Jast back from FOS 2/14/21

[bridkid]

Just arrived home to Long Island after 18 hour drive back from Cape CANAVERAL. I am not good at writing reviews but feel compelled to after our fantastic experience and the handling by RCL of a major water pipe break (more to follow)

 

A little background: We were a group of 5, myself, my wife, daugther (18), son (22) and his girlfriend. This was our 7th cruise, previous 6 being on Carnival.

 

Emabarkation was a breeze. we arrived at the terminal at 11:15 and were on board by 12:00

 

Here are just some general thoughts.

 

The food was excellent, paticularly in the MDR. We loved all our meals and found the food to be of a very high quality

 

Service: This was one area where we were very, very impressed. Our dining room team of Keron and Oral (both from Jamaica) were amazing. We finished our meal in less than an hour and a half every night. In the Windjammer the waiters kept the tables clean and were constantly asking if you needed anything. They were always there to help you find a table if neccessary. Overall we found the staff to be extremely friendly.

 

The shows: Amazing, first rate entertainment. Broadway style shows, the Las Vegas Tenors, Magic Show and of course the famous Ice Show which is a must see. I've never seen so many standing ovations.

Don't miss the Quest and the Newlywed Game - hysterical

 

Lines: What lines, we never had to wait for anything.

 

CD Allan Brookes: far and away the best CD we have ever had. He is very visible and is hysterical. If we knew he would be hosting an event we were there

 

Favorite night spot: Bull and Bear pub on the promenade. There was a guitar player, Shane, who sang sing along style songs form 11 pm to 1 am everynight. Great fun.

 

Ports of call

Coco Cay: a little chilly but we spent a relaxing day on the beach

St Thomas: Used Godfrey tours who I highly recommend. Combination of shopping, sightseeing and Magens Bay Beach. This has to be the most beatiful beach I have been to. Crystal clear waters and beautiful green surroundings. Paradise!

St Marteen: Used Bernard Tours who were equally as good. Shopping,sightseeing and stops at Orient Beach and Maho Beach. Maho Beach is situated by the airport and the planes fly right over your head. This is a must do. Another perfect day!

 

The weather: Perfect!! Blue skies every day.

 

And now for that water pipe break. On our second last sea day there was a major water pipe break and many cabins did not have water for most of the day. Yes, this was a little inconvenient but these things happen. The captain kept us updated. This is the type of incident that can become the talking point of a cruise so I was curious to see how RCL would handle this. Would they offer any kind of compensation? Maybe a $25 on board credit per cabin? We woke up the following morning to find a letter under our door from the captain apologising for the inconvenience and stating that all cabins affected would receive a 15% credit on the cost of their cruise which would show up on their final seapass account,

Sure enough our final statement came and there was a credit for $470 for our 2 cabins. WOW!! RCL certainly went above and beyond.

 

So if the Freedom of the Seas is in your future vacation plans you are in for the cruise of a lifetime!

 

And for one final time to Freedom of The Seas and its crew a standing ovation!

[Mollypuss]

It sounds like you had a wonderful vacation. We were on her in June and agree with you ....it was our favorite cruise yet.

[bobgp]

Glad you had a wonderful cruise. It's so refreshing to read positive comments.

[pcutrone]

Hello fellow Long Islander. Thanks for the positive review. I can't wait to hear from other people that took your cruise that will undoubtedly complain about how not having water ruined their entire cruise and most likely, their entire lives. You are living proof that it's all about attitude. Glad you had a great time. The Freedom class ships are amazing!

[TheWog]

Just arrived home to Long Island after 18 hour drive back from Cape CANAVERAL. I am not good at writing reviews but feel compelled to after our fantastic experience and the handling by RCL of a major water pipe break (more to follow)

 

A little background: We were a group of 5, myself, my wife, daugther (18), son (22) and his girlfriend. This was our 7th cruise, previous 6 being on Carnival.

 

Emabarkation was a breeze. we arrived at the terminal at 11:15 and were on board by 12:00

 

Here are just some general thoughts.

 

The food was excellent, paticularly in the MDR. We loved all our meals and found the food to be of a very high quality

 

Service: This was one area where we were very, very impressed. Our dining room team of Keron and Oral (both from Jamaica) were amazing. We finished our meal in less than an hour and a half every night. In the Windjammer the waiters kept the tables clean and were constantly asking if you needed anything. They were always there to help you find a table if neccessary. Overall we found the staff to be extremely friendly.

 

The shows: Amazing, first rate entertainment. Broadway style shows, the Las Vegas Tenors, Magic Show and of course the famous Ice Show which is a must see. I've never seen so many standing ovations.

Don't miss the Quest and the Newlywed Game - hysterical

 

Lines: What lines, we never had to wait for anything.

 

CD Allan Brookes: far and away the best CD we have ever had. He is very visible and is hysterical. If we knew he would be hosting an event we were there

 

Favorite night spot: Bull and Bear pub on the promenade. There was a guitar player, Shane, who sang sing along style songs form 11 pm to 1 am everynight. Great fun.

 

Ports of call

Coco Cay: a little chilly but we spent a relaxing day on the beach

St Thomas: Used Godfrey tours who I highly recommend. Combination of shopping, sightseeing and Magens Bay Beach. This has to be the most beatiful beach I have been to. Crystal clear waters and beautiful green surroundings. Paradise!

St Marteen: Used Bernard Tours who were equally as good. Shopping,sightseeing and stops at Orient Beach and Maho Beach. Maho Beach is situated by the airport and the planes fly right over your head. This is a must do. Another perfect day!

 

The weather: Perfect!! Blue skies every day.

