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

[AZAficionado]

I am pretty sure Cruise Critic will be hiring you to write these reviews from now on, yours is the best I've seen!

 

Question regarding internet - did you purchase a package through RCC and would you mind sharing the fee.

Thank you for the compliment. I'm not sure I'd take them up on it as a review is a lot of work. If I did this review while being paid instead of vacation, I would have put so much more into it.

 

As for internet, I went with the "put your devices in Airplane mode until you return" package which was free.;) I would do that even if cell and data access were entirely free. When I go on vacation, I want to be on vacation. I did use a couple of my free internet minutes (Diamond perk) to print my airline boarding passes...

 

I didn't even look into internet prices, so I have not idea what the package(s) cost.

 

Really, Really enjoying this review. We will be on the FOS in August for western Caribbean. This will be out third cruise on her. The Champagne bar is our favorite . wife loves the Veuve Clicquot also. I have the dirty Martinis.

Glad to hear you can smoke a cigar at the sky bar at least one night on the cruise (or is it every night?)

Thanks for posting this review.

Cigars in the Sky is only once a week. The Cigar Lounge remains "open" during that time (technically, it is open 24/7), but the crew who normally man it from 7:00 pm to 1:00 am will be up in the Sky Bar. It is nice, but not the best experience since there are plenty of non-smokers who see tables with waiters, sit down, and glare at you as your cigar smoke drifts in their direction. The weather has an impact as well.

Edited May 22, 2013 by AZAficionado

[Icruzthere4Iam]

........." It is nice, but not the best experience since there are plenty of non-smokers who see tables with waiters, sit down, and glare at you as your cigar smoke drifts in their direction."............

 

This made me laugh. I was in the cigar lounge on either Freedom or Mariner and a lady walked in and ordered a glass of wine. The staff member working in there had to leave to get it and this woman proceeded to flap her arms around and loudly hack and cough in that fun, fake way people will do. Mind you she is inside the cigar lounge doing this. I think the 8 or so of us enjoying our cigars all proceeded to puff vigorously for the few minutes it took for her to get her wine and leave just to really smoke it up!:D Some people are just to much. Looking forward to Freedom in September and some quality cigar time with friends. Great review by the way! Jim

Edited May 22, 2013 by Icruzthere4Iam

[msjaxson]

So since this is technically two crusises.. I assume one could hop off and get on the shuttle and buy more wine to carry on if you were inclined??

 

I would also wonder how customs would know what i declared on the first leg when I leave after the second leg.. we never spend any $$ to speak of but suppose you did ???

[AZAficionado]

........." It is nice, but not the best experience since there are plenty of non-smokers who see tables with waiters, sit down, and glare at you as your cigar smoke drifts in their direction."............

 

This made me laugh. I was in the cigar lounge on either Freedom or Mariner and a lady walked in and ordered a glass of wine. The staff member working in there had to leave to get it and this woman proceeded to flap her arms around and loudly hack and cough in that fun, fake way people will do. Mind you she is inside the cigar lounge doing this. I think the 8 or so of us enjoying our cigars all proceeded to puff vigorously for the few minutes it took for her to get her wine and leave just to really smoke it up!:D Some people are just to much. Looking forward to Freedom in September and some quality cigar time with friends. Great review by the way! Jim

LOL. I've seen plenty of that too. The situation on board is a bit fuzzier as there are two events happening at the same time in basically the same place - Cigars in the Sky and Dancing Under the Stars. So, the smokers can't really treat it as a non-smoker who wandered into "their territory". It was still nice to smoke outside at night.

 

So since this is technically two crusises.. I assume one could hop off and get on the shuttle and buy more wine to carry on if you were inclined??

I didn't bring any wine on board. My understanding is that you could bring 4 bottles initially and they keep 2 until Day 8/1 and then give them to you. As for bringing more on ship, I'm not sure what limitations there are with regards to what you can bring on board. The local authorities consider you to be "in transit" and I know you can only take small personal bags (purse, wallet, etc.) with you when you leave the ship. I'm not sure how that works with getting back on board.

 

Anyone who knows the specifics on this, please chime in.

 

I would also wonder how customs would know what i declared on the first leg when I leave after the second leg.. we never spend any $$ to speak of but suppose you did ???

I bought some small things here and there. Nothing that would begin to approach the limit - I think I declared less than $200 for both weeks combined. But you raise a good point. I suppose there is someone matching up those customs forms and I suppose from the cruise manifests they could figure out who was on a B2B. I really, really hope my tax dollars aren't be spent for someone to do this.

[RoyalCruiserLady]

I can't say it enough, I am truly enjoying this review!! It is really helping as I plan the finals on our back to back, which BTW is less than one month off!! Oh man, I can almost taste it now! Quick question: kids are wondering if Sprinkles is open as soon as we board on Sunday? Can't seem to recollect, thanks in advance! And thanks a ton for this splendid review!!

