loeytalldog Posted September 4, 2016 #226 Share Posted September 4, 2016 You have Liberty just down the road. We were docked next to her in Cozumel. I hope to sail her in 2018. That will be our third Freedom class. I tried to get pics of her slides, outside SL and put put course, but the humidity crapped out my DSLR. :( Yes, I was thinking of trying her next summer since it's just a 3 hour drive for us, but I just read on kcjarvis' review that she doesn't really have voom. After having it on FOS this past summer we've decided that we got things done for work (unfortunately we own a business and can't unplug) much faster and were able to enjoy vacation more when not "fighting" with the internet to work. We did not like the Oasis class, so not sure what we will do for next cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare island lady Posted September 4, 2016 #227 Share Posted September 4, 2016 Welcome back John. I finally took the time to go through your whole review. Great job!! As usual. ;) Loved the picture of you in the shark's mouth! :p Bet you will be sad to see her slide out of port in just a half hour! Sure wish we could have joined our neighbors today when we dropped them off at Freedom this morning. Felt weird dropping off luggage there and not getting on board the ship!! :eek: :( I am guessing Bella is very...very...happy to see you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare John&LaLa Posted September 4, 2016 Author #228 Share Posted September 4, 2016 (edited) Welcome back John. I finally took the time to go through your whole review.Great job!! As usual. ;) Loved the picture of you in the shark's mouth! [emoji14] Bet you will be sad to see her slide out of port in just a half hour! Sure wish we could have joined our neighbors today when we dropped them off at Freedom this morning. Felt weird dropping off luggage there and not getting on board the ship!! :eek: :( I am guessing Bella is very...very...happy to see you! Will look for her in a bit. I think I'm going through detox now. [emoji6] And yes, Bell was happy to see us I still have a lot to share, plus info on getting off the boat. I'll end with any questions and share some lessons learned. Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk Edited September 4, 2016 by John&LaLa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
easyboy Posted September 5, 2016 #229 Share Posted September 5, 2016 Thanks for the recap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare John&LaLa Posted September 5, 2016 Author #230 Share Posted September 5, 2016 Thank you very much. And if you're now opening the floor to questions, would you please tell me if the addition of the new cabins means the gym no longer has a sea view? We'll be sailing the Freedom next spring with a pair of fitness freaks that won't miss their daily workout, even if it means less time to see the sights in Rome :p. The new cabins are up on the spa level. They did shorten the jogging track on 12, but no impact on the front view from the gym down on 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare John&LaLa Posted September 5, 2016 Author #231 Share Posted September 5, 2016 More info on the cabin. We were Muster Station C6 However, Laura's knee was bothering her, so we checked in and then went to Schooner Bar. [emoji6] And this is the door that goes to deck 12. It did tend to slam the last few days. Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare John&LaLa Posted September 5, 2016 Author #232 Share Posted September 5, 2016 (edited) The CL (Concierge Lounge) Rahul (Concierge) and Laura prior to our photo shoot She wasn't happy with her up do. Nothing a Peach Martini couldn't fix. Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk Edited September 5, 2016 by John&LaLa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare John&LaLa Posted September 5, 2016 Author #233 Share Posted September 5, 2016 (edited) Here is one more thing fairly unique to the Freedom. Guest Services has a priority line. I never saw very long lines anyway. Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk Edited September 5, 2016 by John&LaLa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare John&LaLa Posted September 5, 2016 Author #234 Share Posted September 5, 2016 Day 7 Since it was a sea day, the MDR was open again. It was a different menu than last sea day and they had Mongolian Grill and Bananas Foster stations. A little chocolate and coconut was available as well. Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare John&LaLa Posted September 5, 2016 Author #235 Share Posted September 5, 2016 Freedom Fest was a little different from previous trips. All they had was a fruit carving demo and Kummelwreck sandwiches. No photo of sandwiches, the beef was not rare at all. Big let down. They were finally selling the 10 drink punch cards. $70 and it included the gratuity. They may have been available earlier, but I never thought to ask. Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare John&LaLa Posted September 5, 2016 Author #236 Share Posted September 5, 2016 (edited) Departure morning. 😭 Breakfast in MDR, missing my latte in the CL My last two Apple Danish for 2017. Well that should be all from my phone. Will continue via my laptop Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk Edited September 5, 2016 by John&LaLa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare John&LaLa Posted September 5, 2016 Author #237 Share Posted September 5, 2016 For those interested the C&A counts are as follows Pinnacle - 36 Diamond Plus - 160+ Diamond - 280+ I don't recall the other tiers, but total C&A was around 1,900 That means that about half the ship were first time Royal cruisers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare John&LaLa Posted September 5, 2016 Author #238 Share Posted September 5, 2016 (edited) We decided to not go off with Self Assist for the first time in forever. I think we will continue to do this. We were assigned Tag 3. It was scheduled for 7:30. Not sure when it was called as we were still in the MDR. We left the MDR around 8:05 and were hailing a cab at 8:20. Somehow we ended up on a shared shuttle. It was $5 cheaper in the end, but took 20 minutes longer. :mad: There seems to be a shortage of