Freedom Of The Seas Review 10/14/07-10/21/07

[jerseygirl3]

Review of Freedom of the Seas 10/14/07-10/21/07 Western Caribbean

 

Background: Myself (age 52) and husband (age 47). We are experienced cruisers and have sampled various cruiselines (RCI, HAL, Celebrity, Princess, NCL, Carnival). We prefer small, elegant ships with personal service, but our TA puts together a group cruise every year and this one was on the Freedom of the Seas. Since we wanted to see our cruise buddies, we opted to sign on for the FOS. We went into the experience feeling we probably wouldn’t like a ship this large. Having said that, let the review begin:

 

Precruise: We spent a week at our timeshare in Marco Island preceding the cruise. Nice way to revive our summer tans and get into vacation mode. Rented a car and drove over to Miami on Saturday and spent Saturday night at the Intercontinental Hotel in Miami (across the street from Bayside Market). The hotel is probably our favorite in Miami. Very nice and great location. We met several of our friends for a Bon Voyage dinner Saturday night at the Latin American Café at Bayside.

 

Embarkation: We arrived at the port at approx. 12:15 (although our docs said not to arrive before 2 p.m., but who are they kidding…LOL). Anyway, embarkation was a breeze. Took all of about a minute and a half and we were on our way. We did online registration, so that probably helped, but RCI handles the embarkation process in a very efficient manner. Onboard photos were taken (didn’t like that they were taken outside on the deck before entering the ship or in the terminal…it was very windy outside and hair was blowing all over the place…not the best place for a photo op). We were advised to have lunch first and then we could head to our cabins any time after 1 p.m. Lunch the first day was the only time the ship felt crowded to us. The buffet is kind of scattered around with different stations and it didn’t have the greatest flow. People were bumping into each other and it made getting lunch and finding a table difficult. Also, one disappointment is that RCI does not provide any trays. It’s difficult to maneuver around crowds with a dish, utensils, drinks, etc. and not spill anything. After lunch, it was on to our cabin to check out our living quarters for the next week…

 

Cabin: We booked a D2 balcony cabin (#9622). Cabin was surprisingly larger than I expected (214 sq. ft. of living space, 68 sq. ft. of balcony space). The cabin was done in soothing colors and light colored wood tones. There was plenty of storage space (didn’t realize until the last day that the mirror over the vanity had storage shelves on either side). Closet had plenty of wooden hangers and shelf space. There was a safe inside the closet. The sofa was a large (standard size) sofa, very comfortable, with tufted cushions. Since our cabin was double occupancy, the sofa was not a sofabed. There was a mini-fridge in the cabin, which kept things icy cold. The vanity was generously large enough, and there was a hairdryer attached to the inside of the top right-hand drawer (I brought my own… it did seem to be fairly powerful, but you had to hold down the button continuously, which would be annoying, imo). The bed was large enough to store luggage underneath and it was extremely comfortable (most cruiselines are finally getting the hint that we don’t enjoying sleeping on a concrete slab and taking measures to correct that). Extra pillows are available upon request. The balcony had two chairs and a small table, but was deep enough to hold two loungers (not sure if you could secure loungers, but just wanted to give a point of reference as to the generous size of the standard balcony). There was a flat screen T.V. in the cabin that pulled away from the wall and could swivel. My husband absolutely loved the T.V. and wants to get one for our bedroom! We got a fair amount of T.V. stations, including some sports. The bathroom, while small, was laid out very efficiently, although we would have preferred more cabinet space. Only one side of the mirror had shelves and there was a shelf underneath the sink, but that was reserved for the garbage can and it’s where the cabin steward placed beach towels, bathmat, etc., so it wasn’t really useful for personal storage. The shower was a generous size, had sliding shower doors (thank you to the wonderful person who came up with the idea to ditch the shower curtains in favor of doors). The doors bowed out, thereby providing extra room in the shower as it was circular and there was no flooding of the bathroom floor. The water had good pressure. Only complaint was that they provided just bar soap and a shampoo dispenser. The bar soap continuously fell through the grated soap dish and didn’t have a particular pleasant scent. The shampoo provided in the dispenser was fine, but if you have a preference, you should bring your own. No conditioner or body lotion was provided. I would advise either bringing your own thick bar of soap so it doesn’t fall through or better yet, liquid gel. I tried to purchase some in the gift shop, but they didn’t have any. I finally found some the last day of the cruise and guess where it was sold? Not in the general store, but in the liquor store. Go figure. BTW, the liquor store had an entire area with various sundries, so if there’s something you can’t find in the general store, check out the liquor store. The towels were very thick and plush. There was an electrical outlet in the bathroom as well as over the sink in the vanity. In order to reach the clothesline in the shower, you had to be at least 6’4” (okay, maybe I’m exaggerating, but at 4’10” it was an impossibility for me to reach).

