Freedom - my "non-review" review and stuff you may want to know

[cruisinskier]

We are just back from a great week on Freedom (March 9-16). Rather than provide the typical review, I thought I would try to provide some info to help anyone else planning a future cruise on Freedom. Hope this helps…..

 

Ø Soda cards: available only the first day at a rate of $4/day for kids (17 & under) and $6/day for adults.

 

Ø Flow Rider: private lessons are available at $60/person for a semi-private 1 hour lesson with a group of up to 8 people. We did this for our kids and they had a great time. During the regular open times, line-ups were very long at the Flow Rider and you could wait 20-30 minutes for your 20 second ride….also during the private lessons, they teach surfing so you can stand, not just lay on the boogie board (but you can do that too). Lessons did sell out for the week so if interested book it early. And a note as to what to wear, the water jets are strong so ladies wear a T-shirt (or check U-Tube for results of what happens if you don’t!) and guys should tie up those trunks real tight (we had one guy who got “pantsed”…in discussions with the instructors, someone loses pieces of bathing suit at least daily)

 

Ø Internet: While most of the boat is Wi-Fi, there is no weekly internet package available on Freedom. Yes a weekly package is available on other RCL boats, but not here. Best rate for a package was $55 for 150 minutes or $0.37 / minute. Rate is $0.55 if you do not take a package. A better rate is available in the teen lounge ($0.33 / minute) but only the kids are allowed in.

 

Ø Buffet: It is what it is….a buffet with lots of choices, food overall was good but will never compare to the dining room food yet people try to compare. Our issue was that from day to day there was not much (if any) change in the items at the buffet (especially breakfast). There did not seem to be any “theme” from day to day, just here it is, come and get the same stuff. The buffet typically had short lines but never seemed too crowded and tables could be found within a minute of searching. Overall, finding a table was not an issue and we had 6 of us.

 

Ø Dining Room: we had the traditional 2nd sitting in the dining room and the menu choices were excellent. There was a good variety each night with your beef, fish and veggie options. Of the 8 of us at our table, most plates were licked clean each night. There are standard items which remain on the menu as option each night in addition to the menu items. These include Caesar salad, chicken breast, New York steak, etc. Everyone had a very good dining experience and food / portion size were above average. Lobster has been reduced to Lobster tail one night with some shrimp added. My only complaint here was on the one night my daughter tried something out of her comfort zone and did not like it, the waiter was not asking her why she didn’t eat her food and was not offering something else to replace it. Freedom does now offer anytime dining on the upper level of the dining room however only if you book this before your cruise and pre-pay all of your gratuities.

 

Ø Chops: GO to Chops!! We celebrated my Mother’s birthday in Chops and had amazing service with excellent food for all (the best Filet Mignon I have ever had!). Easily worth the $25 / person for this experience. And it is an experience….do not go if you want a quick meal. We were there for 2.5 hours and totally enjoyed it!

 

Ø Formal Nights: there were 2 formal nights which is pretty standard. The first as expected was on Monday on a sea day after our Sunday departure. The second was on Thursday which was a port day in St Maarten. Given that we had two at sea days on Friday and Saturday, it would have made more sense to me to have the 2nd formal night on Friday night. Maybe it was just me that thought this didn’t make sense with everyone rushing back from a day in port.

 

Ø Gym: we used the gym 3 times during the week. It gets real busy around 8:00 am but otherwise it wasn’t bad. They have lots of equipment however seemed to have too many treadmills (some always empty) and not enough cross-trainers (10) as they were typically all in use. Maybe it is just that we prefer the elliptical machines so we found them busy. There is a water fountain in the gym and they confirmed it is filled with filtered water. Therefore, buy a small water bottle the first day and refill it at the water fountain so you are not buying bottled water each time you go to the gym.

 

Ø Walking: there is a track on deck 11, however you are fighting lounge chairs, people, waiters with drinks, etc so it is a challenge to get around the deck at times. If you are looking for a quiet spot to walk, try deck 4. You can walk right around the boat in relative peace and I found this a great spot to cool down after my work-out (granted you are in shade compared to the sun on deck 11). An added bonus at the front of deck 4 there are stairs up to deck 5 which takes you out to the front of the ship onto the helipad. This is a great spot to watch going in or out of port (and not very busy!). Deck 4 is also a great spot to find a quiet lounge chair to read, sleep, etc.

 

Ø Shows: see the ice skating show and Quest. They are very different but both should be at the top of your list for entertainment. The Broadway show in the main theatre was also very good. The magician was good. The “fairy tale” show, not so much….

