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

[Clarea]

Is anybody else having issues viewing my photos? If so, does anyone know of a way I can fix this? I am using Tapatalk, and when I view the page on my school computer, the photos load just fine, but I can’t speak for everyone.

 

If anyone is having trouble viewing photos, please let me know as the point of my sharing them is for you to see and enjoy them! Thanks again to everyone who’s following along, and I’ll be back tonight with Day 4 so stay tuned!

I see photos up through post #45.

[kwazi07]

Really? That’s a problem! I am re-reading what I have so far on the library computers at school (not logged in on there) and pictures are showing up. Is anyone else having this problem? Try refreshing the page- have you downloaded Tapatalk? That’s what I use to upload photos.

 

I very much appreciate you reading along, your review is quite spectacular and I agree, it seems as though our experiences were very similar! Only a couple years to go until we can book cruises on our own...

Keep up the great work, I will continue to follow!

 

ETA: what level Spanish are you in? I took 3 years of Spanish in high school and fulfilled my college Spanish requirement first semester, so I may be able to help you out if you need it. Best of luck - summer is almost here!

 

 

 

Thanks so much, I’m glad you’re enjoying it! It’s fun reading a report by someone on the same sailing around the same age!

 

It might just be my phone, which has been acting weird ever since I updated it to iOS 11.3 a few days ago. I’ll be sure to check on my laptop when I get home!

 

And I’m in AP Spanish Lit, it’s not even the grammar or vocab that make it difficult but it takes so much effort to write bc of the subject matter. I ended up writing it, but it was about comparing this piece about the artificially of society to this random painting of a subway [emoji854]

 

Only 34 days until graduation for me!

 

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[Elerja]

I can see all your pictures.

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

I see photos up through post #45.

 

That’s perfect, as post #45 is the most recent post with photos. Thank you for your help, for reading, and all that you do here on CC! Glad the photos are showing up.

[CreativeCruiser119]

Thanks so much, I’m glad you’re enjoying it! It’s fun reading a report by someone on the same sailing around the same age!

 

It might just be my phone, which has been acting weird ever since I updated it to iOS 11.3 a few days ago. I’ll be sure to check on my laptop when I get home!

 

And I’m in AP Spanish Lit, it’s not even the grammar or vocab that make it difficult but it takes so much effort to write bc of the subject matter. I ended up writing it, but it was about comparing this piece about the artificially of society to this random painting of a subway [emoji854]

 

Only 34 days until graduation for me!

 

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That makes sense, I had some unrelated issues when I updated my devices to 11.3. As far as your class, I totally feel you on that! Papers are tough, and I’m hoping the college writing class I took senior year will have provided me ample knowledge for writing college papers (proved beneficial last semester) in addition to covering one of my English requirements. My most advanced Spanish was Spanish III my junior year of high school, I bet AP is quite challenging!

 

Way to finish the paper, and graduation is so close, just power through and then it’s onto the next chapter! I graduated last spring, it’s a bittersweet feeling because you’re moving on, but it’s not until you leave high school and go to college that you realize how much you miss the school and everyone there (well, some people I should say) and that it’s easy to take for granted while you’re there. That being said, congratulations again, and I hope the photos show up for you!

[CreativeCruiser119]

I can see all your pictures.

 

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Perfect. Thank you so much for your input, it is much appreciated!

[kwazi07]

Pictures are showing up perfectly now!

[CreativeCruiser119]

Pictures are showing up perfectly now!

 

Wonderful! I’m glad they work for you. I hope you enjoy my review as much as I’m enjoying yours! Thanks so much again for following along, it’s great to have someone here who was not only on the same cruise but is also very similar to me!

[firts]

Im planning my day in grand cayman on same itinerary as you. what time did you leave the beach there for return to port ? and how long of a drive is it to port and about how much time did you wait in tender line to return to ship ? Thanks so much, I really appreciate all your info !!

[cnjoy26]

Im planning my day in grand cayman on same itinerary as you. what time did you leave the beach there for return to port ? and how long of a drive is it to port and about how much time did you wait in tender line to return to ship ? Thanks so much, I really appreciate all your info !!

