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greeneyesviv

greeneyesviv

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[quote name='familia_solis'][FONT=Century Gothic][SIZE=3][COLOR=mediumturquoise][B]Hi Everyone ....[/B][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[B][SIZE=3][FONT=Century Gothic][COLOR=mediumturquoise]This will be my families first time on the FOS, first time Forward. We usually book balcony for Hubby and I and an inside for the kids, that is when the kids go. Our last cruise we had an AFT balcony which hooked me on AFTS. However, we just booked this week so all the AFTS were taken and no inside and balconies near eachother. [COLOR=black]Therefore we booked the Family Oceanview 6500 ... now my question is will I like Forward?[/COLOR] We are used to midship or AFT. I understand that we will have great views but I am kind of leery of being forward.[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][COLOR=mediumturquoise]

[B][SIZE=3][FONT=Century Gothic]Thank you in advance!![/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]

[FONT=Century Gothic][SIZE=3][COLOR=magenta][B]Happy Cruising ....[/B][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[B][SIZE=3][FONT=Century Gothic][COLOR=magenta]Patty [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/quote]

We Just got off the Mariner Family Oceanview 8500 July 19, 2009, I know it is a different ship but the room is also forward like the one you booked...(I wanted to answer your questions since I asked the same question about my cabin with no response)..my family loved the room but we felt every movement, I was sea sick the frist day even though I took meds...after the first day we all got use to the movement of the ship. The view from our cabin was great. I would book this room again even though I felt the movement more...we have never had aft but usually book mid ship...I hope this helps..have a great time on your cruise...
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familia_solis

familia_solis

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Posted (edited)
[quote name='greeneyesviv']We Just got off the Mariner Family Oceanview 8500 July 19, 2009, I know it is a different ship but the room is also forward like the one you booked...(I wanted to answer your questions since I asked the same question about my cabin with no response)..my family loved the room but we felt every movement, I was sea sick the frist day even though I took meds...after the first day we all got use to the movement of the ship. The view from our cabin was great. I would book this room again even though I felt the movement more...we have never had aft but usually book mid ship...I hope this helps..have a great time on your cruise...[/QUOTE]

[FONT="Century Gothic"][SIZE="3"][COLOR="MediumTurquoise"][B]Yes, it does, thank you. I have never gotten sea sick before so I am hoping I dont, well just once on our last cruise but that was my fault .. I had had a little bit too much to drink the night before. However, I dont drink when the kids cruise with us. I heard that ginger does the trick for sea sickness, maybe I will bring some along just in case. Did you take pictures of the cabin? I would love to view.
How was your itinerary? We were thinking about doing the Mariner Mexican Riviera in November but I read it wasnt a good time of the yr for that itinerary, so that is why we chose the Freedom instead. Perhaps the spring .... we love the Mariner. [/B][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT] Edited by familia_solis
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Cuizer2

Cuizer2

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Posted
[quote name='familia_solis'][FONT=Century Gothic][SIZE=3][COLOR=MediumTurquoise][B]Hi Everyone ....

This will be my families first time on the FOS, first time Forward. We usually book balcony for Hubby and I and an inside for the kids, that is when the kids go. Our last cruise we had an AFT balcony which hooked me on AFTS. However, we just booked this week so all the AFTS were taken and no inside and balconies near eachother. [COLOR=Black]Therefore we booked the Family Oceanview 6500 ... now my question is will I like Forward?[/COLOR] We are used to midship or AFT. I understand that we will have great views but I am kind of leery of being forward.

Thank you in advance!![/B][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Century Gothic][SIZE=3][COLOR=Magenta][B]Happy Cruising ....

