Freedom of the Seas

[4cooks]

Trying to decide on whether to change our booking on Freedom of the Seas in November with all the negative reviews I have read lately.  So, I am looking for some recent experiences on Freedom.  Was the ship in good or bad shape.  Rooms?  We are in a suite on Freedom.  Anyone stay in a suite lately?  What particular things stood out for those amenities?  Do they have a suite sun deck? Do they have a suite lounge?  We have been sailing on larger ships lately and I have forgotten the amenities on the Freedom class.  Thanks so much for any help or advice. 

[Biker19]

3 minutes ago, 4cooks said:

Trying to decide on whether to change our booking on Freedom of the Seas in November with all the negative reviews I have read lately.  

You may want to read some others or specify what negative things you read..

Edited July 29, 2019 by Biker19

[Clarea]

6 minutes ago, 4cooks said:

Trying to decide on whether to change our booking on Freedom of the Seas in November with all the negative reviews I have read lately.  So, I am looking for some recent experiences on Freedom.  Was the ship in good or bad shape.  Rooms?  We are in a suite on Freedom.  Anyone stay in a suite lately?  What particular things stood out for those amenities?  Do they have a suite sun deck? Do they have a suite lounge?  We have been sailing on larger ships lately and I have forgotten the amenities on the Freedom class.  Thanks so much for any help or advice. 

 

Freedom info here:  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?type=forums_topic&search_and_or=or&search_in=titles&nodes=51&q=freedom

[alfaeric]

We were on her July 18, Jan 19, and Jul 19, and she seems in fine shape.

 

Food is food- we think it's fine, but YMMV. 

 

There is NOT a suite lounge, but a concierge lounge.  Relative to the SL's on other ships of similar layout, it's not a great lounge- its an inside space with no view.  But the coffee and drinks and snacks are good.  

 

Probably the reason you don't see positive reviews is that many of us who cruise on her a lot don't bother with reviews anymore.

[BNL1213]

I just sailed on the Freedom a few weeks ago as a first time RCCL guest and was shocked at what great condition the ship was in.  We loved every aspect of that cruise.  It wasn't too big or too small and I really did not notice any wear and tear.  The food was exceptional every night as well.  We sailed in a balcony room so have no input on suites. I do agree that there are not too many reviews on her though.

[WisconsinFan]

We were on her in April. She is one of our favorites, been on her 3 times. We don't have enough points to worry about D+ lounges or any of those extras and we weren't in a suite, but I can tell you our room was clean and comfortable. We didn't go hungry (and we didn't eat at any of the up-charge restaurants) and the staff was some of the best in the business! We splurged and got the Deluxe drink packages and the bartenders were all very good. Our favorites were at the Solarium bar and Bolero's.  We tend to pick our itinerary first and then the ship and cruising out of San Juan to the Southern islands was something we had wanted to do for sometime, it just worked out to be on Freedom.

[deputydog]

1 hour ago, 4cooks said:

Trying to decide on whether to change our booking on Freedom of the Seas in November with all the negative reviews I have read lately.  So, I am looking for some recent experiences on Freedom.  Was the ship in good or bad shape.  Rooms?  We are in a suite on Freedom.  Anyone stay in a suite lately?  What particular things stood out for those amenities?  Do they have a suite sun deck? Do they have a suite lounge?  We have been sailing on larger ships lately and I have forgotten the amenities on the Freedom class.  Thanks so much for any help or advice. 

We were on the Freedom on a B2B in March, we were in a grand suite and it was very well maintained, The ship was in great shape. We received a Pinnacle on the ship and they did a fantastic job.  The crew was great.    

[not-enough-cruising]

Just finished 7 days on Freedom yesterday. Ship is in great shape, my OV balcony was in excellent condition so I can assume suites are as well. 

Food was the same as the rest of the fleet IMO, but I’m not too finicky and had wonderful dining experiences. 

[flamingo6363]

Did a B2b in Feb.  First week we were in a Jr Suite-Nice room but no extra perks. The Windjammer was horrible, very crowded and the food the worst we have ever had. Ended up going to the dining room for breakfast or went to the Diamond club to grab something to eat.  Second week since we were in a grand suite we were able to have breakfast every morning at Chops. Cooked to order and not crowded.  You can also order room service anytime no charge and that includes dinner.  Food was much better this week.  You also have a tiered sitting area around the pool that is for suite passengers only so no fighting for a table or lounge chair.  

[bouhunter]

B2B last January.  No issues or complaints.  It's in as good a condition as any other RCCL ship, and food the same also.

 

Windjammer was fine like any RCCL ship for lunch and a couple dinners.  Chops/Giovanni's good.  We don't do breakfast in Windjammer.  It's not a pleasant place to be in the morning on any ship, and a

light breakfast in Diamond lounge is perfect for us.

Edited July 29, 2019 by bouhunter

[davekathy]

3 hours ago, 4cooks said:

Trying to decide on whether to change our booking on Freedom of the Seas in November with all the negative reviews I have read lately.  So, I am looking for some recent experiences on Freedom.  Was the ship in good or bad shape.  Rooms?  We are in a suite on Freedom.  Anyone stay in a suite lately?  What particular things stood out for those amenities?  Do they have a suite sun deck? Do they have a suite lounge?  We have been sailing on larger ships lately and I have forgotten the amenities on the Freedom class.  Thanks so much for any help or advice. 

