Sailing Oh So Single on Freedom of the Seas

[Alter Ego]

When you are through with the main details of your review, I would appreciate hearing your experience with a roommate. I’m going to be sharing a room with a stranger on an upcoming trip, and would love to hear tips on how you handled it. Thank you!!

 

Enjoying your report!

[accio_7]

Really enjoying your review so far, and, the last pic of you from the white party is probably my favourite so far; love your hairdo :D

 

Happy Independence Day!

[Funsinger75]

Tell me about the white night party I have been on royal but never participated. is it indoors? drinks and food? special attire? Time?

 

 

 

So I thought the white party was just a singles cruise thing, but then they announced a white party outside on the pool deck that same evening with a DJ. Bring some white if you’re so inclined, worst case scenario... you’re wearing white in the Caribbean, right?

 

 

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[Funsinger75]

Really enjoying your review so far, and, the last pic of you from the white party is probably my favourite so far; love your hairdo :D

 

Happy Independence Day!

 

 

 

Thanks so much!

 

 

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[Funsinger75]

When you are through with the main details of your review, I would appreciate hearing your experience with a roommate. I’m going to be sharing a room with a stranger on an upcoming trip, and would love to hear tips on how you handled it. Thank you!!

 

Enjoying your report!

 

 

 

This was my second time doing the roommate matching service the company provides. Both times were great! I definitely recommend touching base with your roomie via e-mail in advance if you can. I was able to do this via the community message boards set-up by the singles travel agency. Otherwise, just have a quick, casual meeting that first day. Be open, considerate and honest. We asked questions like.... Are you a morning or night person? Are you kinda neat or comfortable with being messy? I’m sure you’ll be fine. Good luck and safe travels!

[Alter Ego]

This was my second time doing the roommate matching service the company provides. Both times were great! I definitely recommend touching base with your roomie via e-mail in advance if you can. I was able to do this via the community message boards set-up by the singles travel agency. Otherwise, just have a quick, casual meeting that first day. Be open, considerate and honest. We asked questions like.... Are you a morning or night person? Are you kinda neat or comfortable with being messy? I’m sure you’ll be fine. Good luck and safe travels!

 

Thanks for your comments. I never even had a college roommate (lived at home), so I’m a little (a lot) nervous. Good advice - I appreciate it!

[riclop]

It's not a bad thing, enjoy.

[JamesEM]

Following along, enjoying your reports and photos, how do you go about booking a cruise with a singles group?

[Funsinger75]

Following along, enjoying your reports and photos, how do you go about booking a cruise with a singles group?

 

 

 

Thanks. There are two major companies that do hosted singles cruises. My boyfriend sailed with both of them. If you google “singles cruise,” the company I used comes up in the top ten and.... it’s pretty obvious with the name and all. (I’m not allowed to endorse companies on here) The other company should come up too....the initials are VTG! Have fun looking through what they have to offer. I know I do!

 

 

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[Funsinger75]

Day 6, Barbados, Flavors of Barbados

 

My alarm goes off at 7 am and I get ready for the day ahead. I have breakfast in the dining room at 8:00 and order the classic breakfast again. I’m in a quiet mood and decide to just listen to the gentlemen at our table discuss the naval history of the islands we’ve visited so far. Soon, it’s 8:50 and it’s time to get off the ship to go to my excursion.

 

It starts to rain while walking the pier, but I’ve got my poncho, so it’s all good. I arrive at the meeting location right at 9:00 and board the bus. Allison is our tour guide.

 

We drive through Bridgetown en route to St. John’s Parish. I’m a little sleepy this morning, so I miss much of the talking during our ride. (Oops!)

The church is beautiful and has some nice views as well.

 

Barbados seems much more developed than the other islands we’ve visited on the cruise so far. One thing they all have in common though... KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN!

 

I believe our next stop is the Four Square Rum Distillery. The tour of the grounds and facility is about an hour long.

At the conclusion, we are led into the bar area where we sample both their main rum and the spiced rum (which was DELICIOUS). The locals actually use some of the spiced rum in their French toast/ pancake batter...GOOD IDEA!

 

We are shown how to make a proper rum punch and a traditional Barbados fish cake. We are given a small sample of fish cake, chicken and plantains along with a tasty rum punch! For 45 dollars, this was a good tour.

 

Authentic Rum Punch:

1 parts bitter (lime juice)

2 parts sweet (simple syrup)

3 parts rum

4 parts (water and ice)

Add a splash of bitters at the end!

 

We drive through the various parishes back to Bridgetown and the port. I head back to the ship, throw my bags down and look through the various activities being offered in the afternoon, which isn’t much. I have to say I am little disappointed that most of the daily activities are centered around products/services they have to sell you. I don’t remember this being the case before with Royal Caribbean. In any event, it’s time for lunch in the Windjammer

 

Salad

Hot & Sour Chicken

Indian Noodles

Roasted Potatoes

 

I also throw in a chili dog for good measure. We have the 8:30 dinner seating which, depending on the service, usually means 9:00 or 9:30 before we’re served. I should be good for the next 7 hours or so.

