tap.

 

 

 

 

I typically get depressed way before the end of a vacation just thinking about it being over. So today… I decided I would just party it up start to finish.

 

 

 

 

 

My little friends I tried to save all week. 

 

[Beagleluv6107]

I joined the group at the Red Frog at 8 for those last Bloody Mary’s.

 

 

We went to Sea Day Brunch around 9:30. I had the Huevos Rancheros. I asked for sour cream and salsa on the side and it was much better!

 

 

DH had the Eggs Benedict with Salmon and a side of Ham.

 

 

We took the girls to look at all the pictures from the week. Nothing looked good including our embarkation photo. I think the MIL bought 2 and a frame.

 

DH went back to the cabin, and I went to Guest Services. I wanted to inquire where we should meet to get off the ship early tomorrow. Remember, we had that early 10:15am flight. I was told to meet at 7:30am at the Victoria Lounge but Platinum can meet at the Chic Restaurant at 7:15am. Of course, I forgot to ask at what capacity were we sailing.

 

 

When I got back to the cabin that paperwork was sitting on the counter. I felt like a big dummy. I should have known the paperwork would be waiting.

 

 

 

 

 

DH took a quick nap and I attempted to do our online check in.

[Beagleluv6107]

DH went up to meet the whole gang at the Lido pool and I continued my futile attempt at using the internet to do our Spirit online check in. Full of aggravation and needing a drink, I went up at 1pm. I grabbed DH’s phone while he was in the pool and for some reason his phone worked. While I stood in the shade at the bar, I was able to check in all 4 of us. Wow finally! 

 

Ok, time to resume the good times. Everyone was ready for a trip down the slides. I offered to take the videos. It was hilarious. All the guys soaked me and the camera, but I was able to keep focus on the girls. I'll spare you all the pics but they look just like this.

 

 

DH went for Mongolian Wok one last time and he was gone for a good half hour. When he got back and got a seat, I went over to the Blue Iguana for a taco salad. This is a picture of the MIL’s. I had eaten mine so fast, I forgot a picture.

 

 

Before I got back in the pool, it was time for a few pics. I saw a ship passing and went up to deck 10.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We stayed in the pool having a great time. I did not want to get out and end this fun at all. I finally had no choice around 4:30 and headed for a shower. Here is DH patiently waiting for me to get ready.

 

[Beagleluv6107]

 

 

 

 

 

DH had Fried Shrimp, Cobb Salad but I didn't get pics. He also had the Frog Legs and Broiled Pork Chop.

 

 

 

I had Cobb Salad, Steak Ale & Cheddar Soup, and the Enchiladas.

 

 

 

 

We swapped my soup for his frog legs. Not bad.

 

My Cosmo

 

 

Lee and her husband were going to give the steakhouse a try, but they didn’t bother to make a reservation earlier in the trip and couldn’t get a table. They came to the dining room but ordered the Sushi Boat.

 

 

  

[Beagleluv6107]

 

At some point we all met for drinks at Red Frog. It was time for me to get a little sentimental on the girls and toast to the ones we missed so dearly. DH and Lee’s husband hit their 15^th around 9:30 and I was at 13.

No wonder I was so sentimental. 😜

 

 

 

That was good, we were ahead of schedule and headed for Pizza 1 hour early. We got the Pie back to the room at 10:30 but I was not done yet.

 

 

I headed down to the Alchemy for 1 last chocolate martini.

 

 

Next thing I know DH is there frantically hoping I had his phone. I said, “I’m sure it’s in the cabin, let me help you look.” When we got back to the room, it was sitting right there!!! Thank goodness.

 

I think that was my cue to stay put and get to sleep at least by 11pm. I finished off the martini and ate some pizza and that was it.

 

Up Next – Debarking and the End of Our Journey--- OR IS IT ???????????????

 

 

[Beagleluv6107]

Day 9 – Debarkation

 

 

 

This is where I’m headed folks… Back to the Grind. 😭

 

I’m not sure when DH set the alarm. I think around 5am. We started a tradition years ago of not doing a darn thing the night before to prepare for departure. We like a mad scramble in the wee hours to cure the hangover. OK that’s not true and it doesn’t help. When I woke up, I felt fantastic and popped out of bed like a girl on a mission. DH is usually my packer and I run around like a nut, throwing everything at him. This morning, I lost my partner. His stomach didn’t feel that great. I think a week of “fun” finally caught up to him. Luckily for him, I was still feeling the effects of that martini from last night. I handled everything like a pro. Like… I do this every day. I even saved a little room by tossing a bunch of almost empty containers of our toiletries right in the trash. Wow this was going amazing. I can’t believe I did all this by myself and took the time to get those last-minute pictures of Miami.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Beagleluv6107]

At 6:25am we headed to the buffet to get a bite to eat. A little bit of food and DH was feeling much better. 

