Cruise Review Freedom of the Seas !!!

[scottishwee35]

Hi Cilo1610

 

It is me again, many thanks for your trip report....:D

 

Scottishwee35

[WeirdEyes]

Great review! We'll be cruising on the Freedom on the May 24th sailing with our Scottish friends. I love your enthusiasm! Like you, we feel that the ship is the destination and the ports are secondary.

 

Just a note regarding Jamaica... It really is best to book a tour as your tour guide will keep the nagging locals away. Climbing Dunn's River Falls in Ochos Rios is one of my most pleasurable experiences while cruising.

 

Glad you had a great first cruise! :)

 

Sheila

[luckyprincess]

Great job, Clio! I loved your review and you have me excited for January!!

[Clio1610]

Thank You All for your lovely comments...

 

When I get a bad attack of PCD (Post Cruise Depression) I'm just gonna have to read my review and transport myself back there again !!!! :o:o:o

[QTMichele]

Thanks for writing your review - I loved it! My family and I are very excited to cruise on Freedom in January. Your review makes me even more excited!!!

[Clio1610]

Thanks for writing your review - I loved it! My family and I are very excited to cruise on Freedom in January. Your review makes me even more excited!!!

 

You are most Welcome QTMichele !!!

 

I have also posted some of the almost 700 Freedom photos I took during the week, on this board under "Freedom of the Seas Photos"......

 

Enjoy !!

[wendyam76]

Thank you so much for finishing the report - loved it! We have sailed on Disney about 10 times and are sailing on Freedom for the first time in July - really looking forward to it.

Wendy

[nlcentralchmps03]

I really enoyed this. Not too long, but just enough details to make you feel like you were there. Thank you very much for taking the time to write that. It was a pleasure to read.

 

We leave in 4 weeks. I couldn't be more excited.

[scottishwee35]

Cilo1610

 

I was reading about your trip report and it is about one negative that worry me....

 

Do I contact my TA before leaving to Florida? for mastercard as you mentioned that you had been charging?

 

I am not follow it what y mean and why RCI charged you?

 

thanks

 

Scottishwee35

[jaxflygirl88]

So glad you all had a nice cruise on Freedom. My husband and I leave this Sunday on Freedom for eastern Caribbean!! Can not wait. This will be our 2nd cruise together, the first was Western Caribbean on Mariner back in 2006. We had a balcony then and it totally spoiled us so we have another one for this cruise! Deck 9 very aft balcony cabin on starboard side. Last time we were very aft balcony on deck 8 port side and loved being the last balcony, because it was very private and had the glass curve to it which gives you more room and a rail to hang wet swimsuits on!

I am so glad they moved this ship to Port Canaveral since it is only a 2 hour drive from Jacksonville for us. I can't wait until Sunday!!! :) Reading your review has me so ready to go!!! Thanks for sharing!

[debs2028]

dibber stands for disney information bullitin board I have been to Disney the last couple of years and have stayed at POR and CSR both lovely resorts. The site is vey similer to this but all about disney for us Brits. I have gained invaluable information from it...have a look...just google the dibb

[Clio1610]

Cilo1610

 

I was reading about your trip report and it is about one negative that worry me....

 

Do I contact my TA before leaving to Florida? for mastercard as you mentioned that you had been charging?

 

I am not follow it what y mean and why RCI charged you?

 

thanks

 

Scottishwee35

 

 

OK scotishwee35 - I will try to explain for you....

 

Part of your Cruise Docs will include "Charge Account" paperwork, this is where you enter your Credit Card info for your onboard purchases or charges that go on your SeaPass Account to be charged to at the end of your Cruise...

 

There are 2 Options and you have to choose one of them....

 

Option A - "I choose to pay my onboard charges in the currency of my card. i.e.: I choose to use Royal Caribbean International Currency Conversion Program".

 

Option B - "I choose to have my credit card issuer convert my onboard charges to the currency of my card in lieu of participating in the Royal Caribbean International Currency Conversion Program".

 

I chose Option B - but as you can read at the bottom of my Review - RCI ignored this and charged my credit card as Option A......

 

The best advice I can give you is, when you check-in for your Cruise, tell the check-in staff which option you have chosen and make sure you delete the other one !!!

 

RCI have now corrected their mistake and I received a cheque from them on Saturday (8th May).........

 

I hope this helps you !!!!!

