Freedom B2B Trip Review 4/28/13 - 5/12/13 (picture heavy)!!!

Thank you for bringing back some lovely memories. I did the same as you, back in March - back to back on the Freedom and even stayed pre-cuirse in the same hotel. Back home in the UK I went in the Independence for a 2 night short break a couple of weeks ago. It just wasn't the same as the wonderful Freedom!

We are on FOS this September in 9644. We agree that JS on the hump is the ideal cabin in the ideal spot. One question. How did you get from the Hyatt to the ship.

Nope, not a chance. 9338 is two cabins forward of the entrance of the stairwell/elevator area. Also the door is angled forward about 10 degrees and is in a slight nook. On top of that, the door opens on the left (forward). The interior and exterior shapes of the ship are a little weird there. 9338 is in the direct center of the external hump, but the internal hump's center is a few cabins aft, if that makes any sense.

Thank you!!! Looking forward to the pics of the balcony!!!

:D That is really funny!

 

I'm enjoying your review and am amazed at the quality pics that your phone can take!

It is just your standard issue iPhone 4S. I try to keep the sun behind me and my hand steady. All the pictures were reduced in size using Paint Shop Pro Photo. Don't tell anyone, but I may have hit the "One Step Photo Fix" button for a few of the pictures.

We are on FOS this September in 9644. We agree that JS on the hump is the ideal cabin in the ideal spot. One question. How did you get from the Hyatt to the ship.

I used a private car. I would be happy to provide the contact information (not sure if I should be posting that info). I didn't use them this time (we had an excursion), but being picked up by a private car after the cruise is really, really nice.

Cabin 9338 (Junior Suite)

Interior

Not bad for a stateroom on a ship! The bed was very comfortable yet firm. The sheets were very soft (I normally sleep on 800+ thread count at home). Overall, the cabin was excellent.

Bathroom

Very utilitarian, but it does have a full-sized tub which gives you some extra room when taking a shower. It also comes with the shower curtain drawback - it keeps wanting to blow into the tub and sticks to you. Everything has its up sides and down sides. Personally, I'll take the extra room any day.

Walk-In Closet

I call it the spare room. I think my first interior cabin on the Monarch of the Seas wasn't much bigger than this. Seriously, you could fit a cot in this closet with no problem (the picture doesn't do it justice). If your stuff doesn't fit in here, it certainly didn't fit on an airplane or in a car.

Mini Bar

Obviously there is a charge if you take any of the items.

Balcony

Yea, I know. A balcony is a balcony. Except that when I took this picture, I was standing behind a pool deck lounge chair! Can you say "lounge (not sit) on your balcony"? That chair-lounger at the end was also excellent for lounging (and sometimes sleeping).

The view forward. I didn't take one aft (who knows why not), but it had the same kind of unobstructed view.

Day 1 - Port Canaveral, Florida

Ok, enough about the cabin. Let's talk about the cruise. Oh, wait. There is always the paperwork.

Officers and Staff

The Captain was great and very detailed in his announcements. He got us to every port and back. He even married a couple on board for the first time as Captain of the Freedom of the Seas! Our Chief Engineer was outstanding in keeping everything running and preventing any incidents that might resemble another cruise company. Richard Spacey is simply incredible (and perhaps a bit loony). I usually don't even notice the Cruise Director as I don't do that many activities. I couldn't not notice him. Watch the morning show (it plays at various times all day). Watch everything he does.

And one more thing...I love you.

(Inside joke for anyone who has sailed with Richard)

Useful Information

The fine print. I've seen a few threads asking about this kind of stuff. Here it is.

Cruise Compass

I tried to strike a balance between readability and gargantuan file size. Hopefully, everyone can read these and a server didn't explode somewhere.

All the information in the Compass is also on the TV in your stateroom, on the interactive touch screens and broadcast periodically by Richard or his "sidekick" Activities Director, Jaime (who is also hilarious and loony).

So, after taking all those pictures, it was time to officially start my vacation with a celebratory drink. That means champagne and there is no better place to get it than the Champagne Bar.

Veuve Clicquot - excellent, bready with a hint of yeast and still very crisp. Served up with a "Welcome Aboard" and a smile.

Next, was food. We did a light lunch at the Windjammer - salad and a toffee cookie (which are amazing). Sorry, no pics. Nothing to see here folks. Move along. Then off to the balcony to enjoy a few refreshments.

I went for the Mojito, which was good but a touch too sweet (I'm picky about my Mojitos).

My wife got a Caipirissima (basically a Mojito minus the mint), which she really liked.

For round 2, she switched up to a Pineapple Mojito, which she thought was excellent because the pineapple acidity complimented the sweetness.

My wife made an appointment to get a manicure right after the muster drill while I unpacked. She really liked what they did and found the staff to be extremely nice. Afterwards, we met up for complimentary "sail away" chips and salsa at the Viking Crown with a couple of Grand Margaritas.

They were very good. But, nothing really "grand" about them.

Before dinner, we headed to the Champagne Bar where we were greeted with canapes and excellent service even though the place was pretty busy.

There was prosciutto and melon with cream cheese on crostini, a shrimp cup with caviar garnish, a spicy tuna ratatouille cup, and seafood mousse on multigrain. You know, all the stuff you typically eat at home. It was all very good and complemented our Belvedere Martinis.

We had a large table (five couples) for dinner. Unfortunately, it was difficult to really get to know the two couples at the opposite end of the table. The two couples near us were just good folks and we had a great time at dinner together. In fact, one of them got married on a prior cruise. From the sounds of it, it was a pretty good deal. The cruise company basically takes care of everything. You just have to "pick a color".

