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Freedom Thanksgiving Cruise - mini-review


masonpips

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I have only unpacked one bag and haven't hooked up the camera(s) but here our my random thoughts. Btw, I have all 7 day cruise compasses if anyone has a specific question!

 

Sunday: Weather in Port C was rainy/overcast to start with and downright chilly later on for muster drill/sail away. We arrived about 10:30, gave our bags to the porters, tipped him, waited outside for maybe 10 minutes and started in. We were asked to sit down for a few minutes until the reception staff was ready.

 

We are Diamond so we were in the "front row" so to speak but when time came to check in, our line was a bit shorter but alternated w/the regular line so we didn't save much time. Check-in was pretty smooth. We were allowed to sit in a separate area and I think they let us start boarding about 11:15. Very quick/easy and nothing to complain about!

 

We headed up to the Promenade (were with RCCL newbies so we had to show them around), our DS has a slice of pizza (LOL) while we tried to rent DECT phones. They no longer rent them (they did a year ago on Adventure). We had brought a white board so we used it to communicate w/kids. We went to spa, the two wives made appts for Friday for Bamboo massages.

 

Headed to WJ for lunch. We got a table easily and enjoyed our food. It got to be very busy and they made an announcement asking people to leave if they were done (poor weather outside had people dwelling longer than they usually did). We did some more ship sightseeing and checked out the Diamond Lounge

 

Rooms opened promptly at 1. We had 9696 (D1 balcony) and 9701 (adjoining L inside) - last two rooms on deck 9 port. Our friends had exact same set-up on starboard (9396/9401). The rooms were MAGNIFICENT for traveling w/our kids (11/13). I have some photos I'll try to post separately. Two bathrooms rocked. Two TVs rocked. Kids in their own room (blackout) rocked. VERY pleased w/the set-up. Setho was our room attendant, he was awesome.

 

Dinner that night was pre-reserved MTD at 7:30. We had Florentina and she herself was excellent but she had WAY TOO many tables and the whole MTD seemed lost throughout the cruise. We waited a lot. I expect it the first night but we ate there 4 nights and most required too much sitting/waiting.

 

Food in dining room was good/great. I am honestly sick of the same menu after 6 straight years of cruising. Yes, they've changed/added some items but the basic menu has remained exactly the same. We mainly had Prime Rib and it was good.

 

We visited the Diamond Lounge most nights before dinner and Michael (bartender) was outstanding. Willie was great too (he sang one night w/a guitar and was good) but we never really used his services at all.

 

The weather at CocoCay (Day 2) was good until mid-afternoon. We opted not to leave the ship and it was fabulous to be on ship while everyone was gone! Dinner in the dining room again, filet was good but not up to Portofino's or Chops'. Monday was formal night. I'd say the majority of people did make an effort to dress up and I liked it.

 

There were A LOT of groups/families on board. We've done a NYE cruise once and found the same thing. It's a different atmosphere as people tend to stick to their group and don't socialize quite as much (and I think it played into the dinner issues as there were HUGE tables of 12-14 I could see). We had a party of 8 and we hung out together mainly so it is just something to be aware of if you cruise during a holiday time period

 

Tuesday at sea was great. This was the first cruise where we did as little as possible and relaxed at the pool as much as we could. The ship was VERY rocky due to the wind and it was nearly impossible to be on Deck 12 the first 2 days. The rest of the week the weather was fabulous! We did eat in the dining room that day for lunch and the salad bar was, as usual, outstanding! We also totally spaced on the Meet and Mingle. I am horrible at remembering to do these things - I hope everyone had a great time!

 

We did Portofino that night and the food was outstanding. They had a 2 lobster tail special so the wives ordered that, the guys got the filets and we split it. The only issue we had that night was one of our appetizers showed up about 30 seconds before our meal. The rest of the meal ran very smoothly with great service. We had pre-paid online and just bought a bottle of wine and tipped over that.

 

Wednesday in St. Thomas was great. I was worried re: the number of ships in port but we chose the Turtle Cove snorkel via RCCL (tried to book online, was sold out, but we went to the desk when boarding and were able to get in). We ended up on Dubloon (pirate ship) - they have 2 of those and a catamaran. We went over to Buck island w/a very fun crew and group of cruisers. We saw a lot of sea turtles, a sting ray, Dori fish (lol), puffer fish and some saw a barracuda. On the way back, the painkillers started and OMG. It was a RIOT and everyone had a blast. EXCELLENT excursion!

