lbw

Are there any rumors as to whether the Ben and Jerry Sweets and their benefits are going to continue? I have stayed in them before and I have one booked this fall, so I hope they aren't going away.

Took us about two hours to get on board we got here at 10:45 and we were in the front of the regular line and were on faster than most at 12:30. Only problem is we are still here at the dock at 6:40. Also we just made diamond and went to the Viking crown lounge after the life boat drill ( we are one boat short still) and were told this area was for suite guests only go port side to cloud nine. After having a small bit of appetizers and no bartender we were told that was diamond plus. Go to deck 3 to the chambers. So at the chambers where there was only peanuts we were told diamond only gets red or white wine , rose or champagne. To get any mixed drinks go to any bar and use the three free drinks loaded on your sea pass. Ok that's fine but really no more diamond event or lounge.

 

 

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Did the drink situation get any better as the cruise went on? We will be on Explorer in January and have really been spoiled with a nice drink selection and hot appetizers in Diamond lounges of all of our recent cruises. I would hate to go back to the limited drink menu and peanuts. If things have gotten better, please let us know.

We were in that cabin on Freedom last week (11/9-16) and the perks were the same as has been reported. We each got a regular key card for the stateroom and a separate gold key card for the concierge lounge. We each got a coupon for one scoop per day at Ben and Jerrys. But you could skip a day and then get two scoops the next day. As it turned out, we only used the ice cream cards a couple of times. Always too much to eat elsewhere on the ship. We had the same cabin two months ago and the perks were the same then. I have heard that the key card situation and some perks may vary on the other Freedom class ships.

We did the 8 day Indy last December and loved it for all the reasons mentioned by others. Another advantage of the Indy itinerary is that most cell phone rates for San Juan are same as US and so we had no extra phone or data charges in that port. So the day we were in San Juan was a great chance to catch up on things at home without spending any extra money. We could talk on our cell phones while we were en route to various tourist spots in the city so we didn't really feel like it took away from our time enjoying the port.

I am also sailing on the 11/9 FOS and I was able to book ice show reservations when I tried on 10/3. Here's what my email confirmation says:

Below you will find a brief description of the items you have reserved.

DAY 2

10-Nov-2014

Cruising

Freedom-Ice.com

Studio B

01:45 PM

Keep trying. Good luck.

Linda

We were just in Cozumel last Friday on Freedom of the Seas. My DH and his friends used Dive with Martin (located right next to the Royal Caribbean pier) and went to Palancar for their two tank dive. I think it was about $90 pp. He said that some of the divers on that trip had been diving all over the world in places like Fiji and they said the Cozumel dive was one of the best. DH has gone with Martin several times and really likes their operation. Dive shops on other islands have told him Martin has a great reputation. And they have an excellent rating on tripadvisor. You can find them on the internet and they also have a US phone number if you want to call.

We were on the 9/14 sailing too. We met some wonderful people but also noticed some particularly rude ones. At muster drill there were two obviously drunk 20-something guys who were smoking electronic cigarettes, talking very loudly and crowding us out of line during the captain's safety talk. They didn't stop until 2 security guys pulled them out of line. Fortunately, we didn't see them again for the rest of the cruise.

Just off of Freedom today. Diamond lounge coffee machine was turned off completely all week, but the machine in the concierge lounge was partially working. It seemed to get worse every day and by the end of the week, none of the decaf buttons worked. No one seemed to know if or when the machines will be fixed or replaced. If you are looking forward to a daily capuchino on Freedom .... good luck.

We were on FOS on the 8/24 sailing and both coffee machines were broken the entire cruise. Very disappointed--one of our favorite perks.

 

 

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Did you mean that the Suite Concierge Lounge coffee machine was also broken?

Spoke with "Bertie" the concierge and he said that sometimes they would make arrangements with the small Starbucks coffee in Cafe Promenade but with 501 Diamond and Diamond Plus on board it would be too many .

So I would ask if you are on the Sept 14 sailing or later if this is a possibility

 

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Thanks for the suggestion. We will try it.

bummer! I am not much of a alcohol drinker, so I too was looking forward to that perk in the D lounge and I sail 9/14. I hope there is a substitute set up by Sunday!

We are on 9/14 sailing also and not yet Plus, but have really made use of the Diamond coffee machine on our last several cruises. We will miss those espressos. :eek: I don't know how to break the sad news to DH. He'll just have to double up on the evening drinks instead.;) We'll be aboard again in November so hopefully they get it fixed before that cruise.

Here's the situation. It's before final payment and two people, say Jones and Smith, are booked in the cabin. Jones may need to cancel (non medical reason) but won't know until shortly before the cruise. They plan to purchase the cruiseline's insurance Cruise Care. If Jones cancels after final payment and Smith cruises alone, how does it work? Since the cancellation falls into the "any reason" category, I assume Jones gets port fees refunded and 75% of the cruise fare as a credit. Two questions:

We'd love to leave our computer at home, but we own a business that we have to keep tabs on, so we usually buy a package beyond our free minutes. If we couldn't get internet we would not be able to cruise as often as we do.

Since we have 3 Freedom cruises booked, that's good news about the unlimited packages. Do you remember how much they cost?

Ten days would be more doable if the cruise started on a Friday or Saturday instead of a Monday. Then those who are employed would require fewer days off from work. I hope they keep this itinerary for next year and shift the dates to include two weekends instead of just one. Then I would be glad to book it.