We did a B2B cruise on the Freedom March 2019. No issues or complaints concerning anything. IMO don't cancel your Freedom cruise. Go and decide for yourself. 

[jptoz]

Have been on freedom twice. Loved it both times. My wife and I thought it was the best food and service(outside of coastal kitchen ) of any RCI ship so far. Ship was in great shape.

[Mullwi]

freedom is my favorite ship! Have been on five times in past three years. Was on it in January and loved itinerary so much I’m going back again in October with my adult children and my parents. We’re taking a risk and going with interior guarantee since airfare is so expensive, but just happy to be going back on Freedom🙂

[mattpro]

Personally, the Freedom is my favorite ship.

I prefer the itineraries and have found the crew to be the best of the Voyager, Freedom and Oasis classes.

 

Last cruised on it starting Nov. 11, 2018 through April 28, 2019.

Will go back on the Freedom starting Sep. 15, 2019 through Dec. 23, 2019.

 

Will go back on the Freedom for 4 weeks (or longer - depending on drydock results) after their drydock starting Mar. 8, 2020.

 

Starting in the Caribbean and going SOUTH from there is preferable to me over the east/west itineraries out of Florida.

 

An FYI: If you have a hand written prescription from your doctor you can save a lot of money by going to a pharmacy in Aruba (Dutch - European Union country) and pick up your medications. The money I saved from doing this has paid for four of my past cruises for a years worth of meds.

[ATC cruiser]

I too, just got off Freedom yesterday. We would go on her again, absolutely no complaints

[Rbullenut]

Take all of the negative reviews in stride. I remember Adventure having many similar negative reviews while she was sailing out of Puerto Rico. It may just be a different experience for some so they look for the negative.

[ATC cruiser]

10 hours ago, Rbullenut said:

Take all of the negative reviews in stride. I remember Adventure having many similar negative reviews while she was sailing out of Puerto Rico. It may just be a different experience for some so they look for the negative.

I agree. We sailed on Adventure out of Puerto Rice in March of 2018, it was one of our best cruises ever. 

[Icesk8rReedy]

12 hours ago, mattpro said:

Personally, the Freedom is my favorite ship.

I prefer the itineraries and have found the crew to be the best of the Voyager, Freedom and Oasis classes.

 

Last cruised on it starting Nov. 11, 2018 through April 28, 2019.

Will go back on the Freedom starting Sep. 15, 2019 through Dec. 23, 2019.

 

Will go back on the Freedom for 4 weeks (or longer - depending on drydock results) after their drydock starting Mar. 8, 2020.

 

Starting in the Caribbean and going SOUTH from there is preferable to me over the east/west itineraries out of Florida.

 

An FYI: If you have a hand written prescription from your doctor you can save a lot of money by going to a pharmacy in Aruba (Dutch - European Union country) and pick up your medications. The money I saved from doing this has paid for four of my past cruises for a years worth of meds.

Are you on the ABC cruise 4/19/20 out or San Juan?  We are!!  

[jenngirl]

Hi! I sailed on Freedom about 3 weeks ago! It was great. 

If you want, I have a blog post here all about the ship and things to do. Plus, I also have another one on my blog about the food and menu's in the MDR. I also stayed in a Junior Suite on Freedom so I have some info about that room type as well. 

About the Ship Blog: https://thehappiesttravels.com/2019/07/16/freedom-of-the-seas-cruise-review/

Main Dining Room Food Blog: https://thehappiesttravels.com/2019/07/23/freedom-of-the-seas-main-dining-room-review-menus/

If you have any more questions, feel free to let me know! I enjoyed sailing on Freedom a lot! 🙂

[4cooks]

6 hours ago, Icesk8rReedy said:

Are you on the ABC cruise 4/19/20 out or San Juan?  We are!!  

No, unfortunately no.  That itinerary sounds great.  We are on the November 10, 2019 sailing. 

[depplep]

We were on Freedom a year and a half ago. Ship was in great shape. Loved the Freedom. Customer service was great too.

[Bee Guy]

Freedom was the first ship we cruised on.  That was in Feb 2012 and we have not been on her since.  I still remember wandering around the ship thinking how awesome the ship was. 

 

We will be going on her again in Dec of this year to celebrate DW's birthday.

[hrmkr]

8 hours ago, jenngirl said:

Hi! I sailed on Freedom about 3 weeks ago! It was great. 

If you want, I have a blog post here all about the ship and things to do. Plus, I also have another one on my blog about the food and menu's in the MDR. I also stayed in a Junior Suite on Freedom so I have some info about that room type as well. 

About the Ship Blog: https://thehappiesttravels.com/2019/07/16/freedom-of-the-seas-cruise-review/

Main Dining Room Food Blog: https://thehappiesttravels.com/2019/07/23/freedom-of-the-seas-main-dining-room-review-menus/

If you have any more questions, feel free to let me know! I enjoyed sailing on Freedom a lot! 🙂

Thank you so much for posting the menus.  We sail in December and it is nice to know what to look forward to eating. 

[jenngirl]

14 hours ago, hrmkr said:

Thank you so much for posting the menus.  We sail in December and it is nice to know what to look forward to eating. 

Of course! No problem! Hope you enjoy your cruise in December! We had a great time! The staff was really awesome on the ship as well which made the experience even better! 🙂