Freedom from the Mouse! Our first non-Disney cruise, and we LOVED it!

[Peeker28]

Loving your review so far

[cruisinfreedom09]

Loving your review!!! We are a Disney family as well!! WE love Disney World but prefer cruising on the Freedom!! Disney has put themselves out of our price range since we cruise in the summer due to school schedules. We have 2 teens so it is easier to cruise in the summer.

[AF-1]

I just priced a cruise on Allure of the Seas and Disney Dream; Western Caribbean, May 2015. Four balcony Cabins; Disney was almost $5,000 more

[unionville3]

Bummer about the phones!

 

I'm also bummed about there not being any laundry rooms (I know, I know, who goes on a cruise to do laundry! ;))

 

How many times during the week did they have the $25 for anything you can stuff into a bag laundry special, do you remember?

 

There is someone else out there that does laundry on a cruise!!! We will be on the freedom in June - our first RCCL. I won't even know how to pack without having a laundry room near by.

[retiring soon]

HI all!

 

Loving your review! I liked Freedom so much I did her solo two years in a row. The 2nd year I did 3 nights at Disney, 3 night Disney Wonder before & wasn't that impressed altho' I did have a good time.

 

I've also done Oasis & will do Allure in 200 more days. Just got off Carnival Dream (my 1st Carnival) & was impressed with it. It's a lovely ship, has exotic ports (Western), good shows, good food & looks like it would be fun for kids (water slides, mini golf etc). Fun Force (breakdancers) taught the kids some moves & presented a show the last afternoon. Guests auditioned & performed a show as "Legends" the last night so lots of involvement. It also has laundry facilities.

 

Who was your CD?

I love the Promenade too especially Sorrentos which has more options on Freedom than Oasis, the 70's Show & parades.

 

Looking forward to reading more of your adventure & seeing who wins!;)

 

~ Jo ~ :)

Edited April 24, 2013 by retiring soon
had to add a comment

[cruisingram1]

Ally is out of those so I didn't pay any attention at all.

 

I am hoping that you will share some of the activities Ally participated in. My granddaughter just turned 12 and also too old for Adventure Ocean. Curious as to how much supervision is provided for this young teen group. Can they sign themselves in and out, or must a parent sign them in and out?

[swim13]

I just priced a cruise on Allure of the Seas and Disney Dream; Western Caribbean, May 2015. Four balcony Cabins; Disney was almost $5,000 more

 

WOW! :eek: I don't want to start a conflict but thats ridiculous because Allure offers so much more!

 

Loving the review so far, I constantly check back here! :p

[Friend100]

I just priced a cruise on Allure of the Seas and Disney Dream; Western Caribbean, May 2015. Four balcony Cabins; Disney was almost $5,000 more

 

I can't find Disney Dream sailing Western Caribbean in May 2015.

 

But I saw Disney Fantasy 12/14/2014 Eastern Caribbean lowest balcony for a family of 4 is $4425 (this is before 10% onboard booking discount). Oasis of the Seas 12/13/2014 Eastern Caribbean D4 balcony for a family of 4 is $4480. For inside cabin, Oasis is cheaper though.

 

Disney Fantasy's prices are relatively closer to RCI Oasis/Allure's price for their off season sailing, meaning September to mid November, late November after Thanksgiving to mid December, then January to early February. However, basically starting from late February all the way until end of August, their price are high. Book early as their price always go up.

 

I currently have a dummy booking for Disney Magic 5-day Western Caribbean for fall of 2014. The price is quite comparable to what I see from Liberty of the Seas 5-day.

[DrD]

NO! And I LOVED the wave phones! Except when Ally lost it once and all I could think was "$375 gone!!!" Luckily someone turned it in. But those were a great way to keep up with the kids!

 

Ha! I loved NOT having the phones. No more pages cuz big brother's being mean.

 

I love your review. My last five cruises have been Celebrity x 4 and Disney Wonder. I have become spoiled with extremely good food on those cruises, and I am just mentally preparing myself for food quality a few steps down when on the Freedom May 19th. I am a seafood guy myself, and I am hoping the quality of fish is good. Out of curiosity, was there anything that week on the FOS that you thought was outstanding food wise?

 

We thought the food in general and the seafood in particular were excellent. No disrespect to OP but if you're more adventurous you might like food better. The first night we all had the seafood pasta which had mussels, squid, etc and it was awesome! Again no disrespect but it never even occured to us to order prime rib, there were always far more exciting things on the menu.

 

My wife had fish almost every night and it was always good.

[DrD]

Our table is the one that looks like it's almost touching the chandelier on the left side. Jeff has a theory that I find interesting. He said he thinks the FIRST cruise on any line, and they try to give you a really good table to lure you in. It happened to us on Disney, and it happened here. Then your second table you are probably under one of the balconies, or tucked in a corner. Then once you move up in Crown and Anchor status (or Castaway Club status on DCL), you get better tables. I wonder if there's any validity to this theory?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well prob not, this was our third cruise on RCCL and without any special requests we had an awesome table for 4 (became table for 2 three nights when boys didn't come) that was right on window on deck 4. Perfect! I agree with whoever said it's likely based on when you book, we booked pretty early.

