Freedom of the Seas Review

4.0 / 5.0
2,406 reviews

So disappointing

Review for the Western Mediterranean Cruise on Freedom of the Seas
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Martyboy1980
2-5 Cruises • Age 40s

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Sail Date: Jun 2017
Cabin: Superior Oceanview Stateroom with Balcony
Traveled with children

This was our third cruise with Royal Caribbean, been on voyager and adventure so we thought we would go for the next one up which what a mistake that was. At first we were so excited on first viewing of the ship we had our 4 year old with us and she was amazed at its size but it wasn't long till it went down hill. By the time got to the boat due to problem with the baggage we had to wait in a long que, when it was our turn in line it was clear the port staff didn't have a clue. It took such a long time to check in and when we did get moving the girl came running after us due to and issue which turned out to be she had mixed up all guests the party and checked us in using all the wrong payment details and had to start again. We finally got to the ship after battling the sales team port side trying to sign you up for all sorts of stuff, which turned out to be the main theme while onboard. The crew are very sales driven not what you really want, pestered to spend money at ever turn. There was a distinct feeling on board that the crew couldn't really be bothered with the exception of a few the stateroom attendant in particular. They seamed to be doing a lot of maintenance during the trip the smell of solvents at the putting was so over powering I didn't want my little girl up there. We had a run in with crew member over one of the plastic cups you get with a drinks package, the guy in question had a go at my wife when she asked for one, the way he spoke to her was awful making her feel like she was stealing one of his cups not what you would expect after paying for 3 ultimate drinks packages and one soda package at a cost of over £1000 and guest services telling us just to go to any bar and get one, also when we tried to get our onboard pictures that were taken during the trip there was an issue with that too and a very helpful member of the photography staff was helping with which was fine until another staff member had to jump in, he wouldn't listen to us telling him his colleague was dealing with it and kept telling us we didn't have picture to look at so to get out and not hold up the line, I had to just walk away and not say something I would regret. I brought this up with the guest services and was met with just another shrug of the shoulders.

The dinning in the main dinning room seemed to be the same menu every time we went. We went to the windjammer for most meals during the day which was always packed trying to get a seat some days was very difficult. We only ended up going on one excursion, Monaco and Monte Carlo. We were advised onboard to take it due to it being in the afternoon and a short trip of four hours as we had a small child. It turned out to be a whistle stop tour and very difficult with a small child. The next tour we wanted to go on was Rome but were advised by staff that due to it being all saints day everything would be closed and very busy. We gave up with the tours after that.

The shows on board we felt were very good my little girl loved them and the dream works characters she enjoyed too. Bar service was good at night but non existent during the day as all the bars were closed and if you didn't take a shore excursion you had to go to the pool so there was lots of nice bars to look at but not get a drink from. All in all the small issues we had soon became a major source of frustration and put a major dampener on what was our anniversary trip. You spend the money to go on a cruise for it to be hassle free. The staff on the other cruises were so different everyone of them went out there way to make you feel special but not on this boat, most found it difficult just to be civil and when it comes down to it the crew play a major part while on a cruise. We even thought maybe it was just us until we spoke to other guests who felt the same as we did and after a discussion on the experience we had we will never sail with Royal Caribbean again.

Cabin Review

Superior Oceanview Stateroom with Balcony

The cabin was ok, we knew what expect the only fault was the balcony door. On windy days the draft through the door was so bad you thought it was open. At one point we got a telling off from a stateroom attendant ( not our one I must add ) to keep the balcony closed when opening the cabin door which ended with me showing him what was causing the draft and him storming off

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