We were on the Freedom for the 12/21 sailing. This ship is missing a propeller which has slowed the speed of the ship up. We were sent a text, email and a phone call regarding the issue a few days prior to leaving. As a Diamond Plus member we went to the front of the long line and was on the ship in 15 minutes even with our family picture taken! We went right to our cabins. In the cabin was a note that we received a $425 OBC for the balcony and $300 for the inside cabin for the change of itinerary due to the propeller. We ended up spending 3 hours in Labadee, 4 hours in San Juan (90 minutes of daylight) and 4 hours in St. Martin (which all the stores were closed due to being Christmas). So in 7 nights we were at the ports for 11 hours which is why we received the ship board credit which was also given as a credit if not used. For me it did not matter since I have done this cruise 10 times in the past. Maybe a first time cruiser may be upset but there were more complaints about the food and long lines to get on the ports.

As a D+ member of RCCL the food on this ship is typical of all the other RCCL ships. Same menus and food as the other ships for the most part. If you are going to rate a cruise ship to a hotel chain then RCCL is a Marriott hotel. Staterooms are decent, food is decent in the dining room and they have nice extras like Marriott's do like the rock climbing wall, ice rink, sport court and mini golf. Most activities are used by the 1000 kids on board on this sailing and 1300 on the New Years cruise. Since we at sea for most of the cruise there were countless competitions and trivia games which were well attended the entire cruise. Volleyball competition had 20 teams!!

Chef's Table for $55 pp includes 5 courses with 5 wine pairings. Food an upgrade from the dining room and with the wine probably worth the $55. Dining room service was very good and food does come out hot. Windjammer is never my favorite as I hate buffets and watching passengers take food with their bare hands. Food is all the same and not that great. Lunch can be an issue as the dining room is only open 75 minutes a day and then the windjammer is your only choice. However worst case there is Sorrento for Pizza or Café Promenade for light sandwiches. Breakfast on a ship is always a challenge for me as it is hard to make good pancakes on a cruise ship so I stick with a lender bagel and lox. Again if you want gourmet food then do not book RCCL. Read more