Freedom of the Seas Review
Fun because of group we were with and itinerary - otherwise probably not again
Rating by category
Additional details
Apologies for the long review but trying to hit each category. We were a group of 16 (early 40’s to mid 50’s) with one child age 7 in the group (he had a blast in Adventure Camp). Half cruised before, half had not. One good thing is we got $115 in on board credits for being a group. We mainly chose this ship more for the itinerary than the ship itself. I’m glad we enjoyed all of the islands (eastern Caribbean) and thankfully, was glad we had the large group to make it fun at night. Otherwise, I think if just my husband and I went alone as we did on the Oasis, we would have been extremely board.
Stayed one night at Marriott Beach Place Towers. Very nice and convenient.
Embarkation and debarkation was a breeze. On at 11 AM no waiting, off by 9:30 AM (we went right from Windjammer to plank), about 10 min wait for customs and off we went.
Cabin Review
Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Balcony
About mid-ship. No noise other than when they had the 70's show on promenade we could hear the music and on the last day. Not sure if because room above was just noisy getting ready to disembark but other than that Cabin was quiet, clean, enough storage, suitcases under bed. Balcony was decent size. Two new chairs and table. Shower a bit small but hot water and good pressure. Plenty of room for toiletries in bathroom. We found the bed to be very comfortable but like a "firm" bed anyway.
Room attendant – not what we are used to. She was not very friendly. Basic hello, good morning, etc. but no engagement in conversation or asking if we needed anything. I asked for a lounge chair which has never been a problem on previous cruises but she said no, they don't do that anymore. Not sure if that is the truth or she just didn't want to be bothered. Two other couples from our group were next to us so we had dividers on balcony opened which was nice. On previous cruises the room attendant seem to go out of their way for us and would joke around. Saw in previous post about the glass. They don’t seem to clean it so the reviews are right that it is dirty however, not my biggest issue for the time you spend on it.
Port Reviews
Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades)
Stayed at Marriott Beach Place Towers. Great location. Convenient to everything.
Taxi was about $25 from airport to hotel. FYI... don't let cab driver try to collect additional $5 for parking garage. They are allowed a 15 min grace period for unloading/loading patrons. Rooms clean and sufficient. Sleep sofa was comfortable according to couple who shared with us. Checked in at noon and they said only room ready was 2nd floor, coastal view. We said we would wait and amazing enough in 2 min. they had a 9th floor room ocean view. So don't give in if not the room you want. Pool and bar area were nice.
Concierge arranged a van for all 16 of us at $7 a person to port next day. Worked out fine. Bubba Gump shrimp is a great place to eat. Elbow room for night entertainment. Little small and crowded but great band.
San Juan
Poor planning on our part. We really did not have a plan and just wondered around. Fort was awesome. Unfortunately, spent most of our time eating lunch at Palmas. It was okay but really slow. Took up about two hours. Again, our fault for not having a plan. Would go back here.