FREEDOM SPRING BREAK trip report with PICS! 3/25-3/31

[jdelta]

Many thanks Andy.....

 

Sailing FOTS on 28 April, so we're enjoying the detail of your posts.

 

Joe

Halifax, Canada

[kwazi07]

Great report. I am on freedom right now headed for St. Kitts. What superb service. And a fun ship

 

 

Thank you! I thought the service was very good as well, and I loved the ship :)

 

Enjoying your review!

 

 

Thank you!

 

This is so awesome. My bf and I are sailing on the 8 day on 4/48.

 

 

 

Cruising as a teen is so much fun. I started at age 14 and haven’t stopped. I’m 54, my daughters 22 and 25 and they were on ships as soon as they were pottty trained. They have been on 28 and 26 cruises respectively. When they turned 18 it was very very sad for them.

 

 

 

We are all diamond on rccl .

 

 

Have fun...but when is 4/48? Haha...

Sounds like your daughters are quite the experienced cruisers! I’m definitely looking to take more cruises in the future, my friends and I are thinking about taking one together after college.

 

Many thanks Andy.....

 

Sailing FOTS on 28 April, so we're enjoying the detail of your posts.

 

Joe

Halifax, Canada

 

 

Thank you! Enjoy your cruise!

[GetMeOutOfOklahoma1403]

I am really loving reading this review! We are going on our first cruise January 13 on Freedom of the Seas. It's a Southern Caribbean cruise and we leave from San Juan.

[kwazi07]

Hi guys! Sorry for the delay in posts...senioritis is real and I still have a lot of makeup work to do. I will try to upload an update or two tonight!

[MightyMike]

We saw Love, Simon which I absolutely LOVED. It was so good and was a roller coaster ride of emotions. We laughed, cried and everything in between. I can relate so much to Simon, but it’s a movie for everyone and I would definitely urge you guys to see it if you’re interested! I’m still a little emotional about it, haha.

 

Right now I’m on my way to the mall to get some new cruise clothes [emoji4]

 

 

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Thanks for the movie recommendation. My partner and I finally got a free night to see it. Very nicely done. Glad we got a chance to see it before it leaves the theaters.

 

We are interested in reading more of your review as it becomes available. We will be cruising next year at this time for spring break with our son. We actually are booked on both Royal Caribbean and Celebrity and are deciding which one to cancel.

[kwazi07]

Thanks for the movie recommendation. My partner and I finally got a free night to see it. Very nicely done. Glad we got a chance to see it before it leaves the theaters.

 

 

 

We are interested in reading more of your review as it becomes available. We will be cruising next year at this time for spring break with our son. We actually are booked on both Royal Caribbean and Celebrity and are deciding which one to cancel.

 

 

 

Of course! Glad you enjoyed.

 

And I PROMISE I’ll be posting more...I have both a psych project and a gov one to do tonight. I’d definitely recommend this cruise for your son, but depending on what your son likes Celebrity could work too. For example, even though I like all the activities and such of RCI, it would be nice to be able to chill by the pool on Celebrity without any of the FOMO, haha.

 

 

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[kwazi07]

Okay, I promised an update, so it’s time for our first dinner!

 

Since we chose early seating dinner, and sailaway was scheduled for 5:30, I was worried about missing the sailaway. We usually watch it from the balcony, so this year had to be different. We emailed our travel agent about requesting a certain table and while she was able to do this, the diagram that was sent to us didn’t show if the table to the window. So I was very surprised to see that our tabe 421 was a nice table right next to the huge window on the second floor of the dining room (Isaac’s)! I have a picture of our table, but I took it later in the cruise so I can’t find it. In the meantime, these poor quality screenshots of a video I posted to my Instagram story will show you how great our table was:

 

 

 

That video was taken around 5:50, we had a little late departure. However, it made sure that we were all situated to watch the ship depart!

 

We had heard that new menus were spreading fleetwide and that was the case on Freedom. The new menus were pretty similar to the old, but offered fewer options. Only two desserts changed each night! Here is the night one menu:

 

 

I decided to try the escargots, because I had heard some people say they weren’t available every night. They were exactly the same as they had been on past cruises--pretty good. I used to LOVE dipping the bread (which is now left on the table) in the butter, but for some reason the thought of that now makes me sick.