[funfamilyof6]

Tell me more about Carnival - which ship? We are not afraid to try anthing new. But we are definitely in love with this ship - we sail for the ships, not the ports. In fact, out of 4 cruises, this is the first time we really REALLY loved our ports! Normally our sea days are our favorites.....

 

We did the Carnival Liberty. Although we LOVED the ports (which is important to us), the ship was OK. The kids definitely missed all of RCCL's activities, food (especially Sorrentos) and food buffet layout. We missed the great service from RCCL. Even though Carnival doesn't rate has high as RCCL IMO, we would do Carnival again (considering the Breeze), but the price and ports would have to be right. We did like the cabins a lot better on Carnival. :)

[MLW070]

I am enjoying your review. Just three weeks from this Sunday and I will be able to experience Freedom also. :)

 

Thanks

[Ander026]

Great review. I will be sailing Freedom later on this fall. I have sailed Freedom twice before and her sister Indy once. I love that class of ships.

 

Had great tables each time. Both with a row away from the windows. I sailed Navigator and was in a side dining area seperated from the main area and was at the window. By far my favorite location.

[karajeboo]

Loving your review so far

 

Thank you!

 

Loving your review!!! We are a Disney family as well!! WE love Disney World but prefer cruising on the Freedom!! Disney has put themselves out of our price range since we cruise in the summer due to school schedules. We have 2 teens so it is easier to cruise in the summer.

 

Yep, I think that's where we are too!

[karajeboo]

I just priced a cruise on Allure of the Seas and Disney Dream; Western Caribbean, May 2015. Four balcony Cabins; Disney was almost $5,000 more

 

:eek: That is crazy! Is the Dream doing 7 nights in 2015?

 

There is someone else out there that does laundry on a cruise!!! We will be on the freedom in June - our first RCCL. I won't even know how to pack without having a laundry room near by.

 

You can doooooo it! Just pack an extra suitcase! :p

[karajeboo]

HI all!

 

Loving your review! I liked Freedom so much I did her solo two years in a row. The 2nd year I did 3 nights at Disney, 3 night Disney Wonder before & wasn't that impressed altho' I did have a good time.

 

I've also done Oasis & will do Allure in 200 more days. Just got off Carnival Dream (my 1st Carnival) & was impressed with it. It's a lovely ship, has exotic ports (Western), good shows, good food & looks like it would be fun for kids (water slides, mini golf etc). Fun Force (breakdancers) taught the kids some moves & presented a show the last afternoon. Guests auditioned & performed a show as "Legends" the last night so lots of involvement. It also has laundry facilities.

 

Who was your CD?

I love the Promenade too especially Sorrentos which has more options on Freedom than Oasis, the 70's Show & parades.

 

Looking forward to reading more of your adventure & seeing who wins!;)

 

~ Jo ~ :)

 

Drew Devine was our CD and he was incredible! I was really bummed because I had heard about how wonderful Graham was and he left shortly before our cruise. I beleive Drew said he was going back to another ship (Voyager? Can't remember) where his wife is an entertainer...... He was so much more involved than any of the previous 3 CDs we'd encountered on DCL.

 

I am hoping that you will share some of the activities Ally participated in. My granddaughter just turned 12 and also too old for Adventure Ocean. Curious as to how much supervision is provided for this young teen group. Can they sign themselves in and out, or must a parent sign them in and out?

 

To be honest, she didn't participate in any organized activities on this cruise. Actually, she didn't do much on Disney either - she tends to find her new BFF the first day and that's it. But I did see a lot of kids in and out of Fuel. It looked to be well managed. And no, parents need not sign in and out. That is only for 11 and under.

[karajeboo]

WOW! :eek: I don't want to start a conflict but thats ridiculous because Allure offers so much more!

 

Loving the review so far, I constantly check back here! :p

 

Don't worry, I think I've already started that conflict.... lol:rolleyes:

 

I can't find Disney Dream sailing Western Caribbean in May 2015.

 

But I saw Disney Fantasy 12/14/2014 Eastern Caribbean lowest balcony for a family of 4 is $4425 (this is before 10% onboard booking discount). Oasis of the Seas 12/13/2014 Eastern Caribbean D4 balcony for a family of 4 is $4480. For inside cabin, Oasis is cheaper though.

 

Disney Fantasy's prices are relatively closer to RCI Oasis/Allure's price for their off season sailing, meaning September to mid November, late November after Thanksgiving to mid December, then January to early February. However, basically starting from late February all the way until end of August, their price are high. Book early as their price always go up.

 

I currently have a dummy booking for Disney Magic 5-day Western Caribbean for fall of 2014. The price is quite comparable to what I see from Liberty of the Seas 5-day.

 

I'm wondering if they meant Fantasy? For what is offered onboard, really Freedom class and up should outprice DCL. I mean, Flowrider and rock wall alone, then throw in ice skating, mini golf, incredible pools, Promenade.....

[karajeboo]

Ha! I loved NOT having the phones. No more pages cuz big brother's being mean.