 

We got back, hit Afternoon Tea (in WJ) since we had not had lunch (and too many drinks) and the nachos/bread pudding became a "must have". We had reserved our kids lessons on the FloRider at 6:15 so we watched them for that and then hit WJ for dinner. It was great (same menu as downstairs) and it was VERY nice to have a non dress-up dinner. We went to the 9 pm Ice Show (excellent skaters/tricks, odd theme) and Love & Marriage (VERY good, really enjoyed Graham Seymour all week)

 

Thurs at St. Maarten (Thanksgiving). The staff was awesome wishing us Happy Thanksgiving (and overall very friendly and outgoing, I was pleased). My DH and I decided to get off the ship and just buy a few tshirts near the ship so we did that and returned. We hung at the pool and took DS to lunch at JRockets (a burger on Thanksgiving, so American!). More pool time and our 2nd formal night was this night due to the holiday, with a special menu.

 

Dinner - most had the turkey dinner. It was pretty good (but nothing like you'd cook at home).

 

Friday - at sea - spa at 9:30 (enjoyed the bamboo massage, she did both that and hot stones, I was very happy w/her service and not high pressured to buy a thing), then pool all day.

 

Chops that night. We had booked for Saturday online but w/the menu change due to Thanksgiving (lobster on Saturday) we wanted to move to Friday. They did say they were squeezing us in but we got there about 8:20 for our 8:30 reservation and received our steaks at 10:30. It was NOT a good experience, service wise. Everyone in our room (the one towards the back of the restaurant) had the same issue. Do they cook the steaks for the 8:30 main dining seating (the alternative $14.95 ones?) at Chops? Because it took FOREVER.

 

We told them we had to get out of there for Quest and basically rushed through dessert (at 10:55) to head down there. Insane and we let it be known on the survey. Quest was the usual fun and games. We've seen better and worse - it depends a lot on the crowd and this could be where the family thing played into it too. A lot of kids were there. I would NOT have brought mine!

 

Saturday - day at sea. We really enjoyed 3 days at sea (plus CocoCay where we stayed on). Last year we did Adventure/Barbados w/5 ports, this was NICE to relax! We looked/bought pictures (the guys doing the black/white backgrounds were outstanding this year and we bought a ton of photos - these are the only times we take family photos an we love looking back from year to year 2002-2010 (9 cruises) and seeing the kids grow up!

 

We bought a few gifts at the gift shop, visited the Diamond Lounge and tipped both Willie and Michael and had a great lobster dinner. They were very generous w/the lobster (our party of 8 had 11 or 12 and 2 of the kids had chicken/pasta).

 

The kids did not use the clubs this time as they had friends on board. The Seven Hearts club was a HUGE kid favorite (which cracked us up totally). They moved a ping pong table in due to the wind and there were TONS of kids playing/watching most of the cruise!

 

Ok, I said mini and kept typing! I'm off to bed but will try to answer questions and add photos this week!

 

I will say it was probably our most relaxing cruise as we simply chose not to do much (shows, games, excursions, activities, etc.). And because of that, I feel completely relaxed and like I had a ton of time ON the ship (because I did!). It's a great new thing that we may try again. We did book for Fall Break next year (Freedom in October, Western w/4 ports that we may not get off at!). We went for 2 adjoining cabins far in the front on 10 (a D1/E1 combo) so I'll be doing my research on those next. Given the balcony discount for Diamond it wasn't much more to book two balcony rooms than the setup we had (since an inside is fairly cheap).

