Just got off the Freedom of the Seas and I’m actually depressed about it but I thought I’d make a post all about my trip cause it might be helpful! This was actually one of the best vacations I’ve ever taken and I’m gonna miss it so much. PS- pictures are in order according to port (San Juan, Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire, St. Maarten)!
I guess I will start with San Juan. We stayed here for four days prior to the cruise, piggybacking off my mom’s work conference. We stayed at La Concha resort right on Condado beach and it was awesome. We took a taxi from the airport to the hotel and it was about 15 minutes. The airport is decent, big with a lot of shops and restaurants. Definitely not the best but no where near the worst airport I’ve ever been to. It’s also not the cleanest. I will add when you’re departing, you have to put your bags through a separate agriculture check for fruits and plants and stuff which usually only takes a few minutes. From there you check your bags and go through security. After a 15 minute drive, we got to the hotel. It was really nice and clean and the staff was always friendly. There were four different pools to choose from as well as a beautiful, clean beach. If you are staying in San Juan before or after a cruise or for any other reason I would HIGHLY recommend La Concha. We ubered any time we wanted to go somewhere not in walking distance like old San Juan which cost $6 each way. We rented a car one day and drove to the rainforest where we spent a day hiking, ate some amazing mofongo at various restaurants, and enjoyed many happy hour drinks. The trip from the hotel to the cruise terminal was fine. We took an Uber and it was about a 10-15 min drive. Nothing to complain about.
CRUISE TIMEEE
Day 1: Getting on the ship
Getting on the ship was a smooth process, as we got there by 9:30am. We went through security and they took our luggage, but we did have to sit in the waiting area until 11 when we were allowed to board. This was our second time on Freedom so we were familiar with the ship and there wasn’t a ton of new stuff to explore. Our staterooms opened up at 1:30 on the dot, so we just chilled at one of the bars on the royal promenade until then. My brother and I stayed in a spacious ocean view balcony cabin with an adjoining door connecting our room to our parents’ room. We always get them to take the divider off the balcony so we can have one big balcony. We set sail at 8:30pm and if you’ve ever sailed out of San Juan, you know what a gorgeous sail away that is.
Day 2: At sea
Our first sea day was super chill. We just sat by the pool (there are plenty of chairs on deck 12 by the track over looking the pool!) and did the flow rider. They have a system with the flow rider that I’ve never seen where you get a white wristband and you have to do a boogie boarding session before you do stand up surfing. They replace the white with a blue wristband once you do boogie boarding. The sports staff was incredibly friendly and really wanted to see everyone succeed at surfing which I actually did. All day long, we were in ROUGH waters and the ship was rocking a lot. Definitely bring your Dramamine and sea bands! The one worker said everyone was getting green apples to help!
We had my time dining but after the first night, made a reservation for 6:15 each night to have our same waiters. If you ever get Nevil and Iputu, they were amazing. Food in the MDR never disappointed, however, I see many people complain about it but I’ve never had an issue. The lobster and the Caesar salads were incredible and Pizza from Sorrento’s as well as sandwiches from cafe promenade were just as good and really show you don’t have to spend the money on specialty dining. We saw the Marquee show which combines a ton of broadway hits into an hour long show and I must say, being a theatre student and having seen this show already, it was awesome. The talent was broadway level and we were in some REALLY rough waters and no one fell or anything. We also saw the ice show one night which was really entertaining. The talent they have is amazing and watching the ice routines to classic rock songs was awesome.
Day 3: Oranjestad, Aruba
This day, we had a plan to rent a Jeep and drive around the island, hitting all the prominent sights and chilling on a few beaches. After our car rental didn’t go as planned, we got a different Jeep and ventured out and drove to the lighthouse, the natural bridge, and made a stop at Druiff beach where we spent most of the day. The beach was gorgeous and not crowded at all. You can see from the pictures how nice it was.
Day 4: Willemstad, Curaçao
I really enjoyed this port. Again, we rented a car, which went a LOT smoother, and drove around the island. The highlights of this port were Kokomo Beach and Klein Knip. Kokomo beach isn’t really a swimming beach, as the bottom of the water is very rocky and there were water snakes but it would probably be awesome for snorkeling and of course taking pictures on the swing. Klein Knip was awesome for snorkeling and I got great GoPro footage there. The water was clean and there also weren’t a ton of people. Highly recommend these stops. If you’re looking to rent a car here, use Advance car rental. Ask for Celestino, he was amazing and programmed all the must see stops I to a GPS for us. Great price as well.
Day 5: Kralendijk, Bonaire
Of all our stops, this is the one I could’ve done without. The island itself is very desolate and there was not a lot to do. We stopped by Lac Bay where if we would’ve done more research, I would’ve spent the entire day there. The water is incredible and is shallow super far out and Jibe City, the bar/restaurant, was very fun and well priced. I would honestly go back to Bonaire, specifically for this place. You can see from the picture how breathtaking it is. We also explored the salt flats and slave huts. There was so much salt it was actually insane. When we got back on the ship, my dad and I decided to do the rock wall cause there was no line. I highly recommend taking advantage of the ship on port days because everyone is off the ship and there are hardly any lines. We got to go twice in a row with no wait which was awesome.
Day 6: At sea
We spent the majority of this day by the pool again. My dad and I surfed on the flow rider twice which did take some time because the line was long, but it’s fun getting to watch everyone and it passes the time quicker. It did start raining around 3, so we had to go in, but overall this was an awesome day at sea, lounging by the pool. We saw a variety show this night and it was great. There were two aerialists and a comedian who was very, very funny.
Day 7: Phillipsburg, St. Maarten
This was by far my favorite day. St. Maarten is my favorite port I’ve ever been to and this day was no exception. We spent the day at Great Bay Beach which is about a 10 minute water taxi ride away from the ship. The water taxi was $7/person for a wristband that grants you unlimited rides all day. We ended up paying $10 for two beach chairs and an umbrella (people will hound you to buy chairs and umbrellas from them, most prices include chairs, umbrellas, and drinks). We also rented jet skis (two jet skis for $100 total for 35 minutes) and saw the most breathtaking views, I wish I brought my GoPro. The water was so stunning and clear and being able to zoom around the beach near the ship was an unforgettable experience. If you get the chance to do this in St. Maarten, definitely take it.
Day 8: Leaving the ship:(
Disembarkation was very smooth. We were supposed to get off at 8, but we decided to head up to windjammer for breakfast (which was full service) and then left the ship around 9. Super smooth process and even though you’re supposed to leave at your designated time, waiting a little bit longer till the crowd passed was the move.
All in all, this vacation was amazing and something I’ll never forget. I will say, these islands that are the furthest south barely get any rain which makes for great weather, however, the islands as a whole, were pretty much big deserts. Next year, we might branch out from the Caribbean and do the Mediterranean so if anyone has any tips for that, please let me know!
