Freedom of the Seas - Some Thoughts and Observations

I’m not going to do a day by day review because it would go something like this:

Wake up, eat, walk around, eat, sleep, eat, tell my son “Don’t touch/lick/climb on that”, remind my husband that he does not need another watch and the sales are not that great anyways. Mix these up, change the order, and repeat for 7 days and you have the idea.

Background: We cruised exclusively with Princess before having a child. We even took DS on a Princess cruise for his 1st birthday. We realized on that cruise, that Princess really was not the best fit for us as a family in the same way that it had been for DH & I as a couple.

Then we switched to Disney. Two sailings on Disney Fantasy in 6 months (when our son was 2 & 2.5). We were hooked. We love all things Disney; shows, theme parks, merchandise, and cruises. Unfortunately, Disney comes with a price bigger than Goofy’s shoes. We were all set for our 3rd cruise on Fantasy last Sept, but my husband’s father passed away and we had to cancel.

When it came time to rebook, I just could not justify the cost of a Disney cruise. Disney was almost $4,000 for the 3 of us. Freedom for the 3 of us was going to be $2,100. At that price, we decided to bring MIL with us. Shortly after the original booking we decided to upgrade to the not yet finished deck 12 Family Ocean View Stateroom (This was the best decision ever. The room is amazing).

We went into the cruise knowing that it would not be Disney, but we planned to enjoy it to the fullest. Below are some observations and comparisons.

Stateroom: The deck 12 Family Ocean View stateroom was amazing. We cruise to relax and being able to sit in comfortable chairs in our own quiet space and have a Captain’s view of the voyage was spectacular. Each evening our steward folded down the couch into a bed for DS. This seemed to be just slightly smaller than a normal full size bed (although it may have been a regular full size bed).

MIL used the bunk room. The closet in there was pretty tiny, but she just laid most of her clothing on the top bunk. She said the bed was comfortable and she enjoyed having a bit of privacy as well.

There was one full bathroom and then one bathroom with just a toilet and sink. Having the extra bathroom was nice with 4 and I can see it as a necessity with more than that.

I found the storage to be fine with 2 adults and 1 child using the closet and drawers in the main room, but I can see how this would have been really tight with more people particularly more adults or teens. A 4 yo’s clothes don’t take up much space.

***A quick note about laundry. I decided to have 2 of my husband’s dress shirts pressed onboard so that they would not get wrinkled. The laundry price sheet that I found pre-cruise indicated that this service would be $1.75 per shirt ($3.50 per shirt for dry cleaning and pressing). The prices have gone up significantly. It was $3.95 per shirt for pressing and I believe that it was twice that amount for laundering. I intended to take a picture of the pricing list, but I completely forgot.

Food: We found the food to be of equal quality to Disney and Princess. Some items were better on Freedom, some on the others. We were pleased overall and never went hungry. Both DH & I agreed that the steak served on the everyday menu in the dining room was much better than the always available steaks on the other lines.

We had MTD. Pre-cruise I made reservations for 5:30 each evening as we like to dine early and the 1st seating was waitlisted. We did not ask to have the same waitstaff nightly, but each evening the hostess would tell us to head to table 26 so there must have been a note in the computer. The service was efficient, albeit a bit slow. However, for those that prefer to linger and chat over their meals the timing was likely perfect. I was too busy entertaining my son and praying that he didn’t spill water or grab the table next to us.

The one thing that we really were no fond of was the Windjammer. It was really chaotic, I was not fond of the layout, and there were never servers available to assist with drinks (except for coffee in the morning). In the past, the buffet has been our first choice for breakfast and lunch but on Freedom it was our last choice.

That being said, we loved the service in the dining room. At breakfast there were several hot items on a buffet set up in the middle of the dining room as well as a cold fruit and cereal bar. There was a regular menu as well. The service was quick and efficient. We have often avoided the dining rooms in the past, because it can take a long time (and with a toddler/preschooler time sitting happily and quietly can really be limited). We found that it was every bit as quick and even easier than the Windjammer. The Tutti Salad bar at lunch was delicious.