 

After a rather nice nap, Klaudia arrives back from her excursion to report that people are meeting for jacuzzi time on Deck 11. I deliberate and decide to join the group. There’s nothing nicer than the jacuzzi and a nice frozen pina colada as we pull out of port. Soon it’s time to shower and get ready for the evening’s festivities.

 

Tonight is the second showing of the ice skating show, “Freedom Ice.com” in Studio B on Deck 3. I decide to skip the singles merengue dance social and attend the ice show solo, or at least I thought I would be solo until fellow singles cruiser, Gina comes and sits next to me! The show was really good.

 

It’s the second formal night and public areas are packed with people taking photos. There’s live music, but I have a few minutes to kill before joining the group. I head back to my super suite cabin for a quick sangria before dinner.

 

 

Tonight was my second favorite meal of the cruise. I had the vidalia onion tart (YUM), lobster tails (I ordered two, so DOUBLE YUM) and chocolate molten lava cake for dessert (YUM!)

 

 

Everyone seems partied out. You can tell the end of our cruise is near... TOO. MUCH.FUN! We’re all literally exhausted, except Klaudia that is and we all know where she’s going tonight... THE CASINO!

 

See you in the morning maties for our final day onboard.

 

 

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[JamesEM]

Thanks. There are two major companies that do hosted singles cruises. My boyfriend sailed with both of them. If you google “singles cruise,” the company I used comes up in the top ten and.... it’s pretty obvious with the name and all. (I’m not allowed to endorse companies on here) The other company should come up too....the initials are VTG! Have fun looking through what they have to offer. I know I do!

 

 

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Thanks, I'm recently single and was considering taking a cruise and a singles cruise sounds like fun.

[Funsinger75]

Day 7, Sea Day

 

Good morning! Today started around 8:30 with a walk up to the Promenade Cafe for coffee. I took it down to the 4th Deck Observation area for a little quiet time. Colin, a fellow singles cruiser, is seated a few chairs down from me. We talk about how the cruise has been so nice this week before meeting the rest of the group for breakfast in the dining room. It’s a chocolate-themed menu, but again I order the classic breakfast.

 

At 10:30 Klaudia and I head to the Star Lounge on Deck 5 for a round of Bingo. Several of us decided to play. It was 23 dollars for 6 cards plus one free card for being gold.

 

After bingo, Barbara and I attend an art gallery discussion before meeting the group for lunch in the dining room. Dining room lunch is only served on sea days. I had the royal burger and fries which was way better than the Windjammer burger.

 

Colin, Barbara and I sit around and talk for awhile about the pros of singles cruising. Later, I go with Barbara to drink more complimentary champagne at the final art preview and auction which lasts about 2 hours.

 

Finally, it’s that time we all dread.... Preparing for the end of a cruise. I grudgingly head back to my room and pack-up before going up to the Sports Deck 13 to watch The Best of the Best Flowrider Competition.

 

I decide to go downstairs to Deck 12 and relax on a lounger, watching the ocean. I also edit/close-out this trip report. It’s cloudy today.

 

So, plans for this evening.... I’ve heard good things on cruise critic about tonight’s performance: “Once Upon A Time.” Since I missed the first broadway show doing singles stuff, I figure tonight is my last chance to watch the Royal Caribbean singers and dancers strut their stuff. Totally right call. Let me tell you, music and singing is what I do and these singers are top-notch! Really. The dancers were quite good as well and the modern adaptation of fairy tales using popular music was fun!

 

After the show, it’s time for one final dinner in the dining room with my new friends.

 

Crispy Coconut Shrimp (Okay)

Pappardelle Carbonara (Okay)

Strawberry Cheesecake (YUM!)

 

 

Klaudia is doing an excursion in Puerto Rico tomorrow so she has a No. 1 Baggage Tag and will be among the first to disembark. Me? I’m in no rush. My flight isn’t until 1 pm, so I have time to enjoy a final breakfast in the dining room before leaving the ship.

 

I have to be honest, a big part of the cruise appeal to me is being waited on for everything. No cooking, no cleaning. I seize the opportunity to be pampered!

 

In any event, I’ll do a post or should I say “Finale” with final thoughts and debarkation comments tomorrow.

 

 

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[Plumbjim]

Enjoying your posts very much!! Well written. Also brings back memories, I went on 2 Singlescruises. Had Great times. Ask Shelby if she remembers Dr Plunger. Also had my karaoke debut on the Carnival Triumph. Still keep in touch with a friend from that cruise. Leaving out of San Juan is on my bucket list.

