Freedom Of the Seas May 31- June 7- Eastern

[sherex]

I received so much great information here that was so helpful during our recent cruise that I wanted to give a short review of our cruise.

 

This was our first cruise with Royal Caribbean. It was myself, DH, DD, and my son-in-law.

We originally booked an inside room on deck 10. During a sale we grabbed the balcony rooms, plus the "free" Premium Drink package, and $200.00 OBC.

 

We flew in the day before to Orlando, rented a car with Avis, and stayed at the Hilton on Cocoa Beach. I got the room on Hotwire and it was one room for about $100.00. We thought it was a good hotel, a restful room, and the view of the beach was great. It did not have a balcony.

 

We returned the rental to Avis about 10:00 am. We were on the shuttle by 10:30 and arrived to just a small, very quick moving line. We were in boarding group 19 but waited about 15 minutes to be called. We were onboard poolside by 12:30. We did talk to some people onboard that had arrived to the terminal closer to 1:00 and they said the lines were long and slow moving by that time.

 

 

We loved our balcony rooms 7396 and 7398. We had Siri has our stateroom attendant. We requested the balcony divider be opened and it was opened before sail away. The room was clean and had plenty of storages for two travelers. The bathroom had plenty of space. I did bring some magnets and some boca like clips that were handy.

 

We thought the food was very good (we love good food, but are not generally complainers). We ate most of our meals in the main dining room and had our time dining for dinner. We did not wait more than a minute or two to be seated. Jake and Maria were our servers and they were very friendly and attentive. So much so that we did not want to miss eating in the dining room.

 

We ate dinner at Giovanni's one night and it was the best meal of the trip. The tenderloin is delicious and so tender. The appetizers were all very delicious. We had lunch at Sabor on the last day and it was good as well. The chips and salsa were so yummy and fresh. We did not eat at Johnny Rockets (too much to eat for free). We loved the turkey sandwiches at Cafe Promendae and thought the Primavera Pizza was okay as well. We did have a cupcake from cupcake cupboard and it was okay. Ice cream was good from Ben and Jerry's.

 

We loved having the drink package. We tipped dollars around the pool and soon had someone coming to check on our drink needs. He would also bring us water every so often without us asking -just to keep us hydrated. The pool bars are not as good as making drinks as the inside bars. My hubby loved the pub and spent a lot of time there in the evenings having a beer and chatting with folks. Before dinner we would go to the R Bar which was our favorite. Heidi in the R bar makes some fantastic drinks. Try the Red Velvet Or a Chocolate Martini. She was so friendly and made us feel welcome. We had plenty of water and soft drinks as well. We also liked Boleros Bar and the Olive and Twist.

 

We watched the flow rider and rocking climbing wall, but did not participate. We did pay for the gold simulator for 1 hour for $25.00. We loved the variety of music onboard. We loved dancing in the star lounge, watching People sing in the On Air club, saw the comedian one night, the ice show, and various tribute bands featuring Eric Clapton, Elton John, Jimmy Buffet. The entertainment is plentiful and something for everyone.

 

It was hard to find a chair by the pool on sea days, but with persistence we did find them.

 

We took a ship excursion on Saint Thomas over to St John. The excursion was disappointing because it wasn't exactly as advertised. However we made the best of it and did get to see and swim in Trunk Bay. It was so beautiful.

 

We took an independent excursion we found on Trip Advisor in Saint Maarten. It was from Captain Bob. It was one of the best trips we have ever had. We saw sea turtles, fish and had great snorkling. We stooped at a restaurant on Grand Case for lunch. Saw a lot of beautiful beaches and did some swimming. The day ended with a trip to Maho beach and sitting in the boat watching a huge plane come in.

 

The cruise was fun and went so quickly. Before long it was the end of the cruise.

