Freedom B2B Trip Review 4/28/13 - 5/12/13 (picture heavy)!!!

[AZAficionado]

Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay 2011 (very good, nice amount of oak yet still crisp).

 

On "Italian night", the entire wait staff sings an Italian love song. Number of crew members from Italy: one. They did a good job. Look out MO5AIC!

 

Sugar-Free Chocolate Coconut Terrine (very good, great flavors and creamy consistency, didn't miss the sugar) and Cheese Plate (very good, different cheese with fresh fig and chutney).

 

We finished off the evening with Cigars in the Sky (no Beyonce this time) and Dancing Under the Stars. There was a buffet that looked pretty much the same as last week (page back for pics).

 

Again, the turnout was quite good for the dancing.

 

Ok. Everyone say it together... Awwwww....

 

Next up is St. Thomas. A place I haven't been to since my very first cruise in 1993. We'll see how that worked out later...

[SolsticeAZ]

Bloody Mary (very good, nice and spicy). The mix they use is one of the best I've ever had. Not sure what brand it is though.

 

Hah! I know this one. It's Island Oasis. And it's yummy.:D

[Zhane's mum]

I am really enjoying your writing style and much like a cruise I don't want your review to end. Great pics of Coco Cay, we will be there on November and yours pictures are the best I have seen.

 

Which bar serves the canapés, is there a charge for them?

[shopping is fun]

A seagull took an ENTIRE cheeseburger off my daughter's plate at Coco Cay!!

[AZAficionado]

I am really enjoying your writing style and much like a cruise I don't want your review to end. Great pics of Coco Cay' date=' we will be there on November and yours pictures are the best I have seen.

 

Which bar serves the canapés, is there a charge for them?[/quote']

I'm so glad you are liking it and my smart phone thanks you re: pictures (it did all the work in the picture department).

 

The Champagne Bar usually has canapes before dinner and they are complementary. If you sit at a table, you might want to ask if they have them when you place your drink order. Especially right before dinner, that bar gets packed and the bartenders may not get around to putting out canapes for the tables.

 

Another alternative is Vintages, which will often provide canapes (free) and has a variety of snacks on their menu, but the menu items come with an additional charge of a few dollars. If I remember right from previous cruises, they were a pretty good value.

[AZAficionado]

A seagull took an ENTIRE cheeseburger off my daughter's plate at Coco Cay!!

Be glad it was just the cheeseburger and not your daughter too. I wouldn't put it past them to try and take both.:eek:

[AF-1]

Once again, thank you for taking your time to post unbelievable pictures and great commentary. Your the best.

[Zhane's mum]

I'm so glad you are liking it and my smart phone thanks you re: pictures (it did all the work in the picture department).

 

The Champagne Bar usually has canapes before dinner and they are complementary. If you sit at a table, you might want to ask if they have them when you place your drink order. Especially right before dinner, that bar gets packed and the bartenders may not get around to putting out canapes for the tables.

 

Another alternative is Vintages, which will often provide canapes (free) and has a variety of snacks on their menu, but the menu items come with an additional charge of a few dollars. If I remember right from previous cruises, they were a pretty good value.

 

Thanks for the info. I've been trying to work out whether to get a romance package that includes canapés and petit fours on a formal night, but now I don't think it's worth the extra cost which I shall now put towards some of those lovely looking martinis and some champagne mmmmm..

[Dave4120]

Just a huge thank-you for such a fantastic review, and, for providing all of the insight for future back to back cruisers. My wife and I just finished a cruise on the Explorer, and, for the first time ever, booked a back to back on the Freedom for next May.

 

As a matter of fact, our D1 cabin is 9340, which is just a couple of cabins down from the Junior Suite cabin you were in. Wish we could afford the Junior Suite, but 9340 on the hump seemed to be fine from the deck plan I saw, so, I hope for a D1 cabin, we made a smart choice on that 9th deck.

 

I've been panicking already about the protocol for back to back cruises, but all of the information you have provided has eased my mine entirely, so we both thank-you so much.

 

We have booked a hotel at Coco Beach, but could change it for our one night prior stay. Do you have any opinions on staying there and going to the port versus staying at the Hyatt like you did near the airport. We weren't sure what the better option, if any, might be staying in one area versus the other.

 

Great review and thanks again.

 

Dave & Loni

[wolfganghowell]

Great review - you are a master!

