No expectations makes for a great FREEDOM cruise! My Story:

[QTMichele]

Michelle, just awesome review. Your kids are gorgeous. The shark fin pic is the best. Looking forward to your next cruise.;)

 

Aw, thanks. :) and, FWIW, I'm looking forward to my next cruise too. :)

[bionicman97]

Great "middle" name! :D (the "QT" portion ;) ) Glad you enjoyed the review and pictures - I enjoyed putting everything together.

 

 

 

Thanks, Curtis! It's over a year old - I'm surprise it's been unburied, but it's been fun re-living it again. :) Next up: Allure! (Hey, have you thought about booking your next cruise?)

 

I didn't even catch the date! I thought you just went :). We have booked our next cruise. We were tempted with the allure, but we couldn't pass up the deal they were running for 10 days on the Jewel. We are sailing out on April 8th. Hope you have a great time on the Allure.

[QTMichele]

I didn't even catch the date! I thought you just went :). We have booked our next cruise. We were tempted with the allure, but we couldn't pass up the deal they were running for 10 days on the Jewel. We are sailing out on April 8th. Hope you have a great time on the Allure.

 

I wish we could cruise so often!

 

Hope you post a Jewel review. I want to give the Radiance class a try one of these days. We thought about a Monarch cruise this June to celebrate my sister's graduation from pharmacy school, but have decided to wait and try something a little bigger with more bells and whistles. We shall see what's going on once we decide on a date.

 

How's your puppy dog?

[bionicman97]

I wish we could cruise so often!

 

Hope you post a Jewel review. I want to give the Radiance class a try one of these days. We thought about a Monarch cruise this June to celebrate my sister's graduation from pharmacy school, but have decided to wait and try something a little bigger with more bells and whistles. We shall see what's going on once we decide on a date.

 

How's your puppy dog?

 

I will have a full review of the Jewel and with 5 ports in 10 days, I'm sure it will be very long :)

 

Nemo is doing well. His disposition continues to improve, his eye is healing well and hair is starting to grow over the area.

 

Graduating from Pharmacy school is definitely worth going on a great cruise :)

 

Have a great trip on the Allure!

[QTMichele]

I will have a full review of the Jewel and with 5 ports in 10 days, I'm sure it will be very long :)

 

Nemo is doing well. His disposition continues to improve, his eye is healing well and hair is starting to grow over the area.

 

Graduating from Pharmacy school is definitely worth going on a great cruise :)

 

Have a great trip on the Allure!

 

Look forward to reading it! Glad to hear Nemo is doing better too.

[CrusieToy]

Just started thinking about another cruise today and decided to check out

the Freedom of the Seas reviews. After reading your review I am ready

to go. Your post really got me in the cruising mood on this cold Feb. night

Thanks!

[QTMichele]

Just started thinking about another cruise today and decided to check out

the Freedom of the Seas reviews. After reading your review I am ready

to go. Your post really got me in the cruising mood on this cold Feb. night

Thanks!

 

Stop thinking and BOOK THE CRUISE! :)

 

Thanks for reading. :)

[Lottycruiser]

What a wonderful trip review , we cruised on the Freedom last september and did the same itenary , your trippie brought back some lovely memories , she is a beautiful ship and you certainly managed to capture that in your report .I will be on Liberty in april with my two grandsons ( 8 and 6 ) and i am sure they will love the H2O zone , it sounds like the adventure clubs are great fun too so will sign them up for that if they want to try it .Many thanks for taking the time to post it was a great read , your little ones are adorable .

[QTMichele]

What a wonderful trip review , we cruised on the Freedom last september and did the same itenary , your trippie brought back some lovely memories , she is a beautiful ship and you certainly managed to capture that in your report .I will be on Liberty in april with my two grandsons ( 8 and 6 ) and i am sure they will love the H2O zone , it sounds like the adventure clubs are great fun too so will sign them up for that if they want to try it .Many thanks for taking the time to post it was a great read , your little ones are adorable .

 

Have your grandsons ever cruised? Ever cruised on a Freedom class ship before? They are in for a real treat!!! My kids loved it! They didn't "love" the kids club to the point where they didn't want to leave (they loved all the stuff on the ship too much for that), but they had a good time. Especially my youngest daughter. I hope your grandsons have a wonderful time. You too!

