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Freedom of the Seas 8/18/13 Western--VERY LONG & DETAILED PHOTO REVIEW

mets550

By mets550,
in Royal Caribbean International

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mets550

mets550

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We just returned last week from an amazing family cruise aboard Freedom of the Seas. I am currently working on putting together a long and detailed photo review of our experience. The first installment will be up later today on this board, which will be proceeded by additional installments and photos. Just wanted to give some advance notice to all those interested!

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mets550

mets550

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INTRODUCTION

 

We just returned from our amazing family cruise aboard Freedom of the Seas. This seven-night cruise took us on Freedom’s Western itinerary, which included stops in Labadee, Haiti; Falmouth, Jamaica; George Town, Grand Cayman; and Cozumel, Mexico.

 

Prior to embarking on this cruise (as well as my others in the past), I read hundreds of reviews, looked at countless pictures of the ship and ports, and watched as many YouTube videos as I could find. I most appreciated those reviews that were written like stories, rather than short summaries, and included pictures. As a result, my own review will take the same form, broken down by day and written so that everyone can follow along in our adventures. I also took as many pictures as I could of the ship, the ports, the beautiful sunsets and sunrises, and—most importantly—the food (no picture review would be complete without ample food porn!).

 

I welcome everyone to follow along, as I will post installments as often as possible but definitely over the course of the next week or so. Please feel free to interject with questions, as this trip is still quite fresh in my mind.

 

I look forward to reliving this amazing trip with all of you!

 

 

 

ABOUT US

 

My fiance (“DF”) and I first booked this cruise while aboard our last cruise on Jewel of the Seas. We are both twenty-five and live in Manhattan, NY. I just graduated from law school in May and took (and hopefully passed) the New York bar exam this summer, so this cruise was what got me through my final semesters of law school and the bar. This was my ninth cruise and my eighth on Royal Caribbean. This was DF’s seventh cruise and fifth on Royal Caribbean. We were both Platinum members on this cruise.

 

We were also joined on this trip (for the first time since we started cruising together) with both sets of our parents, my brother, DF’s brother, and DF’s brother’s girlfriend. In total, we were a group of nine, which was a significant change from all of our other cruises together, on which it was just the two of us. Everyone in our group, except for two, had been on Royal Caribbean before.

 

I am also a huge planner and absolutely love the anticipation leading up to a cruise. I couldn’t even imagine booking a cruise only a few weeks out, as I would lose all of my planning and getting-excited time. Thus, as you will see, much of my review and my opinions will be influenced by pre-cruise planning and research.

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mets550

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PRE-CRUISE

 

DAY ZERO: Saturday, August 17, 2013

 

We woke up bright and early on Saturday morning very excited to start our amazing vacation. All the planning and research and anticipation was about to become a reality.

 

My parents were already in Florida a few days earlier visiting family, but the rest of our group took a 10:00 a.m. flight out of JFK into Orlando International Airport. The flight was on-time and relatively painless, and we landed just before 2:00 p.m. I had booked Ace Luxury Transportation in advance for our party of seven to go from the airport to our pre-cruise hotel in Cocoa Beach. The cost was $168, including tip. (We also used Ace Luxury for our return trip with nine people as well.) If we were to do another cruise out of Port Canaveral, however, I think I would book with 888-Taxi, which is a local taxi company that operates in the area (their price was $130 plus tip, I believe). Ace Luxury was punctual, and the driver was waiting near the luggage carousel with a sign. The driver was also very nice. However, on the forty-five minute ride from the airport to our hotel, the air conditioning in the van was not functioning properly—it would turn on for a few minutes and then off for an even longer period of time. The driver said something was wrong with it, but he wasn’t able to fix it for us. This made the ride quite uncomfortable; however, after calling the company, they agreed to refund half of our trip cost for the inconvenience, which was very nice.

