Live from the Freedom of the Seas - March 18, 2012

I'm pretty much all packed, have all my documents in my carry-on bag, checked in for tomorrow's flight down to Orlando, Florida, and am just about ready to start my vacation. So, with that all accomplished today, I thought it'd be a good time to start sharing my next adventure with all of you.

I'm sailing on the Freedom of the Seas, departing this Sunday from Port Canaveral, for a week-long adventure to Labadee, Haiti; Falmouth, Jamaica; George Town, Grand Caymen; and Cozumel, Mexico.

As I've done with previous "live" threads, I'll do my best to share my experiences here. With any luck, assuming I've got my iPad configured properly, I'll be able to share photos, too. That's a bit more at the whim of the Internet gods. :)

Some background about this vacation's travelers...

I'm Marc from Pittsburgh, PA, and I'm traveling with my friend, Bryan, also from Pittsburgh. This is my eleventh cruise (seventh on Royal Caribbean), and this is Bryan's fourth cruise (all on Royal Caribbean). DH and the kids are staying home this time around.

This cruise originally started as a "complimentary" cruise on the Norwegian Spirit, thanks to a promotion from the Rivers Casino here in Pittsburgh. I say "complimentary" because we still had to pay taxes and fees which amounted to about $500.

While on the Allure of the Seas last August, I qualified to become a Club Royale member, and thanks to some promotional credit from them, along with onboard credit for booking while onboard and prepaid gratuities from the travel agent, I was able to book this cruise on the Freedom of the Seas for the same week at a cheaper cost. I'm thrilled to be sailing on this cruise instead since I tend to like the larger ships (as evidenced by most of my recent cruise history).

We were originally booked in a Promenade cabin since I really like those, but yesterday, a last-minute balcony guarantee rate of just $799/person popped up which was cheaper than what the Promenade cabin was, so I quickly called my travel agent and had them put through a no-cost upgrade. I'm now in a balcony cabin (category D2)!

I'm very excited about this cruise! I've been watching, and re-watching, cruise programs on my TiVo and YouTube for the past couple weeks in anticipation. Having sailed on the Liberty of the Seas several years ago, I'm also excited to see what they've brought from the Oasis-class ships back to the Freedom of the Seas. From what I've seen from others here, I think that they'll be some very nice additions to the Freedom-class.

Anyway, I invite you all to come cruise with me vicariously through this thread. I look forward to having you along for the trip!

Hey Marc, have a wonderful time on the cruise. We're sailing the same itinerary in just 2 weeks. Please post a review when you get back, as I'd also like to hear about the new enhancements from Oasis.

Yay!! Look forward to a day by day review! Get me even more excited for my FOS cruise which is MONTHS away. Have a great time!!!

Have an awesome time! Looking forward to reading your review as it progress. Happy cruising :).

Marc

We are sailing on Freedom in May. Is there a way you could possibly find out if any balconies other than Suites and Jr. Suites have any tables larger than the small patio sized table on them? We like to dine on the balcony. We sailed Explorer last year and they had them but on our previous Freedom cruises, they did not.

Thanks in advance.

Tim

We will be boarding on the 18th too. See you on the ship!

Marc, my husband and I were originally booked on this cruise with you but had to change it a couple of months back. We have chatted on the roll call a couple of times and you were kind enough to wish us luck with our new booking in April and said you would keep the old girl in good shape for us. I will be holding you to this.

But, I love the fact that you will be posting live!!! I will be checking in to see how things are going. It was a little tough for me this week at work, knowing I was suppose to be leaving today to join you guys. But, as luck would have it, the April sailing worked out better for several personal reasons.

All the best to you and the rest of the roll call!!! Happy sailing!!!!

Is there a way you could possibly find out if any balconies other than Suites and Jr. Suites have any tables larger than the small patio sized table on them?

Not a problem... I'll see what size our table is on our balcony. I'm guessing it's not going to be all that large, but we'll see soon enough!

Woohoo! Can't wait!

I'm curious about the Club Royale program. How do you qualify?

Thanks,

Not a problem... I'll see what size our table is on our balcony. I'm guessing it's not going to be all that large, but we'll see soon enough!

Thanks Marc! You da man!

Where are you staying precruise?

Tim

Sailing in 30 days, same itinerary! I'm very excited to read about your experience. Was your dinner seating changed to 30 minutes earlier also?

Can't wait to "tag" along! We are sailing on the other itinerary this fall but I'll look forward to hearing about the ship! have a great time.

we wer on this itinerary this past december and will be back on the same again this coming december. BUT I can't get enough of Freedom of the seas SO, I look forward to your dailies. Hope you can take pics of your meals since I am a real foodie:p:o

Can't wait to read this- I will be getting on when you are getting off- 8 days seems like so few and so many days all at the same time!

Can't wait to read this- I will be getting on when you are getting off- 8 days seems like so few and so many days all at the same time!

Don't blink, if you do, you will be getting off and the next cruise will be embarking. ;)

Tim

I'm going on that same cruise in 2 weeks! Looking forward to your review!

Hi Marc, We will be sailing on her April 8th! Can't wait for your review.:) Are you taking any water or pop? If you are, please let me know if you had any trouble taking it on. Thanks!

Looking forward to your review! We'll be on FOS with the same itinerary in April.

Any chance you could post your cruise compasses?

Hi, all! Thanks so much for the nice wishes!

I just returned from running some last-minute errands including picking up a small stapler to bring with me to use to attach the printed luggage tags to our bags on Sunday morning. Royal Caribbean reissued my cruise docs today and they include the new luggage tag page. Since I can't use the ones they mailed me since we changed cabins, I figured I'd give these new, printed luggage tags a try. I have to admit that they came out better than I was expecting.

Where are you staying precruise?

We are staying at the Residence Inn in Cape Canaveral. It's a bit pricey, but it seems like a nice place.

And you didn't ask, but for others who may be curious, we're renting cars one-way (Budget via Priceline) to/from the airport/port. Given that we're arriving a day early and planning to spend disembarkation day in the area, having a car will let us enjoy our time a bit more leisurely.

Was your dinner seating changed to 30 minutes earlier also?

We have My Time Dining, so we weren't notified about any changes. I do believe that I heard from others that it is going to be 5:30 for the early seating, though.

Are you taking any water or pop? If you are, please let me know if you had any trouble taking it on. Thanks!

No, we're not bringing any beverages onboard. We both purchased the soda package, so we're set for that sort of stuff.

Any chance you could post your cruise compasses?

I will try to collect them all and post them after I return home.

bon voyage

Have a great trip Marc!

This Monday, I will book my cruise on Freedom for August 5th. While you are enjoying the Caribbean, I'll hold it down here in the 'Burgh :).

Looking forward to your posts.

Hope you have a great trip. We will be on the same itenerary in 2 weeks. Look forward to reading about freedom. What excursions will you be doing?

I'll be looking forward to hearing your review of the Residence Inn. My husband and I will be staying there pre-cruise in December (using Marriott reward points).

Thanks for the Live Review! I'll be following along...can't wait till it's our turn...only 261 days to go!