 

Ø Ice Skating: skating is free and skates are provided. Make sure you note there are 2 types of skates (hockey and figure skates). Both look the same so make sure you do not end up with picks on your skates if you are not used to them….I found this out the hard way!

 

Ø Mini golf: Just walk up, grab a putter & ball and off you go. Adventurous 9 hole course.

 

Ø Johnny Rockets: worth doing once to say you did it but I had a hard time paying a cover charge when I could go to the buffet and get a similar burger for free.

 

Ø Pictures: there will be no shortage of opportunities to have your picture taken. On this boat more than any other there seemed to always be photo booths set up. In the past I only saw these on Formal nights but on Freedom they seemed to have the photographers out every night of the cruise. Prices were $20 for an 8x10....we didn't buy any but my Mom more than made up for us!

 

Ø Royal Promenade: this is a multi-use facility. Numerous shops, wine bar, pub, barber shop, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, a pizza shop (good free pizza), a coffee shop (free cookies, coffee, tea, etc unless you wanted a specialty coffee). The Promenade was also the venue for 2 parades, the captain’s welcome aboard party and a 70’s dance party. There was always something going on here. We found the pub had the best live entertainment and was always jammed beyond capacity. Too bad they couldn’t make the pub larger.

 

Ø Cabins: we had a balcony cabin (deck 6) and our kids had a promenade inside cabin. We felt the balcony cabin was larger and better laid out than the ones we have had on previous cruises and yet we felt like we kept running into each other. No real drawer space other than in the desk for socks, etc. If you want shampoo & conditioner, bring it. The shower has an all purpose soap container but no little shampoo bottles, etc. The bed was extremely comfortable and extra pillows were provided when requested. The balcony itself was fairly deep. The kids had a great view of all the things going on in the Promenade and noise was not an issue.

 

Ø Kids: we were cruising during March break and while the boat was busy, we certainly did not feel overrun by kids. The H20 zone works wonders as during the day all the smaller kids are at that water park. And the kids centre had lots going on for all ages. Our teens just kind of hung out in “Fuel” and “the Living Room” watching movies, playing X-box and using computers, etc. While there were lots of kids on the boat, they all seemed to stick in their own little groups rather than congregate together. There is a 1:00am curfew for all 17 and under unless they are with their parents.

 

Ø Itinerary: San Juan has great architecture. We visited El Morro fort which was neat to see ($3 entrance fee for adults, kids free). Suggest a cab to the fort (up hill) and then walk back to the port via the shopping district. In St Thomas, we had arranged an excursion to St John where we swam and snorkeled at Trunk Bay (great beach!). While this trip could be done on your own cheaper, the tour included a 45 minute boat ride each way (larger boat with in excess of 100 people on board) and “taxi” transportation to and from the beach (taxis were the larger pickups (think Ford 350) which were customized with seats added to the back and were all detailed…there was pride of ownership and almost a competition to outdo each other – all were in great shape). Given we had my parents with us, doing the shoe excursion made much more sense than trying to do it on our own. In St Maarten, we tried to go zip lining but it was fully booked. We ended up going sea kayaking and snorkeling instead. Snorkeling was actually better here than at St John. We would visit these islands again for sure.

 

Ø Crowds: only twice all week did I feel really crowded. Once was coming out a show in the main theatre while another group was waiting for the 2nd show and there were also photographers with lineups. The area was totally congested. The second time was trying to get back on the boat in St Maarten. We were running late (so we thought) and grabbed a cab back to the boat only to find huge lines that took approx 25-30 minutes for us to get on the boat. While we were scheduled to leave port at 4:30, it was really closer to 5:30 before we pulled out.

 

Ø Deck Chairs: yes the chair hogs were busy this week. There are various staff in “deck patrol” t-shirts but didn’t see them doing too much…..if you look hard enough, you will find a chair but not necessarily where you want it to be.

 

Overall, we had a great time and the Freedom of the Seas truly is a destination on its own. You could go 7 days and never get off the boat and have a great time. We all agreed we would cruise again on the Freedom. Well, I started out saying I wasn’t going to do a review but I guess I have. Just too much to talk about with Freedom! To summarize, if you are thinking about a cruise on Freedom, book it.

[Fun@C]

Great review!! I want to cruise on her soon! Thanks!!:)

[Aprille]

Wow! Great, detailed review. Thanks!

 

One question - with the proliferation of photographers, are they available while taking the private lessons on the Flowrider? I would love for both DH and I to do this but definitely want photographic proof that we did it. :D

[pmfan]

Great review. Thanks for posting it.

[disneyfreak]

Thanks so much for the info. I sail on her in 9 days, but who's counting? :D

[CaesarsNcruisin4me]

Wow! Great, detailed review. Thanks!

