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Freedom OTS - A Post-Dry Dock Review w/ Pictures

wgraves

By wgraves,
in Royal Caribbean International

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jennmaybe

jennmaybe

Posted
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As far as St. Thomas, I can't vouch for Coki, but I would say Magen's Bay Beach is the beach to see - assuming the port isn't too crowded. Due to being listed as one of the top beaches in the world, it gets a lot of traveler visits, and I've heard it's a nightmare on a very busy port day with many ships. It'd be a great beach for kids though. You can walk fairly far out into the water before it starts getting too deep to stand in. The far side of Coco Cay (Barefoot Beach) is also like this.

 

We were at Magen's Bay back in October as part of a land/sea tour. We, along with about 12 others we were with on the tour, were very disappointed in Magen's Bay. We believed it is way overrated. The water was not as blue as other beaches, the sand was not that white sand like you see in hte pics and snorkeling was terrible. It was VERY crowded when we got there and we had to place our belongings on a rock. (No chairs or umbrellas). We will definitely go back to St. Thomas, but not Magen's Bay. I think next time we will try Coki Beach.

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daisy-mae

daisy-mae

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As they say, "a picture is worth a thousand words". Thanks for posting them.

 

I was a little disappointed to hear that RCI is not making better use of the large, pool-deck screens. We cruised the competition a few years ago, and were delighted to be able to watch first-run films just after sunset, with popcorn and blankets provided. We were hoping that the addition of outdoor entertainment would be a positive sign. However, by showing the films at midnight (when most bleary-eyed guests are likely heading to bed), RCI has simply confirmed (in my mind, at least) that they would really prefer to keep their passengers indoors.

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tootts

tootts

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Thank you so much for your terrific review. This is exactly what makes Cruise Critic and everyone on it such a valuable resource for any category of cruiser - newbies, "been out there awhile" and very seasoned:D We have not been on the Freedom yet, but it definitely peaks my interest!

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JustUs275

JustUs275

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Thanks for the great review! We are happy to hear that the electronic signage is useful...we have only been on one other cruise and that was on a smaller ship, so we were kind of wondering how well we would get around on FOS - but it sounds like the signage will be a huge help to us. Only 10 months to go....:eek: :)

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zellmo

zellmo

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Thanks for the review and LOVE THE PICTURES...we are traveling in the FOS in October. We are traveling with our children 10 and 13. I was hoping that the dreamworks experience would be good for the kids! I hope it's not too hard to find the characters! Also curious to know where you went on your excursions, especially in St Thomas. We had heard that Coki was nice for kids snorkeling but have heard it's not a safe place to go anymore. Didn't know if you had heard anything about that or if people are still going there? Thanks again for the info!

 

I have been to Coki several times; it is one of my favorite beaches. The last time I was there it had definitely gone downhill. (A** h*** beach chair vendors, dirty beach, rundown buildings.) I work at a major U.S. airport and was speaking to 2 St. Thomas Police Detectives who were flying back. They told me things have changed. They have gotten rid of the druggies, built new buildings, and cleaned up the whole area.

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awboater

awboater

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We cruised on the Freedom last year, and are going again in a few months, so it will be nice to see what changes have been made.

 

I don't know if Freedom's digital signage does the same, but on the Allure, all of the restaurants had an indicator as to how crowded they were. So if you were going to go to the Windjammer, and it was reading crowded, it might be a good time to go to Johnny Rockets, and so on.

 

Perhaps the Freedom doesn't need such a feature as there are not as many restaurants on board, but for the Allure, it was a nice feature.

 

We have not been to Coki Beach, but have been to Coki Point, where Coral World is located. The shoreline at Coral World would not be something I would regard is beach-like. I am sure that the beach is different.

 

To get to the Coki area, you have to go through an area that looks pretty rough. All of the homes have stone fences surrounding them with concertina wire on top. Not the safest looking area.

