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  1. It's been awhile since we have taken a 4 night cruise. What theme nights are they likely to have?
  2. For anyone who has been on Freedom recently, do they have Goonies in the casino? I just got off Mariner yesterday and will be getting on Freedom on Monday. Goonies was my favorite slot machine on Mariner; first ship I have seen with it.
  3. We are sailing on the Liberty to Bermuda in September. It has been a while since sailing on Freedom Class. Can you prebook any shows beforehand or is it omly available when you board?
  4. Hello all! My name is Amanda. Traveling with my husband (39), myself (43), and our 2 year old daughter (her first cruise!) This is my 7th cruise, all through RC minus a 2 night getaway on the Margaritaville at Sea out of West Palm Beach. Our last Royal cruise was March of 2020 right before they shut down cruising due to Covid so we are so happy to be back! My in laws will be coming along with us for their first cruise too! Since we have a toddler, we will be talking about Splash A Way bay on the ship for the kiddos and Adventure Ocean especially Royal Babies and Tots as I believe you have to be 3 for AO. We fly out of Cleveland 1 week from today and will be staying in Miami 1 night pre and post cruise before flying home. Hope you enjoy the review and thanks for coming along! Pic below is a few weeks ago, our daughters first baseball game! Cleveland Guardians. Have to get a pic with ketchup!
  5. Tried to find videos & images to answer my question... On which class of ship can you walk around the entire ship outside on deck 4? Granted at the front of the ship, there were a few stairs to go up (down?) a level on the helicopter pad are only, but I know on either Voyager or Freedom, we could walk around the the entire ship, including the back. Which one is it? Could be a faulty memory though...
  6. Does anyone have a recent list of current entertainment & showtimes (or that 1 page entertainment grid sheet they have on the ship) for the Freedom 3-night Bahamas & Perfect Day sailings? Sailing in July & trying to plan My Time Dining times. Thank you in advance for any help.
  7. Same length, like ports of call equally, would you choose a balcony room on Symphony or Junior Suite on Freedom (same price) for 2 adults, 4 year old, and 8 year old?
  8. Has anyone recently been on Freedom OTS out of Miami 4 night Nassau / Cocoa cay with information on how it went
  9. We got off of Freedom of the Seas on Monday, so I thought I’d give a review. It will be long but pretty detailed. Players: 2 adults, 3 kids (9, 6 w/ADHD & other needs [this is important]) & 15 months. Besides for the 15-month-old, all have cruised before. Important facts: We are in South Florida, so we drove down to Miami to leave. We decided no on beverage package & our goal was not to spend more than the $100 OBC we had. We brought 2 bottles of wine and a 12 pack of soda with us. We had late dining. 3 nights and for the first time for us, we had connecting interior cabins. We were in 8513 & 8515, and I’d stay there again, although I’d prefer to be towards the front of the ship closer to AO. Just meant we did more walking. I am not sure if I’d cruise without doing connecting cabins again. It was the perfect amount of space for us, and two bathrooms was really nice. In a surprise benefit for us, having the interior cabins with how dark they are, my son slept in later than 7 without being sick for the first time in years. We parents loved it! We put the kids in one room and kept the door open with us next door. We brought our own pack n play which was super useful, as the one they provided was a mini pack n play, and she wouldn’t have been comfortable in it. And since we were in an interior cabin, there was no couch just a chair, so we couldn’t have turned it around and used it as a bed. When we got on, we went to check in at our muster station and then up to AO. AO doesn’t open till 12:30 so we wound up going and walking around the pool deck before heading to AO to make sure we got what we needed in the nursery. For a 3 night cruise, you can only book 2 hours at first and then the second day you can book whatever is available. They don’t tell you, but you can register all your kids together regardless of age group. Once that was done, we headed to Giovanni’s. We didn’t want to deal with the Windjammer with 3 kids and it was the perfect way to start the cruise. So much so, I don’t think I’ll ever do Windjammer for lunch on the first day again. Once we were done there, we headed to the cabins to change and hit the pool deck. Hubby and I each brought one drink while the baby napped and the older kids played in the splash area. Once they were done, the older kids hung out quietly with baby while hubby and I soaked in the hot tub for about 20 min or so. We got dressed and headed to the silent disco. We all enjoyed and my oldest said it was one of her favorite things we did all weekend. Dinner was a disaster. Usually, we love the MDR. Everything came out cold. They tried to serve the toddler a grilled cheese that wasn’t even melted. The waiter wasn’t friendly at all, compared to what I am used to on a cruise. Especially with a toddler (not the first time we have cruised with an infant/toddler) the staff usually loves them and will ask what they can get them, etc. After that