[AZAficionado]

I can't say it enough, I am truly enjoying this review!! It is really helping as I plan the finals on our back to back, which BTW is less than one month off!! Oh man, I can almost taste it now! Quick question: kids are wondering if Sprinkles is open as soon as we board on Sunday? Can't seem to recollect, thanks in advance! And thanks a ton for this splendid review!!

According to my Day 1 Cruise Compass, Sprinkles is open from 11:30 am until 7:00 pm. So, I guess that would be a yes unless you find a way to sneak on a little earlier.;)

 

I am so glad my review has been helping you and others out. That makes it all worth while.

 

And now I'm jealous that you're about to get on a B2B in less than a month.:D

[AZAficionado]

Day 9 (2) - Cococay, Bahamas

 

 

More paperwork.

 

 

Cococay really is a "private island", owned by RCCL. Like Labadee, the port of call is like an extension of the ship - everything is manned by ship personnel.

 

The plan was just like Labadee - take in the few sights, hang at the beach and just relax.

 

The entire island. It was a beautiful day.

[AZAficionado]

There is no place to dock a cruise ship on the island, so we used tenders again.

 

The approach to the island.

 

The docks. Welcome to Cococay!!

 

There is a nice mermaid sculpture near the docks.

 

The center of "town" has this useful sign.

 

All of the buildings are very colorful. This is the dive shop.

[AZAficionado]

There are "local" merchants who probably don't take a Sea Pass card, so bring cash if you plan to shop.

 

Of course, a private cabana area for the "other half" (says the man who is Diamond status). I think you can get one of these as an excursion.

 

There are several beaches on Cococay. We had access to the entire island, except for a few "behind the scenes" areas.

 

Snorkel Beach is the closest to the docks and all the buildings, center of town, etc.

 

It can get a bit crowded.

 

But it is still simply beautiful. We went swimming here. The water was fantastic and crystal clear. Bring your aqua shoes as there are some rocky areas.

 

This is Water Sports beach where you can get all your favorite water sports activities.

[AZAficionado]

Next up is Coconut Willies Beach, which was also pretty popular.

 

Less so when you go all the way to the end.

 

Keep going, and you get to Barefoot Beach. This is where to go if you want to get away from it all.

 

There is a sand bar off of Barefoot Beach. The water ranges from ankle to knee deep.

 

The view from as far out as you can go before the water gets "deep".

 

A panorama. Technology is just so cool - my phone did all the heavy lifting for this shot. All I did was try not to fall down in the water.

[AZAficionado]

It gets really quiet if you go all the way to the far end of Barefoot Beach (this picture is looking back). This is almost to the end of the island. Due to some rock formations, you can't walk to the far tip of the island by the beach. Not to worry, there is an inland "road" and nature trails that can take you all over the island.

 

Along the "road" was a viewing platform that gave an amazing 360 view of the island.

 

The first 180 degrees.

 

The second.

 

This is what you'll find at the far end of the island.

 

On the way back, we got to go on the Complimentary Private Nature Tour Excursion (also called, I got us good and lost). After reaching the far tip of the island, I decided we should try a nature trail. It didn't take long before the trail looked something like this:

 

That's a trail?!?

 

And then the trail promptly disappeared entirely, leaving us on the very rocky "other" coast of the island - the one where Freedom is parked. Rather than turn around, we climbed over the rocks, blazed a trail through the underbrush and eventually met back up with the "road". The really weird thing is that we found a really old maroon and white lounge chair in the middle of the underbrush. I guess someone really wanted to private spot. This is what happens when you don't limit your activities to the shore excursion sheet.

 

This cool scale model of the island was near the spot where our "excursion" ended.

[AZAficionado]

Other things to do include a water slide.

 

And an aqua park, just like the one in Labadee and somehow I don't have a picture of it. Epic fail!

 

The more benign birds on the island.

 

The seagulls (sorry, no pic) on Cococay are fearless, relentless and very aggressive. They have figured out that a big ship brings lots of people who have food and are generally careless about protecting it. Basically, seagull paradise. They will take any bit of food that isn't unguarded and even a few things that are guarded poorly (keep an eye on your small children). They even know that the ship is loaded with food. As we departed, we were up on deck 11 and I watched a formation of seagulls (yes, they were flying in formation!) go after an unattended plate with some scraps of food on it. It was like Flight of the Valkyries as the five or six of them descended with military precision onto the plate. And just like that, they were gone as was anything even vaguely edible on the plate. As we sailed away, the seagulls followed and glided forward looking in on each and every balcony as they went past. Then they would fly to the back of the ship and glide forward on the next deck. I guess they were catching some kind of draft or something. They stuck with us for several hours before giving up.

