Trip Report: Freedom of the Seas Western Caribbean March 25-31, 2018

[CreativeCruiser119]

Hello all!

 

I’m back for another trip report! I started this review in another thread, but it was late at night, and I was half asleep and made a few mistakes already that were too big to ignore, so I’m restarting it here! My sincere apologies for that, and I can promise the rest of the review will go much smoother. Anyway, those who read my Harmony thread from last year are likely familiar with my style, and know that when I’m having cruise withdrawals, I like to write about it! However, I hope to have improved a bit since my first review, so hopefully this one will go even smoother! Here’s the link to my Harmony review, for those who haven’t read it - hopefully CC will let me put in a link from within its site!

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2495695

 

If you haven’t read it, I hope those with a cruise on Harmony booked will read that review, as I hope I can be of help to all of those on here who have helped me. Now, let’s get started.

 

My name is Kevin, and I’m a 19-year-old college freshman from a lovely suburb just outside of St. Paul, Minnesota. Even though I go to school in Saint Paul itself, I could not put myself to move out and live in a dorm (the lack of a private bathroom was the icing on the cake for that decision), so I live at home with my parents Jeremy and Beth, almost-16-year-old brother Matthew, and cats Patches and Pepper. Those of you who read my Harmony review are well aware of the emotional rollercoaster we rode with Patches last year!

 

We tried cruising in 2012 when we sailed Monarch, and enjoyed it enough to book Disney Dream in 2013, and we liked this whole new cruising thing. In the summer of 2013, a friend of mine showed me the Oasis of the Seas documentary, getting me hooked, and as a result, I got my family hooked. I give him all the credit for getting me fascinated with Royal Caribbean cruising - I may be young, but I have fallen in love early. We booked Oasis for 2014, then Allure for 2015, booked Liberty for 2016 while onboard Allure, then we booked Harmony for 2017 shortly after disembarking Allure, then Freedom 2018 while onboard Harmony.

 

As mentioned, we tried Disney and loved it, but due to the price, considered that a one-time thing and have fallen in love with Royal, everything they offer, and their value for the money in the marvelous experiences we have every time. This particular cruise was a 6-night sailing out of Fort Lauderdale and visiting George Town, Costa Maya and Cozumel, and we chose this cruise because we had not yet been on Freedom (but docked next to it in Cozumel during our 2016 Liberty cruise, the only noticeable difference between the two ships being the slides) and had never been to Grand Cayman or Costa Maya.

 

Matt is a high school freshmen and we got lucky enough to have his and my spring breaks line up this year in my first year of university, but sadly, that was a one-time thing, so we do not have any cruises booked at the moment. Sad face. BUT, I am determined to get on Symphony with friends - would be booked already if it wasn’t for that darn 21+ booking rule! (I’m over 18, cut me some slack!)

 

In all seriousness, if anything, my cruising career has just begun, as I plan to take many more in the years ahead and throughout my lifetime. But enough about us. Let’s get into the actual review. But before I do, I’ll open up the floor to any questions or requests for things to add, and then I’ll get started with Day 0!

 

Thanks everyone in advance for reading, and I can’t wait to share my experience with you! And yes, there will be plenty of photos, given that I can figure it out this time! I was able to figure it out last year with Tapatalk thanks to my dear friend Celisse, but it has been quite some time since I’ve tried it so wish me luck! Take care for now, and I’ll be back tomorrow!

 

Up next: travel day (a smooth one this time!)

Edited April 8, 2018 by CreativeCruiser119

[CreativeCruiser119]

Day 0 - Saturday, March 24

Flight & Arrival in Fort Lauderdale

 

I’m back! I apologize once again for my previous error, and hope some more people can join in the discussion! So let’s get started. If you read my Harmony review (which I may reference quite a bit, just a fair warning), you are aware of the fiasco that took place last year. I won’t retell the whole story here, but long story short, Delta cancelled a bunch of flights and we got caught up in a huge mess the day before our cruise. Because of this, I was on edge this year, and was worried that the forecasted 1-3 inches of snow in my area on our flight day (which ended up missing our airport completely) would screw things up. My brother, who is already studying to be an airline pilot and has a high-tech flight simulator rig in his bedroom, laughed at me for worrying about that. I will also add that he’s the type of person who would volunteer to land a plane if anything were to happen to the pilot, and would probably be able to pull it off quite well. He also has online friends that he me through his flight simulator community who work air traffic control at MSP, our local airport.