Side note about dining: There are no cups with lids onboard (other than the coffee cups in Café Promenade) and there are no smaller or more kid friendly cups in the dining room. Thankfully, I had brought a cup for DS but if I hadn’t I would have spent a lot of time worrying about him using a stemmed water glass that was covered in condensation. He is 4 and drinks out of regular cups at home, but for those with younger kids make sure to bring your own cups.

Giovanni’s Table & Johnny Rocket’s : As part of our booking we received free meals at one of the specialty restaurants (Giovanni’s Table, Chops, or Sabor). We chose Giovanni’s Table. The food was outstanding. Definitely the best meal that I have had on a cruise ship. I appreciate that they sized the appetizers to the number of people at the table and that several were just one bite. This let us sample several choices. The filet was amazing. The only disappointment was the Tiramisu. It was scooped out of a dish like pudding and was runny. The rest of the meal more than made up for this. DS was free at Giovanni’s table. There was not really a kid’s menu, but they were able to make him some penne pasta with marinara sauce.

I know that others may disagree with me about this, but I really appreciate that RCI allows children in the specialty restaurants. Disney’s specialty restaurants are adults only and with a special needs child who is only able to tolerate the kid’s clubs sporadically this means that we have never been able to enjoy them.

We also received a coupon for a free meal for 4 at Johnny Rockets. We chose to eat here on the last night as we wanted something a bit more relaxed for the final evening. The food was OK. Overall, it was our least favorite meal of the cruise. There was nothing wrong with it, but I didn’t find it to be that special either.

Entertainment: We saw 10 minutes of a comedy show and did not see any of the other performances. They might have been great, but we always had other stuff that we preferred to do (or were getting DS to bed).

Not sure if this belongs in entertainment or not, but I will include it. At the last minute I decided to take DS to the Dreamwork’s Character breakfast. I checked with the dining room on that morning and they were able to accommodate us. Since I had not planned on doing this, I didn’t do too much investigative work beforehand. DS has sensory issues and is on the Autism spectrum. The show starts with really loud music and sound effects. DS immediately started to meltdown. He could not handle the noise. We had to leave within minutes. It took a lot of convincing to get him to go back to the dining room after that. Hopefully, this info may help another family avoid a similar situation.

On another side note, there was an “Autism friendly” showing of the Lorax onboard in which the sound was supposed to be lowered, lights raised, and movement allowed. DS was not interested in attending and we didn’t push the issue. This is not something that I have seen offered on other lines and thought that it was a very nice addition.

Coco Cay: Coco Cay is really nice. Both DH & I agreed that it was nicer than Princess Cays. It was not Disney’s Castaway Cay with characters wandering on the beach, but the buffet lunch was much better than what is served on Castaway Cay. We always enjoy a beach day and this was no exception.

Shore Excursion: We chose Kon Tiki boat excursion in St. Thomas. I will not travel by car unless I have a proper child safety seat and seatbelt for DS. This really limits the shore excursions available. The Kon Tiki boat boards at the pier right next to the ship. There is free fruit punch onboard and drinks available for purchase ($2 rum shots, $6-$7 for other drinks, a bucket of beer for $20). The tour starts with a bit of history about Charlotte Amalie and St Thomas and goes to Honeymoon Beach for an hour or so of beach time. There was a steel drum band onboard that kept guests entertained. The tour itself was pretty good, but if you are not constrained by carseats and small children better excursions can be found.

(I’ve seen people question whether this tour is a booze cruise & my answer is that really depends on who is onboard with you. We had a group of 15 or so who had been at Senior Frogs before the tour, enjoyed the bar on the tour, bought multiple rounds at the bar on Honeymoon beach and overall they were really pretty loud and at times vulgar. While some reading this may be blaming Spring Breakers, these were middle aged people who were out to make the most of their cruise. We knew that the party atmosphere was going to continue on the way back so we chose to ride on the top of the boat on the return to port. Judging by what I was hearing from downstairs, which was a very good call especially with a small child who is noise sensitive.)

