Live on the Freedom of the Seas - Oct 6-13, 2018

I have so enjoyed reading the live, as I cruise reviews, thus I am paying it back with one as we embark on the Freedom tomorrow from San Juan!

My DH and DD will be boarding our 10th cruise (DD 4th).. we cruise a variety of lines Royal, Carnival and Disney. All have their pros and cons for sure.. bottom line.. we cruise for fun, appreciate good service, good food, relaxation and fun!

We flew in Puerto Rico yesterday ... took the redeye with a 2 hour layover in Miami. The trip didn't start so well when the flight out of Phoenix was delayed for about 45 min because a flight attendent had called in sick and they were waiting for her/his replacement. Who does that.. a redeye must be the easiest flight to work.. 80% of the people sleep through it! Oh well.. hope whoever was sick is better. I never enjoy redeyes, but by the time we got to the hotel in San Juan at 2pm, we were all revived and ready to go!

We checked in to Marriott Stellaris Resort and Casino. We stayed here 15 or so years ago, so it was nice to be back! Resort is clean and full of friendly of staff. Part of the pool area is under renovation, but thats OK. A jackhammer here and there, but nothing awful!

Last night we ate dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe..I have been collecting those shirts since I was in high school! The food was typical (today I will find some local food as I love to travel and eat where the locals eat) but good. This was one of the coolest HRC ever.. we ate early - 5pm and they even had live music on the stage. A local band doing covers.

I'll write more later, going to find some lunch as we spent the morning in the pool and ocean!! This time tomorrow we will be on the ship!!

Looking forward to your review! We are sailing on FOS on 10/13!

Following! Sailing on 10/20!

Can't wait to read about your cruise! Have an awesome trip.

Lunch today was great!!! The hotel recommended a restaurant called Oceano, three short blocks down and on the ocean. (Near the Rennissance too)

We were seated at a table on the balcony facing the ocean! Couldn't be happier with the table!!

I had the Veggie Mofongo -- served a little differently than I expected. It wasn't in a bowl, the potato part was shaped with a nice array of fresh veggies on top! So very good.

My DH and DD just had burgers - but they were very good and cooked perfectly!

Service was great too! I highly recommend Oceano. It was not busy for lunch, but I could see you needing a reservation or be prepared to have a wait. Overall, nothing is busy right now since it is their slower season!

My lunch and view

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Following along. Enjoy your cruise. We're trying freedom class for first time (but on Independence) so interested in hearing your experience.

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Looking forward to your review! We are sailing on FOS on 10/13!

Ditto. See you in a week!

Thank you for the review. We are going out on FOS on the 20th.

We're on the Oct 20th sailing so really looking forward to this Live review.

Looking forward to our extra night as well.

Thanks for posting Live. Will keep us busy in between packing.

Sailing out on FOS on 10/20. Can't wait to read your reviews! Thank you!

Thanks for doing a review! We sail on FOS 11/4!

Thanks for bringing us along!

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This cruise is on my to-do list so I'll be very interested on your thoughts and experience. Have a great trip!!

Last night we ate at Di Zuccero Italian Restaurant - right across the street from the Marriott. It was close and a sure thing for DD (12). She ordered fettucini.. was on the menu all fancy with goat cheese and stuff (I would love).. but they could tell she wasn't interested in that and politely asked if she just wanted a traditional fettucini alfredo.. great service! She loved it and was full of chicken that we asked for too!

DH and I shared a meat lovers pizza! It was a good homemade crust loaded with meat. I had a glass of wine that was a perfect pairing with my meal!

The day ended great. We rarely have a whole day pre-cruise but this might be the start of something. I loved having the entire day to decompress! No schedule, no plans, no worries! Just enjoy!

Slept in this morning and then picked up a pastry from the hotel (and Starbucks from across the street). Took our breakfast back to the room to enjoy the view while we ate breakfast.

I normally spend endless hours planning these trips but life has just been so busy lately my typical planning hasn't occured.

We booked two excursion's outside the ship - opposed to doing most excursions through independant providers. I actually have nothing planned in St Lucia - so we shall see what we end up doing there. I am trying not to be concerned as this vacation is all about relaxing! I am one of those people whose mind never really shuts off but I vow to do it his vacation!!

Wish me luck as we embark in a couple hours ... relax and taking care of me this trip is about to happen!!!

BTW ocean front and ocean view rooms are worth it if you can!!

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Looking forward to hearing more. My sail date is 11/04 on Freedom. Thanks

Following! So excited to hear about your trip. We sail end of Nov. Thanks!!

Love all of the info! Thank you for doing this. Following.

Following!

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Great start! Bon voyage!

Currently on my flight home as we debarked this morning. Had a really great time!

Check this board for Sept. 22 sailings on Freedom of the Seas. Some interesting observations.