 

 

We never got a formal introduction from our waiter (whose name turned out to be Gemy), and our assistant waiter was nonexistent. A woman wearing a Cupcake Cupboard uniform was refilling our drinks, but otherwise service the first night was VERY underwhelming. But spoiler alert: it does get better!

 

Our waiter also brought us a few plates of the calamari, which I did not have the chance to sample. I’m not usually a fan of calamari but in this case it was pretty enjoyable. It wasn’t chewy at all, but I do wish it was a little crunchier.

 

For my entree I opted for the prime rib, which is kind of a first night tradition for me. It was tasty, but I ordered it medium rare it it was overdone. It was still super tender, but still overdone. I would have sent it back, but I don’t know, it didn’t seem worth it.

 

 

Dining room desserts (which are now ordered with the appetizers and entrees) are usually either big hit or huge miss. I always order them anyways, hoping for that hit. Tonight, it actually was right in the middle. I had ordered the warm hazelnut chocolate cake. The cake seemed to be a little underdone, but the flavors were there. The nuts on top were good as well.

 

 

Overall, the first night dining room experience was just a little bit below my expectations. The food was pretty much as good as it was on Navigator, but the service tonight left a little to be desired. I was more concerned about my aunt and uncle--it was their first cruise so it had to be perfect (I know it’s not realistic but still)!

 

Up next: our first evening onboard + Cruise Compii (I have the kids and teen ones too)!

 

 

 

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Edited April 4, 2018 by kwazi07

[Cruisy McGee]

Your table looks great! We also have requested Isaac's by the window and the diagram they sent us does indicate that...hope it's similar to yours!

 

Also, looking forward to seeing those teen compasses. Sunday feels so close yet so far.....

[kwazi07]

Your table looks great! We also have requested Isaac's by the window and the diagram they sent us does indicate that...hope it's similar to yours!

 

Also, looking forward to seeing those teen compasses. Sunday feels so close yet so far.....

 

You can always go check out your table on the first day and ask for it changed if you don't like it!

 

And I will be sure to post them tomorrow! And oh, I know the feeling...this time two weeks ago it felt like the end of the week was never going to come.

[kwazi07]

One of my favorite things on cruises are the shows! I know, not the coolest thing to do...but how often at home do you get to see a comedian or a musical (for free)?

 

Seeing the welcome aboard show is always a must, because it really gets me pumped for the cruise! However, my aunt, my mom and I were the only ones who seemed to be interested.

 

A quick note: when it comes to interests, my mom and I (and sometimes my sister and aunt) are the closest. My siblings, cousins, my dad, and my uncle (his brother) are more closely aligned, so if I’m referring to my siblings, I’m referring to the whole troupe, LOL!

 

Anyways, so my aunt, my mom and I went up to the Arcadia theater to see the welcome aboard show. We sat in the front row of the balcony, which was a pretty good spot except for the railing somewhat blocking your view. I had to keep bobbing my head up or down, depending on what was happening on the stage. My mom, who is pretty short, didn’t seem to complain, but at 6’0 I’m 11 inches taller than her, so if you’re on the shorter side, you’ll be A-OK.

 

 

The show was a fairly typical welcome aboard show. Our cruise director, Drew Devine, came out, introduced himself, “who’s ready for no cooking and laundry”, “we have so many great activities lined up for you guys this week”, etc. In all seriousness, Drew was a pretty good CD. I never saw him around the ship, but he was dynamic and entertaining at shows and events.

 

After the band played for a little, an adagio pair was brought out, which I had never seen before. It was interesting. I could definitely tell it took strength and balance, but I felt like I was waiting for a jaw-dropping moment that never came. I should have taken photos, but I don’t like taking photos of shows I haven’t seen before. The pictures distract me from the show!

 

Next up was the comedian, Heath Harmison. He was pretty average among cruise ship comedians. He relied pretty heavily on bathroom jokes, but his other segments were pretty funny. A lot better than the opening night comedian on Navigator, who could only seem to talk about Irish people and Michiganians.

