Just off Freedom May 10 - 17th, Diamond and probably our last RCCL cruise.

These are just some of my thoughts and opinions and yours might differ. We just got home last night from the May 10th - 17th Western cruise on Freedom. Freedom has always been our favorite RCCL ship and holds a lot of wonderful, lifelong memories for us.

First the new cruise terminal is wonderful. From curbside to being handed a glass of champagne (Mother's Day and only for the women guests) took a total of 30 minutes. It's always nice to step back onto a ship that you are familiar with.

There were LOTS of children on this sailing. I was surprised as I thought they would still be in school. I remember in the past having lots of bar servers trying to sell you drinks at the pool and outside the Windjammer. None were to be seen. On sea days there were only one or two walking the decks asking people if they wanted bar service. We made our way to the Sky Bar for our first official "we are on vacation" drink. There was only one bartender and he was so painfully slow, uninterested in being there and non-friendly. You certainly didn't get the "lets get this party started" vibe.

Uninterested, slow and non-friendly is how I would say most of the bartenders were. I get a sense that the drink packages are cutting into the bartenders serving the drinks because I rarely saw anyone handing them cash money like we always do and have seen a lot of guests do in the past. My husband only drinks Black Russians. Last cruise this drink including gratuity was under $7, this cruise with the added gratuity and price increase was almost $13. We bought four drinks the entire cruise and used the Diamond Coupons in the evening, the Diamond Lounge, my wine I brought on board and some rum runners.

The friendly, outgoing vibe across the ship seems to have disappeared. The crew members don't go out of their way to say hi and when you go to ask anyone anything it seems to be a bother for them to assist you.

We have never had a bad cruise but this certainly was not a favorite. We will most likely stick to Celebrity when their ships are in the caribbean and for our other cruises we are going to investigate other cruise lines. I would rate this cruise a 5 out of 10.

Disembarking the ship was fast but once in the terminal it took 40 minutes to get through immigration.

I'm so sad to read these reports about Freedom. She is by far our favorite ship, and we have sailed her at least once a year for several years.

I have heard many reports similar to yours regarding the bar service and beverage packages. Because I'm the only one that drinks alcohol of my group (79 year old mom and 5 underage minors), I don't bother with much. Having my 3 drink coupons each evening (and mom has 3 as well), I think I'll be fine with that. But the reports of crew being unfriendly or seemingly unwilling to help is what has me concerned.

We cruise Royal and the Freedom class ships specifically for the flowrider (both of my boys are flowboard junkies). They may not notice the reported decline in service, but I think my mom and I would. With my oldest heading into his senior year in HS in the fall, I think our days of being able to coordinate family cruises may be coming to an end for a while, so maybe mom and I will try out another line down the road.

Other than the bar service, can you report on other aspects of the cruise? We're sailing Eastern in August.

Thanks.

Other than the bar service, can you report on other aspects of the cruise? We're sailing Eastern in August.

 

Thanks.

Hi Janet. Like I said we have never had a bad cruise, certainly better than sitting at my desk at work, LOL. There was just something missing on this cruise. Eliminating the Crypt nightclub means the Viking Crown/Olive or Twist is now the nighttime "club". We like to sit in different lounges and enjoy the live entertainment, there wasn't a lot of that on this cruise. The entire crew just seemed stretched thin and cranky.

I had to ask for a robe, which is usually there when we get on board. Of course no ice unless you request it and then when we left the ice bin out on the counter to have it refilled it was removed and not returned.

Food which I know is subjective was really good in the dining room and Giovannis Table. Windjammer food was fair at best.

You no longer have to sign out towels for the pool which is nice but the guys handing them out were also cranky.

It just seems like the crew are not happy campers. :(

We will be cruising on Freedom for the third time in June. Specifically chosen because we are going to rest and relax. Our last two cruises were in the Med and were port intensive. We were able to tempt my Grandson into going along. He just turned 21. He's Diamond on his own points and is taking a friend who has never been on a cruise before. We know they will find a pool, a beach, a casino and a bucket of beer enough to make them happy...plus he loves the food in the MDR and they have agreed to have dinner with us at night. We don't normally drink enough to make the drink package worthwhile, so we too will be depending on the 3 coupons, the DL and teh occasional fruity drink out by the pool. On our last few cruises, we discussed the "missing" bartenders around the pool area. We ended up going to the bar and waiting to get our own drinks. If we used a bartender to get a diet soda, it took them forever and we assumed it was because we had the soda card. That's a shame because there should be some sort of balance between not being able to find a bartender without GPS and the days when you couldn't shut your eyes and get some sun without a bartender approaching you every minute to ask you to purchase a drink.

