Our Final Look at Freedom Pre-Drydock:Dec 7th (Including Western Compass)

[APDMOM]

Shops and such on the Promenade:

 

Bull and Bear pub:

 

Logo shop:

 

Vintages:

 

Ben and Jerry's:

 

Time for some tea in the Promenade Cafe:

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

Exercise and Re-fuel in the "Jammer"

My dad and I decided to walk around the deck 4 outside perimeter. This is actually a nicer walk for me than the jogging track. The wind in front of the spa is often so strong that it makes walking very difficult. Walking on deck 4, you have 2 options: You can walk around, then up the stairs past the helipad and down the stairs. Or, if you have difficulty with stairs just walk through the "automatic" doors before the stairs, go through the ship from one side to the other, and restart the track around deck 4. That way you just cut out that part to the helipad with the stairs.

 

We enjoyed breakfast in the Windjammer. The past two mornings, I looked all over for the smoked salmon - one of my favorite treats on a cruise. I could not find any. Fortunately, I was right by the cold meats, when a gentleman asked if they had any smoked salmon. Sure enough, it was behind the counter in a cooler and we had to ask for it to be served. Yum!!!

Arrival in Labadee

We relaxed in the Promenade Café until they announced the gangways were open. On our way to the room to get our things, we saw the line for the gangway already up to deck 5 - with the gangway on deck 1! We decided to wait another 20 minutes to allow the crowds to head out. By the time we left, we did not have to wait in any lines at all. Despite intentions to do the Dragon Coaster this time, we skipped it due to the short port day. DH did not feel all that well either, so we just strolled around.

 

Just practice for "next time":

 

 

The beautiful ship:

 

I have many more pictures of Labadee in my Independence review, if you would like to see more of the beaches. I did not take as many on this trip.

 

Last time, I thought there was just that one small building of 'shopping. Thanks to input from here at CC, I found the rest of the market that I had missed last time around. It is just behind the building, and I must have had some heat related blindness back then, because it is right there, easy to see! LOL!

 

Labadee has a tram that takes you around if you get tired or (in our case) hot. The tram provides a nice little breeze as you ride.

 

 

We briefly visited Adrenaline beach, which has apparently grown exponentially in popularity! Last time we were there, it was close to deserted. This time, it was very crowded.

 

The artisans market had some beautiful crafts, but the pushy locals totally put me off to shopping there. I spent about 10 minutes browsing, got tired of the harassing, "Come in here, I want to show you something" lines, and left without buying anything. It is not my kind of shopping scene.

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

Views from the ship:

 

 

 

For more pictures of the beaches, here is the link to my review of Indy, with many pics of Labadee:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2014636

[APDMOM]

The Hair Show

 

At 3 pm, my mom and I attended the hair show. This time, the ladies demonstrated an updo for 2 attendees, and shared some great tips and ideas about hair care. They also had a drawing for a couple of prizes - much more worthy of my time than the spa raffle. Only 7 or 8 ladies attended, so your odds were much better to win! Unfortunately, I was not one of the winners this time.

 

Windjammer Dinner

We ended up eating dinner in the Jammer tonight, where we found a very good selection! I LOVE soup... I told my dad my version of a cruise nightmare that I often have before a cruise, is that I realize on day 4 that I had not eaten a single bowl of soup yet! :D I know it is really silly! I loved the Jalapeño Potato soup and the strawberry chilled soup. I also enjoyed a little bit of the British fair they offered this night.

 

We got to see "Santa" come to town before calling it a night The first picture shows him and Dru (Cruise director) descending from the 'bridge" in the ceiling:

 

 

[APDMOM]

That is it for tonight. Hopefully I can be back tomorrow - we will be traveling, so wifi may by spotty. We will see :)

 

Goodnight for now.

[queenschick9b]

This is making me very excited for my 2/8 cruise! Your photos are great! I have a question, did they have the unlimited wifi plan on FOS?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[BillOh]

This is more or less what the cabins will look like on FOS after dry dock. The red arrows point to oceanview and balcony cabins that will replace a part of the jogging track. The spa will no longer have windows.

 

 

 

 

Nice job as a reporter here, I've read messages about this update on Navigator. Did you see a lot of her on this cruise? I looked ahead and Labadee is the only port that Navigator won't be with us on our upcoming cruise. We will see her in Fallmouth, Grand Caymen and Cozumel.

