Just off the Freedom

OMG! Such a beautiful ship! And Richard Spacey is so freaking AMAZING!!!!!!

I never thought a cruise director would have that much of an impact on my vacation but he really did, just too fun, the morning show with Richard & Jamie had me laughing so hard!

I will do a proper review later but just wanted to say that I loved just about everything about the Freedom. Loved the Rockport band that played in the Olive & twist most nights. We only did the Farewell show, we are more into bars & music/dancing. Really the only let down was the piano guy in the Schooner, which was my favorite thing on the Radiance but this guy, and the location of the schooner was not good for us. You could hear a lot of noise coming from the Arcadia, and the noise from the Casino just made it extra noisy, and what I saw of the piano guy was NOT good. Only went back briefly but not tempted to stay. Oh well.

LOVED both dinners at Portofino & Chops. spent sea days by the pool & if you looked hard enough, could always find a chair

Can't wait to do the Western Caribbean!!

Did you do MTD or Traditional?

Did you have the opportunity to use the Crown & Anchor electronic coupons on your set sail card? If so, how did it work?

D&B

Do you know how long Richard Spacey will be on Freedom?

I hope they change the piano player before our Thanksgiving cruise. We like to go to the schooner bar before dinner.

We had traditional dining at 8:30. I heard some day Richard

Spacey was going to be on Oasis next year but I've no idea

If its true or not

We weren't given coupons or told anything about them

But DH said he got a couple free beers so who knows. Frankly

My mental list went out the window after we got in the ship. I

Didn't do half the stuff I planned, just went with the flow of the day

OMG! Such a beautiful ship! And Richard Spacey is so freaking AMAZING!!!!!!

I never thought a cruise director would have that much of an impact on my vacation but he really did, just too fun, the morning show with Richard & Jamie had me laughing so hard!

 

I will do a proper review later but just wanted to say that I loved just about everything about the Freedom. Loved the Rockport band that played in the Olive & twist most nights. We only did the Farewell show, we are more into bars & music/dancing. Really the only let down was the piano guy in the Schooner, which was my favorite thing on the Radiance but this guy, and the location of the schooner was not good for us. You could hear a lot of noise coming from the Arcadia, and the noise from the Casino just made it extra noisy, and what I saw of the piano guy was NOT good. Only went back briefly but not tempted to stay. Oh well.

LOVED both dinners at Portofino & Chops. spent sea days by the pool & if you looked hard enough, could always find a chair

 

Can't wait to do the Western Caribbean!!

Hello:

I can second all you just stated.We were on your sailing of Freedom too !!! It was just mind blowing.Loved the whole cruise.Richard and Jamie were great !!! The staff and service were fantastic. Home in Indiana now but cannot wait to cruise again soon :D

OMG! Such a beautiful ship! And Richard Spacey is so freaking AMAZING!!!!!!

I never thought a cruise director would have that much of an impact on my vacation but he really did, just too fun, the morning show with Richard & Jamie had me laughing so hard!

 

I will do a proper review later but just wanted to say that I loved just about everything about the Freedom. Loved the Rockport band that played in the Olive & twist most nights. We only did the Farewell show, we are more into bars & music/dancing. Really the only let down was the piano guy in the Schooner, which was my favorite thing on the Radiance but this guy, and the location of the schooner was not good for us. You could hear a lot of noise coming from the Arcadia, and the noise from the Casino just made it extra noisy, and what I saw of the piano guy was NOT good. Only went back briefly but not tempted to stay. Oh well.

LOVED both dinners at Portofino & Chops. spent sea days by the pool & if you looked hard enough, could always find a chair

 

Can't wait to do the Western Caribbean!!

Going on Sep 8 Eastern sailing. Can you tell me when the formal nights are so that I can book Chops to miss those - thanks

Do you remember the name of the piano guy? DH and I love the Schooner Bar!

Formal night is night 2 & 6. Lobster was night 6

Piano guy was Anthony Michael. I kept saying I was going to give him another chance to wow me but we loved the band in the Olive & twist so much & I really didn't like the location of the Schooner, so we never went back. On the Radiance the Schooner felt more intimate & on Freedom is was more of a pass through on the way to the Theatre.