 

Ship: Yes, this ship is large, which was our biggest concern, as we prefer smaller ships. However, I have to say, I was shocked that this ship was easy to navigate around and had the feel of a much smaller ship. There were lots of little nooks and crannies and didn’t seem nearly as massive as it looked from the outside. Some points of interest were, of course, the Royal Promenade. Here is located a book store (library is in a different location) with books for sale. There is a café that was frequently by many guests onboard. There is free coffee here, as well as specialty coffees that incur a fee. The free coffee (Seattle’s Best) was the best free coffee we’ve had on any ship (wasn’t as good in the dining rooms or at the buffet stations). The lattes were excellent and ran about $3.00 with tax and gratuity added. They also offer free pastries, cookies, croissants, donuts, and specialty sandwiches that were excellent. A lot of passengers seemed to take advantage of this after returning from a port and needed a little something to tide them over until dinner time. The sandwiches were smaller, but delicious (roasted vegetables, tuna salad, ham and cheese, etc.). Most passengers seemed surprised that there was no charge for this. The only thing that incurred a charge was the specialty and spirited coffees and sodas. There was a liquor store, a general store, a store that sold work-out gear (clothing, sneakers, etc.), electronics, souvenir shop, jewelry store, cosmetics/perfume store, Italian pizzeria, wine bar, English pub, barber shop, and Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. The pizzeria was free, but the others charged fees depending on what you ordered. If you are a Crown and Anchor member, you will get a booklet for each passenger with some nice coupons inside (25% off Café Promade, 10% off Ben and Jerry’s, etc., free wine tasting at Vintages, the wine bar). We’ve received those booklets on other cruiselines, but they are fairly useless. We found these to be very useful.

 

The spa/gym area is very nice. The only time we had trouble getting a treadmill was the first morning, but we figured (correctly) that as the week went on, people would drop off their exercise routines. After Day 1, we had no problem getting onto machines or equipment. We went to the gym every morning except one time, and we went anywhere from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Never saw anybody use the boxing ring, but there were several exercise classes going on. There are T.V.’s on all the treadmills, but just bring your own headphones. I don’t think they provide any.

 

This ship rode so smooth, that passengers were actually complaining they didn’t feel like they were on a ship!LOL We felt a little movement the last night, but it was quite minimal. If you are worried about a rocking ship, no need to. The Captain told us we’d have approx. 11 ft. seas the first night out, and we didn’t feel a thing.

 

