All Things Freedom of the Seas!

[BillOh]

Whew! Just finished reading this whole thread! I head out on February 8th.

 

Question: On some ships, the pools are not open on embarkation day. What about the pools and hot tubs on Freedom? Coming out of New Hampshire in February, I want to get wet once on board! Are they open?

 

 

Definitely open. Enjoy the cantilievered hot tubs they are great.

[BillOh]

. This is my first time having a balcony stateroom. I have read several posts regarding people being able to see in other peoples stateroom?:confused: .

 

Deck 8 balconies have a great view. The lifeboats are on deck 5. To see in another stateroom you would have to lean out and look around the divider. (Something that would be very obvious.) we had a center hump cabin (9340 I think it was) I could look ahead and behind on the ship so I could see plenty of people standing on their balconies. You will love the balcony.

[BillOh]

On this photo, which is the deck that we see directly above the lifeboat row? I'm trying to figure out where we will be (midship on Deck 6).

 

 

Life boats are on deck 5, so 6 is right above.

[lori450]

I know, I have never tried to close the curtains, so I really don't know what they do. Try going on a roll call for an upcoming sailing and ask someone to try them out for you.

 

I guess I had had too much to drink that day??? Maybe I was laying on the bed at the time???

 

8638 - oooooh great location

 

I remember the port side seeing the coasts during our Eastern itinerary (but now we all know how reliable my memory is, so......)

[auggiemom]

Thanks for all your help in my decision of 8638. We have always stayed on the other side, so this will give us a different view altogether, no matter what.

[Scotch]

I just read this recent review. Is it true that the fried rice in Jade uses chopped hotdogs?!!

[Scotch]

I'm sorry if this question has been asked and answered -- I've read all 30+ pages on this thread but I just can't remember if someone has already asked this!!

 

On embarkation day, do we only have the Windjammer as the dining option? If not, what are the other choices? (I keep reading reviews about how jammed Windjammer is on embarkation day and with a party of six including two toddlers I would like to look for a less chaotic experience.)

[Lionesss]

Having only recently sailed Disney Magic and Mariner of the seas, (RCI) would you feel comfortable letting a 14 year old daughter go off with her friends to the age appropriate activities.

The reason I ask is that the Freedom is so much bigger than anything we ever sailed, and I just wondered if it is as safe.

I realize their are looney tunes everywhere, but my question is in regards to group actiities. Not free reign of the ship.

[lori450]

Windjammer is open as is the Promenade cafe and Sorrentos. However, Promenade and Sorrentos are small venues. They are on deck 5 on the Promenade. It's nice to watch the people as they come aboard and marvel at the ship.

 

I would let a 14 year old come and go; however, I would establish some clear guidelines and walkie talkies are a great advantage. It's a big ship.

[Cuizer2]

Having only recently sailed Disney Magic and Mariner of the seas, (RCI) would you feel comfortable letting a 14 year old daughter go off with her friends to the age appropriate activities.

The reason I ask is that the Freedom is so much bigger than anything we ever sailed, and I just wondered if it is as safe.

I realize their are looney tunes everywhere, but my question is in regards to group actiities. Not free reign of the ship.

 

Realistically the Freedom is not that much bigger than the Mariner. If you felt comfortable with your daughter on the Mariner, then I would expect you would feel the same about her on the Freedom.

[2bFREEonTHEseas]

I just got done reading 40 or so of the these reviews on the FOS and for the most part, 35 of them were 4+ on the 1 out of 5 scale and the other 5 were 2's and 3's. I think as a person thinking about cruising should read these reviews, but perhaps not take them heart. Surprisingly, most usually review the bad stuff and forget to talk about the good stuff...and here...90% were all good and only 10% bad...so all in all I find it hard to believe that someone could have the worst time of their lives on this ship! But...with that said...i wonder what these cruisers expect on the cruise...??? Perhaps some of these people just need to buy a multimillion dollar yaght, hire thier own captain and chef and enjoy the cruise they are seeking!!!

[suzyaz]

We are thinking of staying onboard during the OR Jamaica Port day. What is something that you do when staying on Freedom on a port day???

We have never stayed onboard during ports. This will be our 1st.

[lori450]

We are thinking of staying onboard during the OR Jamaica Port day. What is something that you do when staying on Freedom on a port day???

We have never stayed onboard during ports. This will be our 1st.

