All Freedom of the Seas Related - Info Needed

[cjdixon4]

DH and I are booked for 5/22/16 on Freedom. I've done quite a few RCI cruises, but this will be our FIRST on FOS. I'd really like to hear from those of you who have sailed her previously what you enjoyed, disliked, things that are "don't miss" activities, etc. Lots of people seem to be real fans. :)

Saw the thread labeled "All Things Adventure", and thought it would be great to have one for Freedom that I can refer to as I plan.

 

Any comments good, bad, or indifferent are welcome! ;)

[Lean-N-Supreme]

All Things Freedom of the Seas! Edited June 10, 2015 by Lean-N-Supreme

[cjdixon4]

All Things Freedom of the Seas!

 

This is SOOO cool, Lean-N-Supreme. Good place to start. I was hoping for some really current input! Thanks. ;)

[mimi619]

This is SOOO cool, Lean-N-Supreme. Good place to start. I was hoping for some really current input! Thanks. ;)

 

Me too

[SD CRUZER II]

We love the FOS. we sailed last year and this year and booked again next year on the cruise after you. We just love the layout of the ship. We have a 4yr old so we love the Adventure Ocean club as well as the H2O zone for kids. If you have specific questions fire away and I will help answer any questions you have. Its a great ship. Its a big ship that never feals like a big ship except for boarding and leaving.

[lyban]

I have a question about freedom that I keep on getting conflicting answers on.

 

Do they have mini golf on freedom?

 

Thanks

[SD CRUZER II]

I have a question about freedom that I keep on getting conflicting answers on.

 

Do they have mini golf on freedom?

 

Thanks

 

Yes, they have mini golf. Its up on the sports deck.

[Amos83]

Yes they have mini-golf... they also have golf simulator that you can reserve in hour increments for $25. I didn't try the simulator but the couple next to us at night in the MDR did it several times and said it was worth the money (if you are a golfer)

[loug1601]

Does Freedom of the Seas have a Broadway show like many other ships have? Momma Mia, Cats, etc? I can't locate this information.

[Clarea]

Does Freedom of the Seas have a Broadway show like many other ships have? Momma Mia, Cats, etc? I can't locate this information.

Not really. Closest show they have to a Broadway show is called Marquee.

[ryano]

Does Freedom of the Seas have a Broadway show like many other ships have? Momma Mia, Cats, etc? I can't locate this information.

 

No. They do have a couple shows though. Once Upon A Time and Marquee.

Edited June 11, 2015 by ryano

[ryano]

DH and I are booked for 5/22/16 on Freedom. I've done quite a few RCI cruises, but this will be our FIRST on FOS. I'd really like to hear from those of you who have sailed her previously what you enjoyed, disliked, things that are "don't miss" activities, etc. Lots of people seem to be real fans. :)

Saw the thread labeled "All Things Adventure", and thought it would be great to have one for Freedom that I can refer to as I plan.

 

Any comments good, bad, or indifferent are welcome! ;)

 

Freedom is a great ship :) If you are thinking about specialty dining, give Giovannis a try. I dont know if you have tried it before but we found it to be one of the best meals with the best service we have ever had on a ship or on land. If Johnathan is on board, see if you can get him as your waiter. Excellent!

 

I can no longer recommend Chops though :( I really really enjoyed Chops on Radiance back in 2011 but I feel the price is too high now for the quality of food served. The steak was "ok" but the sides and desserts were very underwhelming. Even though I knew this ahead of time, Im also a little upset that they now charge you for a "better" steak and there was certainly a borderline hard upsell there. That just kind of turned me off. That is a personal opinion though and I dont expect everyone to agree. A lot of people love Chops but a lot of people agree with me as well.

 

I didnt attend the two shows as I had seen them before in 2012. I did attend the ice show even though its the same as it was 3 years ago.

 

When were on here in April, she was sparkling like a new penny. The ship looks great and I love the new R bar they put in.

 

Enjoy your cruise on Freedom!

