Freedom of the Seas - 7 Night Western Med REVIEW (August 6 Sailing)

Overall, we had a fantastic time on our vacation! It was our first time cruising in many years and our first time on Royal Caribbean. We chose this ship because of the great itinerary that allowed us the opportunity to see a lot of places. I was traveling with my husband, parents and younger brother (ages 24 – 55). I am going to start with overall comments about the ship and then a VERY detailed day-by-day breakdown, for those interested. I apologize in advance for the length, but I found reviews so helpful when doing our planning that I did not want to leave any details out in case they might help someone else.

Freedom of theSeas

You can definitely tell this is an older ship. It’s very dated and tired. However, the staff did a great job of keeping it clean. The staff was very dedicated and friendly. They were far and away the best part of the ship. We had an excellent experience with our dining room staff and cabin steward.

The food was for the most part pretty good. There was a lot of variety at dinner. My husband loved that he could order multiple appetizers, entrees or desserts! We mostly ate in the MDR (breakfast and dinner - lunch was usually in port) and the overall dining experience in the MDR was wonderful! I guess Royal Caribbean does it differently, but on our previous cruises with Carnival there were so many more places to grab a snack, ice cream, drink, etc. Freedom of the Seas had limited areas where food was available and entirely too many places that required an extra charge. The upselling in general was incredibly disappointing. No one wants to be harassed on vacation about more things to buy.

My husband and dad purchased the Deluxe Beverage Package that included the VOOM Surf and Stream 1 Device. We purchased these on a sale but with tip/fees it totaled out to $67.02/day. They both felt it was worth it and it was nice to end the cruise without a bill.

We were in an interior cabin since we knew we would not be on the ship much. It was perfectly fine for our needs. My parents and brother had a cabin with a balcony, which had some beautiful views! I would definitely consider getting a balcony on any future cruises.

We didn’t take advantage of all the activities on the ship because we spent our time in the ports. However, they seemed to have a huge variety of options for entertainment. We did check out karaoke a few times and some of the musicians (piano player, etc.). I was bummed the Flow Rider was only open when we were in ports. During our Day at Sea it was too windy, so it was closed. I was hoping to try it!

We did mostly Royal Caribbean shore excursions (details below). For these excursions, we had to be in the Arcadia Theater 30 minutes before the scheduled tour start time that was listed on the website when we booked. If you have pre-booked your excursions online, your excursion tickets/detailswill be waiting in your cabin when you board the ship. The excursions require alot of travel time since many of the sites are far from the ports, but we knew this in advance so we were prepared for this part. They did have huge coolers of bottled water available as well (included if you have the beverage package).

This is not ship related, but I always see people asking about the cost of cabs. We took cabs in Barcelona and Rome. The cost of our cabs ranged from 18 – 27 euro total for 5 adults (so we always had to have a van).The most expensive cab we took was in Rome. It was 27 euro from the Colosseum back to St. Peter’s Square, but our driver took us by the Trevi Fountain on theway back for a very quick pit stop and waited on us to get a few pictures/have a quick look.

I did save all of the Cruise Compasses, if anyone is interested.

Day 1 (Barcelona):We flew into Barcelona from Atlanta, Georgia, USA on Friday evening, 8/4, landing in Barcelona on Saturday morning, 8/5. Despite what I had read about the airport workers being on strike, we had absolutely no problems or lines at the Barcelona airport. It was quick and easy (same for our return flight too).

We were exhausted but could not yet check into our hotel (Hilton Barcelona), so we stowed our luggage and went exploring using the Hop On, Hop Off bus. Personally, we did not feel this was worth it as it takes so long to get to the locations you want to see with all the stops/traffic. If you have more time in Barcelona, this would be a better option, but it didn’t work well for our limited timeframe. We took it to Casa Mila, stopped for lunch at Cerveceria Catalana (amazing!!!) and then took it to La Sagrada Familia and Park Guell. It took an hour and a half to travel from Casa Mila to La Sagrada Familia.

That evening, my husband and I signed up for a walking tapas tour in the Gothic quarter/Las Ramblas where we met another wonderful family that was also on the cruise. The tour itself is not what we were expecting as it was more walking tour and less tapas, but it was nice to be able to see more of the city.

