Songbird and the Pirate King seek Freedom of the Seas!

[songbird1329]

A review of our 10/23/2016 cruise.

 

By way of introduction, you are invite to read my reviews of the Carnival Valor and the Carnival Breeze

 

We enjoyed both of our Carnival cruises, but decided too try Royal Caribbean this time, and were very satisfied with our cruise experience.

 

I'll give my overall impressions first, then go into detail later.

 

We loved the layout of the ship, especially the Promenade. We thought it was much better than the layout of the Breeze or the Valor. We truly enjoyed the "adults only" solarium pool. The entertainment was far superior to what Carnival is doing these days, though we missed having a separate comedy club. Carnival has a slight edge vis a vis food, there are more choices on the Lido deck than we found in Windjammer, but we enjoyed our meals on the Freedom.

 

The ship never felt crowded, bu then again, we did not sail at capacity.

 

Overall service was friendly and efficient. But it took four different officers at Guest Services to resolve a billing issue. And the response to "Please bring some clean towels to my cabin" should NEVER be "call me back after my break".

 

If that''s the worst of it, though, I"d say we did OK. and we won' hesitate to sail with Royal Caribbean again.

 

Details to follow.

[Carlos A.]

And the response to "Please bring some clean towels to my cabin" should NEVER be "call me back after my break"..

 

:eek: Wow! That is so rude! How did you manage that situation?

[songbird1329]

:eek: Wow! That is so rude! How did you manage that situation?

 

We were not happy about that one, but the towels did arrive before they were actually needed.

[songbird1329]

So ... the Pirate King is my ex husband. Yes, I said ex. We got married in 1987, got divorced in 1994, and reconciled in 2009, much to the amazement of our daughters.

 

In 1987, the Pirate King and I booked a package with Premier Cruise Lines. Remember the Big Red Boat? At the time, Premier was the official cruise line of Walt Disney World. Our package included a four day cruise with Mickey Mouse, making port at Nassau and at Premier's private island; tickets to the Kennedy Space Center,; and three days at Disney, which in those days meant Magic Kingdom and EPCOT.

 

Since then, we've taken two other cruises, both out of Miami, and we've been back to Disney, but we hadn't returned to Port Canaveral. then we booked the 10/23/16 cruise on Freedom of the Seas, making port in Labadee, Haiti; Falsmouth Jamaica; Georgetown, Grand Cayman; and Cozumel, Meexico.

 

Our trip actually began on the 22nd, as we left our home on Long Island and headed to sunny Florida.

 

Musical cue: Frank Sinatra, "Blue Skies"

 

We were up at the crack of dawn, and a friend drove us to JFK in the pouring rain. I took a fall in the parking lot while trying to move my luggage (yes, I over pack), but no harm done -- except my jeans were wet from knee to ankle. We checked in with Jet Blue, quickly cleared the TSA, and picked up breakfast at Dunkin' Donuts on our way to the gate. And before long, we were on a plane and headed towards Orlando.

 

Musical cue: Jimmy Buffett, "Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude"

 

Can I just say I love Jet Blue? Fly Fi, Direct TV. Sirius Radio. A full hour of Jimmy Buffett songs on Radio Margaritaville and I was in vacation mode.

 

I've been to Disneyworld more times than I can count, so arriving at Orlando International Airport felt so familiar. On the monorail travelling from one terminal to the other I overheard some newbies marveling that they could see palm trees. What else would you expect in Orlando?

 

We'd booked a package through Go Port Canaveral that included a hotel in Cocoa Beach and shuttle service from the airport to the hotel, from the hotel to the port, and back to the airport after the cruise. We were met at the appointed time, picked up in a van with a trailer attached for the luggage.

 

As we arrived in Port Canaveral, I could see ships -- the Carnival Valor, the Carnival Magic and the Disney Fantasy. Yes, this cruise was really going to happen!

 

Musical Cue: TV theme song, "I Dream of Jeannie"

 

To those of us who are a certain age, the Space Coast is not only home to NASA and rockets and etc., it is also the home of fictional astronaut Tony Nelson and his eventual wife Jeannie. And yes, Cocoa Beach has a street named I Dream of Jeannie Boulevard.

