Fantastic Family Fun on the Fabulous Freedom of the Seas: a review

[telecruiser]

Great review. Thanks for posting it all at once. Very nice read. I do however question the overall usefulness of the review if you can't be 100% sure about the order of the towel animals. We do rely on accurate information here.:p

[DrD]

Great review. Thanks for posting it all at once. Very nice read.

 

Thanks!

 

I do however question the overall usefulness of the review if you can't be 100% sure about the order of the towel animals. We do rely on accurate information here.:p

 

Ha! I didn't even realize until I noticed a compass with "Day 5" on it in one of the pictures.

 

I can always just say they change the order around . ;)

Edited April 16, 2014 by DrD

[CalifGirl67]

Thank you for the great review with pics, WIll visit that area one day but will be aboard this ship soon :) WHen you say on the last day you ate at the WJ and then waited for them to call your number, what order do they call numbers in? Is it by room number and then you can leave the ship?

Thanks

[Clarea]

Thank you for the great review with pics, WIll visit that area one day but will be aboard this ship soon :) WHen you say on the last day you ate at the WJ and then waited for them to call your number, what order do they call numbers in? Is it by room number and then you can leave the ship?

Thanks

You are given luggage tags with numbers. When they call that number it means your luggage is ready in the terminal and you can leave the ship and collect your luggage.

[PathfinderEss]

Great review thanks for posting it.

[Aquaman#1]

Awesome review! My family and I are cruising on Freedom this Sunday and we're ready to go! I was confused when you said you past Grandeur on sailaway, since it goes out of Baltimore. I forget it stops at Port Canaveral! I like the older ships, I'd like to sail it and Majesty before they go the way of Sovereign and Monarch. I've yet to meet a RC ship I did not like though.....thanks for the pics and info!!

[Motleu]

Great review! It looked like an awesome time! Wait....I was there! Loved your perspective. I thought about a cut and paste review but I do so many pics and I have a rhythm going so I do a daily update. It may take a few weeks to get everything in. Your pic quality was much better than mine.

[Jiffymom]

We are looking at deck 10. Cabin 1574. I'm worried about noise from deck 11

Last cruise on the legend we were under the pool,area and it was so noisy. Always moving chairs around

[mickev99]

Great review! It looked like an awesome time! Wait....I was there! Loved your perspective. I thought about a cut and paste review but I do so many pics and I have a rhythm going so I do a daily update. It may take a few weeks to get everything in. Your pic quality was much better than mine.

 

Motleu,

 

Loving your review, also!!!!

 

Michelle

[Clarea]

We are looking at deck 10. Cabin 1574. I'm worried about noise from deck 11

Last cruise on the legend we were under the pool,area and it was so noisy. Always moving chairs around

I agree with you, but you don't have much choice if you are committed to a GS. Our first choice would be a JS on deck 9.

Edited April 17, 2014 by clarea

[krazykev]

jiffymom, we are heading back to the Freedom and our third stint in GS 1578deck 10 and cannot remember any noise from above. Maybe I've just been too drunk lol

[lmp29]

Great review, great format, and great information. I think the all-at-once method was great. (I also like that superlatative and didn't even notice you used it alot until you pointed it out.) ;)

[DrD]

Thank you for the great review with pics, WIll visit that area one day but will be aboard this ship soon :) WHen you say on the last day you ate at the WJ and then waited for them to call your number, what order do they call numbers in? Is it by room number and then you can leave the ship?

Thanks

 

They give you a number the night before based on your flight time etc. We were "green 2."

Edited April 17, 2014 by DrD

[mickev99]

They give you a number the night before based on your flight time etc. We were "green 2."

 

Can you choose your debarkation time? When I sailed NCL, we could go down and get whatever tags we wanted to choose our own time. We ended up doing the easy walk off, but with 3 kids with big suitcases, it was NOT very easy for us, so we're not doing that this time. However, I would rather be called later...not an early riser and trying to get 3 kids (and hubby) to breakfast and out the door isn't conducive to a 7:45 debarkation!

