Freedom of the Seas Review

4.0 / 5.0
2,406 reviews

A nice family trip but didn't beat the Mouse

Review for the Eastern Caribbean Cruise on Freedom of the Seas
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kneedoc
2-5 Cruises • Age 50s

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Sail Date: Nov 2014
Cabin: Grand Suite
Traveled with children

We've just returned from our first family cruise with Royal Caribbean on the Freedom of the Seas. Our children had previously sailed on the Disney Magic so their expectations were high and I will try to use direct comparisons when possible, especially in comparing the children's clubs. This review is penned from the perspective of a mother on a family vacation with 3 kids ages 15, 9 and 8. We homeschool our children and therefore can travel during less crowded (i.e. less expensive) times so we chose the week before Thanksgiving for our vacation.

Let me start by saying this was by far the largest ship on which we had ever sailed and I don't think I would do it again. Don't get me wrong, the ship was beautiful, modern, very clean, and had many cool features, but the mere process of moving 4000+ people from point A to point B was just too chaotic for me. We spent the night before embarkation at the Best Western in Cocoa Beach which was a nice experience. Because we wanted the flexibility to do things before and after the cruise we rented a car that we parked at the port. In reality, after pricing round trip transfers for 5 people and getting a pretty good deal on the rental car through Priceline, we didn't actually spend any more than we would have had we used Royal Caribbean's or alternative transportation from MCO. We arrived at the port earlier than suggested, shortly after 11:00, because in our past experience the check in area got crowded in a hurry. We were booked in a suite so we were able to check in at the priority desk but still had to wait a bit as there was already a line. The non-priority lines were crazy and jammed with people and we were thankful for the limited wait we had to experience.

It took longer to get on the ship than we had experienced on all previous cruises, again because of the sheer number of people involved. We opted to go right to the pool so the kids could swim before the rush and we were glad we did. They had the pool mostly to themselves for at least an hour because most people opted to go straight to lunch upon embarkation. The children's area of the pool was fun, colorful and interactive and really nice for the youngest kids, though my kids were disappointed in the lack of a slide or other water thrill feature. The two cantilevered hot tubs in the adult pool area got a lot of hype, but in the end were a little disappointing. I was able to use one on a port day, but the rest of the time they stayed pretty crowded as ship hot tubs do.

Cabin Review

Grand Suite

Cabin GS

Our room, a Grand Suite, was spectacular! I was a little concerned that the 5 of us would be crowded sharing one room for the entire week, but it was so large and well-appointed that it was never an issue. There was ample storage for all of our clothing and all suitcases, even our largest, fit nicely under the bed. Our youngest 2 shared the pullout and our teen had a rollaway. The balcony was huge and we enjoyed spending time out there. The bathroom was marble with double sinks, a large amount of storage, a full size bathtub and shower. We were provided very nice toiletries and 2 robes, as expected. Kids were disappointed at the lack of kid-sized robes. (Yep, the Mouse provides robes in every size - pink for girls and blue for boys!) Marlon, our stateroom attendant, was good and kept our room clean and stocked. We received a basket of fruit and champagne on arrival and once or twice during the week we were provided with an afternoon treat. There was in-room coffee but only artificial creamer was available. I should mention that this was a problem all over the ship - you had to ask if you wanted actual dairy. The room was quiet and we never heard any movement above us.

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