Linda

We do eat at the buffet occasionally. No matter how much we sanitize our hands before entering the buffet, we still end up contaminating them again when we sit down and scoot our chairs in. The bottom of the chair is almost always sticky and if you grab the chair seat to scoot under the table, you just picked up a bunch of germs. Of course, when we can find booth seating, that eliminates one source of germs. We've learned not to stress over it. Just wash and sanitize on entry, try not to follow a finger licker through the buffet line, and then rely on our immune systems to take care of the rest.

Linda

 

Of those, the Liberty of the Seas is the only one that does a full Broadway show. It is showing the Broadway version of Saturday Night Live.

I think the show referred to was Saturday Night Fever (think Disco/John Travolta). We have been on Freedom, Liberty and Independence within the last 6 months and enjoyed most of the shows on all 3 ships, with the ice shows being our hands-down favorites. And, of those we thought Independence's ice show was superior, with the intriguing theme centered around a violin. The violinist was superb and the skating absolutely breathtaking. One thing to be aware of, if you go to a matinee performance of the ice show on either Freedom or Indy, you will have an evening without a theater show since those ships schedule an evening ice show in place of a theater show. On Liberty (at least on the 4 day) there were only daytime ice shows and all 4 nights had theater shows. I was pleased that so much entertainment was packed into such a short cruise. That said, I did not care much for the comedian nor the impressionist on Liberty.

We were on Freedom in September, Indy in December and Liberty last week. You can pre book ice show for Freedom and Liberty and its very easy and convenient to get your desired time slot. However, not so on Indy...what a mess!!! We are Diamond so we went to Diamond Lounge on the second morning at the announced time to get tickets and there was already a long line of Diamonds. The performance time we wanted was gone when I got to the front of the line and I had to go down to the promenade only to find a "line" which was really more like a mob. Needless to say, by the time I got tickets I had to settle for a less desirable performance time. But the show was definitely worth the hassle. DO be sure to go to the show. Of the 3 ice shows I think Indy's is by far the best, but they are all not to be missed!!

On Sunday I attempted to do a courtesy hold on a choice cabin and I got stuck on the page where you indicate your dining time. When I clicked on the courtesy hold button I kept getting the message that my dining time was not available. I tried every possible time and then tried not choosing any dining time, but could never progress past the page to the point where it would give me a booking number. I gave up because I had to leave but when I got back to my computer later in the day, I had an email saying my courtesy hold was confirmed and I got my booking number. It was frustrating at the time, but I am grateful that it finally worked out for me as I had nabbed the last cabin in the location I wanted. I've had problems with their website before so I understand your frustration.

Thanks for the answers. I thought it would be current rates. Not sure what the travel agent was quoting. I think it may have been just the fare and not the port fees when she gave them a quote. I'll tell them to try a fake booking to get actual price for 3rd person.

I had read a recent thread where some people reported having added a second person later at the rates in effect at the time of the original booking. (They had held the cabin with a single deposit of $250 and listed TBD for the second person. When they finally added a second person and paid his deposit he got the original rate. I guess the rules for 3rd persons are different, or maybe they should have put TBD in for a 3rd person when the rates were low?

Back in January, my friends booked two people in a cabin (which will hold 3). Now they want to add their adult daughter (assuming the ship is not over quota for those cabins.) Would the third person rate be the current rate or the rate in effect at the time of the original booking? The quote from their travel agent is not making sense.

We sailed our 3 longest cruises (14, 12 and 11 days) on Constellation. It is one of our favorite ships. We recently sailed on Freedom and enjoyed that for different reasons. As others have said, the activities, music, etc. are a bit more focused on the younger crowd on RCCL and the service is a bit better on Celebrity. We enjoy both lines. The biggest difference between Constellation and Independence is really the feel of the ship. Constellation, which is very similar to Radiance class ships, seems more traditionally nautical in design. You get more of a sense of being at sea. For instance, the buffet has outside dining at the aft of the ship, and some of the elevators look out over the water. And you can't beat the fabulous panoramic view from the forward windows in the lounge on the top deck. Freedom class ships, on the other hand, have several interior public areas like the promenade and the ice rink. In general, Connie feels a little more like a ship, and Freedom class is a little more like a hotel.

However, if beach activities are important, I'd recommend Independence because of Labadee. And , you're not going to get the flow rider or rock wall on Constellation.

We have sailed 5 times on Century and are going for a 6th time in a few weeks. Most recently, we did a back to back in Dec 09. In general, the service was wonderful and there were more than a few exceptional people taking care of us. We enjoyed the entertainment; great cast in the production shows.

The Captain's Club host was Chandru and he was fabulous. He learned our names right away, greeted us warmly at all events and saw to it that we got the Elite treatment. I don't know if he is still there now, but even if not, you're in for a great time enjoying the Elite perks: Michaels Club in the morning for specialty coffees and afternoons for drinks, backstage tour, bridge tour, wine seminar, free internet package, free laundry, etc.

We did a Solstice cruise 3 weeks after departing Century, and, in all honesty, I have to say we liked Century better. For our particular area of the dining room, we found Solstice wait staff was not as polished and professional as Century, and the service suffered as a result. Similarly, our cabin attendant on Century was readily available when we needed him, much more than on Solstice. For me, Century has a more intimate feel, and I think its not just the size difference, but the warm character of its traditional decor compared to Solstice's contemporary look.

By the way, we carried on 2 bottles of wine with no problems. But we ended up not drinking it since we had drinks in Michaels.

Enjoy your cruise and keep the ship in good shape for us.