 

 

 

 

 

Goodbye friends

 

 

We were meeting the girls at their cabin at 7am to walk them to the Chic Restaurant. I had even taken the time to map our path so that we didn’t end up at the wrong side. If you know the Freedom and that class of ship, sometimes you must go up, then over, just to get down.

 

All 6 of us that were on the 10:15am flight met and took a seat waiting for the crew to cut us loose. Our only thoughts were if there would be taxis or should we use an Uber. I even went to the window and took this final picture at 7:21. My life was so simple then.

 

[Beagleluv6107]

Around 7:25am, things took a terrible turn when out of the blue, we all received a text message that Spirit Airlines canceled our flight!!!.

 

 

WHAT… back up…I’m sorry WHAT?????  I have had delays but never a canceled flight. We didn’t have a clue what to do. Collectively, as a group…no clue. We got a taxi to the airport thinking we would get in the line at Spirit and get help. Once at the counter we were told no flights were leaving Miami until Wednesday. SAY WHAT? It’s 8am On Sunday. This is not real. 🥺

 

At this point complete panic has set in that Spirit has nothing until 3 days from now. Someone suggested walking to American Airlines and so we did. It was a good 2-mile hike from Spirit to American. Upon our arrival, there was an American employee trying to organize about 500 people in line. Without batting an eye, she said "the best thing you can do is get on your smart phones and book online. Each of these 500 people are ahead of you and it will take hours to get to a human being for help."  Oh CRAP

 

I think it was around this time that the MIL asked what the problem was. REALLY? I know she’s hard of hearing but REALLY?  Me, Lee, and my niece were on the verge of tears and the boys faces were pale and we were all acting pitiful. Did she really think there was no problem??? I started to laugh, you know the laugh of the hysterical… the exact moment they start to lose their minds. I put my nose back into my phone and got to work. I looked up car rentals and DH said absolutely not!! OK, skip that option. I checked Baltimore and other surrounding airports … NOPE – Not for Sunday or Monday.

 

I finally found an American flight leaving out of Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday at 5pm. We grabbed the last 4 of 8 seats left on that flight. See pic $1064.08 insert tears here

 

 

The MIL claps her hands together in delight and says “OH, this is going to be an adventure!!” Now, I know your all thinking that I Leapt over the luggage and tackled her there on the spot.  I’m sure the thought crossed my mind, but I put my arms around her and just said “I love your positivity”. Just between us… my teeth were clenched so tightly when I said that, I actually gave myself a headache.

 

Lee and her husband said NO Way. They were going to stay right at the airport until they could figure out what to do. They absolutely HAD to get home before Tuesday or Wednesday. I felt bad for Lee. She didn’t have a phone that she could use to look up anything or alert family back home that she was stuck in the Miami Airport. Ugh

[Beagleluv6107]

J & K were scheduled to fly out from Fort Lauderdale at 10pm that night. The rest of our gang were originally scheduled to fly out Monday morning, so they were staying at local Hampton Inn.

 

 

The 4 of us took a taxi there and we walked in to see them all waiting patiently in the lobby because no rooms were ready. It was only 8:30 in the morning. They took one look at our pitiful faces and gave us hugs. The entire time they were wondering if this same nonsense was going to happen to them the following morning. Or if J & K would make the 10pm flight. 

 

We booked 2 rooms at this Hampton Inn just because they had availability. $202 Ouch! At some point, I took a walk to the closest convenience store with the guys. I needed nothing and I wanted nothing, I just had to keep busy because I still felt like I was gonna cry or meltdown. There is nothing located within walking distance around this Hampton Inn. The front desk staff was so kind and accommodating. People were coming in left and right to get rooms. Word on the street at this time....  hundreds of flights were being canceled out of Miami and many hotels had no rooms left. Thanks Spirit and Jet Blue! 😤

 

We paced around the lobby for hours and finally we had a room around 1pm. The girls got in their room but then went back to that fun lobby to buy food from the vending machine. Yuck and no thank you. While the 4 of us were together I said “Look… there is no point in staying here tomorrow with nothing to do. Since we don’t leave until Tuesday, let’s go to Fort Lauderdale.” I had full agreement. My niece and I tried finding a hotel within reason. All the nice, high-rise, balcony having hotels were around $350 per night. Grrrr we found a place called The Fortuna and booked it. At that point we had been searching for half an hour and we were frustrated. The Fortuna was cheap enough at $186 including Tax. Done!!!

