Freedom 12/4 random impressions

[goldfish65]

Four nights...we could have used one more. We have very little to complain about. 

 

Ship was very clean and well-tended, sufficient staff. Suite 1252, minor chair-scraping occasionally from the deck above. Suite lounge food offerings were great; however cocktail service was positively glacial. The first night I bribed a bartender to make our drinks. Concierge was mostly window-dressing, directed us to use the app to find what we needed. Bar service elsewhere on the ship was fairly quick. 

 

Both the ice skating and the theatre production blew us away. Absolutely memorable. The artwork around the ship is outstanding. 

 

Ship was full but only felt crowded in the Royal Promenade. We hate the closed-in feeling....Izumi was claustrophobic, though fun and good otherwise. Cigarette smell was strong in the Schooner Bar. The ship is too big for our taste. So much walking. We kept to our vow of not using elevators. Maybe that's why we slept so well. One thing notable was how well-mannered and pleasant the passengers were. Did not hear foul language, did not witness bad behavior. Only one "I wish I could un-see that" moment related to attire. There were so many games and sports activities; it was very nice to see families enjoying themselves. Tip for The Perfect Storm waterslide: lie on your back and keep your weight on your heels and shoulder blades, you'll fly! If you sit on your butt, you'll get stuck, no fun. 

 

Early MDR seating, no complaints. I asked for Beef Bourguignon in addition to the entree I ordered, no questions asked. El Loco Fresh was great. The funnel cakes at CocoCay, how can anything be so good?! Re: CocoCay, it was not too crowded, even with Liberty there, we found chairs/umbrella in a spot we wanted, at South Beach, where our dining room assistant kindly suggested. 

 

Crowds and chaos are abhorrent to me, so the separate check-in and the concierge escort off the ship was of great value. 

 

Just wanted to share the positive experience we had on Freedom of the Seas. 

Edited December 13, 2023 by goldfish65

[goldfish65]

Forgot to mention room service. One breakfast was perfect, even the bacon was hot, and the young lady was drop-dead gorgeous and outgoing. The next day...a young man brought syrup but no pancakes...I ordered banana pancakes and received a bunch of bananas. Ordered grapefruit and received grapes. Not the end of the world, but note to self: check the order before the attendant goes. 

Edited December 13, 2023 by goldfish65

[brillohead]

12 hours ago, goldfish65 said:

The ship is too big for our taste. So much walking.

Then you will DEFINITELY not like Oasis class.  

For me, Freedom class is the "just right" size for me.  The Solarium is bigger (than Voyager class) with more shaded loungers, and you don't spend half the day walking from one end to the other (like Oasis class).  

[goldfish65]

Another thing to mention: there were virtually no gulls on CocoCay. We asked several staff why this is the case. It was wonderful that the aggressive, dirty birds were absent, but I am still curious as to how. Everyone we asked said they did not know.

Edited December 14, 2023 by goldfish65

[ATG]

1 hour ago, goldfish65 said:

Another thing to mention: there were virtually no gulls on CocoCay. We asked several staff why this is the case. It was wonderful that the aggressive, dirty birds were absent, but I am still curious as to how. Everyone we asked said they did not know.

In October we were at the Beach Club and there were LOTS of seagulls there.  They lined the edge of the infinity pool and only moved if people came really close.  They also swarmed the beach.  Maybe they are just “fancy “ gulls and like the Beach club better.

[SUgwoz]

I was on the Freedom the previous weekend.  Was on Independence 8 years ago, since then a few Oasis class sailings and a Voyager class.  I prefer Oasis class, missed Solarium Bistro, along with their version of the Solarium. Also didn't like the layout for navigating to sports court/waterslide/flowrider. Found that those activities are less convenient being two decks above and having to go back inside to get to them if you are on the pool deck. 

 

Service was very good all around the ship, Izumi Hibachi was very good and liked that you could mix and match protein selections.  Though lava cake was more like a solid fudge cake.

 

 

[teddie]

19 hours ago, goldfish65 said:

Forgot to mention room service. One breakfast was perfect, even the bacon was hot, and the young lady was drop-dead gorgeous and outgoing. The next day...a young man brought syrup but no pancakes...I ordered banana pancakes and received a bunch of bananas. Ordered grapefruit and received grapes. Not the end of the world, but note to self: check the order before the attendant goes. 

On a recent Anthem cruise, all of our room service orders (submitted on the clunky TV menu) were followed up with a phone call from dining to confirm everything, which was great,  This was a huge improvement to our ordering attempts on a previous sailing.  

 

Teddie

Edited December 14, 2023 by teddie

[goldfish65]

Another quick mention, re: RoyalUp. There was one OS showing available. I bid $210 pp and was unsuccessful. The GS we had suited us just fine, but you get caught up in the psychology of trying to "win" something. 

[bouhunter]

On 12/14/2023 at 3:30 AM, brillohead said:

Then you will DEFINITELY not like Oasis class.  

For me, Freedom class is the "just right" size for me.  The Solarium is bigger (than Voyager class) with more shaded loungers, and you don't spend half the day walking from one end to the other (like Oasis class).  

Agree on the size, though not so much the walking.  On our Symphony cruise last spring elevators, pool decks and windjammer were SO crowded and chaotic the entire week.  Glad so many people love the big ships, keeps the smaller ones more pleasant.  We have 6 cruises booked this winter and NONE are on Oasis class 🙂