Just got off the Freedom, ask any questions! (quick overview of ports)

[beachbooles]

Our itinerary was Coco Cay, St. Thomas and St. Marteen.

 

Quick tips:

 

Coco Cay - if your kid has their heart set on the Aqua Park, book it early. It's only for an hour at a time (not all day like aqua parks in Cozumel) and it got full to capacity. Our 11 year old didn't get to do it. Why were we late getting to it? We enjoyed a great walk/hike circumnavigating the island. Sometimes we waded in the water and sometimes over the iron shore. Beautiful and definitely found many spots with just a handful of people. In fact, on my walk back, 20 minutes went by before I saw a soul. There's a "fitness" course on the island, including pull up bars. If you Cross-fit, this course is for you. Great alternative to the ships track or gym. Everything from sit up station to "stump jumps" and more.

 

St. Thomas - If you are going to privately take a taxi, be prepared to offer more $$ (we were only a family of 4, and they want to fill their big taxis.) If you have a larger group or meet some people on the ship, that will work better. Otherwise you will have to wait and wait until the fill it with where you are going. I have to tell you, this part is chaos. We finally found one to take us to the airport and just paid an extra $8.00, like we had a 5th person. This was much better than waiting for undetermined time to fill the cab and then have to make multiple stops. Total to the airport was $32. where we rented a car. Yes, they drive on the left. Yes, there are steep and narrow roads. We got a jeep had no issues and got to explore some quiet beaches and areas that where NOT over run by all the passengers from the 5 (FIVE!!) ships in port that day.

 

St. Marteen - We did the Loterie Farm Treetop tour. Please not that this tour is mainly DIY and lots of "ropes course" mixed with zip lining, hence the name "tree top!" If you've done zip lining in Jamaica or Belize and there is a guy on every platform basically sending you on your way and then another to catch you...this is NOT like that. My family enjoyed it. I got through it. (I don't like heights) I signed up for it, thinking they'd "hold my hand" like in Belize, but that is totally NOT the case. It's on your own, including when you have to attach the pulleys to the lines and getting off at the end of the line. Some transitions from tree to tree do not even have platforms. FYI!! My husband, 14year old and 11 year old LOVED IT. The Loterie Farm has an amazing pool though, that I would have gladly paid to lounge by while the family zipped and climbed. However, that is NOT an option with the ship tour. I don't know why. The ship tour was also smack in the middle of the day and there was no chance to buy any food. They should offer a sack lunch or allow for a stop to buy something as the Loterie farm is 30-45 minutes away from port. Our timing was this: 9:45 met on the pier. 1:15 LEFT Loterie farm. No chance for water until we got off the lines about 12:30 or food until we got back to town, close to 2:00 PM. Pack snacks! I would go to Loterie farm again, but i'd take a cab and spend the day there. It was beautiful. Wild monkeys too. :)

 

As for the ship, it was our second time on the Freedom. She's showing her age, but is very comfortable. We were in a Junior Suite/Balcony with the kids across the hall. The staff was great. The cruise director is not the best we've had. He was fine, but he didn't fit the ship. The Bingo guy was a little annoying as he would alert the crowd that the next number would produce a bingo. Ugh. That took away a lot of the fun. The ship was CROWDED but it was New Years. Best tip, especially if you do not have a balcony, is Deck 4. Very quiet, lots of chairs (which is impossible on the pool deck) and peaceful. We had My Time dining. We ate in the dining room some, Portofino once, Chops twice. No issues getting sat in a timely matter but I did hear some people had trouble getting any type of sit down meal for NYE, understandably. Best to reserve in advance, online, if you have a special night planned.

 

Ask any questions!!! We booked the Explorer for next New Years. I'll be posting asking about that ship very soon.

 

Love New Years cruising.... :)

[parrothead brian]

Wasn't aware that the Coco Cay waterslides and such were only for an hour. Just assumed it was for the whole day. I knew the $49.00 price was too good.

[eastender]

Who was the cruise director? We were on the Freedom before xmas and it was a guy called Ricky.

[MHATW2]

According to the "Current Cruise Directors" thread it should be Mike Hunnerup (spelling?). I'm curious myself as we are sailing on the 2/2 cruise and I haven't herd anything good about him.