Day 2 (Barcelona/Embarkation):Before embarking, we went to the Picasso Museum. We happened to be in Barcelona on the first Sunday of the month and the museum was offering free admission. I had reserved the free tickets online in advance, so we walked right in. Fortunately, they also have a nice locker room where there was plenty of space to store our luggage while we visited the museum. We really enjoyed the museum and seeing some of Picasso’s work. We were there for a little over an hour and felt we could see everything.

After we left the Picasso Museum, we took a cab to the port.The driver dropped us off right at the check-in line, which was already very long. We arrived around 11:45AM and the check-in process left a lot to be desired. It was very confusing with little direction. Somehow we missed the area where you check your luggage, so we ended up keeping ours (we each only had a carry on sized suitcase and a backpack). This ended up working out well as the staterooms were ready at 1PM, which was the same time we made it on the ship so we were able to go straight to our cabins with our luggage. It was nice to not have to wait on it to arrive. Our check-in person really gave us no details. He just looked at our information and handed us a pile of papers for us to figure it out. We has to get our pictures re-taken once we got up to where you actually enter the ship.

We carried on 2 bottles of wine per stateroom (purchased in Barcelona) and a pack of bottled water.

We had a delicious lunch in the Windjammer and then went to explore the ship before settling on the Pool Deck for some relaxation. We watched the ship sail out of Barcelona and then went to the MDR for dinner. Our dining staff was great and we had an excellent table right next to a large window! This was a highlight of the trip for us, as we had an amazing view for dinner each night.

Day 3 (Marseille):On Day 3 (Monday), we were docked in Marseille. When looking at excursion options for this port, we knew we wanted to visit Cassis. We have friends thatvacation there often and rave about it so we originally booked Cassis Discovery and Beach Break with Royal Caribbean. However, once my mom decided not to do the wine tour excursion in Tuscany (so we could go to Florence instead), she really wanted to find another opportunity for a wine tour. After some research,I found a company called Provence Wine Tours. They offered a wine tour with lunch/free time in Cassis. This tour was AMAZING!!! Absolutely one of the highlights of our trip! Our guide, Stephane, was incredible and picked us up promptly from the port. He then took us to a winery near Cassis in the Bandol region for a great tasting and tour of the winery. We learned so much from his immense knowledge about wine and the wines of the different regions in France. After the first winery, he drove us up to Cape Canaille for an amazing view/photo opportunity. Cape Canaille is the second highest cliff in Europe and it offered spectacular views! Next it was time for lunch. The tour company helped us secure a lunch reservation at a waterfront restaurant in Cassis and it was fantastic! The whole town of Cassis is delightful.We had a little bit of free time after lunch and walked over to one of the main beach areas. We discovered this is where the Royal Caribbean excursion went and we were honestly so glad we ended up not going with that excursion. It was SO crowded you could hardly move. It would have been far less enjoyable than the tour we ended up taking. We went to one more winery in Cassis after lunch for another tasting and tour. It was just as wonderful as the first winery! The whole area is very beautiful and the wines are amazing. Our guide had us back to the port in plenty of time. It was very quick and easy getting on/off theship.

Monday night was formal night in the MDR and so we chose toeat in the Windjammer instead (we do not want to dress up on vacation) and then we watched the gorgeous sunset from the top deck.

Day 4(Nice/Villefranche): On Tuesday we were anchored in Villefranche along the French Riviera. What a view! This little village is so charming and would be a fun place to stay and explore all on its own. There is even a beach there.We had signed up for Nice and Monaco On Your Own through Royal Caribbean. We had breakfast in the MDR before heading into the Arcadia Theater to meet our group. After a few minutes, we were taken out of the theater and onto a tender to meet a large coach bus. There were probably close to 50 people. Our guide was great! She gave us some pointers and history on the way to Nice. Once wearrived, she quickly oriented us with the layout of the city and then told us when/where to meet her at the end of our free time. We had a great time exploring the flower market, food stands and Promenade des Anglais. It appears as if they have recently installed a barrier along the Promenade, which I assume is in response to the horrific terrorist attack there last year. There were heavily armed French soldiers patrolling the entire city, which I was not expecting. However, we noticed the same thing in Barcelona, Florence and Rome as well. We also stopped at a little café for some crepes and croissants before returning to our meeting point. We had close to 2 hours free time in Nice.

