"LIVE" From the FREEDOM of the SEAS, 8-15 May 2011 (Eastern)

[maritar]

Trainman - Again, enjoying your early morning pictures and the reports. Have a great sea day! :)

 

Any chance that Judith is going to post anything? Would like to hear her "first time cruiser" thoughts and views.

[jillyfish]

For the rest of the 58 photos, please follow the link below. Sorry but it would take a long time at $.30/minute for me to link them directly.

 

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v329/Trainman-2/2011%20May%20Freedom%20of%20the%20Seas/Day%206%20Friday/Deck%2012%20Walk%20About/?start=all

 

Great photos!! But your daily breakfast photo seems to be missing today :confused:

 

Seems like you and Judith are having a marvelous time together - I am happy for you both!!! :)

[BLAMBKY]

I LOVE early mornings on the ship....it is like you have your own private vessel, since very few folks are up yet....Sunrise and a cup of tea is my favorite activity, especially on sea days...

Thanks, Trainman for including those pictures...just a few weeks till I am there!!!!:cool:

 

Pictures are fabulous, thanks for posting them! What time in the morning was this? I can just imagine myself sitting on deck with a cup of coffee in hand and breeze on my face, ahhhhh!

[HB Cruiser]

Morning Trainman,,

Did they do any renovations in the Solarium,,like maybe some new plush chairs instead of the table and chairs:eek:,,And that little bridge over the pool area looks new,,,don't remember it....

 

Bridge over the pool, been there forever. I know this firsthand as I spent one too many days at the little bar beneath it in the pool drinking a little too much alcohol. Had a great day that day however. ;)

 

It is honestly the only day I can say I spent drunk on a cruise ship in all the cruises I have taken.

 

Tim

[goouchjac]

Bridge over the pool, been there forever. I know this firsthand as I spent one too many days at the little bar beneath it in the pool drinking a little too much alcohol. Had a great day that day however. ;)

 

It is honestly the only day I can say I spent drunk on a cruise ship in all the cruises I have taken.

 

Tim

 

You are too funny,,I am not a drinker so I guess that's why I don't recall that bridge,,,but then again last year was our first cruise on the Freedom,,don't recall seeing the bridge tho on the Indy or the Mariner..

:D

[uksimonusa]

A "Walk About" on Deck 12

 

 

I started as I came out of the Starboard Elevator Lobby and headed aft. When I got to the walking-jogging track on the port side, everyone was going the wrong way so I had to dodge a bunch of folks.

 

I had a request for the Johnny Rockets menu...

 

 

 

And another request for photos of the new movie screen

 

 

 

 

 

For the rest of the 58 photos, please follow the link below. Sorry but it would take a long time at $.30/minute for me to link them directly.

 

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v329/Trainman-2/2011%20May%20Freedom%20of%20the%20Seas/Day%206%20Friday/Deck%2012%20Walk%20About/?start=all

 

So with the new big screen tv placed where it is, what happened to the Freedom of the Seas Sign?

[nyer]

trainman...a friend of ours has spine trouble and when we cruised with her, she brought a cane that can open to a small seat. She used that off of the ship so she could rest whenever we had to walk somewhere. It is easy to fold when you want to use public transportation.

Have you seen anything like that and would that help you instead of the larger walker?

Enjoying your "live" report very much. I am happy that you and Judith are having such a great cruise.

[HB Cruiser]

You are too funny,,I am not a drinker so I guess that's why I don't recall that bridge,,,but then again last year was our first cruise on the Freedom,,don't recall seeing the bridge tho on the Indy or the Mariner..

:D

 

That is the funny part, I am not either. LOL I might have a dozen beers a year. That particular day I had my six month quantity. ;)

 

I don't think there is a bridge on Mariner, not been on Indy so I cannot be sure of that.

 

Tim

[LisaH]

I LOVE early mornings on the ship....it is like you have your own private vessel, since very few folks are up yet....Sunrise and a cup of tea is my favorite activity, especially on sea days...

Thanks, Trainman for including those pictures...just a few weeks till I am there!!!!:cool:

 

I agree that the early mornings at sea are THE BEST! We love having coffee on our balcony and watch the sun come up (some mornings). Other mornings it is nice to be up after the sun. But the quietness of the ship in the early morning when you just hear the ocean is AWESOME.