[twinmom2298]

Thanks for the review. Am I correct that the water park is only for an hour but the separate slide pass was for entire day?

 

Also I've read that Coco Cay has separate tours, etc for the teens was that the case?

 

Thanks for the tip about the fitness path. Our entire family does Crossfit so this will be a fun thing for us to do together.

 

Do you know if you do Loterie Farm on your own if it's possible for 1 person to stay by pool while other's zip line. I am completely terrified of heights and could never force myself to zip line but I know my husband and two 16 yr olds would love it.

[beachbooles]

Wasn't aware that the Coco Cay waterslides and such were only for an hour. Just assumed it was for the whole day. I knew the $49.00 price was too good.

 

The slide (one large waterside on land) is $22 for the whole day. The Aqua Park is only for one designated hour. The move the group in and out. I don't know how much, since we didn't get to sign my son up. It looked awesome and surrounded by shallow water so you can enjoy watching your kids, but it's just one hour.

[beachbooles]

Who was the cruise director? We were on the Freedom before xmas and it was a guy called Ricky.

 

I'm so sorry, I don't recall his name. He really was lackluster. Not awful but hardly anything exciting. My husband said he that he must have been the nephew of a RCI CEO, or how else would he have gotten the job? LOL

[beachbooles]

Thanks for the review. Am I correct that the water park is only for an hour but the separate slide pass was for entire day?

 

Also I've read that Coco Cay has separate tours, etc for the teens was that the case?

 

Thanks for the tip about the fitness path. Our entire family does Crossfit so this will be a fun thing for us to do together.

 

Do you know if you do Loterie Farm on your own if it's possible for 1 person to stay by pool while other's zip line. I am completely terrified of heights and could never force myself to zip line but I know my husband and two 16 yr olds would love it.

 

 

I didn't look at booking a tour for coco cay since it was a private island and seemed quite manageable. I noticed a Kayak tour that went around the island. It started in the busy area near the Aqua Park and then went to where we walked and it was more pristine. I honestly did not look into a teen tour. Our teen stayed with us and really wanted to be tour free and explore.

 

I wish I had known about the fitness course..it would have been a great thing to do first off upon arrival (but AFTER signing my son up for aqua park! LOL)

 

I would go to Loterie Farm's website and see what you can arrange on your own. I did not see that option with the ship, as it was one price and you "treetop adventure." The pool seemed to charge on it's own, in Euros. So, I don't know how it would work even if you paid to "zip" and then said, "I'll be by the pool." You would then have to pay the pool side on your own. I will say that the place was an oasis. The pool was settled the "rain forest" looking area and very "spa" like. It was lovely. Now that I know how it is, I would not hesitate to book going their on my own either pre-buy the zip tickets and cab it there or a separate tour company. Since you have older ones that like to zip, check out their "extreme" zip. It's not offered with the ship but the guide told me about it. Sounded right up my family's alley... have fun~~!

[MKESail]

We just got off of Indy for our New Years cruise too :-)

It was a little disappointing really, as we went on Freedom almost two years ago and absolutely loved it, so I kept comparing the two cruises but wasn't sure if something went really wrong with RCI in general during those two years, or it was the Holiday cruise crowds or what. After all, the two ships are identical minus the Dreamworks Experience. So now we can really compare apples to apples, thank you :-)

Question #1, was Windjammer really THAT crowded when you were there? I mean, during this whole cruise on Indy, never did we get our drinks order taken while at Windjammer. We had to always get up and go get them ourselves. Did this happen to you on Freedom?

Question #2, since you have a child, would you happen to know if Jibber Jabber and Hyper Piper are still there at Adventure Ocean? Did your kid enjoy Adventure Ocean? My daughter was kinda bored on Indy really, and didn't want to go after going there once. She loved Jibber Jabber and was expecting something similar on Indy. :confused:

 

I am sure I will have more questions, but this is it for now :-)

 

Thank you! :)

[mickev99]

Planning on a cruise in June, so thanks for the review. Did your kids participate in and like the kid's club?