[MAZANDSTEVE]

I wondered if you were a dibber, if you are you will know what I mean streight away

 

Debs

 

 

I am! ;)

[Clio1610]

I wondered if you were a dibber, if you are you will know what I mean streight away

 

Debs

 

 

I am! ;)

 

 

I am now an Official Dibber !!!

 

Thanks for the nod debs !!!

[MAZANDSTEVE]

I am! ;)

 

 

I am now an Official Dibber !!!

 

Thanks for the nod debs !!!

 

 

Its a great site for Disney info and general chit chat, everyone is very nice and they dont allow things to get too heated as its a family site.

[Clio1610]

I am now an Official Dibber !!!

 

Thanks for the nod debs !!!

 

 

Its a great site for Disney info and general chit chat, everyone is very nice and they dont allow things to get too heated as its a family site.

 

 

Thanks MAZANDSTEVE !

 

theDIBB is going to be another site for me to lose hours of my life to !!!!!;););)

 

Wonder if there are many UK DVC Members on there ???

 

Whenever we go to stay at DVC resorts - we never meet or hear any other Brit Members !!!! :eek::eek::eek:

 

Wondered what had happened to them all !!!

[petesweet]

Hi Everyone !

 

Just signed on to do some more work on my review and am horrified to see the small font and lack of paragraphs !!!

 

I typed up the review in MS Word in font 16 and with paragraphs, then I saved it to my stick, copied and pasted it into the CC reply box and its turned out like this - What did I do wrong?

 

I completely understand and agree with your comments - Maybe I should have just done it under the "Reviews" and not straight into this thread ?!?!?

 

What does anyone think ?

 

I'm going to have a look at how it looks under the "Reviews" - Maybe this will be better !!!

 

That's funny, because it looks fine for some of us. I discovered something recently that really helps. I used to type stuff up in a Word document and then paste it in, and sometimes it would come out wierd. If you click on "Preview Post" (the button right beside "Submit Reply"), you will see how it will look and make adjustments before clicking on "Submit Reply."

 

Hope this helps.

 

Love the review. We hope to have a family reunion on the Freedom next May.

 

Kathy

[Clio1610]

That's funny, because it looks fine for some of us. I discovered something recently that really helps. I used to type stuff up in a Word document and then paste it in, and sometimes it would come out wierd. If you click on "Preview Post" (the button right beside "Submit Reply"), you will see how it will look and make adjustments before clicking on "Submit Reply."

 

Hope this helps.

 

Love the review. We hope to have a family reunion on the Freedom next May.

 

Kathy

 

 

Thank You for your kind suggestion Kathy !!

 

Just tried it !!!

 

I will certainly remember that for my next cruise review in Apr next year !!!

[scottishwee35]

OK scotishwee35 - I will try to explain for you....

 

Part of your Cruise Docs will include "Charge Account" paperwork, this is where you enter your Credit Card info for your onboard purchases or charges that go on your SeaPass Account to be charged to at the end of your Cruise...

 

There are 2 Options and you have to choose one of them....

 

Option A - "I choose to pay my onboard charges in the currency of my card. i.e.: I choose to use Royal Caribbean International Currency Conversion Program".

 

Option B - "I choose to have my credit card issuer convert my onboard charges to the currency of my card in lieu of participating in the Royal Caribbean International Currency Conversion Program".

 

I chose Option B - but as you can read at the bottom of my Review - RCI ignored this and charged my credit card as Option A......

 

The best advice I can give you is, when you check-in for your Cruise, tell the check-in staff which option you have chosen and make sure you delete the other one !!!

 

RCI have now corrected their mistake and I received a cheque from them on Saturday (8th May).........

 

I hope this helps you !!!!!

 

Ah I see and I got it now and understand what you mean...

 

many thanks for your advise...

 

Scottishwee35 :cool:

Ps. I also with the dibb...:D

[EBFURR]

Thank you so much, Clio, for your excellent review. We also looked at your photos which were excellent as well. Our family usually takes a summer cruise on the Mariner out of PC on the Western Itinerary, so we identified very well with your experiences. We do not have a family cruise booked this year for the first time in many years and it seems very strange not to be packing right now! We are in withdrawals for sure. The saving grace is that the wife & I have a short cruise on Enchantment booked for August, so we will have a “fix” before fall.