 

We were booked at the International Palms Resort. This turned out to be a pleasant but somewhat dated resort located on the beach, with easy access to shopping and local restaurants. I'd recommend it for an overnight stay or a short family vacation. There's a nice pool with a pool bar, a themed kiddie pool, tennis courts, volleyball, basketball and I think I even saw a shuffleboard court. At night we saw people sitting around fire pits, making s'mores. There are kitschy tiki poles all over the resort. The employees are all friendly and helpful.

 

There are no interior corridors, rooms are accessed from external walkways. Our room was clean and comfortable, and included a TV, refrigerator, microwave, coffeemaker, hair dryer and even an iron and ironing board. Air conditioning worked well. My chief complaint? The gap between the door and the door frame; w could see daylight even when we closed the door.

 

We arrived in mid afternoon. The Pirate King broke the zipper on his duffel bag and needed to go shopping to replace it. I decided to explore the resort. That's when I met with my first disappointment of the vacation -- the cheap, plastic camera I bought on Amazon (because it was waterproof) didn't work. So I had to use my older point and shoot. Not terrible, but aggravating.

 

Eventually we found ourselves on the beach. The sand was smooth, the surf rough. And we could see the three cruise ships that had been in port earlier that day.

 

We wanted to eat dinner at Mambo's, the resort's beach bar, but it was too chilly to sit outside. Pity, because Mambo's had live music until 11:00. We went to Stefan & Aniston's, the resort's sports bar, instead. Decent burgers, hefty portions, not a bad meal. And on the TV, numerous reminders that we were in a battleground state just weeks before Election Day.

 

After dinner we went back to our room and called it a night.

[mamathilde]

Can't wait to read the rest of your trip!

[songbird1329]

A few pictures of the resort before I move on to the cruise.

 

 

 

 

 

[songbird1329]

and here I am with a new friend:

 

[songbird1329]

Musical Cue: Cat Stevens," Morning Has Broken"

 

It was still dark when I got up, so I grabbed a sweatshirt and my camera and headed over to the beach.

 

 

 

It was too cold to breakfast at Mambo's, so we headed over to The Breakfast Spot for an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet. This is a popular spot with local senior citizens as well as hotel guests, and we had an unpleasant encounter with one of the locals -- she wanted to join her two friends, who were seated at a table for two, so she took the Pirate King's chair, just as he was about to sit down. Without asking, of course. So rude!

 

We collected our luggage and checked out of the hotel. Our shuttle picked us up around 10:45, as requested. the bus stopped at several hotels, which took longer than expected because of the road race being conducted that morning.

 

Musical Cue: Frankie Ford, "Sea Cruise"

 

The porters at the pier are definitely not shy about asking for tips for taking your luggage aboard ship. And the whole security process is dehumanizing -- the Pirate King felt we were being treated like cattle, he even began to moo... (yes, he has a warped sense of humor).

 

Musical Cue: Bobby "Boris" Picket, "The Monster Mash"

 

We were aboard ship well before 1:00. The cabins were not ready (I would have loved something similar to Carnival's "Faster to the Fun"), so we decided to explore the ship. The Promenade was decorated for Halloween, and we spent much of the cruise taking pictures of the decorations.

 

A few examples:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A word about drink packages is in order here. We did not purchase any drink packages on our prior cruises. On those cruises we found ourselves buying a cocktail or a glass of wine at dinner, and a lot of Coke and Diet Coke during the day. Consequently the Pirate King chose to buy a soda package when we were planning our cruise. I did not, but when I saw the Freestyle Coke machines on the Promenade, I opted in, and purchased a soda package on the Promenade. (Yes, the package changed our habits. We drank more soda and less alcohol on this cruise than on our prior cruises)

 

By now it was after 1:00, so we headed towards our cabin -- a portside balcony on deck six. We'd had an ocean view on the Valor and a balcony on the Breeze. We loved our balcony, so when we booked this cruise we insisted on a balcony. We were not disappointed.

 

So we took our drink cups up to Windjammer for lunch. Windjammer was very busy, as expected. We were able to find a table fairly easily, though. In fact, we only had difficulty finding a table once, during the breakfast rush. The food in Windjammer is decent, we would have liked more variety but we were never disappointed with our meals.

 

After lunch we continued to explore the ship. We went up to the pool deck and watched a guy on a surfboard play in the Flowrider. The Pirate King wanted to check out the rock climbing wall, he planned to use it during the cruise -- too bad the weather didn't cooperate.