 

Anyway, we booked round trip tickets with Delta, nonstop from MSP to FLL and back, using the vouchers we were given as compensation for last year’s incident along with nearly everyone else who got caught up in that. And I will add that Delta always manages to redeem themselves with their level of service- they’re always our go-to airline, and the storm that hit their hub last year wasn’t their fault.

 

We got up around 3:45 in the morning the day before our cruise - the only time I’m ever okay getting that up early - left instructions behind for my grandmother who would be cat-sitting, loaded the trunk, and left for the airport in the dark of night. We live about 25 minutes from MSP, and my father used to work in an office building directly across the street from a Park-N-Go airport shuttle station, but knows someone who still works there and gets permission for us to park our car in their parking garage and walk across the street to the bus station. As always, we got a bus to the airport, waited in line for security, and then got coffee in the terminal before heading to our gate.

 

Our flight was delayed on the tarmac by about 15 minutes due to some sort of complication that the Captain did not specify, but after a short period of time, we were off. Southern Minnesota had a snowstorm, but as mentioned, it all missed the Twin Cities where we are. All we experienced of it was a little bit of turbulence when flying over it, surrounded by nothing but clouds. Other than that, it was a very smooth flight. I always enjoy looking out the window when flying - that is, when I’m not catching up on sleep. After a few hours spent sleeping, staring out the window and playing games on the seatback TV, we landed at FLL and immediately boarded a taxi to our hotel, where we dropped off our luggage with the hotel staff before walking to our favorite Fort Lauderdale restaurant, Quarterdeck, for lunch.

 

I ordered a patty melt with a side of tator tots, and also took the opportunity to take a selfie with the motorcycles of two police officers who stopped in for lunch. Don’t worry, I would never think of touching them! I sent the photo to my good friend back home who’s father is a very respectable assistant police chief and adjunct professor of criminal justice, and he loved it! I’ll be back later with the rest of Day 0, followed by the morning of cruise day! Stay tuned, and feel free to ask any questions along the way!

 

 

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Edited April 9, 2018 by CreativeCruiser119

[2paradise]

Following! Cruising on the Freedom in March. Can’t wait to hear all about it.

[CreativeCruiser119]

Following! Cruising on the Freedom in March. Can’t wait to hear all about it.

 

 

 

Thank you so much for following! You will love Freedom! I will add, I did seem to notice the crowds more on this one, but keep in mind it was spring break. I plan on bringing that up in more detail later on, but I have a lot to cover, so if I forget, feel free to remind me! Thanks again for reading, I hope I can provide you with some helpful information about Freedom and answer any questions you have!

 

 

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[Elerja]

Following. We were on the same cruise and also from MN. I was stressing about that storm too. Wish we were back there it has been nothing but snow and cold since we returned.

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

Following. We were on the same cruise and also from MN. I was stressing about that storm too. Wish we were back there it has been nothing but snow and cold since we returned.

 

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That’s so cool, to have a fellow Minnesotan AND someone from the same cruise following along! If you see yourself in the background of any photos, be sure to point yourself out! Thanks again for following!

 

 

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[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[CreativeCruiser119]

Thanks for the review.

 

 

 

You are very welcome, thanks for following!

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

Day 0 - Saturday, March 24

Fort Lauderdale Pre-Cruise

Our hotel was the Courtyard Marriott. There are plenty of great hotels in Fort Lauderdale, but we like this one so we always stay here! Our room wouldn’t be ready for awhile, so after returning from lunch, we went to the public restrooms in the hotel to change into our bathing suits.

 

I spent some time lounging by the hotel’s shaded outdoor pool and live streaming for a bit, as I am part of a Royal Caribbean Periscopers Facebook group where we as a community share each other’s Royal Caribbean cruise experiences through the live streaming app Periscope, and also just get to know each other and talk about cruising. I also tried to go live on Instagram at this time (as well as on Day 1 onboard the ship), but only a few of my friends joined (despite several of my followers’ profiles saying “active now” when I went live - very well, they’re the ones missing out!) I think I have discovered that when it comes to cruising, my primary audience is on here and Periscope.

 

After that, I crossed the street and met my family on the beach, where Dad, Matt and myself spent about an hour enjoying the water and playing in the waves while Mom sat on the beach taking pictures. After our time at the beach, I went back to the hotel pool and took a quick dip there before the rooms were opened up, at which point I went up and showered before dinner at - you guessed it - Quarterdeck for the second time in one day!

