Freedom - Western Itinerary - April 3-10

[birdylady]

Hi all,

I FINALLY got done going through all my photos and writing my review. For the ease of everyone trying to read the whole thing, I'm going to post each day separately. If I can figure out how to post some pictures directly, I will do that too. Otherwise, if I can get my photobucket to EVER complete uploading, then I'll see if I can get that for you as well. We do have all the Cruise Compasses, but we haven't had a chance to scan those yet. I will let you know as soon as those are ready too.

 

So, onto our trip. Please feel free to ask any questions. If I can answer, I will be happy to. I hope you enjoy.

 

The beginning of our vacation -

 

Saturday, April 2:

We drove down to Cocoa Beach. We had a room with a Jacuzzi at Four Points Sheraton. Very nice and very quiet. The only thing we couldn’t figure out is that since the room was considered handicapped accessible (i.e. roll in shower) how would a wheelchair have gotten up the steps into the Jacuzzi? We walked the 2 blocks to the beach and saw a couple ships sailing out.

 

More to come shortly.....

 

Erika

[BLAMBKY]

I swear, I could reviews ALL DAY LONG! Hmmmmm, does that mean I have a problem?:rolleyes:

Thanks in advance- can hardly wait to read it!

[birdylady]

I swear, I could reviews ALL DAY LONG! Hmmmmm, does that mean I have a problem?:rolleyes:

Thanks in advance- can hardly wait to read it!

Gosh, I hope you don't have a problem cause if you do, I suffer from the same problem. But, just like being a cruise addict, I don't want to be cured.

Next up -

 

Sunday, April 3:

We drove to the pier and hubby dropped me off with the luggage. Interesting item of note. Since we were last there 2 years ago, they changed it to where you now go through the parking gate and take a ticket, drop the person off (not next to the building like it used to be) on the other side of the roadway ‘in’ the parking area. You end up paying for parking when you leave after your cruise. Hubby drove and got a good parking spot in the deck and joined me in line. We were both in line by about 10:30. They opened the doors by 11 and through security and upstairs we went where they had chairs for people to sit before going in line. Since we were Platinum, we were on the side with Platinum and higher/suite guests. We got our cards and they had us sit in another section. About 5 minutes later they said we could board. Since we skipped the photo, from the time we walked into the building to the time we were on the ship was probably less than 30 minutes. We were so early on the ship that we got lots of pictures with no one in them. This was the smoothest boarding process we have experienced.

 

We went to the Pursers Desk and had holes punched in our cards to we could hang them on our lanyards. I picked up the flyer ‘Behind the Name Tags’. We had Graham Seymour as our CD. YEAH!!! And our Captain was Captain Rob Hempstead. Then off to the dining hall to check our table. Nice table for 8 close to a window (yeah). Next, on to the Promenade for a look around. We were able to book our couples on the beach massage for Labadee. And Sorrento’s for a quick piece of pizza. We then wandered and took pictures until the cabin was ready. At one we went to our cabin to get rid our carry-on stuff. The rest of the day we wandered around then did the Emergency Assembly (which went very quickly). We ended up meeting a couple folks from our M&M in the Schooner Bar and then headed to the helicopter pan for SailAway. At one point we went back to our cabin and our luggage was already there in the room. Oh, we went to the Spa for the 5:30 raffle and I won a discount on a service. Dinner came and we went and met our table mates and our waitress Claudette and asst waiter Cliton. They were both very friendly and excellent at their jobs. They had our names down pat and preferences before the end of dinner. We never had to ask for another soda at dinner the rest of the week. And that says a lot! After dinner we went to the welcome show and then of course to our first contribution to the casino before ending the night.

 

Erika

[jacksmom09]

Can't wait to hear more!;)

[Gator0178]

WE do this same itenerary May1!! Can't wait to hear more.:D

[birdylady]

Next up, first Sea day.

