First time cruiser need advice on Freedom of the Seas in Feb 2012 for 25th anniv.

[fishteamteam]

My husband and I are planning a cruise for our 25th anniversary in Feb of 2012. We have never been on a cruise before or even left the continental US, so this is a total first for us. We are thinking about Freedom of the Seas 7 night Eastern Caribbean. Can anyone give us any pointers on having a relaxing romantic time? Cabins? Inside Promenade vs Balcony Cabin? Is the extra money for the balcony worth it? Can we have a table for 2 in the main dining room? Also my husband is a very picky eater so is there anywhere onboard to get fried shrimp and fries or is everything really fancy? We are very plain eaters. Ports are St Maarten, St Thomas and CocoCay. What are the must do's in these ports? In late Feb is it warm enough to enjoy a beach? Its January and it says the temperature is 81 in St Thomas now. Can you find out each evening or morning what your ship board expenses are so far so you can keep up with what you have spent on board with drinks etc......(So we don't go overboard so to speak :)) We are completely new to this so please don't laugh, any advice you have will be greatly appreaciated. :)

[misty57]

The Freedom is a beautiful ship and you will be on her after she gets 'freshened up" in dry dock! A balcony is definitely worth the extra money. There is a promenade cafe that serves pizza, cookies, salads and sandwiches most of the day and evening. Johnny Rockets has fries and onion rings along with burgers, hot dogs and other things including apple pie and wonderful icecream sundaes. The Windjammer has regular buffet food at meal time. The dining room at meal time has "normal" food as well as some items you may not have had but there are many choices and you will not go hungry! My DH doesn't like gouremt food either, and he always finds something he likes. Most of the time he orders the sirloin steak that is offered every night in the main dining room ( on the nights they don't have beef tenerloin or prime rib:D) On one day they have a display on the promenade of different kinds of food that they prepare ( I know they do on the liberty and I think on Freedom too although we were on her in 2007, so they may have changed a few things)

For St Thomas, the beach is a good choice. St Martin has different things depending on what you like to do. Check out the excursions on the web site and check out the ports section on cruise critic. You may get some good ideas on your cruise roll call for excursions as well. Some of our best ones were recommended on these boards.

For a romantic dinner I would go to Portofino restaurant one night. Yes you can reguest a table for two in the main dining room when you book your cruise.

You will have a very nice time on the Freedom. We are going for the second time in about a month! I can't wait to relax in the cantilevered hot tubs in the solarium.

Just a few:rolleyes: suggestions though. Do not bother to go to the shopping talk they offer. They are a waste of your time both on board and in port. The gold by the inch is a gimmick too! Wait until the t shirts go on sale to buy them! You can keep track of your accoiunt on the television in your cabin. We always check on it to make sure the charges are correct. We had one double charge from Johnny Rockets a few years ago and had to go to guest relations to have it corrected.

[cb at sea]

Definitely get a balcony...the cabins are nowhere near as large as a hotel room (unless you get a JS or above!) and the added space of the balcony is great! Not to mention being able to step outside, see the ocean and get fresh air....yes..it's worth it, to me!

 

You can eat as "plainly" or adventurously as you want. If something you like comes with a sauce you don't want, tell them..they'll "adjust". If you want to try something else, just tell them...the sky's the limit. (No "fried shrimp", tho!)

 

Beaches are easy to do on your own in your ports..no need for excursions for beaches. And it should be plenty warm enough to sun, and even if the water is a bit cooler, it will feel great if you get too hot!

 

Don't discount tablemates....it can really make dinner more enjoyable having like-minded folks to talk to! You'll have 22 hours per day to be "alone"...enjoy the social aspect of dining! Everyone at the table will already have cruising/vacationing in common! Your waitstaff has more fun with the larger tables, too!

[fishteamteam]

Thanks everybody, my only concern now is my DH being the only person alive that could leave a cruise ship hungry! :)) He is really a picky eater. Breakfast and lunch and deserts would be no problem, but literally for dinner he only eats Fried fish or shrimp and fries! You would think being out on the ocean getting seafood would not be a problem but I guess its the fried part that is the problem. Oh well we will see what happens..........Thanks:o

[Ohunion Cruzers]

St Maarten - Orient Beach (East side) and Maho Beach (West side) Get a rental car and drive around.

 

St Thomas is for shopping

 

CocoCay - RCI's private island. Lay on the beach, they have water sports/activities and BBQ lunch on the island.

[orville99]

I'd second the balcony room over an interior. Very romantic sitting out on the balcony in the evening on a clear night. If you want both a table for two and a more "romantic" setting, I'd suggest My Time Dining. On Freedom the MTD two tops are along the windows on the third level of the dining room - great view at sunset. Chops is the more intimate of the two specialty restaurants, IMO. Deep frying is a problem on ships, but they do some really nice pan seared dishes in the dining room.

