Review: Freedom of the Seas, 3/22-3/29/15

[milaz002]

We just returned from an eastern Caribbean cruise on Freedom. As a point of reference, we hold Platinum status and have been on several RCI ships, including (most recently) Enchantment, Liberty and Oasis.

 

Overall, we had a blast on this trip. We were anxious about potential operational problems, given what we learned from this site and other sources prior to the ship's dry dock time, and the only extraordinary thing we noticed was periods of more profound vibration than on previous ships. In no way, however, did this detract from the vacation.

 

I'll run through some of the highlights (and a few of the lowlights) of our experience on Freedom.

 

Regarding dining, the service in the main dining room was courteous and efficient, but felt rushed (at times) at dinner. We had emailed RCI prior to the trip and were given a table size/location that matched our preference, but found that the table was "double booked" upon arrival. The dining staff found a substitute, beginning on the second night, which wound up being more than satisfactory. The food in the main dining room was solid, and comparable to our previous experiences with RCI. We missed having our waiter describe the dishes; again, things felt somewhat rushed during the dinner service.

 

It seemed as though "casual" attire, at dinner, was more casual than we've seen on previous trips. The dress code didn't seem to be consistently enforced (we saw a few men with hats or caps at dinner, for example). For reference, we are in our early 40s, and we tend to overdress for casual night dinners on our cruises (I wear a casual sundress/dress and my husband wears a shirt and tie each night).

 

We only ate a few meals in the Windjammer, and the experience was, overall, a disappointment. Compared to our most recent trip (on Enchantment in 2013), the food choices seemed much fewer in number, and slightly inferior in quality. Service was friendly and efficient, but the food offerings seemed to have been scaled back. We are not usually looking for anything extraordinary, but items that seemed like staples in the past (like chopped boiled egg on the salad bar or smoked salmon/lox with bagels) were MIA. And, we were very disappointed to learn that our favorite cookie (the sugar-free peanut butter cookie) is no longer offered. By contrast, we ordered room service one night, and the choices and quality were better than we expected. Everything arrived well-prepared, and at the correct temperature.

 

Our kids enjoyed the pizza at Sorrentos, but their palates have been corrupted by school-lunch pizza. By adult standards, it was comparable to middle-of-the-road frozen pizza. We didn't choose any specialty restaurants this trip, although the menu at Sabor looked great (it was closed when we dropped by at lunchtime on a port day).

 

The cruise director was very good; he seemed like a naturally affable and funny guy, and genuinely interested in creating a fun atmosphere. The shows and entertainment offerings were solid (the ice skating show was superb, as were the acrobats, the ship's "house band," and the ship's singing and dancing troupe), and uniformly better than we recalled from previous ships (although "Hairspray" on Oasis sticks out as one of the better things we've seen on a ship).

 

We had two cabins, and took advantage of being able to bring 4 bottles of wine on board. We ordered mixed drinks rarely; a simple highball (like a rum and coke) was ~$8 (plus gratuity), but a margarita (on the rocks) was ~$10 (plus gratuity). These prices seem very much in line with drink prices we'd expect at a restaurant on land, and the bartenders weren't stingy with the alcohol. We had a nice conversation with a waitress in the Olive or Twist, who admitted that the selection of top-shelf alcohol had been scaled back (we had specifically asked about rye and bourbon choices). And, we noticed far fewer servers offering drinks on the pool deck and in the theater during shows (and this wasn't a problem for us).

 

Our 2 children loved the Adventure Ocean and Teen programs (they have always enjoyed the kids' programs on RCI ships), and the staff seemed as superb as they were on our previous trips.

 

The ship seems to be in very good condition. The gym is very nice (similar, if not identical, to what we remember from the Liberty, minus the boxing ring), the sports deck choices are great, and the jogging track is still a full circuit, although it's been rerouted slightly.

 

In sum, we had a wonderful time on the Freedom. We left slightly concerned about what appear to be some cutbacks in food services. That's not a showstopper for us. We've been spoiled by RCI before (like on the Oasis, at the Chef's Table), and we don't expect a truly gourmet experience at every meal, but we can't help but feel that this is not an area of enough focus. This won't keep us from returning, but it will make us look at other options for a cruise vacation.

 

(I close by noting, apropos of nothing, that the Ukrainian gentleman who rented us our kayaks on Coco Cay turned out also to be the bass player in the ship's house band/orchestra. He also sold t-shirts on the pool deck! :D)

[ciera123]

Glad you enjoyed the cruise, thanks for posting your review! We're on the Freedom May 17, so it's good to hear all the details you included. :)

[LeCricket]

Thanks for the review! We board her in April. Can't wait!

[mjmagee]

thank you for the review

[sg1phileshipper]

Glad you enjoyed your cruise. Thanks for sharing

 

cindy

[ampc007]

thanks for sharing! could you tell us what you did on your port days? traveling first time in sept with family.. STT has really thrown me for a loop with the noon arrival? TIA

[milaz002]

thanks for sharing! could you tell us what you did on your port days? traveling first time in sept with family.. STT has really thrown me for a loop with the noon arrival? TIA

 

At Cocoa Cay, we did the kayak tour. At St. John, we grabbed a taxi to Charlotte Amalie. At St. Maarten, we walked to Philipsburg and returned by water taxi (we visited Orient Beach on the French side of the island on a previous trip).

[Aunt Sue]

we were on the same cruise but I haven't written my review yet. But I will say I agree with your note that the food servers in the MDR are very rushed - seemed short handed and swamped. lobster night took us 30-45 mins just to order they were so busy. especially the bar servers - seemed much more difficult to get a glass of wine than the last time we were on FOS. :rolleyes:

[LizzieandLuke]

Thanks for the review.

 

Quick question - we were on the Freedom last summer and the kids (11 and 9 at the time) loved the Kids Program.

 

We are going on again my daughter will be 13. She is a little apprehensive about moving up to the teen group. Was it fairly organized? Did a decent amount of kids participate? Was it supervised? Did it run past 10? (I guess that is more than a quick question :rolleyes:)

 

Thanks>

[milaz002]

But I will say I agree with your note that the food servers in the MDR are very rushed - seemed short handed and swamped. lobster night took us 30-45 mins just to order they were so busy.

 

Yes, the longest wait for food in the MDR was on lobster night. However, I ordered my lobster tail with a "side" of NY strip steak, so the wait was worth it.

[milaz002]

We are going on again my daughter will be 13. She is a little apprehensive about moving up to the teen group. Was it fairly organized? Did a decent amount of kids participate? Was it supervised? Did it run past 10? (I guess that is more than a quick question :rolleyes:)

 

Our daughter is 14 and she loved the teen program (she was 12 on our last cruise, so this was her first exposure). It was organized as far as we could tell (enough so to include 2 teen "proms," segregated by age groups of younger and older teens). There seemed to be a lot of teens on the ship and at the teen activities, which also included teen karaoke, teen Flow Rider sessions, and teen ice skating times. There is a curfew of 1 AM for teens on board.

Edited March 31, 2015 by milaz002

[maury]

In your review, you said that you had been on Freedom & Oasis. We are trying to decide which ship we would like to sail on. We have sailed on Freedom in 2009, but would like to hear your response since you have been on both ships.

Thanks,

Maury

[John&LaLa]

Practically live on Freedom it seems. I would go with her unless you get a JS or better. If that is the case, do Oasis just for Coastal Kitchen.

[maury]

Thank You,

Maury