This was the first Royal Caribbean Cruise we took. We were very impressed with the ship and with THE KEY system and highly recommend getting it!! The service and quality of food were outstanding. We will definitely sail on Royal Caribbean again.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
We purchased THE KEY which made embarkation a breeze! We got to the Port of Miami at 11:30am went to the section partitioned off for THE KEY cruisers and immediately were greeted & checked in with an agent that came up to us! We were also directed to a selection of mini sandwiches, cookies, coffee & tea. We relaxed in the comfy chairs while we ate then took a stroll onto the ship. Our photo was taken and we were escorted by a crew member to the main dining room for a delicious lunch from Chops Grill. I had filet mignon and my fiancé had a NY Strip Streak! We sat with other KEY purchasers and got to know a couple that we got together with while on the ship. Our carry-on luggage was taken from us and brought directly to our cabin. When lunch was done it was 1:15pm and our cabin was ready!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Main Dining Room: wonderful meals with excellent service! We bought the beverage package so our Pina Colada’s were no charge. We checked where we were sitting to see if it was okay or if we would want to change. Our table was perfect!
JOHNNY ROCKETS: great 50’s style diner where the waiters sing to YMCA, Staying Alive, and Beat It to name a few of the songs. The food was good…cheeseburgers, fries, shakes. There was a fee of $15.75 for the meal and their shakes are no charge if you buy the beverage package. We went there a few times to get shakes. Highly recommend! (The fee covered 2 people)
GIOVANNI’s: Fantastic meal! You do have to pay extra for this restaurant. Our meal was $114.27 I’m not sure I would pay that again because we were only on a 4 night cruise. If you’re going on a longer cruise 7 to 7+ night cruise then I would definitely make reservations! We had an appetizer of different cheeses and meats for two. Entrees were Lasagna and Chicken Alfredo. We took our desserts of Key Lime Pie to our room to have later.
WINDJAMMER: we had a lunch buffet here of hotdogs/hamburgers, salad, Mac-n-cheese, mashed potatoes, fresh fruit, and drinks (on our beverage package). Everything was very good.
CHOPS GRILL: we both say this restaurant was excellent. We had the Filet Mignon, Caesar Salad, Baked Potato. We wanted to go for ice cream so we didn’t order dessert. The steaks were delicious cooked medium. This restaurant you do pay extra for. For the two of us we paid $117 with no charge for non alcoholic drinks with the beverage package). We agreed that even though it was a short cruise we would make dinner plans here again.
BEN & JERRY’s: delicious ice cream in a waffle cone or S-M-L cup. There is an extra charge for this ice cream. The first time we got medium cups and paid $5.99 and the second time we had waffle cones and paid $12.99. Typical ice cream flavors with two or three Ben & Jerry’s flavors!
SORRENTOS PIZZA: we thought the pizza here was just so-so. We only got it once.
Went to 3 or 4 bars. Pina Coladas were
the best at the outdoor bar The Lime & Coconut.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
With only being on the ship for only a few days we stuck with the Casino, Skee-Ball, and the shows!
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Two stage shows, a comedian, and an ice show all WONDERFUL and VERY ENTERTAINING!!
Children's Programs
No kids with us
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Marlon was our room steward and he was ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING! He thought about things we might like and brought them to our room. (Distilled water for CPAP, storage bags, extra tissues & pillows he heard we like)
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The ship was very clean everywhere. The layout was a bit confusing for us and we lost our way a few times.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
This was a Jr Suite so you don’t get the extra perks other suites had. We thought since it was a suite it should have had all the amenities suite users had.
Ship tip
One tip we would give is to not be in a rush to get anywhere or do anything. Savor every moment on a Freedom of the Seas vacation!
We weren’t happy with this excursion. We booked the VIP ADULTS ONLY BLUE LAGOON BEACH DAY.
1. There was confusion and no one there to explain that you needed to turn in your tickets and get a wristband before getting on the boat to take you to the island. We got in the line to board the tender but had to be left to the side until someone came with wristbands for us.
2. The tender taking you to the island was VERY slow and we had to wait to have a dock to get off the boat to start our excursion. When we were finally able to dock 10 minutes later everyone wanted off the boat in a huge rush!
3. The walk to Chill Island is VERY LONG and at points walking in soft sand which isn’t easy. For younger adults it was no problem but for us in their 60’s it took longer which meant we didn’t get a good beach chair once there.
4. By saying not getting a good chair I meant chairs with no umbrella! In the hot sun and for what you pay for this excursion I think every 2 chairs should have an umbrella!! We had to sit in the open sun for 4 hours. NOT HAPPY!!
5. The beach area was small and very rocky! We were cramped in chairs and you got maybe 2 steps before you stepped on a rock. The family section has a huge water area with no rocks, spread B out chairs and every 2 chairs had an umbrella. We would have went there but the wristbands you have designate where you stay on the island.
Once again because we bought THE KEY we tagged our luggage the night before with special tags that put our luggage in a special KEY ONLY section to find easily. We went down to the main dining room for a breakfast for KEY members. Wonderful full breakfast you had at a leisurely pace before you left the ship picked up your luggage and left. PERFECT!!
Rossbaby the Key includes lunch from the chops menu (not all the items just a few), Wi-Fi for one device. Priority embark and debark and final morning breakfast. Plus bags taken care of for you. I find it’s worse it because I do not carry luggage around the ship! It also includes some time to climb rock wall and use flo rider if that’s your jam.
Thanks for the review. Question…. Did the welcome lunch from chops grill was included with the key purchase or that was a different purchase you paid for?
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