After Nice, the bus took us over to Monaco and the drive was beautiful! So many charming villages and homes (Bill Gates and Bono both have homes in this area). Monaco looked very different from Nice and the other villages along the Riviera as they have lots of “highrise” buildings due to the lack of space. We had 3 hours free time in Monaco which we used to explore the Rock of Monaco where the Prince’s Palace is located. My husband, dad and brother were hoping to see the Grand Casino but with the traffic and entry fee to the Casino we decided to just stay where we were and enjoy a nice lunch with beautiful views of Monaco. The Beer of Monaco is SO GOOD! If you are a beer person, make sure to order this if you visit Monaco! We loved cooling off over one of these at lunch. We went into the Cathedral where Princess Grace is buried but did not tour the Prince’s Palace. The line was very long.

We were back on the ship by 4:15PM – 4:30PM and went to shower/refresh for dinner.

Day 4 (Florence/LaSpezia): We were really looking forward to Florence, but this port missed the mark in a lot of ways. We knew it was a 2 hour drive each way, so we were prepared for that. However, we were not aware that we would be stopping at a “leather factory” on the way. This was not included in the description of our shore excursion, A Taste of Florence, which we booked through Royal Caribbean. I saw it included in other descriptions and one of the reasons I chose A Taste of Florence is because it did NOT stop at the factory. We wanted as much time in Florence as possible. When our guide mentioned that we would also be making this stop, I was expecting an actual factory. Instead, we might as well have been in a department store at a mall. Huge, brightly lit displays of Michael Kors, Kate Spade and Coach purses lined the walls. I noticed in the window there was a sticker with Royal Caribbean’s logo, so the whole thing seemed like an inauthentic money grab and a gigantic waste of time in an already tight timeline. Once we finally got to Florence, we had a quick walking tour with our guide before 2 ½ hours on our own (which is less than the 3 we thought we would have – likely due to the stop at the “leather factory”). Additionally, we had purchased tickets to the Uffizi museum per a conversation I had with a Royal Caribbean booking agent in June to better understand the schedule. They told me it is possible to see the museum on this tour, however, after our stop at the leather factory we missed our time slot and our guide told us we would not have time. This was hugely disappointing and I wish I had known before I purchased tickets in advance. We ended up walking across the Ponte Vecchio and having gelato. If I had it to do over again, I would have arranged a private tour in Florence. However, with it being so far from the port I did not want to be stressed out about making it back to the ship in time.

Day 5(Rome/Civitavecchia): This was a long but fantastic day! We took the Roma Express private train transfer through Royal Caribbean, which was brilliant. It’s only 50 minutes each way compared to 90 minutes by car/bus. Our guide Massimo was wonderful! He gave us lots of information on the train ride there and was really personable. Upon arriving to San Pietro station in Rome, Massimo took us to St. Peter’s Square where he gave us our meeting place/time.We were on our own in Rome around 9:30AM and had to meet him back at the meeting place at 4:45PM, so we had a full day. I had already pre-purchased tickets to the Vatican for 10AM and we skipped the HUGE line because of it. My family was so pleased. They (read: the men) were NOT pleased, however, that I insisted they wear pants. We thought there was a very strict dress code, but it was not enforced at all so the guys were stuck in pants for the rest of the day in the 95-degree heat. Better safe than sorry, I suppose. At least that’s what I told them. J We toured the Vatican museum, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. It was beyond crowded and very hot, but the history there is amazing. This is a must do in Rome! We left theVatican around 12:15PM and raced over to the Colosseum where I had purchased the Underground and Third Ring tour. I had to wake up at 3AM to purchase these tickets when they went on sale, but it was well worth it as this is something we will all remember. It was amazing! It was a little stressful figuring out where to go to exchange our confirmation for tickets but the tour itself is incredible. This tour lasted a little over an hour and takes you to areas of the Colosseum usually off limits to the general public. I purchased the tickets through the official Coop Culture website. Once it was over we were wilting in the heat and starving since we skipped lunch, so we found a restaurant near the Colosseum to refresh a bit. After that, we realized we actually still had a little more than an hour before we had to be back to our meeting spot. So…we got in a cab and the driver took us to the Trevi Fountain for a very quick pit stop and then back to St. Peter’s Square to meet our group. We made it back to St. Peter’s Square in time to go back in the Vatican Post Office and mail a few postcards! We were back to the ship between 5:45PM and 6PM. It was a great day!