 

Muster drill time. Our frame of reference is Carnival -- on the Valor 6 years ago, we had to bring our life jackets to our muster station. On the Breeze 3 years ago we reported to one of the dining rooms for safety instructions. On this ship, we reported to our muster station, but didn't need to bring life jackets. I think this is the best solution, I want to know where to go in an actual emergency.

 

Musical Cue: Styx, "Come Sail Away"

 

 

We headed up to the sun deck for sail away. Very windy up there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back to the cabin, and we relaxed on the balcony until it was time for dinner. We'd chosen My Time Dining for the flexibility, and we were very satisfied with the system. Never had to wait for a table. He ordered a steak, I had a pork chop. Both were well prepared. I loved the bread at dinner, especially the cheese rolls. Desserts were a bit blah.

 

Musical Cue: "Gonna Fly (theme from Rocky)

 

The nightly entertainment is where Royal Caribbean truly shines. I love a live orchestra! Our first night's entertainment was comedian John Knight. Loved his show.

 

Musical Cue: Crosby, Stills and Nash, "Southern Cross"

 

Our cruise tradition is to do some stargazing every night. Nothing makes you feel so small, and yet so part of everything, as stargazing on the vastness of the ocean.

 

We headed up to the sun deck, but it was cloudy, overcast. No stars.

 

But then later, from our balcony, we not only saw stars...but a meteor.

[songbird1329]

Some more of the Halloween decorations.

 

 

 

[songbird1329]

The first of our two sea days, so much to do and so little time to do everything.

 

Musical Cue: "Go, You Chicken Fat, Go"

 

I was up early, headed to the Fitness Center. I am by no means the athletic type, but I've recently discovered a love of physical activity. Yes, I will admit it, I am a "Planet Fitness" member. The ship's gym uses "Life Fitness" equipment, just like my gym -- except for the fact that everything was batttleship gray instead of garish purple, and the view from my treadmill made me think I was "king of the world", I could have been at home and in my Planet Fitness club.

 

Afterwards the Pirate King and I wanted to have breakfast in the main dining room, but the line was way too long. The only time we couldn't do something because of crowds. We wound up in Windjammer instead.

 

Musical Cue: Vanilla Ice, "Ice, Ice Baby"

 

Unique to Royal Caribbean is the ice rink located on deck 3. We decided to take in the ice show, FYI, when they tell you to bundle up, believe them -- it's cold down there. I'm a casual fan of competitive figure skating, and I really enjoyed the show. I was especially interested in the Japanese skater, he was very graceful -- though he made two or three errors coming out of his jumps.

 

Musical Cue: R.E.M., "Nightswimming"

 

Or rather, afternoon in the Solarium. The Pirate King headed straight for the hot tub. I chose the pool. And though several people were sitting on the side, with their feet in the water, I was the only one actually swimming. So even though the pool is small, I was able to do laps. (And play with my new Fitbit, the Flex 2, their only waterproof model.) Pity that this was the only time I got to swim during the cruise.

 

Musical Cue: Duke Ellington, "Cocktails for Two"

 

Why does Formal Night always make me feel so sophisticated? Yes, we dress for dinner. Made it our business to be on the Promenade to be presented to the Captain and to hear his welcome speech.

 

 

Great dinner -- we both had lobster bisque. The Pirate King ordered a steak, I had roasted chicken, and we finished with cheesecake.

 

Great entertainment that evening. We saw the Broadway show, featuring a live orchestra, singers and dancers. We're both Broadeay fans, and knew all of the music in tonight's shoow. Later, the comedian, John Knight, did his "adult" show Other than some adlt language, his late night show wasn't much different that his family-friendly show. both were enjoyable.

 

 

 

 

Musical cue: Madonna, "Lucky Star"

 

We ended out evening stargazing on our balcony. And yes...those lihts on the horizon....that was another ship...

[songbird1329]

Musical Cue: The Beatles, "Here Comes the Sun"

 

It's our day to visit Labadee, Royal Caribbean's private island, and I have visions of lounging on the beach. It was ssunny and warm as we headed to the Windjammer for breakfast.

 

And then...

 

Musical Cue: Gene Kelly, "Singin' In the Rain"

 

The rain began before we arrived in Haiti. We had booked a shore excursion, a coastal cruise around the island, and so we wnet ashore to find out what was happening with that excursion.