 

We thought the food in general and the seafood in particular were excellent. No disrespect to OP but if you're more adventurous you might like food better. The first night we all had the seafood pasta which had mussels, squid, etc and it was awesome! Again no disrespect but it never even occured to us to order prime rib, there were always far more exciting things on the menu.

 

My wife had fish almost every night and it was always good.

 

How disrespectful!!!! :p J/K but I just thought the food was more thought out on DCL, and much more beautiful presentations. We had risotto a couple times (including an asparagus and blue cheese risotto that was out of this world!!!) and more fruit offerings, the veggies had rich sauces and flavors. I just felt the food was somewhat "plain" on RCCL. Again, not bad, just not incredible.

 

Well prob not, this was our third cruise on RCCL and without any special requests we had an awesome table for 4 (became table for 2 three nights when boys didn't come) that was right on window on deck 4. Perfect! I agree with whoever said it's likely based on when you book, we booked pretty early.

 

Way to kill that theory! ;)

[karajeboo]

We did the Carnival Liberty. Although we LOVED the ports (which is important to us), the ship was OK. The kids definitely missed all of RCCL's activities, food (especially Sorrentos) and food buffet layout. We missed the great service from RCCL. Even though Carnival doesn't rate has high as RCCL IMO, we would do Carnival again (considering the Breeze), but the price and ports would have to be right. We did like the cabins a lot better on Carnival. :)

 

For us it's more about the ship than the ports. Now that we've done the Western twice and will have done Eastern twice after our next cruise. I am intrigued by a Southern itinerary, but we'd probably have to fly to Miami..... We love our sea days and after dinner shenanigans so that's why we look for a special ship.

 

I am enjoying your review. Just three weeks from this Sunday and I will be able to experience Freedom also. :)

 

Thanks

 

If I lose a few more pounds can you smuggle me in your suitcase? PLEEEEEEASE????

[karajeboo]

Great review. I will be sailing Freedom later on this fall. I have sailed Freedom twice before and her sister Indy once. I love that class of ships.

 

Had great tables each time. Both with a row away from the windows. I sailed Navigator and was in a side dining area seperated from the main area and was at the window. By far my favorite location.

 

I think the window would be very nice!!!!! Did you notice a difference in service between Freedom and Indy?

[Friend100]

I'm wondering if they meant Fantasy? For what is offered onboard, really Freedom class and up should outprice DCL. I mean, Flowrider and rock wall alone, then throw in ice skating, mini golf, incredible pools, Promenade.....

 

I don't disagree the tangible items Royal Caribbean megaship win ... I mean, they transform the industry basically, and redefine the meaning of "WOW". But to me, Disney cruise's asset is in their intangible ... the magical experience. You won't hear people telling you they have a magical experience on a Royal Caribbean cruise, nor any other cruiseline. MAGIC is unique to Disney, same as WOW is unique to Royal Caribbean. It depends on the consumer how much you value MAGIC, or WOW, or whatever attribute that is important to you. DCL's success depends on the continual growth of the Disney brand globally, and all the entertainment associated to it ... Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars ... you name them.

 

edit: many will say "I'd rather get my Disney fix at the park, and cruise elsewhere", which is fine. I haven't been to the park. I like DCL as it allows us to cruise and experience Disney at the same time, but having said that, it doesn't mean that I do not like other cruiseline.

Edited April 25, 2013 by Friend100

[spammie]

Hi. Just found your review and got caught up. Excellent start! Love the details and pictures. You can see from my signature line that Freedom is our favorite RCCL ship. We have been on all the Freedom class ships at least once but Freedom is still my favorite.

 

We tried Allure but it just wasn't our cup of tea.

 

We do MTD and LOVE it. We have never waited more than 10 minutes for a table even with 6 people in our party. We never know what time we are going to head to dinner after a drink or two before dinner. We usually wind up in the dining room between 7:15pm and 8:00pm.

 

Can't wait to read the rest of your review. All of our "Freedom" cruises have been to the Western and we will finally be doing the Eastern on Freedom this September. Our cruises on Celebrity have been Eastern. Wanda

[boaterette]

I am loving your review.

[Lynandgio]

Hi. Just found your review and got caught up. Excellent start! Love the details and pictures. You can see from my signature line that Freedom is our favorite RCCL ship. We have been on all the Freedom class ships at least once but Freedom is still my favorite.

 

We tried Allure but it just wasn't our cup of tea.

 

We do MTD and LOVE it. We have never waited more than 10 minutes for a table even with 6 people in our party. We never know what time we are going to head to dinner after a drink or two before dinner. We usually wind up in the dining room between 7:15pm and 8:00pm.

 

Can't wait to read the rest of your review. All of our "Freedom" cruises have been to the Western and we will finally be doing the Eastern on Freedom this September. Our cruises on Celebrity have been Eastern. Wanda

 

Sounds like we had similar experiences on the Allure. My wife and I will be doing the Freedom Eastern for the first time in September as well. We are doing the Sept. 8th sailing.

[spammie]

Sounds like we had similar experiences on the Allure. My wife and I will be doing the Freedom Eastern for the first time in September as well. We are doing the Sept. 8th sailing.

 

Same cruise as us. :)