Day 6 (Naples):We split up in Naples and did two different excursions. My husband and I booked Amalfi Coast and Pompeii by Land and Sea with Royal Caribbean and my parents/brother booked a private tour of Capri.

Amalfi Coast andPompeii by Land and Sea: I wanted to see the Amalfi Coast and my husband wanted to see Pompeii, so that’s how we landed on this excursion. I was honestly not looking forward to Pompeii, but was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed our tour. We left the port and our guide, Anthony, explained our first item on the agenda would be stopping by a shop (what?? Another RoyalCaribbean shop??). As with the other shops, this was a ridiculous waste of time(in our opinion). After we got that stop behind us, our tour officially started with Pompeii. Anthony already had our tickets, so we skipped the line and he took us on a guided tour all around these ancient ruins. It was honestly fascinating! He had so much knowledge about Pompeii and knew how to expertly navigate the crowds. From there, we had a short 5-minute bus ride to a restaurant in Pompeii for lunch. For some reason, I was under the impression this whole day would be reversed and we would begin the day in Amalfi and have lunch there. However, that was not the case. The lunch was good and was included with the tour. It was a salad, pasta dish, dessert and amazing wine.They were very generous with the wine as well. After lunch, we began the long, windy drive along the Amalfi Coast where we stopped at, you guessed it - another Royal Caribbean shop in Sorrento. At least this one had free samples of Limoncello! Then we were back on our way. All I can say is our driver had some sort of special superpower. I am still not sure how he navigated those narrow, windy roads in such a big bus. I was certain we would end up over one of the cliffs. The views were amazing but the ride was long and a lot of people got sick. I suffer from extreme motion sickness, but I had my ear patches on and did not get sick at all. If you do this tour, I would definitely recommend taking some sort of motion sickness aid beforehand. Even if you are not usually susceptible. About an hour and a half later, we arrived in Amalfi. Stunning! We only ended up with about 30 minutes of free time here. I could have spent days.So charming! We finished the day with a 30-45-minute boat ride from Amalfi to Salerno. The breeze was welcome after such a hot day and once again, there were more amazing views. Once we arrived in Salerno, we took the bus back to the port in Naples. On the way back the bus took the main road (not the coastal road) so the drive was only about 35 minutes.

Capri: my mom booked this private tour with Tours of Capri and they RAVED about how amazing it was! The water was too rough to do the Blue Grotto, but they saw everything else in Capri and enjoyed lunch with an incredible view. They said their guide, Paolo, was the best tour guide they have ever had on any vacation and this was far and away their favorite day. Their guide was very mindful of the time they needed to be back and had them back in plenty of time.

**For those doing non-Royal Caribbean tours in Naples – we encountered significant traffic upon entry back into the port in Naples. We were on a Royal Caribbean tour, so we were not worried, but I would have been extremely concerned had I been on a private tour. It took over 35-40 minutes to go about 2 miles. Royal Caribbean ended up creating an entirely separate route for their busses, escorted by the port guards. My mom said their guide had them back early enough they did not encounter the traffic, but just want to give others aheads up in case this is a common problem at the port in Naples.**

Day 7 (Day At Sea):we needed this day to just relax, so that’s exactly what we did. The water was incredibly rough this day and it was so windy the upper pool deck area was closed for several hours. It was very chilly! I wish I had brought a jacket. We covered up in towels in the Solarium and enjoyed some down time reading. I was very disappointed by the large amount of smokers out on the pool deck. It totally ruined the experience having to breathe in all the smoke. I thought there were designated areas for smokers, but I guess the pool deck must be one of those areas. It was awful. We kept moving chairs to try and avoid it, but due to the wind and the number of smokers it filled up the whole space.

