Day 1 In contrast to a few reviews that I read, within 30 minutes of arriving at the Port, we where on the largest ship in the world, the Freedom of the Seas! We had printed out our Set Sail passes online, but the security and check in process all moved quickly and efficiently. I had read also to make reservations early for either of the alternative restaurants, so as soon as we got on the ship we went to Chops to do so. This was also done quickly. They also put a reminder in your room the night before. We then went to lunch at the Windjammer, which became our daily lunch spot. They offer a large variety, ranging from salads, soups, burgers, differing main dishes, to all kinds of desserts. One thing that we liked from last cruise is the people that stood at the entrance of the Windjammer to get people to use the hand sanitizer. This is no longer the case. They do have containers of hand wipes now, but no one there to enforce using them. After all the problems with norovirus, you would think that this would be a top priority! After lunch, we went up to our rooms for a minute, then, just wandered around taking pictures of the ship. Of course at 4:00 is the lovely muster drill. Our bags had not made it to the room yet, so we thought we might have to eat somewhere other than the main dining rooms, but they did show up about 5:00. We had the early seating, so by this time it was about time to get ready for dinner. We had table 469, with our Waiter(ess) Zaynep, from Turkey; Assistant Waiter Jeffrey, from the Philippines; and Head Waiter Pedro, from Spain. From the first dinner on, I cannot say enough about our wait staff! They went out of the way to get us wasabi, horseradish, etc (we like it HOT). They even brought my wife a dessert that wasn't on the menu that night. One thing that all chocoholics will find rather disturbing is that there is no longer the midnight chocolate buffet! Later that night, we went to Olive or Twist for Guitar Melodies with Joey Say. He was good, but just wasn't playing our type of music. At about 10:00 they had the "Party Around the World Parade". In usual Royal Caribbean style, they went all out with Crew Members dressed representing numerous countries, acrobatics, and singers on a bridge that drops down from the ceiling. The finale was explosions and confetti raining down. Like most people, we look forward to the whimsical towel animals in our room, which the first night didn't have. However, the new bedding definitely meets the hype!

Day 2 Being a sea day, my wife and I thought we should go a get a work out in...Yeah right! We got there at about 8:30a.m. and it was packed. All the elliptical were taken, all the bikes were full, and all but one treadmill was being used...and that one was out of order. I didn't really want to work out on vacation anyway! I figured that I would use some of the nautilus equipment, so I did that until I saw a bike open. I did like the fact that most all the cardio equipment had a little TV screen on them. Also, there gym has a nice shower/sauna room. For you big guys like me, take a shower here instead of in the room! In my opinion, breakfast in the Windjammer just can't be beat. They have all the usual staples such as scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, grits, doughnuts, pastries, etc. PLUS, don't forget the omelet station! After breakfast, we thought we would soak up the sun up on the pool deck. Usually a good idea, unless the wind is blowing about 50MPH (which it was). At least one person lost their towel to the Atlantic Ocean and I am sure many more. I even saw an attendant lose a whole tray of drinks! In the Solarium, we really liked the improved tables and chairs. Instead of the cheap, plastic banded chairs, these were wicker/rattan and very comfortable. I decided to sit in on one of the art auctions to see what Thomas Kinkade was going for. My wife being a fan, I thought this might be my chance to pick up one fairly inexpensive. By the way, the were relatively inexpensive, but after seeing the frame shop on another deck, I began thinking that maybe what you are buying is just the art, then you go spend more on the frame and backing and such. Being the first formal night, my wife had bought an evening gown to wear. Not wanting to have to mess with her own hair, she thought that she would check at the Spa. 50 Bucks plus tip for an "updo", I am sure you ladies know what this means. For you guys, it means a couple of curls and a lot of hairspray! Before dinner, we did the obligatory "Formal Pictures" at numerous stations set up. Take plenty of pictures of you own, because at 20 bucks for an 8x10, you probably won't be buying many of theirs! Again, dinner was fabulous, but the Grand Mariner SoufflE was the highlight. The show that night was a tribute of sorts to Broadway Musicals. The Crew was great, but again, not quite my thing. On the second night, we had a towel animal and a coupon booklet in our room. The coupon book is one of the perks for being a return RC customer (I will mention another perk later).

Day 3 BRING YOUR MEDICINE!!! I spent $12.50 for two bottles of fake Nyquil. Again, breakfast at the Windjammer. About noon on the pool deck they had a quite interesting game. I don't know what they called it, but the object was for blind folded women to feel about 6 guys to figure out which was there husband! It was announced that this was a family game, so the feeling had to be ABOVE the waist. Don't forget to visit Sprinkles, the free soft serve ice cream on the pool deck. We arrived at San Juan and were cleared about 3:10p.m. We went to the Fort, which was relatively neat. Be sure to bring your cameras. We also found the Hard Rock Cafe so my wife could by a T-Shirt and I could get a HRC beanie baby (everyone has to collect something, right?). Tonight, we had a reservation at Chops Steakhouse. At $25 dollars a person, I was intrigued at what they would offer. I was pleasantly surprised! They had about 6 or 7 choices of beef that you could choose from and I think maybe chicken too. Though, why go to a steakhouse and pay 25 bucks for a yard bird?!? Anyway, I had the 16oz T-Bone and the seared scallops. They serve the side items family style. My friend and I couldn't decide between the Chocolate Mud Pie and the Mochacino Raspberry Cheesecake. Hey, we're on vacation! We got both. As I had read in one of the reviews, the Mud Pie was almost worth the cover charge itself. They were right! We caught a little Salsa action at Bolero's, along with some Hors de oeuvres around midnight. I also had the non-alcoholic mango lava flow that I had remembered from the Mariner and my wife had the N/A wild berry lava flow. Towel animals awaited in our stateroom. Read more