Freedom OTS w/ toddler mini-review

[LoveMyBabies]

Just back from 7 wonderful days on Freedom of the Seas with my DH and 17 month old DD. I will try to keep this brief, but I will be happy to answer as many questions, toddler-related or non-toddler-related, as I can!

 

Comments:

 

Stateroom: Plenty of room (cruise-wise) for the 3 of us in our inside stateroom with a portable crib. All our luggage stowed under the bed. I brought an over the door shoe rack, which came in handy. I was able to unpack *everything* I brought (and I brought a lot) and still had room leftover in the stateroom. RC provided the pack and play. I brought my own sheets, which was good, because all they give you is a folded up adult sheet. The crib was an Evenflo, but looked just like a Graco, and my sheets fit fine. They did not have a life jacket to fit her :eek: , just one for an older child (like 5 or 7) and one for a baby (up to 12 pounds). I kept both and prayed I wouldn't need them. :p

 

Playgroup (Aqua Babies): This was fun for her, but we only went twice. My biggest complaint would have to be the time (9-9:45). She was usually asleep, since she was exhausted from morning til night. It wasn't as "organized" of a playgroup as I expected. But she did have fun playing with the toys. I was told there were 60 kids in her age group on the ship. One time she was there alone and the other time there were 2 other kids. On Monday, this was the only day it started at like 12 or 1 pm, something like that. I didn't go, because we were late. Don't worry about that, because the attendance is so low, and the activity is so laid back, it is okay if you are late. I wish I had gone that day, because it was so hard for us to get up and out by 9 am the other days. The older group (18 mos-3 years) was from 10-10:45. There were a few more kids in that group from what I saw. Also, I was told by one of the leaders that hiring her to do in-room sitting would be a "conflict of interest" but that they were all educated and you could see their credentials when you were signing up for in-room sitting. My sisters were with me, so they were my sitters. :D Also, the leader told me they will be trying out a nursery on Voyager in the near future. Hooray!!

 

Pool: I never saw any blow up pools in use, nor did I use one. We did go wading in the H20 Zone 2 or 3 times, and both times there were at least 2 other children in diapers there with us. We went early and it was nearly empty. It really fills up later in the day.

 

Food:

Cheerios in the Windjammer. Whole milk everywhere. Apple juice for breakfast from room service or WJ. Plenty of fruit available, DD mostly ate bananas and cantaloupe, which she loves. She also would eat eggs and yogurt during breakfast. She often had some type of pasta for lunch. When we got to dinner, there was always a bowl of diced up fruit waiting for her. A couple nights, they served peach soup and strawberry soup as appertizers, and she loved these, they were like dessert to her. She usually had pasta for dinner. One area they were lacking was in the vegetable department. They all seemed to be cooked crisp-tender, which is great for me, but not for her. One night they had minestrone, which was perfect for her, but when I asked for it on a subsequent night, I was told they did not have it. :( Also when I asked to have vegetables cooked until they are soft, they weren't. Oh well.

 

In Labadee, we did Luc's Splash Bash, which she loved. This is sort of like the H20 Zone, only with salt water.

 

We took along an umbrella stroller and used it about half the time. It was great. There is a net they sell at WalMart for $4 and it attaches to the stroller. I found that 2 days before I left and it was really helpful.

 

I can't think of anything else to add...Ask questions! The employees were all really wonderful...they just loved her and so many of them knew her by name by the end of the week.

 

Non-toddler comments: The spa was wonderful and DH and I both got massages and facials from a girl named Mitchell Villarico from the Philippines. She was wonderful and I highly recommend her! :)

 

The gym is great!! Lots of equipment, all nice and new of course. A bit full in the mornings, but not *too* full.

 

We never really had a problem with crowds and never felt like there were 4000+ pax on board.

 

I didn't like the coffee, but I would get some from Seattle's Best every day. Also great sandwiches there throughout the day, and great pizza and other yummies at Sorrento's.

 

If I can think of anything else, I will post more!

[Arubalisa]

Great review it sounds like you had a wonderful voyage! :D

[crusinmama06]

How much was the labadee water area? Did you have to reserve a time? If so, where did you do that?

 

And thanks for the review! So nice to see one from a parent witha toddler.

[LoveMyBabies]

How much was the labadee water area? Did you have to reserve a time? If so, where did you do that?

 

And thanks for the review! So nice to see one from a parent witha toddler.

 

 

Luc's Splash Bash was $5 each for DH and me, and free for the baby. (All shore excursions were free for her, so I kind of regret we weren't able to do more). Our time was reserved from 11 to 1. We didn't get there until 12, but that was okay with me because I knew it wouldn't entertain her for 2 hours anyway. Anyway, they told us we could stay as long as we wanted. We still only stayed an hour, then had lunch and she fell asleep. I think they closed the water off around 3 pm.

 

You reserve the time just as you would a shore excursion. We did ours online at home before we left.

[LoveMyBabies]

Another thing I would like to add:

 

The muster was the worst 15-20 minutes of the entire cruise (I know, it is for every body). But with her life jacket being way too big (we didn't have the infant one at this point) and ours being so bulky, it was impossible to carry her to the muster station. So we walked, quickly, and held her little hands, and she was such a trooper, especially going down 4 flights of stairs. I thought her arms were going to come out of their sockets.

 

I know you are supposed to go to muster with your life jacket on, but if I had realized how much trouble this was with a toddler, I would have bucked authority on this one. What I would done differently is tried the jackets on and adjusted them in the room, then carry them and baby to the muster station and put them on there.