 

Monday – April 4th -Sea Day:

We had our M&M. There were officially 117 people registered but I would say only about 40 people showed. Everyone got a little gift and they did drawings and I won again. It was great meeting so many people we’ve been chatting with. Marc then got the Cabin Crawl going (which was fantastic, thanx to all who volunteered their cabins). The Junior Suite was super nice, but the Owner’s Suite was incredible! After that we were off to the Slot Pull. No big wins but it was fun just the same. While hubby was off exploring the ship, I went to win a Cruise bingo. I got called to validate all the bingo balls were there. For that I got a free drink of the day, in the specialty glass. I didn’t win, but I did stand each game. Oh well…Tonight was the first Formal Night, but we went to dinner at Chops with a couple new friends from our M&M. As usual, the food and service were excellent, but the company of new friends made the evening. I forgot and missed the evening show, Marquee. I heard it was excellent.

 

Erika

[birdylady]

Tuesday – April 5th – Labadee:

We got off and went straight to the Roller Coaster. Hubby loves roller coasters and he loved it enough to do it a second time. I hate roller coasters and I loved it too. Afterwards, we had our ocean view Couples Massage. It was so nice. After that we had lunch. Nothing special, just the standard burgers, hot dogs, etc…Next up, hubby had a 2pm parasailing reservation but we went by early and they were able to take him early. He had a blast. Afterwards, we went to the beach. Oddly enough, they had someone making sure no one went into the water near the lower part of the Zip line. Supposedly something to do with rocks in the water. If that’s the case, they should have put some signs up or something. We ended up going to the other end, closer to where the roller coaster was. One item to note in Labadee; when were there 5 years ago, they had the local artisans in a small building where you could barely walk through without bumping into everyone. Now they have a long ‘boardwalk’ set up. One big downside is once you are on the boardwalk, it’s hard to get past any vendors booth without being hassled. Hubby stayed at the ground level and some of them still tried to get him from the boardwalk area.

 

 

Erika

(fyi- I tried to attach a picture, but I'm not sure it's working)

[birdylady]

Wednesday April 6th – Falmouth:

We watched as we docked and could see they were making progress with the dock, but they still have a long way to go. When we got off the boat, they were handing out to everyone a nice blue backpack that said Old Historic Falmouth/Royal Caribbean. We walked around inside the gate. There were vendors selling all sorts of stuff. They were very nice and not pushy at all. Once outside the gate, there was one person offering hair braiding. No one pushed cabs. And the vendors I did walk by, although suggested shopping their items, didn’t push like they had in Labadee. I am curious how this port will be when completed. Hopefully they continue welcoming people without being annoying. So far, WAY better than Ocho Rios. The rest of the day we used as a ‘Ship Day’.

 

That night at dinner there was a little activity. As it turns out there was a group of folks walking through the MDR dressed in Togas beating on a bongo. There was even an older woman using her walker. I have no idea if someone lost a bet, but good for them. Hey, you’re on vacation, might as well have some fun. Tonight was the Love & Marriage show. One of the guys in the Togas was in the audience, as was, it turns out, Santa. And as luck would have it, Santa and his wife ended up as the couple married the longest. Needless to say, Graham had a great time with this.

 

Erika

[birdylady]

Thursday – April 7th – Grand Cayman:

We got off early so we could do a little shopping before our excursion. One slight problem, most stores don’t open till 9:30/10am GC time (they’re an hour behind us). There were 5 ships in port. Not the best use of visitor’s time and money if you ask me. Then off to Captain Marvin’s for our excursion. There were some other folks from our M&M scheduled for our excursion. BUT, as it turns out, they were running a number of buses so WE weren’t on the same excursion as THEM. Bummer. And when the boat got out to the sandbar our boat driver must have done a 57 point turn trying to park the boat. He churned up all sorts of silt which took a while to settle. Other than that, we enjoyed the excursion. Afterwards, we did a little more shopping and headed back to catch a tender back. OMG! What a line. It looped around and around. Item of note- If you were Diamond or higher or had a Suite, you could go through the express line.