Guest Services: This is really the only truly negative area for me. The first issue was that we had a coupon that was good for a free soda package. I wanted to upgrade this to the Royal Replenish. Guest Services told me that was fine and sent me to the table by Sorrento’s. The employee at the table says that he cannot do this and that Guest Services has to. Go back to Guest Services and a different employee sends me to Café Promenade. Café Promenade tries to send me back to Guest Services. Finally the issue was resolved, but the customer service was pretty poor along the way.

The second and bigger issues: We had onboard credit from Royal Caribbean, our Travel Agent, and some that I had purchased. We received a notice in our room about the credits from our Travel Agent and those that I had purchased. However, these were applied sporadically. Sometimes showing one day and then gone the next. At one point they could not see where our travel agent had ever purchased any OBC for us and had us call him and leave a message (even though I had a card from Royal saying that we had the credits). It took 4 visits and over an hour of my vacation time to get this straightened out. It was not resolved until 2 pm on the last day of sailing. We left the ship with a negative balance, but our credit card was charged $156 anyways. It took a phone call and another 30 minutes of my time to get this resolved. We have yet to receive our refund in OBC. (The amount is refundable since it was OBC that I purchased).

Overall Guest Services seemed to prefer to pass people around rather than actually help resolve issues. While working on my issues, I saw several more incidents that were similar. This experience is enough to make us a bit wary of RCI. No it did not ruin our vacation; but it was very frustrating and the staff was less than helpful and in no way apologetic about any of the issues.

Royal Replenish Package: We upgraded our free soda package to the Royal Replenish Package (non-alcohol). Between morning and afternoon coffee, a couple bottles of water, and a virgin cocktail or two we felt that this was a good deal.

A few prices that I recall are: Venti mocha $4.75 (extra shot $0.75), I was told that the virgin cocktails run about $5. These prices then have 18% gratuity added on top of that.

Our favorite non-alcoholic cocktail was the wildberry margarita. I preferred it on the rocks although I got it blended once and it was good that way as well. There are no (or limited) drink menus so if you get this or any other package I recommend getting a list together before you leave home so that you can sample some delicious drinks.

Kid’s Club: (Aquanauts) DS went to the club 3 times. He seemed to enjoy it each time, however, it was still stressful for him and he really was not that interested in returning. I really liked that the club was broken up into smaller age groups and that they did organized activities. Disney’s kids club’s are a free for all of ages 3-11 and kids have to actively seek the activities. That type of environment is way to stressful for DS. I think that for neuro-typical children the kid’s club activities and staff would be lots of fun and the activities that I saw were pretty cool. One night was Super Hero night and DS made a cape and had his face painted. I was very happy that they gave me a phone so that they could call if DS became too upset, thankfully he didn’t but it was nice to have that peace of mind. I was told that phones are generally only issued to the parent’s of 3 year olds or special needs children on a first come basic.

Random Thoughts:

I was apprehensive about the Royal Promenade as I love the look of the grand atriums; however, having everything on one little strip was really convenient.

The shops onboard have very little for children. There were a couple small Dreamwork’s stuffed animals that were $18 each or 2 for $30. There was also a Shrek pillow that was $30 (I believe).

There was a 2 for $20 t-shirt sale on the 2nd to last sea day. Be there before they open for the best selection.

Rum cakes were cheaper onboard than in St Maarten.

On the 2nd to last sea day my son was climbing on a chair in the stateroom and fell off (we think that he was trying to climb up the side). He hit his head on the step at the base of the window ledge. He was not acting like his normal self, so we took him to the Medical Center. I was fully prepared to pay for him to be checked out, but I guess because it was labeled and accident there was no charge.

Conclusion: We had a great time. It was so nice to be able to rest and relax. As a mom, not having to cook or clean for a week is amazing. DH & I are both in agreement that we will keep RCI (Freedom class and newer) on our radar for cruising, but Disney is still our first love. That being said, I am pretty frugal and the cost of Disney is often out of our budget so we may very well find ourselves back on RCI before Disney.