[beachbooles]

Question #1, was Windjammer really THAT crowded when you were there? I mean, during this whole cruise on Indy, never did we get our drinks order taken while at Windjammer. We had to always get up and go get them ourselves. Did this happen to you on Freedom? Windjammer, to me, is always crowded and challenging but this cruise (our 6th NYE cruise), was actually less so. By less crowded, I mean that we were always able to find a table and no one fought over one, that I could see. However, I was only offered a drink one time in the windjammer. So, I got in the habit of getting them myself. Coffee too.

Question #2, since you have a child, would you happen to know if Jibber Jabber and Hyper Piper are still there at Adventure Ocean? sorry, no ideaDid your kid enjoy Adventure Ocean? both my 14 year old and 11 year old have decided for 2 years now, to not bother with Adventure Ocean. I'm not sure what happened, since they used to love it. The teen rather pal around with her 11 year old brother and enjoy the shows and poolside movies. And for those of you wondering, ours are not the kids running amuck on the ship. We saw a few of those "gangs" and they are obnoxious. Ours the ones that went to the main dining room by themselves, while DH and I went to Chops for a date night. When we joined the kids in MDR the next night, people came from surrounding tables to compliment their behavior when they were there the night prior. So, as for Adventure Ocean, I LOVED IT, when they went...but they have begged not to go. Too many "wild" and rude kids and mine seem to rather explore and enjoy the shows on their own, together, or once it's late, watch movies non-stop in the cabin and relax..

 

Ask away!! I hope this answers them!

[beachbooles]

Planning on a cruise in June, so thanks for the review. Did your kids participate in and like the kid's club?

 

no, they actually did not. I tried to encourage them to do so as I thought they'd maybe enjoy meeting other kids...but they really like the shows on the ship. I think my 14 year old has had enough pressure as a freshman this year to meet knew kids and she was happy to relax with her brother and just see the onboard entertainment. The 11 year old always feels like he's the oldest one in the group and gets annoyed by some other kids, but of course, that's all depending on the cruise and who is on board so he must have had a bad experience a while back. Sorry I can't help more with this.

[MKESail]

Thank you so much for your reply! I had a feeling Adventure Ocean is fun for younger kids, not so much for older age groups.

Thank you!

[copi2boys]

Who was/ is the headliner? Is there a late night comedy show? Thanks!

[beachbooles]

Who was/ is the headliner? Is there a late night comedy show? Thanks!

 

Darn...I knew I should have kept notes with names!! :) The last comedian was a middle aged Puerto Rican woman. Appealed more to women. Very funny. Some bathroom jokes. The Comedian a couple nights prior was an older, middle-aged man. He then has a key-board player accompany him. They were entertaining. He said he used to open for Julio Iglesias?? Both shows were ok for all ages...so I think it's always a challenge for these comedians to entertain from age 10 - 100, but they did a good job. Lots of cracks about cruising with kids, or cursing in general. The Illusionist (act title magic) was much better than i thought the "magic show" would be. I went for my son, who is fascinated by slight of hand, but this guy was more david copperfield style and incorporated the RC dancers and put on quite a production He flew in to St. Thomas for the show and has a reality TV show coming out.

 

As for "Late Night" stuff, as in more adult perhaps: Quest, the Love and Marriage show, and the piano bar guy at schooners. He definitely pushed the envelope on "late night." So much so, that he gave a warning so that people that are easily offended could leave....FYI. Something to keep in mind if you have Jr. Cruisers tagging along to EVERYTHING. (we ditched ours after the main shows usually.)

[DrD]

Lots of cracks about cruising with kids, or cursing in general.

 

I assume that was meant to be cruising not cursing? LOL.

 

 

The Illusionist (act title magic) was much better than i thought the "magic show" would be. I went for my son, who is fascinated by sleight of hand, but this guy was more David Copperfield style and incorporated the RC dancers and put on quite a production He flew in to St. Thomas for the show and has a reality TV show coming out.

 

 

We enjoyed him a lot also last year, especially the finale.

[beachbooles]

I assume that was meant to be cruising not cursing? LOL.

 

hahahaha! Yeah...:)

[santos421]

Hello, how warm or cold was public area inside ship?