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I was surprised at the rolling of the ship! I was on the same cruise. Thanksgiving dinner....they really should have consulted an American when planning the meal. I chose not to get that...instead I got the "sea bass" which was really a frozen then thawed, pan fried piece of pathetic COD. Now who serves corn on the cob for THanksgiving dinner? AT A FORMAL SETTING no less! Give me a break! And the pumpkin pie had baked squash on top instead of whipped cream. We did MTD and found we had to wait a lot. You are correct...WAY too many tables for the waiters in MTD. I was surprised at the dress code....what people wore to "formal" night. Very inappropriate things. Like a woman with tiny tap pants ( I was told they were cheereleader shorts). Well I thought she actually forgot her skirt, they looked like panties! And this is a married woman with 2 teens! Some of the teenagers got a real education with a woman on board who looked like Dolly Parton and Pamela Anderson. She never went without showing her cleavage( must have been size 55 H's) in anything she wore. There were saving of seats in the auditorium and around the pool and no one ever enforced the rules. This is was our 6th RCL cruise and I too am tired of the same menu in the dining room. Some things have changed, but new things like the Vintage Wine Bar was a disappointment. And on the Promenade, a barber shop? Give me a break...it was always empty. I hear they are changing that next time to a cupcake station....like we need more sweets?

Overall I was shocked at the movement of the ship with not that high of seas. We could have spent more time in St Martin because we got to Cape Canaveral in plenty of time.

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I have only unpacked one bag and haven't hooked up the camera(s) but here our my random thoughts. Btw, I have all 7 day cruise compasses if anyone has a specific question!

 

Is there any way you can scan and post the cruise compasses? The only one I can find for an eastern itinerary is from 2009. I'd really like to see an updated one. I know it may take awhile, I'm not going until Feb so I can wait (alittle) ;)

 

Thanks!,

Michelle

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Is there any way you can scan and post the cruise compasses? The only one I can find for an eastern itinerary is from 2009. I'd really like to see an updated one.

 

I will try on my printer this Friday (off work) and see how it works! Will update this thread then if it is quick/easy to do!

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I was on the same cruise and I really enjoyed myself. The one thing that really got me was the unsupervised children onboard. I guess with me working in child welfare I never really stop working especially around kids. My mind kept thinking this would be a sexual predator heaven with all the unsupervised kids!!! Please keep up with your kids!!

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:):) please tell me as much as you can remember abt your snorkel trip in St Thomas...there are 6 of us and I want to make our excusion choice as special as possible..dont care for lunch and really want more snorkel cruise than booze cruise if you know what I mean.....5006]I have only unpacked one bag and haven't hooked up the camera(s) but here our my random thoughts. Btw, I have all 7 day cruise compasses if anyone has a specific question!

 

Sunday: Weather in Port C was rainy/overcast to start with and downright chilly later on for muster drill/sail away. We arrived about 10:30, gave our bags to the porters, tipped him, waited outside for maybe 10 minutes and started in. We were asked to sit down for a few minutes until the reception staff was ready.

 

We are Diamond so we were in the "front row" so to speak but when time came to check in, our line was a bit shorter but alternated w/the regular line so we didn't save much time. Check-in was pretty smooth. We were allowed to sit in a separate area and I think they let us start boarding about 11:15. Very quick/easy and nothing to complain about!

 

We headed up to the Promenade (were with RCCL newbies so we had to show them around), our DS has a slice of pizza (LOL) while we tried to rent DECT phones. They no longer rent them (they did a year ago on Adventure). We had brought a white board so we used it to communicate w/kids. We went to spa, the two wives made appts for Friday for Bamboo massages.

 

Headed to WJ for lunch. We got a table easily and enjoyed our food. It got to be very busy and they made an announcement asking people to leave if they were done (poor weather outside had people dwelling longer than they usually did). We did some more ship sightseeing and checked out the Diamond Lounge

 

Rooms opened promptly at 1. We had 9696 (D1 balcony) and 9701 (adjoining L inside) - last two rooms on deck 9 port. Our friends had exact same set-up on starboard (9396/9401). The rooms were MAGNIFICENT for traveling w/our kids (11/13). I have some photos I'll try to post separately. Two bathrooms rocked. Two TVs rocked. Kids in their own room (blackout) rocked. VERY pleased w/the set-up. Setho was our room attendant, he was awesome.

 

Dinner that night was pre-reserved MTD at 7:30. We had Florentina and she herself was excellent but she had WAY TOO many tables and the whole MTD seemed lost throughout the cruise. We waited a lot. I expect it the first night but we ate there 4 nights and most required too much sitting/waiting.

 

Food in dining room was good/great. I am honestly sick of the same menu after 6 straight years of cruising. Yes, they've changed/added some items but the basic menu has remained exactly the same. We mainly had Prime Rib and it was good.