Edited December 19, 2014 by BillOh
typo

[APDMOM]

Day 4: Falmouth, Jamaica

 

Early to rise again, I got a few sunrise pictures before a walk with my dad.

 

 

 

 

We arrived at the Windjammer a little later than usual - right around 8. They had just opened the second half of the restaurant, so it felt less crowded than the previous mornings. I opted for my favorite smoked salmon again, now that I know where they hide it! They also offer a nice fiber-filled cereal that I had not seen on a ship before - All Bran Flakes. DH and DS both like these.

 

Family Time at the Promenade Café.

I decided to use our "buy one, get one free" voucher for a cappuccino with my mom. These vouchers are on the Seapass card for Platinum members. It seems we settled into a daily routine to sit in the café until we get close to port. We watched the ship back in and dock in Falmouth, while taking some pictures of Navigator of the Seas.

 

 

[APDMOM]

Nice job as a reporter here, I've read messages about this update on Navigator. Did you see a lot of her on this cruise? I looked ahead and Labadee is the only port that Navigator won't be with us on our upcoming cruise. We will see her in Fallmouth, Grand Caymen and Cozumel.

 

We saw them in Falmouth and Grand Cayman... We probably would have seen them in Cozumel too. :D

[APDMOM]

This is making me very excited for my 2/8 cruise! Your photos are great! I have a question, did they have the unlimited wifi plan on FOS?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

Glad you are enjoying it! We only bought the lowest priced 60-minute plan for the internet. I found a great tip in the past here on CC. We just log in quickly to get e-mail from our specially set up e-mail address. This is an address we create and only share with close family and friends who may need to contact us on the cruise. After pulling e-mail, we log out, read the e-mails, create replies, then just quickly log in to send them. We ended up only using 28 minutes. On the last day we splurged to look at some other web info to use most of the remaining minutes.

[APDMOM]

Back to the pictures of the ship and Falmouth...

 

Jogging track:

 

Kids' (of all ages) play area. My only issue with this area is that the pool is too deep. It is deeper than the other pools, and at ~5'6" it is too deep for young kids who typically enjoy this area.

 

 

A look at Falmouth from the ship:

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

A Purse, A Necklace, and a Daiquiri

 

I found the port of Falmouth to be a lot of fun - similar to many Caribbean ports, but the salespeople were not too pushy. We did not leave the sheltered port area, as we will be back here next year. We have decided to save our excursions for then, considering shortened port times. I found a nice passport purse, with room for my Nikon, Seapass, passport, and shades. Along with a necklace and a daiquiri treat, we spent about $30 before heading back to the ship. I do not barter prices. If I am satisfied with the first quoted price for an item, I pay the price. I can afford it, and want to bless the locals, who work long hours in the heat to sell their goods to tourists.

 

Here is a look at the colorful port area:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

I am seriously considering a segway tour next time, especially if it includes a good historical overview. I love history :)

 

 

 

Of course, where there is a Caribbean port, there must be a Margaritaville!

 

 

[APDMOM]

Just one final look at Jamaica:

 

 

The afternoon called for a nap before getting ready for our "Tropical Casual" dinner. Sailaway took place while we were in the dining room, and our table by the window was very convenient to watch Navigator of the Seas pass us. Such arrogance, NOS! Just wait until we have 3 propellors again, and we will show you some speed. :D

 

For dinner, DH and DS enjoyed the guacamole chips from the kids' menu. I stuck to my traditional chilled soup choice. For a main course, 3 of us ordered chicken marsala, which we all agreed was one of the best meals so far!

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

The juggler, The pirates, and The twin dinosaurs

 

We decided to skip dessert in order to make the 7 pm show. It was the comedy and juggling act. He was quite hilarious, although with a few inappropriate jokes (again, a matter of personal taste and values). He is a talented juggler - not the best I have seen, but still worth the time spent.

 

 

At bedtime, I decided to check our onboard account. I noticed that Royal had given us a $50 OBC per stateroom. I thought to myself, "Boy! This cruise keeps getting cheaper! Soon, Royal will be paying us for the cruise, if it keeps going at this rate."

