Not Impressed :(

Freedom of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 50

Overall rating:

3 out of 5
Verified Review
Freedom of the Seas

8 Night Eastern Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)

Sail date: December 10, 2016

Ship: Freedom of the Seas

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 2629

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 7 years ago

Review summary

My husband and I have been extremely fortunate. Over the last 25 years we have been on approximately 50 cruises. Normally 2 times per year. We LOVE cruising and we are not terribly fussy. We are last minute cruisers and not necessarily loyal to any cruise line. The bulk of our cruises are on Princess and NCL, with the balance on Cunard, Celebrity, Carnival - in that order. This was our first Royal Caribbean cruise and we were not impressed. At all. It was loud and crowded. This ship ( and RCL in general ) apparently caters to families with small children. That's great, but doesn't always make for a peaceful experience coexisting with childless travelers. We are in our 50s. But we are young 50s! Lol. We just want to chill. The buffet food was seriously disappointing. Cold and tasteless most of the time. Very repetitive. My husband has a neurological disorder so we don't always like getting "dressed" for dinner. After 5 nights of bland, we finally resorted to eating in the dining room for the final 2 nights. The dining room food was very good. Service was terribly lacking in the buffet, but definitely on par in the dining room. Our favorite part of this cruise was the cruise director!! Casey from Canada. Great guy. He is truly outstanding :) Funny, funny, funny. Overall, it was an ok cruise, but I have to say disappointing overall. Too loud. Too many people. Too many kids running wild. Too many first time cruisers.  Too many drunks. Everything was just a bit too much I guess. We will return to Princess and NCL whenever available. We just want to chill. 

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Children's Programs

3 out of 5

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Ship tip

This is a BIG, loud, bustling, overcrowded ship. Dining in buffet was disappointing. Dining in dining room was good. Family ( small kids ) oriented. Entertainment targeted towards kids and families. Needs more quality adult entertainment.

Ports of call

Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida

1 out of 5
Worst port ever. Total chaos. Choose Miami if possible. Check in staff was nice. Porters were rude and intimidating. Budget rental car drops off in the middle of the baggage staging area. Needed a wheelchair for elderly family member and could not get assistance. AWFUL PLACE. The port, not Fort Lauderdale.

Labadee (Cruise Line Private Island)

5 out of 5
If you get off the ship, you will be in the sun all day. Not much shade. Difficult for older travelers. They do a beach BBQ. Nice, but lines are crazy.

San Juan, Puerto Rico

3 out of 5
We didn't arrive until 1:30 pm. This was the scheduled time. Really??? Very short port day. Need earlier arrival. Arriving at 1:30 was weird. It was dark by 6:00 pm :{ Got off at 2:30. Raining. We were back onboard by 5:30.

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

5 out of 5
Beautiful place. Get off and head to Moho Beach!! Famous beach & bar with 747s landing over your head. Crazy, but fun to say you did it :)

Basseterre, St. Kitts

5 out of 5
My favorite port. Loved this island. So beautiful.
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