[burritto]

Can anyone give us any pointers on having a relaxing romantic time?

 

Show up. Really. That's about all you have to do. Relaxation is something you couldn't avoid if you tried. The romantic part is up to you kids. Hehe.

 

Inside Promenade vs Balcony Cabin?

 

I've stayed in interior rooms (not Promenade, though) and balconies and while the balcony was clearly better, it wasn't worth the cost to me. I got over the majesty of looking off of the balcony pretty quickly.

 

Can we have a table for 2 in the main dining room? Also my husband is a very picky eater so is there anywhere onboard to get fried shrimp and fries or is everything really fancy? We are very plain eaters.

 

Get in touch with RCI and tell them you'd like a table for two. They process these requests in order of how many times you've cruised with them, so you'll be at the bottom of the list, but if there's an open table at the end of it, they should give it to you. I'm not a high-ranking Crown & Anchor member and I've never been denied an advance seating request.

 

The Windjammer is the giant buffet that's open for all 3 meals a day. I don't know about fried shrimp in particular, but there are always french fries and other "plain" foods. Most foods in the Windjammer are served pretty plainly and you can add (read:avoid) any condiments. Chicken, burgers, hot dogs, roasted meats and tons of other stuff. If your spouse literally only eats two foods, he might be in trouble. One degree of flexibility should do fine.

 

Also know that the MDR menu is posted outside of the dining rooms every morning, so you can go scope out the menu rather than showing up and watching your husband stare at escargots. As others have mentioned, the staff in the MDR is amazingly adaptive. If there's something they have the ability to prepare and you ask your waiter, you can have the same thing every night.

 

And while I think the MDR is gorgeous, the food itself isn't really all that fancy. Yes, there are snails and oxtails, but after that it's basically beef and chicken and seafood cooked in pretty standard ways. No, it's not fried chicken and burgers, but it's not foie gras and caviar either.

 

 

Finally, my biggest piece of advice would be to keep it simple on your first cruise. Really, you can just pay for your cruise, show up, and spend very little extra money on anything and still have an incredible time. You don't need to kayak off of a waterfall or buy enough diamonds to go into the jewelry business when you get home. Enjoy your company, enjoy the ship, and (hopefully) enjoy the food and I can just about promise you that you'll have an awesome anniversary.

[birdylady]

Welcome to CC and RCCL. I have yet to sail on FOS, but in just over 2 months I get my turn on her. YEAH.

 

Suggestions for the first sailing.

First and foremost, if you don't know if you or hubby tend towards sea sickness, I suggest you get sea sick patches (dr prescription needed) and play it safe.

Secondly, on the same front, the cabin you book can impact this too. We always opt for mid ship, both from front/back and top/bottom. This should reduce the 'motion of the ocean' impact.

Now, for cabins, I completely agree. Go for the balcony. It is SO nice to be able to wake up and go out. You can get room service to bring breakfast and you can eat on your balcony (no, it's not huge, but doable). Or you can retire at the end of the night and just enjoy the waves. And of course, if you dare, you can always take the 'balcony pledge'. ;) :D

 

Other than that, if hubby leaves the ship hungry, well, that would be totally his fault. There is food everywhere and you can ALWAYS ask for what you want. IF they can accommodate, they will.

 

Happy Anniversary and have a great time!

Erika

[QTMichele]

My husband and I are planning a cruise for our 25th anniversary in Feb of 2012. We have never been on a cruise before or even left the continental US, so this is a total first for us. We are thinking about Freedom of the Seas 7 night Eastern Caribbean. Can anyone give us any pointers on having a relaxing romantic time? Cabins? Inside Promenade vs Balcony Cabin? Is the extra money for the balcony worth it? Can we have a table for 2 in the main dining room? Also my husband is a very picky eater so is there anywhere onboard to get fried shrimp and fries or is everything really fancy? We are very plain eaters. Ports are St Maarten, St Thomas and CocoCay. What are the must do's in these ports? In late Feb is it warm enough to enjoy a beach? Its January and it says the temperature is 81 in St Thomas now. Can you find out each evening or morning what your ship board expenses are so far so you can keep up with what you have spent on board with drinks etc......(So we don't go overboard so to speak :)) We are completely new to this so please don't laugh, any advice you have will be greatly appreaciated. :)

 

Oh, I'm giddy with excitement for you! Congrats on the 25 year mark AND for considering a first cruise! :D

 

If your budget is tight, then I would suggest a promenade room instead of a "plain" inside room - the window makes it feel more open. (Just keep the curtains closed when you need privacy. :eek:) Otherwise, go for the balcony because it is worth the money (to me). We don't use our balcony very often, but it was wonderful to have the VIEW from our cabin, and perfectly romantic when we did use our balcony. LOVED it!