experience, we asked if we could switch for the next two nights to early dining. We were hopeful it would solve our MDR issues. Day 2: The kids all went to the kids club, my toddler was the only one there, actually. We hung out at the pool & hot tub for a bit before we got the kids and headed off the ship for lunch in Nassau at Bahama Cookin. Food was amazing and worth the wait. We originally were thinking of leaving the kids on board and us just getting off for lunch, but because our middle is on meds and ADHD, one of us had to be on board so we just took them. We also got a phone for him (normally once they reach 3+ you don’t) and we actually got more calls about him then the toddler. Dinner that night in the MDR was even worse. The french onion soup had no onions in 3 out of 4 bowls (my kids love it as much as us adults do normally!). We had the same waiters and same unfriendly issues. My steak, which was ordered rare, came out medium well. The head waiter placed a hot plate in front of my toddler and when I said something, he got nasty. We dropped the kids back off at the kids club and I went to guest services. I wound up meeting with the head of F&B who was amazing. He offered if we wanted to go back to Giovanni’s for dinner the next day to comp it. So we did. And it was amazing. Not only the food but they were great with the toddler even though she was crankier than when we were there the first day, offered to get us anything we needed for her and wound up bringing her multiple plates of cherry tomatoes (her fav). He also sent cookies and soda to the room for the kids, which he didn’t have to. Day 3: Coco Cay was amazing. The kids spent a bunch of time at Splash Away Bay. Then we headed over to Harbor Beach and then we went for lunch. After lunch, we headed back to Splash Away Bay & us adults got a drink before getting back on board. We packed a bit, went to dinner and then back to the kids club so we could finish packing & have some time just us before picking them up. Getting off the ship was rough. It took awhile for us to get from leaving to them scanning the sea pass for the last time. If you baby wear, baby can’t be on you when they scan for the passport. The guy at customs seemed to be shocked that the toddler had a passport. It was totally worth getting her a passport, once I got her down we were out superfast. We only used the stroller (Baby Jogger City Select) when we got off board. Otherwise, we baby wore everywhere. So much easier. The only thing we forgot were swim diapers (if you ask at the Coco Cay Towel stands they have a few large ones) which was fine, she only went in at Coco Cay anyway. And I got lanyards off of Amazon cheap which was great for the older kids also because they wanted to wear them. We brought too many clothes but that was it. No extras. No hooks, shoe organizer etc. We didn’t need it. We wound up spending about $50ish above our OBC between baby care, extra tips and the 4 drinks we brought. Not bad at all. Feel free to ask any questions.
  10. Any recommendations for a place to have a good one on Freedom? Will mostly hang in Boleros and am in a suite so will have access to suite lounge. I’m thinking not to do the package, will have two max a day but do have coffee and sparkling water. Can/Should I bring my own olives? What’s the vermouth situation? Yes, I recognize this is a first world issue 🙂
  11. Hi All, If we are to try one specialty restaurant on the Freedom, would you recommend Chops or Giovani's? If Chops - is there anything you recommend us trying? Are people allowed to order more than one appetizer? Thanks!
  12. Hey all; sorry for the long story. Please feel free to skip, and if you don’t have anything nice or affirming to say, I’d ask that you please don’t write mean messages. It’s been a hot minute. Doing my best to survive as a chronically ill and disabled person in a world that has forgotten about us is hard…but I’ve finally got medical permission to on on a cruise again, providing I mask whenever possible. That said, it’s been a comedy of errors. I booked this cruise on Freedom out of Miami with MxCatLady…but they were not able to take this time off at work. No problem; polyamory for the win; switched it to MrCatLady. Then Florida puts for all these hateful anti LGBTQ and anti-trans bills…as a trans man (him) and nonbinary person (me), both queer, we are quite nervous about traveling to the state. In fact, despite his mother and my aunt living there, this is going to be our last trip to the state for a safety (and to be honest, if our flights had been refundable, we might not have even continued along our plan). I was already anxious over COVID and trans stuff, but was *finally* ready for this. Have a FloMask for the plane, good masks for onboard, Enovid spray, and a personal HEPA filter. Then, the MSU shooting. MrCatLady is a PhD student there, and obviously this has been super traumatic. Then, this massive ice storm. The house is without power, branches knocked down power and cable lines, and even pulled the electricity meter out of the house. Animals are safely staying with a friend, but he doesn’t think he feels like going on the cruise for which we leave Sunday (understandably), especially since power might not even be back by then. Fine, I will go alone. As an anxious, autistic, disabled person, this felt super stressful, but it’s too late