Cheapo dad's trip report on Freedom of the Seas

[harryfat1]

Hard Sell – If you read my previous reports, you all know that I am anal but I don’t let too many things ruin my vacation (hey, after thousands of dollars spent, I am enjoying it no matter what). Technically this issue didn’t ruin my vacation but I was surprised by it and just wanted to point it out to future cruisers.

 

If you read some of the cruise reports in the main page – not the RCI boards here but at the main front page of CC under reviews, some cruisers complain about the hard sell tactics of the various cruise lines. In the past, I just thought they were making a big deal out of nothing. Who cares, just say no thank you and move on. But on this cruise, I was surprised on how aggressive RCI is pushing their up sell items.

 

Between walking from deck 4 of the MDR up to the end other of RP on deck 5, we were approached by 4 different employees trying to sell us something along the way. It was like walking a gauntlet. You know how it is when you get off the ship at any port and there are all those sidewalk hawkers trying to sell you taxi ride/tours – (Amigo, you need taxi or a tour?).

 

That was how it felt. I can understand it if they set up shop all over the ship and have passengers sign up if they wanted special dining/drink/Internet packages or whatever. But the ship workers were very aggressive in shoving their sales stuff in our faces as we walked around.

 

I know what people will say “Just say no thank you and keep walking”. That’s what we did but in my opinion, they didn’t need to be that aggressive in pushing the added cost items when people are just walking pass with zero intentions of stopping. If I stopped at their kiosk, then sell to me all you want. But if I look like I am just passing through, leave me alone.

 

Furthermore, on two separate occasions while we were dining in the WJ, the waiters came up to try and up sell something while we were eating! What’s next - will RCI have mandatory time share presentation after the mandatory muster drill for where you have to sit through 30 minutes of infomercial? Shhh, don’t give them any ideas…

 

First one was around day 3 lunch time where some European waiter who was cleaning our table at WJ started talking to us and telling us about the special brunch event with kitchen tour. He suggests we should sign up for it later in the cruise at $35 per person. No thank you. Did those many years ago for free on other cruise ships when they were free. Not paying for them now at $35 per head.

 

Second one was on day 6 of the cruise around lunch time at WJ. So everyone knows we are Chinese and we are bi lingual. At lunch time with the in laws we were all speaking Chinese. Guess the workers must think we don’t speak English somehow and they brought in a Chinese wait staff with a Giovanni sales person standing in the back with a sign to try and upsell Giovanni to us in Chinese. Heh? I replied back using English, “Thank you for the info but we are not interested in Giovanni”. The looks on their faces are priceless as they didn’t expect us to speak English.

 

As I don’t want to side track the trip report with a negative vibe on starting on day 1 but just thought I point out what happened to us and would be interested to know if anyone else had experience with a hard sell on the recent RCI cruise. My preference would be the selling just at their assigned stations and the workers answers questions instead of trying to hawk their info as guests walked by. Certainly when I am eating at WJ with the family, don’t try to sell me extra cost stuff.

[harryfat1]

As much as I love the mega Oasis class ships, the one thing the Voyager/Freedom class has that is vastly superior is the library and the view. If I am not mistaken, I want to say the replaced the Allure’s library after our sailing as part of the refurbishment?

 

 

Regardless, the library view has the mesmerizing view and look about it. I could sit for a while and just gaze out. Definitely has the “wow” feel to it.

 

 

 

 

Tell me if you don’t think this makes you think “wow” – no, no, it has nothing to do with my photography skills or anything. But between the cell phone camera taking good indoor pictures and the color of RP itself, it’s one of my favorite pic from the cruise now that I am looking at it in detail. The good thing is anyone can take this picture with a camera phone. Just aim and shoot.

 

 

 

 

The rest of the library area is very nice as well

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[wilmingtech]

As I don’t want to side track the trip report with a negative vibe on starting on day 1 but just thought I point out what happened to us and would be interested to know if anyone else had experience with a hard sell on the recent RCI cruise.