Can I wear a sundress or do I need a sweater?

Thanks in advance!

[Clarea]

Hello, how warm or cold was public area inside ship?

Can I wear a sundress or do I need a sweater?

Thanks in advance!

Public areas vary. My wife wears a sweater to the theater, but is OK in other areas.

[santos421]

Public areas vary. My wife wears a sweater to the theater, but is OK in other areas.

Thanks bob!

I think I can keep my bags without replacking!

[beachbooles]

Hello, how warm or cold was public area inside ship?

Can I wear a sundress or do I need a sweater?

Thanks in advance!

 

I mostly wore sundresses. Studio B, ice show, is definitely much colder than other areas. A light sweater or shawl type scarf to throw over your shoulders if you get chilly would be good. We had a very warm NYE cruise...usually I'm a little colder, especially if it rains. I took one Jacket and never needed it.

[santos421]

I mostly wore sundresses. Studio B, ice show, is definitely much colder than other areas. A light sweater or shawl type scarf to throw over your shoulders if you get chilly would be good. We had a very warm NYE cruise...usually I'm a little colder, especially if it rains. I took one Jacket and never needed it.

I'm bringing sundress too, and most of them have no sleeve.

Light sweater is what I was going to use , so it really good to know that's all I need. And going from NW, I will have one heavy jacket anyway just in case.

Thanks beach boles!

[ckfred]

Was there a second ship at CoCo Cay? If so, how crowded was the island? We're scheduled for the Freedom in late June, and the Grandeur calls at CoCo on the same day, arriving about 3 hours after the Freedom.

[beachbooles]

Was there a second ship at CoCo Cay? If so, how crowded was the island? We're scheduled for the Freedom in late June, and the Grandeur calls at CoCo on the same day, arriving about 3 hours after the Freedom.

 

There was not a second ship on Coco Cay that day. If there was, i totally missed it.:rolleyes: But I don't think so. It was definitely crowded in the after noon by the aqua park and activities area. If you are arriving before the other ship, you should be just fine. If you wanted to save seats (gasp! I just said that!) i'm sure you could get off and save them in that crowded area and then go explore. Like I said before, book that Aqua park if you really want it...all the sessions for our day got full before the lunch buffet was even open. We got off about 8:30 am and just walked and hiked and found some very pretty, quiet areas and walked the nature trail. We did not save seats, but easily found some here and there by the time we got back and it was crowded but not awful. The bar lines were long for sure. I think Royal should sell a picnic basket type cooler (with beverages too) that you could take off the ship and then go make your "camp" on the other beaches that are farther away and much more quiet. That would certainly disperse the crowd...just a thought, if they are reading! :) enjoy the island. It's very pretty. A good quiet beach day.

[soccercrazy]

Darn...I knew I should have kept notes with names!! :) The last comedian was a middle aged Puerto Rican woman. Appealed more to women. Very funny. Some bathroom jokes. The Comedian a couple nights prior was an older, middle-aged man. He then has a key-board player accompany him. They were entertaining. He said he used to open for Julio Iglesias?? Both shows were ok for all ages...so I think it's always a challenge for these comedians to entertain from age 10 - 100, but they did a good job. Lots of cracks about cruising with kids, or cursing in general. The Illusionist (act title magic) was much better than i thought the "magic show" would be. I went for my son, who is fascinated by slight of hand, but this guy was more david copperfield style and incorporated the RC dancers and put on quite a production He flew in to St. Thomas for the show and has a reality TV show coming out.

 

As for "Late Night" stuff, as in more adult perhaps: Quest, the Love and Marriage show, and the piano bar guy at schooners. He definitely pushed the envelope on "late night." So much so, that he gave a warning so that people that are easily offended could leave....FYI. Something to keep in mind if you have Jr. Cruisers tagging along to EVERYTHING. (we ditched ours after the main shows usually.)

 

The Musical Funny Show on Day 3 - "A one man show starring two guys" was John Joseph and Johhny B, was very good.

The Illusionist's first name was Drew, pretty much same show as Feb with different person.

The late night Adult Comedy Show starred Ross Bennett and had us in stitches :D