 

Side note to question earlier - The JS on Voyager class ships have the walk in closet. Oddly, the closet is better for a JS than for a GS. I've always found that weird.

[audome78]

The Caymus Special Select is in fact, special...or favorite!:D

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

[AZAficionado]

Thanks for the info. I've been trying to work out whether to get a romance package that includes canapés and petit fours on a formal night' date=' but now I don't think it's worth the extra cost which I shall now put towards some of those lovely looking martinis and some champagne mmmmm..[/quote']

I've done the romance package before and one of the biggest complaints I've had is they never timed the delivery of the snacks that great. We do the late seating for dinner and we'd get the petit fours at like 3:00 pm. Most of the champagne offerings weren't available on our cruise, but they have really expanded the options. There were easily 10 or 15 different champagnes on the menu at the Champagne Bar, many offered by the glass.

 

Just a huge thank-you for such a fantastic review, and, for providing all of the insight for future back to back cruisers. My wife and I just finished a cruise on the Explorer, and, for the first time ever, booked a back to back on the Freedom for next May.

 

As a matter of fact, our D1 cabin is 9340, which is just a couple of cabins down from the Junior Suite cabin you were in. Wish we could afford the Junior Suite, but 9340 on the hump seemed to be fine from the deck plan I saw, so, I hope for a D1 cabin, we made a smart choice on that 9th deck.

 

I've been panicking already about the protocol for back to back cruises, but all of the information you have provided has eased my mine entirely, so we both thank-you so much.

 

We have booked a hotel at Coco Beach, but could change it for our one night prior stay. Do you have any opinions on staying there and going to the port versus staying at the Hyatt like you did near the airport. We weren't sure what the better option, if any, might be staying in one area versus the other.

 

Great review and thanks again.

 

Dave & Loni

I've never stayed at Coco Beach, so, I really have no basis for comparison. I really liked the Hyatt, so I never looked any further.

 

Great review - you are a master!

 

Side note to question earlier - The JS on Voyager class ships have the walk in closet. Oddly, the closet is better for a JS than for a GS. I've always found that weird.

Yea, I've heard that too. Very quirky. To be honest, they could easily give some of the walk-in closet space to the bathroom or the cabin with the JS on Freedom. Most of it is just wasted and space is at such a premium on board.

 

The Caymus Special Select is in fact, special...or favorite!:D

 

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

It is indeed. My bad for not giving it its due.

 

 

Thank you all for the kind words and positive feedback. It really means a lot to me.

[AZAficionado]

Day 11 (4) - Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

 

 

Guess what's next?

 

 

My research for Charlotte Amalie was really no different than other ports - find the best beach and good place to grab a bite to eat and/or drink. Magen's Bay, which is about 2 miles from the docks as the crow flies and probably 4 - 5 by road, popped up right away. The Big Kahuna Rum Shack downtown and Mojos Rum & Surf Shack at the pier both looked like places to grab some refreshments. The plan was grab a cab to Magen's Bay, relax on the beach and hit one (or both) of the Rum Shacks in the afternoon.

 

It turns out that the Bahamas and Virgin Islands are not exactly around the corner from each other and we needed about half of the day to finish off the journey. That gave us a fantastic opportunity to have breakfast on the balcony.

 

Mimosas, fruit, pastries, bacon and sausage. A quick run to Cafe Promenade for some Starbucks beforehand made it just perfect. They did a great job of delivering everything on time. We did get a courtesy call beforehand and they wanted to make sure an adult would be present to sign for the Mimosas. We didn't call room service, but instead put out the handy breakfast menus the night before. I highly recommend it.

[AZAficionado]

The entire island.

 

 

 

Just beautiful.

 

Parking was tight.

 

Don't hit the one up front. The Mouse will never let that go. As for the other one...Well, I'm surprised it is still floating.

[AZAficionado]

 

The harbor.

 

Saw this in the port area.

 

Like other places, the "taxis" are more like buses that hold 20 or so people. Magen's Bay is on the other side of the island.

 

The view on the way there and back is breath taking.

 

When we arrived, we had to pay an entrance fee. I don't know if it was just me, but the vibe I got from the people on the island made me feel like I was getting gouged. This was the first time all trip that I felt like a tourist instead of a welcome guest. Unfortunately, it was overcast and drizzling. But it didn't last long and was sporadically sunny the rest of the afternoon. Magen's Bay is listed as one of the top 10 most beautiful beaches in the world. I can't disagree with that.