to cancel, plane ticket isn’t refundable and I don’t want to lose all the money. I will likely cancel our CocoCay beach bed, as I won’t have anyone to push the carefully research beach wheelchair to the beach, and no one’s hand to hold to help me into the water, so will pretty much just stay on the ship. I came in here to get try excited about it, to assuage my anxiety, and it seems like MDR is a nightmare with the new menus. I am gluten free (celiac) and vegetarian. While service has depended ship to ship, usually folks have bent over backwards to make sure I am not stuck eating garden salads and berries. However, it seems many of my go tos (the cheese plate, asking for them to make a cold soup, whatever the vegetarian Indian option was) are now gone. Yes, I can order the night before, but this makes me so anxious I am going to be seen as a burden and/or get stuck with garden salads all week. WJ seems to have many less options and poor labeling. I know these are first world problems and I am lucky to even be going…AND if the whole point is to relax and try to recover from burnout, a rough time isn’t going to be worth it. I would love to hear from anyone who has sailed Freedom lately, or had their own comedy of errors, about their experiences and whether it was worth it for them. Would love to hear any and all positive things especially. Thanks in advance for your compassion. cat photos, of course, for tax 💜
  13. Hi All, Does anyone know who the concierge, hotel director and/or assistant hotel director currently is aboard the Freedom of the Seas? Thanks so much!
  14. Looking for input from anyone who has been on Freedom recently - are there still self-serve ice/water stations around the ship (Windjammer, Cafe Promenade, pool deck, etc)?
  15. It's been a hot minute since I last cruised. My daughter got a wild hair to take her boyfriend on his first cruise, so they're doing a 4 night out of Miami. We've never been fans of the shorter cruises, but she was worried, if he doesn't like it, a longer cruise would be torture. I'm still on the fence about joining them. We are both D+, what's the evening reception deal on Freedom? Is it just drinks on cards? Of course, I'm just assuming they haven't gotten rid of the free drinks? She can't drink (because of medication) and we were told it's the same old situation, all adults in cabin have to buy drink package, but with a doctors note, she can get out of it? Since they live together, does he inherit her status? Considering this cruise is in less than a month, I'm stressed. I'm an overplanner, and there doesn't seem to be enough time. Thanks in advance for any advice you guys can give.
  16. Hi All - does anyone know who the CD and/or ACD is on the Freedom and if there's a way to email him or her? Would itbe first initial.lastname@rccl.com? Thanks!
  17. Hello All, A few months ago I saw in a video that when Freedom was amplified, some balcony rooms were added or refurbished or something like that. And it was recommended to try to book one of those rooms since they are newer. Sounds good to me. But, the problem is that the location or room numbers of these great cabins were not revealed and I cant find the original video. I've watched tons of videos since then. Does anyone know about this? Any idea which cabin numbers these new OV balconies have? Again, this was a few months ago, so I'm a bit fuzzy on details and this is all the info I recall. Thanks!
  18. So, I'll be going on a large music charter on Freedom OTS in about three weeks; 70,000 Tons of Metal. 60 bands, 4 stages, and they build "the largest open-air structure at sea." Previously, this charter has used the Majesty (r.i.p.) from 2011-2014, the Liberty in 2015, and then the Independence from 2016-2020. This will be the first charter sailing since COVID and we're on a brand-new ship...with a brand-new venue, El Loco Fresh. So, I'm kinda asking for about 3,000 other people since very few of them are active on CruiseCritic, or actively take cruises. In fact, only about 20-25% of our cruisers are from the US; all the rest are from Canada, Germany, the UK and then numerous other countries, and this goes for the bands and their crews as well. It's a very international cruise and quite unique. Anyway.... How does El Loco Fresh work? Do you choose your ingredients and then the burritos or tacos (I presume) are made to your specs? I'm used to that at Blue Iguana Cantina on Carnival's ships (and they're awesome, too!). Or is it more of a grab-n-go venue? Is there a toppings bar? Also, do they serve any breakfast there, or is it just lunch and (maybe) dinner hours? This might also be our first experience with any dining options at Playmakers. I realize there's an a la carte charge; what are their hours? Are the menus there standardized across all ships? I've been a little dismayed at the relative lack of dining options on the Independence over the years. Granted, Sorrentos and the Promenade Café should be opened 24 hours for us, but there just aren't that many free/included options. The WJ may also be open for us late-night (11pm - 2am) but close during dinner hours; that's how it was back in 2020. Any other insights about the Freedom vis a vis the Indy are also welcome. I'm aware that Freedom DOES have Starlink installed although actual Wi-Fi speeds have varied widely, per other threads here on CC. Thanks!