 

 

 

What the smart set wore to Labadee:

 

 

Our 9:00 excursion was cancelled, and we were told to come back at 11:00. We waked around the island in the rain for awhile.

 

The weather had improved by 11:00, so we were able to enjoy the costal cruise. We saw fishermen, beach houses, the village of Labadee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the cruise, we walked around the island for awhile. the artisans can be very aggressive in their sales tactics, but we can hande that.

 

A view of the ship:

 

 

Musical Cue: Eurythmics, "Here Comes The Rain Again"

 

And then it started to rain again, so instead of lounging on the beach, we went back to the ship. We had lunch in the Windjammer. He took a nap and played trivia, while I headed back to the Fitness Center and another workout.

 

We stopped at the Schooner to play more trivial before dinner. Dinner that night was summer fruit, linguini pomodoro, and chocolate ice cream.

 

Musical Cue: Barry Manilow, "Could It Be Magic?" segues into "Razzle Dazzle" from the Broadway musical Chicago.

 

The entertainment this evening was Drew Thomas, a magician made famous by his appearances on America' Got Talent. I enjoyed the show...but...there was a lot of singing and dancing and not nearly as much magic and illusion as I would have liked.

 

We grabbed some snacks on the Promenade on our way back to our cabin. No stargazing that night because of the rain.

Edited November 6, 2016 by songbird1329

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Following!

 

I am anxious to hear all about your Freedom experience. We will be on her during the TA next October. It will be our first time on a Freedom Class ship.

[songbird1329]

Jamaica, mon!

 

 

Musical Cue: Bobby Bloom, "Montego Bay"

 

Royal Caribbean is the only cruise line to make port in Falmouth, everyone else goes to Montego Bay or Ocho Rios. Our cruise director Casey Pelter explains that we're halfway between the other two ports, giving us access to more attractions.

 

Musical Cue: Jimmy buffett, "Jamaica Mistaica"

 

Our excursion this morning is to the Green Grotto and Dunns River Falls. The bus took us to the caves first, and we all donned hard hats.

 

 

As we walked through the caves our guide explained their role in Jamaican history, from pirates to slaves to James bond movies. Bats ere flying around as we explored the rock formations.

 

 

 

 

 

These are the stairs that did me in. They are wet and neven, and there are no handrails. I got about halfway down before I abandoned the effort.

 

 

Musical Cue: Joni Mitchell, "Help Me"

 

And then it was on to Dunns River Falls.

 

I climbed Dunns River Falls!

 

On the steps, that is.

 

I planned to climb the falls. I really wanted to climb. But I put one foot in the river, slipped on a rock...and that was it for me.

 

The Pirate King climbed, and I met him at the top.

 

Back on the bus, we dined on jerk chicken, curried goat, and rice and beans.

 

Musical Cue: Bob Marley, "One Love"

 

Wherever you go in Jamaica, you are going to hear Bob Marley. It's like a rule or something.

 

We did a little shopping, then headed back to the ship. It sarted to rain while we were on the pier.

 

Musical Cue: Harry Belafonte, "Jamaican Farewell"

 

It was a very relaxed evening aboard ship. We found a bartender on the Promenade, selling Bahama Mamas in a souvenir glass. Of course we had to indulge. In the dining room, the waitstaff were wearing Hawaiian shirts instead of uniforms. I hadn't realized that the three dining rooms -- Galileo, Isaac and Leonardo (named for three famous scientists) were really one huge space. the waiters performed a dance on the floor of Leonardo, and those of us in Galileo went to the balcony railing to watch.

 

The show that night was Edge Effect, five guys who sing a capella. Their repertoire includes Michael Jackson, the Beatles, and other pop artists.

 

Musical Cue: the Sandpipers, "Guantanamera"

 

We ended our evening on the balcony. It was too overcast for stargazing, but we were able to see another cruise ship, and the lights of Cuba.

 

 

 

When we were on the Carnival Valor in 2010, as we sailed past Cuba I thought: "This is a close as most Americans will ever get to the island". Funny how things change.

[songbird1329]

Musical Cue: Johnny Nash, "I Can See Clearly Now"

 

And then we were in the Cayman Islands.

 

We'd been here before, in 2010. And once you've been to Hell and back, there really isn't much to see on Grand Cayman, so we decided to make it a leisurely shopping day.

