We admire what Royal Caribbean's down with Labadee--it just gets better and better! This visit, we hung out at Columbus Cove, which is our favorite area, probably because when we started going to Labadee, our kids were with us and wanted to play on the water toys. But we like the sandy beach and the fact you can wade in and swim, which you can't do as easily on the other side (it's rocky and the surf is rough). We never manage to get there early enough for front row loungers. (Tip:  Bring cash in case you want to tip the beach chair crew, buy local handicrafts, etc.) But if you stay long enough, you'll make it to the front row! The crowd always clears out shortly after the lunch buffet closes at 1:30p. We practically had the place to ourselves the last hour--it was idyllic. For those in search of an adrenalin rush, I can highly recommend the zip line, and because you get to ride "the world's longest zip line over water"--it's nearly a half mile--plus a shorter training ride, our family "tightwad" has proclaimed it worth every penny!

Labadee

Falmouth's brand new cruise terminal is a pleasant place with plenty of shops, food and beverage. Currently, there is little in the way of local excursions and independent activities--I was wishing for even a simple motor boat tour of the lovely coastline--so you have to take a 30 minute-plus ride to Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, etc. to access the usual fun stuff. I'm sure Falmouth-based activities will develop over time. A "Margaritaville" beach club is slated to begin construction soon. Because we've previously done Dunn's River Falls (fabulous!) and all the other Jamaican highlights, we decided to try a first for us and stay on board. It was relaxing, but a little weird to me (I'm more of an explorer type). My husband went out to the terminal and bought a $10 "all day" Internet access card at a convenience store--the connection was robust enough to access from that side of the ship.

Falmouth

In keeping with our R 'n R goal for the week, we exited the tender, threaded our way through the crowded cruise terminal to the street, said "yes" to a fellow hawking $4 pp shared van rides to Royal Palms beach club and, 10 minutes later, settled in for another perfect day on a gorgeous beach. Chairs are $10 each, an umbrella is another $10, cabanas are $50, food and drink prices are reasonable, there's parasailing, jet skiing and water toys galore and the wifi's free, but the signal's weak. If you're on a budget, you can lay a towel out on the sand for free--all Cayman beaches are "public" up to the high water line. If it's your first visit to the island, don't do what we did--you've gotta see the stingrays! And if it's your second and you have a longer day in port (Freedom's stop is a brief 8a-3:15p, which is shortened still by the time required to tender), rent a car and go out to Rum Point, making sure to stop at the starfish cove on the way. Speaking of tendering, when we returned to the cruise terminal a little before 3p so as not to miss the last tender, the line to board the tender was hundreds of people long. Just as I was beginning to wilt from standing on concrete in the hot sun, the Diamond Lounge concierge appeared and told us we had front of the line privilege. Nice.

Grand Cayman (Georgetown)

Paradise Beach never disappoints  - We didn't dive, do the dolphins or a cooking class or go to Nachi Cocom or another an all-inclusive. (The Cozumel forum is a great resource when you need help in deciding what to do. Cozumel has it all!) We just did Paradise...again! It's clean, reasonably priced and perfect for another day of vegging at yet another gorgeous beach (plus their "new" pool is awfully nice). The taxi fare from the pier was $13 per vehicle. And to be accurate, we went there after lunch on the ship following an early morning of snorkeling with Dive with Martin, the outfit located on your left just as you walk off the pier. (There are multiple cruise piers in Cozumel--downtown, Punta Langosta, International = the one Royal Caribbean ships usually use, and Puerta Maya, which is right next to the International terminal and is a Carnival operation.) For $30-50pp, depending on your needs and bargaining skills, Dive with Martin will take about a dozen people out for a two- or three-stop snorkeling trip in the waters nearby. The pros are price, convenience (no pre-booking, just walk off and join a trip) and small group. I was also pleasantly surprised by the quality of their equipment (we always travel with our own) and their willingness to help newbies. The only con is, the snorkeling at this location at is just so-so! The coral has been hard hit by humans and storms, so is in regrowth mode; we saw some pretty fishes, an eel and a few odds and ends, but all in all, it wasn't a remarkable snorkeling outing. If you're studying Royal Caribbean's excursions, be advised that this is where the Fury cat goes (for a much higher price). The best snorkeling off Cozumel island is at Palancar and Columbia reefs, and trips that hit those two stops are common, but better done with a bit of pre-planning independently or via the Royal Caribbean excursion that goes to both before ending at Playa Mia, which is a beach club that gets rave reviews.

Cozumel

We booked a balcony guarantee 3-1/2 weeks before sail date and were immediately assigned to 8536, an E1 on deck 8. No upgrade, but at least we didn't draw a bad location, which is the risk you take with a guarantee--8536 is conveniently situated a few doors off the forward elevator and stairs lobby yet far enough away to be unaffected by lobby noise. We especially liked being on deck 8 because it was three flights of stairs from everywhere--up three to the gym/pool/Windjammer deck 11 and down three to the promenade deck 5.

-	First formal night  - The passengers on our cruise definitely dressed up more this first formal night than the second one; even then, tuxes were few and far between--the interpretation of "formal" was a lot more casual than we've seen on past Royal Caribbean cruises.Among the several Diamond perks we appreciated on Freedom were these benefits: $200 balcony discount, fast check-in line, Diamond Lounge complimentary specialty coffee and alcoholic beverages (our alcohol bill was a lot lower because of this + Diamond drink coupons--not so good for Royal Caribbean or us, as shareholders, in the short run; but it certainly entices us to choose Royal Caribbean when we have a choice, so probably a win-win taking the long view ), dining in Chops with our lunchtime Windjammer food (also available at breakfast), front-of-the-line privilege catching the return tender from George Town, coupons that covered our onboard Internet use and a lovely breakfast event.

Freedom of the Seas Review

Freedom W Carib June 2012: Another Royal cruise!

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Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Balcony

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