 

 

 

I went to grand cayman in 2015 and we were kinda paranoid about getting back on time so I think we headed back like 2 hours early but I remember the taxi ride being pretty short from the beach-maybe 15 minutes max. We waited in tender not very long but I would say head back at the least an hour early just to be sure!

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

Day 4 - Wednesday, March 28

A Chill Morning + Costa Maya Arrival

Due to the distance from Grand Cayman, today was a late arrival. We ate breakfast in the MDR, then enjoyed some down time in the room and on the balcony before arriving in Costa Maya. Before getting off the ship, we had a delicious lunch in the Windjammer, then went back to the rooms to get sunscreened before disembarking.

 

This was also our first time in Costa Maya, so we were excited. Today’s excursion was the Triple Play, which involved tandem biking, a cenote, and a beach. I’ll get to that in my next post.

 

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

Next up: afternoon in Costa Maya!

 

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

Im planning my day in grand cayman on same itinerary as you. what time did you leave the beach there for return to port ? and how long of a drive is it to port and about how much time did you wait in tender line to return to ship ? Thanks so much, I really appreciate all your info !!

 

 

 

Hi! We left around 2:15, which I thought was cutting it really close, but it turned out that we were only a small handful of several people just getting back to the tender area. It’s about a 10-15 minute drive, give or take a few depending on traffic, and I’d say the tender line was maybe 20-25 minutes - I cannot recall for sure, but I’d say that’s a good estimate - it was long and snaked around several times, but went relatively quick. Again I do not remember for sure, so I’d hate to tell you this and be wrong, but I hope I have been able to help somewhat! Thanks for following, and feel free to ask any further questions!

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

I went to grand cayman in 2015 and we were kinda paranoid about getting back on time so I think we headed back like 2 hours early but I remember the taxi ride being pretty short from the beach-maybe 15 minutes max. We waited in tender not very long but I would say head back at the least an hour early just to be sure!

 

 

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That’s smart, if I had the choice I would’ve come back before I did. Which we normally do, this was an anomaly for us as we’re usually very adamant on being back with ample time before all aboard. Thanks for reading, and I’m always happy to answer questions!

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

Day 4 - Wednesday, March 28

Triple Play Excursion in Costa Maya

We were docked in Costa Maya with the Norwegian Dawn and another ship whose name slips me. After exiting the ship, we had our family photo taken (with the water station as a backdrop?) and walked down the long pier to meet up for our excursion, the Triple Play. We were led to a bus where we went on a ride that lasted about 25-30 minutes, but was enjoyable as the bus windows were opened and the wind when we built up speed felt great.

 

After arriving at our destination, our tour guide unloaded the tandem bikes off the back of the bus and provided us with helmets. Matt and Mom got one bike, and Dad and I got another. Now this was my first time riding a tandem bike, and not only is it hard to get the hang of to begin with, but my seat was loose, so needless to say I struggled quite a bit in the beginning. We stopped at a historical site where our guide explained a few things, it was cool but I was getting hot and was becoming too uncomfortable to really listen! After riding a bit more, we reached our second main destination: the cenote.

 

A cenote, for a lack of a better description, is basically a cave with water. Our Cozumel excursion last year had a really cool one, but as those of you who read my Harmony review can recall, I was slightly sick on that trip - by no means enough to wreck my vacation, and I still enjoyed myself throughly and made the most of it - but I was too tired to go into the cenote at that time. Because I missed out on that, I was eager to go in one this year, so I was disappointed when we got there and realized it was just an in-and-out experience, in other words, you just wade across and you’re done as opposed to actually enjoying time swimming in it. For this reason, Mom and I chose to stay dry while the other two made the very brief plunge across the cenote.

 

After that, we rode the bikes back to our original spot, and Dad and I got on another bike that we saw, as everyone just left their bikes at the entrance to the cenote, so I didn’t have to deal with a loose seat anymore. (Basically we just swapped with someone else without them knowing). I did start to get the hang of it as my seat was fixed this time around, and overall really enjoyed this new experience even though it was scary at first and I kept feeling like we were going to topple it over. The icing on the cake was before the ride when our guide warned us of poisonous snakes that may cross the trail. We did not see any, although we did see a harmless garter snake - much like the ones we have here in Minnesota - slithering up a tree. Unfortunately, no cameras were ready to take pictures at this time.