Food: The formal dining room is three stories high and it’s decorated beautifully. We did traditional dining, late seating (8:30 p.m.) and that is held on the bottom level (Leonardo Dining Room). The other two (Galileo and Isaac) are on the second and third levels and they are open seating. Didn’t hear much feedback from open seating, except our waiter told us the waiters don’t care for it. One couple mentioned that they couldn’t get a large enough table at traditional dining for their family, so the Maitre ‘de was kind enough to get them at table at open seating, but it was the same table, same time, and same waitstaff for the entire week. It seemed they were very anxious to accommodate everyone as much as possible. We were at a table for 6, but they put 7 adults at the table. It made for a bit of a squeeze, but it was doable. Our waitstaff consisted of Bennett from Jamaica (waiter) and Roberto (asst. waiter) from Peru. Bennett has been with RCI for 19 years, so you know he enjoys his job. He was extremely personable, jovial, professional, and courteous all rolled into one. I don’t think we could have asked for a better waiter. He gave his suggestions each night and he was on the mark. If we went against what he suggested, we were sorry. Not that the alternative choice was bad, it just wasn’t as good as what he suggested. He genuinely wanted everyone to have a great dining experience. Roberto, while shy and new to the company (he’s been with RCI 2 months) was so nice and courteous you couldn’t help but like him. Yes, he forgot to bring bread now and then or let a water glass go empty a few minutes longer than he should have, but he’s learning the ropes and I have no doubt he will someday be a great waiter. The food, in a nutshell, was excellent, far better than we’ve had on previous RCI cruises. I know this is a subjective area. The beef was consistently good, whether it was a sirloin steak, prime rib, or filet mignon. The lobster tails on formal night are small and served alongside shrimp (as Bennett was honest enough to tell us “so people eat less lobster.”). My husband enjoyed it, probably more than he should have! The Windjammer Buffet had plenty to choose from and on average was quite good.

 

We went to Chops Grille and all I can say is, it is worth every penny and then some. The service was outstanding, the food was fabulous, the atmosphere was superb. This gets an A+ in my book.

 

The pool area is where this ship really shines. There is the H2O Zone that is a kid’s water park fantasy. There are plenty of lounge chairs for the parents. There is a children’s pool as well as a splash pool. The splash pool does allow for children with swim diapers, which I think is a first for cruise ships. It really takes the pressure off parents who have babies and would like them to enjoy the pool without getting dirty looks from others. Beyond that is the regular pool which, again, has plenty of lounge chairs. Off to the sides of each pool area is plenty of tables with chairs, as well as more lounge chairs for those who prefer the shade. Both the H2O Zone and the regular pool have several hot tubs. I was a bit surprised that they had them in the H2O Zone area given that hot tubs are not recommended for children. I stuck my hand in to test the water, thinking they would keep it a bit cooler for the young children, but it was just as hot as the other hot tubs.

 

Our favorite area, by far, was the Solarium (adults only). The pool was refreshing and had steps leading into it. There is a little bridge that crosses over the pool area, with a spray of water coming down from it. There are some stools under the bridge for those who want to sit in the water out of the sun. Again, a good amount of lounge chairs and it was fairly easy to find one every day in a prime location. Each side of the Solarium also has some very nicely cushioned lounge chairs and tables and chairs. There are a couple of hammocks that always seemed to have someone sleeping in them! And the highlight of the Solarium are the cantilevered hot tubs on each side of the ship. I, for one, don’t particularly like hot tubs. But these were to die for. Very large, comfortable seating, with steps leading down into the tubs. Some sun comes through the roof, but it’s not scorching. It was one of my favorite places to hang out. They held a good amount of people comfortably, I would guess around 10-12. Nobody felt like they were on top of each other or playing “footsie”.

 

Staff: Okay, here was the real surprise. I figured we’re on a ship that holds close to 4,000 people (did I mention there were 500 kids on board? Doesn’t anybody go to school anymore???LOL). Anyway, the staff were among the best we’ve had on ANY cruise. They all smiled. They all were helpful. They all seemed to genuinenly want to impress you with how proud them were of their ship (okay, there was the “pool towel ****” who had a bit of an attitude, but she was the only sourpuss we encountered all week. You are given one towel per person by your cabin steward the night before, and if you want another towel while at the pool, it was difficult to get her to part with one unless you turned one in). What surprised us the most was that they remembered names. We’re on a ship the size of Rhode Island and when we returned to Boleros Lounge(our favorite place to meet our cruise buddies each night prior to dinner), the bar maid remembered our names and what we drank. That was pretty impressive. Even more impressive was Edwin, at Café Promenade, who asked for me (by first name) when my husband went to get a latte one morning and I chose to sleep a little later). I could go on and on, but I do want to impress upon everybody who is considering a ship this size not to be put off by thinking it will be very impersonal. If I didn’t know the numbers, I would have sworn I was on a smaller ship.

