jsmith6024 Posted July 3, 2011 #1 Share Posted July 3, 2011 Here it goes. Thought we would share our family's experience as reading here at Cruise Critic has been so helpful to me in planning this cruise. We have cruised once before 10 years ago on a Disney cruise/park combo. Although I had been on a previous cruise we did not do much on prior cruise so this was much like a first cruise to many of us. I had a great learning experience as I was the unofficial "TA" & "Cruise Director" for my family. A little background this cruise was planned for my parent's 50th wedding anniversary. There was 21 of us on our cruise and covered every age group from the teen's through 70's. The traveling crew:me(44),my parents(70),DS(48),BIL(55),niece(13),DB(37),SIL(34),BF(52),BF's son(21),BF's daughter(19),DD(25),DS(21),DS(21),DD(15), Aunt(72),Uncle(71)(also celebrating their 50th anniversary),Cousin(48),cousin's BF(51),cousin's daughter(18) & EXH(60). What a motley crew! 6 of our crew were total newbies. We all flew in from around the country starting on Thursday(5 from KY), Friday afternoon(8 more from KY),Friday evening(1 from Chicago),Friday late(3 from CO),Saturday afternoon(2 more from CO) & Saturday night(2 from IN). We had booked hotel rooms in Orlando & rented minivans in Orlando & Sanford to get to the port. Dropping luggage & passengers at the terminal & then turning in rental cars worked really well & went very smoothly. Cost was definitely better than any shuttle prices I was able to find and was convenient to have a rental during our stay in Orlando. We got to the port around 11 unloaded & lines were moving fast in the terminal. Embarktion took only about 30 minutes maybe even less. I was able to stick a luggage tag on a case of bottled water that was delivered to my room with my luggage. Carried on 2-12 packs of soda(Mountain Dew & Diet Dr Pepper) that were not questioned at all. Also used our rum runners & all 7 made it through. Although I was very prepared for the boat, first stepping on it for the first time was amazing. So much to see! We were able to get into our rooms(3 balcony & 4 promenades on Deck 7 and then 1 triple & 1 quad on Deck 2) by 1 o'clock. Then lunch in the Windjammer. Was a bit crowded but not too bad for the first day. Muster drill went very smoothly. Just a bit of a rush when it was over. One of the few times you noticed the amount of people on the boat. After the muster drill, spent sometime trying to track down one of our bags(BF's primary piece of luggage). Porter was very helpful in this regard. Unfortunately we not able to locate it right away and starting getting a little panicky as we had dinner reservations at Portafino's for the Murder Mystery at 7:15 and all dress clothes were in this piece of luggage. Fortunately just in time we located the lost piece of luggage in our kid's room it had been tagged improperly by us. We had been trying to check this possibility earlier however, locating all the kid's while they were busy exploring the big ship was a bit hard. I think this started us out on a bit of bad footing with our porter but he forgave us our transgression and "all's well that ends well." 5 of us attended the Murder Mystery(DS,DB,SIL,BF & I) that started off in the Olive or Twist with hors d'eourves & champagne. The Olive or Twist is a very quaint bar on Deck 14 with a spectacular view. The characters & story were introduced and then we all proceeded down to Portafino's on Deck 11 for dinner. The dinner was excellent. Was not a full menu, started with Antipasto,then choice of soup or salad. Entrees were a choice of shrimp or filet mignon. Dessert was Tiramisu. Wine was also included in the meal. I couldn't even begin to tell how much wine I drank as my glass was always magically filled. The Murder Mystery was well acted but of course a bit cheesy. I did figure out the murder but did not win the drawing(no thanks to DS & SIL who drew winners out of a hat) but had a very enjoyable time. It is a bit disappointing that the Murder Mystery is on the first night as I wanted to see how our dining arrangements worked out. After the dinner went down to the dining room to see how our dining arrangements worked out and to plan with waitstaff for celebration of parents anniversary next night at dinner. Our party of 21 was seated at a rectangular table for 12 & round table for 10. We were not really happy that the tables were not really next to each other but more in proximity of each other. There was a round table of 5 just slightly in between. This ended up not being a problem as they only dined in MDR the first 2 nights. However, I felt very sorry for the table for 2 next to a post that was directly between our tables. I am sure it was a bit intrusive to them the back & forth between our 2 tables. I did talk to the dining staff the next morning about our arrangement. The only other option they could give us was to move us to a separate room. We decided against this option for 3 reasons: 1. We would not be able to see any of the entertainment that was to come later in the week 2. Our tables were very conveniently located immediately upon entering the MDR & we had several who had a bit of mobility issues 3. Our party had already become very attached to our excellent waitstaff. I personally thought they might have been able to shift the location of the tables a bit. But oh well worked out well in the end. So ends our first lovely day at sea. Attached is compass pages Day 1. More to come Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
