Freedom of the Seas Advice

[#4'smom]

I am thinking of booking the FOS sailing Aug 30th for myself, DH, DS(17) & DD(15). Since we're coming from the west coast of Canada (a long way to Florida), I want to make sure I'm making the right decisions.

 

Firstly, I know this is hurricane season but does anyone know if RCL tries to avoid the storms? Please share with me your experiences sailing the Western Caribbean during the hurricane season.

 

Secondly, the cabins I've chosen are E2 balcony on Deck 8 and PR across the hall for the kids. Are these good choices or does anyone have a better suggestion?

 

We're wanting to spend 4 days in Orlando prior to the cruise and want to do US/IOA, a waterpark and Seaworld. Is the humity quite stifling in August as this may effect the time we spend at these parks?

[golfer1966]

Storms - Yes, RCI tries to go to another port or if they have to will go to the Eastern instead if there is a major hurricane.

 

Rooms - Allot of people like the Promenade Rooms, I cant comments as I have never been in one. Sorry....

 

Florida - Florida in August will be very hot and humid. I guess it all depends if you mind the heat and humidity, but it will be very different than Canada's weather. :)

 

I assume you know that Orlando is a good ways ( several hours by car )away from Miami right?

[cyndyt]

I was on a ship during a hurricane, and yes they do go out of their way to avoid the storms. Our 7 day cruise turned into 10 days. Not a problem for us as we had driven to the port.

Orlando will be humid in August, and you generally have a chance of thunderstorms every afternoon. Very similar to the weather we have near the Great Lakes in the summer.

Have a great time.

[cb at sea]

Of course they try to avoid storms!!! That ship cost a bundle---they don't want to mess it up! (Or, the passengers, of course!)

[FigmentsKiss]

I haven't been on a RCCL cruise during hurricane season, but have been on a DCL ship that got an itinerary change to avoid a hurricane. They will do what they can to avoid bad weather, but if there is a lot of bad weather- they can not guarantee that you will not have a rainy cruise.

 

The weather in Orlando will be hot and humid. Waterpark will probably be enjoyable. Standing in line for rides, not as much, but there will be lines and crowds- so obviously weather doesn't stop people. Get a rain poncho and take advantage of the afternoon rain shower (if there is one), it will be a little cooler, and usually the crowds hide for a little while.

 

I haven't been in a PR room (and won't get to be in one till Nov) but your plan sounds good for right across the hall.

[CruisingCaraCat]

I have had over 40 cruises on RCI and have hoad to dodge hurricanes a few times. The one thing not to do is get too concerned about which ports you visit as if it is necessary ports may be cancelled or substituted for due to weather. The one danger is the ship may not be able to dock in Canaveral if the storm is there. That is a very small possibility though. I have never let hurricane season dictate my cruise schedule, as a matter of fact I am booked on the Freedom for September 6, 2009.

 

Somebody above said it is hours to the port, I am sure you know that Freedom now leaves from Port Canaveral which is an extremely easy 40 mile drive from Orlando. Everybody has an opinion how to get there from there and I am sure you can find one posted.

 

As far as Florida weather if you are not used to the heat/humidity you might find it a little tiring but I wouldn't let it affect your decisions, Orlando has a great number of family attractions, all of which are good in my opinion.

 

Lastly the Freedom is a wonderful ship, I am sure your family will have a terrific time.

[printingchick]

Great ship selection when traveling with kids. There is so much to do.

 

I used to live in Florida and yes, it will be very hot and humid in late August. You will also get afternoon showers pretty much every day.

 

I believe that Freedom goes out of Port Canaveral now (Orland) and not Miami any more. In that case, you'll have no trouble combining these two vacations.

[sailingawaysoon]

Yes, the ship is going out of port canaveral now. I can't tell you much about the promenade rooms, but I can tell you that this is one awesome ship and there will be tons for you and your family to do. We typically always travel during hurricane season, due to the lower rates. We've always steered clear of any bad weather and had a great cruise. I guess we are lucky. Have a great cruise!

[IBookHePays]

We are doing the same cabin location on the Mariner soon...so obviously I think that's a good plan! Although we are a bit down the hall from the kids on the hump, I choose their PR cabin further down so they didn't just have a view of the Guest Relations desk!

[1st mate]

My wife and I did the same thing a few years ago on Voyager. We had the best of both worlds. We could sit and enjoy the balcony and we could watch the promenade. The kids enjoyed it very much. One thing we did do, when we first got our rooms, was to talk to the cabin steward. We all four met with her so she knew where we were and who we were, if there was a problem. She treated us great and the kids like her own, needless to say she earned and recieved a very generous tip and a huge thank you. We would do it again.

[Chuggiebug]

We have chosen the Freedom on August 30 and are looking forward it. We live in Florida and our feeling is that if hurricane threatens, we will enjoy the novelty of it. If we are at sea longer, we get more sea time and no extra money. If they have to shorten it as sometimes happen, they will reimburse us some and we will cruise another time.

 

Granted. We do not have to worry about planes schedules etc.

[Seaside2358]

I am also on the Freedom Aug. 30 cruise. After my experience with Hurricane Wilma which caused the Enchantment to be cancelled all together I swore I would NEVER cruise again during hurricane season and here I am. :D

[martini4me]

We just came back from a cruise on the Freedom. My daughter stayed with my sister-in-law in a promenade cabin, and it was great. There's a nice, (relatively speaking) large sitting area in front of the promenade windows, and it gives you a nice view for the parades/shows/people-watching. We spent three days at Univerasal Orlando afterward.

 

We were also at Disney for a week last August. It was very hot and probably humid (can't say I recall that, though). It didn't bother me too much, but it can really wear you down. If you're from Vancouver, you won't be used to heat/humidity as much as we are in Toronto.