 

Ports: I won’t go into this topic, because we opted to stay on the ship the entire week, except for Cozumel. We stopped at Labadee (which a lot of people raved about, probably sorry we didn’t get off the ship here), Grand Cayman, Jamaica, and Cozumel. In Cozumel we went to Paradise Beach. The cab ride is $12 per cab each way (we shared with two others) and it’s about a 10 minute ride from the International Pier. It was a lovely day and there is no charge for beach chairs or umbrellas. They do expect you to drink and eat, but prices are very reasonable. You can get a pass for $9 per person which entitles you to all the “toys” such as floats, snorkel equipment, trampoline, etc., but you don’t have to. You are assigned a staff member for the day, and with a wave of the hand, is at your beck and call all day to retrieve your drinks, food, etc.

 

Misc: Okay, lest you think the Freedom of the Seas is perfect, I will point out some of the shortcomings. Elevators were exasperatingly slow and sometimes just skipped right by us without stopping. There was a smell in our hallway that reminded me of the years I worked in a nursing home (we’ll leave it at that). Our fellow passengers were probably the rudest we’ve ever encountered (again, I won’t go into that, but as Americans, we were probably in the minority). Nothing against foreigners, but those onboard our ship needed to learn manners. The muster drill was awful. It seemed to go on forever, and just when you think they’ll tell you it’s over and you’re excused, they start going over what is expected as far as passenger conduct, what the expected weather forecast is, etc. And just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse or last any longer, think again. They went over the entire thing again, this time in Spanish! The only saving grace was that it was windy and not so horribly hot that day in Miami, otherwise I think people would have been passing out.

 

The ship was kept extremely clean. I know it’s fairly new and all, but I’ve been on new ships that aren’t wearing well. This one was topnotch.

 

The décor was lovely. Each bar/lounge had a different look to it, but all were nicely decorated.

 

Okay, I think that just about covers everything. If I’ve missed anything, or anybody has any specific questions, please feel free to ask. I think I can sum things up this way. If someone were to ask me if I’d sail the Freedom of the Seas again, despite our initial trepidation, we would say “of course.” Both my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our week and have no problem recommending this ship to others.

[OHCruisin]

What a great review! Thanks for posting. I'll be on her sister, Liberty, next month. I hope it's as great as your trip on Freedom.

[GMoney]

Your review is very well written and quite entertaining - thanks! :)

[robntawn]

Very informative and well-written. Thanks!

[mloca]

Thanks so much for your review. It was excellent. We will be on the Freedom in April with our 3 children and are very excited. We have only brought them on Disney and think they will enjoy all this ship has to offer. We were a bit concerned of size as well. We have friends travelling with us who are new to cruising...hope we will get them hooked.

A few questions for you...

 

I have read that it can be difficult to get away from smokers. Did you find this to be the case?

 

Was it difficult to get a chair by the pool? I know this has been the case for us on previous cruises.

 

Thanks!

Michelle

[jerseygirl3]

As far as smoking, no, we didn't find this to be a problem. They were designated to one side of the ship out by the Lido Deck and only certain bars/lounges allowed smoking. Actually, we had a pre-dinner cocktail in Boleros Lounge each night and I never saw anybody smoke; I think it may have been non-smoking. The champagne bar across the hall did allow smoking. We never went to the casino, so can't comment on that. BTW, there were many Europeans on board, and they are notorious for smoking and it still didn't present a problem.

 

As far as chairs by the pool, it is so well laid out and so many chairs, this didn't seem to be an issue. Especially by the H2O Zone and the regular pool. Seating was more limited by the Adults Only pool, but even still it wasn't a problem.

 

Hope you enjoy your cruise as much as we did ours.

[mloca]

Thanks! I assumed there would be designated areas for smoking and we could avoid them in a ship this size....but had read some questionable reviews in regards to this.

 

Happy Day!