litljenj Posted July 3, 2011 #2 Share Posted July 3, 2011 Thank you so much for posting this! We set sail next Sunday and I am trying to work out any "bugs" in our trip! We are taking my nephew (8 yrs) for the first time, and want him to enjoy this as much as possible! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomasale Posted July 3, 2011 #3 Share Posted July 3, 2011 As one who has done similar "tours" for my large (6 brothers and sisters, spouses, children, Aunts, Uncles) I can relate to what you have been thru. Wish I could catch your remanining installments but I am CRUISING this morning! Know we will have a blast too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisebabe50 Posted July 3, 2011 #4 Share Posted July 3, 2011 I am patiently waiting! We are leaving on FOS on 7/31. Can't wait to read more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BND Posted July 3, 2011 #5 Share Posted July 3, 2011 The Compasses are nice but as thumbnails they are virtually unreadable without a magnifying glass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsmith6024 Posted July 3, 2011 Author #6 Share Posted July 3, 2011 Can you tell me another way to post the cruise compasses? I am just a notch above computer literate but would love to be able to share. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Cruisegirl6 Posted July 3, 2011 #7 Share Posted July 3, 2011 Hello and thank you for the review looking forward to the rest. I cannot read the compasses they tiny when I click on it would it be possible you can send them to my email lyndammr@yahoo.com ?? We are going next month ourselves just booked up friday but we don't now which nights to choose to go to chops and portofino's just wondering whether you can tell us aobut the mdr menus? If you not have copies were there any particular nights you didn't like? Was curious how much drinks cost now as some say the prices went up how much was a miller light beer (honey has to drink that and stay away from sugar drinks) and I love mojito's, long island iced teas and sometimes just a bahama mama lol How was disembarkation a nightmare? We went on the LOS twice and hated disembarkation and we did the early get off with your own luggage, wonder if that improved? We looking forward to more lol oh by the way, do they still do that international buffet on the promenade deck during the cruise? And do they still have salads to eat after 10pm (I can't have pizza, burgers, fries, hot dogs--gluten) thank you!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BND Posted July 3, 2011 #8 Share Posted July 3, 2011 Can you tell me another way to post the cruise compasses? I am just a notch above computer literate but would love to be able to share. I know there are instructions somewhere here. Maybe under the FAQ's? I've seen instructions posted by others before but I'd have to try to search for them. I do know photos need to be hosted somewhere like photobucket. When you just post them from your computer files, they come up as thumbnails. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsmith6024 Posted July 3, 2011 Author #9 Share Posted July 3, 2011 Think I figured it out see if this works. I currently only have Day 1 uploaded but will update as I get them scanned. http://s1186.photobucket.com/albums/z370/jsmith6024/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slk230red Posted July 3, 2011 #10 Share Posted July 3, 2011 Here ya go....just copy and paste the IMG code from your photobucket account. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildcatt99 Posted July 3, 2011 #11 Share Posted July 3, 2011 Think I figured it out see if this works. I currently only have Day 1 uploaded but will update as I get them scanned. http://s1186.photobucket.com/albums/z370/jsmith6024/ We've been enjoying your review. Can't wait to read the rest. We sail on Freedom next May. We read a bunch of you were from Kentucky. What parts of Kentucky? We are from Lexington. Stan and Dawn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdd3145 Posted July 3, 2011 #12 Share Posted July 3, 2011 Thanks for posting the day 1 compass. We don't sail until December but I am really excited about going on the Freedom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Cruisegirl6 Posted July 3, 2011 #13 Share Posted July 3, 2011 Oh thank you so much I will be on her next month end of the month and hoping you can continue your review and compasses thanks so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rlwadsworth Posted July 4, 2011 #14 Share Posted July 4, 2011 Does anyone know if you can get copies of the cruise compass before you sail? Cruising the Freedom 9/11/11. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BND Posted July 4, 2011 #15 Share Posted July 4, 2011 Does anyone know if you can get copies of the cruise compass before you sail? Cruising the Freedom 9/11/11. Not for an upcoming cruise. They are printed onboard daily for each cruise. You can only get copies of previous ones from other cruisers. RCI does not provide copies other than when you are onboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1153rsmith Posted July 4, 2011 #16 Share Posted July 4, 2011 Wow... There are 13 of us boarding in 41 days. I can't wait. I can't even imagine how big this ship is. Does anyone know what the price ranges are for Ben & Jerry's and the cupcake store? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsmith6024 Posted July 5, 2011 Author #17 Share Posted July 5, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsmith6024 Posted July 5, 2011 Author #18 Share Posted July 5, 2011 DAY 2: At Sea Awoke at 7:00 AM a pattern that continued throughout the week which is very unusual for me as I am not usually a morning person. Must say I liked this pattern and awoke refreshed and well rested to a beautiful view. Ate breakfast in the MDR between 8-9 most mornings with my mom & whoever else in our party my mom was able to rustle up. Breakfast in the MDR was very nice and gave us several options. Order from the menu, buffet or order off the menu as my case. Eggs Benedict is one of my favorites and although it was not on the menu I learned from CC that you would be accommodated if one asked. CC was right on and I had Eggs Benedict most mornings. Really liked the OJ as well and felt no need to upgrade to the for-pay option of freshly squeezed. After breakfast, went down to the promenade to get Ice show tickets for that night. Getting tickets went smoothly only took a couple of minutes. I was worried about getting up in time to get tickets(see above) and had put the word out among my family. In the end we ended up with an abundance of tickets. More on that later. At 10:00 AM DS,BIL & I went to the CC Meet & Mingle at the Olive or Twist on Deck 14. Non-alcoholic drinks & hors d’oeuvres were provided. The hors d’oeuvres were the same as the ones we had at the Murder Mystery the night before. All attendees received a plastic encased notepad with attached pen and my sister won one of the raffle packages. It included a little umbrella, water mug and some other things I can’t remember. Thought the meet & mingle was okay and appreciate RC accommodating us CC’rs but felt like they could have done something more to get the meeting & mingling going for those of us who a bit gun-shy at the start. Around noon ate lunch in the MDR and the “Tutti” Salad was as delicious as described on CC. After lunch BF & I explored around the ship a bit. In the meantime kids had quite a time exploring the sports deck as you can see from the photos of DS on the Flowrider I posted. BF was then informed that they needed a 6th player for the Dodgeball tourney at 2:30. He gladly (or more reluctantly) stepped up for the family. LOL My family participated in several of these sporting events as the days went by and really enjoyed themselves. However, when questioning my family on things they wanted put in my review on CC the organization as well as the rudeness and laziness of personnel running the sports activities was the most common thing mentioned. I will explain each incident as it occurs. Our team won their first round and was eliminated in their second match. Before the tourney started, personnel explained rules even demonstrating a bit(Yeah.) However, in our team’s second round they called a rule that was not explained before the match started. DS said something to the “official” about this call and the “official” responded with “My bad.” Second problem with the dodgeball tourney was that our team had to play back to back matches without a break even though it was very hot & humid. I know these things are for fun and we were the not the “ringer” team or anything, however we are guest and we do think we should be treated a bit more respectfully. When researching on CC before we went on the cruise I recall seeing similar complaints in the teen activities about not being organized and following rules making it chaotic and not so fun. I will say our group had fun and made the best of it and participated in other sports activities. 5:00 PM went to the ice show. On the way to the ice show I noticed that I forgot to grab the tickets when leaving our stateroom and we now didn’t have enough tickets even though earlier the problem was too many tickets. Some cruise director I turned out to be. LOL. Anyhow, I told BF not to worry we would just go to the show anyway as we were running a bit late and if I had to go back to get tickets I would. No need to worry as the venue was not full and they didn’t even need to see our tickets. The ice show was very entertaining and I would recommend it to all everyone in our party really enjoyed it. After the show off to our stateroom to wind down on the balcony and get ready for the first formal night. This was also the night we decided to celebrate my parents’ anniversary. My DB & SIL were the party planners. As part of the celebration my parents had wanted pictures of the family. We knew that accommodating 21 for pictures could be a bit challenging so trying to be proactive my SIL called RC before the cruise inquiring on making an appointment. RC referred her to the picture company. My SIL emailed the picture company on 3 different occasions and never received a reply. The cruise compass only mentions pictures not about special arrangements for large groups or anything. So we all arrive around 7:45 in front of the MDR and get in line to get our pictures taken. As we are standing in line