 

We arrived at our pre-cruise hotel, the Marriott Courtyard Cocoa Beach, a little after 3:00 p.m., which was also the time at which my parents met us. The hotel was definitely nicer than a typical Courtyard, as it had a nice pool and hot tub, tables and chairs outside by the pool, and a relatively large bistro and seating area inside in the lobby. The bistro served regular meals as well as typical bar food, such as mozzarella sticks and wings. The bistro also had a full bar, which was nice and not something you usually see at a Courtyard. The hotel was also just a few minute walk on a pathway to the beach, which we also took advantage of.

 

We checked in and went to our rooms. DF and I got a room at the end of the hallway that had no couch but had a table and two chairs and was larger than the rest of our family’s rooms. The room was very clean and appointed in typical Marriott style. There is also a balcony in every room, although, being on the second floor, we didn’t have much of a view and did not sit out here at all.

 

DF was hungry, so after settling in we went down to the bistro. We ordered one chicken quesadilla but without the chicken and each had a vodka sprite. (Have to start the vacation off right!) The rest of our family met us a few minutes later and we all walked down to Cocoa Beach.

 

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There were chairs and umbrellas for rent, but we just walked along the beach and enjoyed the nice breeze and warm water at our feet (a few of our group even went in). Living in New York, the ocean water tends to be cool, even in August, so we very much enjoyed the warmer water temperatures here.

 

After our short walk and some pictures, we headed back to the hotel to shower and go to dinner. I had researched restaurants in the area and, since we only had one car for the nine of us, we decided to go to Brano’s Italian Grill, which was just across the street from the Courtyard. I won’t go into detail about our orders here but will say that I enjoyed this meal very much. Others in my group thought it was just okay, but I would definitely recommend it if you are staying in the area.

 

After dinner we went back to the hotel and just hung out before heading to bed. One piece of advice for anyone staying at the Courtyard—if you have allergies, then ask for a feather-free room. I don’t usually get allergies in hotels but had great difficulty sleeping, as I was apparently allergic to the feather pillows they had in our room.

 

However, the hard part was over, and we were ready to officially begin our vacation!

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mets550

mets550

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DAY ONE: Sunday, August 18, 2013

 

PORT CANAVERAL, FLORIDA

 

I woke up on the early side and went to the gym at the hotel. It was a nice, sunny morning and I wanted to feel refreshed for boarding. The gym at the Courtyard was small and what you would expect—a few pieces of cardio equipment and some weights. After the gym, I got DF coffee and quickly showered.

 

I had booked 888-Taxi to take us to the cruise port. The taxi was on-time at 10:30 a.m. and the driver loaded up all of our luggage. The ride to the port was fifteen minutes at most, and there was no traffic getting into the port area at this time.

 

We gave our luggage to a porter who, after getting his tip, “assured” us that it would all go “straight” to our rooms.

 

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This is a picture of our first sighting of Freedom from the taxi. Sorry it didn’t come out that great.

 

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We checked in without a problem and headed onto the ship at around 11:30 a.m.

 

DF and I were on Liberty of the Seas a few years ago, so it didn’t take long for us to re-acquaint ourselves with the layout of the ship. (Surprisingly, studying the virtual tour and deck plans of the ship in advance has never helped me figure out where I’m going.) However, it felt strange and exciting at the same time to be boarding what would be our home for the next week.

 

We went straight up to the Windjammer for lunch, where we easily pushed some tables together and got food. I tried to eat light for this first meal, as I knew the rest of the cruise would be a free-for-all. I stuck to what I knew and just got a hot dog, some fries, and a deli sandwich.

 

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DF got some pasta, fries, bread, and a salad.

 

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We also got our first round of drinks. I believe the picture below features a strawberry daiquiri, three miami vices, and one champagne concoction.

 

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mets550

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Though we had awoken to beautiful, sunny skies, the weather took a temporary turn for the worse during lunch and started to pour by the time we had finished. Our usual post-lunch plan is to grab some drinks and lay by the pool, but the rain thwarted this idea and DF, our brothers, DF’s brother’s girlfriend, and I decided to explore the ship instead.