Day 8(Disembark/Fly Home): we had a 10:40AM flight back to Atlanta. After hearing about the strikes at the Barcelona airport, this made me really anxious. We had a good experience at the airport upon arrival, but you just never know. We carried off our luggage and were allowed to begin disembarkingat 6:45AM. I had pre-booked an airport transfer with Barcelona Airport Transfers, so we got off the ship at 7AM with no line. I was glad we had a transfer pre-booked as there were not many cabs, particularly large enough for 5 adults. Our driver arrived at 7:15AM (15 minutes early) and was incredibly professional. He assisted with our luggage and made the entire experience so pleasant and easy. We were at the airport by 7:45AM.

Security was mostly a breeze. They gave me some difficulty over my liquid toiletries but we did not have to remove our shoes (we are TSA pre-check in the States, but that doesn’t usually apply abroad). However, we were still through security, through passport control and to our gate in 30 minutes. We had PLENTY of time before our flight, which was a relief.

One thing to note if you are flying back to the United States: after you go through security and get to the gate area, you have to go through ANOTHER passport control near the gate.We did not know this until we were boarding. We had our mobile boarding passes and they turned us away to a kiosk nearby. We had to answer several questions and get a paper boarding pass. My husband also got selected for a random luggage screening. This was quite annoying since we had been sitting for over 2 hours with plenty of time to get this done but had no idea. They had already examined and stamped our passports when we came through security, so we thought we were good to go. We were not the only ones as there ended up being a line of others on our flight having to do the same thing.

SO…we have finally reached the end of my review. Hopefully that was helpful to someone! I’m happy to answer any specific questions, if you have them.

Nice to know that you have made the most out of your on-your-own tour of Rome. We had a bus transfer before but didn't realize a train transport can also be convenient.

Not sure but could it be the extra security check in Barcelona was a requirement by TSA for US-inbound international travelers. Glad you mentioned your tip as we are also flying out of Barcelona in May.

Thank you for the detailed review.

Awesome trip report..

Thank-you for the well-written trip report.:)

Thanks for the trip report! It's too bad the high winds kept the Flowrider closed on your sea day. We're doing the same cruise itinerary in October. We'd greatly appreciate it if you did post the Cruise Compass sheets from your cruise. Thanks in advance. :D

Great review!! Was wondering if you remember which dock the ship was at in Barcelona? As well was there stores open beyond the check in point? I read that they have stores there where you can pick up wine.

Cruises

Thanks, all!

Thanks for the trip report! It's too bad the high winds kept the Flowrider closed on your sea day. We're doing the same cruise itinerary in October. We'd greatly appreciate it if you did post the Cruise Compass sheets from your cruise. Thanks in advance. :D

I'll work on getting these scanned and posted. :)

Great review!! Was wondering if you remember which dock the ship was at in Barcelona? As well was there stores open beyond the check in point? I read that they have stores there where you can pick up wine.

Cruises

I'm not 100% positive but I think Dock B at Moll Adossat. There was a store that carried wine after the security checkpoint and before we got to the check-in line. We did not purchase our wine here though, so I am not positive about their selection.

Great review. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you for the great review - we are sailing Sept 3rd and I have the Roma Express Tour/Florence and Pisa On Your Own Tour/Amalfi Coast by Land and Sea booked. I am super disappointed to hear about the RCI shop stops in the Amalfi coast, as I got a run down from RCI Shore Excursion that you get an hour to walk around on your own :( But it still seems like a good option to do both pompeii and the amalfi coast through the cruiseline, as I am also concerned about making it back to the ship in time and have booked mostly ship tours!

Did you walk everywhere in Monaco? People say it's very hilly, should I be prepared for a workout haha!

Again, thanks for all the helpful tips! Glad to hear the airport went smooth...I have a 11:30am flight home to Dallas and was thinking I probably wouldnt make it, but if they start disembarking before 7, I think I should be fine, as I booked the flight through RCI and hopefully that will get me off the ship quick if I carry off my luggage by myself!

I would love to see the Cruise Compasses as well. We are on the Sept 10 cruise.

Thank you for the great review - we are sailing Sept 3rd and I have the Roma Express Tour/Florence and Pisa On Your Own Tour/Amalfi Coast by Land and Sea booked. I am super disappointed to hear about the RCI shop stops in the Amalfi coast, as I got a run down from RCI Shore Excursion that you get an hour to walk around on your own :( But it still seems like a good option to do both pompeii and the amalfi coast through the cruiseline, as I am also concerned about making it back to the ship in time and have booked mostly ship tours!