 

[Beagleluv6107]

The boys took a trip to the Liquor store. Yes…. That was an excellent idea. I needed booze immediately. In fact, I bought a $5 Truly from the lobby while I patiently waited. Emergencies like this require alcohol.

 

The girls did laundry because they had completely run out of clean clothes. This took a while as another guest was using the machines and didn’t come pick up their clothes promptly. Our family with the 4-year-old went out and about sightseeing trying to keep him busy. I guess they rented a car from a place down the street. It never occurred to me to ask them about the car rental because we had heard there wasn’t a car available in all of Miami due to all the canceled flights.

 

We had a room party and the boys watched Nascar. According to my picture here, I’m drinking a Coor’s Light and a vodka / cranberry. This is how you get through a crisis!!! 

 

 

We ordered Papa Johns for lunch. DH got us a Pizza. I was like really, after all that pizza all week long … I’m now eating more pizza. But this was Buffalo chicken pizza and I needed something on my stomach. I had no appetite, but I knew it was time.

 

 

The MIL texted me that they were staying in their room. She felt a little tired and had a runny nose. My friend G had DayQuil so she came to get that and DH gave her half of that Pizza. They were pleased with that since they didn’t want any parts of this gang and the Nascar in-room party. We made the best of things. We laughed a lot. One of my teenagers showed me all the ducks she collected from the week.

She did pretty good!

 

 

 

K & J had their flight delayed until 11pm, but they were still hopeful. They left for the airport about 8pm. I figured they were the benchmark… if their flight took off, then the rest of the gang should be good for the next morning.

 

Lee called me… I looked at my phone stunned and thought how is this possible? She was talking through her Apple Watch. Wow, technology is really cool when it works!!!  She said that they could not find a rental car anywhere in Miami. I did not think about the place close to this Hampton Inn. My mind went blank. They took an Uber to Fort Lauderdale, and they were picking up a car at 5am the next morning. They did get a room for the night to get some rest. Whew, Ok. I am glad they had a plan.

 

We left the group party and went back to our room around 9:30pm. About 5 minutes later, I got the dreaded text…. They were all just alerted that their flight for tomorrow morning was canceled. 

 

 

Up Next – Still in Florida!!!

 

[Jamman54]

This is why we drive down to Florida from New Jersey. It helps that we are semi-retired and can take the extra time to do so. 

[Cruise, J.D.]

Oh my goodness, this review sure took a turn. So sorry about that extreme hassle, but looking forward to the rest of it.

[Beagleluv6107]

22 hours ago, Jamman54 said:

This is why we drive down to Florida from New Jersey. It helps that we are semi-retired and can take the extra time to do so. 

 

Hey Jamman! 

I'm so tickled you had a chance to check out my review. We are not far from your neck of the woods. We have some friends that don't mind that Jersey to Florida drive. My parents used to live in Myrtle Beach and it was 9 hours door to door. That was about all the road trip I could handle. Hopefully, I get better with that when I get to the Retired or Semi Retired living 😊

[Beagleluv6107]

22 hours ago, Cruise, J.D. said:

Oh my goodness, this review sure took a turn. So sorry about that extreme hassle, but looking forward to the rest of it.

 

Hey Cruise, J.D.

Hopefully I can finish up tonight. This is gonna take a bit of a darker turn 😲

[Jamman54]

4 minutes ago, Beagleluv6107 said:

 

Hey Jamman! 

I'm so tickled you had a chance to check out my review. We are not far from your neck of the woods. We have some friends that don't mind that Jersey to Florida drive. My parents used to live in Myrtle Beach and it was 9 hours door to door. That was about all the road trip I could handle. Hopefully, I get better with that when I get to the Retired or Semi Retired living 😊

 

Back when we were raising our boys, we used to do the drive straight through. Now we break it up into two days about 8 1/2 hours each day. 

