Freedom of the Seas Review
MOOvelous cabin and UDDERly fantastic ship!
Rating by category
Additional details
This was our second RCCL cruise and fourth cruise overall. We have previously sailed Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and Carnival. We chose this cruise because we really wanted to experience the largest cruise ship in the world and wanted to visit the Western Caribbean as we had previously only sailed the Eastern itinerary.
Pre-cruise: We stayed at the Best Western on the Bay Inn & Marina in North Bay Village. It's about a 15-minute shuttle ride to the pier, making it an easy pre-cruise hotel. We flew a red-eye out of Seattle and landed at MIA at 6:05 a.m., called the Best Western after collecting our bags at about 6:55 a.m. and were picked up by the complimentary hotel shuttle at 7:30 a.m. We were very fortunate that it was off season, as our room was ready and waiting for us! We enjoyed the complimentary continental breakfast before going straight to bed where we slept until about 3 p.m. We spent the afternoon walking around the area and wound down with a nice dinner next door, dockside at Shuckers.
Embarkation: The cruise shuttle from the hotel cost us $10/person and dropped us off at the Port of Miami at 12:25 p.m. the next day. We were checked in and on the ship by 12:45 p.m. It was an easy and quick process. From embarkation until sail-away, we spent our time walking around the ship, visiting the Windjammer for a nice lunch, puttering around the pool deck(s), and taking in the beautiful view of Miami. This was our first sail-away from Miami and I must say that the view of Miami from the ship was absolutely gorgeous! For a moment, I felt like I was on The Love Boat during sail-away as onlookers and passersby honked their horns and waved to us as we slowly sailed out to sea.
Cabin Review
Promenade Stateroom
Cabin:
We had booked the Ben & Jerry's "Sweet", also known as the "Cow Butt" cabin - Stateroom 6305 on Freedom, Liberty, and Independence. You might be asking, "What is different about that cabin?" Well, the Ben & Jerry's Sweet, as it's called, is an Inside Promenade cabin with an obstructed view of two cows' behinds as one looks out the window! Because of the view (which I learned was unplanned by RCCL), passengers in this cabin each receive a complimentary ice cream item every day of the cruise (yes, that means that between the two of us we received 14 items) plus Concierge Club benefits! Concierge Club benefits are typically restricted to Diamond cruisers or those who have booked the Royal and Family Suites, Presidential Suite, Owners Suite or Grand Suite. However, the Ben & Jerry's Sweet also qualifies for these benefits which include use of the Concierge Club on Deck 10, admission to the Ice Show without waiting in line for tickets, and complimentary appetizers and beverages (alcohol included) each evening from 5 to 8:30 p.m., among a host of other benefits. The cabin itself is a bit kitschy, decorated in a cow theme, but RCCL really wanted to turn this "unfortunate" design into something that is now "cowveted" and cute!