 

Our very first cruise was on Freedom in 2015 and we experienced similar. Nothing in the dining areas but you couldn't walk through the promenade or area in front of the WJ without hawkers calling out and trying to sell you something.

 

I thought it was strange as it seemed really tacky and took away from the overall experience. I thought maybe it was just something that came along with a cruise but have been on 2 NCLs since and haven't experienced this on those.

 

We are booked on the 8 day Freedom in March and will have to work on some slick responses to the hawkers. Nothing rude but polite and thought provoking.

 

-Sean

[Bimmer09]

Hi, Norris,

 

How are you? Good to hear from you. Thanks again for your encouragement. You helped me tremendously on my trip report last time in giving me the pep talk. Really appreciate it.

 

If nothing else, writing a new trip report is like having a class reunion to say hi to old friends again.

 

I need to check out your Celebrity reviews as we might sail with them next year as they have big OBC sales for 2017 cruises. Cheapo dad always looks for sales.

 

Here are 2 pics of the Reflection from Cayman while we were in port. Enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

Harry, thanks for the pics of the Reflection! Handsome ship indeed.

 

I am of course a fan of long, detailed reviews (reports/journals etc) as I like a good well-written read and the more crisp photos that help the words pop off the page the better. Imagine if all we had to go on were the cruise brochures and the hyperbole within? Reviews like yours help us in our choice of ship and itinerary.

 

And indeed they are a good way to connect with cyber CC friends but most importantly for me they are a great way to (a) relive the cruise after I get home and am writing and sorting through 1,000 photos (b) keep each cruise from merging into the next when my memory gets cloudy with age. All you need is a URL on CC and a signature after your post. It works for me.

 

I am enjoying this report as it unfolds, day by day.

 

Happy New Year!

 

Norris

[pinkrosesdeb]

We board Freedom on Saturday! So excited to follow your report. I wanted to add a little info I got today from the concierge...I had read several threads recently on the greatly increased price of cabanas on Labadee ( I know you don't care about it! and I love that about you) but I wanted everyone to know we were able to book a standard cabana at Barefoot Beach for exactly the same price we paid 2 years ago on Freedom. Enjoy the rest of your time and please continue your great suggestions on ways to cut your costs without losing any of your enjoyment. Your review is wonderful! Thanks so much.

[Agavegirl1]

Great attention to detail Harry. I, for one, appreciate the pictures of tables. Any detail is fine with me. I have never been on a ship before (that wasn't turned into a museum anyway). Freedom will be the first and my husband's first non-military ship.

 

I hope you are feeling better.

[maryjaden]

Following along. We are looking to cruise on the Freedom in the future.

[legaljen1969]

 

Although I do think CC folk’s are much more mellow compared to the Disney Boards folks. I used to hang out there when my kids were younger and we planned the elaborate Disney vacations. Now those folks are the real die hard. Back when Disney opened the dining reservations 180 days out and they make you call to reserve, I read posts by people waking up at 3 AM in west coast time to call FL at 6 AM EST when the phone bank first opens just so they can secure a dining spot at the 180th day out.

 

Now that is hard core dedication. I can’t come close to matching that…

That's all Disney fanatics. You are absolutely right about west coast folks waking up to be early in the cue at the 180 day mark. Most Disney fanatics are beyond anal. They know exactly how long it takes to connect, disconnect, dial, et cetera. Most have multiple phones that they use to call at the same time so they can get through.

 

I am NOT of the anal persuasion. If I don't get something, I just don't. LOL There are so many "experiences" at Disney, that you can find something to do. I do check the dining reservations regularly though in case someone cancels. I have gotten last minute reservations to great experiences several times.

[legaljen1969]

I think I heard this joke on a from a comedian while on a Carnival cruise – you know what Delta stands for? Don’t Expect Luggage To Arrive…

Their commuter line is/was ASA (Atlantic Southeast Airlines). I used to take one of their flights on a regular basis to see my husband who was in the Marine Corps at Camp Lejeune at the time. I was never on time coming back from Camp Lejeune as the flight always got delayed. We nicknamed it "Arrive Sometime Afterwards."