Edited June 11, 2015 by ryano

[cjdixon4]

We love the FOS. we sailed last year and this year and booked again next year on the cruise after you. We just love the layout of the ship. We have a 4yr old so we love the Adventure Ocean club as well as the H2O zone for kids. If you have specific questions fire away and I will help answer any questions you have. Its a great ship. Its a big ship that never feals like a big ship except for boarding and leaving.

 

You know, it's comments like yours that really get me excited about FOS. I've done some of RCI's smaller ships, and I've done Oasis...but everybody seems to think that Freedom is better than ALL of the others, even the mega-ships! So in anticipation of boarding next May, I'm just trying to find out what exactly is so great about this ship. You and many others speak of the "layout" of Freedom...is it somehow easier to navigate than the others?

[cjdixon4]

I can no longer recommend Chops though :( I really really enjoyed Chops on Radiance back in 2011 but I feel the price is too high now for the quality of food served. The steak was "ok" but the sides and desserts were very underwhelming. Even though I knew this ahead of time, Im also a little upset that they now charge you for a "better" steak and there was certainly a borderline hard upsell there. That just kind of turned me off. That is a personal opinion though and I dont expect everyone to agree. A lot of people love Chops but a lot of people agree with me as well.

 

 

We just tried Giovanni's on Adventure last month, and like you, we really liked both the food and the service. I'd definitely eat there again on Freedom. Now as for Chops, we ate there a couple of years ago on Enchantment and loved it. The steak, baked potato (which I hear isn't served any longer), and vegetable was awesome. I've heard from tons of folks on CC however, that the quality of the meals there have changed. I'm willing to try them out again on Freedom and weigh it out for myself. I have to say though, I can't deal with a steak served with tater tots...:confused:

[Clarea]

...The steak, baked potato (which I hear isn't served any longer), and vegetable was awesome....

They brought back the backed potato.

[RSLeesburg]

Freedom is a great ship :) If you are thinking about specialty dining, give Giovannis a try. I dont know if you have tried it before but we found it to be one of the best meals with the best service we have ever had on a ship or on land. If Johnathan is on board, see if you can get him as your waiter. Excellent!

 

I can no longer recommend Chops though :( I really really enjoyed Chops on Radiance back in 2011 but I feel the price is too high now for the quality of food served. The steak was "ok" but the sides and desserts were very underwhelming. Even though I knew this ahead of time, Im also a little upset that they now charge you for a "better" steak and there was certainly a borderline hard upsell there. That just kind of turned me off. That is a personal opinion though and I dont expect everyone to agree. A lot of people love Chops but a lot of people agree with me as well.

 

I didnt attend the two shows as I had seen them before in 2012. I did attend the ice show even though its the same as it was 3 years ago.

 

When were on here in April, she was sparkling like a new penny. The ship looks great and I love the new R bar they put in.

 

Enjoy your cruise on Freedom!

 

 

Did you try Sabor? My wife and I loved Giovanni's and Izumi on Grandeur. Chops was fine, but we liked the other two better. We are planning to get one of the packages, looking forward to trying Sabor.

[RSLeesburg]

You know, it's comments like yours that really get me excited about FOS. I've done some of RCI's smaller ships, and I've done Oasis...but everybody seems to think that Freedom is better than ALL of the others, even the mega-ships! So in anticipation of boarding next May, I'm just trying to find out what exactly is so great about this ship. You and many others speak of the "layout" of Freedom...is it somehow easier to navigate than the others?

 

 

We are trying Freedom this year - after two years on Grandeur, we are stepping up to a bigger ship. I think Freedom is almost twice as long as Grandeur, so should be huge difference for us :). Our 5 y/o is so excited to try H2O! Also, I think he will enjoy the ice show, parades, and Once Upon a Time.

[ryano]

Did you try Sabor? .

 

We never made it to Sabor :o It didnt make much sense to us to pay for Mexican food on the ship since we were going to Cozumel with so many great mexican places to eat.

 

I can say that I heard MANY great compliments about Sabor though!