 

The show was over by 8 for the late seating folks. We tried looking for my siblings, but we got derailed by the Windjammer “just to look”. We unintentionally did the exact same thing on Navigator too! However, this year, I was less gluttonous: I just got a bowl of almond ice cream (either almond or strawberry). What was nice was that they had a toppings bar near the ice cream, so it was better than the soft serve you get by the pool.

 

Eventually we just went back to the room to shower and relax. After all, I was up at 3:30 that morning! My dad and sister came back to the room and my dad had a big wound on his forehead, apparently from falling on a rock at the mini golf course. It was one of those moments where you’re annoyed but you can’t stop yourself from laughing--he looked ridiculous with the bandage on his forehead!

 

So, that was pretty much it for day one! It was a pretty chill embarkation day, not too crazy, but not too boring. I slept pretty well...even though I had to diagonally on the sofa bed.

 

Here are the regular Cruise Compii! I will post the teen and kids one tomorrow, as I type this I’m in my room, in the dark, almost ready to sleep. As usual, if you have any questions, I will answer them!

 

 

 

 

[rriceesq]

One of my favorite things on cruises are the shows! I know, not the coolest thing to do...but how often at home do you get to see a comedian or a musical (for free)?

 

Seeing the welcome aboard show is always a must, because it really gets me pumped for the cruise! However, my aunt, my mom and I were the only ones who seemed to be interested.

 

A quick note: when it comes to interests, my mom and I (and sometimes my sister and aunt) are the closest. My siblings, cousins, my dad, and my uncle (his brother) are more closely aligned, so if I’m referring to my siblings, I’m referring to the whole troupe, LOL!

 

Anyways, so my aunt, my mom and I went up to the Arcadia theater to see the welcome aboard show. We sat in the front row of the balcony, which was a pretty good spot except for the railing somewhat blocking your view. I had to keep bobbing my head up or down, depending on what was happening on the stage. My mom, who is pretty short, didn’t seem to complain, but at 6’0 I’m 11 inches taller than her, so if you’re on the shorter side, you’ll be A-OK.

 

 

The show was a fairly typical welcome aboard show. Our cruise director, Drew Devine, came out, introduced himself, “who’s ready for no cooking and laundry”, “we have so many great activities lined up for you guys this week”, etc. In all seriousness, Drew was a pretty good CD. I never saw him around the ship, but he was dynamic and entertaining at shows and events.

 

After the band played for a little, an adagio pair was brought out, which I had never seen before. It was interesting. I could definitely tell it took strength and balance, but I felt like I was waiting for a jaw-dropping moment that never came. I should have taken photos, but I don’t like taking photos of shows I haven’t seen before. The pictures distract me from the show!

 

Next up was the comedian, Heath Harmison. He was pretty average among cruise ship comedians. He relied pretty heavily on bathroom jokes, but his other segments were pretty funny. A lot better than the opening night comedian on Navigator, who could only seem to talk about Irish people and Michiganians.

 

The show was over by 8 for the late seating folks. We tried looking for my siblings, but we got derailed by the Windjammer “just to look”. We unintentionally did the exact same thing on Navigator too! However, this year, I was less gluttonous: I just got a bowl of almond ice cream (either almond or strawberry). What was nice was that they had a toppings bar near the ice cream, so it was better than the soft serve you get by the pool.

 

Eventually we just went back to the room to shower and relax. After all, I was up at 3:30 that morning! My dad and sister came back to the room and my dad had a big wound on his forehead, apparently from falling on a rock at the mini golf course. It was one of those moments where you’re annoyed but you can’t stop yourself from laughing--he looked ridiculous with the bandage on his forehead!

 

So, that was pretty much it for day one! It was a pretty chill embarkation day, not too crazy, but not too boring. I slept pretty well...even though I had to diagonally on the sofa bed.

 

Here are the regular Cruise Compii! I will post the teen and kids one tomorrow, as I type this I’m in my room, in the dark, almost ready to sleep. As usual, if you have any questions, I will answer them!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No questions - but a thank you - your posts are wonderful! Going on the FOTS may 19 - your reviews are a welcome change from the typical CC blogs. Keep it up!