 

Thanks for reading. :)

[snoop-a-loop]

Great review and fantastic pictures! I enjoyed reading it!

[CrusieToy]

Stop thinking and BOOK THE CRUISE! :)

 

Thanks for reading. :)

 

 

Done!

 

We are going on the Memorial Day Cruise 5/26/2011!!!!

[QTMichele]

Fantastic!!! Enjoy your cruise, and please report back to us. You'll have all the new additions too - FUN TIMES AHEAD!!!

[NavigatorBride]

Michele, your review brought back such fond memories! We cruised Freedom for our DD's 6th and 9th birthdays...Four years ago! We've booked her again for next January for thier 11th and 14th birthdays. We did get them cakes but they didn't get the room decorations so we'll be sure to order them this time. Thanks for the tip.

 

Two years ago we were on the Liberty during the swine flu scare so we missed Mexico and were given a day at Coco Cay instead. I had no idea that there could have been sharks in the water...so close to the shore! Our girls swam in that ocean for hours! I'll be on the look out for sure now!!!

[LauraStrick]

What a wonderful, wonderful review, Michele!! We are booked on the FOS for July 3rd with my DH, DD 18, DS 25, DS 27, DN 15, brother, sil, mom and dad. So excited at this point, that I wish it were next week and not 127 days; but whose counting??

 

Thank you again for taking the time to post, this has been the best review I've read. And the pictures helped so much. I have been looking at the Allure as well, so I look forward to your review.

 

Thanks!!:D

[QTMichele]

Michele, your review brought back such fond memories! We cruised Freedom for our DD's 6th and 9th birthdays...Four years ago! We've booked her again for next January for thier 11th and 14th birthdays. We did get them cakes but they didn't get the room decorations so we'll be sure to order them this time. Thanks for the tip.

 

Two years ago we were on the Liberty during the swine flu scare so we missed Mexico and were given a day at Coco Cay instead. I had no idea that there could have been sharks in the water...so close to the shore! Our girls swam in that ocean for hours! I'll be on the look out for sure now!!!

 

Don't you love re-living memories and planning for new ones?! :)

 

I debated on the birthday decorations... just seemed like a lot of money for something so basic, but I'm so glad I ordered them! They were a lot of fun, and really do look better in person than the pictures show. My DD just loved them! My only complaint is that the decoration that hung from the ceiling kept falling. Not a big deal - we just moved it to the desk. Have a great birthday cruise!!! :D

 

Oh yes, the sharks. It is the ocean, so I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was! :rolleyes: :p We were in a remote area - there were only a few other explorers in the place we saw the sharks - so I'm hoping it isn't an every day occurance to see them that close to shore. At least where there are a lot of swimmers.

[QTMichele]

What a wonderful, wonderful review, Michele!! We are booked on the FOS for July 3rd with my DH, DD 18, DS 25, DS 27, DN 15, brother, sil, mom and dad. So excited at this point, that I wish it were next week and not 127 days; but whose counting??

 

Thank you again for taking the time to post, this has been the best review I've read. And the pictures helped so much. I have been looking at the Allure as well, so I look forward to your review.

 

Thanks!!:D

 

Thanks so much, Laura! You're going to have a wonderful time!!! You're going at a great time too - you're guaranteed to have good weather. :)

 

I know what you mean about counting down... I've been couting down this Allure cruise since before I booked it! LOL

 

Thanks again for reading and all the nice compliments. Watch for my Allure review... it's coming SOON! :D

[ASASJ5]

I just read both your reviews (Allure and Freedom) and they were phenomenal! If you had to cruise on the Freedom or the Allure which would you choose? We have 3 teenagers and are trying to decide between the 2 ships - we've been on Serenade and Mariner before as well as NCL Dawn...

 

Any thoughts are appreciated!

 

Susan

[QTMichele]

Hi, Susan!

 

You're so nice to be so generous with your compliments. :) THANK YOU!

 

If I had to choose the two ships I would have to say, "It depends."

 

NOT the answer you're looking for, I'm sure, so I'll elaborate.

 

If money isn't an issue, then go on the Allure. She is a stunning ship and PERFECT for families/groups of all ages. I think your entire family will be bowled over by all there is to do and see.