cabs. They need to get their act together before Oasis arrives is all I have to add. We were at our condo around 8:50 :D Gotta love that. Got the A/C lowered, water turned on and the shutters open before 9AM. I was also happy to find out that my weather cam's battery held up for the whole time we were gone. I had to disconnect the solar panel when I closed the shutters last week. If you ever want to know what the current weather in Cocoa Beach is, just click on the link in my signature. Edited September 5, 2016 by John&LaLa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare John&LaLa Posted September 5, 2016 Author #239 Share Posted September 5, 2016 Last post for the night. I mentioned earlier we had a private photo shoot for B&W pictures. It was held up in the Library on 7. Good use of the space in my opinion. Anyway, it was on formal night, they took about 100 pictures over 30 minutes. It was a lot of fun. We then made an appointment for our viewing the next morning. So we show up at 9:30 Saturday morning for the presentation. She sat us on a couch and we watched a slide show with about 60 photos. They also had some romantic music playing. When it finished she showed us the available packages. :eek::eek::eek: I don't want to spoil it for you, but one package was 100 pics for $2,500 The pics were lovely, but I couldn't justify even the cheapest pkg. We parted friends and she said she would be available later if we changed our mind. We did. :o After lamenting the situation for an hour or so, we sheepishly returned to negotiate some better terms. We decided on 10 pics for $550. So now we have to cull out the best photos and many look alike. But it was fun. and we looked good. Here is an example or two. I couldn't not buy them. I have three more things to discuss, but that will have to wait until tomorrow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarea Posted September 5, 2016 #240 Share Posted September 5, 2016 Really like that photo with both of you John.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ocean Boy Posted September 5, 2016 #241 Share Posted September 5, 2016 Nice pictures! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare John&LaLa Posted September 5, 2016 Author #242 Share Posted September 5, 2016 Really like that photo with both of you John.:) Thanks, I'm going to send one off to EFFY in NY. I think the solo makes a better ad than the one we saw in Cozumel. Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare John&LaLa Posted September 5, 2016 Author #243 Share Posted September 5, 2016 Nice pictures! Thanks, in addition to the 8x10's they gave me the digital files. I'm thinking about having some printed on metal Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare island lady Posted September 5, 2016 #244 Share Posted September 5, 2016 Wow...great photo shoot pics John!! I loved the one of you two looking at each other with big smiles!! NICE!! And of course Laura always looks good, even with her hair flying in the wind on deck. Beautiful lady! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare A&L_Ont Posted September 5, 2016 #245 Share Posted September 5, 2016 John, those photos are spectacular. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torpeedo Posted September 5, 2016 #246 Share Posted September 5, 2016 For those interested the C&A counts are as follows Pinnacle - 36 Diamond Plus - 160+ Diamond - 280+ I don't recall the other tiers, but total C&A was around 1,900 That means that about half the ship were first time Royal cruisers We were on the Freedom last week of July and it was a ghost town as far as C&A members were concerned. I know there were four pinnacles and very few D+. We attended the breakfast with an officer and there were, drum roll, EIGHT people in total. All the officers got a pass that day except for Tyrone, the HR officer. The top tier event was crazy. More servers than attendee's. The CL was totally empty most evenings. Just us two chickens and Rahul! Loved your review and pictures! I will miss the Freedom in PC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadie8 Posted September 5, 2016 #247 Share Posted September 5, 2016 I was checking in with Julia about my crystal block and should have offered to take this picture for you, even though yours looks great. Didn't know you were John and Laura. We had a great cruise and I won the casino gift at the meet and mingle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare John&LaLa Posted September 5, 2016 Author #248 Share Posted September 5, 2016 (edited) I was checking in with Julia about my crystal block and should have offered to take this picture for you, even though yours looks great. Didn't know you were John and Laura. We had a great cruise and I won the casino gift at the meet and mingle. No worries, I am slowly getting better at Selfies. We took that same photo a couple of days later on the second formal night. I hope Julia was able to take care of you. She is a Gem. I think we were there to say hi to her as well. Laura will really miss her. I hope you won something with your casino gift.:D Edited September 5, 2016 by John&LaLa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare John&LaLa Posted September 5, 2016 Author #249 Share Posted September 5, 2016 (edited) I ended up spending the afternoons in the Solarium pool. Specifically under the bridge to stay out of the sun. Chatted with lots of fun people. So I have come to the realization that I may really be a troll after all. :eek: BTW, there are 4 seats on either side of the bar top. Very valuable real estate since the pool is over 6' deep. Almost 7' if you believe the sign. i think it was closer to 6' Edited September 5, 2016 by John&LaLa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jules815 Posted September 5, 2016 #250 Share Posted September 5, 2016 I ended up spending the afternoons in the Solarium pool. Specifically under the bridge to stay out of the sun. So I have come to the realization that I may really be a troll after all. :eek: That's our favorite spot as well. Your pictures are great, thanks for sharing. Missing FOS as this has been our week for the past two years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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