Did you find there not to be many bar menus? We are cruising in July and bought the drink package and are looking forward to trying new drinks.

With the beverage packages being pushed heavily there's no longer a need for roving servers selling their product. This isn't just on the Freedom.

Did you find there not to be many bar menus? We are cruising in July and bought the drink package and are looking forward to trying new drinks.

We saw bar menus at the Olive or Twist and R Bar with VERY limited drinks on them. Don't remember seeing any others.

With the beverage packages being pushed heavily there's no longer a need for roving servers selling their product. This isn't just on the Freedom.

Before the heavy promotion of drink packages they had to hustle to meet the department quota on alcohol. Now with drink packages being sold to large numbers they already have the money so the consumers needs to hustle to get their value for the money.

With the beverage packages being pushed heavily there's no longer a need for roving servers selling their product. This isn't just on the Freedom.

Nor is there a need when people shamelessly admit that they use Rum Runners.

Before the heavy promotion of drink packages they had to hustle to meet the department quota on alcohol. Now with drink packages being sold to large numbers they already have the money so the consumers needs to hustle to get their value for the money.

Perfectly said :D

Before the heavy promotion of drink packages they had to hustle to meet the department quota on alcohol. Now with drink packages being sold to large numbers they already have the money so the consumers needs to hustle to get their value for the money.

Perfectly said :D

And that is probably why we are reading some reports here about cranky bartenders. They don't have to entice people to want to use their bar because they now get their part of the package gratuities for doing less.

Nor is there a need when people shamelessly admit that they use Rum Runners.

Possibly, but not likely the reason.

If the pkges. are sold, the cruise line already has your money, it would benefit them financially to serve fewer drinks.

Possibly, but not likely the reason.

If the pkges. are sold, the cruise line already has your money, it would benefit them financially to serve fewer drinks.

I've wondered if they have reduced the number of bar personnel since the packages have become so popular. Like you say, the incentive now is to serve fewer drinks.

In reference to the bar service on Freedom....

My husband and I bought the drink package on the Freedom's April 26 sailing. The bartenders at the Squeeze bar on deck 11, Katash and Philomen, were exceptionally friendly and made of several drinks based on our descriptions of what we wanted. They could not have been any more eager to please. Lincoln in the Viking Crown lounge also provided exceptional service and Raphael at Vintages was great also. The bartenders at the R Bar were rude as was at least one of the bartenders at the Sky Bar.

There weren't any drink carts roaming the pool decks; plus extra tables set up? Now granted it was basic stuff, but it helped. I saw the rolling carts a lot on Liberty. I saw 2 to 3 bartenders at busy times on Liberty both bars in Solarium in April.

My ice bucket was taken in the am and usually put back during dinner hour. It works so your ice lasts the night into the am.

Happy cruising all!

These are just some of my thoughts and opinions and yours might differ. We just got home last night from the May 10th - 17th Western cruise on Freedom. Freedom has always been our favorite RCCL ship and holds a lot of wonderful, lifelong memories for us.

 

First the new cruise terminal is wonderful. From curbside to being handed a glass of champagne (Mother's Day and only for the women guests) took a total of 30 minutes. It's always nice to step back onto a ship that you are familiar with.

 

There were LOTS of children on this sailing. I was surprised as I thought they would still be in school. I remember in the past having lots of bar servers trying to sell you drinks at the pool and outside the Windjammer. None were to be seen. On sea days there were only one or two walking the decks asking people if they wanted bar service. We made our way to the Sky Bar for our first official "we are on vacation" drink. There was only one bartender and he was so painfully slow, uninterested in being there and non-friendly. You certainly didn't get the "lets get this party started" vibe.

 

Uninterested, slow and non-friendly is how I would say most of the bartenders were. I get a sense that the drink packages are cutting into the bartenders serving the drinks because I rarely saw anyone handing them cash money like we always do and have seen a lot of guests do in the past. My husband only drinks Black Russians. Last cruise this drink including gratuity was under $7, this cruise with the added gratuity and price increase was almost $13. We bought four drinks the entire cruise and used the Diamond Coupons in the evening, the Diamond Lounge, my wine I brought on board and some rum runners.