[Beagleluv6107]

Day 10 – This Vacation Just Wont End

 

 

Did you ever have a vacation you didn’t want to end? Yeah, me too. Today wasn’t that feeling. As soon as I opened my eyes, I checked my phone. K & J landed in Philly at 2:30am. My group of 8 that had just found out about their canceled flight, rented 2 vehicles, and took off at Midnight. Lee and her husband did get that car from Fort Lauderdale and were also on the road. I was happy for everyone, but I had a lonely feeling in my gut. We were the Final 4 and here we were in the Miami Airport Hampton.

 

At least this place had a free breakfast. I wished I had taken a picture, but my brain took a break from “review” mode. This place had sausage, eggs, make your own waffles and lots of other options. I was really impressed with the free breakfast, but I still didn’t have an appetite. We wanted to check out as late as possible because the Fortuna check in time wasn’t until 4pm. 

 

Hubby and I packed our remaining beers from the night before into our suitcases. We got an Uber around 10:45am. It was $91. I took a few pics along the way.

 

 

 

Ohhh, I spotted a Hooters on the third floor.

 

 

I would have loved to have been in a hotel on the beach with a balcony but saving cash was very important at that moment.

 

When we got to the Fortuna, they said our rooms were not available, but we could store our suitcases in their back room. One of our suitcases would not stand up and the lady was trying to help us and finally said “what do you have in there bricks”. I laughed. I did not tell her that particular suitcase contained a few clean clothes and all our left-over beers.

 

We debated what to do next and then she came out to say one of the rooms was ready now. Wow, that was great. We stored all our stuff in that one room. This was just a small 2 story motel but the rooms looked like they had been recently redone. Our room was cute and very clean and had a view of the pool area. It would certainly do for our overnight stay. The girls room had separate bedrooms which was a nice break for them since they hadn’t been apart for 9 days.

 

 

[Beagleluv6107]

We decided to hop on the water taxi and take a cruise around. There was a stop right next to this hotel called the Seville Street pick up.  They said only the smaller vessels can pull up there on High Tide. We had to call and tell them we were waiting. I guess they don’t just stop at this spot.

 

 

 

 

We got on board around 12:15pm. Our captain was great. He was very informative about all the houses we were passing, and he was also funny as can be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At one point, DH asked if I was ok. He thought I was seasick. I was just sitting there listening and I think my eyes closed a few times. I certainly wasn’t seasick, but I think Fatigue had finally started to set in.

 

[Beagleluv6107]

We weren’t sure where we were going and if we might get stuck, so we got off when we saw a bunch of shops and restaurants. We ended up at The Boathouse. It was a perfect choice. We sat at the bar with a beautiful water view. It wasn’t a very nice day in Fort Lauderdale and combine that with our bad luck…  it did start to rain

 

 

 

I got the Slip Knot drink and enjoyed that.

 

 

After a while we finally ordered. I had the Gator Tacos, DH had the Barge Burger, MIL had the Roasted Mushroom Shallot Flat Bread (no pic), and my niece got the Smokehouse Fish Dip (no pic). 

 

 

 

Everything was excellent except the gator, it was a little tough.

 

The bartenders were great, and one even gave me and the MIL a little taste of a spicy margarita with ghost pepper tequila. I liked it!

 

 

We all wanted to get back on the water taxi, but the tide was getting low and another smaller boat wouldn’t be around for another 45 minutes. We were afraid to get dropped off too far for the MIL to walk. At least it had stopped raining.  We took an Uber back to the hotel. I was a little disappointed because we spent $32 per person, and I wanted to get my money’s worth.

[Beagleluv6107]

We got the girls all checked in and we were going to walk to the shops that were close by. My MIL said that is enough. She was tired and not feeling good and just wanted to be left alone. She sat out at the pool because it was cloudy and breezy. She took her book and just relaxed. My niece said she really wanted to go shopping but she ended up taking a nap, so it was just the two of us.

 

The Fortuna is located in a pretty good area 1 block from the main road and the ocean.

 

 

We strolled in and out of shops for over an hour. We found a few things. I even found a very cheap but cute Spring Break 2022 Ft. Lauderdale shirt. I couldn’t resist. I had made it to Spring Break … against my will… but I was still there. 😂

 

I also remembered to do my Online Check-In for American for the next day. I obsessively looked at the website all day making sure it said the flight was on time.

 

We went to a 2nd floor Hooters and found the perfect seats with a view of the ocean.

 

 

 

 

I could have stayed here looking at that view all night. But eventually we had to leave or run out of money.

 

 

This view of the burger for the guy next to me was pretty good too. 

