Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

A Carnival guy on Freedom OTS, The WOW factor: A pictorial review

DarthGrady

By DarthGrady,
in Royal Caribbean International

Recommended Posts

lgates63

lgates63

Posted
Posted

Hi Grady,

We'll be on the Freedom in 105 days (but who's counting:)).

We were just told that we'd have a perk'd dinner at Portofino....but I am having a hard time trying to figure out when to make this reservation.

We'd like to avoid the formal nights (so no day 2/Monday or no day 6/Friday, right?)

We don't want to go on day 1 'cuz that is Valentines Day....or day 7 last night on board with the family.

So that leaves Day 3 (sea), Day 4 (St Thomas), Day 5 (St Martin).

Do you have any suggestions? How about timing?

We don't want to miss the C&A reception - or anything important that I'm neglecting.

 

BTW - your review was amazing. Loved every bit of it!

Lori

Link to comment
Share on other sites
DarthGrady

DarthGrady

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Hi Grady,

We'll be on the Freedom in 105 days (but who's counting:)).

We were just told that we'd have a perk'd dinner at Portofino....but I am having a hard time trying to figure out when to make this reservation.

We'd like to avoid the formal nights (so no day 2/Monday or no day 6/Friday, right?)

We don't want to go on day 1 'cuz that is Valentines Day....or day 7 last night on board with the family.

So that leaves Day 3 (sea), Day 4 (St Thomas), Day 5 (St Martin).

Do you have any suggestions? How about timing?

We don't want to miss the C&A reception - or anything important that I'm neglecting.

 

BTW - your review was amazing. Loved every bit of it!

Lori

 

I like to do the supper clubs on sea days, so we don't feel rushed to get back from the ports, and are not too tired to enjoy the experience. I think the C&A party was night 3, so you may just have to arrange your reservation around it. I think for our cruise it was at around 7-ish. Also, we made a res. on the first day since they can fill up fast.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
DarthGrady

DarthGrady

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Grady - one word - WOW! Those pictures were amazing. I agree with the previous poster who said you should be hired to take the pics for RCCL! Thank you for sharing the behind the scenes tour and the inside view of the Royal Suite. Also, I enjoyed the sense of humor throughout your review and the captions on some of the pictures. I seriously LOL'd at the "flowmasters?" picture! :p

 

I knew there were a few other gear heads on CC besides me.:D

Link to comment
Share on other sites
DarthGrady

DarthGrady

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Royal Caribbean should offer you a job!!!! your photos are better than the ones we see on the site!!!

 

Thanks very much!

 

You guys flatter me, I am really a novice. I just take a huge ammount of pics and post the best. Believe me, there are many that end up on the "cutting room floor".

 

Again, thank you all for the kind words!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
olemissreb

olemissreb

Posted
Posted

Grady, Thank you so much for this review. For our Spring Break cruise, I passed up the Freedom since my DH and I had visited those islands already. We are cruising with our kids for Spring Break and since I'm still a relative novice, I wanted to go to islands DH and I hadn't been - thus my decision to cruise on the AOS. But after seeing these pics and reading your review, I'll just have to start saving my money again so we can cruise Freedom! Oh my DH is sooo going to hate you for planting that seed in my head!! :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites
babybaby

babybaby

Posted
Posted

Dear Grady,

 

We were on the Freedom with you. It was fun reading your review. I felt like we were back on the ship.

 

I was looking at your pictures to see if we were in any of them. When I saw the St. Maarten photos I almost fell out of my chair from laughing so hard. I won't say which one, but how funny. You never know who will take you home in their photos.

 

It was our first time on Freedom. We have been on Mariner twice. I think we are done with huge ships.

 

I think my biggest problem is the elevators. We travel with my inlaws on scooters and it was a pain. We would be waiting for an elevator first, and people would walk right in front of us and get in, and then there was no room for the scooters. One time we waited for an elevator for 15 min., be cause people would jump in front of us and fill it up.

 

We had our first JS and it was great. It was on deck 10, and we did rock a bit. Our room steward made me a little stressed because he told us he liked to do our room first in the morning. I felt like I had to rush in the am.

 

Our balcony was fantastic. I have read on CC about not enjoying the balcony because of smokers. Well it happened to us. There was a cigar smoker right below us and it was horrible. It even got into the room if the door was open. Some days were OK.

 

Anyway, I really enjoyed your review, and the pictures are beautiful. Thanks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
DarthGrady

DarthGrady

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Dear Grady,

 

We were on the Freedom with you. It was fun reading your review. I felt like we were back on the ship.

 

I was looking at your pictures to see if we were in any of them. When I saw the St. Maarten photos I almost fell out of my chair from laughing so hard. I won't say which one, but how funny. You never know who will take you home in their photos.

 

It was our first time on Freedom. We have been on Mariner twice. I think we are done with huge ships.

 

I think my biggest problem is the elevators. We travel with my inlaws on scooters and it was a pain. We would be waiting for an elevator first, and people would walk right in front of us and get in, and then there was no room for the scooters. One time we waited for an elevator for 15 min., be cause people would jump in front of us and fill it up.

 

We had our first JS and it was great. It was on deck 10, and we did rock a bit. Our room steward made me a little stressed because he told us he liked to do our room first in the morning. I felt like I had to rush in the am.

 

Our balcony was fantastic. I have read on CC about not enjoying the balcony because of smokers. Well it happened to us. There was a cigar smoker right below us and it was horrible. It even got into the room if the door was open. Some days were OK.

 

Anyway, I really enjoyed your review, and the pictures are beautiful. Thanks!