 

So we started with a leisurely breakfast in the main dining room. What a pleasure to have someone serve breakfast, instead of grabbing it from the buffet. And the Pirate King was ecstatic, he ordered his favorite Eggs Benedict.

 

And then it was time to head over to Georgetown. I've read that the government of the Cayman Islands recently approved building a pier dedicated to the cruise ships that make port here, but for now we were compelled to board a tender.

 

We spent some time exploring the shops, looking a jewelry and watches and inexpensive clothing. I just loved seeing chickens and roosters run around the street of downtown Georgetown.

 

Got a really good view of our ship, sitting alongside a Carnival ship:

 

 

 

 

And then we found ourselves over by the courthouse. Sort of a "busman's holiday" for me. The Pirate King is a high school teacher, and history is one of his subjects. There's a mural on the courthouse wall, painted in 2003 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the discovery of the Caymans, portraying all the major events in Cayman history, some details of which fascinated the King so much that he'd shared the stories with his students.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we tendered back to the ship, I noticed that the seas were rougher, the wind had picked up, clouds were rolling in. And then the tendered...stopped. We just sat out there, on the water. And my mind drifted to a horror story I'd read on Cruise Critic, how one of the tenders took over 45 minutes to dock with the ship in bad weather.

 

It seemed like an eternity, but it really was only about 15 minutes, and then we were docking with the ship.

 

Musical Cue: CCR, "Who'll Stop The Rain?"

 

It started to rain just as we got back aboard the ship, and I found myself singing....

 

"Long as I remember the rain been comin' down

Clouds of mystery pourin' confusion on the ground.

Good men through the ages tryin' to find the sun.

And I wonder still I wonder who'll stop the rain?"

 

 

So yes, another rainy day aboard Freedom of the Seas.

 

Musical Cue: Lovin' Spoonful, "Do You Believe in Magic?"

 

Johnny Rockets is one of our favorite hamburger chains. We love the feel of the 1950's diner, the oldies music playing while you eat. We knew we'd end up in Johnny Rockets eventually, so a rainy afternoon was the perfect time for a burger and fries.

 

The only seats available when we got there were at the counter, but we didn't want to wait for a table. Good thing we chose the counter --- within a few minutes after we sat down, there was a long line of people waiting to come in.

 

And then we noticed that the musical playback was caught in a loop, playing the same song over and over again. "Do you believe in magic in a young girls' heart..." they didn't fix it until it was time for the wait staff to do their line dance.

 

The menu here is a bit more limited than in a typical Johnny Rockets, but there were plenty of items to chose from. We ordered burgers, fries and onion rings. And yes, some of the waiters made the ketchup smilie face to serve with the fries. Everything tasted as expected, except for the cheese sauce -- the sauce was bland, almost tasteless.It was the second formal night, and lobster tail was on the menu! The waiters will bring you as many servings of lobster as you can eat. But the couple at the table next to ours shared a rumor that Royal Caribbean is planning to drop lobster tail from the main dining room menu....

.

Musical Cue: The Monkees, "I'm A Believer"

 

The show that night was called "Once Upon A Time", and was a reworking of various fairy tales set to pop hits. Rapunzel's Prince sang "Hair", Sleeping Beauty was serenaded with "Mr. Sandman", and Red Riding Hood's wolf sang...you guessed it..."Hungry Like the Wolf". It was a high energy show, much more creative than the Broadway show earlier in the week. We really enjoyed the performances.

[songbird1329]

And before I move on to our day in Mexico, let me say this:

 

 

Rules for preserving songbird's sanity

 

 

 

1. Plan your itinerary before the cruise, but be flexible

2. Print all documents and forms, carry a copy with you

3. Never leave the USA without a passport

4. Fly to the port the day before the cruise

5. Buy travel insurance

6. Wear a watch and keep it set to ship's time. Phones and tablets are unreliable when connected to internet services

[MrsKC08]

Love the Freedom. We have sailed her twice and would jump on her again in a heartbeat.

 

Looking forward to more! :)

[songbird1329]

Mexico 10/28

 

 

 

Musical Cue: Jimmy Buffett, "Mexico"

 

 

You must understand that the Pirate King and I are very much into history. When we did our first Western Caribbean cruise, six years ago, we knew we'd have to do an excursion to Mayan ruins. We looked into several excursion in the Yucatan, but wound up doing a beach day at Isla Pasion (loved the Twister!) and visiting ruins at Altun Ha in Belize instead. Labadee was supposed to be our beach day this trip (laugh out loud time), so we planned to visit Mayan ruins in Mexico. We considered Tulum, but opted for Chichen Itza.

