TRIP REPORT w/pics Freedom Western 4/26th to 5/3

[BillOh]

Freedom vs Allure That is what I am calling this trip report/review. Our 3rd ever cruise was Freedom’s 100th cruise back in 2008. While I have enjoyed every cruise so far, for a long time I said Freedom was my favorite ship. After Allure in 2011 my wife said Allure was her favorite. I did love Allure, but I recognized I would have to go back on Freedom or a Freedom class again to refresh my memory. I don’t think my wife remembered which ship was Freedom till we got back on her for the 2nd time. During the years since 2011, I plotted my return to Freedom. Friends invited us to go on Jewel out of Tampa, in 2012, so we did. My wife talked me into going back on Allure in 2013, another great cruise. I finally had enough vacation to warrant cruising the southern Caribbean out of San Juan in 2014 so we did that, again on Jewel. I do really like Jewel and would sail (or sale) <BOGOHO JOKE THERE on her again anytime.

 

I'm back at work today, I'll start working on the photos tonight. I promise, as always at least one photo you haven't seen on any othe review.

 

Speaking of BOGO , While we were on Jewel in May of ‘14 the BOGOHO sale was just starting and it truly was a sale. While on Jewel we booked our return to Freedom and got a great price. We also got the same D1 center hump we had back in 2008. This will be our first time we have stayed in the same cabin twice, so if that helps or hurts the comparison, I don’t know. Another factor, Freedom was relatively new and it has gone through 2 levels of changes since we cruised with her. First were the “oasis upgrades” that included the electronic signage, the cupcake cupboard, and the Dreamworks characters. The latter means nothing to me, but evens the playing field.

 

Also as I was counting down my days to Freedom 2015 she began having propulsion problems and went into dry-dock in early 2015. The changes I knew about aren’t going to help Freedom in this case. I am/was a runner (not a jogger) and I was going to compare the running tracks on the two ships, but the new cabins that Freedom added shrank the running rack which lessens the points for Freedom.Some of the points I intend on comparing from the two ships.

 

 

Embarkation. I’m not sure how fair it is to compare embarkation/disembarkation but I’ll try.

 

The solarium.

 

Chops (Not sure its fair to compare Chops 2008 with more recent years, but we will see)

 

Johnny Rockets

 

MDR – Traditional dining on both

 

Sorrentos.

 

Hot tubs.

 

We Had D class balconies on each, not expecting any major difference, but the one advantage Allure had (secret public balcony aft) has gone away. I do love the hump cabins on the Freedom and Voyager class

 

Flowrider

 

Mini- Golf

 

Crowding

 

1 less sea day

Edited May 4, 2015 by BillOh

[Gordo]

Looking forward to reading you comparison.

[BillOh]

Both times on Allure were out of Port Everglades. Our first Freedom cruise was out of Miami and this one will be port Canaveral, my first cruise from there. Since this is my first cruise from Port Canaveral there was a little trepidation regarding the transportation.

 

My first step in this process came when Southwest released their April 2015 schedules. I saw a reasonably priced direct flight from Orlando back to Columbus that departs around 7pm. In the back of my mind I was looking for a later flight so I could do the Cape Canaveral post cruise excursion. I am a child of the early space program, and I was glued to the TV for every related broadcast of Mercury, Gemini , and Apollo. I was therein person for the very last launch of a Saturn V rocket, but never made a shuttle launch. My wife and I did visit once on vacation in 1983, but I really wanted to go back, so with the flights set, I booked the post cruise excursion.

 

More on that later, but at least my transportation from the ship back to the airport was taken care of. A friend who had cruised from Port Canaveral before had used a shuttle service he said went well, We were just going to use them. It turned out our friends had to cancel the cruise so that left me to deal with getting to the port. I decided to put that off for a little while.

Next I picked the hotel. We have been fully in the “fly in the day before” camp since our 2010 Majesty cruise. Balancing price, convenience and reviews I chose the Raddison on Astronaut way.

