Sailed on Freedom of the Seas this past week (July 23-30). Overall, it was a great vacation. We are avid cruisers and enjoy what most cruises have to offer. This particular cruise, we chose a year ago when news of the Freedom came out. It wasn't the itinerary (we have been to these destinations many times), but rather the ship itself.
EMBARKATION: We stayed in Miami the day before (always have trouble getting to and from south Florida due to living in Nevada). Arrived at the pier around 11:30 a.m. to embark. We got on the ship in an expedited manner, but was not impressed with how our platinum membership was received. We were scurried to many lines. The loyalty program seemed to be foreign to most people who were guiding persons to the ship. I am not a rude person, but had to take that approach as we were put in so many lines. I was just taken back that this port is the home base of RCI and yet the personnel on the dock were not very well trained.
THE SHIP: The ship is a beautiful spectacle. For those who have not been on a Voyager class ship, it leaves a definite impression. The cabins were very nice and the beds were very comfortable. It's nice not to have two beds put together so that you slowly roll into the crack all the time. Although we enjoy the scenery of the balcony, we don't spend too much time on it in the Caribbean, as it's just too hot and humid (great in Alaska though ). Our cabin steward, Anthony, was non obtrusive and had our room looking perfect all of the time. He was, as the rest of this ship's crew, a credit to the service organization of the Freedom.