 

One question - with the proliferation of photographers, are they available while taking the private lessons on the Flowrider? I would love for both DH and I to do this but definitely want photographic proof that we did it. :D

 

Nope, no photographers during the pivate lessons. We had 3 people in our group (had to pay for 4) and we had other people take photos of us with our own cameras as the ship photographers were not there. You would think with the $60 fee pp that they would have a photographer around.:rolleyes:

 

Oh BTW OP.....you can buy soda cards everyday on the cruise. However, the price is the same no matter if you buy it on day one or day 5. What I mean is that you end up paying the pp rate for all seven days even if you buy the card on day 5.;)

[Kiki in Michigan]

Did you have to make your reservations at Chops the first day on board or did you wait? My husband & I would love to try both restaurants but just not sure what nights. We are traveling with our 2 daughters age 13 & 11. Can they go to Chops too?

[hipster1]

GREAT REVIEW!!

 

We were on the March 2nd sailing!

 

Just a little side note...You can sign up for My time dining once onboard. We had early seating originally. Went on the first night..didnt really "pair" well with the other 2 couples..so I headed up to deck 5 ( Gailileo) on Monday..and no problem..signed up for My time dining..I just had to fill the form out for my gratuties with our room #. We never made reservations..Each night, we just showed up around 6:30..and got a table for 2 every night..I highly recommend this if you want dining flexibility!!

 

Allie

[sustyse]

Thanks for all the info. Can't wait to board Freedom in October.

[linkerbink]

Thanks for all the info! We sail her on October 5th...I'm going to print out your review and add it to my pile of "stuff" to take!

[kittymom65]

Nice "non" review! Thanks for sharing

[Aprille]

Nope, no photographers during the pivate lessons. We had 3 people in our group (had to pay for 4) and we had other people take photos of us with our own cameras as the ship photographers were not there. You would think with the $60 fee pp that they would have a photographer around.:rolleyes:

Well that's a big fat bummer! You'd think for that price a picture or two might even be included! :p ;) :D

 

They do have photographers there sometimes, don't they? I seem to recall on Samantha Brown's show on Freedom that they were showing some of the ship photographers' photos of her and there were some Flowrider ones. But maybe that was just because she was a VIP passenger. :rolleyes:

[danyelle]

Wonderful review, thanks!

Where did you snorkel in St. Martin?

[katiel53]

Did you have to make your reservations at Chops the first day on board or did you wait? My husband & I would love to try both restaurants but just not sure what nights. We are traveling with our 2 daughters age 13 & 11. Can they go to Chops too?[/QUOTe]

 

In Chops or Portofino the minimum age, posted in the dailies, is 13. It is a long dinner and most children under 13 get bored and don't want to sit for 2 hours or so.

 

I will bet that your daughters will want to spend their time with kids their own ages and that you and your husband will be able to have a dinner for 2 in Chops. Just a guess based on other postings.

 

Enjoy!

[max44]

Great non-review.

Ive also printed it out to take with us:)

Thankyou

[cruisinskier]

To answer a couple of the questions, we did book Chops shortly after boarding the ship. Having said that, there were empty tables the night we went (but we also had a late sitting at 8:30). Our kids are 14 & 17 and both wanted to go again).

 

There were no photographers at the private lessons at the flowrider however there were photographs taken there a few times throughout the week during the normal operating times. I guess they figure they can take pictures of 100 people in the time they would only get 8 during the private lessons. After all, it is all about revenue!

[cruisinskier]

Danyelle, here is the details of our kayak / snorkel tour from the RCl website. I suppose you could just grab a cab to this resort and snorkel at the reef just off from their beach:

 

"The tour leaves from the sandy beach at the Port de Plaisance Resort after a short kayak and snorkeling instruction by the guide. You will paddle through the Simpson Bay Lagoon past multi million dollar yachts of the stars which dock here in the high season and then continue under the Simpson Bay Bridge across the Kim Sha Bay until you reach a small beach at the Pelican Resort.

 

This is where you will beach your kayak and have a 10-minute snorkeling instruction by your guide. You will swim along with your guide for 5 minutes to the shallow reef at Pelican Rock, a nesting haven for Pelicans and Terns, where you will spend 45 minutes to an hour looking at the beautiful world below. Elegant Angel Fish, brightly colored Parrot Fish and hundreds of reef fish are just a few of the amazing creatures you will glimpse in this serene location. There is also a beautiful sandy beach where you can rest if you feel the need to. On the way back along the Pelican coast, the guide will point out the neighboring islands of Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Kitts that can be seen clearly from this southern side of St. Maarten."