 

The friendly, outgoing vibe across the ship seems to have disappeared. The crew members don't go out of their way to say hi and when you go to ask anyone anything it seems to be a bother for them to assist you.

 

We have never had a bad cruise but this certainly was not a favorite. We will most likely stick to Celebrity when their ships are in the caribbean and for our other cruises we are going to investigate other cruise lines. I would rate this cruise a 5 out of 10.

 

Disembarking the ship was fast but once in the terminal it took 40 minutes to get through immigration.

I was just on her last month and echo many of your sentiments. Its sad too as our April 2012 cruise was SO much different. It was NOT a bad cruise but it certainly wasnt a great cruise either. The overall vibe was way down compared to our Freedom cruise 3 years ago. Drink service was mediocre to downright poor. Overall, most of the crew just seemed to be going through the motions and didnt seem to be as happy as in the past. I ran into several that were pretty rude for no real reason other than what I chalked up to being over worked. This was NOT my experience in 2012!

6 out of 10 would be a fair rating for this particular cruise. All in the past were no less than 9.

I will cruise Allure because I have wanted to experience one of those ships since they were built and then I will be looking around. At least if I try something new, I wont know how far they have slipped. :)

We're going on Freedom on Jun 7. This is our first Royal cruise. I picked Freedom because I read so many saying that she is their favorite ship. We also got the drink package so we don't have to worry about a bill at the end of the cruise. I have read many of these threads about bartenders and drink packages. My question is, will we be disappointed? Not just with bartenders but it seems like other workers are unhappy, too. This is our first cruise since 2012 and we are really looking forward to it. We are used to having great service with happy people. Is there anything we can do to make sure this happens? We are not picky and fairly low key. We don't need a lot to make us happy. But if we feel that we are a bother, that won't be much fun.

We're going on Freedom on Jun 7. This is our first Royal cruise. I picked Freedom because I read so many saying that she is their favorite ship. We also got the drink package so we don't have to worry about a bill at the end of the cruise. I have read many of these threads about bartenders and drink packages. My question is, will we be disappointed? Not just with bartenders but it seems like other workers are unhappy, too. This is our first cruise since 2012 and we are really looking forward to it. We are used to having great service with happy people. Is there anything we can do to make sure this happens? We are not picky and fairly low key. We don't need a lot to make us happy. But if we feel that we are a bother, that won't be much fun.

Speaking only for myself, even giving my last Freedom cruise a 6 out of 10, I would have left again on her yesterday if I could :) And Im not one of those "bad day on a cruise ship is better than a good day at work" people either. You will love the ship and it being your first Royal cruise, you may be very pleasantly surprised.

The ship itself was greater than ever. Its just that we noticed a huge difference in service overall than 3 years ago. There were a few other things we were underwhelmed with such as Chops and the food quality in the MDR. All that being subjective of course though. :) I would recommend not being afraid to take a dinner in the Windjammer. I did for the first time ever and was very surprised! Also if you do specialty dining at all, check out Giovannis Table. It was incredible and Johnathan, our waiter, was fantastic!

Not a bad cruise. Just not a great cruise as it was in 2012. For us anyway :) What made up for that was cruising with good friends and having a great time together.

In reference to the bar service on Freedom....

 

The bartenders at the R Bar were rude as was at least one of the bartenders at the Sky Bar.

LOL! I went down to the R Bar on the 2nd to last day to ask for a wine glass. Our cabin attendant had taken mine. I was a bartender and server for over 25 years and I am ALWAYS very polite when requesting anything. There was one person at the R Bar at the time so it wasn't crowded. I said "may I please have a wine glass our cabin attendant removed mine". The bartender replied "you should have called room service". He turns around and walks into the service area and returns with a wine glass and says "here". I should have just reached over the bar and taken one. I couldn't believe how rude he was.

Wonder how long I would have waited for a wine glass if I called room service for one? :eek:

Just received my email survey, can't wait to get started on that. :D

Speaking only for myself, even giving my last Freedom cruise a 6 out of 10, I would have left again on her yesterday if I could :) And Im not one of those "bad day on a cruise ship is better than a good day at work" people either. You will love the ship and it being your first Royal cruise, you may be very pleasantly surprised.

 

The ship itself was greater than ever. Its just that we noticed a huge difference in service overall than 3 years ago. There were a few other things we were underwhelmed with such as Chops and the food quality in the MDR. All that being subjective of course though. :) I would recommend not being afraid to take a dinner in the Windjammer. I did for the first time ever and was very surprised! Also if you do specialty dining at all, check out Giovannis Table. It was incredible and Johnathan, our waiter, was fantastic!