 

When the ship arrived at Cozumel, we could see that we were not alone -- the Carnival Dream and Liberty of the Seas were with us. After a quick breakfast in Windjammer, we headed to the theater to meet our excursion group.

 

Musical Cue: The theme from "Raiders of the Lost Ark"

 

Be forewarned, the excursion to Chichen Itza is not undertaken lightly. You will be the first off the ship at Cozumel, and the last to arrive. Your tour will be very, very structured. You will spend most of your day in transit, you will eat your snack and lunch while traveling, and you will not have time to shop. Not in Cozumel, not in Playa del Carmen, not even at the site itself. The trip is worth it to some, but not to all.

 

The theater was the meeting point for all excursions to the mainland, all excursions that required a ferry ride. We were given numbered stickers to wear on our shirts to identify which excursion we were on. We were given an opportunity to buy bottled water and to take seasickness pills. And let me be clear: if you have even the slightest tendency towards motion sickness, take the pill!

 

When our number was called, we were led to the gangway, to the pier, and through the port area to the ferry. We found seats quickly, and got comfortable. The ferry crew handed out plastic seasickness bags to all of the passengers.

 

I will say it again: if you have any tendency to motion sickness, take the pill.

 

The ferry got underway, and the water was very, very choppy. Perhaps more so than usual, given the bad weather in the Caribbean that week. Neither the Pirate King nor I was affected by the motion -- despite the fact that we didn't take the pill -- but we pretty much knew we could handle the ferry. Alas, we were in the minority. There were at least 8 people who should have heeded my advice: take the pill!

 

I would have loved to spend some time in Playa del Carmen, it seemed like a lovely town, but no sooner did we get off the ferry than we were hustled to the spot to meet our tour guide. I did get a chance to take a picture before we boarded the bus:

 

 

 

We were each handed a paper bag as we boarded the bus. The bag contained a corn muffin, a banana, a bag of chips and a juice box.

 

 

 

 

(Yes, I took a picture.)

 

We happily snacked while our tour guide, Qualtemo, gave us a lesson in Mayan culture. Temo's lecture was humorous and entertaining and very detailed.

 

Once we got to the site, Temo became "all business". Each of us was handed a radio and headset, so that we could hear Temo wherever we were at the site. Yes, even in the restrooms (and ladies, you might want to bring some Charmin or Cottonelle with you on this excursion!) Temo kept talking from the moment we entered the site until the moment we re-boarded the bus, explaining all that we were seeing. El Castillo. The Temple of Warriors. The Great Ball Court. The intricate detailing, the carvings.

 

It is a truly magnificent site.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although we didn't have time to shop, somehow the Pirate King managed to purchase a model of El Castillo, which has now joined the souvenirs from Altun Ha on his mantle.

 

 

Back on the bus, we were given an authentic Mexican lunch -- a hm and cheese sandwich and a can of "real" Coke, made with sugar cane and not corn syrup:

 

 

 

Temo suggested we each take a siesta on the long ride back to Playa Del Carmen.

 

Musical Cue: Supertramp, "It's Raining Again"

 

Although it was sunny at the site, by the time we got back to Playa del Carmen, the weather had changed. Temo walked us back to the ferry, and handed each of us a ticket as we boarded. The ferry ride back to Cozemel was worse than the trip earlier in the day, with high winds making the seas even choppier. But no, still not seasick. Others weren't as lucky.

 

Dinner that night was in Chops Grille. I think this may have been the best meal we ate aboard ship -- he ordered the scallops appetizer, the onion soup and a steak. I had the crab cake and a veal chop. And the most decadent dessert.

 

 

There was no entertainment in the theater that night. Instead, the skaters performed in the ice rink. We opted out.

 

From our balcony we could see the lights of the Mexican coast. And a single star.

Edited November 10, 2016 by songbird1329

[songbird1329]

Before I move on to our last day at sea, thought I'd share with you all of the towel animals that graced our cabin. There was one more, a bat we found hanging from the drapes, but the photo didn't come out.

 

 

 

 

 

[songbird1329]

Our second sea day, and our last full day aboard ship. The weather report was not promising -- cold and rainy all day.

