‘But Who’s Running Canada?!’ - Freedom of the Seas March 13 2016 Review

Hey there! I’m Cathi, and this will be my first Cruise Critic review, and my third cruise. I had previously cruised on the Carnival Glory quite some time ago, and the Disney Magic last May. I purposely chose the same port and itinerary as the Magic cruise for our Royal cruise so that I could compare the two, since my daughter and I just adored the Magic. I don’t want to keep you in suspense for the entire review, so I’ll tell you now – we’re diehard RCCL converts. Over the course of the review you’ll hear and see plenty of reasons why.

But first, a little background.

The Players – I’m a single work-from-home Software Project Manager located just east of Toronto in a town called Whitby. Because it was March Break for a lot of schools here, a LOT of cruisers were fellow Canadians, which was both kind of weird and nice. Overall we’re a decent people to hang out with; we like to drink a lot, but keep things civil, which makes for good traveling companions. We also appreciate the warm weather a LOT, so were very happy on this trip.

My seven-year old daughter, nickname 'Jelly', was my roommate. She’d been won over by the Disney kid’s club and was excited to cruise again.

Our Cruise Expectations – Like I mentioned above, Jelly hoped to have fun at Adventure Ocean; meet some friends, do some swimming, eat lots of crappy pizza. I was looking forward to a more relaxed cruise with fewer scheduled activities/excursions than last time, the specialty restaurants, a little pampering, and the aforementioned drinks.

Why I Chose Freedom – There were a few reasons; I like Port Canaveral so wanted something that sailed from there, as well as something that lined up with Jelly’s school break preferably. I also wanted a ship that featured the DreamWorks Experience. And I was interested to see how we felt about a bigger ship.

My Review Style – I have read a LOT of reviews on this site. Like, compulsively. And I appreciate the short-and-to-the-point reviews, drool over the reviews with copious food porn, and love the excitement that is evident in the beginning-to-end, soup-to-nuts reviews. This is going to be a combination of the latter two. I pared down 755 photos to 490, but I was definitely thinking of my readers when trying to capture details that I thought might be of interest (the inside of a closet is not everyone’s cup of tea, but to a few it will be crazy important). I also tend to meander a bit so hopefully you’ll bear with me – I’ll eventually get back on track. 800+ outstanding work emails are about to come crashing around me so I’ll do my best to get posts updated and questions answered as I can.

NOTE - I do NOT have the compasses – someone else will need to do that. I also didn’t manage to stay out past 9p most nights, being a single mum, so will only have reviews of a handful of the shows, and none of the adult lounges/entertainment. Sorry. When Jenny is a little older I’ll be more fun again late at night. As it was I saw every sunrise though!

What I will be giving you is my honest and unbiased opinion of the ship, the crew, the food, the ports, and all the stuff in between. I’m going to start with the moment we left the house, and end with the sad flight back home. There will be intrigue and drama, laughter and tears, lots of alcoholic beverages, and most likely some oversharing.

So put on your stretchy pants, get yourself a snack, and prepare for…

Cathi and Jelly Gone Wild! But Moderately So, and In An Appropriate Fashion

I don't have any stretchy pants, but I'm following.;):)

I'll stay away from the stretchy pants, but looking foward to reading all about the adventure! :-)

In comfy pants and looking forward to your review..... 13 days until we board FOS!:)

PCJMOM

no stretchy pants, but I'm in my PJ's so should be about the same effect!

Do sweat pants count? :p

Looking forward to more, we cruise in 34 short days! :D :eek:

I like your style already! I've been on the Freedom but it was quite a few years ago, so I'm interested in your input.

Sailing the Freedom in 20 days😀 Following !!

Cathi and Jelly Gone Wild! But Moderately So, and In An Appropriate Fashion

]

Love it! Can't wait.

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I will be happily following along while we await our turn on Freedom in 3 weeks. I am so glad to know that I am not the only one who doesn't manage to stay out past 9pm while on a cruise. Traveling with a 5yo changes the hours of fun quite a bit, but it is worth it.

I was on this cruise last week with you! Looking forward to your review & pictures so I can show them to my jealous co-workers!

Great start! I'm Looking forward to your review and to the DCL/RCCL comparisons!

Looking forward to it! We sail in May, first time on Royal after 9 Disney cruises.

You were the week after us. Kinda like a B2B

Excited to read your report. Thanks for writing one. We're coming with kids so extra interested in your experience.

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Really looking forward to this. We had a choice of DCL 5 night or Anthem 12 night for the same amount of money taking into account air for 4. We chose Anthem but we are total Disney freaks and I have cruised DCL many many years ago so I am a little nervous we will be sorry. My boys are 6 and 8 so I can't wait to hear what you and Jelly have to say!

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I'm so excited to read this review! I'll be on the Freedom on April 24th!

This is going to be a great cruise. Kind of a prequel, though we're on Oasis, we've been on Freedom. Ok, that makes this review a sequel.

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Thanks for your report.

Ready....I've got my stretchy pants on.

In!

Sounds like a fun review! Will be on the Freedom in 13 days. Woohoo!

Waiting for the installment. Do leggings count?

Great start!

Can't wait for more

Thanks!

That was a mean tease!

I am so ready for your Nice Canadian Review!

:)