Patty [/B][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/quote]

It is just like the aft, except you are facing the other way.
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greeneyesviv

greeneyesviv

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[quote name='familia_solis'][FONT=Century Gothic][SIZE=3][COLOR=mediumturquoise][B]Yes, it does, thank you. I have never gotten sea sick before so I am hoping I dont, well just once on our last cruise but that was my fault .. I had had a little bit too much to drink the night before. However, I dont drink when the kids cruise with us. I heard that ginger does the trick for sea sickness, maybe I will bring some along just in case. Did you take pictures of the cabin? I would love to view. [/B][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[B][SIZE=3][FONT=Century Gothic][COLOR=mediumturquoise]How was your itinerary? We were thinking about doing the Mariner Mexican Riviera in November but I read it wasnt a good time of the yr for that itinerary, so that is why we chose the Freedom instead. Perhaps the spring .... we love the Mariner. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/quote]

I do have picture but was told that the cabins 8500 and 8200 are shaped different than other family ocean view room (if you look at the deck plans you will see) I would see if they have either 8500 or 8200 available for your cruise, they have a seperate room with a door for the parents and a room with a door and bunk beds for the kids with a pull out bed in the sitting room. I tried to attached a view of the cabin and the view you would get from the cabin but it wouldn't attatch, I must be doing something wrong lol, i can send the to you..we are thining about the Freedom for next summer is why I was here looking...you can send me your e mail at greeneyesviv at hotmail dot com..viv
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gssmks

gssmks

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Originally Posted by snorkelman viewpost.gif

If you scanned in the compass, why not upload it to something like photobucket and post the link and then everyone can view it without giving out email addresses and cluttering up this thread.

 

*******************************************************

 

I have the Eastern Compasses & Daily Menus. I know NOTHING about Photobucket - but I would be happy to email to someone who could put into a form that anyone reading this thread could click on & save.

 

I have emailed to about 40 since Sat- Would like to make available to all rather than individually.

 

We are counting the days until 11/8 when we cruise.

 

Thanks, djay

 

Please e-mail them to me at gail_slone@hotmail.com

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GLB

GLB

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We are leaving home in 1 hour to drive to the East coast to board the Freedom. I can't believe it is finally time to go.

I looked at the web cam to see her waiting for us and the web cam is not working :confused: but I know she will be there!!!!!!

We're excited:)

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gssmks

gssmks

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We are leaving home in 1 hour to drive to the East coast to board the Freedom. I can't believe it is finally time to go.

I looked at the web cam to see her waiting for us and the web cam is not working :confused: but I know she will be there!!!!!!

We're excited:)

 

You have already left out, but just in case you check in again........HAVE A WONDERFUL TIME!!!!!!1

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gssmks

gssmks

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I am considering booking a cruise on FOS and I am gathering information. I have cruised twice, but both were on Disney. We have decided to try something different and right now, it looks like it will be FOS. Here are my questions:

 

1. Disney has self-serve drink stations by the pool and soda is free. I know from reading this thread that FOS does not. Where is the closest place to get drinks and how far is that from the pool area?

 

2. How are tips handled on FOS? Do they automatically tack them on to your account? If so, how much is added? Do you hand deliver them on the last night? Is there a recommended amount that we should give?

 

3. On Disney, you can ship boxes to the port from home and when you arrive at the ship, they are waiting for you in your cabin. Can you do this with RCI also? Can anyone that has done this tell me if the information on the mailing label is different in any way other than obviously the name of the ship will be different?

 

4. I saw a post about getting a ticket to the ice show even though it is free. Do they assign you to a show at random or do you get to choose which show you want to watch?

 

5. I saw that Chops and Portofino allow children in if the reservation is before 6:30. What is the age cut off over 6:30? Does the reservation have to begin before 6:30, or will be expected to be finished eating by 6:30? What is the dress code for these two restaurants if you go before 6:30? Obviously, we would not go in shorts or swimsuits and coverups, but is dress causual alright?

 

6. On my first cruise, I had a bad experience with my credit card. As everyone esle did, I put down my cc at the beginning of the cruise and at the end, they just charge everything to the card. The problem was when I received the statement, the charge was several thousand dollars more than it should have been. I did eventually get this straightened out and my cc account was credited for the difference, but it took months and numerous long distance telephone calls. For my second cruise, Disney allowed me to bring cash money. Instead of giving them the cc, I gave $1,500.00. I was allowed to charge to the room card as normal and was just told that I would be cut off once I spent the full $1,500.00. It was just my daughter and myself and we did not spend all the money and the difference was reimbursed to me on last morning. My question is.......will RCI allow me to put down money also, or will I have to leave a cc with them? I read on here somewhere that a family went with cash money, they would not accept that and the family had to borrow a friends cc to put down before they could charge anything to their cards.