 

We started our morning with room service. And then it was time for the All Access Tour.

 

We'd done the Carnival Behind the Fun tour when we were on the Valor, and we wanted to see how Royal Caribbean does things.

 

We were a small group, maybe 13 of us. The tour took us through the galley, storage areas, engineering, the laundry, the backstage areas of the ice rink and the theater, and finally up to the bridge. Department head explained how the various functions of the ship are run.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, those are windshield wipers on the windows of the bridge. We met Captain Toni Calne. The captain told us this weeks' weather was the worst he had seen in the Caribbean in ages, so bad that he was contemplating port changes for the next cruise to avoid bad weather.

 

After the tour we headed to the dining room for lunch. I wish I could tell you what I had for lunch...but I took a few bites, then excused myself and headed back to my cabin with a pounding headache.

 

Two Advil and a long nap later, we headed to the lounge for some Harry Potter trivia. Kind of wished my daughter, the Harry Potter expert, had been with us for that one.

 

We picked up some snacks from the coffee shop and headed back to the cabin to ...sigh...pack.

 

Lunch main dining room. Great food. Headache. Nap. Harry potter trivia. Snacks from coffee shop.

 

Our last dinner aboard ship. Earlier in the day, the chef told us that tonight's special would be fried fish. Of course I had to try it, along with the French onion soup. The Pirate King opted for the scallops appetizer and lamb shank entree. I had key lime pie for dessert, he had the strawberry souffle. We were both feeling a bit drained, and stuck to Coke instead of cocktails

 

the evening's entertainment was provided by comedian Jimmy Carol. frist he did a family-friendly show, which included a performance by the ship's singers and dancers. Later he did an adult show, which was just slightly risque.

 

We ended the eveing on the balcony, enjoying the wet and windy weather.

[songbird1329]

10/30 - debarkation and Canaveral

 

 

 

Musical Cue: Jimmy Buffett, "It's Been a Lovely Cruise"

 

Debarking from Freedom of the Seas was fairly easy. We waited in the theater until our number was called, walked right off the ship and collected our luggage. Paid a porter to take all the bags, which meant we cleared customs fairly quickly.

 

Our plan was to pick up our rental car, drive across the state, and spend a few days with our friends who live outside Tampa.

 

But first ...

 

Musical cue: David Bowie, "Space Oddity"

 

When we cruised out of Port Canaveral back in 1987, our vacation package included admission to the Kennedy Space Center. We decided it was time for a return visit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Admission is expensive, but includes a bus tour of the campus as well as all the major exhibits. We paid an additional fee for a guided bus tour, which includes additional stops. Our tour guide, John, gave us lots of insights into the comings and goings at Kennedy Space Center, as well as the projects that NASA and private contractors are working on for 2018. We're going back to the moon! And that will be the first step in going to Mars.

 

Vehicle Assembly Building.

 

:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Musical cue: Frank Sinatra, "Fly Me To the Moon"

 

The bus tour ends at the Apollo-Saturn V building, where it's 1968 again.

 

 

 

 

One of the best displays in this building has you seated in the control room during a rocket launch. It includes news footage of the launch as well as activities you'd find in the control room during countdown.

 

You'll see the rockets, the lunar module, suits worn by the Apollo astronauts. You can even touch a moon rock.

 

 

 

 

We grabbed a couple of burgers here, then took the bus back to the main complex.

 

Musical Cue: Elton John, "Rocket Man"

 

The bus drops you off at the entrance to the building that houses the Atlantis Space Shuttle, the largest exhibit in the main complex. Outside the building you will see a full-scale model of the rockets that were used to launch the shuttles. Inside you will find Atlantis, as well as numerous exhibits explaining the shuttle program, and saluting the men and women who flew the shuttles. There's even a simulator that allows you to experience a rocket launch.

 

The rockets:

 

 

 

 

 

Atlantis:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We'd seen the shuttle prototype, Enterprise, at the Intrepid Museum in NYC, but that display did not allow us to see inside the space craft. This was fascinating.

 

Next we walked to the back of the complex to see the memorial:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We realized, at that point, that we'd spent the entire day at the space center, and yet had not seen all of th amazing exhibits they offer.

 

We paid a visit to the rocket garden on our way out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Musical Cue: Willy Nelson, "On the Road Again"

 

 

 

And then it was time to drive across the state to Tampa, and the second half of our vacation.