Cheapo dad's trip report on Freedom of the Seas

[harryfat1]

 

 

 

 

My wife moved over to the front to take some pictures from the front of the MDR

 

 

 

 

 

 

While I stayed in the side by the staircase so you folks get 2 for 1 coverage

 

 

 

 

 

[harryfat1]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OK, all done with the chefs. Back to dinner

 

 

[JamesEM]

Nice photos of the MDR, looked like there were a whole bunch of no shows for dinner. The accountant in me wonders what is the price point at which it would be more cost effective to go with a larger lobster instead of having passengers ordering several small ones.

[tigerbeth]

Wow !

Apart from yourselves looking the part on formal night , not much formality about what others are wearing !!!! Very informal !

Think that's a shame really !!

[euphio]

So for your 2 upcoming vacations, how many hours will you spent in planning versus the actual vacation itself?

 

Probably at least double. :-)

 

I tentatively budget 4 or 5 different options out and then my wife gets involved. We decide which 1 we want to do now (and often which is next) and then I really start planning. I generally make cruise/house/hotel/train/plane reservations early (especially when using points/miles). I travel A LOT for work so I have to lock in my vacation time well ahead of time.

 

Then, a few months before the vacation I start working on the things to do lists Yes, lists plural. There's never just one list. NEVER.

[flamingos]

Loving the food pics! Keep them coming!

[bobmacliberty]

Wow !

Apart from yourselves looking the part on formal night , not much formality about what others are wearing !!!! Very informal !

Think that's a shame really !!

 

Nooooooooooooooooo. Don't go there!

[Canadian1]

Good to know you are feeling better but you know if you are not well, getting rest if more important than reliving the prior vacation. This thread will still be here later on when you are feeling better – no need to stay up late to find out the results like a sporting event.

I'm a bit of a night owl to begin with so not unusual to be up late. Reliving vacation can be a form of resting! Right? :)

[Canadian1]

OK, continuing the story of being at the helipad.

 

 

Saw some people there at the helipad area. Everyone wants to mimic the classic Titanic pose. Yeah, admit it, you want to do it also.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wanted to, and...... did it! Not embarrassed to admit it [emoji106]

[Biker19]

Nooooooooooooooooo. Don't go there!

 

Apparently the mods agree.

[dani negreanu]

...like the Eagle's song "Hotel California" where you can check in but never leave...

 

A classic :)

[vavasmom]

Your pictures are amazing. I consider planning the first part of the vacation.

I also admit that I have cruised many times but still enjoy the parades in the dining room. We spent 10 nights on Liberty missing the pepper grinder - glad to see you found it

 

Next time go to the helipad and star gaze. It is one on the reasons I love the Freedom class

Sent from my P008 using Forums mobile app

Edited January 28, 2017 by vavasmom

[ArkieCruisin]

Harry thanks so much for this review! I am really enjoying it. Your pictures are really good and love your sense of humor.

[harryfat1]

Nice photos of the MDR, looked like there were a whole bunch of no shows for dinner. The accountant in me wonders what is the price point at which it would be more cost effective to go with a larger lobster instead of having passengers ordering several small ones.

 

Thanks for the compliments on the photos. The camera/phone did all the hard work. We just point and shoot.

 

If you think the MDR had a lot of no shows, wait until I post the day 6 dinner pics sometime next week. Hold you thought on this use. I plan to point out how empty the MDR was on day 6. Think many people either went informal (WJ) or upscale (specialty restaurants).

 

In order to stop people from ordering 2 lobsters, the word has to go out that each lobster is bigger size so no need to order 2. Or else you end up with people ordering 2 big ones and can’t finish.

 

Speaking of lobster sizes, my wife commented that night the Allure lobsters were much smaller in comparison to the Freedom’s. I didn’t really pay attention to that comment until I came home and compared the pictures.

 

See for yourself. Allure lobsters back in 2014

 

This was the single order of lobster on the Allure

 

 

 

 

This was the double order of lobster on the Allure

 

 

 

 

Freedom double order of lobsters in 2016. Even the shrimps looks better than the ones on the Allure

 

 

[harryfat1]

Wow !

Apart from yourselves looking the part on formal night , not much formality about what others are wearing !!!! Very informal !

Think that's a shame really !!

 

Nooooooooooooooooo. Don't go there!

 

So Bob is stirring up the pot to generate some controversy?

 

To Tigerbeth – Bob is referring to the typically hotly debated issue of MDR dress codes. At least it used to be more hotly debated. Now it’s less so.

 

I have read some threads of people asking about formal clothes on the second formal night. Think people bring only one good clothes on day 2 and then they dress down on the second formal night. Especially if they are coming back from a tour that day, sometimes they tend to be lazier in not wanting to dress up. Or they want to be cheap and not wanting to pay check in fee for suitcases at airlines so they go for the minimum packing.

