Freedom of the Seas - July 14-21 - Post Cruise Report

Hello fellow cruisers!!! Now that we have been back from our2018 Family Vacation Extravaganza for a week I thought I would file a report onour trip. First a little background on my family and our cruisingexperience. My family consists of myself (46 years old), my wife P (45),daughter K (15), son R (13), and son B (9). We are very fortunate that wehave gone on a lot of cruises and are Diamond members with RCCL. This wasour 4th trip on the Freedom and we have also been on the Allure, Independence,Adventure, Grandeur, and Radiance.

Our cruise this go-around was a7-day Southern Caribbean out of San Juan. We chose this cruise b/c wewanted to spend a few days in San Juan, liked the itinerary (we had never beento three of the islands before), and have always loved the Freedom – we considerit our “home” ship.

I am going to write this inpieces starting with our pre-trip visit to San Juan and continue with theremainder in the next couple of days.

So...without further ado, hereare my thoughts:

Pre-Cruise in San Juan

We started out vacation withfour days in SJ, staying at the Marriott Stellaris in Condado. Overall,we had a great time enjoying visits to Old San Juan/El Morro and ElYunque. El Morro and OSJ is always a really cool experience and this timewas no different. Simply walking the streets and really looking at thearchitecture is amazing as we have never been to a place that lookssimilar. And I am sure the bird in theplaza enjoyed all the Pringles that B accidentally spilled!!!

I am also very glad to report that El Yunque is making a nicecomeback. Yokahu Tower had just reopened days before we visited which wasa pleasant surprise. We were also able to get our waterfall fix byvisiting La Coca (La Mina Falls and the trail are still not open to the public)although the water did not seem to be as powerful as the last time we werethere. Most exciting is the fact that we had never visited Puente RotoDay Use Site or the Angelito Trail before and really enjoyed both - the kidshad a BLAST climbing on the rocks at Puente Roto. I do have to say thatthe tree stripping from the hurricanes is very evident but things aredefinitely trending in the right direction.

Other activities in SJ includedthe beach and the pool at the Marriott, watching the England-Croatia World Cupsemifinal at a wonderful open air bar in Condado and, of course, a visit to themall and Applebees (I mean who does not visit the mall and eat lunch atApplebees when on vacation in Puerto Rico?!?*). As for the mall, cansomeone please explain why it is absolutely insanely busy on a Thursday at2:00? My goodness there were a lot of people there!!

(*Truth be told, going to Applebees was the kids choice and itturns out they did not even have all-you-can-eat riblets and chicken tenderslike they do in the states – which is what they were looking forward to).

The only disappointment was the cancellation of our trip to theBio Bay in Fajardo due to the sea grass overtaking the creatures the create allthe glowing. That said, this disappointment was definitely offset by thefact that we had the opportunity to witness the birth of 100+ turtles on thebeach in front of our hotel. Holy moly it was absolutely amazing!!! :):)

I have to say that the familyhas a newfound appreciation for San Juan after our pre-cruise trip. We really enjoyed our time but, of course, afterfour days, we were ready to the cruise!!!

Coming next – Posts on the ship, the itinerary (ports), food, onboard activities and my overall thoughts.

Looking forward to reading the rest of your review. :D

Cannot wait to read more!

Thanks! On Freedom 9/15 and staying at the same hotel! Really looking foward to your review. Can you give us a brief update on how the hotel has recovered?

Thanks for review. Looking forward to reading more. My husband and I are on Freedom March 3rd. Only staying one night in Condado at the sister hotel, AC.

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Curious what time "on board" was in Antigua (departure time is 5:00 on our August cruise)? We're trying to make some plans but need to know what time we have to be back to the ship. Thanks!

Thanks! On Freedom 9/15 and staying at the same hotel! Really looking foward to your review. Can you give us a brief update on how the hotel has recovered?

We did not notice any issues with the hotel at all. In fact, other than the tree stripping in El Yunque, we really did not see any evidence that a hurricane had blown through the island. Of course, we generally stay in the "touristy" areas! BTW if you like juicy cheeseburgers, there is a place right across the street that was delicious (BUNS - I believe it is a chain but so tasty!!!). There is also a Ben & Jerry's within walking distance ;)

Curious what time "on board" was in Antigua (departure time is 5:00 on our August cruise)? We're trying to make some plans but need to know what time we have to be back to the ship. Thanks!

"All aboard" is always 30 minutes prior to sailing so in the case of Antigua, it is 4:30. And I have to say they mean it...the ship almost always left before the scheduled departure time (although only by a few minutes...like 4:56 when 5:00 was the departure time)

I am interested in this itinerary to will be following along.

