The RC Freedom is a fairly new ship as of May 2018. On my first RC Explorer cruise in 2002 and others after it, the food was phenominal, like at a 5 star restaurant. In the past few years, the food on almost every cruise I've been on is mediocre meaning no better than a chain restaurant like TGI Fridays or Chilis. What they do now is charge extra for their onboard specialty restaurants so you have to pay extra for really good food. I didn't pay for any on this ship but on others the restaurant food was way better than in the dining room or buffet. So, you should be prepared for that which to me is disappointing but I have to admit, for the amount I paid for the cruise it's still an amazing deal. I'm going to try Celebrity in 2019 and we'll see if this concept holds true for them. Nice ship though really, just wish the food was what it used to be.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation process was very easy and efficient.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
The food on the RC Freedom was just "ok", nothing fantastic. Really no better than a common restaurant like TGI Friday's or Chilis. Not like it used to be 10 years ago but there's a reason.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Lots of stuff to do on this ship. They had nice pools, hot tubs, mini golf, rock wall, surfing pool, nice gym, etc..
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Really nice shows. Good entertainment plus they have an ice rink with an ice show.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
In general the staff was good. No problems.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Overall clean. Nice shopping/restaurant area in the middle of the ship. Typical of this RC ship class. Very attractive, elegant ship overall.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Cabin was fine. I go cheap with the inside cabins because my main concern is everything else but the cabin was comfortable and had everything we needed.
I really like Nassau although a lot of people write negative stuff about it. The beach is pretty and it's fun. You can get all-you-can-drink coconuts from the locals for like $20 each and drink all day and I've never gotten sick from it so seems to be clean. The only thing I don't like about the place is no one cleans it so there's too much trash on the beach. Would behoove the island to keep the place cleaner and more attractive. Beautiful, fun place but would appreciate it if they would clean it up more. How about it cruise lines? Why don't you do something to make your stops more enjoyable for the customer. No one likes a mess!
We went to the closest beach to the St. Maarten ship port. Was fun. You have to rent chairs and umbrellas but not a problem. There was a marching band going up and down the road nearby which was cool. They still have some nearby hurricane damage to clean up but overall a good stop. Lots of bars and restaurants next to the beach and the beach was fairly clean. We had some drinks at one of the bars and had a lot of fun with the bartender and other tourists.
St. Thomas is a beautiful place. We went to the left of the cruise port and found a secluded beach by a college that was really nice. There was only like one other person there aside from us. We managed to take a local bus for a few bucks instead of the expensive taxi ride that was being offered. My brother went to one of the popular beaches and said it was also nice.
We disembarked at San Juan but really didn't spend time there. In the past it was a decent place to visit even though my daughter's cell phone was stolen on the beach. Obviously they still have a lot of hurricane damage at this time.
Hmmm not sure i understand parts of your review. Freedom was launched in 2006. We have found RC’s food to be good but not truly gourmet level. We keep going on RC so for us it’s a good deal and a very enjoyable week away. Gribb we sail on Freedom on March 17th. Can’t wait!
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