 

Did you walk everywhere in Monaco? People say it's very hilly, should I be prepared for a workout haha!

 

Again, thanks for all the helpful tips! Glad to hear the airport went smooth...I have a 11:30am flight home to Dallas and was thinking I probably wouldnt make it, but if they start disembarking before 7, I think I should be fine, as I booked the flight through RCI and hopefully that will get me off the ship quick if I carry off my luggage by myself!

The shops were a disappointment for sure, as we truly felt they were a waste of precious time. The only positive was there was usually a clean place to use the restroom in those locations. We were also under the impression from the person we spoke with on the phone that there would be a full hour in Amalfi, but we only had 30 minutes. However, we had a certain group of people who spent more time than was allotted in the shops so that might have been what caused us to have a shortened timeline. Maybe most groups get the full hour. We did thoroughly enjoy this tour despite the annoyances over the shops. We drove the entire Amalfi Coast through all of the seaside villages like Sorrento and Positano. Truly amazing views!

We did walk everywhere in Monaco, but that's because we only stayed in one main area. It is VERY hilly! Our bus dropped us off in an underground parking deck under the Oceanographic Museum. We had to take two escalators and an elevator up to the top. From there, you walk uphill to the Cathedral and Prince's Palace but it's not a very long walk at all (10 minutes max). There are tons of restaurants and shops on the little narrow alleyways for lunch right by the Prince's Palace. If you want to go over to Monte Carlo area, our guide recommended taking the bus or a cab. Monaco is small but does have quite a bit of traffic.

Based on our experience, I think you'll be completely fine to make your flight - especially if you carry off your own suitcase and booked through RCI. The disembarking process went very smoothly and we didn't wait in any lines to get off the ship or at the airport.

I'll work on getting the Cruise Compasses up tomorrow and I hope all of those on upcoming sailings enjoy!! We have such great memories from this trip that we will be talking about for years to come. :)

Wow what a great review and has me excited for my upcoming cruise !!! I'm headed on a similar itinerary for the presidents cruise in a few weeks. I can't wait to see the cruise compass

Here's a link to the Cruise Compass for each day: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hvtbfm1qb5zkrii/AACzfL27GKcwKbiZX18XLmy-a?dl=0

I also included as many of the destination guides I could find. These were included in our Cruise Compass each day. I think the only one I am missing is La Spezia/Florence. I will look for that one.

Let me know if you are not able to access the link (I think I set it up correctly for viewing, but not 100% sure!).

Here's a link to the Cruise Compass for each day: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hvtbfm1qb5zkrii/AACzfL27GKcwKbiZX18XLmy-a?dl=0

 

I also included as many of the destination guides I could find. These were included in our Cruise Compass each day. I think the only one I am missing is La Spezia/Florence. I will look for that one.

 

Let me know if you are not able to access the link (I think I set it up correctly for viewing, but not 100% sure!).

Thanks for these, I can access them fine. If you still have the departure flyer, that would be useful to some.

Thank you for the review and info- I'm going on that cruise October 15th :)

great review, we are doing this itinerary may 18,

i have found your review and especially the detail regarding excursions very helpful.

The shops were a disappointment for sure, as we truly felt they were a waste of precious time. The only positive was there was usually a clean place to use the restroom in those locations. We were also under the impression from the person we spoke with on the phone that there would be a full hour in Amalfi, but we only had 30 minutes. However, we had a certain group of people who spent more time than was allotted in the shops so that might have been what caused us to have a shortened timeline. Maybe most groups get the full hour. We did thoroughly enjoy this tour despite the annoyances over the shops. We drove the entire Amalfi Coast through all of the seaside villages like Sorrento and Positano. Truly amazing views!

 

We did walk everywhere in Monaco, but that's because we only stayed in one main area. It is VERY hilly! Our bus dropped us off in an underground parking deck under the Oceanographic Museum. We had to take two escalators and an elevator up to the top. From there, you walk uphill to the Cathedral and Prince's Palace but it's not a very long walk at all (10 minutes max). There are tons of restaurants and shops on the little narrow alleyways for lunch right by the Prince's Palace. If you want to go over to Monte Carlo area, our guide recommended taking the bus or a cab. Monaco is small but does have quite a bit of traffic.