someone in our group gets wind that this particular line cannot accommodate a big group. So we inquiry and are told that we need to go up to the promenade as the lines for the walkway and the centrum staircase can accommodate large parties. So up we go to the promenade & get in line. We than go and inquiry are we in the right line. Answer: no. We need to be in the line for Centrum staircase. So once we move & get in line. Just to give a sense it is also one of the most crowded times I have seen in the promenade and also extremely hot from all the people. Even though we were told to be in this line. We know better and make sure to inquiry yet again. Photographer proceeds to tell me he can accommodate 20. I beg & plead and he takes pity on me and says he can do 21. I also make sure to inquiry can he pose different groups(i.e. all 21, parents & siblings, grandkids) he says no problem. In the meantime my father is getting hot and to be honest as he is not the most patient man a bit irritated. We are able to solve some of that problem by getting in into the Champagne Bar where it is cooler, has comfortable chairs and can also provide him with a drink. So now we buckle down to wait. In the meantime we realize there is no way we will make our 8:30 dinner time. We think about skipping the MDR but since we have setup the celebration(cakes,decorations & presents) we do not want to do this. We send someone from our party to alert the waitstaff and they say no problem at all. It is getting close to 9 when we are finally able to get our pictures taken. Photographer takes his time staging us to get the optimal shot and must say the results were very well done. He then stages the parents & siblings. Then when it comes time to stage the grandchildren he starts saying he was supposed to be done at 9 & he is done. The cruise compass states pictures from 5:30-11 He then goes on to berate us for not making an appointment. So needless to say I am not very happy with the picture people. We finally make it down to the MDR a little after 9 and the waitstaff could not have been more sympathetic about our situation. Must say they did an awesome job on decorating our tables. SIL had come down in the AM and left decorations but staff went above & beyond. Where SIL had left simple crepe paper strands the staff fashioned them into flowers. Parents were very happy with the celebration including the photo album we had put together for them. Unfortunately the picture fiasco made us miss the Battle of the Sexes game show we planned on attending and very much were looking forward to. However some in our party were able to make the Marquee production show and said that it was very entertaining. Well on to Labadee. More later. JoAnn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsmith6024 Posted July 5, 2011 Author #19 Share Posted July 5, 2011 Cruise Compass Day 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsmith6024 Posted July 5, 2011 Author #20 Share Posted July 5, 2011 Lynda, These menus seem accurate: http:// Disembarkation went very smoothly more on that later. Did not have anyone with gluten issues in our party, but did notice signs around the ship about gluten free but did not pay attention to them. I know that my ExH said the salads in Sorrentos were awesome & they are open til about 3 am. They did have an international buffet in the promenade on last sea day. JoAnn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsmith6024 Posted July 5, 2011 Author #21 Share Posted July 5, 2011 Stan & Dawn We are not far from you one DS in Lexington, DS & stepson in Richmond, DD, stepdaughter, BF & self in the big old city of Irvine. We had a blast and are hoping to plan another cruise in the near future. JoAnn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsmith6024 Posted July 5, 2011 Author #22 Share Posted July 5, 2011 Don't know the Ben & Jerry prices but the cupcakes were 2.50 a piece. DD tried the red velvet and said it was very good. JoAnn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1153rsmith Posted July 5, 2011 #23 Share Posted July 5, 2011 Don't know the Ben & Jerry prices but the cupcakes were 2.50 a piece. DD tried the red velvet and said it was very good. JoAnn Thanks Jsmith. We are excited to be on the ship. It will be the first time we have ever been on one this large. (Our previous cruises were Carnival circa 1990.) It sounds overwhelming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Cruisegirl6 Posted July 5, 2011 #24 Share Posted July 5, 2011 JSmith thank you for that url/menus!! I enjoying your review want more lol. Few questions more if you not mind: Olive and Twist I assume they had acustic guitarist or was there an actual dj at times or band? The big screen movie where is that outside? The bull and Twist club what type of entertainment was there? Can't wait for more of your great photos! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rlwadsworth Posted July 5, 2011 #25 Share Posted July 5, 2011 Not for an upcoming cruise. They are printed onboard daily for each cruise. You can only get copies of previous ones from other cruisers. RCI does not provide copies other than when you are onboard. Thanks for the info. The wife loves to plan! Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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