Loyal X cruisers try RCCL - LONG review

[lysolqn]

We’re loyal Celebrity cruisers (32 X cruises under our belt, with 33 and 34 between now and year’s end) who were looking for a quick end-of-summer getaway with our children and grandchildren. We had exactly one week during which all our schedules jived, thus no time for a cruise in Europe; and since we’ve all been on multiple Alaska cruises, this time we were left with only Caribbean cruises from which to choose. Since Celebrity has no ships in the Caribbean during the summer months, we had to look to another cruise line; and with Carnival and NCL never a consideration, we were left to choose from one of Royal Caribbean’s ships, ultimately deciding on Freedom of the Seas. This was our fifth cruise on RCCL but our first time back on the line since a cruise on Explorer of the Seas some eight years ago. We are well aware that RCCL’s product is quite different from X’s and wanted to avoid making comparisons between the two - which, admittedly, was difficult to avoid. I’ve tried to be as objective as possible and want to remind anyone who bothers to read further, that this review is based solely on our own experiences and observations.

 

Even before boarding, the first thing one notices about Freedom is how huge and how pleasing to the eye this ship is. Once onboard (embarkation was a breeze), it’s clear that unlike Celebrity ships which are more traditionally and more elegantly appointed, Freedom definitely excels in the “wow” factor. Whether it’s the Royal Promenade, the H2O Zone, the three-story dining room, the Flow Rider, the ice rink or any place else for that matter, on Freedom of the Seas you’re always surrounded by some kind of structural or entertainment eye candy that grabs your attention. A major plus is that the ship stops short of being an overbearing, glitzy assault on the senses and despite being a vast feast for the eyes, is tasteful in appearance. What Freedom lacks, besides the quiet, intimate places that can always be found on X ships, is the large fine art collection on X ships. There are some prints sporadically placed in the hallways but the artwork on Freedom is the ship itself, and it doesn’t come close to that on any X ship.

 

The other thing that is immediately obvious on Freedom is that you’re sailing with 4000+ other passengers. To RCCL’s credit, we never felt particularly crowded, never had to wait on long lines and never had to wait for an elevator (including on the morning of disembarkation!). The only time we ever really took notice of the vast number of people on the ship was on the pool deck on sea days – and even then, it wasn’t so much the number of people as it was the noise generated by the large number of people. Since Freedom is more than one-and-a-half times the size of X’s M-class ships (our favorites), we were concerned that we would find it much too big for our liking and had visions of having to allow for “travel” time when moving about the ship. Again to RCCL’s credit, the design is such that everything seemed to be comfortably within reach and even when walking from one end of the ship to the other, we never felt we were walking great distances to get where we were going. With very few exceptions, the ship was absolutely immaculate and showed no signs of any wear and tear that we could see.

 

We booked two balcony cabins and one junior suite on Deck 7, and the accommodations were great. (Our Crown & Anchor diamond status – mostly due to being Elite Captain’s Club members on Celebrity – afforded us a much appreciated discount on the cabins, a perk not offered by X.) The cabins on Freedom are considerably larger than those on any X ship we’ve sailed (and we’ve sailed them all numerous times) and we really enjoyed the extra spaciousness of the cabins, the balconies and the bathrooms. (Note: we didn’t miss the notorious clinging shower curtains on X!) There was ample storage space, the bedding was very comfortable and none of us noticed any wear and tear in our cabins. Unlike the small desk/vanity space on X ships, we had a rather large (almost expansive) desk/vanity area with good lighting, plenty of storage and a flat-screen TV. In addition to the queen-size bed, balcony cabins have a full-size sofa opposite the vanity area and a glass table; the junior suite also has a chair and ottoman. The air-conditioning worked especially well in our cabins (and throughout the ship), even in the intense heat and humidity of the Caribbean with the sun beating down on our side of the ship – a plus over some cabins on X, especially on the older ships. Cabin service was very good but we missed the pitcher of water that is always there on X, and we were a bit surprised to find that unless you request otherwise, the rather small ice bucket is filled only once a day. When we asked, our cabin attendant brought us a larger ice bucket and filled it twice daily but water was available only from the mini-bar ($1.95/small bottle) or the bathroom sink (didn’t even try it). Other than the shampoo dispenser in the shower, the balcony cabins provided no other bathroom amenities, although the junior suite was supplied with lotion, etc. I’d have to give RCCL the advantage over X, at least in the area of accommodations.