 

 

Around 7:45 I got a text that our family of 5 that included the 4-year-old had arrived home. They made record time and said he did pretty good considering an exhausting trip.

 

We bought take-outs for ourselves and the girls. By 9:30 we were back in the room watching the Men’s NCAA Basketball final game.

 

Up Next – Can I Please Get On A Plane Home!!!

[Beagleluv6107]

Day 11 & 12 – Going Home!

 

 

All the merriment from the night before was gone and I just wanted to get the heck home. DH went to the office to inquire about a place we could get breakfast that was within walking distance. I didn’t want to go, and I didn’t want to be social, and I just wanted 5pm to get there quick so I could get on a plane.

 

The girls were not ready and said about an hour. I looked up the menu and saw this breakfast place has Bloody Mary’s. hmmm…. I have a whole hour to kill and longer before they will bring me back some food. Ok, fine I’ll go. The place was called Village Café and we were seated outside. I was a lovely morning in Fort Lauderdale.

 

 

I ordered a Bloody Mary and got the dirtiest of looks from the MIL. Really LADY???  My patience was so thin you could see thru it. My niece ordered the same thing and the MIL just giggled and took her picture to text to family back home.

 

 

They wanted $16 for avocado toast but I ordered an English muffin and avocado ala cart and saved 8 bucks!!! 

 

 

DH ordered the smoked Salmon and said it didn’t taste as good as on the ship.

 

[Beagleluv6107]

Once we were back at the hotel, I saw these fellas walk by.

 

 

 

It’s not every day I get to see coppers riding horses in the street. Check out was 11am and our flight didn’t leave until 5. Ugh. I wanted to get a late check out or store our luggage, but everyone was just “stick a fork in them done”. They only wanted to get to the airport and sit. Sounds PAINFUL and it was. 

 

 

 

We were at the airport, checked our luggage, went thru security, and were sitting at the gate by 11:45am. OH heaven help me this is going to be a long day. 

 

There was a tiny restaurant in our terminal, so my niece and I sat in there most of the afternoon. We split fries and ate them very slowly. Eventually, I got the soup and grilled cheese.

 

 

I think they forgot to grill mine. We finally paid our bill because we would be boarding soon and that’s when the text went off.

 

 

Your flight has been delayed 1 hour. Insert the tears here. I spent the next hour just pacing and looking up the flight on the internet to track it.

 

[Beagleluv6107]

Finally, we see our ride approaching. Prayers answered.

 

 

The flight was uneventful. We said goodbye to my niece at baggage claim and retrieved the car from the parking people. It was an additional $60 for the extra days. Once we had the MIL loaded up in the back seat, things took another dark turn. She started coughing and coughing and coughing. We pass a hospital on our way home and I said I think we really need to get you into the emergency room. We cannot take any chances. She immediately stopped coughing... the timing was incredible.

 

We dropped her off with my FIL that she kissed right away. I told her I was concerned this was more than a head cold and I wanted her to test. She assured me she would. When I got up the next morning I felt a tickle in my throat and a runny nose. OH NO…. I checked my phone. She had not tested and didn’t seem very interested in doing so. I tested….. OMG it was positive.

 

 

I didn’t believe it so I took another one.

 

 

😭😭😭 I sat there staring in disbelief for over an hour before I finally called my boss. What a way to end my review!!!!!!!!!!!! My niece and my mother in law were the only ones that had it. Everyone else tested negative and felt great. After a few days, my niece was the first to test negative. She must have been patient zero. Lucky for all 3 of us, it was no more than a mild head cold . My mother in law is a true Legend and bounced back in 2 days. 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

 

I never did get a chance share my final thoughts on the cruise itself.

 

I loved the Freedom!!

I loved cruising for 8 days!!

 

The best part was our very cool cabin and being centrally located to our favorite spots. The food quality was not as good as on past cruises. That didn’t bother me very much and DH said he didn’t notice. Service was incredible. I love and miss ROH very much. LOL

 

I have a little PTSD about flying again but if I could get on a cruise tomorrow, I’d fly anywhere in the world!

 

Hands down we all agreed the excursion in St. Kitts was our favorite thing we did.

 

Here’s a picture of my collection of “stuff”.

 

 

This frame I bought while we were browsing in Fort Lauderdale.

 

 

I thank you so much for following along on a trip report that almost didn’t end!!!  We really had an amazing time … on the actual cruise!!!

 

 

Happy Cruising To All Of You!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!