[Clarea]

Can you choose your debarkation time? When I sailed NCL, we could go down and get whatever tags we wanted to choose our own time. We ended up doing the easy walk off, but with 3 kids with big suitcases, it was NOT very easy for us, so we're not doing that this time. However, I would rather be called later...not an early riser and trying to get 3 kids (and hubby) to breakfast and out the door isn't conducive to a 7:45 debarkation!

Within limits, you can choose. Check with Guest Services around the middle of the cruise and ask them for specific tag numbers.

Edited April 17, 2014 by clarea

[DrD]

Can you choose your debarkation time? When I sailed NCL, we could go down and get whatever tags we wanted to choose our own time. We ended up doing the easy walk off, but with 3 kids with big suitcases, it was NOT very easy for us, so we're not doing that this time. However, I would rather be called later...not an early riser and trying to get 3 kids (and hubby) to breakfast and out the door isn't conducive to a 7:45 debarkation!

 

I didn't see that we could pick, however, if your goal is to get off later, I don't

see how that would be a problem, it's not like you'd get in trouble or anything if you don't get off with your assigned group. You could always just say you didn't hear announcement. They can certainly stop you from debarking earlier than you're supposed to but what are they going to do if you're late? Not let you leave?

 

The only way you could get messed up that way is they put the luggage off based on the number, so your luggage may be sitting somewhere if you don't debark at your assigned time. They had a conveyor belt like at the airport, not sure what would happen if your luggage sat there while you were still on ship.

[poncho1973]

I took this pic of track with Navigator docked next to us:

 

 

 

I know it's not perfectly lined up with Navigator, but this is a great photo showing that the Freedom-class ships and the Voyager-class ships are exactly the same ships, but the Freedom-class are just stretched 100'+ longer and have a 30' wider winged bridge deck sitting towards the front.

 

 

Thanks for the great review, Doc.

Edited April 17, 2014 by poncho1973

[poncho1973]

What do you think of that approach? Is it better than the traditional "serial novel" technique?

 

All I can say is that nothing will ever beat that one reviewer who started an entirely new thread for each day of their massive review.

 

That's taking your audience and making them run a marathon just to see if you liked your breakfast omelet.

 

Page 6 is where you'll find Day 2, oh wait... it's on Page 1 now. Day 6 is on Page 12 or was that Page 3? Oh, I don't see Day 3... where did it go? So... wait... did you like the snorkel trip you keep referring back to or do I have to figure out which thread that was in?

[BillOh]

They called our number and we breezed through customs. We took the RCCL shuttle back to MCO.

 

Yea, there is the one thing I look for in a review, something I didn't know. I've never cruised out of Port Canaveral before and I'll probably fly in the day before and get our own way to the hotel, but I'll go ahead and do the ship transfer on the way back. (unless I pick a post cruise excursion)

[DrD]

Yea, there is the one thing I look for in a review, something I didn't know. I've never cruised out of Port Canaveral before and I'll probably fly in the day before and get our own way to the hotel, but I'll go ahead and do the ship transfer on the way back. (unless I pick a post cruise excursion)

 

It worked well, they just had a bunch of buses and as each one filled they sent it off.

[ttnc4me]

I loved the review and appreciated the way you posted it all back to back. As others have commented, it's much easier to read and follow.

We are considering Freedom and with great reviews like this, if the price is right, will jump on board. I'm sad that we missed 3rd/4th free, but will certainly keep our eyes open from now on!

[Jiffymom]

I was wrong we have 1582 and 1586 Grand suite reserved. Oh I hope you are correct and its quiet. On the legend they cleaned the pool deck every morning starting at 6am.Chairs were scraping across the deck. Nice wake up call. lol

I did notice that cabin 1586 and 1588 are adjoining rooms. Will the room seem smaller or different since it has a door. Maybe I should try two not adjoining. We hope to have our balcony open also.

Loved reading about your boys. Our last cruise our girls were 10-12. They didn't like the AO either. Thats just fine with us. We brought them to be on vacation not to be away from us all day. Next year might be different

they will be 12-14. Maybe she will enjoy some time in the teen club

thanks for the review and i hope you will talk about the cabin with door and with out.

 

I did notice Concierge club is on deck 10 also. Great place for cocktails while the others get ready in the evening. We are doing MTD