 

 

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[GetMeOutOfOklahoma1403]

I'm from Michigan and am now wondering what the comedian said about my home state, LOL. My question is, tank tops are not allowed in the MDR, what about tank tops with a shirt over? Is that okay? (First time crusier here)

[Clarea]

... My question is, tank tops are not allowed in the MDR, what about tank tops with a shirt over? Is that okay? (First time crusier here)

No problem.

[GetMeOutOfOklahoma1403]

Thank you Bob!

[kwazi07]

As promised, the teen schedule...

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[kwazi07]

DAY 2

 

I love sea days.

 

Nothing beats waking up, opening your curtains, and seeing only the water. Bonus points if you are awake for the sunrise…

 

 

Just look at that view, knowing you have the whole day ahead of you! Sunrises for the win!

 

I woke up pretty hungry, so before I went to breakfast at the Windjammer, I got cups of muesli and coffee from the Cafe Promenade. The muesli was pretty good, I wish they had it in bigger bowls at the Windjammer!

 

 

I couldn’t resist with another sunrise pic, taken only five minutes later.

 

 

I was planning on going to the gym this morning, but I went for a pretty tough run the day before we left and I was still a little achy, so I decided to stay back while my mom and sister went to the gym. They said it was pretty busy--I guess people were determined not to gain weight this time? I’d be willing to bet it got less crowded as the cruise went on…

 

My cousins came to my room for a little before we went to breakfast. Luckily, it wasn’t too busy. I didn’t take a photo of what I ate, but I do remember that the grits were tasteless...they needed a lot of butter and salt.

 

After breakfast (around 10am) my whole immediate family went to one of our favorite things to do on a cruise: play trivia! I know, it sounds lame, but where else are people so competitive about pens and highlighters! We were determined to win this cruise...but we did not get off to a great start. Luckily, the offered all the kids playing a pen, so my sister got one.

 

On the way back to the room, I snapped this pic of the promenade and the small atrium near guest services. I love pics like this, especially in the bottom where you can see the “layers” of the ship. It’s kind of cool thinking about how as you’re walking on the busy promenade, there’s a whole world of stuff going on, just one deck below (or vice versa).

 

 

On Navigator, it was pretty gloomy and windy on the sea days, so I didn’t really get a chance to enjoy the sun. However, we were blessed with AMAZING weather the whole cruise. So I decided to change into my bathing suit, just to swim or sun for a little.

 

I first went to the Solarium, and it was pretty shady there, but the pool was packed. So I went to the main pool, was which CRAZY loud today, and packed too. I just decided to look for an open spot on deck 12, which was nonexistent. This was actually a blessing in disguise, as I was able to find an open lounger on the sun deck on deck 13. It was in the sun, but breezy, with a great view of the ocean. There was also some type of exhaust fan nearby which drowned out the noise of the pool deck so I could enjoy my latest music obsessions (HAIM and Bleachers) in peace.

 

 

It was honestly great just to be able to relax for a little on my own, perfectly happy in my own little bubble. But I got bored just as soon as I said I would meet my mom for lunch in the dining room at noon, so it worked out perfectly!

 

Up next: dining room lunch and a fun afternoon!

[kwazi07]

Having at least one non-dinner meal in the dining room is something we’ve done since our first cruise. I used to like breakfast, but lots of the stuff served at breakfast is the same as the Windjammer, just plated nicely. Now, I’m much more of a lunch fan, as most of the menu items can’t be found in the buffet.

 

My mom and I went down to the dining room where my dad, sister, and brother were waiting for us--they just came back from rock climbing. The menu for lunch in the MDR also changes daily, so here was today’s menu:

 

 

I was debating between the steak sandwich and the gnocchi, but ultimately decided on the sandwich. Of course, I could not pass up the nice salad bar in the middle of the dining room. I tried going for a Mexican salad with shrimp, chicken, chips, tomato, onion, and corn, but all of that fell apart when they had ranch, Italian, Caesar, or raspberry vinaigrette (which I ended up getting). So moral of the story: see what dressings they have first!

