Nice ports, nice weather...Okay experience
Freedom of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Southern
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 2-3 cruises
Reviews: 2
Helpful Votes: 54
7 Night Southern Caribbean (San Juan Roundtrip)
Sail date: February 03, 2019
Ship: Freedom of the Seas
Cabin type: Oceanview
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 5 years ago
Review summary
We had picked up this cruise for its itinerary and it served its purpose. We were lucky to have some amazing weather and good experiences at the ports but overall the ship in itself was underwhelming. Nothing was bad or disruptive but just okay. Meeting bare expectations. This applies for almost everything, food, entertainment, activities layout etc.Embarkation
Embarkation was really smooth. It totally took about 20 mins from reaching at the port terminal to board the ship. The terminal was very stark and minimalist but kinda did the job. Having Crown and Anchor membership definitely helped as we spent no additional time in lines(We saved another 20-25 mins probably). The approach to the terminal was hard though: its a single lane road, considering there was two ships in the port, it seemed really crowded and congested. But none the less was impressed with the embarkation.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
The food was overall okay. Nothing terribly wrong with it but not great either. The Windjammer and Jade seemed to be repetitive for most parts. The Caribbean night on the windjammer was really great though. The MDR food was predictable and standard.
Onboard Activities
Tried my hand at the flowrider it was really fun. The instructors were good enough to help you get the basics. There was always a line though but pretty good crown control. The pools were crowded at peak times but I always found the hot tubs free which was good.
Entertainment
The stage shows were really good. Both the productions were really nice. The ice-skating show was really good. The music in common areas were generic and okay. The performers in general were good.
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
The layout of the ship was really crappy. To go to the acadia theatre from the MDR on deck 3, there is no other way but go to deck 4 and walk down. Most of the popular areas along with access to majority of cabins seems were services by the mid ship elevators. This made these elevators really crowded while I always found the forward elevators relatively empty. The design was outdated and seemed like a weird 90's throwback.
Cabin / Stateroom
I felt cheated with the stateroom. During the booking process, I chose the OceanView Cabin and was looking forward to it. The porthole in our cabin was so small( in comparison our neighboring staterooms of same category ours was 20% the size) that it almost felt like a inside cabin. I believe the cabin should be categorized as a cabin with obstructed view. If I had known I would at least tried harder for an upgrade. Also, the cabin was almost close to the ship and yet we had to take the crowded Centrum (mid ship)elevators and walk all the way to the front.
Ports of call
We reached a day early and stayed in the condado area. We did the trip to the El Yunque national forest and highly recommend it. For a 3 hour trip it was very informative and enjoyable. We also walked through old San Juan to see the forts.
Thumbs Up
8
We did the discover curacao shore excursion from RCL. It was fun and would recommend it if you want a leisurely drive around the island. The Hatu caves is a must see. We also walked around the downtown area(10 mins by walk from the piers) on the other side of the bridge.
We did the Atlantis submarine from RCL here. The submarine ride was enjoyable and it involved a short boat ride the submarine from the pier where ships are docked. Earlier in the day we took a taxi($16 one way) to the palm beach to lazy around. Later in the day we also took the street car(free) to the main street. It was a relaxing way to look at the city.
This was a delightful port stop. We visited the museum and it was really informative and got to learn a lot about the history. We walked around the city and enjoyed some local coconut water and bananas from a local vendor.(I am Indian and this port reminded me of home, with the architecture, produce etc.).
Later we took the St. Kitts Scenic train tour. I am still undecided if I liked this or not. The ride was picturesque and informative(we even got to see the Prime Ministers house) but the narration was forced and was long drawn. I would suggest you make your mind up about this excursion.
My favorite port in the cruise. We hopped on an island tour($25) outside the terminal in an open van. It was quick but nice ride. We requested the driver to drop us at the emerald beach(at no extra cost). The beach was lovely and not crowded at all. There were a bunch of activities like jetskis and jetpack at the beach.
Disembarkation
The most exasperating part of any cruise I guess, We were made to wait for an hour only to disembark and line up for immigration for another 30 mins.