Wonderful cruise on the Freedom of the Seas

I sailed on the Freedom of the Seas November 1-8, 2015. This is my 5th Royal cruise and 8th cruise total. I've been on the sister ship, Liberty twice, and Freedom was very similar. We were six women friends reuniting. I'll break it down for you:

Embarkation: from Port Canaveral, the smoothest I have ever experienced. We arrived at 11 and mostly walked right on. Amazing!! Makes me want to go only out of this port.

Food: fantastic!! The Windjammer is always the usual chaos but the food was varied and fresh and there was something for everyone. The main dining room was fantastic. We had 8pm set dining and our servers were amazing and the food was so good. We had Domas, Farrah and Olex. All awesome people who we enjoyed seeing each night. We often did room service to our balconies each morning for breakfast and sat outside to eat. Heaven and super great service right on time. Lunch was varied... Either windjammer, dining room or whatever .... Hard not to snack all day as there was always food around. The promenade cafe shop was awesome for water and coffee, sandwiches and treats. We started joking that we were eating pre lunch then lunch then pre dinner.

Cabin : we had 3 balcony rooms in a row on deck 9 mid aft (9658). Our room steward was excellent and opened up our balcony dividers. The six of us spent lots of time sitting out on our balconies chatting and eating. Makes the rooms seem bigger. The space inside is well utilized.

Shows: Casey Pelter was the Cruise Director from Calgary, Canada and he was HILARIOUS!!!! Such a great guy and made the game shows so funny. He was very involved in everything and I thought he was one of the best I've seen. There were 2 good comedians on board and a Led Zeppelin cover band that was amazing!! The illusionist was great too. The Welcome Aboard and Farewell shows were great too. All so good.

Other: the six of us worked out daily in the gym (so we could eat all that amazing food) and I have to say the gym on this ship was fantastic. Tons of large windows to look out through and excellent machines. I also did the paid spin classes 2 times for $12 a class and they were good.

Debarkation: we were in no hurry to get off the ship and were one of the last at 9:45am. Walked right off. Waited in line at Customs but that was it. No issue getting a shuttle to our hotel after.

All in all, one of my favourite cruises ever. Can't say one negative thing about the Freedom. Such great service and super clean ship. Fantastic!!!!

How do you get them? We are 10 people. Glad you had such a great time!

Thanks for sharing! It sounds great. Booked FOS for our first cruise ever in April. This review makes me very excited.

Ir. Can't say one negative thing about the Freedom.

I took that as a challenge! (Kidding, I love the ship) It's a huge stretch, but while having a big windjammer the last week I was on her there was only one bacon station!

Ok, now that I have had my fun, back to reading the rest of your post.

Thank you for sharing! We have 10 days to go! It will be our third time on Freedom, as we also LOVE Port Canaveral. :)

PS: I am also wondering if they still distribute ice show tickets...

I just got off the Independence this week and was on the Explorer in February. Ice show times are assigned by muster stations. There will be a paper in your cabin telling you when your show is scheduled.

How do you get them? We are 10 people. Glad you had such a great time!

It's first come first served. There are no reservations.

I was on the same cruise (Nov 1- 8) and it was not up to RCCL standards that we have experienced on past RCCL cruises (we are diamond). Although there were a lot of good things, like easy boarding and leaving, some of the entertainment (ice show and Drew Thomas were spectacular) we experienced a lot of first time negatives.

The food was hit and miss. We gave up having breakfast in the MDR after waiting 30 minutes for the eggs benedict that came out cold and slooooow service to get coffee refills - however the Winjammer breakfast was excellent from made to order omelets to freshly fried eggs, and a whole lot more choices. The lobster tails in the MDS on 2nd formal night were a joke, we ate one night in Chops (excellent food and service) and the gigantic shrimp cocktail appetizer were LARGER than the lobster tails in the MDR - unbelievable. We did dinner one night in the Winjammer and never went back to the MDR, among other amazing food like sushi and pasta and Mexican..., they had a chef carving a real turkey - amazing.

The entertainment was also hit an miss - I agree that the Royal Caribbean singers and dancers, Drew Thomas, and both comedians were superb. BUT one night they had a Led Zeplin tribute band (Ledzepagain) which were 2 guys with guitars, a drummer and a singer (like a high school sock hop) that blasted the room with noise that most people left the already half empty room after the first song - I still believe that this group got on the wrong ship and should have been playing on Carnival. AND worst yet, there was one night with NO entertainment, they were showing a movie in the main showroom - when we mentioned this to the cruise director Casey Pelter, he told us that is the policy on all Royal ships to have one night without entertainment on a 7 night cruise and has been that way since he started with Royal - really, we have been on over 12 Royal cruises in the past and never had that happen. Finally what is wrong with Royal - they have an excellent piano player entertainer - Kelly Goodrich who did nightly tributes in the Schooner bar and the place was so packed - starting 1 hour before his starting time of 10:00pm - that people couldn't move in the aisles - and no-one from Royal was around to fix this and perhaps move him to the Starlight Lounge which was empty at the time so that everyone could enjoy his talents.