Disembarking was good. We were number 22 and off the boat around 9:15. We caught the shuttle to Avis with only a 10 minute wait. We only had two in front of us at the Avis counter and had lunch at a great mom and pop place called Sweet Mama's just about 8 miles from the airport. We had a 2:30 flight and were there in plenty of time.

Our family loved the ship and thought it was clean and very impressive. Service was good.

 

Happy Cruising!

[John&LaLa]

I received so much great information here that was so helpful during our recent cruise that I wanted to give a short review of our cruise.

 

This was our first cruise with Royal Caribbean. It was myself, DH, DD, and my son-in-law.

We originally booked an inside room on deck 10. During a sale we grabbed the balcony rooms, plus the "free" Premium Drink package, and $200.00 OBC.

 

We flew in the day before to Orlando, rented a car with Avis, and stayed at the Hilton on Cocoa Beach. I got the room on Hotwire and it was one room for about $100.00. We thought it was a good hotel, a restful room, and the view of the beach was great. It did not have a balcony.

 

We returned the rental to Avis about 10:00 am. We were on the shuttle by 10:30 and arrived to just a small, very quick moving line. We were in boarding group 19 but waited about 15 minutes to be called. We were onboard poolside by 12:30. We did talk to some people onboard that had arrived to the terminal closer to 1:00 and they said the lines were long and slow moving by that time.

 

 

We loved our balcony rooms 7396 and 7398. We had Siri has our stateroom attendant. We requested the balcony divider be opened and it was opened before sail away. The room was clean and had plenty of storages for two travelers. The bathroom had plenty of space. I did bring some magnets and some boca like clips that were handy.

 

We thought the food was very good (we love good food, but are not generally complainers). We ate most of our meals in the main dining room and had our time dining for dinner. We did not wait more than a minute or two to be seated. Jake and Maria were our servers and they were very friendly and attentive. So much so that we did not want to miss eating in the dining room.

 

We ate dinner at Giovanni's one night and it was the best meal of the trip. The tenderloin is delicious and so tender. The appetizers were all very delicious. We had lunch at Sabor on the last day and it was good as well. The chips and salsa were so yummy and fresh. We did not eat at Johnny Rockets (too much to eat for free). We loved the turkey sandwiches at Cafe Promendae and thought the Primavera Pizza was okay as well. We did have a cupcake from cupcake cupboard and it was okay. Ice cream was good from Ben and Jerry's.

 

We loved having the drink package. We tipped dollars around the pool and soon had someone coming to check on our drink needs. He would also bring us water every so often without us asking -just to keep us hydrated. The pool bars are not as good as making drinks as the inside bars. My hubby loved the pub and spent a lot of time there in the evenings having a beer and chatting with folks. Before dinner we would go to the R Bar which was our favorite. Heidi in the R bar makes some fantastic drinks. Try the Red Velvet Or a Chocolate Martini. She was so friendly and made us feel welcome. We had plenty of water and soft drinks as well. We also liked Boleros Bar and the Olive and Twist.

 

We watched the flow rider and rocking climbing wall, but did not participate. We did pay for the gold simulator for 1 hour for $25.00. We loved the variety of music onboard. We loved dancing in the star lounge, watching People sing in the On Air club, saw the comedian one night, the ice show, and various tribute bands featuring Eric Clapton, Elton John, Jimmy Buffet. The entertainment is plentiful and something for everyone.

 

It was hard to find a chair by the pool on sea days, but with persistence we did find them.

 

We took a ship excursion on Saint Thomas over to St John. The excursion was disappointing because it wasn't exactly as advertised. However we made the best of it and did get to see and swim in Trunk Bay. It was so beautiful.

 

We took an independent excursion we found on Trip Advisor in Saint Maarten. It was from Captain Bob. It was one of the best trips we have ever had. We saw sea turtles, fish and had great snorkling. We stooped at a restaurant on Grand Case for lunch. Saw a lot of beautiful beaches and did some swimming. The day ended with a trip to Maho beach and sitting in the boat watching a huge plane come in.