 

It is a little crowded where they drop you off.

 

Further down, there is plenty of space.

[AZAficionado]

Looking back.

 

The bay itself. The water was fantastic. It was nice and sandy (no need for aqua shoes), clear and cool. Basically, perfect.

 

They had bathrooms, changing rooms, picnic tables, a restaurant and a bar. Pretty much everything you could possibly need.

 

Our drink of choice on the beach - Rum Punch (very good, lots of rum - light and dark, but very fruity).

 

We headed back into town to walk around a bit.

 

Oh no! Not again!!! Luckily, no. Residents of the Caribbean: You can build coops for your chickens instead of letting them just run wild.

[AZAficionado]

We tried the Big Kahuna Rum Shack for some lunch. They did a great job. The food and drinks were great as was the service.

 

Fairly busy inside. We sat on the patio, which was very nice.

 

Mojito (excellent, great flavor, super strong - I swear there was at least a case of rum in that cup) and Red Stripe (who doesn't like Red Stripe?).

 

Nachos (excellent, plenty of melted cheese and spicy jalapeños, cumin-spiced re-fried beans on the side). I didn't the nachos would be that big.

 

Pulled Pork Tacos (excellent, delicious tender pulled pork in a taco with standard taco toppings) and Jerked Chicken Wrap (excellent, tender chicken with a flavorful tangy jerk sauce).

[AZAficionado]

We stopped by the Frog's on the way back to the ship.

 

Any closer and it would be on the ship. Now, there's an idea...

 

An old classic. The business frog in a bowler hat.

 

Onwards, to dinner. Yea, we skipped having a pre-dinner drink or had one at the Frog's, however you want to see it.

 

Antipasti (very good, nice selection of meats and grilled vegetables) and Minestrone (very good, great blend of vegetable flavors).

 

Pork Tenderloin (very good, prosciutto-wrapped, pork was just a touch dry, scalloped potato side was outstanding) and Beef Lasagna (outstanding, hearty, yet creamy and decadent)

[AZAficionado]

Secco-Bertani Valpolicello 2009 (very good, full bodied yet still mild, nice dark fruits)

 

Tiramisu (excellent, very moist, yet didn't fall apart, great blend of flavors) and Low-fat Lemon Yogurt Cake (S) (very good, moist yet great fresh flavors).

 

That evening, we tried the Casino again. It was lots of fun, despite there being way too many people who don't know how to play Blackjack. Ended up winning.

 

A weasel got loose in our cabin.

 

Last port of call, St. Maarten. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow...

[tiggerkaj]

Thanks for the great review! We will be doing the Eastern cruise in a few weeks and are so excited.

 

On St. Thomas, how much was the taxi to the beach you mentioned? We have never been there and are debating what to do and can't seem to make up our mind.

[lovelife]

Thanks so much for taking the time to inform and entertain us. It is very much appreciated. I look forward to my turn on Freedom in September!!

[luvsun22]

Did they parallel park the ship? That must have been interesting to watch!

[AZAficionado]

Thanks for the great review! We will be doing the Eastern cruise in a few weeks and are so excited.

 

On St. Thomas, how much was the taxi to the beach you mentioned? We have never been there and are debating what to do and can't seem to make up our mind.

I think it was $7 per person each way and another $4 each to get into the beach. The same taxi stops in town which was a $4 ride from the ship. However, on the way back, it was $7 to get back to town or go to the pier (we opted to get off in town and look around). And then it was another $7 each to get from town to the pier.

 

Did they parallel park the ship? That must have been interesting to watch!

Yes and no to the first question. Yes, the ship was parallel parked (kind of) into that spot in the picture. Since the propellers can rotate 360 degrees, we pulled up along side and went in sideways. However, a harbor pilot was brought on board as we entered the harbor and I believe he/she did all the driving (rather than the ship's crew).

 

I thought it was going to be interesting, but it really wasn't. They did it at the speed of evolution and left nothing to chance - aka boring. Now if they had entered the harbor at 30 knots, cut the engines and drifted into the spot, that would have been interesting.;)

[AZAficionado]

Thanks so much for taking the time to inform and entertain us. It is very much appreciated. I look forward to my turn on Freedom in September!!

You are most welcome.:D

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

your review is awesome...I am really enjoying your pictures. Thinking about booking Freedom for next year, looks like a beautiful ship. I am like you, always go to the best beaches...your pics are bringing back great memories! Thanks.