 

After the bike ride, our driver served an authentic Mexican lunch. I was still full from lunch on the ship, so I just got some chips and countless cups of iced tea as I was extremely thirsty after the bike ride. We then re-boarded the bus as we were taken to a beach for about an hour and a half. I chose to spend this time napping, but also enjoyed myself bottle of Dos Equis, the authentic Mexican beer. (I think?)

 

After some time on the beach, we got back on the bus where, upon leaving the parking area, our driver clipped the side of a parked car! Everyone on the bus gasped and laughed, and our guide said “it’s ok, it was a run down car anyway.” What made it even funnier was the fact that there was a food truck delivering to the beach club, and the driver of that truck started laughing after he saw our little “accident!” There was little damage to the bus (I don’t think the car was terribly damaged either), so the driver just kept going - not that I would do that if I were in his shoes, of course, but then again he had the pressure of getting us all back to the port, so he was compelled to just pretend it never happened.

 

After getting back onboard, we went back to the rooms to get ready for dinner in the Main Dining Room.

 

(Before anyone questions my parents’ competence as parents, that’s a Sprite bottle in Matt’s hand)

 

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

Interesting fact for those who have never been to Puerto Costa Maya: Costa Maya isn’t actually the name of the city, just the port. The city is called Mahahual. If you look up Costa Maya on a map, you’ll never find it, according to our guide!

 

What’s funny is, Matt has a friend who was on Liberty with his family this same week as their spring break, on the same itinerary we did when we sailed on her in 2016 just a month after her drydock (Galveston, Roatan, Belize, Cozumel), except instead of stopping in Belize, theirs stopped in Costa Maya. Theirs stopped in Costa Maya the day after we did (the day we were in Cozumel) and then in Cozumel the day after us (our last sea day). Our families thought it was funny how we twice missed each other by one day!

 

Next up: dinner, headliner show & the Quest! I’m posting photos from the evening now so I have room in my next post for the photos Matt took during the Quest. That’ll be fun to cover!

 

 

 

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[Elerja]

We went to Maya Chan in Costa Maya. It was a nice beach day. The sea grass was terrible..... On our way out we didn't really look at the port. We just were trying to find our way out the quickest way. On our way back, as soon we walked into the port, I looked at my son and said guess what this reminds me of. He immediately said Disney...bingo! The port is nice but so fake.

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

We went to Maya Chan in Costa Maya. It was a nice beach day. The sea grass was terrible..... On our way out we didn't really look at the port. We just were trying to find our way out the quickest way. On our way back, as soon we walked into the port, I looked at my son and said guess what this reminds me of. He immediately said Disney...bingo! The port is nice but so fake.

 

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I’ve heard Maya Chan is wonderful! I noticed the sea grass too, not exactly ideal swimming conditions. This was our first time to Costa Maya, so we had no past experiences to compare it to. It wasn’t our favorite port we’ve been to, but we still enjoyed it. I’d say my favorite port day this cruise was Cozumel, because of the beach club. I’ll cover that tomorrow. Thanks for sharing your experience, and don’t hesitate to ask any questions!

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

So I guess Mom was half asleep last night when she said there was NO footage from the shows. Here’s the ice show from Night 3.

 

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

Day 4 - Wednesday, March 28

Dinner, Beatles Tribute & THE QUEST

 

Dinner tonight was in the MDR. We were a tad late because of our excursion, but once again the crew did not mind at all. It was on this night that the dining room staff did some sort of dance routine on the stairs that was fun to watch. We also had a nice informal chat with our waiter Lizel, and she was telling us all about her life at sea and how she’s been on Freedom almost since she was launched back in 2006, and was onboard during the 2015 fire and remarked how well it was handled. I thought the same thing when I saw the reports, and a friend I met online actually interviewed that Captain (Ron Holmes) over New Year’s when he sailed Allure, where Captain Ron has since been relocated. He also interviewed Captain Johnny when he was on Harmony, which I thought was cool.