 

Well, that's all I ask for now. If I try to ask everything at once, this will be a mile long.

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nzdisneymom

nzdisneymom

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Quick question about dinners -- is the same menu offered in Windjammer as is served in the formal dining rooms? Only buffet style in WJ? We're planning to eat in the dining room on the Cruise Casual nights but not take formal wear so we'll dine at WJ (or maybe room service?) those evenings. What about room service meals for dinner -- are they the same food (or limited selection) as what is served in the dining rooms?

 

Thanks.

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MrsPete

MrsPete

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6. On my first cruise, I had a bad experience with my credit card. As everyone esle did, I put down my cc at the beginning of the cruise and at the end, they just charge everything to the card. The problem was when I received the statement, the charge was several thousand dollars more than it should have been. I did eventually get this straightened out and my cc account was credited for the difference, but it took months and numerous long distance telephone calls. For my second cruise, Disney allowed me to bring cash money. Instead of giving them the cc, I gave $1,500.00. I was allowed to charge to the room card as normal and was just told that I would be cut off once I spent the full $1,500.00. It was just my daughter and myself and we did not spend all the money and the difference was reimbursed to me on last morning. My question is.......will RCI allow me to put down money also, or will I have to leave a cc with them? I read on here somewhere that a family went with cash money, they would not accept that and the family had to borrow a friends cc to put down before they could charge anything to their cards.
What about getting yourself a gift-card VISA and using that to create your onboard account? If you expect to spend $1500 onboard, get a $2000 card to be safe -- you can spend whatever's left on the card on groceries, etc. when you're back home . . . but they won't be able to screw up your "real" credit card.

 

Experts, would that work?

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10th Anniversary

10th Anniversary

Posted
Posted
I am considering booking a cruise on FOS and I am gathering information. I have cruised twice, but both were on Disney. We have decided to try something different and right now, it looks like it will be FOS. Here are my questions:

 

1. Disney has self-serve drink stations by the pool and soda is free. I know from reading this thread that FOS does not. Where is the closest place to get drinks and how far is that from the pool area? Have not sailed the Freedom yet (Oct. 11), but on the Mariner, the Windjammer and pools were on the same level so you could go to the Windjammer for drinks or use the pool side bars.

 

2. How are tips handled on FOS? Do they automatically tack them on to your account? If so, how much is added? Do you hand deliver them on the last night? Is there a recommended amount that we should give? We chose to pre-pay our tips and did so before we boarded. The total is like $9.75 per day, per person. We received vouchers that we handed out on the last night.

 

3. On Disney, you can ship boxes to the port from home and when you arrive at the ship, they are waiting for you in your cabin. Can you do this with RCI also? Can anyone that has done this tell me if the information on the mailing label is different in any way other than obviously the name of the ship will be different? I believe you can do this with Royal too. I have never done this. Go to Royal's website and I'm sure there's information there...before you cruise or new to cruising.

 

4. I saw a post about getting a ticket to the ice show even though it is free. Do they assign you to a show at random or do you get to choose which show you want to watch? Tickets are free and you pick the show you want to see. You are not assigned a show. But you must have a ticket to get in. The seating is very limited.

 

5. I saw that Chops and Portofino allow children in if the reservation is before 6:30. What is the age cut off over 6:30? Does the reservation have to begin before 6:30, or will be expected to be finished eating by 6:30? What is the dress code for these two restaurants if you go before 6:30? Obviously, we would not go in shorts or swimsuits and coverups, but is dress causual alright? I believe the age is 13. We have never taken our kids...they went to Adventure Ocean and we went and enjoy a nice quiet dinner. Casual dress is fine...I wore a pant suit and my husband wore dress pants and polo.