Michelle

[jerseygirl3]

One other thing I forgot to mention. Debarkation was a mess. It didn't seem to be RCI's fault, but problems with the Port of Miami. They started calling passengers off around 7:30 a.m., and then everything seemed to come to a halt. We didn't get off the ship until noon yesterday, and there were still plenty of passengers on the ship when we got off. They were letting people go in drips and drabs, and then putting a rope across the exit door from the ship and we'd wait. I'd say they let people go in groups of about 50 and then they'd stop for about 10 minutes. They kept coming on the loudspeaker and apologizing for the delay. I mention this because so many people assume if they are flying out of Miami and their ship ports in Miami that they can make an early flight. Thankfully our flight wasn't until 3:30, but for those with earlier flights, I wonder how many may have missed their flight because of the long delay. The other thing that was different from any other time I've cruised out of Miami is that instead of putting all the luggage in color-coded areas in the terminal, it now comes down through a carousel. But this was very slooooooooow. Usually in the terminal, our luggage is pretty much grouped together. Not so with the carousel. It took a very long time for us to get all four pieces of luggage as it kept coming at different times. They had 3 carousels and all colors were split into those 3 carousels. Imagine getting almost 4,000 passengers luggage off of 3 carousels and you can imagine how slow it was. Just want people to know so they can either do self debarkation, luggage valet, or allow extra time for the slow luggage retrieval.

[EggDropErin]

Thanks for your review! We also enjoyed sailing on her.

[maggieq]

jerseygirl - thanks for your review. By chance is your ta based in Arkansas?

[jerseygirl3]

jerseygirl - thanks for your review. By chance is your ta based in Arkansas?

 

 

There were two TA's who put this group together. And yes, one was from Arkansas. I happened to use the other TA. They frequently do group sailings as a team, although they are located in different states.

[jerseygirl3]

I keep thinking of things I forgot. The Past Guest party was very nice. As you entered, the staff greeted you and you were escorted to a seat. The drinks were flowing and, although they had their standard rum punch, Whiskey Sour, white/red wine, etc., you could ask for anything and they obliged. And in a very timely manner. I've been on other ships when you asked for something out of the ordinary, you never saw the bar maid again. Not so this time around. I ordered a White Russian and it arrived within moments. Our Captain was as he put it "the smallest Captain of the largest ship." He was a man of short stature, but very personable. He is new to the FOS, having arrived 2 weeks ago. He is Greek and the staff really seem to like him. You've heard the saying, "if Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy"? Well, I think the same applies here. From the Captain down, everyone seemed happy. I think he sets the tone and from the sounds of the staff, they really like him.

[LoveCruisin4Fun]

Thanks for the post. It was very informative. I am will be on FOS in Dec with DH.

[SherriZ366]

great review

[kittymom65]

Really a great review!

Thanks for taking the time to share with us

[rpclmc]

One other thing I forgot to mention. Debarkation was a mess. It didn't seem to be RCI's fault, but problems with the Port of Miami. They started calling passengers off around 7:30 a.m., and then everything seemed to come to a halt. We didn't get off the ship until noon yesterday, and there were still plenty of passengers on the ship when we got off. They were letting people go in drips and drabs, and then putting a rope across the exit door from the ship and we'd wait. I'd say they let people go in groups of about 50 and then they'd stop for about 10 minutes. They kept coming on the loudspeaker and apologizing for the delay. I mention this because so many people assume if they are flying out of Miami and their ship ports in Miami that they can make an early flight. Thankfully our flight wasn't until 3:30, but for those with earlier flights, I wonder how many may have missed their flight because of the long delay. The other thing that was different from any other time I've cruised out of Miami is that instead of putting all the luggage in color-coded areas in the terminal, it now comes down through a carousel. But this was very slooooooooow. Usually in the terminal, our luggage is pretty much grouped together. Not so with the carousel. It took a very long time for us to get all four pieces of luggage as it kept coming at different times. They had 3 carousels and all colors were split into those 3 carousels. Imagine getting almost 4,000 passengers luggage off of 3 carousels and you can imagine how slow it was. Just want people to know so they can either do self debarkation, luggage valet, or allow extra time for the slow luggage retrieval.