 

Our preferred beverage for the day. Sorry, no Cocolocos for us - we prefer the far superior Labradoozies.

 

Lunch was very similar (identical?) to the one at Labadee. However, the layout in Cococay made things run smoother. Labadee's layout causes a cafeteria-like line that passes by each of the different stations. Where as in Cococay, the different stations are far enough apart that there isn't a single line and everyone doesn't have to wait for some guy to snap pictures with his phone as he is getting his salad (I'll throw myself under the "bus").

 

Cococay BBQ - Potato salad (good, typical), Greek salad (very good, nice mix of vegetables, not too Mediterranean), BBQ pork ribs (very good, fall off the bone tender, flavorful sauce), BBQ chicken (excellent, super tender and flavorful), Hamburger (very good, flavorful), Hot Dog (a hot dog is a hot dog).

 

After an afternoon of swimming, laying out on the beach and just generally relaxing, it was time to go.

 

Goodbye Cococay. I liked you way more than I thought I would.

[AZAficionado]

Our fine ship.

 

Finally, my Bombay Sapphire Martini and Royal Fizz (good, slightly sweet citrus and champagne, nothing special)

 

Ok, stop putting these out!

 

We visited Chops for the second time. It was every bit as good as the first time. Naturally, the service was outstanding. I know a few high-end restaurants near my house that could learn a thing or two from the staff at Chops.

 

Bread and Beefsteak Tomato & Purple Onions (very good, Thick fresh tomato slices with just enough onion, covered in blue cheese crumbles, a blue cheese lover's dream).

[AZAficionado]

Not So Traditional Caesar Salad (excellent, crisp romaine with tangy dressing with plenty of Parmesan). Our waiter was kind enough to cut it up.

 

Broiled Porterhouse Steak (excellent, tender and juicy, huge filet side) with Chimichurri Sauce (very good, nicely spicy yet still mild, very flavorful, they roasted the peppers) and Boneless Beef Short Rib (very good, tender, flavorful with an amazing Cabernet reduction, large portion). The picture does not do that short rib justice.

 

Double Whipped Mashed Potatoes (very good, super creamy) and Crimini Mushrooms and Leeks (very good, nice blend of tender mushrooms with a hint of leek flavor)

[AZAficionado]

Caymus Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 (excellent, dark fruit, rich mouth feel, mellow yet robust). Not my first or second choice (both were Bordeauxs that were not in stock), but still one of my favorite wines.

 

Creme Brûlée (very good, rich and creamy, caramelized topping was a bit thick and became soft (instead of crispy) when heated, served flaming).

 

We took it easy that night at the Cigar Lounge where the company and conversation was excellent.

 

This guy was waiting in our cabin. We decided to make the next sea day all about shows. I'll tell you how that worked out tomorrow...

[RoyalCruiserLady]

MORE, MORE!!! Lol...love it! Thank you for all your hard work!

[Kuiska2009]

The seagulls (sorry, no pic) on Cococay are fearless, relentless and very aggressive. They have figured out that a big ship brings lots of people who have food and are generally careless about protecting it. Basically, seagull paradise. They will take any bit of food that isn't unguarded and even a few things that are guarded poorly (keep an eye on your small children). They even know that the ship is loaded with food. As we departed, we were up on deck 11 and I watched a formation of seagulls (yes, they were flying in formation!) go after an unattended plate with some scraps of food on it. It was like Flight of the Valkyries as the five or six of them descended with military precision onto the plate. And just like that, they were gone as was anything even vaguely edible on the plate. As we sailed away, the seagulls followed and glided forward looking in on each and every balcony as they went past. Then they would fly to the back of the ship and glide forward on the next deck. I guess they were catching some kind of draft or something. They stuck with us for several hours before giving up.

 

Lol, that reminds me of a trip to Disney World. A boy was walking along with an ice cream sandwich when he was dive bombed by a seagull grabbing at the snack. He screamed and dropped the ice cream which was immediately attacked by even more seagulls. :eek: Those birds are nasty!

[Robinola]

Best review ever. We all thank you so much for your efforts! A cruise lover dreams of reviews just like this one....Thank you again! :)

[luvsun22]

Beautiful pictures at CocoCay! I'm thoroughly enjoying your review and can't wait for more!

[flarad]

Thanks so much for the fabulous review we do the second half itinerary in one week!! You're providing tons of helpful information.

[AZAficionado]

MORE, MORE!!! Lol...love it! Thank you for all your hard work!