So yeah, we have been loyal to Royal but now they are falling down to Carnival status with higher rates and upsells and additional charge extras. Buyer beware.

I was on the same cruise (Nov 1- 8) and it was not up to RCCL standards that we have experienced on past RCCL cruises (we are diamond).

Geez, couldn't you write your own review instead of raining on the OP's parade? :confused:

Can't say one negative thing about the Freedom. Such great service and super clean ship. Fantastic!!!!

Thanks for your review! FOS is our favorite ship! Should be interesting if it stays with great service etc., after the hotel director, Michael Rasmussen leaves. He's going on break in January and then will go to Radiance and Explorer for 2 months each so next year for him will be mainly relief. Haven't heard who's taking over for him on FOS.

Going on the Freedom this Sunday, (11-15). This will be the 2nd time on the Freedom, enjoyed it the first time and am looking forward to this time.

Taking my wife's 85 year old mother along with us so we splurged and got a Royal Family Suite. Also looking forward to that.

BUT one night they had a Led Zeplin tribute band (Ledzepagain) which were 2 guys with guitars, a drummer and a singer (like a high school sock hop) that blasted the room with noise that most people left the already half empty room after the first song .

I get that you are not a fan but come on - did you see those groupies in the right front section dancing at virtually every song?

BTW, this was for the 9 PM show from which very few walked out.

Hard not to snack all day as there was always food around. The promenade cafe shop was awesome for water and coffee, sandwiches and treats.

There was a very teachable moment for anyone who reads this and is unsatisfied with something on the ship. I don't know for how long this has been going on but on the Freedom when the Windjammer is closed, you can't have anything other than water/coffee to drink at the other venues (Cafe Promenade, Sorentos, etc). After the Captain's corner I asked the F&B manager if one of the two water dispensers in the Cafe Promenade could be switched out for either iced tea or lemonade. He said good idea, made a call and within a couple of hours there was iced tea in Cafe Promenade (after that they alternated between iced tea and lemonade). Moral of the story - don't wait for the end of the cruise survey to tell RCI you want something. Someone on the ship can probably fix it for you right there.

I was on the same cruise (Nov 1- 8) and it was not up to RCCL standards that we have experienced on past RCCL cruises (we are diamond). Although there were a lot of good things, like easy boarding and leaving, some of the entertainment (ice show and Drew Thomas were spectacular) we experienced a lot of first time negatives.

 

The food was hit and miss. We gave up having breakfast in the MDR after waiting 30 minutes for the eggs benedict that came out cold and slooooow service to get coffee refills - however the Winjammer breakfast was excellent from made to order omelets to freshly fried eggs, and a whole lot more choices. The lobster tails in the MDS on 2nd formal night were a joke, we ate one night in Chops (excellent food and service) and the gigantic shrimp cocktail appetizer were LARGER than the lobster tails in the MDR - unbelievable. We did dinner one night in the Winjammer and never went back to the MDR, among other amazing food like sushi and pasta and Mexican..., they had a chef carving a real turkey - amazing.

 

The entertainment was also hit an miss - I agree that the Royal Caribbean singers and dancers, Drew Thomas, and both comedians were superb. BUT one night they had a Led Zeplin tribute band (Ledzepagain) which were 2 guys with guitars, a drummer and a singer (like a high school sock hop) that blasted the room with noise that most people left the already half empty room after the first song - I still believe that this group got on the wrong ship and should have been playing on Carnival. AND worst yet, there was one night with NO entertainment, they were showing a movie in the main showroom - when we mentioned this to the cruise director Casey Pelter, he told us that is the policy on all Royal ships to have one night without entertainment on a 7 night cruise and has been that way since he started with Royal - really, we have been on over 12 Royal cruises in the past and never had that happen. Finally what is wrong with Royal - they have an excellent piano player entertainer - Kelly Goodrich who did nightly tributes in the Schooner bar and the place was so packed - starting 1 hour before his starting time of 10:00pm - that people couldn't move in the aisles - and no-one from Royal was around to fix this and perhaps move him to the Starlight Lounge which was empty at the time so that everyone could enjoy his talents.

 

So yeah, we have been loyal to Royal but now they are falling down to Carnival status with higher rates and upsells and additional charge extras. Buyer beware.

Thank you for sharing! We have 10 days to go! It will be our third time on Freedom, as we also LOVE Port Canaveral. :)

 

PS: I am also wondering if they still distribute ice show tickets...

I just got off the Independence this week and was on the Explorer in February. Ice show times are assigned by muster stations. There will be a paper in your cabin telling you when your show is scheduled.

I'm currently on Freedom and the ice show is not done the same as on Independence. There are 4 shows throughout the week. On the western that was 2 on day 2 (first sea day) and 2 on day 4 in the evening. It is a first come first serve - no tickets and no assignment by muster station. The first show on the sea day was cancelled due to rough seas and rescheduled for the next afternoon.

Thanks so much for the review! I just paid off my March cruise on Freedom and am getting very excited :-).

I'm currently on Freedom and the ice show is not done the same as on Independence. There are 4 shows throughout the week. On the western that was 2 on day 2 (first sea day) and 2 on day 4 in the evening. It is a first come first serve - no tickets and no assignment by muster station. The first show on the sea day was cancelled due to rough seas and rescheduled for the next afternoon.