 

Request that table for 2 - you may or may not get it, but we've found the staff to be very accomodating. If you don't get one, don't despair. It can be quite fun to dine with others. You may want to consider My Time Dining as well (you eat when you want, not at a set time). You can only pick one - traditional or MTD. Regardless of your dining choice, there is a ton to eat from pretty "plain" to a little fancy (mostly in the specialty restaurants). I would encourage you to try things you normally wouldn't try - you can always order something else if you don't like it. ;) Go to Johnny Rockets if you like fried foods - yummy onion rings!

 

Your weather should be nice. :) Try not to worry about it too much.

 

Your SeaPass is the ticket to your charges, as well as your room key. You can check your purchases on your TV. It's great! (Well, sometimes not so great if you end up buying too much!)

 

The Freedom is a wonderful ship. We were on her last January, and I would go again in a heartbeat. Feel free to read my review and look at my pictures - there's a link in my signature. (Ignore our weather - it was crappy, but very unusual!)

 

Feel free to ask as many questions as you want - Cruise Critic is THE place to get all your questions answered.

[fishteamteam]

Thanks orville99, MTD by the windows sounds great and just what we would want!

[suezyq50]

Balcony is nice, but if you need to cut back, go inside promenade room. MTD will give you two top seating and is great too. You seem to set your own pace that way, not waiting for others, etc. Favorite things at Coco Cay include snorkeling and parasailing. We also snubaed at http://www.visnuba.com/ at St. Thomas. We loved it. It is easy to keep tab of your charges. Ask at customer service desk. You might even be able to it off RCCL system through the TV.

[spanner14]

Thanks orville99, MTD by the windows sounds great and just what we would want!

 

We did MTD on Freedom and it was great. The three of us (me, my DH and our DD) prefer to eat alone as a family and because we showed up at the same time almost every night, we were seated at the same table and with the same waiter team. If you do MTD there's no reason why you can't ask for a table for two.

 

I was just thinking, I don't see any reason that your husband couldn't look at the children's menu (no offence :)) and maybe have a double portion of something from there in the MDR. I don't recall them having fried shrimp but if he's a very plain eater and fan of fries/fried food, there may be something there that he likes.

 

Conversely, my DD is a very plain eater but her food of choice is meat and vegetables, so she was able to find something plain on the adult's menu almost every night (steak, grilled chicken etc.)! :)

 

There's a fantastic variety of buffet food in the Windjammer cafe too.

 

We checked our Seapass charges on the tv each night. If there are two of you then you probably won't need a Junior Suite; a balcony cabin should be fine, but I would *definitely* recommend a balcony. Our first two cruises were Oceanview cabins - i.e. with just a window - and although it was great to see what the weather outside was doing, I really missed the fresh air and the ability to open the door/window. We LOVED our balcony on Freedom. We just used to stand on it and look out to sea, taking in the air. Sitting on the balcony at night can be very romantic!

 

If you think you're going to be seasick (which if seas are calm, I doubt you will be) then I always recommend Meclizine (I believe the brand name in the US is Bonine).

 

Happy Anniversary and have a WONDERFUL cruise!!!

[Cruisinbeaner]

We loved the freedom. We did MTD and ate just the 3 of us each night. If you can afford it, go for the balcony. Waking up as you approach a new port and going out to your balcony is great!!

[jackretired]

I suggest a larger table in the main dinning room. Table mates can enhance a cruise. As my wife says "I get to eat with him all of the time, I want to see some new people".

 

Do not know your budget, be we always have an inside cabin. As close to mid-ship as possible (front/back & top/bottom).

 

Lots of great info on the TV and in your daily compass (news letter). If you have a digital calendar (smart phone etc) bring it along and put things from the compass into the calendar or bring a highlighter and go old school with the compass.

 

If you want to special order for dinner (fried shrimp), tell your waiter the day before.

 

I recommend second seating at dinner for a more relaxed cruise.

 

In the afternoon, there is "Tea Time" in the windjammer. Do not be put off by the name.

They serve hot dogs, hambugers, salad, taco bar, and wonderful bread pudding.

 

Search cruise critic Royal Carribean for soda card. I use to get it, but now buy my soda by the can. More choices and a better product than RC fountain soda.

