Freedom 8/27 Review

[MACE]

Our review:

 

About us: My wife Pam, 10 year old daughter Marissa, and myself just completed our 5th RCI cruise, 15th overall

 

Flight: Left LGA out of NYC on time and landed in Miami at 10:10, took over 1 hour to collect 3 bags of luggage but took no time to get a cab ($24 plus tip) to get to the port

 

*We love riding over the access bridge to the Port of Miami, looking to your left, and seeing your home for the next 7 days, in this case, the FOS: she looked fantastic!

 

Embarkation: 12 noon and though we were told the ship still wasn't cleared for embarkation, the lines weren't to bad for checkin and getting your security picture taken. We were then put into a holding area for the final wait to board, when at about 12:50 the floodgates were opened aboard we went

 

The ship: As beautiful as previously described, very nice art work throughout the ship. Having sailed on the VOS, we pretty much knew what to expect, the Flowrider was a nice addition, didn't miss the rollerblading

 

Our Cabin: a JS, #9594, mid-ship, port side. The walk in closest was a nice surprise, large with plenty of shelves. And the bath tub in the bathroom was a welcomed addition. A nice large balcony with a lounge chair, two other chairs and a table...all spotless and clean. We thought the bedding and pillows were too soft, but the quality of both were excellent

 

Staff: Steward and dinning staff were good, had some issues with Guest Relations, our daughters luggage didn't arrive till 10:30 and that was only after making 6 phone calls till someone knew to tell us we had to go to deck 2 'screening' area to claim lost luggage. And a thumbs down to our steward who didn't answer our calls to housekeeping for assistance on this. The rest of the ships staff couldn't be any more friendly or helpful

 

Fellow Paxs: over 4000, about 2500 where Americans, next largest group were Canadians but they must of actually been Can-a-Mexicans because it seemed Spanish was as most evident as English being spoken on the ship with announcements and TV channels also widely evident in Spanish

 

Meals: Other than sitdown lunch on Saturday, nothing really stood out in the dinning room (table 303 in the Leonardo room), though the lobster was better than on previous crusies. Service Saturday night was noticably slow, but otherwise efficient. Lunch service was fine, and Sunday morning breakfast was at light speed

 

Windjammer: As one of the comedians stated the 'Gutjammer' had a varied selection of food and was usually good for any meal. To avoid lines, bypass the first station you come to and walk further aft, there are multiple stations on each side and then at the end, numerous 'island' stations for more choices. Finding a seat however became a chore, seating is too limited for the increased size of this ship.

 

Pools: H20 zone!!!! Fantastic area of the ship, loved by kids and adults. Further aft were more pools and hot tubs, and then the Solarium with more pools and padded lounge chairs.

 

Sports Deck: Rock Climbing, soccer court (played more than basketball), mini-golf, and the Flowrider. Gotta do the flowrider, it’s a blast. Sign the waiver form (needed to be signed once a day to get a colored wrist band) early in the day then just come back later and get in line. The staff will instruct you on how to launch yourself into the flow rider and then you just go with the flow

 

Ice Skating Rink: Small but fun, sign up early or if you have kids and they are in the kids club, they have family only sessions...and IMHO the ICE SHOW was the best show of the whole cruise!

 

SPA: High pressure selling tactics. Signed my wife up for a manicure and they starting to do a pedicure, with the 'therapist' not understanding English good enough other than saying 'package deal' My wife finally got her to stop but we went through he$$ and high water to not be billed for the pedicure and then had to endure a sales pitch for some $176 package of creams that we didn't want

 

Shows: Never had a problem finding a seat. Best were the Magic show, Once Upon a Time, and the Variety Show where they show some snippets from the cruise DVD made during the week...BTW, Travel Channel was onboard filming a fall episode to be aired, highlighting the FOS

 

Ports Of Call:

-Cozumel: We hired a taxi for $70 for the day, stopped for a few hours at San Francisco and Paradise Beach, had some drinks, then took a tour of the east cost...so much different than the west coast, loved the beaches and rough surf, the long stretches of empty beaches, the little 'shack' restaurant and shops, where at one of these we stopped for a Mexican grilled chicken lunch and cold drinks, being served right on a deserted beach, sitting under a palm tree with the surf lapping up and cooling our feet...felt like we were in our own Corona commercial. The took a tour of some Mayan ruins in the jungle that had large resident Iguana follow us along the ancient roadways, sort of a mystic guide, as we explored the ancient buildings and roadway. There was also some souvenir shopping and cold drinks to be had here. Then another tour of the interior and outskirts of San Miguel city life, before being dropped off at the ship

 

*Long line and wait for the tender back to the ship, took us almost 1 hour to be back in our cabin after our driver dropped us off, by far the worst tendering experience of the cruise

 

-Grand Cayman: Captain Marvins 2 hour tour, disappointed in Coral City, not much colorful coral or fish, and the cigarette butt and sea grass floating around didn't add to the experience, BUT the stop (albeit very crowded) at the Sting Ray City sandbar made this excursion worth it, some of the most beautiful, clear, clean, and calm water I've ever seen in the Caribbean and playing with the rays just tops it off

 

-Montego Bay: Sunset Beach Resort, fantastic property on the sea, many pools with hot tubs, water slides, lazy river, volley ball, tennis, and nice beach areas. Had my share of jerk chicken, cheeseburgers, Red Stripe beer, and various rum drinks while playing the pools and surf. Our 10 year olds favorite port of call. No problems getting a taxi each way, everyone we met was very friendly. My wife stayed on the ship because she didn't like Ocho Rios from a previous cruise, and other than the issues she had in the SPA that day, this was also her favorite port of call...wife time alone

 

-Labadee: Hot, Africa HOT! Even the Caribbean Sea was hot at 86 degrees. Parents be aware if you sign your kids up for the Water park and don't go in with them. RCI herds everyone up at the top of the hour, then blows a whistle to chase the previous group out and says: GO!

Total mass confusion and panic as 200 pound adults out swim and knock around your 60 and 70 pound children in order to rush out to the iceburgs and various floats. I saw numerous kids getting hurt with older kids and adults

falling off the iceburgs and water seasaws, bouncing off same kids trying to get on those same floats. Double thumbs down for RCI not supervising this area for safety!!!

 

That being said, was still our 10 year olds 2nd favorite Island, doing the Jet Ski excursion with her holding onto my 'love handles' doing 45MPH past the FOS. But I really think she enjoyed riding the worlds largest inflateable waterslide numerous time and learning to haggle with the local artists in the various markets (and coming away for 2 free bracelets). What was strange was seeing a 19 year old who had to be med-evacuated back to the FOS becase a jellyfish somehow latched onto his foot while Jet Skiing

 

Days at Sea: Crowded of course, but not too much of a problem finding a lounge chair on the upper decks or getting chow in the food courts if you waited later in the day. Having a great JS balcony and hanging out, ordering Room Service was great. Same for relaxing on the deck 4 deck chairs and bow helicopter deck...pure isolation and feeling like you're the King Of The World!

 

Disembarkation: Take the earliest color you can because RCI runs about 90 minutes to 2 hours behind the stated departure times for each color...They still don't know how to get 4000 paxs off within 'their' stated times. We didn't get off the ship till after 11:30 and that was still sneaking ahead of our scheduled time. Do have to say Customs and grabing your luggage was pretty fast, once you finally got off the ship. No wonder why paxs can't embark till around 12:30-1pm

 

Freedom Improvement Wishes: Life guards or supervision of the H20 Zone pools, more elevators, controlling teens from taking over said elevators, better Cozumel tendering, more seating in the WindJammer, and if possible: on time disembarkation as stated per the Cruise Compass

 

Overall, a very satisfying cruise experience, and gratitude due to the staff and Captain for staying the course (damn Ernesto) and delivering as advertised...Get Out There and Enjoy!!!

 

We need a vacation from our vacation, FOS offered so much to do, we're just wiped out...but we love it!!!

 

-MACE-

 

 

Any questions

[SingBill]

Thank you so much for your very detailed review. You answered many questions for me as we are going in October 2006. Wanted to know what to do in Coz and hiring a taxi sounds just about right.