 

Long wait times and overcrowding seem to be problems on almost every big ship I go on. I guess its just one of those things that is going to be a problem no matter what ship you are on. We usually take the stairs if we are only going a few decks, I find it very annoying when able bodied folks take the lift for one or two decks. That makes it harder for folks like your in laws that have to use them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
kerrytens

kerrytens

Posted
Posted
Thanks very much!

 

You guys flatter me, I am really a novice. I just take a huge ammount of pics and post the best. Believe me, there are many that end up on the "cutting room floor".

 

Again, thank you all for the kind words!

Grady, let me join the crowd of admirers you have too please! Great review and fab photos. You mention above that you take a lot of photos. How many did you take on this trip? I really appreciated all of the interior and exterior ones of the ship. As a cruising newbie (my January cruise is only my second), it is great to see so much of the detail. I would have loved to have had such a thorough view of my very first cruise!!

Great job! Can't wait to read any other reviews you give us, no matter the ship. You have a fan! :D

Miriam

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Seago2

Seago2

Posted
Posted

Thank you so much for such a thorough, well written, beautifully captured review. I've never sailed RCI, mainly because of the price and because I like to sail out of NYC whenever possible. You have really piqued my interest! Trying to stay away from the behemoths at this point but my kids would LOVE this ship (actually, my oldest was on the FOTS maiden voyage with his G'rents). Thank you!!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
rosebud1g

rosebud1g

Posted
Posted

GRADY,

I had been a faithful Carnival cruiser too like you, until I had gotten

a steal of a deal on RCL Liberty of the Seas! Now I am HOOKED

on RCL! The Freedom of the Seas has been my favorite ship

and cruise of all time. Thank you SO much for taking those pictures

and taking the time to post them on here. I hope you dont mind, but I

copied a number of them of the ship I didnt think to get and am

adding them to my album on my computer. I didnt get any of the

Ice show either, my camera doesnt do well in the dark. Do you

have a setting other than the night snapshot you use? I love to

take pictures esp of us cruising! I can not wait to get on the OASIS!

thanks again and happy cruising!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
DarthGrady

DarthGrady

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Grady, let me join the crowd of admirers you have too please! Great review and fab photos. You mention above that you take a lot of photos. How many did you take on this trip? I really appreciated all of the interior and exterior ones of the ship. As a cruising newbie (my January cruise is only my second), it is great to see so much of the detail. I would have loved to have had such a thorough view of my very first cruise!!

Great job! Can't wait to read any other reviews you give us, no matter the ship. You have a fan! :D

Miriam

 

Thanks Miriam! I took just under 800, most being interior shots from several angles.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
DarthGrady

DarthGrady

Posted
  • Author
Posted
GRADY,

I had been a faithful Carnival cruiser too like you, until I had gotten

a steal of a deal on RCL Liberty of the Seas! Now I am HOOKED

on RCL! The Freedom of the Seas has been my favorite ship

and cruise of all time. Thank you SO much for taking those pictures

and taking the time to post them on here. I hope you dont mind, but I

copied a number of them of the ship I didnt think to get and am

adding them to my album on my computer. I didnt get any of the

Ice show either, my camera doesnt do well in the dark. Do you

have a setting other than the night snapshot you use? I love to

take pictures esp of us cruising! I can not wait to get on the OASIS!

thanks again and happy cruising!!!

 

I do have a night portrait setting which I used for the still exterior night shots. For the ice show, I just used my Auto setting, and it did pretty well. The low light pickup is probably my favorite thing about this camera. It doesn't need a flash in many situations where a regular point and shoot would.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
DarthGrady

DarthGrady

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Grady thankyou you for the wonderful photos and naration of your cruise aboard the fos. My wife and I and four other couples will be going out on the freedom on jan17th and looking forward to it with much anticipation.:)

 

 

No problem at all, hope you guys have a great cruise! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
tomko2

tomko2

Posted
Posted

Grady, loved your review and photos! We were on the Independence OTS last December and are going on the Liberty OTS in January (sister ships of the Freedom). Your photos are excellent; thank you for sharing!

Kathy:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
jsant

jsant

Posted
Posted

Question for you....Did you say in your review of day 6, that day 6 (Friday) was the second formal night? I was thinking that the formal nights were on Monday and Thursday, days 2 & 5. I wanted to check, because I was planning on booking my fine dinning on Monday and Friday because I was thinking they were not the formal nights. Also, I don't want to miss out on the lobster after the way you described it.

Jennifer

Link to comment
Share on other sites
DarthGrady

DarthGrady

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Question for you....Did you say in your review of day 6, that day 6 (Friday) was the second formal night? I was thinking that the formal nights were on Monday and Thursday, days 2 & 5. I wanted to check, because I was planning on booking my fine dinning on Monday and Friday because I was thinking they were not the formal nights. Also, I don't want to miss out on the lobster after the way you described it.

 

Jennifer

 

Yes, it was night #6. I don't know if it changes week to week based on the sea/port day schedule for the different routes though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 1 month later...
DarthGrady

DarthGrady

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Great review. We just got back from a cruise on the Freedom and have plans for Carnival Destiny in May. Will you be doing a picture review for that trip as well?

 

Yep, it won't be as big as this one though, since we're only doing a 4 day :(.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
DarthGrady

DarthGrady

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Great review. We just got back from a cruise on the Freedom and have plans for Carnival Destiny in May. Will you be doing a picture review for that trip as well?

 

Yep, it won't be as big as this one though, since we're only doing a 4 day :(.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • Hurricane Zone 2024
      • Cruise Insurance Q&A w/ Steve Dasseos of Tripinsurancestore.com June 2024
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...