 

 

It was a pretty solid salad. They could have done a better job mixing the ingredients, but it was still okay. I might pass on it next time, just to save room.

 

I ordered the steak sandwich medium and it was pretty tasty! I like the bacon and the onions on it. I didn’t notice that it came with a side salad--I should have ordered fries.

 

 

They had a pretty large dessert bar set up in the center of the dining room. They also had a large cake--couldn’t the writing have been a little nicer? LOL.

 

 

I ended up trying the said cake (7/10), chocolate cake (4/10, tasted like chocolate air), and the raspberry cheesecake (8/10).

 

 

With full bellies, my sister and I went back to the room to change for ice skating. We both love ice skating--and for Floridians, we think we skate (forwards) pretty well! We actually went to an ice rink at a mall in Clearwater the weekend before the cruise “to practice” so we don’t look like fools. But realistically, no matter how awesome we feel , let’s be honest: we’re not Adam Rippon, Nathan Chen, the ShibSibs, or anyone else we obsessed over during the Olympics.

 

We got to the first skating session and were actually the first ones on the ice (we laced up our skates pretty quickly). It was so nice and smooth, but with 20 minutes with about 25 people on a very small rink, it didn’t stay that way. We still had a blast though! I couldn’t take any pictures, because they don’t like you skating on the ice, but I have some pictures and videos of when we went ice skating later in the cruise!

 

Ice skating works up an appetite, ESPECIALLY on a cruise. So we decided meet up with our cousins to utilize some of my dad’s Ben and Jerry’s coupons, which are valid for the small size. It was still plenty, and I got my favorite flavor: mint chocolate chip.

 

[Familygoboston]

Having at least one non-dinner meal in the dining room is something we’ve done since our first cruise.

 

 

With full bellies, my sister and I went back to the room to change for ice skating. We both love ice skating--and for Floridians, we think we skate (forwards) pretty well! We actually went to an ice rink at a mall in Clearwater the weekend before the cruise “to practice” so we don’t look like fools. But realistically, no matter how awesome we feel , let’s be honest: we’re not Adam Rippon, Nathan Chen, the ShibSibs, or anyone else we obsessed over during the Olympics.

 

We got to the first skating session and were actually the first ones on the ice (we laced up our skates pretty quickly). It was so nice and smooth, but with 20 minutes with about 25 people on a very small rink, it didn’t stay that way. We still had a blast though! I couldn’t take any pictures, because they don’t like you skating on the ice, but I have some pictures and videos of when we went ice skating later in the cruise!

 

Ice skating works up an appetite, ESPECIALLY on a cruise. So we decided meet up with our cousins to utilize some of my dad’s Ben and Jerry’s coupons, which are valid for the small size. It was still plenty, and I got my favorite flavor: mint chocolate chip.

 

You gotta love that 17 yo metabolism...so the above pictured desserts don’t represent a whole week, or even a whole day?! This is just “around lunchtime?! Sigh...

 

So I have to laugh about these big ships with the pool and the skating rink...every cruise I’ve been on with both I hear this. Fl Res : why would I go to the pool, I have one at home, I’m going skating!” NE resident (or MI or ND or PA) “why would I go to the ice rink, my back yard is an ice rink, I’m headed to the pool!” :')

I’ll bet you were even BETTER than Adam (and isn’t he just everywhere right now!? ) Good start, can’t wait to follow the rest!

[kwazi07]

So I have to laugh about these big ships with the pool and the skating rink...every cruise I’ve been on with both I hear this. Fl Res : why would I go to the pool, I have one at home, I’m going skating!” NE resident (or MI or ND or PA) “why would I go to the ice rink, my back yard is an ice rink, I’m headed to the pool!” :')

 

 

 

This is so true!!! The first sea day, all our cousins from MD wanted to do was to swim and lay by the pool. Coming from 70/80 degree weather, we couldn’t comprehend why someone who came from 20/30 degree weather would want to spend the day sitting by the sun instead of in the depths of the ship, in a chilled ice rink ;)

 

 

 

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[LBumb]

I'm enjoying your review and pictures

[kwazi07]

I'm enjoying your review and pictures

 

 

 

Great to hear :)

 

 

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[This is Pickles]

thanks for sharing the teen compass! loving the review -- I was curious how the skating was, as I'm looking forward to trying that out myself soon!

