Freedom! Live From The Freedom of the Seas 8/11-18, 2024

[jam19872016]

Hello everyone!

 

It's finally almost that time again! Time for another cruise! This time I will be setting sail on the Freedom of the Seas after a long 141 days have passed since stepping off Celebrity Constellation. 

 

This will be a solo trip calling on the following ports:

 

Coco Cay
Nassau
Falmouth
Grand Cayman

 

My plans in port are pretty low key. I will venture into Coco Cay for a short while, maybe enjoy a drink in the shade somewhere and a quick lunch before returning to the air conditioned ship which will likely be deserted as most people will be off enjoying their Perfect Day.

 

Nassau I would like to walk around a little on foot but I suspect it will be far too hot for me to enjoy a stroll around town. We'll see. At the very least, I'd like to make a quick walk to the end of the dock and back as the view of the ships in the harbor is always stunning. 

 

Falmouth, hard pass. Ship day for me.

 

Grand Cayman will be a free excursion known as a round trip tender ride. I may wander into town but again I suspect it will be too hot for that and so I will just enjoy a quick scenic trip on the tender before retreating to my comfy ship.

 

Yes this trip will be all about the ship, and how excited I am to be back on a cruise again. Back in my natural habitat. 

 

I booked this cruise with my prime certificate from Club Royale. I wanted Wonder, but the earliest it was available that I could get away for was another two weeks out. After nearly five months, I just did not have the patience to hold out two more weeks. I am still quite happy with my choice of Freedom. I love this class of ship, it's still seven days, and it recently moved to Fort Lauderdale so I don't have to navigate the mean streets of Miami! 

 

So not a lot of port information, but there will be a moderate to excessive amount of food, drinking, and gambling 😮 involved in this trip report and I hope that you will all join me for this adventure! Any questions you may have about Freedom ask away and I will do my best to answer in-between meals 🙂 
 

[jam19872016]

Here are some links to my past reviews for either a refresher, or a warning for what you will be getting into if you decide to follow my ramblings over the following days 😄 

 

My most recent cruise: Celebrity Constellation

 

 

 

Last trip on Royal: Oasis of the Seas

 

 

 

 

My very first live report was on Freedom of the Seas back in July 2021, my second cruise following the pandemic.

 

 

 

[NJ&Ozzie]

Wow Jam - this is fantastic.  Thanks so much - looking forward to your review - as we will be following in your footsteps.  We'll be on Freedom Sept. 22 & 29.  

 

didn't realize that grand cayman will be a tender port. - always interesting

 

By any chance, do you know who the hotel director will be?  the cruise director - is it Joff Eaton?

anything about entertainment on board?  thanks!

 

this will be our 1st time on Freedom - but familiar with this class ship.

Hugs,

NJ

[rwest898]

Thank you for the heads up!!!! Enjoy your cruise. 

[RedSails1968]

Looking forward to your review as we will be doing the same cruise in October if Labadee is replaced with Nassau. 

[jam19872016]

19 minutes ago, NJ&Ozzie said:

Wow Jam - this is fantastic.  Thanks so much - looking forward to your review - as we will be following in your footsteps.  We'll be on Freedom Sept. 22 & 29.  

 

didn't realize that grand cayman will be a tender port. - always interesting

 

By any chance, do you know who the hotel director will be?  the cruise director - is it Joff Eaton?

anything about entertainment on board?  thanks!

 

this will be our 1st time on Freedom - but familiar with this class ship.

Hugs,

NJ

What's better than a week on Freedom? Two weeks! Enjoy 😀.

 

Yes Grand Cayman is a tender port and personally I think Freedom is too big for tender ports but they did not consult me when itinerary planning 🤔.

 

I will find out about the hotel director and CD and report back 😀

 

Been stalking the app for an idea on the entertainment and I see an ice show nights 2, 4, and a matinee on day 7. I've seen it but enjoy it so I'll check that out again.

 

Two theater production shows which I'll highlight for you during the cruise, but they were the older style show and not really my cup of tea so I probably won't be going to see them.

 

The other nights will be featured entertainers which will probably change between now and your cruise.

 

I've also seen there will be a 70s party, 80s party, red experience at the nightclub, and my favorite, silent disco! 

 

Another thing I saw, which I've never seen on Royal before, is Dancing Under The Stars. Looking forward to checking that out.

 

 

Edited August 6 by jam19872016

[jam19872016]

18 minutes ago, rwest898 said:

Thank you for the heads up!!!! Enjoy your cruise. 

Thanks for following along again! Glad to have you along!

5 minutes ago, RedSails1968 said:

Looking forward to your review as we will be doing the same cruise in October if Labadee is replaced with Nassau. 

I booked this so late, it was already Nassau when I booked it and I didn't even realize it was going to Labadee until later. Sad situation that caused the change and I'm probably in the minority, but I'm looking forward to Nassau.