  19. We have been on both many years ago. Same itinerary so any thoughts on which ship might be better in 2023? Thanks!
  20. Hey all, I’m baaaaaaaack for another live review. For those who don’t know me, I’m Shanna, aka the CatLady. This will be my first RCCL cruise as Diamond 💎. I am a queer, nonbinary femme, also am disabled and chronically ill (including navigating over a year of long COVID), autistic and anxious. Usually I travel with one of my two partners (MrCatLady or MxCatLady), but due to the Michigan State shooting and recent ice storm that has made MrCatLady’s house uninhabitable, I will be cruising solo for the first time ever. Super anxious about traveling alone for the first time in 3 years (I used to travel alone monthly; so much changes!), and about being fairly visibly queer in a state passing such hateful laws. But also really ready to be out of this house, so here we go! I am going to be in a junior suite (accessible) for the first time, though sad to have all that room and no one to share it with! I also am vegetarian and have celiac disease (meaning I am gluten free and have to be super careful). More than happy to answer questions about being autistic and navigating sensory stuff, being disabled and navigating accessibility, and/or the food allergy stuff. I am especially nervous about doing all of this alone, as my partners often help in PCA roles and helping me navigate stressful situations, and with the new MDR stuff, and the changes in housekeeping (I usually ask for ice twice daily to help with my migraines), everything feels a bit up in the air. But first world problems, I know. I am immuno compromised so will be masking in indoor public places outside of eating, and avoiding crowded spaces. Also, I plan to take Enovid daily, and have a personal HEPA filter for the airports/plane ride/cabs. I usually love entertainment, but my attendance will be based on crowd size. I don’t plan to get off in Nassau (been there, done that), and while I have a beach bed booked for CocoCay, will likely cancel it as I don’t have anyone to push the beach wheelchairs or help me into the water. That said, I still have plans to do Giovanni’s one night, have the internet package, am bringing a ton of books, and plan to spend much time in the solarium pool and in the shade reading. I fly from Detroit to Miami tomorrow, and am staying at the EVEN hotel near the airport. On Friday, I have a lot of time to kill before my flight in the evening. We had plans originally to see MrCatLady’s mother who lives in Jupiter, but I don’t think she wants to hang out with just me 😂, so I’ve booked a day use room for the first time ever, at the airport ALOFT, and plan to do that. I usually post at least once a day if not more while on board, if the internet cooperates. Happy to answer questions to to seek things out (if safe/not crowded) to find things out for you. Bags are packed, and I am ready (ish!) to go! picture of me so you know what’s coming down the pipeline.
  21. Hello, I'm looking for the current price for the deluxe drink package on the Freedom of the Seas? I heard it's somewhere between $83 and $105 + 18% gratuity. Can anyone help me with this? Thank you!
  22. Sorry if this is a dumb question. I am trying to book a cruise in March 2025 and there are only a few available Junior Suites. I have tried booking with 2, 3, and 4 passengers but it still only shows the few available JS. Any advice? Sorry if this is a dumb question. I am not familiar with cruises and searched for the question before posting.