 

I believe today was the day that Capt Rob made an announcement as we were getting underway. He welcomed everyone back and said that the next stop would be Sydney Australia which would be 24 days out. He then said the bad news is we only have 8 days worth of food…. The good news was, we do have enough liquor. He was a hoot. Interesting item, he’s actually from the US. Nothing against all the other super Captains RCI has, but it was nice to actually understand the announcements. And as you can tell, he has a great sense of humor. We also found that the executive staff was very visible during the cruise.

 

Tonight was the second Formal Night,.which also meant LOBSTER. YUM! Tonight was also Graham’s Adult Late Night Comedy. As always, lots of laughs.

 

 

Erika

[birdylady]

Friday – April 8th – Cozumel:

We booked the Tulum Express through RCI. First up, the Barf Ferry. As soon as we boarded the Ferry, we noticed buckets in the aisle. Within 5 minutes away from the dock, they came around to give every one a sea sick bag. And shortly after that, people started using them. It was fully packed with people and got very hot quickly. We could not feel the A/C at all. Once on the mainland, we took a bus to Tulum. Our tour guide shared information during the ride. Then when we got to Tulum, they brought us into the big jewelry store, Lapis, where sales people immediately started stalking each person trying to sell. Then on the way to the ruins, there was a guy who would hand you his giant lizard (yes, I do mean lizard) and if you took it and someone tried to take a picture he blocked it and said if was $5. Nevermind…. Next, there were individuals in costume that climbed a pole and if you tried to take their picture, another man in costume came up and asked for money. The ruins themselves are very interesting, but it was HOT! So much so that the tour guide (thankfully) offered golf umbrellas (when we were on the bus) to use to protect ourselves from the sun. Even WITH an umbrella, it was WAY TO HOT!!! Thankfully, when we got back to the ferry, it was only about a quarter full so we could actually feel the A/C, and luckily, the ride back wasn’t quit as bumpy. Needless to say, we will NEVER take an excursion again that requires using that ferry.

 

The show that night was a musical comedy called Once Upon a Time Show. It was very enjoyable. And then, onto the ever fun, Quest. As always this was a blast had by all.

 

 

Erika

[birdylady]

Here's the final parts. Still working on photos.

 

 

 

Saturday – April 9th:

Today was the sea day. They had Freedom Fest on the Promenade. There was Fruit carving, towel folding, food, Shrek, etc… Then we went to see FreedomIce.com show which, as expected, was fantastic. That night was the Farwell Show and Graham sang Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol. It was very moving.

 

Sunday – April 10th:

Disembarkation- While heading off the ship, there was, there was an incident with a passenger and some ship employees. We have no idea what the problem was, but we did overhear him threatening to throw the employee off the ship. A uniformed officer (Police? Customs?) came on board to deal with him. About that point we were getting off the ship so we have no idea what happened. We were in our car and heading out of the parking deck by about 7am.

 

 

Erika

[Shomari]

Thank you for your review... Sounds like you had fun. *thumbs up*

[luv2zdworld]

Thank you for your review. I can't wait for our sailing this coming May. Just one question. If we want to avoid the line tendering in Grand Cayman, how early should we be returning to ship?

[Pumbaamd]

We drove to the pier and hubby dropped me off with the luggage. Interesting item of note. Since we were last there 2 years ago, they changed it to where you now go through the parking gate and take a ticket, drop the person off (not next to the building like it used to be) on the other side of the roadway ‘in’ the parking area. You end up paying for parking when you leave after your cruise. Erika

We will have a rental car and plan to drop off the luggage, return the car to Avis and return to the pier in the Avis shuttle. Will we pay a parking fee for the short time our rental car will at the pier?

Thanks!

R&D

[Hackpba]

Thank you for your review. I can't wait for our sailing this coming May. Just one question. If we want to avoid the line tendering in Grand Cayman, how early should we be returning to ship?

 

Hi Erica sorry to cut in, when we took a tender back to Freedom we had no line at all? Must be the time of day, I think we went back around 2pm.