 

Entertainment on Freedom was pretty much endless. We caught the ice show which was very good, especially when you realize it’s taking place on a cruise ship. We caught two of the three production shows which were entertaining but virtually the same as those offered on X (though perhaps a bit more elaborate, if for no other reason than the size of the stage). We’re not fans of Bingo, pool games, discos, art auctions, wine tastings, theme nights and the like but those activities were plentiful – especially as repeatedly “advertised” over the PA system. Which brings me to the number of announcements made throughout the day (and evening). All I can say is boy, how we missed the just-once-a-day noon announcement from the bridge on Celebrity. We didn’t particularly care for the many daily announcements, especially those designed to lure pax to part with their dollars on one thing or another.

 

With 4200 people (900 children on our sailing) on Freedom, the passenger demographics were much more diverse than any we’ve encountered on Celebrity. Firstly, there were many more families with children of all ages - most of whom (I’m pleased to say) were quite well behaved. Clearly, RCCL markets to a younger, more family oriented demographic than does Celebrity and that is quite evident. We also noticed a difference in the socio-economic demographic between RCCL and X passengers. Please don’t flame me; I am not passing judgment on the socio-economic group of passengers on RCCL. I am, however, noting that there is, in fact, a very definite difference in passengers which may or may not have been unique to this cruise, the length of the cruise, the time of year, all of the above or none of the above.

 

Service on Freedom of the Seas was very good. With very few exceptions, staff and crew were particularly friendly and helpful – and that includes those who worked in Guest Relations, often a sore spot on other cruise lines. It was obvious everyone onboard knew he/she was acting as ambassador of good will for the cruise line and smiles abounded. Throughout the week, we came across only two people who clearly didn’t like their jobs; one worked in the Windjammer Café, the other waited on us for lunch in the dining room. Otherwise, there was no fault to be found with respect to service provided during the cruise. If there is a difference between service on RCCL and service on X, I’d have to say service on X is aimed at a somewhat more sophisticated, better traveled passenger and is therefore a bit more refined.

 

There is a published dress code on Freedom of the Seas which offers two formal nights, one smart casual night and four casual nights. Prior to our cruise I frequented the RCCL boards and read many posts about the dress code which were similar to many posts on the Celebrity boards – those vehemently in favor, those vehemently opposed, those who didn’t give a hoot. All I can say is that if I didn’t know RCCL has an evening dress code, the odds are I never would have suspected there was one based on how people were dressed. With respect to evening dress on Freedom, just about anything goes – and that includes shorts, bathing suit cover ups, exercise gear, jeans, tee shirts, caps, flip-flops, you name it – even in the dining room. Yes, there were those who followed the guidelines but with all due respect, what we observed was that the majority of passengers did not. Tuxedos were a rarity, dark suits and cocktail dresses weren’t too far behind. There was no distinction between smart casual and casual; and frankly, based on what we observed, for most passengers there was no distinction between casual and formal. What other people were or were not wearing was of no consequence to us, it didn’t ruin our cruise, we could care less – but it was surprising, a real eye-opener. I will never again complain about Celebrity’s failure to enforce its own dress code. ‘Nuf said about the ever-incendiary subject of the dress code.

 

And now to the subject of food on Freedom of the Seas which is clearly subjective. In a word, we found it - disappointing. With early seating too early for the adults in our family, and late seating too late for the children, prior to the cruise we booked My Time Dining - which worked out just fine for us. We were especially pleased with the waiter and assistant waiter we had the first night and requested that we be seated with them for the rest of the cruise (excepting the nights were at Portofino’s and Chops). Service was excellent as both were very pleasant, incredibly efficient and very accommodating, as was the assistant maitre d’ in charge of our section of the dining room. For us, MTD offered the best of both worlds, allowing us to eat at a time convenient for us, while at the same time affording us the advantage of having the same table and wait staff each night. In general, we thought the food at dinner was unremarkable in selection, quality and plating. Yes, some things we ordered were quite good but as a rule, from appetizers to desserts, there is no question whatsoever that the per passenger food dollar allotment on RCCL is far below that on X, obvious in both taste and presentation. On the other hand, we thought food and service in Portofino’s was exceptional; and, while the beef in Chops was far better than that served in the dining room, the restaurant otherwise fell far short of any decent landside steakhouse. Breakfast and lunch served in the Windjammer was (from our collective perspective) simply functional. It was what I would expect to see in a cafeteria or college dining hall, and seemed to be designed to please those who favor quantity in lieu of quality. Breakfast in the dining room was somewhat better; lunch in the dining room – though the same every day - was pretty good.