 

And as for the luggage not arriving- never had that experience with Delta. But had it with Southwest. We were flying from Ft. Lauderdale back home (met my parents in Jacksonville FL and all flew down to Ft. Lauderdale together. I know, not CheapoDad friendly at all...). We didn't see my husband's luggage until 2 weeks later. Thank goodness it was coming home rather than going to the cruise. LOL

[eem0924]

This review is so awesome!!

 

it's just what I needed to get excited about our upcoming Freedom cruise.

 

Can't wait !!

 

Thanks so much

[joand452]

Been following along your review and am loving it! Very entertaining!

 

I'm a spreadsheet person, too, just don't ask me to do any formulas or pivot tables! That's my accountant husband's deal. But I can format a mean daily schedule! We probably booked our next cruise in October. That night I had the shell of my spreadsheet put together.

 

I understand about the Disneyphiles, too. I'm one of them, but not that crazy. I make a spreadsheet for that, too, because I like to have any dining confirmation numbers on my phone. We're going to Disneyland and Las Vegas in the spring. I don't have anything scheduled for that trip! Must be slacking off.

 

Meanwhile, Harry, I'm looking forward to the rest of your trip report, and hope you feel better soon.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[mtu_huskies]

But on this cruise, I was surprised on how aggressive RCI is pushing their up sell items.

 

 

 

As I don’t want to side track the trip report with a negative vibe on starting on day 1 but just thought I point out what happened to us and would be interested to know if anyone else had experience with a hard sell on the recent RCI cruise. My preference would be the selling just at their assigned stations and the workers answers questions instead of trying to hawk their info as guests walked by. Certainly when I am eating at WJ with the family, don’t try to sell me extra cost stuff.

 

 

We were on Freedom in early November and I thought I noticed more selling too. When they came to our main dining room table to interrupt dinner to sell Giovanni's I knew they were selling more. I'd never seen that. I didn't care for it!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Ourusualbeach]

They are opened 24 hours & located in various states.

 

 

 

 

 

Harry, just getting caught up on your review before setting sail tomorrow and I came across this. We've already eaten there twice in the last 2 days. You know it's good pizza when you can see the grease pooling on top of the cheese.:D

 

Next time your in town check out the Seguay tours at the place across the street (there are groupon discounts available). We did the 2 hour city tour today and had a blast.

 

Great review as usual.:)

[Coralc]

Bon Voyage Ken! Have fun on Harmony! :D:):D

[Ourusualbeach]

Bon Voyage Ken! Have fun on Harmony! :D:):D

 

Thanks, Allure tomorrow, Harmony in March.:)

[harryfat1]

Our very first cruise was on Freedom in 2015 and we experienced similar. Nothing in the dining areas but you couldn't walk through the promenade or area in front of the WJ without hawkers calling out and trying to sell you something.

 

I thought it was strange as it seemed really tacky and took away from the overall experience. I thought maybe it was just something that came along with a cruise but have been on 2 NCLs since and haven't experienced this on those.

 

We are booked on the 8 day Freedom in March and will have to work on some slick responses to the hawkers. Nothing rude but polite and thought provoking.

 

-Sean

 

Well, you can’t use “We don’t speak English” as an excuse – we know from firsthand experience, they will try and find someone on the ship that speaks your native language in trying to upsell you whatever.

[harryfat1]

Harry, thanks for the pics of the Reflection! Handsome ship indeed.

 

I am of course a fan of long, detailed reviews (reports/journals etc) as I like a good well-written read and the more crisp photos that help the words pop off the page the better. Imagine if all we had to go on were the cruise brochures and the hyperbole within? Reviews like yours help us in our choice of ship and itinerary.

 

And indeed they are a good way to connect with cyber CC friends but most importantly for me they are a great way to (a) relive the cruise after I get home and am writing and sorting through 1,000 photos (b) keep each cruise from merging into the next when my memory gets cloudy with age. All you need is a URL on CC and a signature after your post. It works for me.

