First Cruise
Freedom of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Southern
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 1 cruise (first)
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 43
7 Night Southern Caribbean (San Juan Roundtrip)
Sail date: March 31, 2019
Ship: Freedom of the Seas
Cabin type: Balcony
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 5 years ago
Review summary
We very much enjoyed our trip. We have heard a lot about cruises, and finally did one after many years. I think I had a lot of expectations. It wasn't what I thought that it would be. I was disappointed in some things, but still very much enjoyed the trip. Still think about sitting on the balcony enjoying the caribbean.Embarkation
Very efficient. Luggage went a very short distance from taxi to cruiseline.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Chops Grille was excellent. Main dining room served chef quality food. Waiters were very professional, as well as friendly and welcoming. Buffet food was basic American food. Meat could have been more tender and more seasoned. Fish was fishy. Orange Juice was Minute Maid drinks. Bountiful food available when you are ready to eat.
Onboard Activities
Pools, hot tubs, rock climbing and wave pools were exceptional. I expected the theatre activities to be better than they were. Expected family comedy, however it was only appropriate for adults. Ice Show and Broadway Show were excellent. I thought we were having a magic show, but did not see one on the schedule. Disappointed with dancing. Expected dance lessons, but didn't see them scheduled at a convenient time. Only saw dancing one time at a 70's party in the Star Lounge. Had expected to have more dance floors available at more times with a variety of music. Not enough senior activities for those who aren't fond of alcohol.
Entertainment
Ice Show and Broadway Show in theatre were very good. The other shows were not the quality expected. Enjoy comedy and magic. Comedy was not family friendly and I didn't see a magic show scheduled. Had heard a lot about Cruise Theatre Shows, and was frankly disappointed.
Service and Staff
Excellent service throughout the cruise. A bit disappointed about information regarding excursions. It would seem that the excursion desk would have general information about the islands that were on the itinerary. They were not able to answer basic questions. Perhaps to better train the staff, they should actually tour the ships island itinerary so that they could better assist guests.
Ship Quality
Very impressed that they were cleaning stair rails, and that public restrooms were always clean, especially considering the high number of guests.
Cabin / Stateroom
Very impressed with the design of the room, regarding best use of space, and storage. We had plenty of room in the cabin, to put our things away, and have adequate walking space. Loved having our own balcony.
Ship tip
We packed too many outfits for the dining room. There were two formal nights, one caribbean dress night, and one casual night. It would have been nice to know this in advance and be able to only pack what we would need.
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
We visited Old San Juan, which had the best shopping of any island. Toured the rain forest, which we enjoyed, because we had the very best tour guide, and the forest was beautiful. However, restrooms were too limited on this tour.
The dolfhin excursion was great, however, we were not permitted to take our own pictures, and photos are extremely expensive. We bought two for $80, only because it was a one time experience. The packages were based on per person pricing. They need a better way to sell photos.
We did the Snorkel Beach and Lobster lunch excursion. This island may have been the poorest of the group. They have my compassion for the poor of the island. We were told unemployment was very high. I pray they will have a leader to better develop the island for the folks who live there. The lobster lunch consisted on 1/4 of a dry lobster and a bowl of soup. The welcoming drink was a small plastic cup of minute maid with or without rum. The beach area was good. Felt comfortable to swim. There were boulders providing a protective shore. The snorkeling was limited. Not enough fish have found their home in the boulders.
Did the sailboat excursion, which was excellent. Spent 30 minutes actually steering the sailboat and working the ropes. This island seemed to have the best variety of activities.
Did the Atlantis Submarine, which was excellent. I am a bit claustophobic, and was concerned about booking this tour. Very glad that I did. Enjoyed every bit of seeing the fish, coral and underwater sea life. Felt like I had a seat in front of an aquarium.
Tried to shop in the French portion of the Island, but it was still devastated by the hurricane. They are attempting to meet better building codes, and is taking longer to reconstruct. The Dutch side is the port side of the island. We tried to shop away from the boardwalk, but that seemed to be a very poor section. It is better to stay with the boardwalk, which has tourist shops and restaurants. The beach section we were on had lots of seaweed in the water. We were a couple, and felt that only one could swim at a time, so that someone stayed with the stuff. That wasn't fun. Very crowded beach. Periodic merchandising from walkers on the beach. Wasn't the beauty pictured for carribbean beaches.
Disembarkation
Very long. We disembarked for a morning tour to the rain forest. Got up very early so that we could eat breakfast before going to the Star Lounge, which was our meeting place for the tour. It seemed like a very long wait to get from the lounge, pick up luggage, and get on a tour bus.