 

6. On my first cruise, I had a bad experience with my credit card. As everyone esle did, I put down my cc at the beginning of the cruise and at the end, they just charge everything to the card. The problem was when I received the statement, the charge was several thousand dollars more than it should have been. I did eventually get this straightened out and my cc account was credited for the difference, but it took months and numerous long distance telephone calls. For my second cruise, Disney allowed me to bring cash money. Instead of giving them the cc, I gave $1,500.00. I was allowed to charge to the room card as normal and was just told that I would be cut off once I spent the full $1,500.00. It was just my daughter and myself and we did not spend all the money and the difference was reimbursed to me on last morning. My question is.......will RCI allow me to put down money also, or will I have to leave a cc with them? I read on here somewhere that a family went with cash money, they would not accept that and the family had to borrow a friends cc to put down before they could charge anything to their cards. We always put cash on your sea pass account. We have never used a credit card for the fear of what you stated. We have never been told we couldn't use cash. Just went to the purser's desk, gave me the cash, and it was added to our cards. If we get close to running out, they call us and we go add more. If we have a balance at the end of the cruise, we get that back in cash on the last night.

 

Well, that's all I ask for now. If I try to ask everything at once, this will be a mile long.

 

While I am no expert on cruising, we do enjoy cruising and sharing our experiences with fellow cruisers and cruise critic. Hope you give the Freedom a try. I think you will be glad you did.

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lori450

lori450

Posted
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Food in the WJ is similar to the MDR; however, you will not find the more upscale selections (e.g. lobster). You can order room service and get the same meal as the MDR (within the same time frame as the MDR) but again, the more upscale offerings are not available.

 

Yes, you can use cash. There are no self-serve soda stations. You must go to the nearest bar and ask for soda. If you buy the card, you get fountain serve in a glass. If you opt to purchase soda individually they give you a can. You have to drink a lot of soda for the card to be economical.

You have two options for tips. One is prepaid as mentioned above, the other is to pay yourself on the last night. They provide envelopes, but I bring my own (I already fill them with the minimum and add more onboard if warranted).

I'm sorry, but living in Ft. L, I have no idea about the shipping.

The ice show tickets are only designed to prevent everyone from showing up at the same show. The venue has limited seating. It's simply a way to manage the numbers. I have gone in last minute without a ticket at times. If there is a seat fine, if not, oh well there is another show tomorrow.

The minimum age for Portofino and Chops is 13. For younger children dinner must start by 6:30pm. Be cautioned, it is a long meal in a quiet, intimate setting.

 

I'm sorry if my answers are a jumble. I tried to answer all your questions.

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pete78

pete78

Posted
Posted
Food in the WJ is similar to the MDR; however, you will not find the more upscale selections (e.g. lobster). You can order room service and get the same meal as the MDR (within the same time frame as the MDR) but again, the more upscale offerings are not available.

 

Hi Lori,

 

This is sort of off-topic, but I noticed by searching these board that you stayed in Room 9334 on the Freedom of the Seas. We are thinking of booking that exact same room. What were your overall thoughts on it? We are most concerned about the noises due to being next to the elevators and the possible noise coming from the adjoining room. Did the adjoining room bother you at all; could you hear anything?

 

Any info would be much appreciated. Thanks!

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counsdr

counsdr

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Posted

Just did a last minute booking on this ship. What is the best way to go from MCO to the ship? Our TA recommends the RCCL transfer. We come in on Sat. night around 8 PM and will stay at a hotel near the airport for the night. Any hotel recommendations?

All info welcome.

Thanks,

Cheryl

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djay

djay

Posted
Posted (edited)

For price comparison-Check out website

 

www.cbshuttle.com/rates.htm

 

Some hotels offer free shuttle.

 

We are sailing 11/8 and staying at Best Western for $89 (a crown member). Many CC writers stay at County Suites or Raddison

DJay

Edited by djay
poster coming from airport
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marci22

marci22

Posted
Posted
Just did a last minute booking on this ship. What is the best way to go from MCO to the ship? Our TA recommends the RCCL transfer. We come in on Sat. night around 8 PM and will stay at a hotel near the airport for the night. Any hotel recommendations?

All info welcome.

Thanks,

Cheryl

 

We just stayed at Residence Inn and it was very nice.

 

From MCO to the ship, we came in at 7:30pm the night before and rented a car from Avis. We had to wait about 45 min between doing the paperwork and getting the car, but then we were able to pick up things that we had forgotten, like a digital camera :eek:, toothbrush :eek:, and a 24 pack of water.

 

On the way back, I wouldn't rent a car because it takes too much time. For that, I would look for a car service. Also getting off early beats taking your time; you get where you are going with much less waiting.

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