Following!! We leave August 3 - staying in SJ (Embassy @ Casino) the night prior to cruising. CubsWin2016 if you could only do one (not sure we can do both - we land @1p Friday) would it be EL Yunque or OSJ/fort? Just curious as DH is a history teacher and really wants to do both!!

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Good info thanks.. We be in San Juan next March..

The Ship and Day #1 - Embarkation

Our time in San Juan completed, it was time for the highlight of the vacation – the cruise!!! I have said it before and I will say it again, there is NOTHING like waking up in the morning knowing that you are embarking on a cruise later that day! And on Saturday, July 14, we woke up knowing just that.

Despite knowing the ship would not depart until 8:30 at night, we headed to the pier as early as possible, arriving around 10:15 am. I really did not remember the port from the other time we cruised out of San Juan and I certainly do not remember the waiting/seating area having so few seats! I am not sure if they expected us all to sit in one another’s laps but that would have been the only way we could make it work. Regardless, I am a big believer there is no sense in complaining about small issues.

This being the 4th time we have been on Freedom, we knew what to expect. And, I am happy to say (despite a number of negative reviews on these boards), the ship is in excellent shape. Sure, there is some wear and tear but the Freedom remains beautiful. In fact, I did not really identify anything specific that is worth mentioning as a negative. I do have to say, however, that while the Freedom was our favorite ship prior to last summer, this cruise confirmed that the title now goes to the Allure. Don’t get me wrong…the Freedom is still absolutely awesome, but the Allure is just absolutely awesomer (I love making up words).

So, we did what we usually do when we get on the ship…we start eating! And the easiest place to eat is the Windjammer. But…whoa…we got on the ship so early the Windjammer was not open yet. So, we messed around a little, bought the kids their soda cards (and the poor RCCL worker knocked over the entire display of cups!) and waited for the doors to open. Lunch was typical Windjammer fare – the highlight being the traditional first day paella. We then had the kids lead us on a tour of the ship. As I said, this was our 4th time on the Freedom so a tour was not necessary and it was more about just walking around, joking, and remembering past events on the ship.

We then headed to our cabin – #8200 a family oceanview at the very front of the ship. This is the second time we have chosen a family oceanview but the other time was #8500 and I have to say I like #8200 better. It has more space in the “living room” and the room with the bunk beds is larger as well. I still miss having a balcony but as those of you who have five or more family members can attest, the choices can be limited (it is either two cabins, a family cabin, or a suite) and it is hard to argue with having as much space as we had.

After stumbling across our luggage in a completely random place (I have no clue whether it was completely misplaced or it was simply being held there and was going to be put in front of our cabin later – I like to think it was the latter. At least, I hope it was the latter!), we unpacked and set out to do what everyone wants to do on their first day of a cruise – make sure we will not get off the cruise without another one to look forward to! A short time later, we were booked on the Allure for March 24, 2019 (this time we are going with a Boardwalk balcony and an inside cabin and will be joined by grandpa and my sister’s family).

Mini-golf, a nap, and the assembly drill followed and then on to the MDR for dinner. P is a magician at making sure we have a table next to the window so we were very happy with our location. Our interaction with our server started a little slowly but we quickly discovered a common love of soccer and he really opened up after that and ended up being excellent. (I will cover my thoughts on the food in a later post).

The night consisted of the Welcome Aboard Show – the acrobats (Peter & Ildiko) are always amazing and there was a very funny comedian –Kivi Rogers. All in all, a GREAT first day of the cruise!!!!

Coming next…Days Two and Three (St. Maarten and St. Kitts...)

Following!! We leave August 3 - staying in SJ (Embassy @ Casino) the night prior to cruising. CubsWin2016 if you could only do one (not sure we can do both - we land @1p Friday) would it be EL Yunque or OSJ/fort? Just curious as DH is a history teacher and really wants to do both!!

 

 

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Have you been to San Juan before? If not, I would likely choose OSJ/El Morro especially since you will likely not be settled and ready to head out until later in the afternoon. That way you can spend some time at El Morro and then walk the streets and have a nice dinner in OSJ.

Other options include waking up early on Saturday and going to El Yunque before the crowds get there/getting on the ship a little later or getting on the ship as early as possible and then doing a quick trip to El Yunque on Saturday (since the ship does not depart until 8:30, all aboard is not until 7:30 or so). There is also the option of doing El Yunque on Friday (although you will have to move fairly quickly since Puerto Rico is on the far eastern edge of the time zone and the sun sets early - just before 7:00) and then visit OSJ on Saturday (either after boarding the ship or before). Wow - lots of choices if you really want to do both!!!

If it was me, I would probably do OSJ on Friday and go to El Yunque early Saturday morning. Truth be told, with the La Mina trail still closed, you can see the Tower, La Coca Falls, Puente Roto and Angelito (stopping at the first river and not going all the way) in a couple of hours. You will however need a rental car or arrange for a private driver...

