twenty_car

Does Adventure Diamond lounge have a machine?

great review already! Look forward to the rest. I have 2 questions for you.

1. Did you get duplicate room keys from Guest service? Everyone has told me you can't get a duplicate key but I was hoping to get one for each of our families two rooms since they are across the hall and not connecting.

2. Where do you go on the RCCL website to book my time dining times? I didn't realize I needed to do that earlier.

Duplicate keys at Guest Services. We have done it our past three cruises. The key is simply marked Extra Key and has no information on it or privileges.

Thank you! I have learned so much from others and want to pay it forward for other cruisers. It also keeps the information fresh. Sometimes I think information is outdated on the longer threads.

Day 2

The early bird gets the worm. My day is better and brighter when I get the pool chair I want, lol. Off to the WJ at 6:50am to grab a cup of coffee to go. It's the very first sea day so I was on deck at 7:00am to claim my spot. My personal preference is near the Pool Bar on the raised decks. I enjoy people watching, being close to the bar, and there is limited traffic in front of me since there are only 7 lounge chairs on that first raised deck and no one walks in front of you! The RC crew does a phenomenal job of making sure all equipment is working properly and the deck is spotless.

These seats I selected were in the shade for the first hour and half. I found it to be cool and pleasant. I was able to get three towels and they were not scanning your sea pass for the towels. My significant other came out to join me. He's not a sun person, but enjoyed the shade. We each saved a chair for my daughters.

On the big screen, they had a message about not saving chairs. It was day one and as the morning progressed the staff made an effort to make sure people were not saving chairs. It was about 9am when the RC staff went around to anyone in a chair and notified us we could only save one extra chair per person. It was a noteworthy attempt to monitor and control reserve chairs, but if you had towels on a lounger and were no where to be found you were not told of the policy.

My daughters were out by 9:15am and there were still plenty of unreserved chairs. My parents prefer a table in the shade and sit and read and were out early enough to get a table to their liking, where we could visit easily, and use our unique sign language to communicate.

It was a very relaxing sea day. It was convenient being close to the pool bar. It was easy to see when it was crowded and when there was an opening for service.

I thought bar service was ok--there were times I had to wait, but that is not uncommon in most bars off the ship. The amount of bar tenders fluctuated during the day. It ranged from 1-4 bartenders, and there were bartenders taking orders around the pool. With the drink packages, I don't think they need to push the drinks anymore so you do not see the bartenders walking around with the souvenir cups and fancy drinks. In all the ships' bars, I thought the bartenders did a phenomenal job of knowing the order people arrived for service. The one exception was the sky bar, but that was more fellow cruisers who did not demonstrate good manners by allowing those was before them to go.

Entertainment around the pool ranged from morning Zumba, to the band, to the men's bellyflop competition. The only time I left my seat was for a beverage at the bar. I went in around 3:30 -4:00pm to get ready for dinner as it was formal night, and I had a full day of Caribbean sun.

Dinner was great. We eat as a family and share our day as well as plan for the evening. I thought the food was delicious and our waiter, Henry, was wonderful. I think he enjoyed us as much as we enjoyed him. My daughters are both waitresses at a country club and had a true appreciation for the food and service.

Since we had cruised before, I was not into watching all the shows as they were not different. Also to my surprise, my two children wanted to spent their time with me! They wanted to do things together! :eek: This was a bit surprising to me because the previous two cruises, I would only see them at dinner!

Our evening activities consisted of:

Sing it! Game Show

Observing Adult Karaoke for an hour

Eric Clapton Tribute in the Star Lounge--I am a huge Eric Clapton fan. If you closed your eyes, it sounded just like Eric Clapton but the lead singer was from the Philippines so it was a bit unusual to watch.

Forcing myself to stay awake--the late night comedy--again, I thought the comedian was funnier the night before. just my opinion

Since we hadn't eaten since 7:30pm, we had a slice of pizza and a mixed drink or two before turning in for the night.

Had to prepare the beach bag--Labadee tomorrow--and I have a certain spot I like there as well so it was going to be another early wake up call.

The only flavor of Mike's the Freedom had was regular lemonade.