 

We visited the Diamond Lounge most nights before dinner and Michael (bartender) was outstanding. Willie was great too (he sang one night w/a guitar and was good) but we never really used his services at all.

 

The weather at CocoCay (Day 2) was good until mid-afternoon. We opted not to leave the ship and it was fabulous to be on ship while everyone was gone! Dinner in the dining room again, filet was good but not up to Portofino's or Chops'. Monday was formal night. I'd say the majority of people did make an effort to dress up and I liked it.

 

There were A LOT of groups/families on board. We've done a NYE cruise once and found the same thing. It's a different atmosphere as people tend to stick to their group and don't socialize quite as much (and I think it played into the dinner issues as there were HUGE tables of 12-14 I could see). We had a party of 8 and we hung out together mainly so it is just something to be aware of if you cruise during a holiday time period

 

Tuesday at sea was great. This was the first cruise where we did as little as possible and relaxed at the pool as much as we could. The ship was VERY rocky due to the wind and it was nearly impossible to be on Deck 12 the first 2 days. The rest of the week the weather was fabulous! We did eat in the dining room that day for lunch and the salad bar was, as usual, outstanding! We also totally spaced on the Meet and Mingle. I am horrible at remembering to do these things - I hope everyone had a great time!

 

We did Portofino that night and the food was outstanding. They had a 2 lobster tail special so the wives ordered that, the guys got the filets and we split it. The only issue we had that night was one of our appetizers showed up about 30 seconds before our meal. The rest of the meal ran very smoothly with great service. We had pre-paid online and just bought a bottle of wine and tipped over that.

 

Wednesday in St. Thomas was great. I was worried re: the number of ships in port but we chose the Turtle Cove snorkel via RCCL (tried to book online, was sold out, but we went to the desk when boarding and were able to get in). We ended up on Dubloon (pirate ship) - they have 2 of those and a catamaran. We went over to Buck island w/a very fun crew and group of cruisers. We saw a lot of sea turtles, a sting ray, Dori fish (lol), puffer fish and some saw a barracuda. On the way back, the painkillers started and OMG. It was a RIOT and everyone had a blast. EXCELLENT excursion!

 

We got back, hit Afternoon Tea (in WJ) since we had not had lunch (and too many drinks) and the nachos/bread pudding became a "must have". We had reserved our kids lessons on the FloRider at 6:15 so we watched them for that and then hit WJ for dinner. It was great (same menu as downstairs) and it was VERY nice to have a non dress-up dinner. We went to the 9 pm Ice Show (excellent skaters/tricks, odd theme) and Love & Marriage (VERY good, really enjoyed Graham Seymour all week)

 

Thurs at St. Maarten (Thanksgiving). The staff was awesome wishing us Happy Thanksgiving (and overall very friendly and outgoing, I was pleased). My DH and I decided to get off the ship and just buy a few tshirts near the ship so we did that and returned. We hung at the pool and took DS to lunch at JRockets (a burger on Thanksgiving, so American!). More pool time and our 2nd formal night was this night due to the holiday, with a special menu.

 

Dinner - most had the turkey dinner. It was pretty good (but nothing like you'd cook at home).

 

Friday - at sea - spa at 9:30 (enjoyed the bamboo massage, she did both that and hot stones, I was very happy w/her service and not high pressured to buy a thing), then pool all day.

 

Chops that night. We had booked for Saturday online but w/the menu change due to Thanksgiving (lobster on Saturday) we wanted to move to Friday. They did say they were squeezing us in but we got there about 8:20 for our 8:30 reservation and received our steaks at 10:30. It was NOT a good experience, service wise. Everyone in our room (the one towards the back of the restaurant) had the same issue. Do they cook the steaks for the 8:30 main dining seating (the alternative $14.95 ones?) at Chops? Because it took FOREVER.

 

We told them we had to get out of there for Quest and basically rushed through dessert (at 10:55) to head down there. Insane and we let it be known on the survey. Quest was the usual fun and games. We've seen better and worse - it depends a lot on the crowd and this could be where the family thing played into it too. A lot of kids were there. I would NOT have brought mine!

 

Saturday - day at sea. We really enjoyed 3 days at sea (plus CocoCay where we stayed on). Last year we did Adventure/Barbados w/5 ports, this was NICE to relax! We looked/bought pictures (the guys doing the black/white backgrounds were outstanding this year and we bought a ton of photos - these are the only times we take family photos an we love looking back from year to year 2002-2010 (9 cruises) and seeing the kids grow up!