[JustUs275]

My husband and I are planning a cruise for our 25th anniversary in Feb of 2012. We have never been on a cruise before or even left the continental US, so this is a total first for us. We are thinking about Freedom of the Seas 7 night Eastern Caribbean. Can anyone give us any pointers on having a relaxing romantic time? Cabins? Inside Promenade vs Balcony Cabin? Is the extra money for the balcony worth it? Can we have a table for 2 in the main dining room? Also my husband is a very picky eater so is there anywhere onboard to get fried shrimp and fries or is everything really fancy? We are very plain eaters. Ports are St Maarten, St Thomas and CocoCay. What are the must do's in these ports? In late Feb is it warm enough to enjoy a beach? Its January and it says the temperature is 81 in St Thomas now. Can you find out each evening or morning what your ship board expenses are so far so you can keep up with what you have spent on board with drinks etc......(So we don't go overboard so to speak :)) We are completely new to this so please don't laugh, any advice you have will be greatly appreaciated. :)

 

So glad you decided to sail on Freedom! I saw you on our Roll Call, we will be on the same sailing...only our second cruise. I'm sure we will all have a great time. :)

[Jimnbigd]

Regardless of what you decide, I say BOOK NOW. That way you have good cabin choices. If you later decide to cancel, you get a full refund up to the final payment date (about 75 days prior to departure).

 

One minor correction to a previous post...I think the Freedom OTS has a separate place for pizza -- Sorrentos (no extra charge). Cafe Promenade still has the sandwiches, desserts, and Seattles Best coffee (all no extra charge). Is this correct? On the Voyager class ships the pizza is at Cafe Promenade. On all ships the buffet usually has pizza too, but not as good to me as the Cafe Promenade (and presumably Sorrentos).

 

The buffet has good fries every day. I don't remember any fried shrimp though. You also can try Johnny Rockets for $4.95 extra per person, to get hamburgers, fries, onion rings -- all you can eat.

 

Now, if you can afford it, booking a grand suite is really special -- with a concierge and a lot of ammenties. But you also really pay for it. Just a thought.

 

As for romance, well, the cabin walls are thick, but not that thick. Just be careful with the noise. ;)

[mackpav]

I also would say go with the Balcony, but you may want to consider an AFT cabin which is at the very back of the ship. The balcony is bigger and has two lounge chairs. I have had one the last two times we sailed. Love it. Next year we are trying a hump cabin in the middle of the ship. A slightly bigger room with a slightly bigger balcony. The aft and the hump are more then the normal balcony rooms. Also I would have to agree with the person who commented about sea sickness. The first time I cruised everyone told me you couldn't even feel the boat moving. Well I could and I was very sick. The next day I got the sea sickness medicine and I was fine but very tired. The next cruise my doctor suggested the sea sickness batch. This makes me slightly tired(keep in mind asprin makes me tired - really) and I have a wonderful time 7 cruises later.

[bob123]

Balcony, inside room.... you have opinions on both here. Frankly, it boils down to what you like to do. If you are not outdoors people, don't care to see the ocean waves from your room when you wake up in the morning, or feel the wind gently wafting through your hair while watching the sun set, or have coffee on your balcony first thing in the morning while you watch the dolphins swim by or watch the flying fish skimming over the wavetops (yes, there are LOTS of flying fish in the Caribbean; they even serve them fried on the islands. Maybe not a good substitute for your fried shrimp, but very tasty), or have breakfast on your own private balcony, then you might as well cram yourself into an inside cabin. Beware though, and no one has mentioned this yet- the bathrooms in inside cabins, as well as some outside cabins unless you go for a little more room, are extremely tiny. So tiny in fact, that on one cruise I took, a friend- we referred to him as Double Wide (like the trailers) although we didn't say that to his face- got stuck on the john. He was wedged in so tight he couldn't get up! (The rest is not a pretty story.)

 

Obviously, you can tell where my preferences lie. It's your 25th! Make it special. Get a mini-suite or better yet, a grand suite.

 

Order flowers for your room. Get a champange package, with strawberries. Treat yourself to a spa massage. Go to Portofinos or Chops one night. Tell your waiter it's your anniversary and they will treat you with a special dessert.

 

Go for it!

 

bob123

[fishteamteam]

Thanks for all the great advice guys! We decided to get the balcony cabin, Couldn't do the suite but we have a balcony on the Freedom so life is good! :D

[Honey123]

So glad you decided to sail on Freedom! I saw you on our Roll Call, we will be on the same sailing...only our second cruise. I'm sure we will all have a great time. :)

 

This is my first time posting and our first time cruising. I am very nervous about it but my daughter chose this as her senior trip so we are taking her. We too are sailing Feb 26! Kinda comforting to see someone else that is going on that trip!

[mirgloin]

I think that the main dining room serves fried shrimp along with some other seafood one night. Other than that, there are shrimp-y things on the menu from time to time, but I only recall seening the fried shrimp once.

The fries in the Windjammer are wonderful! Thin and crispy. There's usually a pretty good variety of basic with a bit of exotic food at the WJ, so your husband can "garnish" his fries with a bit of this or that if it looks appealing to him.

 

Happy anniversary and bon voyage.

 

m.