Disappointed

Item: Freedom of the Seas
Rating: 2
Author: Bennjy

Freedom of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

Bennjy

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 42

Overall rating:

2 out of 5

Verified Review

Eastern Caribbean

Sail date: March 06, 2016

Ship: Freedom of the Seas

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

First time on RCC, I think Freedom of the Seas fares worse than all the ships we have been on in almost all aspects. Particularly, Windjammer food quality and variety are below average with Jade Asian fairs almost non-existent. A rope was used in the middle of the buffet to block the access from both sides, first of such scene ever encountered. Unlimited Internet by the day or days is the only option but the connection was so bad that sometimes it simply wouldn't load the login page. We purchased 6 day package but it's only useful for about an hour per day, not worth the money at all. The stateroom lacks the basic amenities of even a motel, there's no glasses, ice bucket, lotion etc, no sanitary bag unless you ask for it. We forgot to pack toothpaste, the guest service simply told us to buy it at the store although other cruise lines usually provide it in staterooms. Our luggage wasn't delivered until we asked and were told to pick it up because they wanted to check the contents thoroughly for alcohol. They found nothing but a bottle of wine which is allowed. We were among a long line of guests there to pick up luggages, totally unpleasant experience we never had with other cruise lines.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

1 out of 5

Onboard Activities

1 out of 5

Some announced activities simply didn't happen

Entertainment

1 out of 5

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

Excellent main dining room waitstaff

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

1 out of 5

Ports of call

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

5 out of 5

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

5 out of 5

24 Comments

dshann1 8 years ago

Regarding complaints about the food and Windjammer, RCL caters to an international audience so tries to find some middle ground in terms of food. Also keep in mind that during dinner, the ship feeds over 4000 persons not including Sorrentos and Cafe Promenade. Pretty amazing if you ask me and they do that 7 days a week.

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ozchrissie 8 years ago

I agree that French onion soup wasn't very nice at all but other people at the table loved it. I loved freedom and hope voyager of the seas is just as good.

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cruisinbankr 8 years ago

I go on vacation to spend quality time with my husband & have a good time. We don't need Internet!!!

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petersen 8 years ago

True, make do with a Hotspot when off the ship.

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cruisinbankr 8 years ago

If I wanted an excellent internet connection, I'd stay home!! I wouldn't pay money to be on a cruise vacation & be on the Internet!! Just saying...

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krazykitty 8 years ago

That's strange, I've always had ice bucket, glasses etc. I think it's more like your steward that was awful then the cruise line/ship itself.

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Bennjy 8 years ago

tamiej, we didn't mind to pay for the Internet, what we minded was the bad service, again compare to previous trips. The smallest size toothpaste was $7 at the store which wasn't open until late afternoon therefore we couldn't brush after meal, again it wouldn't have been an issue on our previous ships and I am not talking about "luxury cruise lines"

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Bennjy 8 years ago

Patrick4, as I said in my original review we had excellent main dining room waitstaff, especially those from Kingston, Jamaica. We chatted a lot because we've been Jamaica a few times.

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tamiej42hotmailcom 8 years ago

Stick to you "luxury cruise lines" than. Sounds like your just hard to please and have expectations that no matter how hard someone tries could never reach them.

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Patrick4 8 years ago

Positives?

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Bennjy 8 years ago

This is what happened: we arrived early since the stateroom wouldn't be ready for a long while we decided to let the porter handle our luggages but totally forgot about the wine bottle. It happened before on previous trips with other cruise lines but we never had this kind of unpleasant experience. I understand RC is just another "budget" cruise line and I simply compare it with similar ones in terms of quality and service we have experienced, not some luxury cruise ships we were on so there's no high expectation issue here. Some more recollections: there were not enough staff taking drink orders, which made us look around, walk around and wait a long time for drinks. French onion soup was the worst I've ever seen: it came in a bowl (obviously wasn't cooked in oven individually) with unmelted cheese on a slice of bread soaked in a very thin tasteless broth.

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locuas69 8 years ago

Hahahaha "communist" umm it works that way because they have rules.. alcohol is carried on, period.. if you dont know the rules, dont complain about the outcome.. their claims "other cruiselines" isnt accurate either as most have similar policies.. im not a sales person not gain any benefit from posting here other than the humor I get from your reaction.. thanks! ;)

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dannette1960 8 years ago

Aggressive replies to others can be a turn off also.when I first booked my cruse I was not sure if RC was going to be alot of snobs because of the comments I had read. We can defend RC without cutting a person apart because of their opinion.

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locuas69 8 years ago

The problem is not epxressing your experience, the problem is that people rely on forums like this to plan/buy a cruise. Reviews like this one is not realistic nor helpful for people wanting guidance.. others are trying to shed light on the reviewers point of view...

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dannette1960 8 years ago

We sre all adults here snd rude comments are mot necessary. Everyone is different snd has different experiences and expectations, they are entitled to express their views and experience. I learned from this exchange, isn't that what this is all about?

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tholman 8 years ago

Sailed Freedom the first two times we went, then Enchantment this past cruise. I feel like I have become a cruise snob. Everything on Freedom was fantastic! Enchantment... not so much. Food was poor quality. Especially powdered eggs were watery. But Freedom has soooo much more to offer.

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kadubay 8 years ago

We cruised on 3/6/16. There were glasses in the bathroom and on the dresser area, sanitary bag was on the shelf in the bathroom below the sink. We asked the cabin steward for an ice bucket and he brought it filled twice a day. The Internet package was hit or miss, but it is to be expected considering our location. They were upgrading the Internet when we were in port. It is supposed to be better.

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locuas69 8 years ago

Thats hilarious "other cruiselines gave us toothpaste"... did you really "forget" or was just expecting to get it free? Like its been said before, if you have HIGHER than reasonable expectations, you will be dissapointed 100% of the time..

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tamiej42hotmailcom 8 years ago

Your on vacation why would you need 6 full days on internet? How is it the cruise lines responsibility to freely give you toothpaste you could not spare $3?

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twhite1 8 years ago

I've been on Freedom 3 times and love this ship. I've been on 4 other RCCL ships and other cruise lines. Freedom is my favorite. Always great service in our suite and the rest of the ship.

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Patrick4 8 years ago

There are 7-8 positive reviews to every 1 negative for this ship. In reading on here for a year or so, well over half the negative reviews are people who come on rc with expectations through the roof.

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bermudababe 8 years ago

You have to carry on any bottles of wine. Some ships charge a corking fee

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petersen 8 years ago

Internet on ships can work fine, it depends on how much bandwith/speed there is allocated for passenger use, and how many users at any one time.

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MrsOneal 8 years ago

How good do you expect the Internet to be in the middle of the ocean? Smh

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Other reviews of this sailing

Missed Cococay due to high winds. Nonetheless....

Overall a great cruise

Family Vacation