 

We bought a few gifts at the gift shop, visited the Diamond Lounge and tipped both Willie and Michael and had a great lobster dinner. They were very generous w/the lobster (our party of 8 had 11 or 12 and 2 of the kids had chicken/pasta).

 

The kids did not use the clubs this time as they had friends on board. The Seven Hearts club was a HUGE kid favorite (which cracked us up totally). They moved a ping pong table in due to the wind and there were TONS of kids playing/watching most of the cruise!

 

Ok, I said mini and kept typing! I'm off to bed but will try to answer questions and add photos this week!

 

I will say it was probably our most relaxing cruise as we simply chose not to do much (shows, games, excursions, activities, etc.). And because of that, I feel completely relaxed and like I had a ton of time ON the ship (because I did!). It's a great new thing that we may try again. We did book for Fall Break next year (Freedom in October, Western w/4 ports that we may not get off at!). We went for 2 adjoining cabins far in the front on 10 (a D1/E1 combo) so I'll be doing my research on those next. Given the balcony discount for Diamond it wasn't much more to book two balcony rooms than the setup we had (since an inside is fairly cheap).

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Oooo, the rocking of the ship got to me the first formal night. The crew said it was due to the high winds.

 

And the buxom blond........the men in our family found her interesting. They wanted to know who she was. The women in our family just rolled our eyes.

 

We're (I'm) still unpacking and washing, washing. Sorry we didn't get to meet.

 

There were a lot of unsupervised kids in groups that didn't have much regard for manners. Our kids stayed together and didn't want to venture out in the teen lounges.

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Fantastic review. We'll be on the Freedom in Janurary!

 

I also have a quick question about the snorkeling trip in St. Thomas. We've been to St. Thomas twice now and are looking to do a ship excursion since there will be many ships in port that day.

 

Was there a lot of people on your snorekling tour and did it feel crowded?

 

Thanks!

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Oooo, the rocking of the ship got to me the first formal night. The crew said it was due to the high winds.

 

And the buxom blond........the men in our family found her interesting. They wanted to know who she was. The women in our family just rolled our eyes.

 

We're (I'm) still unpacking and washing, washing. Sorry we didn't get to meet.

 

There were a lot of unsupervised kids in groups that didn't have much regard for manners. Our kids stayed together and didn't want to venture out in the teen lounges.

 

 

The blond, which my teens decided to get their pic taken with (they nicknamed her Ms. Piggy due to her hair and attire), was a washed up show girl that use to perform some "Routine" in show bars in the 90's to the tune of "Walk The Dinosaur" in a leopard print bottom. She played 3 card poker next to me and some friends one night -really creepy up close.

mspiggy.jpg.37765aca8aab498acf3573861bd01864.jpg

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I would recommend the Sea Blaster. It's a fast boat, it gets out of port quickly without safety drills on exit locations (you can just jump overboard if need be), and the locations they have under their belt are great. I'll attach a pic or two (I even have a movie of a ray floating around under me from last week). The crew is also relaxed and friendly.

raysmaller.jpg.dbd0bd16a4404ee1f6ddff634caaaee9.jpg

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Weather varies greatly in Fl from North to South...we sailed out that same day on Liberty out of Miami and had a gorgeous warm day on Sunday...kids were swimming as soon as they got on... actually we had absolutely gorgeous weather all week....it was like a lake on the return. That is why in the winter I rather sail from FLL or Miami....that couple hours south more can make a BIG difference if you have a cold front come thru.

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We ended up on Dubloon (pirate ship) - they have 2 of those and a catamaran. We went over to Buck island w/a very fun crew and group of cruisers. We saw a lot of sea turtles, a sting ray, Dori fish (lol), puffer fish and some saw a barracuda. On the way back, the painkillers started and OMG. It was a RIOT and everyone had a blast. EXCELLENT excursion!

 

I would have to say that the crew on the Dubloon is the best. We have been with them 5 times. Although they only let you have 1 drink ;) but it seemed as though they do give out bottomless cups.:eek:

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We were on the same cruise. We got on the ship a little later but still early. Probably closer to noon. We actually ate at Sorrento’s Pizza. We did go up to the Windjammer after pizza and it was a madhouse. Not as much seating as I would have expected.