  23. I recently returned from a full-ship music charter aboard Freedom of the Seas (the "70,000 Tons of Metal" cruise) and I thought it would be interesting to compare and contrast with a "regular" cruise. There are many differences, and some things that presumably stay the same. My last "regular" cruise on Royal was about 12 years ago on the Majesty, may she R.I.P. The Majesty is also the original source for the "70,000 Tons" monicker. This was my 20th cruise overall, with the rest being on Carnival. This was a 4-night, 5-day cruise from Miami. Our only port-stop was also the closest "foreign port" to Miami, namely Bimini, only 50 miles away. Port-fees, taxes and gratuities were charged all in one pre-payment of around $450 in addition to the cruise fare; there was no way to modify or remove prepaid grats, not that I'd personally want to.... Total cost for our balcony was around $1700 EACH, with three in the cabin. We had an aft balcony corner on Deck 8, so we had two chairs, a table and two loungers, and an uninterrupted view (no metal superstructure in the way). Fares and fees were payable directly to the charter company, UMC, via credit card or international bank-wire only. They did not distinguish between balcony classes so ours was the same price as other standard balconies. There were 60 bands onboard, and each band plays once on the way to the port-stop and then once again on the way back. The Royal Theater, Studio B (ice rink), the Star Lounge, and the massive pool-deck stage (photos to follow) were the four concert venues used. Shows began as early as 10 am and ran as late as 6 am, with mostly 45- and 60-minute sets, with a few 75-minute sets and 90-minute sets for Finland's band Nightwish. So anyway, a few specific observations: The dining hours were presumably WAYYY different for us. I'll post a photo of the hours but as an example, the Windjammer was open until 4 am. I'm not sure of the normal hours for Sorrento's but they remained open until 6 am. The Cafe Promenade was apparently open 24-7, but I think that's normal? The MDR was only open for dinner, from 6:30 - 10 pm; no breakfast or lunch was served. No dress-code was enforced (except probably shirts and shoes required) and seating was all open, using only the level on Deck 3. Deck 4 was unused and Deck 5 in the MDR was used for band and festival merch sales -- always a challenge with 60 bands all potentially bringing t-shirts and merch. I received a free specialty meal voucher from the charter company, good for either the steakhouse or the Italian restaurant. I chose the steakhouse. Apparently anyone whose birthday fell during the cruise received a voucher. That was a nice gesture. The steakhouse was offering a "Shredders Brunch" for $25. Not sure if this is a normal-cruise offering or not. I did the "SS Sapona Shipwreck Snorkel" at Bimini, which at $119 seemed a bit high-priced for a one-stop snorkeling tour. Three snorkeling times were offered, with the latter two being "snorkeling with" members of one of the bands (Germany's Feuershwanz and lastly Sweden's Dark Tranquillity), but all were the same price. (I did the last outing with Dark Tranquillity, who are a personal favorite.) An equivalent excursion on Carnival would have been priced at around $70 or $80, so we were wondering if they were charging more for us due to the charter. Suite guests did not receive any significant suite perks and AFAIK, the Suite Lounge/Concierge Lounge was not open. This was consistent with previous sailings of the charter. The staff were either really friendly or, in a couple of cases, downright rude. I was nearly steamrolled by a room-steward in the corridor who simply walked straight at us and didn't slow down or change sides. The new Mexican venue, El Loco Fresh, was a welcome addition. They weren't offering fresh-made burritos, just pre-made chicken and beef ones, but we could make our own tacos and quesadillas. Is this normal for them? (I have to give Carnival's Blue Iguana Cantina the nod here, since the burritos are fresh made-to-order and are crew-served.) Wi-fi speed was reasonably fast with Starlink. My one speed-test on Day 1 returned about 60 Mbps down and 9 Mbps up. Speed was consistent and we were never more than 20 or 30 miles from land. Here, the nod goes to Royal. We were facing west when docked, and the ship backed up to the east and then we rotated to face east and outward just north of Fisher Island near the Coast Guard station. I've NEVER seen that before; normally we'd have headed west and turned in the turn-basin and then steamed out to the east. I was surprised we were able to turn where we did; it was a tight fit. The Fisher Island ferries got a bit backed up. 🙂 Since bands onboard can only perform outside the 12-mile limit, we simply headed away from the U.S. and cruised very slowly out beyond the limit, or stayed in place using maneuvering thrusters (probably not anchored). There was a medical emergency onboard after Bimini and the ship leaped inside the 12-mile limit so that a rescue vessel could take the passenger off. Performances on the pool-deck were suspended while we were inside the limit. Although our room had a great balcony, it's a LONG walk from the closest elevators to the room. Royal's ships only have two elevator banks, whereas I'm more used to Carnival ships' three, and a much shorter walk to our preferred aft-extended balconies. I will probably NOT request the same room next year since I'm susceptible to plantar fasciitis and my feet were really hurtin'. The beds, including the Pullman bunk, were surprisingly hard. Is this a "thing" on Royal or did we just get unlucky? ...And that's about all I can think of right now. It was a fun sailing and VERY exhausting. I really DO wish there were more "free"/included dining options onboard, especially for such a large ship. On the bright side, the pizza at Sorrento's was better than we all remembered. 😉
  24. Hi all - I'm thinking of doing a 3 night cruise with some first time cruisers. Has anyone recently done this on the Freedom of the Seas? A few questions: -How is the live music on the ship currently? Any good bands? -What kind of entertainment is there on a 3 night? Besides the ice show, do they have any comedians or fly on acts for the short cruises? -Do they do club red in Studio B one night? -Is Quest on the short cruise? -Which of the new menus are used on a 3 night cruise? Or is it random based on a constantly rotating menu? Thanks!
  25. Hello all! Getting close to our May cruise and can't wait! Is Dress Your Best Night on the At Sea day? That would be day 2. Thanks!
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