 

Glad to hear you had a nice time.

[Nessa1dc]

Thank you so much for your review.

[Gypsea]

I think the Flowrider was one of the best improvements RCI made and I didn't even try it. It was fun to watch though.

 

I thought the Windjammer food was varied and tasty, lots of salads of all types and the sandwich bar had great selections. I have read other reviews saying so so but when I was on teeh pre-inaugural in May I thought it was excellent.

 

Nice review, thanks.

[Hooked on Cruises]

Mace, Thanks for a great review. We will be on Freedom in 26 days, and I cannot wait to enjoy our aft JS.

 

Mary, have you thought of renting a car in Cozumel? Avis rental has a couple of renting stations throughout an island. Renting a taxi is a great idea, but I rather be exploring on my own time, with couple of friends. You would not have to worry of cab driver leaving you behind? Jeep Wrangler 4x4 is a great way to see the island. This is just a friendly suggestion.

[MACE]

JS cabins were indeed a nice surprise regarding the extra space of the cabin, balcony, WALK IN CLOSET, and bathroom with a tub...plus not to mention the priceless photo of my wife and 10 year old wearing the RCI robes, sitting on the balcony, enjoying room service breakfast, with a great sunrise framing the background.

 

Even if you don't do the Flowrider, just sitting in the 'stadium seats' surrounding it, getting cooled by the off-spray and watching the excitement and enjoyment of all ages who try it, is a great time to be had.

 

The Windjammer fare was quite satisfying. We really liked the offerings from the JADE station, found it satisfying to get pizza here during lunch without having to go down to Sorrentos on deck 5, and actually ackquired a taste of having pork fried rice and stirred veggies with my ham and cheese omelets for breakfast.

 

In Cozumel, do indeed try to venture out and enjoy a tour of the island, especially the other (aka east) side. Grab a taxi, tell the driver what you want to see, and negoiate a price. The drivers are most friendly and have no problem being your tour guide of their country...our driver was most proud showing where he grow up, went to school, and made a stop at a local cantina to buy a COKE (in the old style green bottle) for our daughter

 

We just looked at our video of Cozumel and though it was only 6 days ago, its already become a classic vacation memory to us

 

-MACE-

[Markc3843]

Mace, Thanks for a great review. We also have a JS, on Freedom in February. You said you went to Sunset Beach Resort in Montego Bay. Can you give me any more info on that Resort sounds like something we would like to do.

 

Thanks, Mark

[intothevoid]

Thanks for the review Mace. Two questions, how much was the fee per person and did you book through Royal or did you book through the resort itself? Thanks.

[MACE]

We did this on our own, no need to pre-book.

 

Take a taxi from the MoBay cruise terminal to the resort, it was $5 for the two of us, I believe the price drops down to $2 per person for a full cab.

 

You can see the resort when docked, its the two large yellow buildings, its no more than a 5 minute ride from the pier.

 

First go to the security building and they'll direct you to signup at the front desk in the lobby (a real nice open air tropical setting)

 

It cost $40 per adult, $20 per child (not sure what the age cutoff is). You can pay by credit card or cash and get a colored wristband for the day.

 

You have to turn in your SeaPass card and pick it up in the security office on the way out

 

Note that the waterslides and bars don't open till 10am local time or 11am ship time.

 

The grill (for jerk chicken, burgers, hot dogs, grilled cheese, french fries, etc) opens early, around 11am ship time, not sure when the buffet opens.

 

Here is a link to the resort:

 

http://www.sunsetbeachjamaica.com/

 

This was a fantastic place to spend the day!

 

Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

-MACE-

[intothevoid]

We did this on our own, no need to pre-book.

 

Take a taxi from the MoBay cruise terminal to the resort, it was $5 for the two of us, I believe the price drops down to $2 per person for a full cab.

 

You can see the resort when docked, its the two large yellow buildings, its no more than a 5 minute ride from the pier.

 

First go to the security building and they'll direct you to signup at the front desk in the lobby (a real nice open air tropical setting)

 

It cost $40 per adult, $20 per child (not sure what the age cutoff is). You can pay by credit card or cash and get a colored wristband for the day.