Freedom of the Seas Cruise June 21-28, 2015 Thoughts

Day 1-Sunday, June 21, 2015

Here are my thoughts regarding my most recent cruise. Up to a year and half out--I begin reading the threads on Cruise Critic. I have found the different reviews and information very helpful.

I travelled with my significant other, my two children (21 and 18) and my parents. I am Platinum and stay in an inside stateroom on Deck 9. My parents are Diamond and enjoy a JS with my daughters across the hall on Deck 9.

For our past two cruises, we have driven to the port (Bayonne, NJ) to board the Explorer. We have been spoiled by driving to the port (6 hour drive), taking as much clothing/luggage, blankets, pillows, case of water, etc. as we could carry on board! We have always timed our arrival to be in the first group going aboard the Explorer. However, we have done the same 9 day cruise out of Bayonne on the Explorer, twice. I pushed for a larger ship and a Western Caribbean itinerary.

Getting to the ship required some work! Our adventure began with a 3 hour drive to Baltimore two days before boarding. It was less expensive to fly out of Baltimore than Pittsburgh. It was cheaper to say overnight at a hotel in Baltimore that included parking rather than pay for parking for the week at the airport. The next morning we had a relaxing breakfast at the hotel before taking the shuttle to the airport around noon. Our flight departed for Orlando at 3:55pm. Upon our arrival in Orlando, we had pre-arranged (not with RC) to take us our hotel near the port. We arrived at our hotel around 8:30pm. Long day spent traveling!!!!!

The next morning we had planning on taking the hotel's shuttle to the ship. The shuttle was $3/pp and to leave the hotel at noon. This made me crazy! LOL We are used to be in the first group aboard the ship!! I couldn't take it anymore and at 10:30am--I called a cab. The cab was $5/pp and was there in 3 minutes! The drive to the port was about 3 minutes! There were lines for gold and under and the chairs were all filled in the waiting area. Once again we were lucky--we had no lines and were immediately processed (due to the JS/Diamond/Platinum status) and walked aboard the ship!

We had purchased our drink package--Premium Package--prior so we did not have to wait in any lines. We went straight over to the Bolero's bar on deck 4. I had my first drink in my hand by 11:02am. We enjoyed our first drink and then headed to the WJ for lunch...after we ordered drink #2 at the Plaza Bar inside the WJ:roll eyes:

Rooms were ready after 1. The Coke cups from our package were waiting for us in our room. We checked out our room, and then headed back to the Bolero bar until emergency drill. Everything closed at 3:30 to allow for people to get to their station on time. It seemed like the emergency drill lasted forever and it was HOT.

We were able to get holes punched in our sea pass cards and duplicate keys to our staterooms at Guest Services. We do not use lanyards but rather an elastic band that can clip onto the handles of my pool bag or a belt loop. It comes in handy as I usually have my sea pass card and an extra key to the JS to access the balcony. We also leave post it notes in each other's rooms instead of on the outside of the doors.

We originally had traditional dining, but opted to move to my time dining because of excursions. However...being new to My Time dining, I did not make the reservations months in advance to get the times I really wanted. Less than a week before departure, I started making the reservations online. Time slots were filled...choices were 5:30pm or 8:00pm or later. We ended up eating at 5:30 every night but we had the same waiter and same table! We table in front of a window and our waiter Henry was AWESOME! We ate dinner in the dining room every night.

Our luggage had arrived by the time we were finished with dinner. My mom had a note that she needed to go to the naughty room. The steamer we used the past two cruises aboard the Explorer did not get cleared for the Freedom. (We picked it up outside the terminal on departure day. WOW......the items on the naughty table....travel irons, full-sized IRONS, and a hot pot! There was a wooden bat, but it looked like perhaps it was purchased in Mexico.)

We attended the Welcome Aboard show. Personally, I thought the comedian was funnier at the Welcome Aboard show than the next night.

After the show, we went back to the room to unpack. I also prepared my beach bag for the pool deck the next morning.

My 18 and 21 year old daughters enjoyed 3 hours of karaoke entertainment before heeding off to bed.