Caesar Salad (excellent yet simple, great flavors) and Eggplant & Artichoke Tart (excellent with great Middle-Eastern flavors).

Mojo-Marinated Pork Chop (very good, nice island flavors and came on sweet potato slices) and Angus Sliders (excellent, soft and crusty brioche, beef was savory, aioli was delicious).

Domaine Drouhin Pinot Noir 2009 (very good, fruity, full-bodied yet not very tannic).

Carrot Cake (very good, moist and frosting was not too sweet) and Cheese Plate (very good, nice mix of cheeses).

The service in the Main Dining Room was really great. Our waiter and assistant waiter were very attentive and kept everything running smoothly despite having several other tables besides ours. The only negative is the bar service (drinks other than wine) which can be slow, especially if you aren't very predictable. However, once the bar service people know you are a Jack & Coke with every meal kind of person, they will have one waiting for you when you arrive.

After dinner we headed to the Cigar Lounge where there were plenty of friendly folks to chat with over a cigar and some nightcaps. The guy working the lounge was basically the poster child for service done right. Seriously, just record him in action and you have all the service training films you need. When they built the ship, I don't think they had drink service in mind as there is no sink, ice, or a place for all the different bar glasses. So, all they can really make is a port (they have port glasses). For anything else (including a glass of water), the staff has to head to the closest bar. It had no effect on the service, just something interesting.

Maker's on the rocks and Dow's Vintage Port.

From there we headed to The Crypt, where there were quite a few people ready to get their vacation started right. The DJ was so-so and played a very safe mix of songs. Overall a good time.

One interesting note about the alcohol package. We ended up striking up a conversation with a very nice couple. He insisted on buying us a drink and both of them had the alcohol package. I think he wanted to test things out. Long story short, the two beers he bought us got charged to his Sea Pass card. If you have the package, you can only buy drinks for yourself and then only one at a time.

We hit Sorrento's for pizza at 1:40 am (like you do). But were not greeted by a towel animal upon reaching the cabin. For that matter we had yet to meet our cabin attendant (more on that tomorrow).

This is an amazing review! Thanks so much for doing it. Do you know whether junior suites on all Royal Caribbean ships have walk-in closets?

i'm just starting your review!!

i'm hoping it will help me in deciding between the allure and the freedom :)

i'm really looking forward to reading all about the freedom and the eastern/western itineraries (i'll have to choose between that as well - the allure is going east and the freedom west the week we can cruise)

I was on your second leg and I too am doing a review. It was the best cruise we have ever done!

I have subscribed to your review and look forward to more!

Loving your review of the Freedom! My hope is that you have it completed by the time I sail on her THIS SUNDAY. :eek:

Seriously, awesome review. One of the best I have seen.

Thanks for the great pictures and information! Looks like you had a great time on the Freedom

Well, hurry up and get off on May 26th so we can get on!!!!:D

Loving your review of the Freedom! My hope is that you have it completed by the time I sail on her THIS SUNDAY. :eek:

 

Seriously, awesome review. One of the best I have seen.

Well, hurry up and get off on May 26th so we can get on!!!!:D

You're trying to end my cruise before it even begins. For shame! :p

This is wonderful, and thanks so much for taking the time. We are going on Freedom on Nov. 17 - too long away! I have cruised on a number of RCI ships, but never one as large as Freedom. Can't wait!

I'm enjoying reliving this cruise through your eyes. We did this a couple weeks earlier, stayed just a few doors up from you. Wish I had taken more and as nice of pictures as you have.

Also wish I had worked for your dot com... retired at 45, geesh.

Sailing FOS in July. Our first cruise so this is very helpful. Thanks.

This was my goal - to help out someone new to cruising. You are very welcome.

This is an amazing review! Thanks so much for doing it. Do you know whether junior suites on all Royal Caribbean ships have walk-in closets?

They don't. I know that Junior Suites on Vision-class ships do not have a walk-in closet. I believe they aren't very common in the fleet, but I think all the Freedom-class ships have them in the Junior Suites.

Loving your review of the Freedom! My hope is that you have it completed by the time I sail on her THIS SUNDAY.

 

Seriously, awesome review. One of the best I have seen.

My plan is to complete writing the review by this Sunday (I'm almost halfway done already). The only catch is that I'm going to post one day at a time. Sorry.

I'm enjoying reliving this cruise through your eyes. We did this a couple weeks earlier, stayed just a few doors up from you. Wish I had taken more and as nice of pictures as you have.

 

Also wish I had worked for your dot com... retired at 45, geesh.

Well, my better half still works...

Thanks to everyone else for the compliments. I'm glad you are all enjoying it. :)

Great review. Keep it coming. :D:)

Great pictures. Considering sailing Freedom. Have questions about the Solarium. Does it have a retractable glass ceiling or is it open to the sky?

Enjoyed the Solarium on the Jewel with the covered ceiling.

This is an amazing review! Thanks so much for doing it. Do you know whether junior suites on all Royal Caribbean ships have walk-in closets?

Adventure of the sea had the nice, big walk ins..think Mariner did too,( but not positive....)

I love to use it as my "dressing room"!!!!

Great pictures. Considering sailing Freedom. Have questions about the Solarium. Does it have a retractable glass ceiling or is it open to the sky?

Enjoyed the Solarium on the Jewel with the covered ceiling.

open

Fantastic Review!!! When we sailed the Allure they offered after dinner shots. Is this something they offer on the Freedom also?

Can't wait till Sept to see the FREEDOM!

~Steph

Hi!! Is it possible to order from the MDR menus (breakfast and dinner) when you're in a junior suite? Did you have or make any special requests? Can you ask for a Starbucks coffee in the morning?

I am really enjoying your review and all the pictures. Thanks for doing this! :)