I was part of a group of overworked and simply exhausted individuals, who were in desperate need of a vacation! Our group size was 69 minus 1 person who canceled 2 days prior to sail date as a result of throwing his back out. And unfortunately, he didn't have trip insurance for his balcony! : ( This has taught me to always buy cruise insurance, you never know what hand fate can deal you. The age of our group was from 6 to 85 (a 76 y/o was in a wheel chair). We sailed on Freedom Of The Seas on 8/19. As you can imagine, hurricane Dean weighed heavily on our minds. So much, that we were thinking about leaving my mother (the 76 y/o) at home. That dilemma was solved quickly when she told us "DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT"! The Capt informed us that he would be sailing a different route out of Miami. Which would be more northerly than usual, to avoid possible swells from Dean's aftermath. We were also told that our 1st port of call would definitely be Labadee. And from then on, the amount of damage that Dean caused would determine if our itinerary would change. I can honestly say that not one person within our group complained. I supposed the loss of life and property was far more important than our next port of call. Which remind me, when one is in this situation the most accurate info will come from the Capt or his first officers. Try to avoid hearsay from fellow cruisers. One poor fellow told me that he "herd" we might be rerouted to Hawaii! (LOL)

We awoke the 1st morning in 10 to 15 ft seas. Which is a true testament of how well Freedom is built, because all we felt was a minor rock. A few of the people within our group felt a little queasy at breakfast. However, by lunchtime everyone was in full cruise mode.

I am also happy to say that our itinerary did not change, although I always wanted to visit Hawaii. ; ) The seas were smooth aft that 1st day. This worked out well for a couple on our ship that planned to have a wedding in Grand Cayman. I didn't get a chance to congratulate them. If they read this, much happiness. Read more