[BobNoxious]

MORE PICS! love the review so far... keep the pics of the ship coming...

[deltableh]

Thanks so much for your thorough write-ups. I'll be on this exact itinerary shortly with my girlfriend, and so your posting of the menus and Cruise Compasses are fantastic in helping us get excited to sail, and to plan our days just a little bit better.

[kwazi07]

After we had a nutritious snack of ice cream, it was time for another trivia game. This time, it was “Songs with Colors”, which means songs that have colors in the title (Purple Rain, Yellow, Brown Eyed Girl). Even with the help of my aunt, uncle, and mom, we didn’t win…

 

A tip: get to the Schooner Bar early for these trivia games! The venue is honestly too small for the number of people on the ship, especially in the evening. Trivia isn’t typically a standing room only event...but on sea days on Freedom, it can be!

 

We saw there was a “search for nations” scavenger hunt right after the songs trivia, so we hung out at the bar until it was time. Basically, it is a cruise long scavenger hunt where you have to get the signatures of various crew members from different nations. You could also get bonus points from getting signatures of the cruise director staff and the captain’s officers! Once we got the sheets, they were just like “ok good luck”! We had until the second sea day to get signatures.

 

With that, my cousins, my sister, and I decided to look around the ship for signatures. We went into every bar and store on the Royal Promenade, and then just started to wander around the ship, looking for any employee we could find. Time went by pretty fast, and before we knew it, it was time to get ready for our first formal night!

 

After a little struggle with my tie (I momentarily forgot how to it it...oops), it was time to go down for dinner! People were in various states of formality, as usual...lots of button-downs and casual dresses, a good amount of suits and cocktail dresses, and a few tuxedos and evening gowns. The crowd was decidedly more casual than the college crowd last year on Navigator.

 

The menu tonight in the MDR looked pretty solid...a few old favorites and some new things as well. Our waiter accidentally gave two people in our party the previous night’s menu...whoops!

 

 

I loved the beef carpaccio on Navigator last year, so when I saw it again this year I was pretty excited! However, it wasn’t as good as on Navigator...at all. It just didn’t taste as good, but I couldn’t put my finger on why...until I looked at the pictures I took last year. First, here is the carpaccio from Navigator:

 

 

Now, here is the one on Freedom:

 

 

Although they look similar upon first glance, presentation isn’t the only thing that is lacking here. There is no more asparagus, and the greens aren’t as plentiful, fresh, and varied. I loved this appetizer on Navigator...pretty disappointed! Sorry for this digression on a simple appetizer :)

 

Anyways, for my main I chose the seafood linguini. I thought it was going to be a white sauce, but the red sauce was still tasty. The pasta was a taaaaaad overdone, but this was probably one of the better pasta dishes I’ve had on a cruise.

 

 

Finally, I wanted to try the new creme brulee as a dessert. I wasn’t a huge fan of the old creme brulee with the banana flavor, so I enjoyed this one a lot more. I prefer my creme brulee cold and while this could have been colder, it was really yummy.

 

 

The waiters performed their little song tonight, but it was near the end of the meal, when everyone was leaving the dining room. Sadly, none of my cousins were there to see their first waiter parade, as one of them was getting a little seasick. I think we jinxed them--at the Schooner Bar, we were saying how this has been our smoothest cruise ever, there was absolutely no movement. But about 20 minutes later, the ship started rocking a little, increasing throughout the night! I think my cousin was more anxious about the motion than anything. She and I saw a man vomit profusely just outside the dining room, right on the carpet--I suspect this was enough to make anyone feel sick, only adding to her fear.

 

Overall, this dinner was pretty average for RCI. Enjoyable, but not perfect.

 

Up next: a pretty low-key night before our early morning in Grand Cayman!

 

 

 

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