[Buffett fan]

Hi Trainman me and my wife will be cruising on freedom on 9/4/11 Im thinking of taking her to Chops grill and Portofino but not sure if portofino is worth it? any advice? Also do you have any info pics on sorrento's menu or the room service menu? or Johnny Rockets?. I truly enjoy reading your updates and pics.

 

 

Hi Arco....I just returned from the Explorer of the Seas. This was my 11th or 12th cruise but my first time ever trying a speciality restaurant (Portofino). Needless to say, it was SO good, we booked for a second night and I ordered the exact same meal!

[Trainman-2]

I will try to address a number of issues with this post...

 

- I have invited Judith to post here but she is having too much fun relaxing and reading on our balcony so she has not posted yet. I will encourage her again. :D

 

- We were invited to a Diamond / Diamond Plus breakfast this morning so no morning breakfast photos today. There is no MOAA session this morning.

 

- Tomorrow we have a Bridge Tour at 11:00 am and a Galley Tour at 2:00 pm. I am going to skip convention sessions for these because Judith really wants to go.

 

- Since this is her first cruise and since we are not married and have different names, my Sea Pass says "Diamond Plus" and Judith's says nothing. I guess that makes her a Peon of sorts.

 

- I talked with Captain Tor just before the C&A breakfast about smoking on the pool deck and he said it was "OK" on the starboard side near the Dive Shop. I have never checked that area but I will later today.

 

- The couple we had breakfast with this morning had the same observations about the assistant waiters as we have had and I mentioned last night. Apparently, the Asst Waiters are now assisting two waiters and, as a result, are very busy.

 

- We are going to have lunch in the main dining room today and try out the salad bar I keep reading about here on the boards.

[jmf123]

I have invited Judith to post here but she is having too much fun relaxing and reading on our balcony so she has not posted yet. I will encourage her again. :D

 

Since this is her first cruise and since we are not married and have different names, my Sea Pass says "Diamond Plus" and Judith's says nothing. I guess that makes her a Peon of sorts.

 

Perhaps Judith will provide us with a post-cruise review instead, that would be wonderful. And too funny about the Peon remark, Trainman!! :D She's off to a great start becoming D+ with a great man. ;)

[LBumb]

great photo busting the chair hog!!!!!!!!!

[ocolus8109]

Trainman- a huge thank you for the deck 12 photos. That was exactly what I was dying to see, thanks a million again, it means a lot!

 

Now enjoy your day at sea!

[justtznu]

Trainman, I've thoroughly enjoyed your "live" reports. My husband and I are traveling on Freedom next February. It will be our second cruise. I was actually thrilled to see that both you and Judith smoke. Both my husband and I are smokers. (I know I've already alienated at least 90% of your readers/fans by announcing that.) We paid close attention to the areas where we were allowed to smoke on our first cruise (The Jewel) and stuck to those areas only when we wanted to have a relaxing "drink of the day" and a smoke. We were absolutely appalled at the flack we got from people passing by making rude comments towards us. We were told to go smoke in the water, called "ugly smoker", and other gestures that were really uncalled for. :eek: Both my husband and I, who are in our 60's, were really shocked that our fellow cruisers could be so mean. We made every attempt when we were smoking to sit near a window or balcony area where smoking was allowed. We would not smoke in the Casino, even though you were allowed to because it appeared that most of the people that were in there while we were there were non-smokers. We really try to be aware of those around us and how our smoking could affect them. I guess my question is - have you encountered this type of reaction to your smoking on board, and if so, how do you handle it?

 

Again, thanks for posting all your beautiful photos and thank you so much for your years of service to our country. Best wishes to you and Judith for many years of happy cruising!