 

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I snapped this photo of the Arcadia Theater. It was fun showing DF’s brother and his girlfriend around, as neither had been on RCI before and one was even a cruise newbie.

 

The rooms were ready a few minutes before 1:00 p.m., so we went to check out our cabin. For the first time ever, we had booked a Junior Suite, room 1594 on deck ten. We started out with a balcony, but, after final payment, prices dropped dramatically for all categories, so we upgraded for just a bit more money.

 

Please excuse the mess in the pictures below, as I took these photos on a later date.

 

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(Yes, we watched Keeping Up With the Kardashians while we got ready for dinner.)

 

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Even accounting for the messiness of our room when I was taking these shots (it wasn’t always like that—I believe we were actually packing up when I took most of these), my pictures do not do this room justice. Prior to booking a JS, I swore that I would never pay any significant amount extra for a JS, reasoning that a little extra cabin space and a slightly larger balcony could not really enhance my vacation experience. I was wrong.

 

The room was absolutely wonderful. Although it lacked the space and amenities that the executive suites (Grand Suite and up) have, it was 50% larger than a regular balcony room and made our stay so much more comfortable. The bathroom was larger with a granite sink area and a nice-sized tub. There was also a walk-in closet on the right, which allowed us to completely unpack without using much of the drawer space; we even stored our suitcases in this closet. The bed was a Royal King, which is larger than the Royal Queens in non-suite rooms. In addition to the couch on the left, there was a comfy chair and an ottoman as well. The thing that struck me the most, however, was how much space there was from the foot of the bed to the desk in the room. The room was certainly longer (from the door to the balcony) than a regular room, but it was significantly wider, which made it feel much less cramped. While our cabin would have still been a very small hotel room on land, it felt much closer to a hotel room than a cruise ship cabin. The balcony was also larger and fit two loungers, two chairs, and a small table. The balcony initially had just one lounger, but our cabin attendant brought us a second one by the third day. Though the JS did not come with any significant suite perks, we did get double Crown & Anchor points and upgraded bathroom amenities. We will definitely consider booking a junior suite on our next RCI cruise if the price is right (although, who knows, maybe we will end up looking at an executive suite next time!).

 

By the time we had finished exploring our cabin, we saw the clouds start to dissipate and the sun begin to emerge.

 

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We headed out to the pool deck while it was still drizzling and jumped in the pool. After a few minutes the rain stopped altogether and the sun came out in full force. We got a few more drinks from the bar and drank from in the pool. The cruise had begun. This was the life.

 

We spent the rest of the afternoon in the pool, ordering additional drinks whenever the bartender came around. One good thing to note—the SeaPass card is actually waterproof, as I took it into the pool many times and never had a problem. This was quite a convenience, since getting out of the pool to pay for my drink would be uncivilized.

 

As the time for the muster drill approached, we stopped back at the room and then headed for our muster station. The drill was over pretty quickly and was relatively painless.

 

In the past, we have watched sailaway from one of the top decks, but we both decided to watch from our beautiful junior suite balcony and unpack. We had late seating, which was at 8:00 p.m. on this cruise (not sure why it was not 8:30 like most other RCI cruises). However, after packing and watching us sail out of port, we showered, changed, and got ready for the show and then dinner.

 

As DF got ready, I went up to the promenade to grab a drink. The promenade is one of my favorite areas on RCI ships. It is a great area to congregate, people watch, walk, shop, eat, and drink. We didn’t spend much time in the bars or stores on the promenade, but we did enjoy walking through it.

 

We all met and went to the 7:00 p.m. welcome aboard show, which featured the comedy of Dan Wilson and the aerial act of Peter and Ildiko. The comedian was funny; I’m sure his adult comedy would have been even better, although we didn’t make it to that later in the cruise. The aerial act was also good.