 

To sum it up, we enjoyed our cruise on Freedom of the Seas and are glad we had the opportunity to once again sail with RCCL. While we prefer a more traditional cruise experience, Freedom certainly has a lot going for it and RCCL offers its target demographic a lot of bang for the buck. We’ve come to the conclusion that when it comes to cruising, bigger isn’t always better. As incredible as Freedom is, it’s one big downfall is that it feels less like a cruise ship and more like a Las Vegas theme hotel - and we just happen to like the feel of a cruise ship better than that of a theme hotel. Compared to what we’ve become accustomed to on Celebrity, the RCCL product (at least based on our experience on Freedom of the Seas) is a bit too mainstream for us. We clearly prefer the niche X provides in the cruise industry. RCCL is also a bit too commercial for us. There are far too many announcement and way too much hawking of bingo and retail sales (every which way we turned, there was someone selling [not so] gold by the inch!) - not to mention extras like a $4.95 charge for fresh-squeezed orange juice at breakfast or the $14.95 charge for steak at dinner in the dining room. We saw a big difference between our first three RCCL cruises in the early 90s and our Explorer cruise in the late 90s. We saw an even bigger difference between our Explorer cruise and this one on Freedom. No doubt, RCCL offers a good product but not one that is necessarily a good fit for us.

[happy cruzer]

Very valuable review. Thank you. Makes me look forward to another Celebrity cruise.

[CruisinNewb]

Thanks for taking the time to post a detailed and informative review. It is much appreciated.

 

Ron

[spencerdrivecruiser]

Great review, thanks.

[bar_20]

Thank you for your informative review. Based on what you wrote, RCCL is not a cruise line that I will be booking. It's just not my style of cruise. I don't mind paying extra for dinner in a specialty restaurant, but I won't pay extra in the main dining room for a steak or fresh squeezed orange juice. The constant messages and hawking reminds me of NCL. I am willing to pay more for better!

[signman]

Well done. Thank you. Particularly enjoyed all the proper spelling and syntax.

 

14.95 extra for steak in the DR??? Please tell me more about this. Are there any other items with a surcharge?

[lysolqn]

Well done. Thank you. Particularly enjoyed all the proper spelling and syntax.

 

14.95 extra for steak in the DR??? Please tell me more about this. Are there any other items with a surcharge?

 

One of the specialty restaurants on Freedom is a steakhouse. In addition to the dinner offerings on the menu in the main dining room, there is what I refer to as an advertisement on the dinner menu giving you the opportunity to purchase an "upgrade" and order a steak from Chops for $14.95. I found this to be as distasteful as upgrading your morning orange juice to fresh-squeezed for a mere $4.95.

[Captain Jake]

One of the specialty restaurants on Freedom is a steakhouse. In addition to the dinner offerings on the menu in the main dining room, there is what I refer to as an advertisement on the dinner menu giving you the opportunity to purchase an "upgrade" and order a steak from Chops for $14.95. I found this to be as distasteful as upgrading your morning orange juice to fresh-squeezed for a mere $4.95.

 

They already had an upcharge for Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream and Johnny Rockets .Next it will be an upcharge for white meat Chicken and toppings on pizza

[justs4l]

Thanks for taking the time to post a detailed and informative review. It is much appreciated.

 

Ron

 

+1

 

I was really looking for a good comparison review. :)

[Miss Vickie]

Great review and comparison. I would suspect that if you tried one of the Radiance class ships, specifically Serenade out of San Juan (we've sailed her 4 times), you'd find some differences - far fewer kids, more people observing formal night.

[nothriver]

Thank you for sharing your helpful and well written review.

 

You almost had me thinking we should have booked RCCL until you got to the dining review!

[Sky Sweet]

Great review and comparison. I would suspect that if you tried one of the Radiance class ships, specifically Serenade out of San Juan (we've sailed her 4 times), you'd find some differences - far fewer kids, more people observing formal night.

 

Hi jlmolner :)

 

I had the same reaction as I read this review based on our wonderful experience on RCCL's Brilliance of the Seas.

 

It appears that RCCL's Radiance class ships have more in common with ships in other cruise lines than they do with RCCL's Freedom class ships.

 

In a similar vein, I have a feeling that Celebrity's Soltice ships will have more in common with large ships in other cruise lines than they will with Celebrity's existing ships.

[stinsowm]

Excellent review. Thank you very much for sharing the comparisions.

[lysolqn]

Hi jlmolner :)

 

In a similar vein, I have a feeling that Celebrity's Soltice ships will have more in common with large ships in other cruise lines than they will with Celebrity's existing ships.

 

We're wondering the very same thing. Here's hoping Celebrity will prove us wrong.

[FinelyCruising]

I enjoyed your thorough review. I am also pleased that there was a coherent comment on the distinct differences between the two lines ambiance of dress, RCCL has for quite some time been more inclined to be less formal. Put that together with their themed family orientation and shorter sailings, it is not what has been the old world styling of Celebrity. And that is fine, it can be just what it is, the main idea is that the Celebrity cruiser who crosses over should not be shocked, it's been reported here for a long time. Now you have seen it for yourself, and its provocative.

