Freedom of the Seas Review

Not What I Expected

Review for the Eastern Caribbean Cruise on Freedom of the Seas
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sipbailey1
First Time Cruiser • Age 50s

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Sail Date: Jul 2014
Traveled with children

My 5 year old son and I sailed for the first time this past week. I had hopes that this would be the best vacation we had ever took, and in some ways it was, but in many ways it was not. We left on July 13 for the Eastern Caribbean with stops at Coco Cay, St. Thomas, and St. Marteen. We stayed in cabin 8646 which was very nice. Our room attendant was Excellent! We had a balcony on the hump, two twin beds, sofa, etc. When I unpacked, I immediately noticed that I had forgot to pack our long pants for casual nights. On the first night, we were able to eat at the Isaacs Dining room, but when I asked if I could wear nice shorts and a shirt for the other nights, I was told no. I knew we could not go to the formal nights, but I was a little surprised that we would not be allowed on the other nights. I thought, no big deal at the time. We ended up eating most all of our meals in the Windjammer. I do not like eggs, so I had to seek out other choices. The fruit bar and cereal bar was good. The biscuits were canned and stale. Gravy was like paste. The French toast was stale for the first 4 days. I am figuring they were reserving what was left over from the previous cruise because form the 5th day forward, it was soft and excellent. Lunch left little to be desired. The food was for the most part bland and the bread on the sandwiches were hard and stale. The Burgers and Hot Dog buns were stale. The Salad Bar and fruit bar were all good. Dinner, well worse than Lunch so I won't go any further. We did eat at Johnny Rockets and the burger was great. We also at down on the Promenade and the sandwiches served at the coffee shop was really good. We were not allowed to eat at Chops or any of the other restaurants because I didn't have slacks. I was offered to rent a Tuxedo though and was told to check the shops on the Promenade. None of which sold men's pants. Only shorts. I spent some time in the Casino. About half of the dealers were friendly. The other half looked at you as if you were beneath. The bar service was OK, but under staffed. The server came around about every 20 minutes or so. My son spent time in the Adventure Ocean. He LOVED it! He was in the 3-5 year old room. Several times I went to pick him up and he told me to come back later. He wanted to go every time they were open so I know he was having fun. The did some Arts and Crafts and had a Pirate Parade on the Promenade. I attended a few of the Adult late night shows. With the exception of the Nick Mom Channel comedian, they were good. The Ice Show was excellent. I got mixed reviews on the shows I missed. During the afternoon, we spend a lot of our time around the pool. They were all very crowded and the water was murky or cloudy in the pools.

Overall the service was pretty good. The one part of the cruise that set me back is the rudeness of the other passengers. My son was stepped on, pushed aside, cut in front of, and nearly ran over. He never once was told "Excuse Me" or "I am sorry". I am shocked at the behavior of grown adults these days. I teach my son manors but yet he did not see them practiced by adults. People would not move over to one side on the narrow walk ways and actually stop in the middle of walk way and congregate where no one can pass. Unbelievable. I also so where elderly people and people in wheel chairs are treated like they don't exist. I know this has nothing to do with the cruise line, but it was something I noticed.

For an all inclusive cruise, this was anything but. The drink packages are very expensive. The Premium which is 55.00 per day does NOT include fresh squeezed OJ. If you want that, it will be 4.50 per glass. The coca cola on board has a very odd taste. I ended up drinking lots of bottled water and the strawberry kiwi water in the Wind Jammer. I could have saved a small fortune. For 3 day of Unlimited Internet , I paid 190.00. It was slow slow slow. I think they have a dial up connection, but they don't tell you that. If you pay by the hour, it is 30.00, but keep in mind, you have enough time to check your email and maybe reply to one or two because of the connection speed.

Cabin Review

Very pleased with Cabin and Stateroom Attendant.

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