 

 

We are on FOS Western on Nov 25th (just a few weeks and I got my DOCs today - wa hoo). Our flight from Miami back home is at 11:50 a.m on day of debarkment. Do you recommend self debarkment or will we be o.k. with the earliest tags?

 

Everything I have read, it sounds like I would be o.k. with the earliest tags. It doesn't sound like the clithes come until after the first wave of debarkment.

 

Linda

[rudeney]

Nice review! This pretty much echoes everything we experienced. Debarkation and baggage claims was horrible. The delays in getting off the ship were the fault of Border Patrol. They had three desks, but one was for disabled passengers (we were able to us that with the MIL needing wheelchair assistance), another was for some special use (maybe US resident aliens?) and then one for “everyone else”. I also disliked the baggage claim and waiting for luggage to come off the belts.

Like you, we found the large ship to be very comfortable and the staff to be excellent. We haven’t decided what our next cruise will be, but it will be hard to go “backward” now!

[pbelavich]

jersey girl where at the Jersey shore do you live?

[tcronier]

Thanks for the review! We are sailing on FOS in Dec and completely looking forward to it. We are doing the Eastern Caribbean though, but you had plenty of information about the ship and stuff, which is what I was looking for.

 

What was the ship like on the days you didn't go in to ports? We have been to San Juan before, and are thinking of staying on the ship, or going in to look at the fort and then come back.

 

Thanks again for the great review!

 

tree

[cruisinskier]

Thanks for taking the time to post your review. We will be on Freedom in March 08 and are starting to get excited.....

[jerseygirl3]

We are on FOS Western on Nov 25th (just a few weeks and I got my DOCs today - wa hoo). Our flight from Miami back home is at 11:50 a.m on day of debarkment. Do you recommend self debarkment or will we be o.k. with the earliest tags?

 

Everything I have read, it sounds like I would be o.k. with the earliest tags. It doesn't sound like the clithes come until after the first wave of debarkment.

 

Linda

 

If self debarkation is an option for you, I'd go that route. Not sure if you'll have little kids with you that would make it difficult, but if not, I'd say don't take a chance with regular debarkation. Even if you go with early tags (they weren't even checking colors, so that probably wouldn't be an issue), the hallways and staircases were clogged with tons of people all trying to get off at the same time. That in itself will hold you up. Then there's the hold-up with going through immigration and getting your luggage off the carousel. And even if all that goes smoothly, if you're flying out of MIA, it is very disorganized there. Lines going every which way, nobody seemed to know what they were doing.

 

IMO, why ruin a great vacation with worrying about rushing to make a flight. I would either plan to do self debarkation or change to a later flight.

[jerseygirl3]

jersey girl where at the Jersey shore do you live?

 

Exit 58 on the GSP, Little Egg Harbor, one exit south of LBI.

[jerseygirl3]

Thanks for the review! We are sailing on FOS in Dec and completely looking forward to it. We are doing the Eastern Caribbean though, but you had plenty of information about the ship and stuff, which is what I was looking for.

 

What was the ship like on the days you didn't go in to ports? We have been to San Juan before, and are thinking of staying on the ship, or going in to look at the fort and then come back.

 

Thanks again for the great review!

 

tree

 

We loved staying on the ship. We didn't have any kids with us, so we hung out at the Solarium (adults only). It was very relaxing.

[tcronier]

We are not taking our kids on this cruise - we haven't been brave enough to try a 7 day with them yet!

 

I have read mixed reviews about the Solarium, so hopefully they enforce the adults only portion of it. I hate to be rude about it, but there are plenty of things for kids to do, and it is nice to have a spot where just adults can relax and not worry about splashing and being bothered by rudeness of kids.

 

Having said that, I have kids, so don't anyone get on my case. I am just saying it is nice to have somewhere to relax quietly.

 

Again, thanks for the review. We are SUPER excited about this. It is our first RCI cruise - the past 3 have been Carnival, and we are hoping to not be disappointed.

 

Tree

[cathyoo]

Thanks for the great review.. trying to decide on a ship for a family cruise. This will have to be added to my short list.