In my pre-cruise prep, I read the following tips and implemented them on this cruise:

1. I always take a small surge protector (3 slots). It kept the cell phone charge for alarm and pictures.

2. I hung a Yankee Candle air freshener in each room. I used Sun and Sand and our rooms smelled wonderful!

3. I took small condensed Yankee Candle room sprays for each bathroom. They are small and powerful.

4. Favorite--I bought the flameless tea lights 6 for $2.50 at Walmart. One tea light lasted the week when only used at night. It was just enough light for in the bathrooms at night instead of turning on the blinding florescent lighting. We also used on on the desk in our inside cabin as there is no light. In the Junior Suite, one or two tea lights would have been enough for their cabin at night. My girls often come in after my parents go to bed, so they are able to see without turning on the lights and waking my parents up. (I also read on Cruise Critic, about the LED magnetic circle lights. I stuck those on the walls for the girls to use as well if needed.)

5. I take a magnetic hook for everyone to hang their sea pass card. Sea pass cards are easy to find and not lost. When the girls were smaller cruisers this tip helped a lot! The girls would automatically hang them on their colored hook on the back of the door and easily grab it before going out the door.

Day 1 was a success!

Drink Package notes:

From what I could tell, drinks ranged from $8.00 and up. Beers might have been a little less. Cocktails such as pina coladas, long island ice teas, lava flows, bloody mary's. strawberry margaritas with Patron, etc. were $10 or $12 a piece. Our receipts were always $0.00. Yes, we ended up having to sign a receipt 98% of the time. Bartenders were not free pouring but measured 98.9% of the time. We personally got our monies worth even on excursion days. My drink is Malibu rum with diet coke which is not a strong drink...those would have ran $8.00 a piece. Some of the frozen drinks are filling so I would end up having one frozen drink then the malibu and diet coke. It was also refreshing to have bottled water too.

Thanks for the current information!

We will be on in 10 days as well! :)

Thank you for the review! It's good to hear current information.

Much appreciated.

Yes, we were just there a couple of weeks ago. We opted not to buy the all inclusive. Instead, we rented jet skis ($75 per jet ski for half hour). After that, they let us go to non AIC side of the resort and we went in the pool to cool off, then we went to the restaurant and had the very best chips and guacamole I've ever had and a few beers. After that, we both got a massage at the tables they have set up right near the pool. Everything about this place was excellent. It's less than 15 min from the terminal ($15 cab each way), it has bathrooms, showers, pools, chairs, umbrellas, tables, jet skis, ATV rentals, and horseback riding. They didn't charge us anything to get in and that gave us access to one pool, the restaurant, massage area, showers, bathrooms and beach chairs. The only benefit I saw to the AIC is that you have access to beach beds, two pools with swim up bars and all you can eat food and drinks. The non AIC side has a regular pool and beach chairs, but you'd pay extra for umbrella and there are no beach beds. We got lucky because there were only 2 ships in port so it was almost empty. If you plan to stay all day and lounge and eat and drink, then definitely do the AIC. If, like us, you just want to ride the jet ski and hang around a little while, then just pay as you go. I will definitely do this again next time I'm in Cozumel.

Was it $15 per person for the cab ride?

We have always preferred mid on level 9. It's quiet. We try to get near the stairs . The last cruise I took the stairs for everything!

I haven't met a drink of the day I didn't like!

Does the Frredom have a Freestyle machine?

And if so, is it frequently working?

Thanks!

I have to wear a lanyard at work with my id so wearing it on vacation makes me feel like I'm at work so I refrain BUT I loved the lanyards for my children. They were of the age they checked themselves in and out of their age group activities on the ship. With it around their neck, they never sat it down or lost it!

My favorite part was at night they hung them on the back of the stateroom door so they were easy to find! We still do this!! I brought magnetic hooks for the back of the stateroom door....an idea I read on these forums years ago.

My girls are older. We don't use the lanyards as much but like the wristbands. We can wear them on the wrist, around the ankle, wrap them around the pool bag handle, and drop them in a clutch.

Again, I'm not there for fashion. I just want to have my card handy for beverages and don't like to misplace it.

Find the system that works best for you!

me too.....and it is a nice day for a sailaway....which should happen in the next hour or less....

Sailing away right now! :)