The Freedom of the Seas is a beautiful ship and is very well maintained everyday thanks to a hard working crew. We were in stateroom 8356, which is a superior ocean view with verandah and we had a great stateroom attendant by the name of Mark. We were only about an hour out of port from Port Canaveral and had an announcement by the captain that we would have to return to port because of a medical emergency onboard. It was a short time in port before we were on our way again and the time was made up at sea so we arrived in Labadee on time. Hopefully the individual who was taken off the ship is OK. We took the Western Caribbean cruise going to Labadee, Haiti; Falmouth, Jamaica; Georgetown, Grand Cayman and Cozumel, Mexico. There’s plenty to do right off the pier in Labadee. The Dragon’s Breath Flightline and Dragon’s Tail Coaster you can book in advance, and are exhilarating. This part of the island is exclusive to RC and is well kept. The food and drinks on Labadee are brought into this area from the ship. The other 3 ports really have nothing to do within easy walking distance other than the tourist shops at the docks, unless you have booked a shore excursion. If I were to do this cruise again, I would have booked some sort of a shore excursion for these last 3 ports. The weather in all of the ports was hot and humid. In Falmouth there is a large tourist shopping area with the usual stores and items, but nothing beyond that area that you could venture out to. We also took a “taxi” or tour van from the port in Falmouth to Montego Bay. Not a lot to see, but gave somewhat of an overview of the culture there. There was an obligatory stop at 2 souvenir shops along the way which I could have done without. This was a 3 hr. tour at $35 each that we obtained at the dock area. In Grand Cayman, there was very little shopping and not much there that’s been built for the cruisers coming into port. It was interesting to see the iguanas that roam freely in grassy areas and trees. In Cozumel, we took a taxi to Paradise Beach for $15 each way. This beach is a beautiful place with palms, green grass, well groomed sand and inflatable toys in the water for kids and their parents. It was only $3 per person to get in. There’s a large cabana bar offering mixed drinks, beer, food, etc. and a large, clean swimming pool. From the front, this place looks like a fine resort. The employee at the dive/snorkel shop onboard the ship suggested going there to snorkel, but it is definitely not suitable for snorkeling due to the sand churned up in the water by the waves.

We booked “My Time” dining in Galileo on deck 5 and usually dined around 5:30 p.m. We ended up having the same table and servers each evening. The meals were good, some better than others, but the service was always excellent from our waiters Leo and Kadek. The rolls that they had for starters were delicious with a variety of flavors and are made from scratch onboard. Sorrento’s Pizza on the Royal Promenade was mediocre at best. We tried eating at Johnnie Rocket’s twice only to find them closed but finally succeeded the third time. They have very limited hours of operation.

There’s lots to do onboard including the casino, FlowRider, rock-climbing wall, mini golf, ice skating (the ice skating show was outstanding and shouldn’t be missed), shopping, swimming, bingo, etc. It would be nice if the hours of operation for the FlowRider and the rock-climbing wall were expanded. If you’re planning on doing these activities, watch the hours they are open. Read more