 

Not a bad cruise. Just not a great cruise as it was in 2012. For us anyway :) What made up for that was cruising with good friends and having a great time together.

Thanks! I hope it won't be too bad. We're not doing any speciality dining. We'll just be eating in the MDR. We like to sit at a large table so we can meet new people. Have made some lifelong friends that way.

LOL! I went down to the R Bar on the 2nd to last day to ask for a wine glass. Our cabin attendant had taken mine. I was a bartender and server for over 25 years and I am ALWAYS very polite when requesting anything. There was one person at the R Bar at the time so it wasn't crowded. I said "may I please have a wine glass our cabin attendant removed mine". The bartender replied "you should have called room service". He turns around and walks into the service area and returns with a wine glass and says "here". I should have just reached over the bar and taken one. I couldn't believe how rude he was.

 

Wonder how long I would have waited for a wine glass if I called room service for one? :eek:

 

Just received my email survey, can't wait to get started on that. :D

If they get enough "not so good" surveys maybe someone will look into the situation. Especially if it has to do with staff attitude.

I know we didn't sail on Freedom, but Enchantment on May 4th - 8th and can confirm the OP's opinion of terminal 1 for embarkation. However, our disembarkation was painless.

We also purchased the premium beverage package as there is no longer a wine & dine package.

Our experience on Enchantment is similar in regard to lack of bar tenders, servers around the pool deck and in the R Bar. I and others actually walked away from bars because we could not get served due to the volume of people waiting for drinks.

The bar menus are extremely limited and some of the wines offered are actually not available after day 1 (strange these seem to be the most expensive available under the package at $12 and only cheaper options are offered).

To be honest I was extremely disappointed in the service provided and said as such in the survey which RCI asked me to complete, but I doubt it will change anything. I found guest service staff to be rude too.

The Diamond Concierge completely ignored us but despite rumours to the contrary we still had access to the Concierge Lounge where the concierge was friendly as was the server in that lounge, direct opposite to those in the DL.

I am so disillusioned with RCI at the present time having then sailed on Carnival immediately after Enchantment and found so many positives.

I am afraid this lapse in service is not only on the Freedom. We were the Brilliance in February of this year and I decided it was time to return to other companies after that trip. The MDR was the worst service I have ever experienced and it would have been easier to have a root canal than to obtain a drink at the bars. Talk about understaffed! Even the service at Chops was suffering along with the food.

I was almost at diamond plus but jumped ship for....wait, no haters please...for Carnival. We just got home from the Splendor and while I can't believe I'm saying this, the food, service, and well everything was so far above my Brilliance cruise that I am still in shock. It was like cruising used to be 10 years ago.

I had not sailed Carnival for years and was completely blown away. I know...I'm still shaking my head. I hate to see this happening to a cruise line I have loved for years.

I am afraid this lapse in service is not only on the Freedom. We were the Brilliance in February of this year and I decided it was time to return to other companies after that trip. The MDR was the worst service I have ever experienced and it would have been easier to have a root canal than to obtain a drink at the bars. Talk about understaffed! Even the service at Chops was suffering along with the food.

 

I was almost at diamond plus but jumped ship for....wait, no haters please...for Carnival. We just got home from the Splendor and while I can't believe I'm saying this, the food, service, and well everything was so far above my Brilliance cruise that I am still in shock. It was like cruising used to be 10 years ago.

I had not sailed Carnival for years and was completely blown away. I know...I'm still shaking my head. I hate to see this happening to a cruise line I have loved for years.

We're going on Freedom on Jun 7. This is our first Royal cruise. I picked Freedom because I read so many saying that she is their favorite ship. We also got the drink package so we don't have to worry about a bill at the end of the cruise. I have read many of these threads about bartenders and drink packages. My question is, will we be disappointed? Not just with bartenders but it seems like other workers are unhappy, too. This is our first cruise since 2012 and we are really looking forward to it. We are used to having great service with happy people. Is there anything we can do to make sure this happens? We are not picky and fairly low key. We don't need a lot to make us happy. But if we feel that we are a bother, that won't be much fun.

Sad, why would you be disappointed, your cruise has not happened yet? Go and make up your own mind. Freedom carries over 200,000 PAX a year, needless to say something is working. You don't need to do a thing other than have a good time