 

We do it all the time. We don't care for Jamaica too much. It's great onboard. Nice and quiet, no crowds.

[nbp]

Good question! We are sailing into San Juan at 3:00 and have reservations at Chops at 6:30 and really don't want to get off he ship for the short period of time. We were thinking about spa treatments, they are suppose to be special while we are in port. Any other suggestions?

[balcony4u]

i just wanted to answer your question about connecting rooms. on our upcoming freedome cruise we have a balcony 9396 and our two children are in the connecting inside room 9401. this was only $200 more then a balcony for the four of us! deck nine is the only deck that does this witht the connecting rooms.

 

my sister-in-law had these rooms and she gave us the idea. this is our first cruise with the kids and i really did not want to give up my balcony. this was the perfect solution because i also was not comfortable with them across the hall. this way i get the best of both worlds. i get the balcony, my kids connected and the savings of having them in an inside cabin. plus i have two bathrooms and closets!

 

hope this helps:)

[T&Tmom]

Does anyone know what is between 9617 and 9621? It is an open space on the deck plans. Just curious if it is a storage closet, or something else. Thanks.

[suzyaz]

Good question! We are sailing into San Juan at 3:00 and have reservations at Chops at 6:30 and really don't want to get off he ship for the short period of time. We were thinking about spa treatments, they are suppose to be special while we are in port. Any other suggestions?

 

That sounds great. Spa Treatments. Thank you.

[suzyaz]

We do it all the time. We don't care for Jamaica too much. It's great onboard. Nice and quiet, no crowds.

 

Thank you.

[idigum]

Hi all, long time lurker first time poster here...

 

My head is spinning after reading/scanning the 30 some pages of this thread, I am about to book on the Freedom for August of this year, so I am doing my research thru this site reading anything and everything people have experienced about this ship.

 

There are 4 in my family that will be going, myself, my wife, plus our 2 kids (ages 8 & 5). My question is about their Adventure Ocean kids clubs. Most of the reviews I've read have been in the vein of "they're great" but not much more detail, naturally I've also seen some that say their kids hated it. So I am torn about this, maybe I just need someone to reassure me that my kids will have a blast if we leave them there. My wife and I cruised on the Majesty of the Seas for our honeymoon 10 years ago and loved every minute of it, we strolled by the Adventure Ocean area just in passing but it was never a factor for us back then.

 

My son (8) is pretty active and a sports nut, I'm not sure he would be happy sitting in some room doing crafts or playing on the computer the whole day. Will there be enough "active" stuff for him to do in his age group? My daughter (5) is more the coloring, crafts, dress up type so I can see her having a grand ole time.

 

I am not opposed to just keeping my kids with us the whole time if that is what they will enjoy the most, but I would like them to experience all the ship has to offer while we are on her.

 

Thoughts? Advise?

[Cuizer2]

Hi all, long time lurker first time poster here...

 

My head is spinning after reading/scanning the 30 some pages of this thread, I am about to book on the Freedom for August of this year, so I am doing my research thru this site reading anything and everything people have experienced about this ship.

 

There are 4 in my family that will be going, myself, my wife, plus our 2 kids (ages 8 & 5). My question is about their Adventure Ocean kids clubs. Most of the reviews I've read have been in the vein of "they're great" but not much more detail, naturally I've also seen some that say their kids hated it. So I am torn about this, maybe I just need someone to reassure me that my kids will have a blast if we leave them there. My wife and I cruised on the Majesty of the Seas for our honeymoon 10 years ago and loved every minute of it, we strolled by the Adventure Ocean area just in passing but it was never a factor for us back then.

 

My son (8) is pretty active and a sports nut, I'm not sure he would be happy sitting in some room doing crafts or playing on the computer the whole day. Will there be enough "active" stuff for him to do in his age group? My daughter (5) is more the coloring, crafts, dress up type so I can see her having a grand ole time.

 

I am not opposed to just keeping my kids with us the whole time if that is what they will enjoy the most, but I would like them to experience all the ship has to offer while we are on her.

 

Thoughts? Advise?

 

My suggestion would be to take the kids to Adventure Ocean in the morning and pick them up for lunch. During this time you do adult things. Then in the afternoon you can do family things. If you are on the western itinerary, you are only going to have two sea days. I forget if the eastern itinerary is two or three sea days.