 

For us, it’s no big deal. We are used to it as part of cruise life. Especially for me, back in old days of public accounting, we had to dress up daily in suits and ties for work. I used have a closet full of suits and at least 30+ ties for work. Would it come as a surprise to anyone if I say I have a collection of Mickey Mouse/Bug Bunny ties?

 

If you have a chance, please report back after your Australia cruise to let us know how the folks were dressed on the Explorer down under.

[harryfat1]

Probably at least double. :-)

 

I tentatively budget 4 or 5 different options out and then my wife gets involved. We decide which 1 we want to do now (and often which is next) and then I really start planning. I generally make cruise/house/hotel/train/plane reservations early (especially when using points/miles). I travel A LOT for work so I have to lock in my vacation time well ahead of time.

 

Then, a few months before the vacation I start working on the things to do lists Yes, lists plural. There's never just one list. NEVER.

 

So with all the items on your lists (plural), you only think it’s double the time. Maybe you need to double that double…

 

But it’s all good, right? We planners start our vacation the minute we fire up the web browser and think “So where are we going next?”

[harryfat1]

Loving the food pics! Keep them coming!

 

Thanks for the compliment.

 

Only one more day left on the cruise so not much more food pics left but I will upload what we have. Guess you can look at my previous cruise’s food pics on the Allure if you like.

[harryfat1]

I'm a bit of a night owl to begin with so not unusual to be up late. Reliving vacation can be a form of resting! Right? :)

 

Wanted to, and...... did it! Not embarrassed to admit it [emoji106]

 

Sure, when we are happy, we recover faster, right?

 

With or without Leonardo?

[harryfat1]

Apparently the mods agree.

 

Ehhh? What are you talking about?

[harryfat1]

A classic :)

 

I am a big Eagles fan. I have the original Hotel CA vinyl somewhere in the garage collecting dust. Maybe in 20 years they might be worth something on EBay…

[harryfat1]

Your pictures are amazing. I consider planning the first part of the vacation.

I also admit that I have cruised many times but still enjoy the parades in the dining room. We spent 10 nights on Liberty missing the pepper grinder - glad to see you found it

 

Next time go to the helipad and star gaze. It is one on the reasons I love the Freedom class

Sent from my P008 using Forums mobile app

 

Thank you for the kind words. The camera and phone do all the hard work. We just click a button to shoot. Well, actually my wife does a little more tinkering to her SLR settings. I’m lazy and dumb so I just use the auto mode on my zoom camera/cell and don’t deal with stuff like f stops or ISO settings.

 

I like anything on the ship that you can’t get to see or do with a regular land vacations – stuff like sail away waves to the people on shore/getting your own specially reserved tables for the whole cruise/parade of workers/singing of the waiters and the list goes on and on. We all cruise for different reasons. One of the reason I cruise versus the land vacation is the fact that a cruise is very different than a land vacation with its own set of “traditional activities”.

 

Wow, star gaze at helipad to star gaze while the ship is going 18+ knots at night? Think my glasses will be blown out from my nose from the wind blast before I can see any stars

[harryfat1]

Harry thanks so much for this review! I am really enjoying it. Your pictures are really good and love your sense of humor.

 

Hi,

 

Thanks for the compliments. The pictures taking are the easy part – just aim and press a button as the cameras and phones do all the work. The harder part is the willingness to take pictures or always be on the lookout for something worthwhile.

[harryfat1]

OK, back to the cruise report as we try to wrap up day 5.

 

Desserts

 

 

 

 

 

 

Family Pics

 

 

 

 

[harryfat1]

Few more pics of MDR – other some people taking pictures by the staircase as dinner is over and the MDR empties out

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[tigerbeth]

So Bob is stirring up the pot to generate some controversy?

 

To Tigerbeth – Bob is referring to the typically hotly debated issue of MDR dress codes. At least it used to be more hotly debated. Now it’s less so.

 

I have read some threads of people asking about formal clothes on the second formal night. Think people bring only one good clothes on day 2 and then they dress down on the second formal night. Especially if they are coming back from a tour that day, sometimes they tend to be lazier in not wanting to dress up. Or they want to be cheap and not wanting to pay check in fee for suitcases at airlines so they go for the minimum packing.

 

For us, it’s no big deal. We are used to it as part of cruise life. Especially for me, back in old days of public accounting, we had to dress up daily in suits and ties for work. I used have a closet full of suits and at least 30+ ties for work. Would it come as a surprise to anyone if I say I have a collection of Mickey Mouse/Bug Bunny ties?

 

If you have a chance, please report back after your Australia cruise to let us know how the folks were dressed on the Explorer down under.

 

Lol! Didn't want to cause a stir !! Just appears way more casual than our formal nights on our previous cruises !

Yes I will report back when we've returned from our next cruise .

I'm not an accountant but i do work for a financial institution !! Just as bad I here some say !!!

Yes I do lots of planning for all our trips , along with the cruises we've done a lot of land travel . When you live so far away from the rest of the world you have to make the most of each trip.

My husband just says tell me when we're going to the airport & where are we off too !!! No help !! 😃🇦🇺🍷