bambam

The doors will hold strong magnets only. I usually print our itinerary on magnetic paper and it didn’t hold. Ducks are brought in and hidden by passengers. Just adds to the fun…

Hope you enjoyed the “ice cream” by James. Lol we sailed on Freedom in October and you described her perfectly. Nice review!! Thxs

Another thing to think about...sunrise or sunsets? Look at your departure port and are you heading south or north? If heading south, and you are on port side, you’ll get sunrise every morning, and no sunsets...until you start heading back home. The opposite is true for starboard. If you take port, you’ll get that last night sunset. its really your personal preference, no significant advantage either side, but always check one deck up and one deck below when booking...ya don’t want to book a cabin above or below a bar or music venue...

We took the plunge at an art auction, paid $1500 for 10- Thomas Kinkade prints, then another $3000 to get them framed and shipped. Gave one to each of our 6-kids for Christmas, still have 4-others hanging in the house. Had one appraised (after TK passed away) and it was $1,500. They will only increase...

We’re on the Sunshine again in Jan, just accepted our very first upgrade to the Spa Balcony for $46. Since the men’s sauna & steamrooms were broken in Sept, hoping the thermal rooms are working. In Jan, those heated seat might be perfect...

And a quick reminder: with a handicap sticker/placard, parking is free in Charleston Cruise Port. The handicap parking area is a lot closer to the 324 building, and there are golf carts riding around offering assistance. Enjoy!

If it wasn’t for bad luck.... 19 cruises, about to take our 20th, never a visit from the upgrade fairy. Sigh.....

We had a 10:30-11:00 boarding time, got to the checkin area at 10:55, and saw early checkins in a que, but since we were probably the last ones for our time slot, they had started to let the early ones go. They’ll do that until the next time slot is due and let those folks begin the checkin, holding the que until that time slot empties out. Best to wait in the hotel lobby or swim or eat until your time slot, then go to the port.

In addition to crowd noises, a raffle, and tours, you also need to do something with your carry-ons, complete the muster drill, and consider what to wear, depending on the service you seek. Pebbles has a 3:45 massage on embarkation day, which allows for checking carry-ons in the cabin (usually available at 1:30) and still gives her time to unpack, shower, and get ready for dinner at 6:00PM. Lots to consider for such an early reservation. Good luck!

Anyone know if there are any massage tables on or near the cruise area or beaches?

Anyone know if there are any massage tables on or near the Amber Cove cruise area?

There have been scattered reports of the Tail replacing the current stack on the Freedom. Other reports of a “freshening” of others areas as well. There’s not a lot of overhauling to be done within a three week slot. We are taking this sail as we’d like to return to Bermuda and the Azores, and have never been to Spain. So it’s the ports that attracted us, not the ships condition. Getting the balcony for free was also a decision maker.

Going on the Freedom in 3-weeks for the first time. Does anyone know if the cabin doors can hold magnets? The Sunshine doors were made of a plastic material, so no decorations were allowed. Thanks....

I kept looking for the “heavy-metal gals” from SC, never did see you. We had a really good cruise, arrived at 10:55 in the parking lot, on the ship at 11:30. We never did the Sea day brunch..We’ll be back on Sunshine in Jan. 👍

We had VeriFLY up until the day before our Sept 22 cruise on the Sunshine. They didn’t ask for it, I didn’t mention it. With the Passport, Printed Boarding Pass, and Covid documentation card, we were on our way in less than 10 mins. No need for VeriFLY anymore.

We just booked the TA on the Freedom, got the unbelievable casino rates for a balcony (the mandatory tip charge is more than the cabin) on deck 6. My “fear” is Freedom will be gasping for dry dock by that time. Sigh....

