Wavy543

Ship - Freedom of the Seas

Deck - 9

Stateroom # - 9678

Stateroom Category – Balcony (3B)

Starboard or Port Side - Port 

Quiet Stateroom? (With comments on problems) – Yes it was a quiet stateroom.  This stateroom was across from a stair case accessed by staff (I believe this is where they brought up and delivered the luggage, and maybe also the housekeeping trolleys).  I was concerned that this cabin would be noisy but it was perfectly quiet and there was no disturbances from the staff using that staircase  In fact, it was probably more quiet than if we actually had an occupied inside stateroom across from us.  I would pick this cabin again.

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - No.

Balcony View - Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions was an issue. – Standard size, no obstructions with two upright chairs that reclined and a small table.  Perfect view - looking up and slightly to the left you could see the bump out of the solarium hot tubs.  We could not hear any excess noise from the decks above from our balcony.  We were one deck removed from the pool deck (deck 11) and chose deck 9 specifically for that reason.  Occasionally we could smell cigarette smoke odors from some other nearby passengers' balconies I presume.  But keeping door closed to balcony it never travelled inside to our stateroom.

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? - Normal.

Was wind a problem? - No.

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? -  No.

Any specific problems with this cabin? - No.  This Cabin was situated a bit more "aft" than we typically prefer.  We could feel a bit of the very slight swaying and rocking of the ship at night.  Not sure if this felt more pronounced just for us because we were aft or if it was felt by everyone even those with mid-ship cabins.

Any other comments? -  This cabin was not "amplified" or renovated yet.  It was clean and maintained, but there were the obvious signs of hard use, like a tear in the side of the couch, and some knicks and bruises at bottom of furniture.  Pictures on wall were very '90s (i.e mauve and turquoise prints of water lilies).  Bathroom was standard, clean and all in working condition, with a dated turquoise shell motif.  None of the decor mattered much for the amount of time we actually spent in the cabin which was very little.  It just didn't give you that "ooh and aah" feeling of luxury when you first walk in. The King bed and pillows were very comfortable and clean.  We used the sofa bed for our two kids and each night it was made up very comfortably with duvets and pillows that were very clean and comfortable.

We are driving from West Palm Beach to Port of Miami tomorrow Easter Monday to board RC Freedom of the Seas.  Our boarding time slot is 12 noon.  Google maps has us taking FL turnpike to 95 express to bridge to port. Realistically what drive time should we expect ?  Do we leave at 7 or 8am to deal with the traffic? Or do we leave closer to 9am or after if/ when rush hour lets up? (Does it ever?). How bad its the port to navigate/ parking and get to terminal?

This is all unexpected and unplanned — our Spirit flight from Atlantic City was cancelled on Friday and not wanting to risk any other cancellations out of Philly etc. we got in our car and drove the 18 hours to the inlaws for the holiday!

Thank you!

Jo 

Hello all!

We are on the 4/18/22 Freedom of the Seas 4-night Bahamas/CoCoCay sailing.  I booked using points thru Marriott Vacation Club since we haven't travelled in 2 years and had to use up points we've essentially been paying for !!

Anyway, at time of booking I selected the later 8pm Main Dining Room seating figuring I could change it.  I called RC and was told I was put on a wait list for MTD!  Never heard of such a thing?  Is it possible we could actually make it off the waitlist by April?  This is our second RC cruise since November 2017 on Allure where we had MTD and really enjoyed it.  

I'm not sure whether I can just make do with the 8pm seating and arrange for the later shows etc.?  Its a short cruise so will we even care that much?  If we are stuck with the 8pm seating can we arrive a little early and still get seated?  We are travelling with 2 kids ages 14 and 11 who are night owls anyway!  Also, we do not opt for any specialty dining packages.

Our Cruise docs just came on line this morning and we booked our arrival time - so excited to cruise again and reading all your posts from those that have cruised through 21/22 season have given us hope!

Thanks in advance.

Jo 🙂