 

And now for that water pipe break. On our second last sea day there was a major water pipe break and many cabins did not have water for most of the day. Yes, this was a little inconvenient but these things happen. The captain kept us updated. This is the type of incident that can become the talking point of a cruise so I was curious to see how RCL would handle this. Would they offer any kind of compensation? Maybe a $25 on board credit per cabin? We woke up the following morning to find a letter under our door from the captain apologising for the inconvenience and stating that all cabins affected would receive a 15% credit on the cost of their cruise which would show up on their final seapass account,

Sure enough our final statement came and there was a credit for $470 for our 2 cabins. WOW!! RCL certainly went above and beyond.

 

So if the Freedom of the Seas is in your future vacation plans you are in for the cruise of a lifetime!

 

And for one final time to Freedom of The Seas and its crew a standing ovation!

 

Thanks, can't wait. This time next year I am on board.

[SherriZ366]

Just arrived home to Long Island after 18 hour drive back from Cape CANAVERAL. I am not good at writing reviews but feel compelled to after our fantastic experience and the handling by RCL of a major water pipe break (more to follow)

 

A little background: We were a group of 5, myself, my wife, daugther (18), son (22) and his girlfriend. This was our 7th cruise, previous 6 being on Carnival.

 

Emabarkation was a breeze. we arrived at the terminal at 11:15 and were on board by 12:00

 

Here are just some general thoughts.

 

The food was excellent, paticularly in the MDR. We loved all our meals and found the food to be of a very high quality

 

Service: This was one area where we were very, very impressed. Our dining room team of Keron and Oral (both from Jamaica) were amazing. We finished our meal in less than an hour and a half every night. In the Windjammer the waiters kept the tables clean and were constantly asking if you needed anything. They were always there to help you find a table if neccessary. Overall we found the staff to be extremely friendly.

 

The shows: Amazing, first rate entertainment. Broadway style shows, the Las Vegas Tenors, Magic Show and of course the famous Ice Show which is a must see. I've never seen so many standing ovations.

Don't miss the Quest and the Newlywed Game - hysterical

 

Lines: What lines, we never had to wait for anything.

 

CD Allan Brookes: far and away the best CD we have ever had. He is very visible and is hysterical. If we knew he would be hosting an event we were there

 

Favorite night spot: Bull and Bear pub on the promenade. There was a guitar player, Shane, who sang sing along style songs form 11 pm to 1 am everynight. Great fun.

 

Ports of call

Coco Cay: a little chilly but we spent a relaxing day on the beach

St Thomas: Used Godfrey tours who I highly recommend. Combination of shopping, sightseeing and Magens Bay Beach. This has to be the most beatiful beach I have been to. Crystal clear waters and beautiful green surroundings. Paradise!

St Marteen: Used Bernard Tours who were equally as good. Shopping,sightseeing and stops at Orient Beach and Maho Beach. Maho Beach is situated by the airport and the planes fly right over your head. This is a must do. Another perfect day!

 

The weather: Perfect!! Blue skies every day.

 

And now for that water pipe break. On our second last sea day there was a major water pipe break and many cabins did not have water for most of the day. Yes, this was a little inconvenient but these things happen. The captain kept us updated. This is the type of incident that can become the talking point of a cruise so I was curious to see how RCL would handle this. Would they offer any kind of compensation? Maybe a $25 on board credit per cabin? We woke up the following morning to find a letter under our door from the captain apologising for the inconvenience and stating that all cabins affected would receive a 15% credit on the cost of their cruise which would show up on their final seapass account,

Sure enough our final statement came and there was a credit for $470 for our 2 cabins. WOW!! RCL certainly went above and beyond.

 

So if the Freedom of the Seas is in your future vacation plans you are in for the cruise of a lifetime!

 

And for one final time to Freedom of The Seas and its crew a standing ovation!

Great review -- we love this ship -- have sailed on her 3 times and are booked for 2 more cruises on her as you can see from my signature.

 

When there is a problem, it really helps when the Captain updates passengers. That really keeps dissention down and gives folks an idea of when the problem will be resolved. Sounds like Captain Kasselas did a great in the communications area. We met him during our bridge tour on the Jan 17th sailing and were highly impressed with him.

 

I also agree that RCI went above and beyond on their compensation.

[travelfreak]

We leave on March 21st and it's nice to read how well things are done on this ship..You do have a great attitude.....We have sailed RCI 3 times and have been impressed each time. If something is wrong, you have to tell someone! They are well trained in customer service. A 15% credit is indeed generous....Counting the days.....thanks for review.

[pinacolada11]

Thanks for the great review. Love people with a positive attitude that like to look at the sunny side of life.

 

We will be on the Freedom May 2nd. Can't wait.:)

[Orlandocruiser]

Thanks for the great review. We will be on the FOS in April. Since it will be our first time on RCCL (and the biggest ship we have ever sailed on) it is great to see reviews.

[DaisyGirl55]

great review...balanced and easy to read. Do you have any pictures you would like to share?

 

How was your cabin (other than the water problem)?

 

I am sailing on this ship in September - my first cruise with Royal that is longer than a weekender - so I am very excited!

 

thanks again for taking the time to post your review...

[QTMichele]

Great review!!! I'm so glad you had a great time. Your comments echo mine (minus the water main break). Thanks for sharing!!!

[bridkid]

great review...balanced and easy to read. Do you have any pictures you would like to share?

 

How was your cabin (other than the water problem)?

 

I am sailing on this ship in September - my first cruise with Royal that is longer than a weekender - so I am very excited!

 

thanks again for taking the time to post your review...

 

 

My daughter was the official photographer (she took over 1000 pics) so we'll see if we can figure out how to post some of them!

 

The cabin was great, the bed was very comfortable and we found we had enough storage space for the 3 of us. The shower has closing doors instead of a shower curtain which prevents the floor getting soaked

[jpa2011]

What were your cabin numbers?