We experienced the western Caribbean itinerary on Freedom this September. It was our second year in a row on the ship, having taken the eastern Caribbean itinerary during the same time frame. To give you some point of reference: this is the 19th cruise we’ve taken and have experienced Royal, Celebrity, Holland America, and Carnival lines.

Embarkation – what a difference a year makes. We took advantage of the Radisson’s park and sail package: from boarding the bus to reaching the port to being on the Lido deck was all of 35 minutes. (Okay, 25 minutes if you consider we didn’t leave the hotel until ten after.) We have NEVER had a smoother embarkation, although Baltimore comes close. We were so stunned we almost didn’t know what to do with the extra time before we could access our stateroom, but we figured it out eventually, grabbing a quick bite and setting up internet access for the week (this will be important later on).

Ship: the ship underwent a drydock between last year and this. Most significant was the addition of cabins on deck 12 forward between the pool bar and the spa treatment rooms (can’t have those views wasted on people face-first on massage tables) and the elimination of the ever-so-stinky two-level disco in exchange for Sabor on Deck 4 and and more interior cabins on deck 3. They also took out the tiny Britto art boutique on deck 5 and turned it into a future bookings office, with the ‘Cruise Loyalty’ center being repurposed as a ‘business center.’ Otherwise, things seemed to stay the same, both in terms of services and offerings, with the notable exception of activities in the main dining room during dinner (see below). The staff was uniformly friendly and helpful; we came to learn that we had a new crop of staff that had just started or transferred from other ships, which had both good and bad points. Read more