Hope that helps1

Following!

Have you been to San Juan before? If not, I would likely choose OSJ/El Morro especially since you will likely not be settled and ready to head out until later in the afternoon. That way you can spend some time at El Morro and then walk the streets and have a nice dinner in OSJ.

 

 

 

Other options include waking up early on Saturday and going to El Yunque before the crowds get there/getting on the ship a little later or getting on the ship as early as possible and then doing a quick trip to El Yunque on Saturday (since the ship does not depart until 8:30, all aboard is not until 7:30 or so). There is also the option of doing El Yunque on Friday (although you will have to move fairly quickly since Puerto Rico is on the far eastern edge of the time zone and the sun sets early - just before 7:00) and then visit OSJ on Saturday (either after boarding the ship or before). Wow - lots of choices if you really want to do both!!!

 

 

 

If it was me, I would probably do OSJ on Friday and go to El Yunque early Saturday morning. Truth be told, with the La Mina trail still closed, you can see the Tower, La Coca Falls, Puente Roto and Angelito (stopping at the first river and not going all the way) in a couple of hours. You will however need a rental car or arrange for a private driver...

 

 

 

Hope that helps1

Thanks! I think Friday we will nap - plane leaves for SJ @545! Dinner in OSJ that night will b nice. Any suggestions? My husband is a “foodie “ and likes the authentic dishes that each country is known for. Thanks in advance!

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Day #2 – St. Maarten (I have decided to do a different post for each day since I can’t help but write a lot!!!)

Why is it that I have the toughest time waking up early when I am at home and it is a random weekday but I have no issues popping right out of bed when I am on a cruise? Is the bed on the ship that much less comfortable than my bed at home? Heck no! It is because I know I am about to spend an awesome day on a beautiful Caribbean island instead of working!!

The family woke early (and without complaint which is not always the case with the kids… or with me!) and headed to breakfast in the Windjammer. Of course, P had already been up for a couple of hours as she likes to watch us sail into port and visit the gym. It was at breakfast that I had my first real decision of the day – should I get waffles smothered in strawberry sauce and whipped cream or smoked salmon and cream cheese on a bagel for breakfast? Naturally, I made the only reasonable decision and got both!!

We then got off the ship at headed to the beach at Little Divi Bay on the Dutch side. We used to always go to Le Gaillon beach on the French side of the island and were torn as to which was the best choice for this trip but sadly discovered that Le Gaillon was all but destroyed by the hurricanes. So Little Divi Bay it was – and it was as nice as we remembered. Baseball catch on the beach with R and B, swimming in the calm waters and resting on beach chairs is a recipe for a great morning. And one great thing about Little Divi is it is never crowded and there are very nice changing rooms at the resort. Of course, now I gave away our secret spot, I am going to be frustrated if there are hundreds of Cruise Critic members flocking to the beach when we return to SXM next March!!!

Everyone except K then headed into Philipsburg to find a bar/grill to watch the World Cup final (who would have ever imagined that a 15-year-old girl would rather hang out on the ship and do whatever a 15 year old girl does instead of watching a soccer match with her brothers?!?). Given there was no Applebees (ha!), we picked a great beachfront bar to watch the match. Following France’s victory, P and B headed back to the ship while R and I walked the entire boardwalk and then along Front Street, checking out my shopping vice…watches.

To be honest with you, Philipsburg felt…ummm…different. All the typical jewelry stores are there but it just felt a little sad. I have no choice but to believe it is due to the hurricane and the fact the island is still struggling. I pray they continue to progress because St. Maarten is a real jewel and seeing the island in such a state is very unfortunate.

Once back on the ship, I congratulated myself on not spending money I did not need to spend on a watch and then relaxed with R on the 12th deck. The family then met at the Windjammer for dinner (it was formal night and we decided to only do the second FN this cruise) and participated in a couple of “games” in the Star Lounge. The first was “Finish That Lyric” and the kids convinced me to go on stage as one of the contestants (truth be told…I really did not need that much convincing). I am happy to report that my knowledge of the lyrics of the songs “Jessie’s Girl,” “I Will Survive” and a few others took me all the way to the finals where I threw the competition so a young lady could win. Ok, that is not true. She actually cheated. Fine, the truth is she kicked my butt!

We then played “Majority Rules” and K and I went to the show“Marquee.” It was very good. P decided to skip the show so she could get some sleep and get up early again to hit the gym and watch us sail into St.Kitts. Come to think of it, after eating both the waffles/strawberry sauce/whipped cream and smoked salmon/cream cheese/bagels, I really ought to be the one who gets up early to go to the gym.

