Is Freedom worth the Extra $$$

[crisp1]

We just got off (3 weeks ago) our first RCI cruise on the Explorer. We loved the ship- loved cruising out of NJ, and want to book another RCI cruise. When checking prices for any RCI cruise, the Freedom is always much more than any other ship. I know it's new, but is it worth the extra bucks? Hot tubs cantalevered and surfboarding?

Please tell me why I should/ shouldn't pay more for the 'Big Boat'?

Seas the Day!

C

[superjerryw]

Unless you have a need to say you have been on the newest ship I suggest you wait for the prices to come down. When the Liberty and yet to be named third Freedom class ship are sailing the price on the Freedom will drop. The Freedom is just an expanded Voyager class ship so you might not find it to be that big of a deal since you have sailed on the Explorer.

[molly361]

I can't answer that question until we go next April- We were also grappling with paying that much money for a balcony cabin, we will not be taking advantage of any water sports, just the Royal Promenade- We could wait for the Liberty and go December 2007 for $800 total less but we can't (or I should say I can't , DH could) wait until then- never have tried any Voyager class vessel

[zotzer]

I've paid "extra" to sail on Freedom twice now. Once on the inaugural, and one coming up in December. I'm single, have no kids, don't rock-climb, box, or surf (but may try next time! :))

 

The ship is gorgeous, the crew is top-notch, and the H2oZone and other kids programs do a great job of keeping the other areas relatively kid-free. For me, the ship is much more than the "expanded Voyager" that it appears to be on paper. In execution, it gets a lot of things right!!! It's a different experience, and one that I am happy to pay a bit of a premium for.

 

(Okay Patrick, your turn! LOL)

 

T

[spammie]

Our first 7-night cruise was on Voyager. We recently went on Freedom and had a D1 balcony cabin. We had a wonderful time on the cruise. Before we went on Freedom I wanted to book a cruise for next May. It was a tough decision since we hadn't sailed on Freedom yet. I got a Junior Suite on the Mariner for less than a D1 balcony on Freedom. I definitely made the right decision booking the Mariner. Like I said, we had a wonderful cruise but I don't think the Freedom is worth the extra money. Crowds were definitely an issue. Wait till the prices drop.

[bouhunter]

We had Freedom booked for February 2008. In looking around the RCCL website a few weeks ago, we found the Liberty sailing a week later for less and switched. Might as well go on the newer ship and save a few dollars:D

[Nanatravel]

I have found that RCI consistently has priced their newer most popular ships higher during the first few years of service. It looks like supply and demand raises the cost. It took me many years of cruising before I could validate buying a balcony on a Voyager class of ship. Every time I would do a cost comparison, the RCI cabin was almost $500 more per person compared to Celebrity and Carnival new similar ships.

 

We booked 2/2005 for the Freedom 11/2006. Our E1 was about $250 more than our D1 we had just sailed upon in Nov. 2004. Since the original booking the agent has gotten us about a $300 discount on the balance so we are happy.

 

Bon voyage

[libertybelle41]

Yes, it's worth it:)

[txcrsr]

I initially booked us on Freedom as soon as RCCI began taking bookings for this ship. The first week was already full, so I booked us in an E1 balcony stateroom for the 6/18/06 cruise at $1786 per person. Since I made the reservation aboard Grandeur, we also received a $100 per cabin onboard credit. After returning home, however, I did some online "shopping". By delaying our cruise date, we saved big bucks. I changed our reservation to 9/10/06, with an E1 balcony stateroom at $997 per person--not out of line at all. And the $100 onboard credit was transferred to the later sailing. As far as value for the money is concerned, I would definitely recommend it. The ship is new and gorgeous. Hubbie and I enjoyed watching the "surfers" on the Flowrider (there are benches for spectators), and the ice show was fabulous. We were most impressed by the effort made by the dining room waitstaff and our stateroom attendant to maintain personal service, in spite of the number of people onboard. They learned our names on the first day and addressed us by name throughout the cruise. The only problems occurred occasionally in some of the public areas, such as in the Windjammer at breakfast and lunch. Conclusion: Yes, it is worth the extra money, but shop around for the best fares.

[spbflseas]

Have not sailed the Freedom, yet, but check out Liberty pricing. I was looking at a week for next June (Liberty will be about 1 month old) and the Liberty was about $200 pp cheaper than Freedom and only about $150 pp more than Mariner for the same week and cabin category.