 

You have to turn in your SeaPass card and pick it up in the security office on the way out

 

Note that the waterslides and bars don't open till 10am local time or 11am ship time.

 

The grill (for jerk chicken, burgers, hot dogs, grilled cheese, french fries, etc) opens early, around 11am ship time, not sure when the buffet opens.

 

Here is a link to the resort:

 

http://www.sunsetbeachjamaica.com/

 

This was a fantastic place to spend the day!

 

Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

-MACE-

 

Very nice. Now did you feel comfortable leaving your seapass at the security desk? Other than the Seapass did you bring some other form of ID with you to the resort just in case of a mishap? Thanks a lot Mace.

[oakleys]

thanks for the review, how are the lines for the flowrider?

[flyerwife]

I was on the same 8/27 FOS sailing....the lines for the FlowRider were long. I'd suggest signing up 30 mins before the first session of the day. That way, you have your wrist band, which is good for the entire day. They do have different sessions for boogie boarding, stand up surfing, and advanced. Boogie boarding is done on both sides of the FlowRider and the line on the port side of the ship always seemed shorter. I believe there is only one line for stand up surfing.

 

I did it and it was great fun. I broke a nail, and my hubby lost a contact lens, but still fun. The kids had a blast. My 12 yr old daughter was hesitant and lacked confidence, but she just told the FlowRider attendant that she wanted some help, and they assisted her until she was riding on her own.

[Nanatravel]

Thanks Mace. Great review and input from a family perspective especially about the water park issues on Labaddee and supervision at the H20 zone.

 

Bon Voyage

Nanatravel

[Bunti]

Thanks for the terrific review!!

I am really curious about the ruins you were able to see in Mexico. The ship excursion has a really long ride with a disclaimer for anyone who isn't in optimum shape. (sounds like one is riding a ferry, then a bus for 6 hours or so, for a hour and a half visit to Tulum)

 

Your taxi day sounds perfect. Which ruins did you see? I think I will just cut and paste your trip description and then look for a taxi driver to repeat it, lol.

[MACE]

Very nice. Now did you feel comfortable leaving your seapass at the security desk? Other than the Seapass did you bring some other form of ID with you to the resort just in case of a mishap? Thanks a lot Mace.

 

Felt totally at ease leaving our sea passes with the front desk where we then picked them up at the security desk (in a sealed envelope) when we left.

 

Yes, I did bring my wallet (credit card to pay for entrance fee, license, etc) and also felt comfortable leaving it in a beach bag, covered up with a towel or under our lounge chair, while off and about doing various activites, as I saw most other people (including quests) do as well.

 

-MACE-

[MACE]

Thanks for the terrific review!!

I am really curious about the ruins you were able to see in Mexico. The ship excursion has a really long ride with a disclaimer for anyone who isn't in optimum shape. (sounds like one is riding a ferry, then a bus for 6 hours or so, for a hour and a half visit to Tulum)

 

Your taxi day sounds perfect. Which ruins did you see? I think I will just cut and paste your trip description and then look for a taxi driver to repeat it, lol.

 

The ruins are called San Gervasio, and though smaller than Tulum or Chichén Itzá, they are old, beginning around 100BC, where Mayan women come from the mainland and paid tribute to the goddess of love and fertility.

 

Our daughter was quite impressed with the fact that she was exploring, climbing, and standing on ancient 2000 year old ruins and roadways.

 

They are located within the interior of the jungle or forest on the northeast end of the island.

 

Prior to visiting the ruins and after visiting one of the west coast beaches, make sure you also stop at Punta Sur on the southern tip of the island.

 

To the west is Clearain Lighthouse, to the east is the great stretch of the eastern coastline with views and vistas of empty beachs, pounding surf, and rock formations with blow holes

 

After the ruins, you'll drive slightly further into the interior of Cozumel passing more shack style shops and cantinas before coming back into San Miguel and making a left along the coastline and seawall to get back to the ship.

 

Considering the cost of ship and self bought excursions we did in the other Ports, our day spent in Cozumel gave us quite the bang for the buck, exploring the various highlights and local culture of the island....well worth it!

