RCCL – Freedom of the Seas Review
Itinerary – comments:
Day 1. After arriving in Port Canaveral, we parked in the parking lot adjacent to the cruise terminal. Parking is easy to find, so don’t worry about that. We arrived to be greeted with a considerable line of slow movements. This was not Royal Caribbean’s fault, but the disorganized port security people. The port security lady was very rude when she found out that I did not have all the documents for my departure. Wow! Make sure you have your departure pass and passport documentation ready to go!
Day 2. Cocoa Cay. – There were a lot of chairs. They warned me to leave the boat early to get a chair. We will have around 1000 to choose from. If another ship is docked I can see how this would be a problem, but not if you are the only ship there. I liked all the beaches, especially the barefoot beach where you can walk to the water. Bring your license if you and your children want to make a jet ski. The snorkeling was very good. I saw a barracuda, a stingray, a gar fish, a puffer fish and a yellow fish (?). The slide was fun for the kids and you can reserve it there on the island, as is the offshore water park. I would also suggest bringing bottled water or a snack as there really isn’t a place to buy a lot of things. I really liked Cocoa Cay. I stop very well.
Day 3. Day of the sea
Day 4. Santo Tomás – We took a trip to St. John to Trunk Bay to snorkel. The snorkeling is excellent and so is the scenery. It seemed like the journey was going too fast as you only spend 1 and a half hours in the trunk bay. There are apparently two tours booked in Trunk Bay. We took an afternoon excursion and met the returning Carnival people. IF you get the afternoon tour, be aware that they close the snack shop early, like 3pm in the afternoon. I’m not sure why, it’s not like it’s getting dark.
I have also been to Megan’s Bay on a previous trip. Megan’s Bay also has a beautiful beach, but there isn’t much in the way of snorkeling. Regardless of whether you’re going to Trunk Bay or Megan’s Bay or somewhere else, this is a great port with so much to do and see.
Day 5. San Martin – St. Maarten / St. Martin is an island divided into two countries: Dutch and French. You can catch a water taxi right next to the boat in Phillipsburg for $ 6 all day. It will take you for a 5 minute walk to the shops and the town beach. There will be people who will try to sell you things, but they won’t bother you if you say no thanks. We rent the jet skis. That was $ 55 for 35 minutes. We started walking and got them for $ 50 and two “free” chairs. Don’t accept the first price and see what you can bargain for.
I didn’t go to Oriental Beach like many. There is the possibility of seeing nudity from where RCCL goes to the beach, but I don’t think it is common. I just didn’t hear a lot of people talk about it. I also really liked St. Martin. I didn’t mind the people trying to see your stuff as soon as I got out of the water taxi, but it was definitely not as bad as what you would find in Jamaica.
Day 6. Day of the sea
Day 7. Day of the sea
Day 8 Disembarkation.
Review Comments:
My overall experience was very good. I was surprised that the Freedom didn’t seem much bigger than the Mariner of the Seas. The staff was excellent. We were well looked after by the dining room staff and room staff. I also felt that the animators on the ship were quite talented as well. The shows seemed slow and generally not memorable. I would like to see shows with more energy. I would also like the programs to change more often. In fact, I sailed on the Mariner of the Seas, where the shows were the same one year apart. Cruise lines should pay attention to the returning customer!
The putt-putt golf course was pretty, but built with little imagination. There is hardly any way to make a hole in one. The flow rider was a success. Time was divided between surfing and kneeboarding. There were some experts, but most had fun learning. There was also time for private lessons; in my opinion too long. Up to 5-6 hours a day were devoted to those who would pay the most for lessons.
Sailing is a lot of fun. However, there are many hidden costs. Be careful, Royal Caribbean automatically adds tips for everything … even drinks. If you’re not careful, you can easily double the tip. Even on the islands there are tip boxes everywhere. Take a handful of ones and a few of five explicitly for this purpose. When you take a cruise, it will cost you more than planned, especially if you drink alcohol!
I would also recommend not booking a flight too close to disembarkation time. My cruise was held up because someone was sick. He returned the Freedom to port six hours late. Not only did he create a log jam upon disembarking, he created a bunch of angry people who missed flights. Word to the wise, get travel insurance.
Another suggestion for Royal Caribbean: photographs are expensive. I would suggest in some way to be able to put the images in a digital format so that people can touch up some imperfections. There were multiple images that I would have bought, one or two blemishes could have been touched up on my computer at home. I also believe that more photographs would also be sold.
I noticed the same movies were being played which could have been easily varied. Also, the ice cream dispenser on the pool deck created log jams every day. Couldn’t there be a better place for it? Why did it close I think at 8pm? It should be one of the “open late” places.
Overall, I really enjoyed the experience. I think RCCL and other cruise lines need to work harder to please the repeat cruise. I also suggest that you modify the itineraries a bit. How about changing one of the stops instead of the stops themselves?
Happy browsing!