 

I did also want to be near Fishlips. I have become a port webcam junkie largely thanks to Emmy (You all know whom I mean) and in our 2013 Allure cruise, one of the highlights was being on the rocks on Saturday while Oasis and a parade of other ships sailed on by. Even my wife enjoyed that, so I looked forward to a relaxing dinner and doing that at Fishlips. Once I had the hotel picked out I asked the hotel what they recommended and they said they used Coco Beach Shuttle, so I just went with it.

 

All that out of the way, this will be more of a trip report than a review. I always say I get something out of every review I read, and I do read quite a few of them. If I see something new, interesting, or something I don’t think anyone has posted before I’ll post it. Recently I posted a picture of the highlight of an excursion on Antiqua - a pair of “porta-johns”. What you won’t see is daily compasses or pictures of my meals. I recognize the value of these pics to many people, but I don’t like taking my camera into the dining room because of the inconvenience during dinner.

 

I don’t’ keep compasses because my wife is a pack rat and I’m afraid she will keep them and after 34 years I’m trying to get things out of the house more than bring new things in. Please feel free to ask any questions or leave any comments. Others, who were on this cruise, feel free to add your comments or opinions. Part of the enjoyment of these reviews is the interaction.

 

Ok, one more formality. – I like reading reviews and it helps me understand when I know a little about the writer’s perspective.

 

About us: Mid 50s couple from Ohio and we have been married 34 years now. We spent our 25th on Voyager, our 27th and 34th on Freedom, our 30th and 32nd on Allure. Our Anniversary is the reason we cruise most around the end of April and early May. We are empty nesters and most cruises are just the two of us. We have taken 3 cruises with other friends. We are new grandparents and I imagine someday at least 7 or 8 years in the future we may take a grand kid or two. Our cruise history is below in every post to give you more ideas about us.

 

We both have stressful jobs and cruising lets us disconnect from the world. The phones go off and I only use the internet to check in on Southwest the last day of the cruise. I can’t tell you anything about the ships internet.

 

I am also a big fan of Cruise Critic’s roll calls. I frequently pick out cruises far in advance. I’ve started 5 roll calls 500 days ahead. I’ve made many long term friends there and still communicate with many of them today including those from my first roll call from Freedom 2008. I wouldn’t be surprised if any of those former cruise mates pop in with a comment, including some new friends made on this trip. Now that I think about it, maybe that will be another comparison point – Meet and Mingles Fredom vs Allure.

 

This roll call started off a little slower than most others and it had more people cancel or change their reservations than any other one I have been part of. That did include Jon and Penny whom are local friends we have cruised with 3 times. There oldest daughter’s college graduation was announced and occurred during our trip. Jon also had a great BOGOHO deal on this cruise and had to cancel it. Anyway I was alone in the roll call for many months from 500 days to about 365 days out. ( I guess the word is out, don’t cruise with BillOh) Eventually more people did come and a few did leave. We ended up with a lot of Floridians on this cruise (Not that there is anything wrong with that). In that regard it felt more like one of the 3-4 day cruises we have taken.

 

But the roll call did take off in the last 9 months or so and would play another key roll in our enjoyment of this cruise. (Spoiler alert, we did enjoy it a lot!) Many of us in the roll call enjoyed counting down the last few work days and finally travel day arrived and many of us posted in route. We took an early Saturday morning flight from Columbus to Atlanta on Southwest and then connected to Orlando, arriving around 10:30am . There was a lot of thunderstorms in the south that day, so our flights were a little bumpy, but many of our travelers drove through really bad weather.

 

At the airport we called the Coco Beach shuttle and was told where to meet them. When we arrived a few people from our roll call were on the same shuttle and arrived before us. The fun began instantly. We highly enjoyed the 45 minute trip to our hotels. That's as far as I go today and I'll continue again tonight with the photos from the hotel and Fishlips!

Edited May 4, 2015 by BillOh

[jules815]

Good morning, Bill, and welcome back!

 

Look forward to your review.