 

Quarterdeck is known for their seafood (I do love shrimp), but they also have great ribs - I mentioned in my Harmony review how much I love ribs! I got my Quarterdeck favorite, the ribs and wings combo, with a side of onion rings. We ate in the al fresco dining area again, and during dinner, we witnessed a passerby, probably somewhat intoxicated, knock over the large Quarterdeck decorative sign - whether it was intentional or if he just ran into it because he wasn’t looking is beyond me, but he just kept walking! We heard a loud bang, followed by an angry manager running out to talk to him while everyone stared and laughed. The manager then went on to upright the sign and come back into the patio area shaking his head and giving all the diners a look as if to say “Sorry about that, that guy was a moron!” Just thought I’d add that because I thought it was kind of funny!

 

Anyway, our original plan was to get frozen yogurt after dinner like we did prior to our Oasis and Allure sailings, but we were all tired from getting up early, so we just spent the evening in the hotel room watching March Madness before going to bed knowing we had a big day ahead. I’ll be back tomorrow with Day 1 and the commencement of the cruise - with school, some days I may not post until the evenings, but rest assured I’m still here! I’ll always try to respond to as many of you ASAP, but my detailed posts may come later on those days, Tuesday for sure as I have a lab until 6 before coming home! That will not be the case tomorrow, however, as I am leaving campus early. I hope you enjoy the photos!

 

 

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Edited April 9, 2018 by CreativeCruiser119

[CreativeCruiser119]

Day 0 - Saturday, March 24

 

Our room was on the 7th floor of the 12-story hotel, so we had phenomenal views of the beach ahead, pool below, and also of the Harmony and Independence sailaways. (Sorry if they’re a bit blurry!)

 

Next up: Day 1 morning! Stay tuned!

 

 

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[Joe12]

Hello! Following your review - enjoyed your one from Harmony.

I think that if you are 18 or over, you should be allowed to cruise without an adult. People can work on their ships from 18! My suggestion would be to maybe give Symphony a try during Summer 2019 instead, as your vacation should line up with your brother's vacation then.

[CreativeCruiser119]

Hello! Following your review - enjoyed your one from Harmony.

I think that if you are 18 or over, you should be allowed to cruise without an adult. People can work on their ships from 18! My suggestion would be to maybe give Symphony a try during Summer 2019 instead, as your vacation should line up with your brother's vacation then.

 

Joe, it is an honor to have you here! You do such a great job with keeping up with the threads of the key entertainment people onboard, well done.

 

I had thought of summer 2019 too, however, my parents are hesitant to cruise during the summer because of the extreme heat, and we also have a family trip to Hawaii booked for summer 2019 which I am also excited for, unfortunately we do not have enough in the budget for two major vacations in one summer! (It’s not like a trip to the Wisconsin Dells where we can just load the trunk and drive 3 hours and spend a few days there).

 

I had wanted to get friends on Symphony in summer 2019 as a second vacation for that summer, using my own money to pay for a cheaper room, such as a Central Park window view (loved my balcony on Harmony), but the whole 21+ rule may delay that. Even then, I am considering going even cheaper and booking a category Q interior, the cheapest option (and conveniently located right by the aft elevators) as I am on a budget myself. I do love myself a balcony, but if I am on a budget, I can live without it.

 

That being said, I will get on Symphony sometime in the next couple of years, and when I do, you can bet I’ll write another one of these upon return! Thanks again for following, and once again for all that you do!

Edited April 9, 2018 by CreativeCruiser119

[CreativeCruiser119]

Day 1 - Sunday, March 25

Breakfast, More Fort Lauderdale Beach & International Swimming Hall of Fame

 

Cruise day is finally among us! Our first order of business was to go to breakfast at the hotel. The Courtyard Marriott used to have a buffet-style breakfast, but now it’s sit-down and an extra charge, which I thought was unnecessary considering most other hotels provide continental breakfast. That’s my one complaint about the hotel - everything else about it was good, and the food was delicious.

 

After breakfast, we took our usual walk on Fort Lauderdale Beach, followed by Mom and Matt going back to the hotel and Dad and I going across the street and checking out the International Swimming Hall of Fame as we always do when we visit. I was surprised Matt never joins us for this, as he swims on his high school team, however I think he just wanted to relax before boarding the ship! I had considered joining the team myself, but with my anxiety, decided not to join due to the intense schedule. I do enjoy swimming laps and weightlifting at my local gym in my free time, and sometimes during the summer I’ll try to get a few in in my backyard pool, but unfortunately it isn’t quite designed for laps! I also occasionally use the one at my school’s gym, when I don’t have anything else to do.

