Given the higher cost vs other lines, we will sorely disappointed with our March 4th cruise on Freedom of the Seas. The awful weather all week didn't help improve our mood (We were At Sea for 4 of the 8 days due to weather. Each of those days the rough seas caused everyone to stagger through hallways). We were REALLY turned off at how every staff member is on a mission to hard up-sell you something during almost any interaction with them. I "NEED" four bottles of massage oils for $400?

The dining room staff was obsessed with what rating you would give them after the cruise, mentioned it daily and 'shamed' you if you skipped a night in favor of another onboard restaurant. Overall found the food and selections to be acceptable. Our dinner at the specialty place called Chops Grille was good, but not the WOW we expected for the extra money paid. Our waiter there was very good.

We found the entertainment to be generally weak (disclaimer that most all of the outdoor activities had to be cancelled due to weather, rain/winds). The 'prizes' you won for any of their 5-6 daily trivia contests were weak pens and keychains....def like Carnival's "Ship on a Stick" much better. The "big magic show" with Drew Thomas was very weak. It had to start twice because the first time he didn't "appear" where he was supposed to....none of his little tricks he did made you wonder how he did them...the kicker was feeling and hearing him under our feet, crawling through what must be a tunnel under the seats to "magically appear" behind us. The orchestra was pretty good overall. Read more