[lori450]

They play this game called Gaga Ball. My son used to love it It looks like it's sort of like dodge ball, but modified. They also put on a "Circus" and show it on the Promenade during the week. There are family projects - one year they gave us some poster paper a balloon and some tape and we had to make a boat that floated. They have family scavenger hunts.

 

I have found their program to be superior to other lines (I have not experienced a Disney cruise). You can take them and if they get bored, they can page you to come and get them.

 

Hope this helps. If you want more info I can check old kids' cruise compasses. Oh, they have an outdoor program on Labadee.

[QTMichele]

Hi all, long time lurker first time poster here...

 

My head is spinning after reading/scanning the 30 some pages of this thread, I am about to book on the Freedom for August of this year, so I am doing my research thru this site reading anything and everything people have experienced about this ship.

 

There are 4 in my family that will be going, myself, my wife, plus our 2 kids (ages 8 & 5). My question is about their Adventure Ocean kids clubs. Most of the reviews I've read have been in the vein of "they're great" but not much more detail, naturally I've also seen some that say their kids hated it. So I am torn about this, maybe I just need someone to reassure me that my kids will have a blast if we leave them there. My wife and I cruised on the Majesty of the Seas for our honeymoon 10 years ago and loved every minute of it, we strolled by the Adventure Ocean area just in passing but it was never a factor for us back then.

 

My son (8) is pretty active and a sports nut, I'm not sure he would be happy sitting in some room doing crafts or playing on the computer the whole day. Will there be enough "active" stuff for him to do in his age group? My daughter (5) is more the coloring, crafts, dress up type so I can see her having a grand ole time.

 

I am not opposed to just keeping my kids with us the whole time if that is what they will enjoy the most, but I would like them to experience all the ship has to offer while we are on her.

 

Thoughts? Advise?

 

I've been told to take the kids on the FIRST day/night to AO so they can meet some of the other kids. This helps to break down the barriers. My niece went on her first cruise last week - she followed this advice and was so thankful. She had a great time (she's 13) and can't wait to go back. :) Hopefully your kids will enjoy it too. We'll be taking our kids "soon" and I'm hopeful they'll enjoy it as well. Good luck!

[jakenashleysmom]

My son (8) is pretty active and a sports nut, I'm not sure he would be happy sitting in some room doing crafts or playing on the computer the whole day. Will there be enough "active" stuff for him to do in his age group? My daughter (5) is more the coloring, crafts, dress up type so I can see her having a grand ole time. (quote)

 

My son was 9 and daughter 7 when we cruised on the Mariner last year. He is pretty active and likes sports and loved adventure ocean. I would say they do more "active" activities than crafts/computer time. My daughter wasn't crazy about the place, as she would rather do crafts and quiet play than sports/games. When they are playing a game, all the kids are involved, meaning if they don't want to play they are not allowed to sit back and color or use the computer. Not that they are "forced" to play anything, but encouraged to do so. Hope this helps.

Edited January 15, 2009 by jakenashleysmom

[idigum]

My suggestion would be to take the kids to Adventure Ocean in the morning and pick them up for lunch. During this time you do adult things. Then in the afternoon you can do family things. If you are on the western itinerary, you are only going to have two sea days. I forget if the eastern itinerary is two or three sea days.

 

Thanks to all for the quick responses.

 

I think that is what we will end up doing, dropping them off in the morning of the 1st sea day (we are taking the western route - so its the 1st morning after departure day) at AO and see if they enjoy it, checking up on them at lunch time and go from there.

 

Our cruise is going to be on August 16-23 (so far no Roll Call for this sailing yet...), its the week before my kids go back to school. Typically during that time, are the ships packed with families like ourselves wanting to go on that last vacation before school, or would it be less crowded considering some of the kids would already be back in school by that time? I know price wise it is significantly cheaper if we waited to go on the Freedom the following week (eastern) or 2 weeks later (western), but since we had to fit it around the kids' schedules *grumble* we had very little choice.

 

I know I will have about a hundred more questions about this ship and the ports we will visit in the next few days, so please bear with me :D You guys are the best.

Edited January 15, 2009 by idigum

[lori450]

The Florida schools usually start that week. So, most likely you will have families from other states. I don't know how crowded they get at that time. Your price is usually a good gauge. If the cruise is cheap, then they don't traditionally have a lot of demand, if it's expensive, then the kids are usually off of school and families go on vacation. Hope this helps.