 

The Hall of Fame in Fort Lauderdale consists of two competition-grade pools, each with the length of a long-course swim (about 50m) and the width of a short-course swim (about 25m, the length of the indoor pools at my local gym, university recreation center, and former high school). One of the pools has the lanes configured for long course, and the other for short course. Obviously the short-course pool has more lanes, since the lanes run the length of the pool as opposed to the width. The picture of me on the starting block is at the long-course pool, which was drained and undergoing maintenance last year as mentioned in my Harmony review.

 

This facility also boasts an 18-foot-deep diving well with 1- and 3-meter springboards, a tower with 1-, 3-, 5-, 7.5 and 10-meter platforms, and a shallow end for swimming warmups, as well as abundant bleacher seating for meets. The pools were open for lap swimming at this time, so had I not had a ship to board, I would have jumped in and swam a few myself.

 

Following our trip to the Hall of Fame, we went back to the hotel room to apply sunscreen and pack last-minute items, then we boarded the hotel shuttle to the port. Next stop: Port Everglades!

 

(No, my mother does not have a nose ring, that’s just the way the sun happened to shine off her nose in this moment)

 

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

I had promised a few friends I would bring them back shells as souvenirs, but knew I may forget to do it in ports of call (or may just be in the mood to relax) so I got a Zip-loc bag and collected them here on Fort Lauderdale Beach. Any shells that I don’t give away will be mine to keep.

 

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

Allure was in port with us, taken from the shuttle.

 

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

Can you tell we’re Loyal to Royal? [emoji6]

 

 

 

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Edited April 9, 2018 by CreativeCruiser119

[CreativeCruiser119]

A 6th card will be added to the collection in the next post! I have no clue what happened to my card from the Disney Dream back in 2013, but I have all of my Royal Caribbean SeaPass cards, and will continue to collect and save them all!

 

Next up: embarkation!!

 

 

 

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Edited April 9, 2018 by CreativeCruiser119

[CreativeCruiser119]

Day 1 - Sunday, March 25

Embarkation

The shuttle dropped us off at Port Everglades Terminal 29, which is used for Freedom and Independence and is much further down than Terminal 18 where Harmony and Allure (and formerly Oasis) dock. The checkin was fairly painless, we waited in a short and quick line for security, filled out a brief health questionnaire (no, no, no, no, no... you get the picture, the answer was the same every time), got our SeaPass cards, then we took our usual family photo with the ship backdrop (which was taken by the photographers and I unfortunately do not have that picture at this time), then boarded the ship around 12:30.

 

This was a little later than I had hoped, but it still sufficed, when I got onboard they had some issues scanning my card, but after a few tries it finally dinged and we followed the track on Deck 4 into the ship, where we went to Guest Services to ask a few questions. Surprisingly, there was hardly any line, and we were almost immediately met with an extremely friendly and helpful guest services officer who answered our questions right away.

 

First off, we noticed that the RR for Royal Replenish was not stamped on mine and Matt’s cards like they usually are (except on Harmony, where it was printed onto the card), and he pointed to the RR printed in the lower right hand corner of the card. I guess I just did not think to look, as I thought they only printed it on Harmony and Quantum class cards (since they have a different format) and just stamped it onto the cards with the original format, such as ours. I also inquired about the WiFi, and he confirmed what I had been told, that I could just connect to Royal WiFi in settings, type in my information, and it would automatically go to my account. I had been given this information by an online friend who is practically a cruising expert, but I always like to verify just to be sure. Our final order of business at Guest Services was to have them punch mine and Matt’s cards to fit our Royal Caribbean lanyards. This could not be done on Harmony due to the RFID chip, but we just used our WOWbands on that trip.

 

We always like to disconnect on cruises, however, since I would be doing more live streaming this time, wanted a better connection as the connection on Harmony on cell service last year was not that great due to the bandwidth of all the people, so I got the 24-hour package. I did not get it right away, but after lunch I was when I started streaming, so all I had to do was connect to the network in settings on my iPhone, select the day pass, enter my stateroom number, and it automatically charged to my SeaPass account. And yes, I did pay my parents back! So I had it until about 1pm on Day 2, and after that I was happy to just leave it all behind for the rest of the week.