Nah.

Day #3 coming up!!!

We are sailing on Freedom next year, and so are excited to read about your adventure. Thanks for sharing your experiences.

We've taken the water taxi over to a beach. You can see the ship from the beach...which is that? Has that beach bounced back from the hurricane?

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We've taken the water taxi over to a beach. You can see the ship from the beach...which is that? Has that beach bounced back from the hurricane?

 

 

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That is Great Bay Beach and it looks terrific. No issues that we could see (of course, it is on the edge of Philipsburg and along the boardwalk so I imagine it was one of the first beaches to receive attention).

We were on the second leg of our B2B for this cruise. So interesting to read about what other people were doing. This was our 3rd and 4th week on Freedom. It was a very busy 2 weeks with 9 ports of call. Look forward to reading about the rest of your adventures.

Barbara

Great review! Thank you for taking the time to do this.

Following.

Leaving on Freedom on August 18!

Thank you for sharing your review :)

Day #3 – St. Kitts

I have no clue how the ship managed it but somehow, we were ableto make it the full 46.26 nautical miles in a single night and on Monday morning we were docked in Basseterre, St. Kitts. I mean we had to be going at least an insane three miles per hour to cover that distance!!! My guess is at some point during the night we were probably overtaken by a rowboat…

Anyway, the whole family had breakfast in the Windjammer once again and then set out for the town of Basseterre. We were not greeted by the normal “Welcome cruise passengers. Please spend your money. Lots and lots of money” rigmarole though. Rather, we were greeted by a full-blown celebration, complete with numerous bands, huge signs and free t-shirts! You see, with the arrival of the Freedom, St.Kitts (and Nevis) officially welcomed their one millionth cruise visitor for the 2018 cruise season. And in classic Caribbean fashion, they wanted to party!!!

Free t-shirts in hand (and in the case of B, on his body), we did some shopping in the area near the dock. R proved he is a chip off the old block by focusing on the watches and we would eventually buy him a beautiful Fossil watch. We also told one of the locals that he was actually the one millionth passenger and he was thanked with a huge hug and a sloppy kiss!

Back to the ship for lunch and then into a taxi for a short ride to Dolphin Discovery for the Dolphin Encounter. (Sorry RCCL but one of the things we have learned through experience is it is a lot less expensive to book an excursion like this on our own). For those of you who are not familiar with the Dolphin Encounter, it is the the one where you get to do the fewest things with the dolphins – belly rubs, kisses, fin shakes,and cradling - and the least expensive option. BUT they also assume there will be a full group of 12 customers and they are “committed” to letting you spend a certain amount of time in the water with the dolphins. And given that there were only six of us (our family plus one other person) and it did not take as long as it normally does to go through all the dolphin exercises, they decided to fill the extra time by letting us do other things at no additional cost. Christian our trainer was terrific and Watson, Angela and Ayla (the dolphins) were amazing. We were also successful in avoiding having to take another mortgage out on our house by passing on the photo packages.

Back to the ship, relaxation on deck 12, ice skating for the boys and then dinner in the MDR. I think we may also have spent a little time in the Diamond Lounge as well. The night capped off with the show in the theatre. It was a comedian/magician (Scott Alexander) who was pretty good (not great…not bad). The biggest issue was the theatre was packed and we did not time things right so we ended up having to stand at the very top of the second level (I am not sure who to blame – myself and P for demanding we go for post dinner ice cream in the Windjammer or K for desperately trying to figure out how to get Twenty One Pilots tickets the next morning. And for those of you wondering – yes – we had already eaten dessert in the MDR. But who does not like a little ice cream and saying you are too full will not fly? After all, my dad always said it just fills in the cracks!!!

Antigua and Day #4 is next!

Thanks for posting this review, I am thoroughly enjoying it and looking forward to much more! I was the one asking about the condition of the Freedom and you very kindly responded. I am sure I will have lots of questions.

Did you rent a car in San Juan? It seems like you got around quite a bit in your few days, so I'm wondering if you had a car or used taxis or excursions? We are probably going to fly down on a Friday morning for a Sunday cruise and I was thinking of renting a car at the airport and dropping it off 2 days later in Condado. I thought we could walk to OSJ on Friday afternoon/evening, drive to ElYunque on Saturday morning and do a Bio Bay Saturday night. Then Sunday we could always return to OSJ before or after boarding if there was anything we missed or wanted to revisit...like Pina Coladas.

Sorry your Bio Bay didn't work out. Is there one that is doing well and allowing visitors at this time. I read something about the one on the southwest side of the island allowing swimming, but other stuff I read says this one is not the brightest. I'd appreciate any wisdom you can share!

Thanks again!

Eeyore

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