My pleasure, Ms. Royal

 

Lol, that reminds me of a trip to Disney World. A boy was walking along with an ice cream sandwich when he was dive bombed by a seagull grabbing at the snack. He screamed and dropped the ice cream which was immediately attacked by even more seagulls. Those birds are nasty!

My wife did something similar ages ago when we went to Sea World in San Diego. She had never eaten a churro (long Mexican cinnamon doughnut) before, so we got her one. There were pelicans around and she decided to wave the churro around while looking the other way, apparently making the international sign of "please take my churro". A pelican swooped in and took it right out of her hand. She was so traumatized, she didn't eat another churro for 20 years.

 

Best review ever. We all thank you so much for your efforts! A cruise lover dreams of reviews just like this one....Thank you again!

 

Beautiful pictures at CocoCay! I'm thoroughly enjoying your review and can't wait for more!

 

Thanks so much for the fabulous review we do the second half itinerary in one week!! You're providing tons of helpful information.

 

 

Thank you so much. I'm really glad you are all enjoying it.

Edited May 23, 2013 by AZAficionado

[AZAficionado]

Day 10 (3) - At Sea

 

 

A list of more things than you could possibly do in a day.

 

 

After some coffee and pastries at Cafe Promenade, we got a morning beverage.

 

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.

[AZAficionado]

After spending the bulk of the day lazing on the balcony, it was time for the Ice Show. We had planned to see the Ice Show last week. The venue is pretty small, so reservations are recommended - they let people with reservations in first. The sign up for reservations was on Day 2 from 8:30 am to 10:00 am. Yea, I was never going to be awake for that. I may have had a shot at making reservations if it was at 1:30 am with pizza. However, I was talking with the Diamond Concierge on "turn around" day and remembered that I could wander into the Diamond Lounge when he is there and make any reservations I want, which I did. Loyalty, perks, 'nuff said.

 

If I weren't married, I wouldn't know a triple axle from my lutz. But every four years with the Olympics, I get subjected to the popularity contest (I refuse to call it a sport) of figure skating just as my wife gets subjected to Curling. If you like ice skating, go see the Ice Show. If you don't like ice skating, go see the Ice Show. If you hate shows, go see the Ice Show! See a pattern? However, get reservations and get there at least 30 minutes before the show to ensure you get a great seat.

 

We were front row on one side (the middle section seats were already gone when we got there).

 

These people followed the "at least 30 minutes" rule and were handsomely rewarded. But our seats were plenty good.

 

The show had something for everyone and was vaguely themed around the concept of freedom. There were about 10 or 12 skaters (I have a really blurry pic - they went by faster than my phone could catch) who did several "acts" that covered the 60's, 70's, Kung Fu, Pirates and Roaring 30's. The rink is not Olympic-sized. It is tiny and moving. And yet...

 

We saw triple axles.

 

Aerial pairs skating.

 

Look Mom! No hands!

 

They used props.

[AZAficionado]

Hula-hoop on ice. This girl was simply amazing.

 

In the dark.

 

Using every limb.

 

And every hula-hoop on the ship. I had no idea there were that many on board.

 

However, the real spectacle that was performed twice...

 

Was the back flip. Yep. That's right. A back flip, on what is little more than an ice cube, on a ship at sea. Simply incredible!!!

[AZAficionado]

From there, we quickly changed and caught the headliner show before dinner. Along the way we grabbed a drink to take with.

 

I tried a Russian Standard Martini (excellent, classic high-end Russian vodka similar to Imperia or Hammer & Sickle).

 

Back in Jamaica, the group MO5AIC got on board. They came in second on "America's Got Talent" a couple of seasons ago. We saw them around the ship, here and there. For those of you (like me) who know nothing about these guys, they are a band where the only instruments they use is their voices. I said band, not chorus or boy band or singing group or barber shop quartet plus one. They were absolutely incredible.

 

MO5AIC.

 

They started with a Lion King sing-along which was quite humorous because the audience was awful, as you would expect. It was very funny though. They did opera (yes, opera). Jazz ("Take Five") with individual solos. Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen - in its entirety down to every last distorted guitar note and bass drum thump. They did some R&B and then a medley of modern songs. An amazing show. They are worth seeing, if you are ever in Las Vegas where they normally perform.

 

The show ran a little over and we were a little late getting to dinner, as was a good half of the dining room. The wait staff handled it like champs, getting the whole table synchronized without too much of a delay or making anyone feel rushed.

 

Seafood Ceviche (good, nice blend of flavors, however it was not La Mission - unfair comparison) and Beef Carpaccio (very good, but was cheating since they used thin sliced cooked roast beef, but it provided a similar experience to "real" Carpaccio).

 

Conchiglione Pasta (very good, sauce was better than last time) and Pork Scaloppini Oscar (excellent, tender pork with a rich crab and veal reduction).