Thanks for this information. Do you think the ice shows fill up quickly? Any suggestion on how early to get there to ensure seats?

Sent from my phone so typing may be suspect

Thanks for this information. Do you think the ice shows fill up quickly? Any suggestion on how early to get there to ensure seats?

 

 

Sent from my phone so typing may be suspect

They can fill up very quickly. I went to the rescheduled show which wasn't widely announced until about an hour before as we were in Labadee. I went down half an hour before it started and there was a queue of 40 or more people already there. People in Suites are told not to queue - I'm not sure if that is relevant to you. That queue, I'd imagine, would be far longer at one of the other regular time shows. However, as doors open 30 minutes before, perhaps getting there 10 or 15 minutes before that should be absolutely fine.

92 days until my 4th cruise on the Freedom. I am going to sad when it is moved from Port Canaveral. We have booked the ice show online before going each time. It sounds like this has changed. Is is still possible to before before leaving?

92 days until my 4th cruise on the Freedom. I am going to sad when it is moved from Port Canaveral. We have booked the ice show online before going each time. It sounds like this has changed. Is is still possible to before before leaving?

No. No online booking of any shows was available for this current cruise and from other threads and comments, it appears to be this way for every cruise on Freedom... obviously I can only speak from my current experience.

I have to agree with the poster who said the MDR dinner food was hit or miss. I was on the same cruise as part of a group of 6. We all were disappointed with the food in the MDR. Some nights it was ok but other nights the meals we selected were terrible. I could give some specific examples of what we did not care for and possibly if we ordered a different entree it would have been ok. We did enjoy lunch in the MDR on sea days and thought that was very good. By the last cruise day we just no longer wanted to eat In the MDR and instead went to the Windjammer. On that night the food in the Windjammer was excellent. And more to our liking than some of our MDR meals. We all had a fantastic cruise and think the ship is beautiful. We especially enjoyed the Solarium and never had a problem finding a table. And I would definitely cruise Freedom again. But I would probably eat dinners in the Windjammer. I have only posted a few times but these previous comments made me want to add my opinion. I have cruised Princess, Carnival, Holland America, NCL and RCI.

I'm glad you had a great cruise! Port Canaveral is my home port and I love love love it. So smooth and easy.

They can fill up very quickly. I went to the rescheduled show which wasn't widely announced until about an hour before as we were in Labadee. I went down half an hour before it started and there was a queue of 40 or more people already there. People in Suites are told not to queue - I'm not sure if that is relevant to you. That queue, I'd imagine, would be far longer at one of the other regular time shows. However, as doors open 30 minutes before, perhaps getting there 10 or 15 minutes before that should be absolutely fine.

Thank you!

Sent from my phone so typing may be suspect

I sailed on the Freedom of the Seas November 1-8, 2015. This is my 5th Royal cruise and 8th cruise total. I've been on the sister ship, Liberty twice, and Freedom was very similar. We were six women friends reuniting. I'll break it down for you:

 

Embarkation: from Port Canaveral, the smoothest I have ever experienced. We arrived at 11 and mostly walked right on. Amazing!! Makes me want to go only out of this port.

 

Food: fantastic!! The Windjammer is always the usual chaos but the food was varied and fresh and there was something for everyone. The main dining room was fantastic. We had 8pm set dining and our servers were amazing and the food was so good. We had Domas, Farrah and Olex. All awesome people who we enjoyed seeing each night. We often did room service to our balconies each morning for breakfast and sat outside to eat. Heaven and super great service right on time. Lunch was varied... Either windjammer, dining room or whatever .... Hard not to snack all day as there was always food around. The promenade cafe shop was awesome for water and coffee, sandwiches and treats. We started joking that we were eating pre lunch then lunch then pre dinner.

 

Cabin : we had 3 balcony rooms in a row on deck 9 mid aft (9658). Our room steward was excellent and opened up our balcony dividers. The six of us spent lots of time sitting out on our balconies chatting and eating. Makes the rooms seem bigger. The space inside is well utilized.

 

Shows: Casey Pelter was the Cruise Director from Calgary, Canada and he was HILARIOUS!!!! Such a great guy and made the game shows so funny. He was very involved in everything and I thought he was one of the best I've seen. There were 2 good comedians on board and a Led Zeppelin cover band that was amazing!! The illusionist was great too. The Welcome Aboard and Farewell shows were great too. All so good.

 

Other: the six of us worked out daily in the gym (so we could eat all that amazing food) and I have to say the gym on this ship was fantastic. Tons of large windows to look out through and excellent machines. I also did the paid spin classes 2 times for $12 a class and they were good.

 

Debarkation: we were in no hurry to get off the ship and were one of the last at 9:45am. Walked right off. Waited in line at Customs but that was it. No issue getting a shuttle to our hotel after.

 

All in all, one of my favourite cruises ever. Can't say one negative thing about the Freedom. Such great service and super clean ship. Fantastic!!!!

Thanks for the review. We are so looking forward to our first ever RCI cruise!