 

The cruise was fun and went so quickly. Before long it was the end of the cruise.

Disembarking was good. We were number 22 and off the boat around 9:15. We caught the shuttle to Avis with only a 10 minute wait. We only had two in front of us at the Avis counter and had lunch at a great mom and pop place called Sweet Mama's just about 8 miles from the airport. We had a 2:30 flight and were there in plenty of time.

Our family loved the ship and thought it was clean and very impressive. Service was good.

 

Happy Cruising!

 

Glad you had fun. We are on in 10 days I think. Interested in the tribute bands. Can you expand on that a little please

[sherex]

One night in the star lounge- I believe it was Monday night they had a band Kronos. They did an Eric Clapton Tribute for about 1 hour.

 

We went and heard Kronos a couple of times. They play some 70's and 80's music in the star lounge and it was great for dancing.

 

Then each night in the Schooner Bar there was a man who played piano and he did a Elton John Tribute playing his most popular songs, He also did a. Billy Joel, Neil Diamond and Jimmy Buffet. We heard the Elton John and Neil Diamond nights and we thought they were enjoyable.

 

Get there early in the Schooner bar because the place is packed. There are at 9:30 or 10:00.

 

Enjoy your trip!

[riclop]

I received so much great information here that was so helpful during our recent cruise that I wanted to give a short review of our cruise.

 

This was our first cruise with Royal Caribbean. It was myself, DH, DD, and my son-in-law.

We originally booked an inside room on deck 10. During a sale we grabbed the balcony rooms, plus the "free" Premium Drink package, and $200.00 OBC.

 

We flew in the day before to Orlando, rented a car with Avis, and stayed at the Hilton on Cocoa Beach. I got the room on Hotwire and it was one room for about $100.00. We thought it was a good hotel, a restful room, and the view of the beach was great. It did not have a balcony.

 

We returned the rental to Avis about 10:00 am. We were on the shuttle by 10:30 and arrived to just a small, very quick moving line. We were in boarding group 19 but waited about 15 minutes to be called. We were onboard poolside by 12:30. We did talk to some people onboard that had arrived to the terminal closer to 1:00 and they said the lines were long and slow moving by that time.

 

 

We loved our balcony rooms 7396 and 7398. We had Siri has our stateroom attendant. We requested the balcony divider be opened and it was opened before sail away. The room was clean and had plenty of storages for two travelers. The bathroom had plenty of space. I did bring some magnets and some boca like clips that were handy.

 

We thought the food was very good (we love good food, but are not generally complainers). We ate most of our meals in the main dining room and had our time dining for dinner. We did not wait more than a minute or two to be seated. Jake and Maria were our servers and they were very friendly and attentive. So much so that we did not want to miss eating in the dining room.

 

We ate dinner at Giovanni's one night and it was the best meal of the trip. The tenderloin is delicious and so tender. The appetizers were all very delicious. We had lunch at Sabor on the last day and it was good as well. The chips and salsa were so yummy and fresh. We did not eat at Johnny Rockets (too much to eat for free). We loved the turkey sandwiches at Cafe Promendae and thought the Primavera Pizza was okay as well. We did have a cupcake from cupcake cupboard and it was okay. Ice cream was good from Ben and Jerry's.

 

We loved having the drink package. We tipped dollars around the pool and soon had someone coming to check on our drink needs. He would also bring us water every so often without us asking -just to keep us hydrated. The pool bars are not as good as making drinks as the inside bars. My hubby loved the pub and spent a lot of time there in the evenings having a beer and chatting with folks. Before dinner we would go to the R Bar which was our favorite. Heidi in the R bar makes some fantastic drinks. Try the Red Velvet Or a Chocolate Martini. She was so friendly and made us feel welcome. We had plenty of water and soft drinks as well. We also liked Boleros Bar and the Olive and Twist.