 

-MACE-

[sdear]

Were the jelly fish bad at Labadee? I had read earlier this summer that the beach was full of them by the water park.

 

We are signed up for the jet skis , and the thought of one latching to my foot doesn't sound appealing lol. :eek:

[MACE]

Two stinging events happened on Columbus beach.

 

As mentioned, when I was jet skiing, my wife watched the previous group return while we were out, and did see that one of jet skiers had gotten stung with a jelly fish will out on his excursion.

 

It was still a latched onto his foot and this teenager had his dad lift him off the jet ski, carry him off the docks, get him on the beach and yank the jelly fish off of his foot.

 

The beach patrol were pretty quick in getting the ship's doctor to treat him, then get him back to the ship asap

 

About a hour later, we heard another dad come up to one of the lifeguards sitting in a chair and ask for treatment of a jelly fish sting for his child, not sure where on Columbus beach this episode happened at but the lifeguard chair was just off to the right of the water park with this man coming from beach area near the jet skis

 

-MACE-

[Micknmin]

SPA: High pressure selling tactics. Signed my wife up for a manicure and they starting to do a pedicure, with the 'therapist' not understanding English good enough other than saying 'package deal' My wife finally got her to stop but we went through he$$ and high water to not be billed for the pedicure and then had to endure a sales pitch for some $176 package of creams that we didn't want

 

We had a similar problem. My 18 year old daughter decided to have the microdermabrasion facial. She really enjoyed it, and at the end, the therapist starts telling her about all of the products that she used on her face. At the end, she asked her if she thought that these products were anything that she would use. My daughter said maybe, but she really didn't know. So she goes up to the register to pay for the facial on her SeaPass and the total was over $400. She asked why it was so much, and they told her that she had agreed to buy all of these products. She completely panicked over the situation and instead of just saying NO, she brought the stuff to the stateroom and asked us what to do. My husband said that he would handle it, and he went back up there and told them to take all of the products off of our account...which they did. I was very careful when I got my facial to let them know that I was not buying ANYTHING!!!

[Micknmin]

Were the jelly fish bad at Labadee? I had read earlier this summer that the beach was full of them by the water park.

I stood on our balcony when we sailed into Labadee in July. I looked down at the water at one point, and you could see tons of jellyfish in the water. Unfortunately, my oldest daughter was stung by a jellyfish years ago in Hilton Head, and once she saw the jellyfish down there, I knew she wouldn't set foot in the water.

[MACE]

Wow, I'm glad our 10 yeard old did NOT see all the jelley fish from our balcony, she would have never left the ship and enjoyed Labadee, especially doing 45MPH past the FOS on a jet ski and going down the wateslide over and over again.

 

As it was, in Grand Cayman, after already being in the water and amazed by the Sting Rays, as soon as she heard do NOT step on or touch their tail and barbs, up she jumped into my arms, hugged her feet around my waist and demanded to be put back on the boat...but at least she did get in the water and then continued to watch the sting rays from the boat's diving platform

 

-MACE-

[sdear]

Do you stop and get off the jet skis at any point during the excursion? Did people carry cameras or anything with them?

 

Thanks for the info

[intothevoid]

Felt totally at ease leaving our sea passes with the front desk where we then picked them up at the security desk (in a sealed envelope) when we left.

 

Yes, I did bring my wallet (credit card to pay for entrance fee, license, etc) and also felt comfortable leaving it in a beach bag, covered up with a towel or under our lounge chair, while off and about doing various activites, as I saw most other people (including quests) do as well.

 

-MACE-

 

Thanks for all your help Mace!!! Really appreciate it.

[libertybelle41]

Do you stop and get off the jet skis at any point during the excursion? Did people carry cameras or anything with them?

 

Thanks for the info

 

 

You do stop around 3 times, but you don't get off. You gather around the tour guide(on the wave runners) and he/she tells you about the island etc...

 

There is a little cubbie to put things in and you could bring your camera (waterproof) to take pic at the various stops if you wish, but don't forget it when you leave like I did with my flip-flops:(

[sdear]

The jelly fish kinda scare me...but oh well. I will wear the water shoes and keep my feet up hahahah