 

Having said that, I think Freedom is a spectacular ship as well! She's been in dry-dock since I've been on her, and now has new stuff like the outdoor movie screen by the pool, Cupcake cupboard, Dreamworks experience (characters, character dining, 3D movie theater - although I've heard this may not be set up yet, character parades, etc.), nursery (I doubt your teens will require this ;) ), and more.

 

For OUR family, we are going on Allure in February 2012, and I cannot wait to take my kids! During our Allure sailing, I kept thinking about how great the ship is for a family and how I wished my kids were there. SO... we're doing it!

 

I doubt Jason and I will go back on Allure/Oasis without kids or a group - it wasn't a great "fit" for what we want in a "just the two of us" cruise. (We had a GREAT time - not saying that we didn't have a fantastic experience, we just want to tone it down to a "small" ship like the Mariner - and want to try a Radiance ship as well.) For future family cruises, we will probably price the Freedom and Voyager classes and stick with them, with Freedom edging out for a family.

 

Feel free to ask more questions, if you have any. THANKS again for taking all the time to read these reviews.

[proudpatriot07]

Thanks for your review :). I'm going on the Freedom next month on the same itinerary and it was awesome to read yours, especially about Cococay and St. Thomas (we have an excursion in St. Maarten).... and to just see the pics of the ship in general.

 

Definitely adding a WJ dinner into my list of things to do on the cruise, too!

[QTMichele]

Thanks again. :)

 

Please let us know how your freedom trip goes. Very excited for you!!!

[SevenSeas1492]

Hi, Michele. Having just booked the FOS, I have been reading about every post about it. I will say that your review is one of the best I have ever read. Your attitude is to be commended in that you seemed to roll with the punches and not complain about every little thing, enjoying your vacation every day. Just wanted to thank you for such a thorough review. I can't wait until September to cruise!

 

JC

[QTMichele]

JC,

 

THANK YOU!!! We had to have a good attitude because the weather was CRAP and I had to manage three kids mostly on my own (not that my family wasn't great, they were, but, well, *I* am still the mom - lol).

 

I hope you have a wonderful cruise, and tell us all about it when you return. :) September will be here before you know it!

[Akitkat118]

I have a question... how were you able to book a room for you and then one for your two daughters... doesn't there have to be an adult in each room? I'm not being critical, i am genuinely wondering because I'd want to be able to put my kids in an adjoining room if I can.. and not cram a lot of people in one room.

[birdylady]

JC,

 

THANK YOU!!! We had to have a good attitude because the weather was CRAP and I had to manage three kids mostly on my own (not that my family wasn't great, they were, but, well, *I* am still the mom - lol).

 

I hope you have a wonderful cruise, and tell us all about it when you return. :) September will be here before you know it!

 

Question, if you don't mind. HOW did you get your pictures imbedded in your posts? I tried when I posted my Cruise Compasses but they were only attachments.

 

Thanx,

Erika

[QTMichele]

I have a question... how were you able to book a room for you and then one for your two daughters... doesn't there have to be an adult in each room? I'm not being critical, i am genuinely wondering because I'd want to be able to put my kids in an adjoining room if I can.. and not cram a lot of people in one room.

 

Nope, there does NOT have to be an adult in each room. :) If the rooms are connecting/adjoining, then it's no issue - the kids can have their own room as long as there is an adult in the 2nd cabin (like our set-up). If the adults have a balcony and want an inside for their children, then this is possible too, as long as the inside cabin is across the hall from the parents/adults.

 

This is their policy, but...

 

on our upcoming Allure cruise, I booked two connecting staterooms for our family, but the Royal rep wasn't sure how to override the system so my husband and I could have one room and our kids in the other. To make it easier on him (and to save me time ;) ), I told him to just put one adult in each room. No big deal.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Question, if you don't mind. HOW did you get your pictures imbedded in your posts? I tried when I posted my Cruise Compasses but they were only attachments.

 

Thanx,

Erika

 

Many posters upload their photos to a photo sharing site such as smugmug and webshots, then copy the code and paste it into their message. However, I have a Facebook account that I upload all my pictures to, so I "copy image location" from each picture and paste it into my post by using the "Insert Image" icon (the square box with the mountains on it). This saves me time so I don't have to upload pictures all over the net. :D

 

For detailed information, you can do a "search" and find several posts with helpful hints. Good luck!