 

Our only past cruise experiences were on Carnival as this was our first RCCL cruise. We found us always comparing everything with Carnival and found things we liked better and things we didn't.

 

We did the first formal night but skipped the second one. We were disappointed that they made Thanksgiving a formal night as we were looking forward to TG dinner and didn't want to have to dress up for it. We hit the WJ instead. It was just okay, something wasn't right with the dressing, had a sweet flavor to it. The gravy also always seemed to be the same regardless if it was on poultry or beef.

 

We did the MDR three nights and were on MTD. We didn't make any reservations and just showed up each night. We didn't have to ever wait for a table. We didn't have any issues with the service in the MDR and found it to be very quick and responsive. Our waiter and assistant waiter did have a large number of tables. They always seemed to be running and did a fantastic job for us. We were seated in the same section all three nights. The hostess was fantastic also.

 

Two nights we did the WJ buffet for dinner, one was TG and one other night. We found the WJ food to be very good and even preferred it over the fare in the MDR. We ate lunch most days in the WJ and it was always good. We found sea days to have better food than port days. Perhaps because they just did the basic stuff when they knew most people would not be on the ship?

 

We also ate at Portofino and Chops. Both were good but we also had service issues at Chops. The main entrees were very slow to arrive. The couple at a table beside us was waiting an exceptionally long time for their entrees and I could tell they were getting frustrated. It was not acceptable given it being a specialty restaurant.

 

At Cocoa Cay we just did the beach thing for a few hours then back to the boat.

 

In St Thomas we actually made our own Trunk Bay snorkel excursion to St John. We wanted to do a boat excursion but the only Trunk Bay one they had provided only 90 minutes at the beach. We instead took one of the Destination St John excursions, the historic city tour (there is also a shopping tour and one other that I don't know the name). This excursion was great as it allowed us to board the ferry right at the top of the pier. The boat was actually boarded right beside the Carnival Glory that was also in port in front of the Freedom.

 

When we got to St John we opted to just take a taxi to Trunk Bay and not take the walking tour. This was actually what many people were doing and had planned on, the ferry boat staff asked everyone "who just wants to hit the beach?". All but four people raised their hands. So all of us boarded a taxi and to the beach we went. This provided us nearly 4 hours at Trunk Bay.

 

The snorkeling was great in Trunk Bay. The water smooth and the marine life along the snorkel trail was amazing. Lots of fish, sea urchins, coral, and sea fans. The largest sea fans we have seen snorkeling (we have snorkeled in Hawaii and Belize). Some of the fish would swim right up to us, in some cases making my wife rather nervous. I get the impression from this that some people feed them while snorkeling so they have lost their fear. The snorkeling was not crowded as we got there fairly early. However right before leaving the water was teaming with hoards of people trying to snorkel.

 

The water was deep enough that you didn't need to worry about stepping on any coral. We have our own gear but no vests. We had no problem staying buoyant. There is also a life guard at the end of the trail making sure people don't go out too far. If you are nervous about not having a vest, you can rent vests at there as well as any other gear.

 

The ferry boat trip on the way over to St John was very rough and wet. We sat in the front of the boat and it was an experience. Water was regularly splashing up over the front with the bow moving up and down with at least 6-8 foot waves. On the trip back to the ship they took a little more time and went slower. The trip back was magnificent with the sun setting over the Caribbean Sea. The ferry staff was great.

 

It should be noted that this isn't the regular ferry that goes to St John, it was a dedicated ferry for three excursions to St John. So as long as you get back on it for the trip back, you should be safe to make it back to the ship in time.

 

On St Maarten we did a island tour with a stop at Orient Beach on the French side. It included s one hour shopping stop in Marigot and then a three hour stop at Orient Beach. Lunch was included and was decent. It consisted of a beverage (soda or beer), salad, rice, fries, grilled chicken, and ribs.

 

Be warned that if you go to Orient beach that you will see nudity. Several topless women walking down the beach. Of course as is often the case, these aren't the type of things one want to gawk at. Just like that guy in the Speedo :rolleyes:. We didn't see any nude men, thank goodness. But at the ice show the people in front of us were looking at photos on their camera and had several photos of such.