[NJ&Ozzie]

Thanks Jam!  Appreciate all your info.  Yup, luv the silent disco too.  Maybe the dancing under the stars is a deck-type party?

 

Sure you will have a fantastic time.  Solo cruising sounds like fun too.

Hugs,

NJ  

 

 

[#55worktoplay]

Here to follow. Have a great cruise

[jam19872016]

5 minutes ago, NJ&Ozzie said:

Thanks Jam!  Appreciate all your info.  Yup, luv the silent disco too.  Maybe the dancing under the stars is a deck-type party?

 

Sure you will have a fantastic time.  Solo cruising sounds like fun too.

Hugs,

NJ  

 

 

Yes, sounds like a Royal version of the Mega Deck Party on Carnival or Full Moon Party on Celebrity. I can't say that I've ever seen it done on Royal before so looking forward to checking that out 😁

 

Silent Disco on nights 1 and 7, which I will be in my room sulking night 7 so I will only get one stab at it Gotta make it count 🙂

 

I love solo cruising especially since it gets me double points on Royal. I need all the help I can get on the quest towards Pinnacle! 

[jam19872016]

5 minutes ago, #55worktoplay said:

Here to follow. Have a great cruise

Thanks for following along 🙂

 

[jam19872016]

I've got to make it a point to start taking a picture of the ship more. I need a picture (that I took) of the Freedom for CC to use when displaying a link to my review. I am not really sure how the algorithm selects it. I thought it was the first picture in the review. I posted a nice picture from a previous cruise of my ship docked in Cozumel.

 

It selected a picture I posted later of a shirt I was packing with the word "pineapple" written upside down 🥴

 

I went back through my Freedom photos, and I don't have a shot of the ship. I don't even really have one that stands out. I went with this one, a shot of the Royal Promenade since that is such an iconic part of a Royal Caribbean ship.

 

 

BTW, this was boarding day at 2:38. I bet there will be a few more people onboard than that day back in July 2021.

 

And just in case it picks my second picture, well here is a picture of an obscene dessert I ordered at playmakers which is a great foreshadowing of the obscene amounts of food I will  soon be consuming and documenting in this review.

 

 

The bananas are not standard, it was an off the cuff remark by my cruise buddy that she wished it came with bananas and he surprised us with this addition, as if did not already come with enough things 😄

[colesc15]

Following along! We head out for a b2b on Utopia in a few weeks so this will get me through! 

 

I've been on a ship or two with the "party under the stars".. Just a warning to not get too excited.. The few ships we've gone to them, it's been very low attendance lol 

[perfect match]

I’m here and getting ready for all the pounds I’ll be gaining just by looking at pictures of what you’ll be eating! 😱🤪😋

[jam19872016]

6 hours ago, colesc15 said:

Following along! We head out for a b2b on Utopia in a few weeks so this will get me through! 

 

I've been on a ship or two with the "party under the stars".. Just a warning to not get too excited.. The few ships we've gone to them, it's been very low attendance lol 

Thanks for following along! I've got my eye on Utopia 👀. If I can get a decent run going again this cruise I'm playing for the points for a trip on her in January. Fingers crossed lady luck joins me this trip. 

 

Too bad about the attendance at party under the stars. If I'm not feeling it I'll pack it in and find something else to do. I'm sure something exciting will be happening somewhere 🙂

 

4 hours ago, perfect match said:

I’m here and getting ready for all the pounds I’ll be gaining just by looking at pictures of what you’ll be eating! 😱🤪😋

I'm ready to start eating, bring on the feast 😮

 

Thanks for following along!

[jam19872016]

For anyone who did not read my last review, I've been on a weight loss journey that started in August 2021 when I hit 300 LBS. I've always been big, but that was a pretty startling number to see staring back at me from the scale. I'm also not getting any younger and am becoming more aware of the looming health problems if I don't take control of the situation. 

 

I don't try to watch my weight when cruising. I live it up for the week and deal with it after the cruise is over. So then, how have I been doing during this extended time not cruising?

In total, I was down to 198.8 when I started my 56 day adventure last September. Over 100 LBS lost from my starting weight.

 

When I left Constellation I was at 226.8 and determined to make some progress while I was not cruising. By the end of April I was down to 199.2 and on May 2 I finally dropped back below the weight I reached before my big trip last year. 

 

But then things started slowing down. 

 

In May I lost 8.8 lbs. 

 

In June I lost 4.8 lbs.

 

July, I lost just 3.8 lbs.

 

So far for August? 0.0. I have not yet weighed today. Well, I have not taken the total as official. Going to try for a better number this afternoon.

 

I'm still on the right track but with the weight coming off this slowly, I wonder how quick I will pack it on when I misbehave this week and how long it will take to come back off. I am still considered "overweight" by just a couple pounds and I was hoping to get in under that metric, but I might be just about to the best I am going to be able to do.