 

From our room, we could see the kids line up for the pirate parade:

 

 

We closed the night with twin dinosaurs... photo from room 7327, looking at connecting 7325:

[APDMOM]

Day 5: Grand Cayman

 

Another sunrise-gone-ship-tour

 

I woke up at 6, and decided to see if I can catch some pics of another Caribbean sunrise. It looked promising at first, but the clouds on the horizon thickened before the sun showed face. So, just take a walk with me again.

 

The big screen greets us in many languages, including one close to my own... Goede Morgen!

 

The Cantilever hot tub

 

The main pool:

 

Solarium:

[APDMOM]

The insert in the elevator reminds me... Thursday is way too close to Sunday!

 

 

The elevator shaft:

 

Plaza Bar in the Windjammer:

 

Seating in the Windjammer:

 

Jade to the left:

 

[APDMOM]

Johnny Rockets part 1 (I will post more later, since we spent time here on the last sea day...)

 

Pic through the window, since the diner was closed early morning.

 

The menu at Johnny Rockets:

 

Wipeout bar:

 

Additional seating for the bar is down a few stairs:

 

Edited December 21, 2014 by APDMOM
clarify

[APDMOM]

Sports zone area:

 

Height requirements: 52 inches to boogie board and 58 inches to surf.

 

There must be golf somewhere around here... :D

 

Yep! Freedom Fairways... There is also a golf simulator indoors:

 

[APDMOM]

Basketball and the rock climbing wall:

 

 

 

Table tennis outside the diamond lounge (the room used to be a family game room with boardgames...):

[APDMOM]

Olive or Twist - where our Meet and Mingle was held. This will become the new location for the night club.

 

The skylight chapel:

 

 

 

...and if you plan on getting married onboard...

[APDMOM]

Royal Caribbean Online:

 

 

 

A nice spot for a formal picture... Deck 4 below the promenade "bridge"

 

After taking pics of the ship, I grabbed English Breakfast Tea in the Promenade Café and went to sit in my window seat in our PR room. Sitting here, I realized why people complain about the curtains not closing all the way. What I think they really mean is that the sheers do not close all the way. The curtains close beautifully, and we have had 4 PR rooms over the past 18 months. So, bring some clothing pegs, if you are concerned about it. Just remember, the sheers are only effective if the lights are off in the stateroom. When the lights are on, you can still see quite a bit through them.

 

 

Overall, I really like the PR room. I have been so spoiled by these two rooms with extra storage and space. However, we did notice that all of us woke up with some sinus stuffiness (just like we had in our oceanview on Norwegian Dawn), and realize the balcony helps rotate fresh air directly from outside. So, our theory is that we are allergic to anything without a balcony... :D LOL! It is a good thing our next two adventures are booked in a balcony.

[APDMOM]

Tendering to Grand Cayman

 

I decided to take the tender to GC just to get a few pictures of the ships from a different perspective. We got onto the tender around 10 a.m., when there was no wait.

 

 

 

Norwegian Epic:

 

 

Welcome to The Cayman Islands:

[APDMOM]

I walked around with my mom for about an hour to keep her company. My intent was not to buy anything, but I somehow ended up with some delicious Piña Colada Rum Cake. As for the " duty free" shopping in Grand Cayman: it would not really save us money. Perfume that we are familiar with was priced much higher than in the US. Even my mom's favorite skin product, La Prairie, is cheaper stateside, with tax, than buying duty free in GC.

 

Some views of Georgetown

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

After about an hour, I ventured back to the tender. The whole tendering process was very smooth at the "non rush hour" times I got on an off.

 

 

Looking up at the cantilever hot tub:

 

Back on the ship, we enjoyed a light lunch in the Windjammer, before catching a swim at the pool. The pools were very quiet on the port days. However, we only used them 3 times this cruise, since it was rather chilly, especially while the ship was moving. In Labadee, once it got cloudy, it was simply too cold to stay up there.

 

I grabbed my second ice cream from Sprinkles. I must say, I love the overall Royal Caribbean experience, but Carnival is ahead on their self serve ice cream and frozen yogurt - both for taste and hours of operation! You can't beat 24 hour ice cream and frozen yogurt. However, I gladly sacrifice that aspect for the much more pleasant pool experience. Royal plays better music, which is not too loud, at the pool. I strongly prefer this relaxing experience!

Edited December 21, 2014 by APDMOM
typo