 

We also heard a PA code during dinner, “Echo” 3 times, which is not an emergency code but a precaution for the navigation officers: large waves and collision potential. All went well with the sailaway from Costa Maya. After dinner we did our walk on the track and watched the sunset from the back of Deck 4. After briefly going back to the room and hanging out on the balcony, it was time for the headliner show in the Arcadia Theater: Liverpool Legends, a Beatles tribute. Now I was born in 1999 (if you saw my username and guessed January 19th, you’re right), so I don’t know much about The Beatles. However, I always enjoy the headliner shows, and the music was great, this cover band did a fabulous job.

 

After a visit to the Promenade for a bite of Sorrento’s pizza, it was off to Studio B for one of the funniest events of the cruise: The Quest game show. We had never been to the Quest before, but I had seen videos of it on YouTube and was determined to go this cruise. After I told my family about it, we were all looking forward to it, so the whole family went. The game show took place at 10:30 and it is announced that the event is adults only, however, I have heard that parents who do bring children into the venue at their own risk are not kicked out because the crew expects them to know better, and I don’t blame them! Therefore, they just let the idiots be idiots I guess.

 

It’s hard to exactly explain the object of the game to those who have never seen it, but basically what it is is a scavenger hunt. The event is hosted by Cruise Director Drew, and he will ask for a certain item, and as the game goes on they get more and more graphic. Like he starts off by asking for a Cruise Compass, then later in the game he was asking for a representative from each team to display 6 pairs of men’s pants, resulting in audience members taking off their pants (not their underwear of course) and throwing them down onto the playing area. There were also bra-clad men covered in lipstick involved.

 

How do you play? Alex, the Activities Manager, opens the show by asking for a certain number of players to come down, and separate everyone into teams. Teams are spread around the edge of the floor, so the location in which you are seated in the venue determines which team you are to cheer for. The teams also do not go in numerical order, for example, I believe he skipped from team 5 straight to team 7 and even though there was a team 10 on the floor, there were actually less than 10 teams. Make sense? I also saw the middle couple from the Love & Marriage game show in the front row, and was genuinely surprised they didn’t play!

 

After the teams are organized, Drew comes out and takes over the show, and for each challenge he will ask for a male or female representative to complete a task, some of which I covered earlier in this post. Throughout the show, Alex and another crew member ran around the floor with cameras capturing close-up footage that was displayed live on the TV screens in the venue.

 

The game show ended with the men from each team collectively participating in a “runway walk” (the first picture) and needless to say, for the duration of the show I was laughing probably the hardest I’ve laughed since going to Simeon’s comedy show on Harmony last year.

 

The Quest ended close to midnight, so after the show it was time to go to bed in preparation for Cozumel the next day, which would be a relaxing beach day. I’ll cover Day 5 tomorrow. Next up: Cozumel & heading to Paradise Beach! See you soon!

 

 

 

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Edited April 13, 2018 by CreativeCruiser119

[CreativeCruiser119]

Day 5 - Thursday, March 29

Arrival in Cozumel & heading to Paradise Beach

We were awoken this morning to Captain Espen’s morning announcement letting us know that the gangways open and giving a rundown of the day’s forecast. I wonder if he meant to page into the cabins as opposed to just in public areas as per usual. I still remember the exact dream I was having when I heard “bing bing bong” followed by someone saying “good morning ladies and gentlemen” in the dream, seconds before I awoke.

 

We headed down to breakfast in the MDR, where we heard an announcement that the crew would be conducting drills shortly and guests were to disregard any announcements or alarms. When we were on Liberty, they did an Oscar (man overboard) rescue drill in Roatan where they threw a dummy directly below my parents’ balcony and went out to rescue it. There are pictures of it on page 6 of my Harmony review, and that was very fun and unique to watch. All we heard this time around was an announcement for “Bravo Stage 1” which is the first stage of response for a fire emergency. We never heard any further announcements as once we finished breakfast, we headed back to the rooms to get ready, and then made our way down to Deck 1 to disembark for our day in Cozumel.

 

This was our 4th RCCL cruise to Cozumel, and each time we docked next to another RCCL ship. During our Allure cruise we docked next to Navigator, on our Liberty cruise we were next to... you guessed it, Freedom! On Harmony we were docked next to Rhapsody, and on Freedom we were next to Brilliance. This review has a few pictures of us docked next to Brilliance, and page 8 of my Harmony review contains a picture of Matt and I posing in front of Freedom and Liberty docked together in 2016 in addition to the photos of Harmony and Rhapsody docked together. I mentioned there how if we have any photos of Allure and Navigator together, I have no idea where they are.