[jam19872016]

Well we have previously established that on the last day of work before vacation that anything that can, will, go wrong. We can now apply that to the last few days. With three days to go a coworker has decided that today will be his last day.

 

Things are already tight in order to accommodate my upcoming time off so things are going to be extra fun now for my final three days. Going to grin and bear it and this time on Sunday I will not have a care in the world except how am I going to carry around all this money I won the first hour the casino was open?

 

Final weight in for the day has me at +.2. Bummer. 

 

Thankfully in anticipation of a crazy final few days, I am all ready to go. I have one last minute item to purchase, and even though I am usually a night before kind of packer, I am 99% packed. Parking is paid for, check in complete. I have one purchase to make on the cruise planner and if i miss it, well onboard cost is only $4 more no big deal.

 

Yep, I think I'm good to do, just gotta survive three more days 🥳

[colesc15]

14 hours ago, jam19872016 said:

Thanks for following along! I've got my eye on Utopia 👀. If I can get a decent run going again this cruise I'm playing for the points for a trip on her in January. Fingers crossed lady luck joins me this trip. 

 

Too bad about the attendance at party under the stars. If I'm not feeling it I'll pack it in and find something else to do. I'm sure something exciting will be happening somewhere 🙂

 

I'm ready to start eating, bring on the feast 😮

 

Thanks for following along!

Good luck! Utopia worked out where I was able to use a mailer comp under my account and one under my wife to make it the b2b. Taking on my first ever solo cruise shortly after which I'm a little nervous for. 

[jam19872016]

36 minutes ago, colesc15 said:

Good luck! Utopia worked out where I was able to use a mailer comp under my account and one under my wife to make it the b2b. Taking on my first ever solo cruise shortly after which I'm a little nervous for. 

My mailers suck. I thought after upping my play last time they would improve but I still only get comp fare for one. My mom would be happy to pay, except there is not one single date for Port Canaveral on any of the dozen or so offers I've gotten and she cannot drive down here to South Florida.

 

I still can't complain, the benefits that come with prime are enough alone to make it all worth it. I've spotted Utopia on the August list at 1600 points. I'll evaluate where I'm at 1200 and if I'm not doing good, I'll let that dream die for now and book Liberty instead. Love that Royal publishes a list like they do.

Edited August 7 by jam19872016

[jam19872016]

I got quite the surprise on the scale today. Down 2.4 over yesterday. 

 

I got back on twice to verify and got the same results.

 

They say not to weigh everyday due to fluctuations like this but I need the daily accountability. It will be interesting to see where I land tomorrow. 

 

In addition to weight, I also track daily steps with an app called pacer. 

 

 

Barely hit my goal yesterday but my count always goes up onboard.

 

Just three more days now 👍 

[jam19872016]

After intermittent fasting almost every day since March, I will be just fine with the included food onboard. But, I do love Giovanni's Kitchen and have not sailed on a ship with it that concept in a while. I have been eyeing the Unlimited Dining Package but have been determined not to splurge this trip and just enjoy the included venues for the most part.

 

It was on sale for $35 a day when I booked this cruise and I was very tempted. The price went back up to about $40 a day and the temptation was gone, that's more than I am willing to pay as it is difficult to eat all that food day after day for seven days (not that I don't give it a valiant effort 😄)

 

I still checked periodically, and found it on sale for just $32 a day. I convinced myself to give it 24 hours and if I still wanted to do it, go for it, but no impulse buying. The next day, I still wanted it and went to purchase and Royal had saved me from myself, back at $40. No thanks.

 

Current price is $35 but I am holding out. If it drops to $32 again I'm all in.

 

I will use my Diamond+ bogo to eat at Giovanni's on night one and two. I wanted to purchase a lunch on day 7 but it is only showing available on days 1 and 4. Day 1 is already spoken for with a dinner, I don't think I could do it justice eating there twice in the same day. Day 4 will probably be the D+ lunch.

 

I love the pizza there but can't justify the dinner price for a pizza, I may end up skipping the D+ luncheon cause I have to have that pizza at least once 🤪

 

I also want to order the campfire cookie at Playmakers. Strictly for research. I saw on a Utopia review that they had shrunk the cookie. I want to see if that is a fleetwide change or just on Utopia. Yes, purely for research purposes 🙂

[doghog]

1 hour ago, jam19872016 said:

Yes, purely for research purposes 🙂

Of course. 😂 Remember, discipline yourself not deprive yourself. 🍪

[jam19872016]

7 minutes ago, doghog said:

Of course. 😂 Remember, discipline yourself not deprive yourself. 🍪

There will be no discipline next week 😈

[doghog]

1 minute ago, jam19872016 said:

There will be no discipline next week 😈

Right on. 👊

[DeltaJoe15]

Will be on the Freedom 10/27-11/03  Looking  forward to the cruise