Just Back from Freedom of the Seas (10/8-10/15)

[rpsinnj]

no you do not miss any production show for ice show on wednesday that is only show

[rpsinnj]

How was that? I plan on bringing my 70's gear with me so I can really get into! Also what time did they start letting people on the ship? Thanks! :D

 

70s gear will be great for the 80s dance party on friday night you will love it

[lknight27]

70s gear will be great for the 80s dance party on friday night you will love it

 

I thought Tuesday was the 70's theme night. Did that change?

[EggDropErin]

Everything sounds lovely! Only 80 something days to go. :(

[big al]

no charo wasnt abaord she just left the ship, we had a concert from the group that sings abba ;)

 

Were they called Bjorn Again? They are the biggest tribute band in the world...saw them in London (Wembley in front of 12,000!)

 

Big Al

[TomCat32174]

Is C&A priority boarding still being offered in Miami?

[rpsinnj]

I thought Tuesday was the 70's theme night. Did that change?

 

you are right i forgot about the party on promende deck we didnt go to that because we wanted a good seat for the quest down front.

 

quest is right after the 70s party on deck also the 80s dance party is also great they used the ice ring that was friday night

[rpsinnj]

Is C&A priority boarding still being offered in Miami?

 

yes they do break it down into groups, suite then diamond members etc.

[rpsinnj]

Were they called Bjorn Again? They are the biggest tribute band in the world...saw them in London (Wembley in front of 12,000!)

 

Big Al

 

no it wasnt them i will get name off compass i will post it for you they were really good

[carwvu80]

My husband and I just got back from the Freedom (10.8-10.15) - it was our first cruise, and we are already planning our next one. It was our honeymoon - and we met a wonderful couple.

 

As for the Ice Show - I went down first thing Monday to get tickets, however - we went to the Thursday show - and it was not full. I think a lot of people just skip it, they didn't even look at our tickets.

 

I loved the shows, especially the "Once Upon a Time" - I did not, however, attend the Abba one. It did not interest my husband or I.

 

There were times I found the elevators to be slow, but I used stairs when I got tired of waiting. It wasn't that bad at all, accept on port days - and even then I did not find myself annoyed.

 

There was only one or two times in the Windjammer where I felt it was too crowded. Other then that, it was fine. And people in small groups never seemed to mind if you joined their table - at least not on my case.

 

I will post more later - this is my first day back at work - and I am in withdrawl from the cruise.

[kpgclark]

Can someone post which days each of the entertainers performed? That would be great information to know to help plan which night to do ice show and specialty restaurant.

[lori450]

We were on Oct 1 cruise. The elevators weren't any busier than on the Voyager class ships (Explorer, Mariner, etc.). I would definitely miss the magician. I found the tricks to be old and hackneyed. They were predictable and saccarin (sp?). The production shows were wonderful. We had Charo, who was a delight. Do NOT miss the flowrider. What fun!!! You must try it! I actually found the food to be somewhat better than it was on the other ships (even though it was the same menu). We are tried and true RCI cruisers and this was the best cruise we have been on. Enjoy!!

[seapad]

Great to hear you enjoyed the ship. We are planning to cruise next year on its sister ship Liberty of the Seas, planning to stay in a GS suite as well.

Which cabin # did you stay in?

Do you recall if the flat screen TV can swivel to face the living room and also face the bed if we choose to? The 4 of us will share the cabin, so able to watch TV from either side will be extremely helpful for us.

Thanks for any info.

[rpsinnj]

Great to hear you enjoyed the ship. We are planning to cruise next year on its sister ship Liberty of the Seas, planning to stay in a GS suite as well.

Which cabin # did you stay in?

Do you recall if the flat screen TV can swivel to face the living room and also face the bed if we choose to? The 4 of us will share the cabin, so able to watch TV from either side will be extremely helpful for us.

Thanks for any info.

 

the room is so nice and lots of room, yes the big flat screen tv can turn to face bed or couch area great sound from speakers. The balcony is huge our tablemates can up one night group of 8 total and we all were out on balcony with room to spare we had cabin 1294 toward the front of ship but is it outstanding, you will love it

[CruiseAwayWithMe]

Ken Rush was cruise director on Freedom of the Seas at first then switched to James Andrews then back to Ken Rush. Maybe the pattern will be the same on the Liberty and we will get James Andrews again. :) Never had Ken Rush before so I don't know what his personality is like. I really like James Andrews because he was so nice and funny. James Andrews is my favorite cruise director along with Becky Thompson. :)

[seapad]

Thanks for the info on TV. Is cabin 1294 starboard side?

Did your cabin face ocean view or port view when you're in the ports of call?

[lknight27]

you are right i forgot about the party on promende deck we didnt go to that because we wanted a good seat for the quest down front.

 

quest is right after the 70s party on deck also the 80s dance party is also great they used the ice ring that was friday night

 

Great!!!! Thank you for confirming!!!!:D

[rpsinnj]

Thanks for the info on TV. Is cabin 1294 starboard side?

Did your cabin face ocean view or port view when you're in the ports of call?