 

Our tour bus driver was great. Though I think for some he may have been hard to understand as some people didn't seem to get some of his jokes. We were at the front of the bus and had no problems.

 

We picked up a bottle while shopping and when we went back to the ship they did not take it. We had it in our bag and asked if it should come out or just go through the x-ray. They said to send it through and did not take it. We were surprised, but it allowed us to pack it early.

 

We never made it to the MDR for lunch, so we missed the salad bar. We had breakfast there only once and were disappointed. We opted to get room service every day as we found it as good as if not a little better than the MDR breakfast and it was much easier that dealing with the breakfast crowd.

 

We liked the cruise director. Graham was great. We watched all of his morning shows that he has on the TV each morning going over that days events. He also reads questions and comments from people on board. It seemed some people were rather fanatical about their college football. People were constantly wanting to know if their teams game would be shown on the ship. Apparently one of the outspoken groups wanted an Auburn Alabama game that wasn't going to be made available. They of course were blaming RCCL and the cruise staff for this.

 

He apparently offended some people when he would joke about the comments they submitted. Also calling football "just a game" must not have gone over very well as the last day he refused to read any sport related comments due to bad language used in them :confused:.

 

When we boarded the ship we wanted to see the season finale of the NASCAR season. Of course it wasn't available given that only ESPN International was available. Sure we were disappointed, but we moved on and just checked online real quick to see who won. We also set out DVR to record some things while logged in. So it worked out for us.

 

We felt a little disconnected from the entertainment staff on this cruise as compared to our Carnival experiences. Perhaps just differences in staff, not sure.

 

On deck the first sea day the wind was atrocious. It was not easy keeping anything including yourself in place with the high winds. The rocking of the boat really didn't bother us.

 

We bought the soda packages. The taste of the Coke around the ship varied. In the MDR the soda had medicine like taste to it. My wife actually preferred the iced tea instead. The self service station was a good idea, but we could never really determine the hours that it operated. We were told once that it closed at 9:00 p.m. but found it often closed at 8:00. Given that it was a self service station, I don't understand why it couldn't be open longer if not 24 hours a day. We preferred the soda on Carnival given that it is always out of a can. I still drank my moneys worth, so don't take this the wrong way.

 

We went to the two main theatrical shows and thought they were great. Even with the full ship, these shows were never full. We would only arrive about 20-30 minutes early and were always able to get a seat in the second or third row. This was far different for the magic show. It was packed with many people standing in the back.

 

Given that we had MTD, our tips were prepaid. I found the tipping process awkward. Given that we didn't go to the MDR for dinner for the last two nights, how were we to get our envelopes to our MDR staff? Did we even have to worry about giving it to them given that it was only vouchers? Did they get their tips no matter what since it was prepaid? This wasn't explained well. It seems like the envelopes were there just to provide you with the personal interaction of giving them the tip?

 

Overall we had a great cruise.

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We were on the same cruise and had a wonderful time. Yes, slow service in Chops as well for us. We missed the show that evening, which was 3 hours after our dinner reservation start time. We were happy with the weather, since a few days before departure, the forecast showed rain showers and wind all week long. Anything would be an improvement over that and I think it was very nice. We were fortunate to get to Coco Cay, as from what I read on here, only happens 50% of the time. And, it was a beautiful day there.

 

As for the buxom blond, we called her Barbie, however, after several closeup looks at her, renamed her to Ken- if you know what I mean. Pretty sure she was a "he".

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In St Thomas we actually made our own Trunk Bay snorkel excursion to St John. We wanted to do a boat excursion but the only Trunk Bay one they had provided only 90 minutes at the beach. We instead took one of the Destination St John excursions, the historic city tour (there is also a shopping tour and one other that I don't know the name). This excursion was great as it allowed us to board the ferry right at the top of the pier. The boat was actually boarded right beside the Carnival Glory that was also in port in front of the Freedom.

 

When we got to St John we opted to just take a taxi to Trunk Bay and not take the walking tour. This was actually what many people were doing and had planned on, the ferry boat staff asked everyone "who just wants to hit the beach?". All but four people raised their hands. So all of us boarded a taxi and to the beach we went. This provided us nearly 4 hours at Trunk Bay.