Thank you for the very informative reviews, especially on AC and GT, two islands we haven’t been to. On the Freedom, Pebbles and I have set time dining at 6:00pm. Can you tell me which dining room is the one we go to when we get onboard (to request a table for 2-only). Thanks.😀

We booked three using this same offer: Freedom 5- nights in October, Sunshine 5-nights in Jan ‘23, and best of all, Freedom 13-night TA to Barcelona in Sept. ‘23. All are balconies, each costing less than $600, with $200 obc. Its jaw dropping. My fear is the 13-nighter...it’s Freedoms trip to dry dock to get refreshed and have the whale tail rebuilt. Reviews are very sporadic, but what the heck, we’re cruising again.

If you want a non-chemical/intrusive solution: Posted Sunday at 10:04 PM With Fiona (and maybe others) pitching a hissy-fit, I thought maybe some folks would like a non-intrusive way to reduce or eliminate seasickness during rough seas. My father was a Navy WWII sailor and avid cruiser. After sailing on the Imagination in 1995, dodging “Roxanne” before it hit Cozumel, and getting mildly nauseous during the sail-around, I then chatted with my Dad and he gave me this “anti-seasickness” tip: Cause: it is a disconnect between the eyes and ears. Your eyes are showing all kinds of movement that does not match what the balance mechanism in your ears are feeling, somewhat similar to virtigo. The effect is the nausea and queasiness, sometimes leading to total bedrest on a moving ship. Yuck... The Tip: You have to get your eyes and ears to match-up. No matter where you are, lobby, cabin, bar, casino... find a spot on the nearest wall, the size of a quarter, and stare at it....keep staring, uninterrupted, until the nausea starts to go away. This may take 5-10 minutes of uninterrupted staring. If you glacé-off the spot to look at your spouse or something, you’ll have to start again. By staring at the spot on the wall, you are training your eyes to match with your ears. Once they are aligned, you should be good to go. If the queasy returns, do it again. Then again, you can get a patch from your Dr. or take ginger bits to settle your stomach.

With Fiona (and maybe others) pitching a hissy-fit, I thought maybe some folks would like a non-intrusive way to reduce or eliminate seasickness during rough seas. My father was a Navy WWII sailor and avid cruiser. After sailing on the Imagination in 1995, dodging “Roxanne” before it hit Cozumel, and getting mildly nauseous during the sail-around, I chatted with my Dad and he gave me this “anti-seasickness” tip: Cause: it is a disconnect between the eyes and ears. Your eyes are showing all kinds of movement that does not match what the balance mechanism in your ears are feeling. The effect is the nausea and queasiness, sometimes leading to total bedrest on a moving ship. Yuck... The Tip: You have to get your eyes and ears to match-up. No matter where you are, lobby, cabin, bar, casino... find a spot on the nearest wall, the size of a quarter, and stare at it....keep staring, uninterrupted, until the nausea starts to go away. This may take 5-10 minutes of uninterrupted staring. If you glacé-off the spot to look at your spouse or something, you’ll have to start again. By staring at the spot on the wall, you are training your eyes to match with your ears. Once they are aligned, you should be good to go. If the queasy returns, do it again. Then again, you can get a patch from your Dr. or take ginger bits to settle your stomach. Try it..it works... it has for me for over 25 years of cruising (with no patches). 👍

Officially, it’s 1:30pm. I’ve been on ships where the PA announcement was at 1:00ish. as a tip, many “lost bags” are due to cabin tags being ripped off during transfers. I fold the tags, then reinforce them with the clear, wide packing tape, front and back. It makes them MUCH more difficult to tear off.

We’re going on the Freedom in October, looking for suggestions on hotels near Port C that provide park and shuttle services, TIA....

Go to the ship deck plans, look at deck 5 to see what’s below you. If a bar or lounge, you may have some late night sounds coming from the cabin floor. Always check above and below when deciding on a cabin (unless you chose “guaranteed”), in which case you are stuck with their choice (unless you upgrade). Hope this helps...

Maybe try again, I entered our Freedom Oct 24-29 cruise and we are cleared to go. Having said that, I also entered our Jan 7th ‘23 on the Sunshine and can’t get approval on the health verification...even tho our two earlier cruises are already cleared. keep trying, check dates, etc.

Going on a 4-nighter out of Charleston (Sunshine) and wondering if there is a theme night? TIA