 

After our brief visit to Guest Services, we went up to the Windjammer. Now I know that going to WJ on Day 1 is discouraged, but we’ve never had any problems with it, and love the variety (and desserts... yum), so that’s where we ate. After lunch, I went about the ship to take photos and live stream, which is where I will pick up after I talk about our cabins. I hope everyone is enjoying so far!

 

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

Day 1 - Sunday, March 25

Staterooms

 

As those who read my Harmony review know, we always get 2 staterooms on RCCL. My parents have had their own oceanview balcony on every cruise we’ve been on, with the exception of the Disney Dream where we all shared one Deck 7 oceanview balcony (larger staterooms) and on our first cruise on Monarch, where we had connecting oceanview porthole cabins on Deck 3. Matt and I have had rooms across the gamut - a large interior on Oasis (Deck 7), Boardwalk balcony on Allure (Deck 8), Promenade view on Liberty (Deck 7) and Central Park balcony on Harmony (Deck 10). Each time, our parents were in the room directly across the hall.

 

This time around, we had adjoining (not connecting) oceanview balconies on Deck 7, starboard side, I believe both category E2. Matt and I were in 7276, and Mom and Dad were next door in 7278, only 10 and 9 cabins, respectfully, forward of our cabins on Liberty. I do apologize for any blurry photos, as some of them are video screenshots. Both cabins have the bed by the balcony, as do all cabins on Freedom class and lower. 7276 had the bathroom on the right upon entry, while 7278 had the bathroom on the left.

 

Matt’s and my beds were separated upon arrival, and our balcony divider was open by the evening. All of our luggage was delivered to us before the muster drill, and I was fortunate enough to be in the cabin when I was delivered a suitcase from the wrong cabin. I thought it looked unfamiliar, so I checked the tag and sure enough, it was supposed to go to 7576, which is the mirror image of my cabin on the port side. I quickly flagged down a crew member, who apologized for the error and went on to deliver it to the correct cabin. Not a problem, I’m sure those mistakes happen all the time.

 

The cabins were great, comfy and plenty of space. Our cabin steward Carlito did a phenomenal job and had towel animals for us every night. My shower had an effect where the water pooled up about half an inch under me while I showered - I’m not sure if that’s normal for this ship, but I actually kind of liked it so I didn’t say anything. My parents’ shower hose broke at one point during the cruise, and a replacement hose was delivered within 15 minutes. Overall, I thought this was a wonderful accommodation.

 

In addition, all 4 of us got our own individual congratulatory kit in our rooms for achieving Platinum status, which was a nice surprise. I’ll be back shortly describing the first afternoon onboard. Next up: exploring the Freedom of the Seas!

 

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

Day 1 - Sunday, March 25

Exploring the Ship

After lunch, I went around the ship live streaming and taking pictures, already knowing my way around the ship having been on Liberty before. Shortly after I started, the announcement was made that the cabins were ready, so I went to the cabin, streamed a room tour, and got settled in before going back out. I then met up with my parents and we hung out at Cafe Promenade for a little bit before heading back to the cabin to get ready for muster.

 

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

All of these photos are mine, but most of the photos from Day 2 on out (and some from Night 1) were taken by my mom, who takes pictures everywhere while I left my phone in the cabin after my Voom expired! Also keep in mind that some photos may be out of order, but the text will stay in chronological order.

 

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

I absolutely love the colored bridge at the aft end of the Royal Promenade. I took this photo from the aft elevator lobby on Deck 6.

 

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

Mom took this one. So pretty!

 

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

After some time in one of our favorite spots, Cafe Promenade, we went back to the room to get ready for the mandatory safety drill. I also tried on one of the lifejackets in my cabin simply as a photo op. Oasis and Quantum class ships do not have lifejackets in the cabins.

 

On our way out, we ran into our stateroom attendant Carlito as he was clearing cabins in preparation for the drill. He introduced himself and asked if we needed anything, and as I mentioned, he did a wonderful job all week.

 

Sorry for the spam, trying to get Day 1 covered before I go to bed because I won’t get home until just before 7pm tomorrow, and like to try to cover a day of the cruise a day. So I would like to be able to get started on Day 2 tomorrow! Next up: muster drill, sailaway, and dinner! Stay tuned!

 

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

Forgot a few [emoji594]

 

 

 

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