[mecarroll]

I have had over 40 cruises on RCI and have hoad to dodge hurricanes a few times. The one thing not to do is get too concerned about which ports you visit as if it is necessary ports may be cancelled or substituted for due to weather. The one danger is the ship may not be able to dock in Canaveral if the storm is there. That is a very small possibility though. I have never let hurricane season dictate my cruise schedule, as a matter of fact I am booked on the Freedom for September 6, 2009.

 

Somebody above said it is hours to the port, I am sure you know that Freedom now leaves from Port Canaveral which is an extremely easy 40 mile drive from Orlando. Everybody has an opinion how to get there from there and I am sure you can find one posted.

 

As far as Florida weather if you are not used to the heat/humidity you might find it a little tiring but I wouldn't let it affect your decisions, Orlando has a great number of family attractions, all of which are good in my opinion.

 

Lastly the Freedom is a wonderful ship, I am sure your family will have a terrific time.

 

We're on the same cruise!!! Yeah for us!

 

Just a thought...wouldn't the Caribbean heat and humidity be just as bad as Florida's?

[skayebs]

My dh and I on our first cruise out of Galveston were supposed to go to Key West, Caymans and Cozumel. Hurricane Ivan was heading for Florida so instead of Key West we went to Beleze, Costa Maya and Cozumel.

 

We were in 40 ft. seas and I found the ocean to be fascinating. It was a little hard to keep your footing as the ship was pitching rather severely but neither of us got sick. They did have barf bags in all of the stairwells and I heard that many crew members and passengers were ill. Once past the hurricane, the ocean really smoothed out for the remainder of the cruise.

[bajathree]

Storms - Yes, RCI tries to go to another port or if they have to will go to the Eastern instead if there is a major hurricane.

 

Rooms - Allot of people like the Promenade Rooms, I cant comments as I have never been in one. Sorry....

 

Florida - Florida in August will be very hot and humid. I guess it all depends if you mind the heat and humidity, but it will be very different than Canada's weather. :)

 

I assume you know that Orlando is a good ways ( several hours by car )away from Miami right?

 

 

It's that already:rolleyes: and only gets worse as the summer months go on.....the drip factor(that with which you break out into a sweat standing still) was about a 8 today.

[Punderful]

I am thinking of booking the FOS sailing Aug 30th for myself' date=' DH, DS(17) & DD(15). Since we're coming from the west coast of Canada (a long way to Florida), I want to make sure I'm making the right decisions.

 

Firstly, I know this is hurricane season but does anyone know if RCL tries to avoid the storms? Please share with me your experiences sailing the Western Caribbean during the hurricane season.

 

Secondly, the cabins I've chosen are E2 balcony on Deck 8 and PR across the hall for the kids. Are these good choices or does anyone have a better suggestion?

 

We're wanting to spend 4 days in Orlando prior to the cruise and want to do US/IOA, a waterpark and Seaworld. Is the humity quite stifling in August as this may effect the time we spend at these parks?[/quote']

 

Just got off the Freedom last Sunday.

 

 

• Yes, they avoid hurricanes and major storms. Sailing the Caribbean is your best choice as there are many alternative routes the ship can take in case of very bad weather.
  
• E2 Balcony is desirable and gives you the best bang your buck. It's a tad smaller than a D2 but you'll likely spend your time on deck, on shore or on your balcony anyway. PR is great for teens who'll enjoy overlooking the centrum activity which often lasts a bit beyond midnight.
  
• Orlando in August will be hot and humid. BUT, with a 4 day stay, buy the unlimited multi-day, multi-use passes, and plan to spend the hottest part of the day (typically 2-5PM) elsewhere (hotel pool?)
  
• Buy the FastAcess pass at US/IOA. It allows you to go almost to the head of the line on all of the popular attractions --well worth the money. Also, the lines are well protected in shade there, better than I've seen elsewhere.
  
• Orlando to the Freedom is 57 minute drive from Universal (easy route, Rte 4 to 528 West all the way). We found the cheapest travel option was to rent a car for our stay in Orlando and return it to the rental agency's outlet in Cape Canaveral. They then shuttle you (for free) to the pier.
  

 

You'll love the Freedom of the Sea.

[crischickie]

Just got off the Freedom last Sunday.

 

 

• Yes, they avoid hurricanes and major storms. Sailing the Caribbean is your best choice as there are many alternative routes the ship can take in case of very bad weather.
  
• E2 Balcony is desirable and gives you the best bang your buck. It's a tad smaller than a D2 but you'll likely spend your time on deck, on shore or on your balcony anyway. PR is great for teens who'll enjoy overlooking the centrum activity which often lasts a bit beyond midnight.
  
• Orlando in August will be hot and humid. BUT, with a 4 day stay, buy the unlimited multi-day, multi-use passes, and plan to spend the hottest part of the day (typically 2-5PM) elsewhere (hotel pool?)
  
• Buy the FastAcess pass at US/IOA. It allows you to go almost to the head of the line on all of the popular attractions --well worth the money. Also, the lines are well protected in shade there, better than I've seen elsewhere.
  
• Orlando to the Freedom is 57 minute drive from Universal (easy route, Rte 4 to 528 West all the way). We found the cheapest travel option was to rent a car for our stay in Orlando and return it to the rental agency's outlet in Cape Canaveral. They then shuttle you (for free) to the pier.
  

 

You'll love the Freedom of the Sea.

 

Everything Ron says is true except go EAST on 528 to reach Port Canaveral. Also, you may want to nap in the mid afternoon (instead of the pool) so you can go until mid night and be up early the next day.

 

AND, don't forget the sun screen.

 

Have a great vacation!!!