Nice review. We'll be on her in five days. :D

Wonderful summary!!! Thank you for sharing. We love Freedom as we previously sailed her in 2009. We are getting ready to sail on Freedom for our first back to back cruise in August!! Woo Hoo!!! We are planning to try the dinning room for breakfast and lunch during our trip as we have always eaten in the Windjammer. Thanks again for sharing... :D

Great review of FOS. We've sailed on FOS twice and will be back on her in June. I agree with everything you said. I do however, hope you will give Guest Services on the ship one more try. One of the people in our party had a semi-emergency one night and one of the staff at Guest Services was unbelievably helpful. Love the MDR for breakfast too.

We are on Freedom in five days also. Our grand daughter is in the Autism spectrum also so it was great hearing how your son did. We want to take her and mom and dad on a cruise but were a little concerned about the noise and activities on board. We may give it a try now. Thanks.

A very helpful review, thank you for sharing. I'm disappointed to hear that there were little or no drink menus on board, I can't fathom why this is? Why encourage people to buy packages, and then keep the range of drinks a secret??

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A very helpful review, thank you for sharing. I'm disappointed to hear that there were little or no drink menus on board, I can't fathom why this is? Why encourage people to buy packages, and then keep the range of drinks a secret??

 

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Because, they will have to give less drinks! They are HOPING that folks don't drink beyond the "break even" point!!

Because, they will have to give less drinks! They are HOPING that folks don't drink beyond the "break even" point!!

Yep and basic drink like rum and coke are cheaper than specialty beverages with lots of ingredients.

Nice review :) I was on Freedom the week before you. I agree that Giovannis Table was the best meal Ive ever had on a cruise ship! Probably one of my best meals ever! Chops was just "meh" and I was very underwhelmed.

I also was a little :eek: at the increase to have shirts pressed as I too had seen the "old" price list online. Not a big deal though.

We are on Freedom in five days also. Our grand daughter is in the Autism spectrum also so it was great hearing how your son did. We want to take her and mom and dad on a cruise but were a little concerned about the noise and activities on board. We may give it a try now. Thanks.

Although we are more limited in activities in order to accomondate DS's needs I actually like cruise vacations better than many others. We can always get him back to the stateroom and work on calming routines quickly when on a cruise ship. When he has a meltdown at Disney World, it is more difficult.

Research beforehand is half the battle. I knew to avoid the Dreamworks parade, but as I stated I wish I would have reasearched the breakfast more.

Thanks for the review. We will be in a family panoramic oceanview cabin on Freedom in September.

How did you get the Family Panoramic Ocenview with just 4 people? I thought it was for families of 5 or 6?

We're actually booked in 1864 - the "pie-shaped" large panoramic oceanview up on deck 12 - but would love to try to get the larger family room (we are 2A, 2C).

How did you get the Family Panoramic Ocenview with just 4 people? I thought it was for families of 5 or 6?

 

We're actually booked in 1864 - the "pie-shaped" large panoramic oceanview up on deck 12 - but would love to try to get the larger family room (we are 2A, 2C).

It generally is only for 5 or more people, but for some reason when the stateroom was first loaded into the system it was coming up when I was searching even for 2 people. We booked it while Freedom was still in Dry Dock and before the rooms were even complete. I know that we were lucky and won't get to cruise in one of those again, but it was nice.

Although we are more limited in activities in order to accomondate DS's needs I actually like cruise vacations better than many others. We can always get him back to the stateroom and work on calming routines quickly when on a cruise ship. When he has a meltdown at Disney World, it is more difficult.

 

Research beforehand is half the battle. I knew to avoid the Dreamworks parade, but as I stated I wish I would have reasearched the breakfast more.

It generally is only for 5 or more people, but for some reason when the stateroom was first loaded into the system it was coming up when I was searching even for 2 people. We booked it while Freedom was still in Dry Dock and before the rooms were even complete. I know that we were lucky and won't get to cruise in one of those again, but it was nice.

PS -- your review was great!