It is very sad that you had a bad experience in Jamaica. Unfortunately, many people have the same experience. For our family, Jamaica is one of our favorite ports. Most of the citizens are wonderful people. It is sad that you have to run the gauntlet of those very aggressive cab divers, vendors, and “tour guides” before you can get to the “real” Jamaica. We would encourage anyone not to give up on this country based upon a bad first impression. There are really a few ways to go here. One is to take a cruise line excursion which will insulate you from the hustle at the pier. The down side is that it tends to be very regimented and you can sometimes feel as if you are being “herded”.

Another option is to book yourself a private guide online. There are some good ones and many of them are glad to have even a small group of 4 – 6 people. You can arrange this online ahead of time and just meet them at the pier. There are tourism representatives (usually blue shirts & name tags) at the pier and they will help you find your guide since they know most all of them. If it is your first time with a certain guide, get the prices in an email and print it out. We do not send advance payment, as most of the better ones will not take any money from you until the end of the day anyway. Having a local guide will allow you to be flexible in your schedule and will also keep the hustlers away.

A final option is to go it alone (in a small group), but to not be intimidated by the aggressive locals. Most all of them are annoying but harmless. You will be approached, but often it is how you respond that dictates how aggressively they pursue you. Often a smile and a “no thanks mon” will be enough. If they sense that you are uncomfortable, they tend to be more aggressive. This is strange, but it seems to be “Jamaica Marketing 101”. If they can intimidate you they seem to think you may eventually give in just to get them to relent. Often, they are just looking for “respect”. If you act as if you are afraid of them, they are offended and may keep pestering you as punishment. Very odd indeed, but a part of the street culture there. Sometimes a laid back attitude will disarm the situation quickly. This approach is not for everyone, but it will work and get you past the hustlers if you are up to it. This is a better option for those that have been to the port before and know where they want to go.

Again, Jamaica is a beautiful country with many wonderful people. It is a shame that a very small contingency of the population tends to give so many a bad concept of the place.

We really want to try the Freedom and may do that next summer. Your photos and review helped us to decide. Have a great time on Oasis!

[Clio1610]

Thank you so much, Clio, for your excellent review. We also looked at your photos which were excellent as well. Our family usually takes a summer cruise on the Mariner out of PC on the Western Itinerary, so we identified very well with your experiences. We do not have a family cruise booked this year for the first time in many years and it seems very strange not to be packing right now! We are in withdrawals for sure. The saving grace is that the wife & I have a short cruise on Enchantment booked for August, so we will have a “fix” before fall.

 

It is very sad that you had a bad experience in Jamaica. Unfortunately, many people have the same experience. For our family, Jamaica is one of our favorite ports. Most of the citizens are wonderful people. It is sad that you have to run the gauntlet of those very aggressive cab divers, vendors, and “tour guides” before you can get to the “real” Jamaica. We would encourage anyone not to give up on this country based upon a bad first impression. There are really a few ways to go here. One is to take a cruise line excursion which will insulate you from the hustle at the pier. The down side is that it tends to be very regimented and you can sometimes feel as if you are being “herded”.

 

Another option is to book yourself a private guide online. There are some good ones and many of them are glad to have even a small group of 4 – 6 people. You can arrange this online ahead of time and just meet them at the pier. There are tourism representatives (usually blue shirts & name tags) at the pier and they will help you find your guide since they know most all of them. If it is your first time with a certain guide, get the prices in an email and print it out. We do not send advance payment, as most of the better ones will not take any money from you until the end of the day anyway. Having a local guide will allow you to be flexible in your schedule and will also keep the hustlers away.

 

A final option is to go it alone (in a small group), but to not be intimidated by the aggressive locals. Most all of them are annoying but harmless. You will be approached, but often it is how you respond that dictates how aggressively they pursue you. Often a smile and a “no thanks mon” will be enough. If they sense that you are uncomfortable, they tend to be more aggressive. This is strange, but it seems to be “Jamaica Marketing 101”. If they can intimidate you they seem to think you may eventually give in just to get them to relent. Often, they are just looking for “respect”. If you act as if you are afraid of them, they are offended and may keep pestering you as punishment. Very odd indeed, but a part of the street culture there. Sometimes a laid back attitude will disarm the situation quickly. This approach is not for everyone, but it will work and get you past the hustlers if you are up to it. This is a better option for those that have been to the port before and know where they want to go.

 

Again, Jamaica is a beautiful country with many wonderful people. It is a shame that a very small contingency of the population tends to give so many a bad concept of the place.