[debsters41]

Welcome home! New fan popping in to say I am looking forward to this report! :)

[bubba83]

Looking forward to the review :)

[Canadian Tyler]

Looking forward to your report. I was also on Freedoms 100th voyage in 2008 but didn't know about the roll calls back then. Have fond memories of the ship so looking forward to reading about her 7 yrs later.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[BillOh]

Looking forward to your report. I was also on Freedoms 100th voyage in 2008 but didn't know about the roll calls back then. Have fond memories of the ship so looking forward to reading about her 7 yrs later.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

I might have to go back to my photos and see if you pop up anywhere!

[ddebaets]

Looking forward to this report ;-)

[suizas]

Can't wait to read more. Mom and I sailing FOS for second time in August. Also western route!

[BillOh]

We arrived at the Radisson around 1pm or so. It didn't even occur for me to ask for an early check in, nor do I know it was available. We gave our phone number and were told we would be called when the room was available. It was a beautiful day and we haven't seen one of those in awhile so we headed off to the pool bar.

 

 

It was nice area with fairly reasonable prices and decent food We hung out here about 90 minutes till our room was ready. The room was nice, but ordinary by most standards till we saw it has a king size Sleep number bed. We have one at home and love it. It did make for a good night sleep!

 

 

We also were there early enough to make use of the pool and hot tub. It was a nice facility.

 

 

I will definitely stay here again if/when we cruise out of PC again.

[BillOh]

About 12 of us from our roll call met up at Fishlips to watch the day's sailaways.

 

 

I NEED TO FIX THIS PICTURE STANDY BY

 

 

Carnival Valor was among them.

 

 

Actually its worth mentioning while at the hotel we got a call from one of the locals in our roll call - PEACEBEAUTY TRUTH. They offered to pick us up at the hotel and take us to Fishlips. It was a nice, well appreciated gesture and afterwards a tour of the other area establishements. This trip started out great!

Edited May 4, 2015 by BillOh

[mjmagee]

What? That's it? More, more please! Marilyn

[cincicruisers]

What? That's it? More, more please! Marilyn

 

Waiting trying to be patient and wait for the next installment of your cruise review!

 

Tick tock tick tock...I'm not that patience :eek:

[BillOh]

I NEED TO FIX THIS PICTURE STANDY BY

 

 

 

Sorry , I forgot that I couldn't edit the message later. This is the 2nd pic of our pre cruise dinner at Fishlips.

 

 

More to come at lunch time today. Had guests at home last night.

The next morning the Radisson did have a decent breakfast buffet and a $6 shuttle to the port. We booked the one leaving at 10:30 and were told to be out front at 10:15. When we arrived the place was packed. We didn't realize they also sold parking for locals and people arriving by car, so lots of people use their service. We were lucky to get the last seats on the first shuttle as I am a get on the ship as soon as possible person.

Edited May 5, 2015 by BillOh

[LadyBeBop]

Hi. Checking in. Can't wait to read more about our trip. Sorry we didn't run across each other while on the ship.

[seadog67]

Looking forward to more! Great start and thanks for the review with pics!

[NaplesBeachBum]

Hi. Checking in. Can't wait to read more about our trip. Sorry we didn't run across each other while on the ship.

 

Hi! Subscribing. I was on this trip and part of the roll call.

[BillOh]

When I left off, we had gotten the last seat on Radisson's 10:30am trip to Freedom at the port. It was a 5 minute ride to the port. I always enjoy the first siting of the ship which I did on the ride. This is always a memorable moment for me.

 

 

When we arrived at the port and Terminal 1, the busdriver lined us up and explained where to go while they unloaded our bags. As our bags were properly marked, I tipped the porter and headed in. There was a long line, but that turned out to be guest for a wedding. We breezed right up to security and were headed to the check in area in 2 minutes. The line for Platinum and below was about 10 people long, but at least 5 agents were working. I/ we were directed to the Emerald and Above line and walked right up to the agent as did a couple behind us.

 

I gave the agent our paperwork while I gave my wife the health screening form. (Her handwriting is much better than mine). My wife asked me our room number and having hand picked this room from before, I told her "9342 Center of the hump" At the same time the agent said, "1600". Our eyes met and I said, "Did you say 1600? We both instantly knew what this meant.