 

we faced the water starboard side but wasnt no big deal

[rpsinnj]

Ken Rush was cruise director on Freedom of the Seas at first then switched to James Andrews then back to Ken Rush. Maybe the pattern will be the same on the Liberty and we will get James Andrews again. :) Never had Ken Rush before so I don't know what his personality is like. I really like James Andrews because he was so nice and funny. James Andrews is my favorite cruise director along with Becky Thompson. :)

 

i believe that is the schedule ken will be on freedom until mid january then vacation james andrews will then take his spot on freedom ken is moving over to liberty. ONce james go on vacation next year i dont know who will take freedom, then once ken goes on vacation on liberty james will take that spot

[ryzmom]

Hey Suzy and Robert and all the upcoming Freedom cruisers!

Me and my husband just returned on the same cruise as Suzy and Robert and let me just say that it was a total blast and the ship is so huge!

Things that I need to mention:

1. Don't miss the Quest on Tuesday night and get there early for a good seat!

2. The food in the dining room, to me, was wonderful. If you don't like something, ask for something else in fact, ask for two of them .... and get the Onion Tart and Shrimp Cocktail for appetizers, they were fantastic and so was the Lobster on Friday Night!

3. Don't miss the Abba show!

4. Don't miss the Once Upon A Time show - it was so awesome!

5. The pizza in Sorrento's was fabulous!

6. The elevators are packed on sea days, so just take the stairs and try to lose a little weight while you are eating so much food anyways!

7. You don't have to bring a clock if you don't want to. There are clocks where the pools are and you can always just look at your watch. On the phones, there is a button you push to get a wake up call and you set it yourself. I did that many of times and it was great!

8. The casino was exciting and lots of money was won by tons of people, but not me!

9. Get your pictures taken on all nights, especially the ones with the white background. They turn out great!

10. The best bartender we found was RAJ in the Casino bar and Michelle in the Schooner Bar, right next door to the casino.

11. The Desserts in the Cafe Promenade and Sorrento's were the best!

12. For the girls - to get your hair done on Formal nights will cost you $50 not matter what you have done! A wash and blow-out or an up-do are both $50. If you want an up-do, you have to wash and dry it yourself before you get there. The spa is on Deck 12. There is also a special that they have on either Friday or Saturday that is called a 20-20-20 special for $99 (3 things to pick from) and it's a mini-facial, either a 25-min hot stone massage, a reflexology foot massage, a ginger body scrub and scalp massage. It was wonderful! The best was the seaweed wrap - get it!

13. The rock climbing wall is harder than it looks - especially if you wait until the next to the last day of your cruise after you have eaten so much food and it's hard for you to get up to the top!!! It also has limited hours!

14. The putt-putt golf and basketball court is open 24 hours and is really fun!

15. The flowrider is so fun to watch and also has limited hours, so it was hard to get a chance to attempt to get on it because there are so many more things to do!

16. To book another cruise before Thursday, you will get discounts and it is located on Deck 6 Aft. See Chelle or Jayne!

17. Johnny Rockets was great and most of the time were really packed for lunch.

18. Kelly, a cruise director staff member, was awesome and always had a smile on her face. So, was Dustin.

19. Don't miss the 80's Night tribute! It was a riot and had great music! Also, don't miss the Twenty 20 party only for adults in the Solarium on like Friday or Saturday night.... it was great and we danced all night. Ken Rush showed up and jumped in the pool with his clothes on and people jumped on in as well and danced in the water!

20. Have Fun and don't sweat the small stuff like I did..... we lost a few things while on the ship and my dress zipper had a whole in it, too many things happen for a reason, so just get thru them and go on. I just realized that .....Life is too short to let little things ruin your trip!

 

Thanks for letting me give my 2 cents as well guys! You are the best!

Deana

 

[caribbeanfever]

Were you able to dock in Cozumel(we had to tender in July)?

[waterrats]

I hear that there is sort of a nightclub atmosphere on the pool deck. Was this everynight or just on special nights?

[SPARKLE10]

Hi:

 

We're going on the Freedom for their New Years Eve cruise this year and getting really excited, as it's not too far away. This will be our 40th cruise and about #14 on the Freedom for RCCL cruises.

 

Just one question. My DH about drove me crazy on our Adventure of the Seas cruise, March of this year, looking for hot chocolate. Can you get good hot chocolate in the Seattle Coffee Shop? On the Adventure, we just found packages of hot chocolate and that wasn't what he was looking for. It's funny...he doesn't smoke or drink alcoholic beverages...he just wants to find some good hot chocolate. If I can tell him yes about this, maybe he will start to get as excited as I am. Funny thing to get excited about isn't it?

 

Thanks....

 

Happy Cruising.....Sparkle 10:)

[seapad]

Hi RZEMOM

Thanks for the list of tips. A question on your item re booking on board before Thurs and get a discount - do we get an EXTRA discount over and above the normal $50-$200 on board credit for booking before Thursday?

If this is true, this is great news. Do you happen to know the range of discount?

Thank you.

[rpsinnj]

not sure on discount i think you would get the crown and anchor one then any other that is being offer by rccl.

 

suzy might be able to help you out the the hot choclate, she got a few coffee from the seattle shop and the cookies were great. Also note the drinking water on the freedom is very good, we always bring our bottles of water but this time we only brought two bottles and refilled them with the ship water. The Desserts in the Cafe Promenade and Sorrento's were the best! everything from crumb cakes, coconut and choclate pudding home made cookies wow