[LisaH]

Trainman, I've thoroughly enjoyed your "live" reports. My husband and I are traveling on Freedom next February. It will be our second cruise. I was actually thrilled to see that both you and Judith smoke. Both my husband and I are smokers. (I know I've already alienated at least 90% of your readers/fans by announcing that.) We paid close attention to the areas where we were allowed to smoke on our first cruise (The Jewel) and stuck to those areas only when we wanted to have a relaxing "drink of the day" and a smoke. We were absolutely appalled at the flack we got from people passing by making rude comments towards us. We were told to go smoke in the water, called "ugly smoker", and other gestures that were really uncalled for. :eek: Both my husband and I, who are in our 60's, were really shocked that our fellow cruisers could be so mean. We made every attempt when we were smoking to sit near a window or balcony area where smoking was allowed. We would not smoke in the Casino, even though you were allowed to because it appeared that most of the people that were in there while we were there were non-smokers. We really try to be aware of those around us and how our smoking could affect them. I guess my question is - have you encountered this type of reaction to your smoking on board, and if so, how do you handle it?

 

Again, thanks for posting all your beautiful photos and thank you so much for your years of service to our country. Best wishes to you and Judith for many years of happy cruising!

 

Hey...don't be so hard on yourself...really. Just because you smoke does not mean you are not a great person. We don't smoke but I have never run across any rude smokers on our cruise and we have not had any problems.

 

The only time there was even a hint of a problem was when a smoker was smoking on the non-smoking side of the pool near us. I very politely asked them to move to the smoking side and all was well.

 

Don't worry! Have a great time. You seem to be extremely considerate of us non-smokers and we appreciate it. We would welcome you in a balcony near ours. :)

[tinmantam]

Trainman, is Judith permitted to accompany u into the conceirge lounge for a cocktail or coke since u are a diamond plus member???

[CruisingMomma88]

Is it me or is the weather kind of dreary? Looks very grey and cloudy...I'm a sun-lover **don't bother giving me heck...I don't go without protection** and the sun is vital for me. What has it been like overall? The pictures are so gorgeous but most of them are of food :) and the outside ones look grey. Is it my lousy eyes? LOL...

[justtznu]

Have a great time. You seem to be extremely considerate of us non-smokers and we appreciate it. We would welcome you in a balcony near ours. :)

 

 

Thank you so much for your kind words. We really do realize that lots of people just do not like smoke, are allergic to it, etc., so we do try to be considerate. Heck, I can't even stand how it smells! We were just so surprised at the amount of animosity towards those of us who were smoking in the marked smoking section. I guess maybe they were having a bad day. Thanks again, and happy sailing!:)

[caribbeach]

Here is a photo of Judith enjoying the good life on our balcony.

 

 

When we were in our cabin unpacking eariler we noticed that the sun was going down. We almost missed it but we got out onto the balcony just in time to see it dip below a clear horizon.

 

We were watching for the "Green Flash" but we didn't see it.

 

Maybe tomorrow...

 

 

I guess you have to be starboard to see that on the way down right? and what is the "green flash" - I've heard that at Key West but am still not clear

[Florida Bubbles]

Sooo enjoying this! Thanks Trainman. My new habit is checking for your updates three times a day!:)

[LisaH]

Have a great time. You seem to be extremely considerate of us non-smokers and we appreciate it. We would welcome you in a balcony near ours. :)

 

 

Thank you so much for your kind words. We really do realize that lots of people just do not like smoke, are allergic to it, etc., so we do try to be considerate. Heck, I can't even stand how it smells! We were just so surprised at the amount of animosity towards those of us who were smoking in the marked smoking section. I guess maybe they were having a bad day. Thanks again, and happy sailing!:)

 

 

And Trainman DOES write great LIVE FROM THREADS!

[bob123]

I guess you have to be starboard to see that on the way down right? and what is the "green flash" - I've heard that at Key West but am still not clear

 

It's a refraction of light caused by the sun shining through the atmosphere at or below the horizon. Go here for an overview

 

http://www.atoptics.co.uk/atoptics/gf1.htm

 

and here for a technical explanation of the phenomena.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_flash

 

 

 

bob123

[caribbeach]

We have not tried the new automatic soft drink machine but here is a photo of it...

 

 

 

Sorry, meant to say hello in my first post and that I am enjoying your posts and thank you for letting us tag along. Have cruised RCI before and its becoming our favorite. About this machine, does this mean you don't have to pay for soda!!!???

[caribbeach]

And you need your coke thermos that was given to you (or placed in your room) after purchasing the soda plan to use the fountains. One really fun thing to do is to sit by the fountains on the early days of the cruise and watch all the people try to get the fountains to work. It is hilarious.

 

 

nevermind - should have continued to read before posting