 

Based on our experience, I think you'll be completely fine to make your flight - especially if you carry off your own suitcase and booked through RCI. The disembarking process went very smoothly and we didn't wait in any lines to get off the ship or at the airport.

 

I'll work on getting the Cruise Compasses up tomorrow and I hope all of those on upcoming sailings enjoy!! We have such great memories from this trip that we will be talking about for years to come. :)

I decided to not go through the fiasco of paying to go into the Monte Carlo casino...but I have heard reports that the gift shop is free to get in and that there is a casino adjacent to it that does not charge for entry...can you confirm or deny?

thanks for the cruise compass scans...did you see any of the shows/entertainers and have reviews on your thoughts on that? Since you had the drink package, how did you feel like bar service was and any particular bars/bartenders or drinks I should try...I also ended up purchasing the package!

So happy to know you are all finding it helpful!

Thanks for these, I can access them fine. If you still have the departure flyer, that would be useful to some.

Yes, I do. I scanned it in and added it to the same Dropbox link: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hvtbfm1qb5zkrii/AACzfL27GKcwKbiZX18XLmy-a?dl=0

I decided to not go through the fiasco of paying to go into the Monte Carlo casino...but I have heard reports that the gift shop is free to get in and that there is a casino adjacent to it that does not charge for entry...can you confirm or deny?

 

thanks for the cruise compass scans...did you see any of the shows/entertainers and have reviews on your thoughts on that? Since you had the drink package, how did you feel like bar service was and any particular bars/bartenders or drinks I should try...I also ended up purchasing the package!

I do not know the answer to the gift shop/casino question - sorry! We did not end up going over to that area at all (but we could see the top of the Grand Casino from the Prince's Palace area).

Unfortunately we missed all of the shows! I was bummed about that but we were so tired from our early mornings/long days in port we went to bed early most nights. The bar service was pretty good. My dad liked the bartender near the Casino (I'll have to ask him exactly which one). The bartender at the lounge on Deck 4 near the guest services desk was also great - it's right up the stairs from Leonardo's Dining Room, which is where we ate. They had a piano player there most nights and we would go up there after dinner. We did go to one other lounge one night after dinner. I'll have to ask my husband the name of it. They had different singers in there performing with a nice bar area. On the last port day there was a big party with a DJ on the pool deck, which was fun. We did stay up for that since we could sleep in the next day. :D The bars on the pool deck were pretty crowded usually. They also ran out of several items used to make drinks so certain drinks (i.e. - pina coladas) were no longer available.

... Yes, I do. I scanned it in and added it to the same Dropbox link: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hvtbfm1qb5zkrii/AACzfL27GKcwKbiZX18XLmy-a?dl=0 ...

Thank-you!

Thank-you!

Thanks so much for a very informative review. I'm on Freedom 9/17 with a slightly different itinerary. With the self assist debarkation, did you have to navigate escalators or stairs in the cruise terminal. I'm trying to determine the best carry on to manage both pieces of luggage,

Sandy

Thanks for the review. Thinking about going back on the freedom in May. Surprised to read your comments on the state of the ship.

Thanks for your review, really well done.

Thanks for the report. Lots of information and tips for other cruisers. Really nice!

Let me add my thanks as well, especially for the cruise compasses. I know it takes some work to scan and post them. We're on this cruise in a month and will greatly enjoy looking at the cruise compasses to get even more excited.

Thanks so much for a very informative review. I'm on Freedom 9/17 with a slightly different itinerary. With the self assist debarkation, did you have to navigate escalators or stairs in the cruise terminal. I'm trying to determine the best carry on to manage both pieces of luggage,

 

Sandy

Yes, there were escalators we had to use in the cruise terminal. We each had a carry on size suitcase (21-22 inches) and a backpack and it was very manageable.

We were also easily able to get an elevator on the ship as well. I had heard that this can sometimes be challenging (we were on Deck 9, my parents on Deck 7) but maybe because we were getting off so early we did not have any problems.