 

We really want to try the Freedom and may do that next summer. Your photos and review helped us to decide. Have a great time on Oasis!

 

Thank you very much for your kind comments EBFURR !!

 

As we are now completely addicted to cruising, I have no doubt that we shall visit Jamaica again at some point in the future, so again, I thank you for your advice and tips...

[MJN]

Thanks Clio1610 for a wonderful review of your Freedom of the seas cruise. We are booked for August 23 but it will be an Eastern Caribbean cruise for us. I was interested that you said the front of the ship did have too much movement for you, I had expected it would. We are booked in a corner aft cabin, also on deck 9. So glad you enjoyed your cruise so much. Ours will be our 8th cruise but the first on a Freedom class ship so we can't wait to see how much bigger this one will be than the Voyager class ship.

We had a similar experience in Jamaica on our Voyager Cruise. We had been booked on an excursion so ours happened more to us on our return to the ship. They really can be scarey when they get so pushy. It also happened to us once in Nassau where a peddler chased me down the street to try and sell me something I had some passing interest in.

I also saw your pictures you posted and they were really interesting. Thanks again for posting all of this and glad to hear you had such a wonderful first cruise.

MJN

[sparty1]

We watched ‘Sailaway from Cozumel’ from up on Deck 12 at 6:30pm before having a pizza in Sorrento’s and then picking up some bargains at the “Royal Promenade Sale”, mainly RCI Logo merchandise, t-shirts etc… We had a Bud outside the Bull & Bear Pub, did some people-watching before returning to our Stateroom to watch the Departure Video on Channel 27, as requested by Richard Spacey our Cruise Director, and then to bed…..

To be Contd.....

thx so much for your views of the "seas'. they'e great to read. Never been on one of these mamouth ships b4, either, and am wondering about the Promenade. Do all the shops and cafes have a charge for coffee and soda? Like Sorrentos--is the pizza there part of the cruise food fare, like the upstairs cafe, Windjammer? it seems like all the new, large ships are adding new things, but also adding costs for them? No all-inclusive pricing anymore. :rolleyes:Just curious. We go on Freedom this month. thx, sparty1

[Clio1610]

thx so much for your views of the "seas'. they'e great to read. Never been on one of these mamouth ships b4, either, and am wondering about the Promenade. Do all the shops and cafes have a charge for coffee and soda? Like Sorrentos--is the pizza there part of the cruise food fare, like the upstairs cafe, Windjammer? it seems like all the new, large ships are adding new things, but also adding costs for them? No all-inclusive pricing anymore. :rolleyes:Just curious. We go on Freedom this month. thx, sparty1

 

Hi sparty1 !!

 

There is no charge for regular coffee on the Royal Promenade (although there is for "specials") however "soda" is charged for (but not lemonade, iced tea, water, milk, tea & hot chocolate !) The Pizza's in Sorrentos are fab and included in your cruise fair !!!

 

You will have a wonderful time on Freedom - she and her wonderful Crew are sensational !!!

[Clio1610]

Thanks Clio1610 for a wonderful review of your Freedom of the seas cruise. We are booked for August 23 but it will be an Eastern Caribbean cruise for us. I was interested that you said the front of the ship did have too much movement for you, I had expected it would. We are booked in a corner aft cabin, also on deck 9. So glad you enjoyed your cruise so much. Ours will be our 8th cruise but the first on a Freedom class ship so we can't wait to see how much bigger this one will be than the Voyager class ship.

We had a similar experience in Jamaica on our Voyager Cruise. We had been booked on an excursion so ours happened more to us on our return to the ship. They really can be scarey when they get so pushy. It also happened to us once in Nassau where a peddler chased me down the street to try and sell me something I had some passing interest in.

I also saw your pictures you posted and they were really interesting. Thanks again for posting all of this and glad to hear you had such a wonderful first cruise.

MJN

 

Thank you MJN for your very kind comments !!! You will have a wonderful time on Freedom !!

 

I too expected to feel some movement at the front of the ship, but we did not - however we did have the swaying sensation every time we got off !!! That was a bit bizarre :eek:

 

I find myself every Sunday at approx 9:30am (uk time) looking at the Port Canaveral webcam and watching Freedom arrive back in port, and then again later around 9:30pm ish watching her leave for another fab cruise..... Not sure if you have seen this but here is the link:

 

http://www.portcanaveral.org/webcam.htm

 

 

:o:o:o:o:o

 

Enjoy !!!!!