 

UPGRADE FAIRY

 

Our D1 Center hump had just become a JS mid ship deck 10! 11 cruises and finally an upgrade :D She then told us we could wait in the SUITES VIP AREA, so before she could change her mind or double check, we got comfortable on these nice couches.

 

 

See all those people across the room? They all boarded after us! That would become important soon. The agent also told us to go immediately to guest services and notify them of our new room #.

 

I think it was less than 20 minutes from shuttle to boarding! We immediately rushed up to deck 5 so my wife could go the Guest Services and I could go to EXPLORATIONS and find out about a Cabana at Labadee. I was elated to find an Over the Water Cabana at Nellies was available. We grabbed it and it used up all of our OBC :eek:

[BillOh]

I had always booked a 1 deck buffer between us and the pool deck, so I was worried a little about potential early morning noise. Our cabin was right under the towel station by the main pool on deck 11. I will skip ahead and say, in 7 nights I only heard one noise about 5 am the first time. We had a nice quiet room.

 

 

I was back on Freedom after 8 years! There were things I remembered, but things like this art piece I had forgotten about.

 

 

Even after the stop to get the cabana we still managed to get to the windjammer in plenty of time to get a seat and have a decent lunch. I did remember the WJ correctly. This is one of the most spacious seating areas in the fleet. Both sides were open at 11:30!

 

After eating, we changed into our suites from our carryon bag and went to one of my favorite areas, the Freedom class Solarium and hit the pool.

This brought back lots of good memories and we created some new ones this cruise. My wife says the pink couch wasn't in this area on our first cruise. I'll have to check our 2008 photos, which I haven't done yet.

 

 

I know this is the day 1 shot as you can see water streams jetting into the pool from the bridge and near the stairs. Being that it was still relatively cool, (73F) Those jets were a bit uncomfortable to be around anywhere in the pool. They would be turned off later and we didn't see them again. We stayed here until 1pm and of course wanted to see our junior suite. We have had one JS before on Majesty back in 2010. On the way we did pass the main pool. Freedom didn't have a pool TV screen when I was last on her.

[ryano]

Welcome back Bill! Excited about your review and pics :) Sure does bring back lots of memories from a few weeks ago!

[BillOh]

As you can expect, we did go right to our new room quickly. Here is my wife, texting friends about our good fortune.

 

 

I'd say the room and balcony was 4 foot wider than the D1 we reserved. (from memory)

 

The walk in closet with all the storage is worth the price of admission!

 

The bathtub was nice if we didn't feel like putting on our robes of priveledge and go to a hot tub at night.

 

Edited May 5, 2015 by BillOh

[BillOh]

Having gotten comfortable quickly and we didn't have our baggage yet, we decided to go explore the ship and refresh our memories. Just before we left, a crew member dropped off a surprise that actually made my wife squeal.

 

 

Apparently the guest who reserved this room was Diamond Plus. We were one night short of Diamond that days, so I didn't tell the guy that he shouldn't deliver this.

 

While walking the outside promenade on Deck 4, We did look down and watched 3 dolphins around the ship for awhile.

 

 

On the other side of the ship I saw one piece of my baggage being loaded.

 

 

While walking around the ship I did see 4 of what I call "Sign-Fails". This one struck me as funny.

 

 

Can you see the problem with this one? It confused me a moment when I was on my way to the Solarium.

 

 

The third wasn't as obvious. On the inside of the men's room door it said to use a paper towel to open the door. In that men's room there was only air dryers, not towels. I can't remember what the fourth was. It will come to me.

[AZ Karaoke Girl]

Hey Bill. I thought I would check out your review. I'll be trying out the Freedom next year. I'm booked July 2016 for our 25th anniversary.

[Barklee]

Bill,

 

Thank you for bringing the warm weather back to Ohio with you. I am enjoying your review and it is bringing back fond memories of my Freedom OTS cruise in February. After 3 cruises on Oasis and one on Allure, I didn't know if I would like going back on a "smaller" ship, but I have to admit that the Freedom OTS is unequivocally my all time favorite RCI ship.

 

Randy in Warm and Sunny Dayton