 

I am enjoying this report as it unfolds, day by day.

 

Happy New Year!

 

Norris

 

Hi, Norris,

 

I would be very interested in reading about your Celebrity experience – assuming you write one as you typically do. I am considering the Celebrity cruise for 2017 as they currently have a bigger discount/sale than RCI for mid December 2017 sailing.

 

I will go to whoever gives me the best value – not to mention I like to mix things up by going with different cruise lines periodically.

 

Have a great cruise if we don’t talk again before you leave town.

[Kissmya63]

Loving your trip report Harry! I love all the detail and all the pics!! We aren't sailing on Freedom until next year (I can finally say next year, LOL)! :p

 

I think that planning and researching is part of the fun of the vacation! For our Alaska cruise in 2012, I researched for probably about 3 years! I planned every detail and had a spreadsheet with multiple worksheets going! I do this for all vacations we've taken! We've only been on 3 cruises but we try to do one big vacation of some kind every year or every other year. In 2016 we cruised on Adventure and that's where we booked our 2018 cruise on Freedom. The detail in your report and your pics are very helpful!!! Thank you very much for taking the time to do this!

 

I am looking forward to the rest of your report :)

 

Carol

[harryfat1]

We board Freedom on Saturday! So excited to follow your report. I wanted to add a little info I got today from the concierge...I had read several threads recently on the greatly increased price of cabanas on Labadee ( I know you don't care about it! and I love that about you) but I wanted everyone to know we were able to book a standard cabana at Barefoot Beach for exactly the same price we paid 2 years ago on Freedom. Enjoy the rest of your time and please continue your great suggestions on ways to cut your costs without losing any of your enjoyment. Your review is wonderful! Thanks so much.

 

Hi,

 

Thanks for the info as I am sure there are others who are sailing on the Freedom on the Eastern Caribbean route that will find he Labadee info useful.

 

I like Labadee as we were there 2 years ago on the Allure. The private island (the anal people will tell you it’s technically a peninsula) is great I that you don’t have to worry about tendering or pay for any transportation to the beach or even have to worry about what to do for lunch.

 

For cheapo people, Labadee is the best as you can have a great time and spend $0, other than tipping a guy for the beach chair.

Edited January 2, 2017 by harryfat1

[harryfat1]

Great attention to detail Harry. I, for one, appreciate the pictures of tables. Any detail is fine with me. I have never been on a ship before (that wasn't turned into a museum anyway). Freedom will be the first and my husband's first non-military ship.

 

I hope you are feeling better.

 

Hi,

 

Thanks for the well wishes. I am feeling slightly better than yesterday. Wonders of modern medicine.

 

How wonderful to sail on the Freedom on the first cruise. Some of us old timers had to start with old rust buckets back in the 90’s as our first cruise. By starting with Freedom as your first cruise, you are hyper leaping above many other ships.

[harryfat1]

That's all Disney fanatics. You are absolutely right about west coast folks waking up to be early in the cue at the 180 day mark. Most Disney fanatics are beyond anal. They know exactly how long it takes to connect, disconnect, dial, et cetera. Most have multiple phones that they use to call at the same time so they can get through.

 

I am NOT of the anal persuasion. If I don't get something, I just don't. LOL There are so many "experiences" at Disney, that you can find something to do. I do check the dining reservations regularly though in case someone cancels. I have gotten last minute reservations to great experiences several times.

 

Their commuter line is/was ASA (Atlantic Southeast Airlines). I used to take one of their flights on a regular basis to see my husband who was in the Marine Corps at Camp Lejeune at the time. I was never on time coming back from Camp Lejeune as the flight always got delayed. We nicknamed it "Arrive Sometime Afterwards."