[newtampagirl]

We just tried Giovanni's on Adventure last month, and like you, we really liked both the food and the service. I'd definitely eat there again on Freedom. Now as for Chops, we ate there a couple of years ago on Enchantment and loved it. The steak, baked potato (which I hear isn't served any longer), and vegetable was awesome. I've heard from tons of folks on CC however, that the quality of the meals there have changed. I'm willing to try them out again on Freedom and weigh it out for myself. I have to say though, I can't deal with a steak served with tater tots...:confused:

My husband loved the tater tots, they are not Ore-Ida. They are more like fried nuggets of mashed potato and Gruyere cheese. We enjoyed Chops but his strip steak wasn't that great, my filet was better. It was just nice to have a quiet dinner to celebrate our 26th Wedding Anniversary. More ambiance.

[ryano]

We just tried Giovanni's on Adventure last month, and like you, we really liked both the food and the service. I'd definitely eat there again on Freedom. Now as for Chops, we ate there a couple of years ago on Enchantment and loved it. The steak, baked potato (which I hear isn't served any longer), and vegetable was awesome. I've heard from tons of folks on CC however, that the quality of the meals there have changed. I'm willing to try them out again on Freedom and weigh it out for myself. I have to say though, I can't deal with a steak served with tater tots...:confused:

 

As Bob said, they have brought back the baked potato :) Dont expect it to be that football sized potato they use to serve though! :eek: That was too much anyway and we wound up splitting one in 2011.

 

Im afraid you may notice somewhat of a change from two years ago in Chops but please know Im just giving my opinion of it :) The food wasnt "bad" at all. Its just we felt the quality has slipped over the last few years. I dont know that we will go back to Chops. Many people still love it though!

[ryano]

My husband loved the tater tots, they are not Ore-Ida. They are more like fried nuggets of mashed potato and Gruyere cheese. We enjoyed Chops but his strip steak wasn't that great, my filet was better. It was just nice to have a quiet dinner to celebrate our 26th Wedding Anniversary. More ambiance.

 

The atmosphere is still very nice for sure :) I tried the tater tots. They were actually pretty decent. I just feel they could have came up with another name for them :D "Tater tot" just screams frozen food section to me :p I actually like Ore Ida tater tots. Just not sure that word belongs in a fine dining steakhouse?

Edited June 11, 2015 by ryano

[theminnow]

We were on the Freedom a couple months ago, and she is a beautiful ship. One thing I liked to do was just sit outside the Bull & Bear, have a few beers and people watch. Usually did this after we returned from the port, and watched people walk by with their souvenir hats, shirts, etc. Sometimes you forget your on a ship.

 

Another thing we liked was how the crew would do anything in their power to help you. It truly amazes me how they can be so positive and out going week after week with barely a break.

 

You'll have a great time on her. Your one regret will be that you wont be able to do everything. But that is just an excuse to cruise on her again.:)

 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

Craig

[RSLeesburg]

We never made it to Sabor :o It didnt make much sense to us to pay for Mexican food on the ship since we were going to Cozumel with so many great mexican places to eat.

 

 

 

I can say that I heard MANY great compliments about Sabor though!

 

 

This is very true! We are also sailing Western, so will have to start looking for local places to eat in Cozumel. :). But may still try Sabor if it part of a package...lol

[SD CRUZER II]

You and many others speak of the "layout" of Freedom...is it somehow easier to navigate than the others?

 

Its just a great layout. You can walk from one end of the ship to the other if need be. There is only one level, deck 3 where you can't because of Studio B, but otherwise you can go right down the middle on deck 4 and 5. We always stay on deck 10 middle as its just one flight up to the windjammer and the pool and 2 flights to Adventure Ocean.

 

We started out on Grandeur and Enchantment for a couple of trips then upgraded to the Mariner. We were afraid that Freedom would be too big for us, but its perfect.

 

We still love chops. We eat there twice on every cruise. We just love the atmosphere and the food. The appetizers are great and I have never had a bad steak as others have said they have. We must be lucky.

 

We tried Sabor in May and found it to be OK. The guacamole and the appetizers were great, but we dound the main dishes to be underwhelming. They have smaller portions as well.

 

We may try Giovannis next time out.

[cjdixon4]

They brought back the backed potato.

 

Oh Happy Day! They heard the cries of the people...LOL ;)