Not the Best RC Cruise I've Been on but Still Worth It

Item: Freedom of the Seas
Rating: 3.5
Author: bkutler

Freedom of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Southern

bkutler

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 36

Overall rating:

3.5 out of 5

7 Night Southern Caribbean (San Juan Roundtrip)

Sail date: June 16, 2018

Ship: Freedom of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 1318

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 6 years ago

Review summary

Overall, we enjoyed this cruise but though our cruise to the Western Caribbean last year was better overall. Better accommodations, crew and service, food, atmosphere. This cruise is good for people who don't mind A LOT of noise all day and night on the ship. I will say RC should review the overall service and vibe on this ship. Not their best.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

RC needs to do something to change up the menus on these ships. Very predictable and now that they've added the drink vending machines you see in fast food restaurants, it really backs things up. Not a plus. We did have one dinner in Chops Grille and received excellent service though my steak was overcooked.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

I've always been impressed with the RC staff and service but on this cruise I would call it very average and at times below average. With the exception of our Stateroom Attendant, I was pretty underwhelmed. Limited staff in the Windjammer Cafe in the mornings. I don't think I was ever offered a coffee refill.

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

This particular ship could use a refresh. Very tired looking but the ship was clean and maintained.

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

Ship tip

This is a very noisy ship and by that I mean music by the pool blasting at full volume all day, noisier passengers than on previous RC cruises. Onboard was not as relaxing as I was hoping for but the Shore Excursions were diverse and well managed. We enjoyed our time in port.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

San Juan, Puerto Rico

4 out of 5

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

4 out of 5

When we booked this cruise a year ago I was so excited to see this beautiful island but after two hurricanes it is not the green tropical paradise it was. We would recommend the Caribbean Sail excursion. Excellent captain and crew on the Castaway Girl 1.

Thumbs Up 4

Willemstad, Curacao

4 out of 5

On this island we did the Curacao Highlights and Beach Tour. We didn't realize it included a stop at the Curacao Distillery and really enjoyed that part of the tour. The beach part was just ok. If you get away from the shops around the dock and walk or ride into Willemstad itself you will enjoy a little slice of The Netherlands.

Thumbs Up 10

Oranjestad, Aruba

4 out of 5

Mi Dushi Snorkeling! This was a great excursion! Lots of time in the water including a stop over a 1940's merchant ship sunk by it's captain during WW2.

Thumbs Up 6

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

4 out of 5

This poor island was so devastated by the 2017 hurricanes and is still in major recovery mode. We enjoyed our tour though and since tourism is their only economy tried to do our part to help out!

Thumbs Up 14

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

2 Comments

Other reviews of this sailing

Just Okay!

fantástico

Excellent first cruise experience