 

As for the steak...again, difference. Problably like a Select cut that is served in the main dining room and a Prime cut in Chops. I'd just go to Chops and get the rest of the fanfare for a few dollars more.:)

 

Thanks for the review!

[spearmint]

Thanks for an excellent post. You did well, I thought, trying to maintain objectivity overall. We, too, are sold on the Celebrity style and hope it does not deteriorate too much more....as seems to be the direction in which the new ships and dress code are heading. It makes one wonder why RCCL doesn't just amalgamate Celebrity's ships into the parent company and do away with Celebrity altogether. :eek: I sincerely hope not though.

[richsea]

Great comparison! Thanks so much! You've reinforced my opinion to never book a Royal Caribbean cruise unless it's part of of family outing. Not bad, but just not my cup of tea.

[Longboysfan]

Thanks for the review.

With the Flow rider - is there a charge for that or do you just wait in line for a turn.

Rock wall same question.

 

Thanks.

[lysolqn]

Thanks for the review.

With the Flow rider - is there a charge for that or do you just wait in line for a turn.

Rock wall same question.

 

Thanks.

 

No charge for the Flow Rider. You sign up for the day or the week and get a wristband indicating you've signed a release holding harmless RCCL, its subsidiaries, its suppliers, its employees, anyone who's ever sailed on the line, anyone who's ever glanced at one of its ships, the person who mows the lawn of someone who no longer works on the ship, the babysitter for the person who sits at the third desk away from the window in the reservations office in Kansas, the janitorial crew at the home office in Miami, the security officer who directs traffic at the Port of Miami...(I think you get the picture!)

 

Not sure about the rock climbing wall but I suspect it's pretty much the same routine.

[richsea]

Wow, this thread has taken on a life of its own on the Royal Caribbean page!

[lysolqn]

Wow, this thread has taken on a life of its own on the Royal Caribbean page!

 

Yeah, tell me about it! I've apparently been named "Pariah of the Week" for daring to mention that the always available steak alternative on the dinner menu has been nixed in favor of a $14.95 upcharge for a steak alternative which is of a somewhat higher quality than that previously offered at no charge. Who would have thought that a simple mention like that would end up causing a major a bru-ha-ha over there? (LOL)

[richsea]

Yeah, tell me about it! I've apparently been named "Pariah of the Week" for daring to mention that the always available steak alternative on the dinner menu has been nixed in favor of a $14.95 upcharge for a steak alternative which is of a somewhat higher quality than that previously offered at no charge. Who would have thought that a simple mention like that would end up causing a major a bru-ha-ha over there? (LOL)

 

I kind of think that they have left you in the dust & have finally accepted that what you have reported is true.

 

Understandably, they are upset at the additional charge, & I suspect that this is a pilot program of what may become commonplace in the cruise industry; ie: charging a "premium" for certain menu items in the main restaurant. If this is, indeed a portent of things to come & spreads to other lines, we will be reconsidering our vacation alternatives in the future

[Miss Vickie]

Hi jlmolner :)

 

I had the same reaction as I read this review based on our wonderful experience on RCCL's Brilliance of the Seas.

 

It appears that RCCL's Radiance class ships have more in common with ships in other cruise lines than they do with RCCL's Freedom class ships.

 

In a similar vein, I have a feeling that Celebrity's Soltice ships will have more in common with large ships in other cruise lines than they will with Celebrity's existing ships.

 

Sky Sweet, what an adorable little girl in your signature!

 

We've actually never been on anything larger than Radiance Class, however, we've hit every other class of RCI ships, all the way down to Empress. And we have no intention of going on the big, big ones - we love Radiance class, and are excited about our first experience with Celebrity.

 

Oh, and to those who asked: the rockwalls are free, you stand in a line, during the times they're open. The published open times are subject to the wind and the rain....

[Sky Sweet]

Sky Sweet, what an adorable little girl in your signature!

 

We've actually never been on anything larger than Radiance Class, however, we've hit every other class of RCI ships, all the way down to Empress. And we have no intention of going on the big, big ones - we love Radiance class, and are excited about our first experience with Celebrity.

 

Oh, and to those who asked: the rockwalls are free, you stand in a line, during the times they're open. The published open times are subject to the wind and the rain....

 

Thank you, jlmolner...She is our granddaughter :)

 

Since you love RCCL's Radiance Class ships, you will probably have a wonderful time on your upcoming Celebrity Summit Cruise.

 

In my opinion, Celebrity's M Class ships and RCCL's Radiance Class ships are the perfect size because they are large enough to offer many different amenities, while never feeling crowded.

 

Have a great cruise :)

[Cnd_Cruiser]

Thanks for the great review, we are trying X for the first time in January having been on RCI 3 times.