 

And as for the luggage not arriving- never had that experience with Delta. But had it with Southwest. We were flying from Ft. Lauderdale back home (met my parents in Jacksonville FL and all flew down to Ft. Lauderdale together. I know, not CheapoDad friendly at all...). We didn't see my husband's luggage until 2 weeks later. Thank goodness it was coming home rather than going to the cruise. LOL

 

Hi,

 

Thankfully as my kids get older, I don’t have to compete against those fanatics. Hard for cheapo dad to pay a big premium for anything Disney – a regular t-shirt nobody cares to buy at $5 on the street but drop in a Mickey Mouse face on it and sell it at $15 at the parks and everyone thinks it’s a steal of the century.

 

Yes, better to lose a luggage post cruise than pre cruise. We lost our luggage on first Caribbean cruise as someone took ours by mistake – I know as there was only one last luggage on the carousel that looked like ours but not ours. That is the worst feeling in the world to walk all around the area and not finding your luggage.

 

Had to work with the airline to get the luggage back the next day (Christmas Day matter of fact) – guess the other party didn’t want to deal with my kids’ post cruise dirty underwear and socks and wants to exchange it ASAP. :p

[harryfat1]

Been following along your review and am loving it! Very entertaining!

 

I'm a spreadsheet person, too, just don't ask me to do any formulas or pivot tables! That's my accountant husband's deal. But I can format a mean daily schedule! We probably booked our next cruise in October. That night I had the shell of my spreadsheet put together.

 

I understand about the Disneyphiles, too. I'm one of them, but not that crazy. I make a spreadsheet for that, too, because I like to have any dining confirmation numbers on my phone. We're going to Disneyland and Las Vegas in the spring. I don't have anything scheduled for that trip! Must be slacking off.

 

Meanwhile, Harry, I'm looking forward to the rest of your trip report, and hope you feel better soon.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

Hi, Joan,

 

Thanks for the well wishes. Slowly getting better.

 

Disney requires a lot of pre-planning, especially for the cheapo people that wants to maximize their value after having paid a big premium just to get in there. In some ways, that mentality carried over to my cruise planning here so for the “laid back” CC people, the Disney way of aggressive planning is odd to them in having schedules and pre reserving shows and meals. For us Disney fans, that’s part of vacation process.

[harryfat1]

We were on Freedom in early November and I thought I noticed more selling too. When they came to our main dining room table to interrupt dinner to sell Giovanni's I knew they were selling more. I'd never seen that. I didn't care for it!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

Hi,

 

I just think that’s wrong. If people want to pay for specialty dining, that’s fine. But RCI shouldn’t be so pushy as to be in your face to ask you to pay more. There is a fine line of providing info for people that wants it versus in your face selling.

 

Personally speaking, I think they crossed it.

Edited January 2, 2017 by harryfat1

[harryfat1]

Harry, just getting caught up on your review before setting sail tomorrow and I came across this. We've already eaten there twice in the last 2 days. You know it's good pizza when you can see the grease pooling on top of the cheese.:D

 

Next time your in town check out the Seguay tours at the place across the street (there are groupon discounts available). We did the 2 hour city tour today and had a blast.

 

Great review as usual.:)

 

Hi, Ken,

 

Twice in 2 days at Primanti’s, eh? We do have many things in common.

 

Have a great cruise. Since you will be on the Allure, you know you will have the biggest butt in port. Ehh, I meant your ship has the biggest butt in port...

 

Baby Got Back…

[Bimmer09]

Hi, Norris,

 

I would be very interested in reading about your Celebrity experience – assuming you write one as you typically do. I am considering the Celebrity cruise for 2017 as they currently have a bigger discount/sale than RCI for mid December 2017 sailing.

 

I will go to whoever gives me the best value – not to mention I like to mix things up by going with different cruise lines periodically.

 

Have a great cruise if we don’t talk again before you leave town.

 

Harry this will be my second Celebrity cruise and I already have one review on CC- the Silhouette from last January. It's in my signature below.

 

For those interested but who have signatures turned off here's the quick link...

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=48880163#post48880163

 

The Reflection one will appear January 22 or so.

 

Norris