 

We talked and said that Graham Seymour's comedy late night adult themed show was probably the best of the cruise! I thought they were going to have to escort Lodema out of the theater as she was busting a gut laughing so hard! Graham was so funny but in a tasteful way!:D Also at Grand Cayman beware of the currency difference, we had a nice lunch there but when we got the bill the total for 4 was $45 but it was lined out and a hand written total of $65 was put in! They said that was how much we had to pay in American dollars!!:eek:

[Hackpba]

We will have a rental car and plan to drop off the luggage, return the car to Avis and return to the pier in the Avis shuttle. Will we pay a parking fee for the short time our rental car will at the pier?

Thanks!

R&D

 

No fee to be paid! We did the same thing but had Budget, we dropped the girls off with all the luggage and drove the rental car back to Budget. They had shuttles leaving all the time and we were back at the Port in no time flat. Also when we got back we picked up our luggage had a porter take to the shuttle area and was riding it (this time with all our luggage) to pick up another rental car in no time flat! So much easier at Port Canaveral than at Miami.

[LBumb]

good review.

[Daycare Provider]

Erika-we are sailing this cruise in two weeks...a couple of questions please..

1.how often did you see the shrek characters?

2.how was the weather in Jamaica? Were there any shops set-up at the Falmouth port or was it still all tents? I was wondering if you saw any rum shops in falmouth?

Thank you...

Angela

[griffy116]

I am so excited to see your review. We will be on FOS in July. We are counting the days!!! Thanks for the information!!

[birdylady]

Thank you for your review. I can't wait for our sailing this coming May. Just one question. If we want to avoid the line tendering in Grand Cayman, how early should we be returning to ship?

Hi Erica sorry to cut in, when we took a tender back to Freedom we had no line at all? Must be the time of day, I think we went back around 2pm.

 

We talked and said that Graham Seymour's comedy late night adult themed show was probably the best of the cruise! I thought they were going to have to escort Lodema out of the theater as she was busting a gut laughing so hard! Graham was so funny but in a tasteful way!:D Also at Grand Cayman beware of the currency difference, we had a nice lunch there but when we got the bill the total for 4 was $45 but it was lined out and a hand written total of $65 was put in! They said that was how much we had to pay in American dollars!!:eek:

 

Marc,

You are more than welcome to cut in. I believe that we headed to the dock about 2:45 so you probably just missed the long line.

 

Erika

[birdylady]

We will have a rental car and plan to drop off the luggage, return the car to Avis and return to the pier in the Avis shuttle. Will we pay a parking fee for the short time our rental car will at the pier?

Thanks!

R&D

I would imagine that they will charge you. But maybe if you are there less than 30 minutes, they may have a grace period. I can't say for sure though. Sorry.

Erika

[ninnau]

Thanks for the review. We will be on May 1. Can't wait.

[Cardiolite]

Thanks for the review. We will be on May 1. Can't wait.

 

Me and my family too. Two weeks from today baby!

 

OP i hate to be a nag but do you have pics of the cruise compasses? Would love to see them before we go.

[birdylady]

Erika-we are sailing this cruise in two weeks...a couple of questions please..

1.how often did you see the shrek characters?

2.how was the weather in Jamaica? Were there any shops set-up at the Falmouth port or was it still all tents? I was wondering if you saw any rum shops in falmouth?

Thank you...

Angela

To be honest, we only saw Shrek once, but we didn't make it to the parade. We saw more of the other characters then Shrek. I also know they offered breakfast with the characters. You can check the Cruise Compasses I will be posting shortly.

 

The weather in Jamaica was hot. The only 'tents' I saw in Falmouth were the ones on the dock with seats underneath for people to sit in the shade. They had people selling coffee and all sorts of other stuff within the secure area. I would imagine there are places that will sell rum there, but I didn't notice it.

 

Erika

[birdylady]

Me and my family too. Two weeks from today baby!

 

OP i hate to be a nag but do you have pics of the cruise compasses? Would love to see them before we go.

 

Don't worry, not a nag. Hubby just finished scanning them. I hope to post them today. I'm going to do a different thread for it.

 

Erika