Can you smell smoke in the Schooner Bar?

 

Did you have the opportunity to use the Crown & Anchor electronic coupons on your set sail card? If so, how did it work?

 

D&B

I just got off the same Freedom sailing as well so I can answer this question. Short answer, I was disappointed with the electronic coupons.

When first arriving to the room (possibly it was the first night at turndown) I received a paper letter on the bed describing the electronic coupons I had as a Gold member, as well as a description of how they would be applied (automatically). This was not the case.

After reading the in room flyer, I assumed they would automatically be applied and it wasn't until my last day that a bar waiter applied the buy one get one free drink option. He applied it first and then told me afterwards he had done it. I was slightly irked because it was for a cheaper beer. Had I been more forward-thinking, I'd have made sure it was was one of the pricier drinks I'd been drinking all week. I had several expensive beers before this and it seemed the buy one get one free was applied towards the cheaper offering.

I also had an issue with the Internet discount. I first tried to sign up for a package in the Internet lounge. I was given an error that the system could not access my SeaPass account, to visit guest services. I went to guest services and told them I wanted to sign up for an Internet package. The desk clerk said I would have to do this in the Internet lounge. I told her I had just tried to do so, but received an error when trying to purchase a package. She looked up my account and said there was no issue,to try again. So back up to the lounge we went. After trying multiple computers, I was finally able to purchase a package. There was no option to a Gold discount. Later that night I was given a paper voucher for $5 or 10% off ("whichever is greater"). I had to redeem at guest services. So we trekked back, same front desk clerk assisted, and I handed over the coupon. She asked which I wanted, the $5 or 10% and I said "whichever is greater." She looked at me again and requested I let her know which option, that she couldn't make the decision. :rolleyes:

Can you smell smoke in the Schooner Bar?

Yes, very much so. Could also smell smoke from the Bull & Bear pub. The smoke was coming from the casino, not the bars.

So, are you saying that the Schooner Bar and Bull and Bear pub are non-smoking? I surely hope so! We are on a b2b in Sept. and I usually like the entertainment in both venues. Unfortuately, on most of the ships I have sailed lately, except Indy, the pub has been the smokers' lounge.

Yes, very much so. Could also smell smoke from the Bull & Bear pub. The smoke was coming from the casino, not the bars.

I heard that from another cruiser as well. That is a shame. I usually like to hang out in the Schooner Bar, but I will most likely pick another venue.

We set sail in a few weeks and can't wait! Can you tell me the movies that were playing on the jumbo screen by the pool? Love the idea of watching a movie under the stars.;)

So, are you saying that the Schooner Bar and Bull and Bear pub are non-smoking? I surely hope so! We are on a b2b in Sept. and I usually like the entertainment in both venues. Unfortuately, on most of the ships I have sailed lately, except Indy, the pub has been the smokers' lounge.

Not sure if they are nonsmoking venues. I HATE smoke and am pretty sensitive to the smell and did not notice smoke from either of these venues. I'm pretty sure the Bull & Bear does not allow smoking, though. I honestly did not experience much smoking during this cruise, just in the casino (which was major) as well as the Crypt (which has doors and was pretty self-contained).

Hi clcurry, I never made it to the meet & mingle. I pretty much didn't do anything thing I planned & a bunch of things I didn't plan, but had a great time. Just went with the flow. Some of my favorite moments were standing on deck 4, or my balcony, at night, around sunset & just being in awe of all that open water & the sound. I could have fallen asleep standing up it was so peaceful

Hi clcurry, I never made it to the meet & mingle. I pretty much didn't do anything thing I planned & a bunch of things I didn't plan, but had a great time. Just went with the flow. Some of my favorite moments were standing on deck 4, or my balcony, at night, around sunset & just being in awe of all that open water & the sound. I could have fallen asleep standing up it was so peaceful

Hi Jax! I didn't do the Meet & mingle either. BF and I really enjoyed having a balcony for the first time! We had breakfast room service everyday, cocktails in the Champagne Bar and beers in the Bull & Bear each night, and did our own things in ports. There were a few kinks in our trip but the views from the balcony pretty much made up for it!