 

The snorkeling was great in Trunk Bay. The water smooth and the marine life along the snorkel trail was amazing. Lots of fish, sea urchins, coral, and sea fans. The largest sea fans we have seen snorkeling (we have snorkeled in Hawaii and Belize). Some of the fish would swim right up to us, in some cases making my wife rather nervous. I get the impression from this that some people feed them while snorkeling so they have lost their fear. The snorkeling was not crowded as we got there fairly early. However right before leaving the water was teaming with hoards of people trying to snorkel.

 

The water was deep enough that you didn't need to worry about stepping on any coral. We have our own gear but no vests. We had no problem staying buoyant. There is also a life guard at the end of the trail making sure people don't go out too far. If you are nervous about not having a vest, you can rent vests at there as well as any other gear.

 

The ferry boat trip on the way over to St John was very rough and wet. We sat in the front of the boat and it was an experience. Water was regularly splashing up over the front with the bow moving up and down with at least 6-8 foot waves. On the trip back to the ship they took a little more time and went slower. The trip back was magnificent with the sun setting over the Caribbean Sea. The ferry staff was great.

 

It should be noted that this isn't the regular ferry that goes to St John, it was a dedicated ferry for three excursions to St John. So as long as you get back on it for the trip back, you should be safe to make it back to the ship in time.

 

 

Dioxide45 - Great review. Can you please provide a few more details about your excursion in St. Thomas? Is this a ship excursion or independent? And what is the cost of the excursion?

 

Thanks!

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Dioxide45 - Great review. Can you please provide a few more details about your excursion in St. Thomas? Is this a ship excursion or independent? And what is the cost of the excursion?

 

Thanks!

 

It was a ship excursion. There are three that share the same boat to St John:

 

Destination St. John: Historic Walking Tour and Personal Leisure Time - STG3

Destination St. John: Guided Shopping and Leisure Time - STG4

Voluntourism: St. John VI National Park and Community Foundation - STG5

 

STG3 is the tour we selected, but you could do the same with STG4. STG5 wouldn't be e good option for this. The cost was $40. Compared to the regular ferry at ~$11 each way, it does cost a little more.

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I have only unpacked one bag and haven't hooked up the camera(s) but here our my random thoughts. Btw, I have all 7 day cruise compasses if anyone has a specific question!

 

Sunday: Weather in Port C was rainy/overcast to start with and downright chilly later on for muster drill/sail away. We arrived about 10:30, gave our bags to the porters, tipped him, waited outside for maybe 10 minutes and started in. We were asked to sit down for a few minutes until the reception staff was ready.

 

We are Diamond so we were in the "front row" so to speak but when time came to check in, our line was a bit shorter but alternated w/the regular line so we didn't save much time. Check-in was pretty smooth. We were allowed to sit in a separate area and I think they let us start boarding about 11:15. Very quick/easy and nothing to complain about!

 

We headed up to the Promenade (were with RCCL newbies so we had to show them around), our DS has a slice of pizza (LOL) while we tried to rent DECT phones. They no longer rent them (they did a year ago on Adventure). We had brought a white board so we used it to communicate w/kids. We went to spa, the two wives made appts for Friday for Bamboo massages.

 

Headed to WJ for lunch. We got a table easily and enjoyed our food. It got to be very busy and they made an announcement asking people to leave if they were done (poor weather outside had people dwelling longer than they usually did). We did some more ship sightseeing and checked out the Diamond Lounge

 

Rooms opened promptly at 1. We had 9696 (D1 balcony) and 9701 (adjoining L inside) - last two rooms on deck 9 port. Our friends had exact same set-up on starboard (9396/9401). The rooms were MAGNIFICENT for traveling w/our kids (11/13). I have some photos I'll try to post separately. Two bathrooms rocked. Two TVs rocked. Kids in their own room (blackout) rocked. VERY pleased w/the set-up. Setho was our room attendant, he was awesome.

 

 

Great review. Thanks for putting it together.

 

You will certainly do a great service to Cruise Critic if you make pictures of that famous cabin combination available.

 

:)

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And on the Promenade, a barber shop? Give me a break...it was always empty. I hear they are changing that next time to a cupcake station....like we need more sweets?

 

Did you take a look at the prices? $45.00 for a men's high and tight hair cut....(that was the price quoted to DH in September)

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