We were on 4/19 Eastern itinerary. We didn't have any on-board credits, but one of our dinner companions did some research since he was having difficulty, as well. Apparently, there was some kind of computer glitch between the "land" and the "ship" initially, which didn't transfer credits appropriately as we sailed... add to that a fairly new (??) IT person on the ship and a computer system that was acting wacky, and it may explain why you had such a difficult time.

Hopefully it was a one-week thing and the folks traveling this week are having more success getting their credits. We had an amazing week, and totally agree that breakfast in the MDR was so much nicer than the WJ.

I always enjoy reading reviews from cruisers who are new to Freedom as we've sailed her multiple times and for us, she's like coming home.

I'm glad that you enjoyed your time, and that your son appeared to have a good time too. What a great cabin choice you made as well.

I've always had the free soda package coupon but have never thought to see if I can upgrade it to the Royal Replenish (I guess since it is for my kids). However, Replenish is non alcoholic so I might want to do that with my older son's coupon. Might I ask what they charged you to upgrade?

Thanks again for the great review. Oh, and condolences to your family on the loss of your FIL.

I always enjoy reading reviews from cruisers who are new to Freedom as we've sailed her multiple times and for us, she's like coming home.

 

I'm glad that you enjoyed your time, and that your son appeared to have a good time too. What a great cabin choice you made as well.

 

I've always had the free soda package coupon but have never thought to see if I can upgrade it to the Royal Replenish (I guess since it is for my kids). However, Replenish is non alcoholic so I might want to do that with my older son's coupon. Might I ask what they charged you to upgrade?

 

Thanks again for the great review. Oh, and condolences to your family on the loss of your FIL.

Thank you for the condolences.

Our free soda package was supposed to be a kid's package as well. However, my son will not drink soda. He will only drink watered down juice, iced tea, and almond milk (not that I am upset about this in any way). Knowing that he wouldn't use it was what prompted me to ask about the upgrade.

I figured that they would charge me the difference between the kid's soda package ($4.50 a day + 18% gratuity) and the Royal Replenish Package ($19.50 a day + 18% gratuity), however, since it was placed on my card I guess the system was a bit confused and charged me the difference in price between the adult soda package ($6.50 a day + 18% gratuity) and the RR package. We ended up paying $13 a day plus the gratuity or about $107 total.

My morning and afternoon coffees were $5.50 each, so by the time I added in a bottle of water or a non-alcoholic cocktail the package was a money saver for us. I am pretty frugal and really detest the idea of pay $150 a week for beverages, but I really did enjoy the unlimited beverages and would likely buy it for myself again even at full price.

I'll definitely have to consider this on our August cruise.

I'm taking my 2 sons, and three of my older son's friends. All will be under 18 and all will have the free kids soda package coupon. While my younger one enjoys ginger ale and diet coke, my older one never drinks soda. He will get a powerade from the freestyle machine, but that's about it. However, he does drink coffee and I know that they both enjoy a non alcoholic mocktail once in a while.

Thanks for the advice. Even if they charge me the $15/day upcharge, like you said, a couple of coffees, a bottle or two of water and one frozen non alcoholic drink and it's worth it.

We're all D (my mom is D+) so she and I get the three drink coupons on our cards nightly. But it might make sense to upgrade for the kids. I'll have to think about it now that I have some hard numbers.

Thanks again.

Thanks for your review... I really enjoyed it.

Two years ago, when our grandson was 2, we took him and his parents on the Explorer for a 9 day cruise. We all had a fantastic time even though our GS was too young to participate in the youth program. He is a really active child (probably with ADD like his Dad) but was really fun and very good.

Next year, we'll be taking them to WDW (they want to forego a cruise) but I would prefer a cruise... oh well, maybe when our GS (next year he'll be 5 yo) is a little older and his mom would allow him to go alone with us.

I had a feeling the child's programs are good and glad to hear that it is.

DH and I will be on sister ship, Liberty next week for 10 days ... can't wait. I already noted the wildberry margarita non-alc drink... any others stand out?