Freedom of the Seas, March 24-27, 2023

[nyyhoneybee]

We got off of Freedom of the Seas on Monday, so I thought I’d give a review. It will be long but pretty detailed.

 

Players: 2 adults, 3 kids (9, 6 w/ADHD & other needs [this is important]) & 15 months. Besides for the 15-month-old, all have cruised before. 

 

Important facts: We are in South Florida, so we drove down to Miami to leave. We decided no on beverage package & our goal was not to spend more than the $100 OBC we had. We brought 2 bottles of wine and a 12 pack of soda with us. We had late dining.

 

3 nights and for the first time for us, we had connecting interior cabins. We were in 8513 & 8515, and I’d stay there again, although I’d prefer to be towards the front of the ship closer to AO. Just meant we did more walking. I am not sure if I’d cruise without doing connecting cabins again. It was the perfect amount of space for us, and two bathrooms was really nice. In a surprise benefit for us, having the interior cabins with how dark they are, my son slept in later than 7 without being sick for the first time in years. We parents loved it! We put the kids in one room and kept the door open with us next door. We brought our own pack n play which was super useful, as the one they provided was a mini pack n play, and she wouldn’t have been comfortable in it. And since we were in an interior cabin, there was no couch just a chair, so we couldn’t have turned it around and used it as a bed. 

 

When we got on, we went to check in at our muster station and then up to AO. AO doesn’t open till 12:30 so we wound up going and walking around the pool deck before heading to AO to make sure we got what we needed in the nursery. For a 3 night cruise, you can only book 2 hours at first and then the second day you can book whatever is available. They don’t tell you, but you can register all your kids together regardless of age group. 

 

Once that was done, we headed to Giovanni’s. We didn’t want to deal with the Windjammer with 3 kids and it was the perfect way to start the cruise. So much so, I don’t think I’ll ever do Windjammer for lunch on the first day again. Once we were done there, we headed to the cabins to change and hit the pool deck. Hubby and I each brought one drink while the baby napped and the older kids played in the splash area. Once they were done, the older kids hung out quietly with baby while hubby and I soaked in the hot tub for about 20 min or so. 

 

We got dressed and headed to the silent disco. We all enjoyed and my oldest said it was one of her favorite things we did all weekend. 

 

Dinner was a disaster. Usually, we love the MDR. Everything came out cold. They tried to serve the toddler a grilled cheese that wasn’t even melted. The waiter wasn’t friendly at all, compared to what I am used to on a cruise. Especially with a toddler (not the first time we have cruised with an infant/toddler) the staff usually loves them and will ask what they can get them, etc. After that experience, we asked if we could switch for the next two nights to early dining. We were hopeful it would solve our MDR issues.

 

Day 2: The kids all went to the kids club, my toddler was the only one there, actually. We hung out at the pool & hot tub for a bit before we got the kids and headed off the ship for lunch in Nassau at Bahama Cookin. Food was amazing and worth the wait.  We originally were thinking of leaving the kids on board and us just getting off for lunch, but because our middle is on meds and ADHD, one of us had to be on board so we just took them. We also got a phone for him (normally once they reach 3+ you don’t) and we actually got more calls about him then the toddler.

 

Dinner that night in the MDR was even worse. The french onion soup had no onions in 3 out of 4 bowls (my kids love it as much as us adults do normally!). We had the same waiters and same unfriendly issues. My steak, which was ordered rare, came out medium well. The head waiter placed a hot plate in front of my toddler and when I said something, he got nasty. 

 

We dropped the kids back off at the kids club and I went to guest services. I wound up meeting with the head of F&B who was amazing. He offered if we wanted to go back to Giovanni’s for dinner the next day to comp it. So we did. And it was amazing. Not only the food but they were great with the toddler even though she was crankier than when we were there the first day, offered to get us anything we needed for her and wound up bringing her multiple plates of cherry tomatoes (her fav). He also sent cookies and soda to the room for the kids, which he didn’t have to. 

 

Day 3: Coco Cay was amazing. The kids spent a bunch of time at Splash Away Bay. Then we headed over to Harbor Beach and then we went for lunch. After lunch, we headed back to Splash Away Bay & us adults got a drink before getting back on board. We packed a bit, went to dinner and then back to the kids club so we could finish packing & have some time just us before picking them up. 

 

Getting off the ship was rough. It took awhile for us to get from leaving to them scanning the sea pass for the last time. If you baby wear, baby can’t be on you when they scan for the passport. The guy at customs seemed to be shocked that the toddler had a passport. It was totally worth getting her a passport, once I got her down we were out superfast.

 

We only used the stroller (Baby Jogger City Select) when we got off board. Otherwise, we baby wore everywhere. So much easier. The only thing we forgot were swim diapers (if you ask at the Coco Cay Towel stands they have a few large ones) which was fine, she only went in at Coco Cay anyway. And I got lanyards off of Amazon cheap which was great for the older kids also because they wanted to wear them.

 

We brought too many clothes but that was it. No extras. No hooks, shoe organizer etc. We didn’t need it.

 

We wound up spending about $50ish above our OBC between baby care, extra tips and the 4 drinks we brought. Not bad at all. Feel free to ask any questions.