 

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This shot is actually of the RCI singers and dancers doing an aerial performance; they were good but not as intriguing as the featured aerial act itself. I always love the welcome aboard show, since it signifies the beginning of a great trip, and this show was no exception.

 

The cruise director on this cruise was Mike Hunnerup. I had read mediocre reviews about Mike before boarding. Though some in my group found him to be nothing special, I actually did quite enjoy him. He was by no means the best CD we’ve had, but he was an overall contribution to the trip and had some funny jokes as well.

 

After the show, we went to dinner. We had a table for nine on deck three right next to the captain’s table, although the captain was not at dinner tonight. The service at dinner throughout the week was interesting, to say the least. Our assistant waiter was excellent, and we all really liked him. Our main waiter, however, left a lot to be desired, although this did not become apparent until later in the cruise.

 

Regarding the MDR service, I will explain our experience later in the review. However, after some thought, I have decided not to post our waiters’ names or our table number, since I would like to give an honest and thorough review without risking any negative feedback getting back to anyone at RCI. (This paragraph sounds a bit ominous—we didn’t have any major problems, just some worth noting later on.)

 

This first night, though, the service was mostly good. I ordered a caesar salad, two shrimp cocktails, and a bay scallops dish (this replaced the escargot appetizer, which was not available at all during the week because of a supposed worlwide shortage) as appetizers. Everything was very good. For dinner, I ordered the prime rib and the pork chops. The prime rib was good. I only ordered the pork chops after reading good reviews of it on Cruise Critic, although I was disappointed and did not have more than a few bites. For dessert, I got the chocolate cake and chocolate ice cream, both of which were good. I forgot to take pictures on this night, but I promise that I will have more than enough food porn later on in the review.

 

Overall, we were underwhelmed with the MDR food for dinner on this cruise, although there were some things that were in fact very good. This was our first time experiencing the new menus, since we only ate in specialty restaurants on our last Jewel cruise. I can’t say I was impressed with the food or the options on the new menu, but there were enough options that were at least adequate, so I enjoyed my meals every night. Plus, the beauty of cruising is that, if you don’t like something, you can just order something else. Thus, we never had a problem and certainly never starved. (Quite the opposite, in fact, at least according to my scale.)

 

After dinner we went to the casino, where I played craps and blackjack and actually managed to win $1. (I kept this $1 chip as a souvenir.) Unfortunately, the rest of my time in the casino was not so favorable. Nonetheless, we enjoyed the casino, which has two pits of table games (one of which I was told is non-smoking) with $5 or $6 tables for every game. We also got hooked on a game at the front of the casino that, for $1, allows you one chance to try to put a key in a hole and win up to $800. We knew the game was a sucker’s game, but it felt like we were so close everytime. After just a few attempts, we were all yelling and laughing and drawing a large crowd over to the machine.

 

After about an hour we left and headed up to the promenade. I got a quick slice of pizza and then headed back to our cabin.

 

It was a long and somewhat tiring day, but we had a great first day and went to sleep anxiously awaiting the start of our first full day onboard the beautiful Freedom of the Seas.

 

To be continued…

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mets550

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Following. We cruise on a b2b in 40 days. I expect to see lots of food pics please! :D

 

Don't worry--I have plenty of food pics. For some reason, I forgot to take pics at dinner on the first night, but I have plenty to make up for it for the rest of the cruise.

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lrn2cruise

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Love FOS!!!!!! We cruised 2 years ago August in 2011!

 

We stayed at the Courtyard pre-cruise too. Very nice. Worked well for us. We had a Marriott GC from Capitol One CC and checked out with, like, a $9.00 bill! Loved it!

 

We used Travelinx as our transportation. They picked us up and took us to the Port also

 

Love your JS!!!! We stayed in a D2, I think? Aft 8412. Our son was on a Pullman and he loved it!

 

Looking forward to more!......

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