First and Last Cruise

Item: Freedom of the Seas
Rating: 2.9
Author: cmill201

Freedom of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Bahamas

cmill201

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 14

Overall rating:

2.9 out of 5

Verified Review

4 Night Bahamas & Perfect Day (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: October 30, 2023

Ship: Freedom of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 7556

Traveled as: Family (young children)

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

We feel the cruise was overrated. Over-Crowded and chaotic. A lot of drinking and partying. Not for kids. There wasn't much to do for kids. They can only do so much swimming and rock climbing.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Embarking wasn't too bad.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

2 out of 5

The food was okay. Nothing extravagant. Didn't eat at the specialty restaurants due to price. The buffets were chaotic.

Onboard Activities

1 out of 5

We did the soft archery with our 10 year old. The pools were overcrowded. Not many activities for young kids under 13. The adult entertainment was cheesy and tacky.

Entertainment

1 out of 5

Cheesy and tacky. Not for everyone.

Children's Programs

5 out of 5

Small, not much to do. The arcade was unaffordable.

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

Everyone was friendly and hard working but not many spoke clear English.

Ship Quality

2 out of 5

A LOT of walking. Someone handicapped couldn't do it for sure. It was far from relaxing. The elevators were crowded and you had to wait a long time each time.

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

Small but doable. The shower was amazing.

Ship tip

If you are a drinker/partier without kids, it could be great for you. Not really good for young kids. The shopping is art jewelry and booze.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Miami, Florida

3 out of 5

No excursion, just got on the ship

Thumbs Up 0

Nassau, Bahamas

2 out of 5

The port is chaotic and feels unsafe but went on a tour we found ourselves and enjoyed it. There was no welcome.center and no maps or anything that we could find.

Thumbs Up 0

Perfect Day At Coco Cay, Bahamas

5 out of 5

Was canceled and was very upset about it

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

3 out of 5

Was okay.

6 Comments

kdlady 1 year ago

Sorry you had a bad experience, but the shorter cruises do tend to be geared toward the party/booze cruise crowd. Maybe try a bigger, newer ship next time.

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mrsb3 1 year ago

Wow we were on the same cruise with two grandchildren. They had a blast. We didn't have enough time to do things we wanted. The shows were very good. The kids enjoyed the ice-skating show and the theater show "Once upon time". Arcade was lots of fun too (buy your stuff before cruising if you want count $$) You save that way. They had the best Halloween party for kids I have seen on cruise ship. It's what you make of it.

Thumbs Up 1

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javawoody 1 year ago

Appreciate your view

Thumbs Up 0

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cruising2004 1 year ago

Sorry you didn’t have a great first cruise experience. Try a smaller ship that will fit your needs. Thanks for sharing.

Thumbs Up 0

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Wanderer4life 1 year ago

Every cruise liner caters to certain group of people. RCL and Virgin is more for party animals. Carnival and Disney for kids For mid aged people NCL or Princess and for older folks HAL.

Thumbs Up 0

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Bertfish 1 year ago

Not sure Royal is the best choice for a “kids cruise” partiers are 5x more on a Carnival, but if it’s kids stuff you want I think the obvious choice is Disney. A little pre booking research goes a long way.

Thumbs Up 2

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Other reviews of this sailing

Disappointed

Very relaxing time