[myolite]

Loving it!

[kwbound]

Thank you for sharing your trip with us. We are sailing the Freedom next month and are looking forward to it. Also, I like your nail polish color.:)

[Virtopia]

Thanks for sharing your expereince! I just looked at the site and may do a singles cruise late 2019 :)

[Funsinger75]

Enjoying your posts very much!! Well written. Also brings back memories, I went on 2 Singlescruises. Had Great times. Ask Shelby if she remembers Dr Plunger. Also had my karaoke debut on the Carnival Triumph. Still keep in touch with a friend from that cruise. Leaving out of San Juan is on my bucket list.

 

 

 

Will do. Thanks for following along!

 

 

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[Funsinger75]

Thank you for sharing your trip with us. We are sailing the Freedom next month and are looking forward to it. Also, I like your nail polish color.:)

 

 

 

Hope you have a great cruise. Thanks so much!

 

 

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[Funsinger75]

Finale: Debarkation and Final Thoughts

 

I got an early start the morning of debarkation. Bags were set outside my door last night by 11 pm. Departure window is around 9 am, so Barbara and I meet for breakfast in the dining room and share a cab from the cruise port to the airport.

 

I have to say that everything went pretty smooth. Walked off the ship at the appointed time, bags were at the appointed station, a quick-moving line through customs and then we walk out for a taxi. Things were a little messy here.

 

There was a long line for taxis when you first come out of the building, but if you walk a little further past that line and stand at the curb, you can flag down your own taxi for the same price (25 per person to the airport)

 

Check-in at the airport is pretty standard, except you apparently have to get your luggage ex-rayed in PR before dropping it off with the airline.

 

Some final thoughts on my trip:

I had a good time! Truly, I did. However, I have always been under the impression that Royal Caribbean delivers a higher quality product than some other cruise lines out there like Carnival, so I was willing to pay a bit more. I don’t know that this is the case any longer. Food was the same if not a little worse than my experience on the Carnival Vista in 2016. Specialty dining on Vista was better and included more dining options for lunch and dinner like Blue Iguana, Guy’s Burger Joint and Guy’s BBQ. These are all INCLUDED in the price of your cruise. The pizza on Carnival was much better as well. You guys probably guessed that I’m a “foodie,” so just something to consider if you share a similar passion.

 

Entertainment, on the other hand, was top-notch with RCI. Bar service was superior to Carnival as well. Housekeeping and restaurant staff were about the same.

 

I got what I paid for on the excursions. Many of these islands were a first for me, hence the tours; otherwise, I suggest grabbing a taxi or tour at the port. It’s cheaper and more personal than touring in a big group. I did this in St. Martin and that beach day was one of the highlights of my trip! If you’re a woman traveling alone though, big group excursions may be the safest course of action. Just something to consider.

 

Well, I know this wasn’t a LIVE report, but hopefully you got some value out of reading along and a few tips for planning your next cruise. Feel free to ask any questions about cruising single or about the ship. Next up for me.... looks like Grandeur of the Seas in 6 months with my boyfriend. Doing this trip report has been fun, so perhaps there will be more to come from me after my next sailing. Until then, I’m like the rest of you folks... getting my cruise fix by reading posts here on cruise critic. I leave you with several of the menus from the ship. Thanks for following along!

 

 

 

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[Cruise a holic]

Thanks for sharing

[accio_7]

Really enjoyed your review, thanks for sharing!

 

 

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[BLiles1961]

What a fun report! I agree with you about the hamburgers at Windjammer. What is up with them? My husband says they're made of squeezel.

 

 

Also, what brand of sandals are you wearing in your last picture? They look very comfortable and exactly what I've been trying to find.

 

 

Thank you for sharing all of the menu pictures, too. The last time we went on a cruise, I chose the lamb shank for dinner one night and it was absolutely delicious! Highly recommend.

[Funsinger75]

What a fun report! I agree with you about the hamburgers at Windjammer. What is up with them? My husband says they're made of squeezel.

 

 

Also, what brand of sandals are you wearing in your last picture? They look very comfortable and exactly what I've been trying to find.

 

 

Thank you for sharing all of the menu pictures, too. The last time we went on a cruise, I chose the lamb shank for dinner one night and it was absolutely delicious! Highly recommend.

 

 

 

Glad you enjoyed it! I’m wearing Clark’s Cloudsteppers. SO COMFY!

 

 

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[PhoenixCruiser]

Really enjoyed your review, thanks!

 

Are you sure the taxi to the airport was $25 per person and not per cab?

[natefish95]

Hey there neighbor! I really enjoyed your review. I did a similar itinerary on the Fascination in May and enjoyed it. I've always gone solo on NCL because their solo traveler program just can be beat, but I'm really itching at the though of going solo on Royal to try something new.