 

And last July, that area was when the shootout occurred that killed an innocent Carnival Cruise passenger.

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wgraves

wgraves

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I don't know if Freedom's digital signage does the same, but on the Allure, all of the restaurants had an indicator as to how crowded they were. So if you were going to go to the Windjammer, and it was reading crowded, it might be a good time to go to Johnny Rockets, and so on..

 

From what I could tell, the Freedom signage didn't have this feature. But honestly, there aren't so many options for dining on the ship that it would make a difference.

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suzw

suzw

Posted
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What type of cabin did you have (i apologize if you already mentioned it) We have a D1 with a sofa bed and I was curious if all of the balcony cabins have that curtain between bed and sofa...I know it doesnt go far its just helpful when kids go to sleep because we watch movies on laptop...thanks!!!

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wgraves

wgraves

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What type of cabin did you have (i apologize if you already mentioned it) We have a D1 with a sofa bed and I was curious if all of the balcony cabins have that curtain between bed and sofa...I know it doesnt go far its just helpful when kids go to sleep because we watch movies on laptop...thanks!!!

We also had a D1 cabin, and there was a curtain between the bed and sofa area.

 

Here's a pic:

5642153152_efb4244ae1.jpg

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BeachChik

BeachChik

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There are two Dreamworks parades. The first is around 11pm, as you remember, but the second was early evening - I want to say 5:30pm on either day 6 or 7.

 

Did you go to the 11pm one? Just wondering if that will be alot less crowded due to the time. Or if it makes any difference.

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wgraves

wgraves

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thank you for your quick response! (and the picture!) what floor were you on?

We were on deck 7 - cabin 7396.

 

 

Did you go to the 11pm one? Just wondering if that will be alot less crowded due to the time. Or if it makes any difference.

I didn't actually go to the parades, so I can't say for sure. But from what I did see in passing, I would say the early evening parade was less crowded, probably since a lot of people were getting ready for dinner at that time. If you want to avoid the masses though, I'd scout out a place not on the Promenade to watch from - i.e. deck 6 or 7 aft.

 

Also, I could be mistaken, but I think the parades were slightly different and not just separate times of the same parade.

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Racquetball

Racquetball

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Maybe I'm just not that picky, but I haven't noticed any changes in the food quality in the past few years, certainly not negative changes anyways. If anything has changed, I would say it's that food in the Windjammer has improved. A lot of the meat dishes in "mystery sauces" during Windjammer actually taste much better than they look, so give them a chance.

 

 

 

Have a wonderful cruise! Be sure to check your cabin TV in the mornings until noon (on channel 10 I believe) for the cruise director's daily morning show. It is usually pretty funny!

 

 

 

Best advice I can give for seeing all the Dreamworks characters would be to watch your cruise compass carefully. Dreamworks activities are indicated by a small Dreamworks logo. Also, on the first page of the compass, there is information on the day's dining (attire in the dining room, etc.), and this is where info will be listed on the "Character Breakfast," so watch this space carefully.

 

As far as St. Thomas, I can't vouch for Coki, but I would say Magen's Bay Beach is the beach to see - assuming the port isn't too crowded. Due to being listed as one of the top beaches in the world, it gets a lot of traveler visits, and I've heard it's a nightmare on a very busy port day with many ships. It'd be a great beach for kids though. You can walk fairly far out into the water before it starts getting too deep to stand in. The far side of Coco Cay (Barefoot Beach) is also like this.

Thanks! Also heard that the dress code in teh MDR has changed a lot. Could you tell me how people were dressed? Can kids wear nice shorts with a polo on Casual nights? We women in Formals...etc?

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duhstein

duhstein

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Do you recall if the Freedom still has a 70's party parade?

 

Yes it still does :)

 

Was also on FOS april 10-17 and it was my first cruise. I had a great time even though I was the only single adult in my party. I hung out at the flowrider most of the time but i still had a blast during excursions

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