 

We watched the flow rider and rocking climbing wall, but did not participate. We did pay for the gold simulator for 1 hour for $25.00. We loved the variety of music onboard. We loved dancing in the star lounge, watching People sing in the On Air club, saw the comedian one night, the ice show, and various tribute bands featuring Eric Clapton, Elton John, Jimmy Buffet. The entertainment is plentiful and something for everyone.

 

It was hard to find a chair by the pool on sea days, but with persistence we did find them.

 

We took a ship excursion on Saint Thomas over to St John. The excursion was disappointing because it wasn't exactly as advertised. However we made the best of it and did get to see and swim in Trunk Bay. It was so beautiful.

 

We took an independent excursion we found on Trip Advisor in Saint Maarten. It was from Captain Bob. It was one of the best trips we have ever had. We saw sea turtles, fish and had great snorkling. We stooped at a restaurant on Grand Case for lunch. Saw a lot of beautiful beaches and did some swimming. The day ended with a trip to Maho beach and sitting in the boat watching a huge plane come in.

 

The cruise was fun and went so quickly. Before long it was the end of the cruise.

Disembarking was good. We were number 22 and off the boat around 9:15. We caught the shuttle to Avis with only a 10 minute wait. We only had two in front of us at the Avis counter and had lunch at a great mom and pop place called Sweet Mama's just about 8 miles from the airport. We had a 2:30 flight and were there in plenty of time.

Our family loved the ship and thought it was clean and very impressive. Service was good.

 

Happy Cruising!

 

Thanks for the review.

[twenty_car]

Thanks for the current information!

We will be on in 10 days as well! :)

[John&LaLa]

Thanks for the current information!

We will be on in 10 days as well! :)

 

See you onboard

[basebare]

Great concise review! We leave in about a month and although I have cruised many times, I am still looking forward to this one just as much!!!! First time without our kids (empty nest syndrome-our youngest leaves for college soon). We have the drink package as well, so will be sure to have some singles handy for tips.

[MicCanberra]

Thanks for the review.:D

[cajuncowgirl13]

Are the any night clubs on board???

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Clarea]

Are the any night clubs on board???

Up in Viking Crown.

[my3pies]

We are doing the excursion with capt bob next week. Do you mind if I ask how much you tipped?

[BillOh]

I received so much great information here that was so helpful during our recent cruise that I wanted to give a short review of our cruise.

 

Great sentiment. Both times I have been on Freedom it's been the western itinerary and the only place we tendered was Grand Caymen. How is tendering at Coco Cay? Do they have enough tenders for that size ship there? All 3 times I've been to this island was on Majesty. I was there in 07 when there was another ship and there wasn't enough, but that was almost 10 years ago.

[Koolaid33]

Did you find your martini and other drinks to be covered in your drink package or did you have to pay a little extra?

[daninwi]

Which nights on the Eastern cruise are the formals nights?

 

We are going on a family cruise Oct 4th and are wanting to plan our week.

 

Thanks!

[Clarea]

Which nights on the Eastern cruise are the formals nights?

 

We are going on a family cruise Oct 4th and are wanting to plan our week.

 

Thanks!

Nights 2 and 6 are formal on Eastern.

[daninwi]

Nights 2 and 6 are formal on Eastern.

 

Thanks for the quick reply!

 

Dan

[mrs.cog]

Thank you for the review! We are going on the excursion with Capt. Bob as well. Little over a month left. Finally, an end in sight. What night did you go to Giovanni's?

[joellehenry]

Did Avis provide the shuttle to/from the port?

[Afternoonpizza]

Then each night in the Schooner Bar there was a man who played piano and he did a Elton John Tribute playing his most popular songs, He also did a. Billy Joel, Neil Diamond and Jimmy Buffet. We heard the Elton John and Neil Diamond nights and we thought they were enjoyable.

 

 

 

Enjoy your trip!

 

Do you happen to remember his name? Maybe in a Cruise Compass? Thanks!