 

We headed into town and boarded a taxi to Paradise Beach, which was not a Royal Caribbean excursion but extremely reliable and also fairly close to the port. I will also add that the taxis are perfectly safe, the security issues involved ferries to the mainland, such as our excursion last year, which the cruise line has stopped offering for that reason. Sad that that had to happen, but fortunate that nobody got hurt. We arrived at the beach club and met our “concierge” for the day whose name escapes me, but I think it was along the lines of Christiano. Very nice guy and always willing to make sure our day was enjoyable. We got settled on the beach, and I relaxed for a little bit before Dad, Matt and I headed over to rent jet skis for 30 minutes. I had my own, and the other two shared one.

 

In my Harmony review I described my Labadee excursion in which I operated a ski for the first time, and was extremely scared at first but got the hang of it. I felt better this time, but it had also been almost a year! I didn’t go very fast because the waves kept causing saltwater to splash up and sting my eyes, making it hard for me to navigate the ski in addition to being uncomfortable of course. I enjoyed this part, and after that we headed back to the beach where we checked out the pool before lunch.

 

The property overall was beautiful, it had a large beach with a floating aqua park (which I did not use, but it looked fun just like the one I’ve been on in Labadee), and a large pool with a shallow “shelf” area with partially-submerged lounge chairs, as well as restaurant and bar plus tons of soothing vegetation. There was also a cage of parrots outside of the restroom/ changing room area! Next up: lunch & Paradise Beach Part 2!

 

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

That’s us on the skis way out at sea! I’m on the left, Matt and Dad are on the right.

 

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

Day 5 - Thursday, March 29

Lunch, Pool Time & Cozumel Sailaway

 

After riding the jet skis, we headed to the pool before lunch. I relaxed in one of the lounge chairs in the pool and enjoyed a Dos Equis while the parents ordered lunch. There was an authentic Mexican selection that was delicious. Our family loves chips and guacamole so we just couldn’t resist. The “bowls” that contained the guacamole, Pico de Gallo and sour cream were also edible as they themselves were chips that had been cooked into the shape of a bowl, as shown in the photos.

 

After lunch, I spent some more time relaxing on the beach, then Matt, Dad and I went to the pool while Mom took pictures of us. The beach was really nice, but this pool was too enticing to pass up! The only thing missing was a swim-up bar like at Chankanaab! I also had fun watching a group of children and their father play water football in the pool, sometimes missing catches and therefore causing the ball to fly behind them and hit innocent bystanders trying to relax! I enjoyed a strawberry mojito, meeting my limit of 2 drinks per island. Upon leaving, we took some pictures and got back on the taxi to the port, making it with plenty of time.

 

After we were back onboard, I spent some time in the Solarium, where I once again ordered a virgin cocktail of some sort to enjoy in the hot tub. Shortly after that, I went back to the room to change and shower, and caught a glimpse of a horn salute between Freedom and Brilliance from the balcony, as our side happened to be facing the dock and looking right into their balconies. I’ve seen plenty of videos of horn battles between Royal Caribbean ships in Cozumel, I don’t know if this was a full-on “horn battle,” but the bridge officers on both ships still had a little bit of fun with blowing the horn at each other, and I was able to pull out my iPad and a video of part of it but unfortunately I don’t think videos can be posted on here!

 

Around 6:00 we departed Cozumel for our final trip back to Fort Lauderdale. Tonight was formal night #2, so, having no formal attire packed, we ate in the Windjammer again. Next up: dinner, 70s party and more!

 

 

 

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Edited April 14, 2018 by CreativeCruiser119

[CreativeCruiser119]

These photos make it look like Matt and I get along more than just half the time! LOL! (We still love each other of course)

 

The last photo is a screenshot from my “horn battle” video, so I do apologize for the quality as it’s hard to get a perfectly still photo out if that! Also quite evident is the fact that even after a few seconds, the iPad lens quickly began to fog over due to the heat and humidity! (I’m assuming Mom’s high-tech actual camera is better designed for that.)

 

 

 

 

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Edited April 14, 2018 by CreativeCruiser119