Freedom of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

ship was clean and well maintained,except for the excursion desk staff was excellent. completely satisfied with the ship and staff. the only problem was the cancellation of "all" end of cruise excursions ,but "1" and thought they were trying to funnel passengers to it. we had already been on the excursion before. couldn't help with anything else. this caused a problem as to what to do after disembarking(how to kill 8 hours before flight home). 

For the money, this cruise should have been 5 stars all across the board. I was greatly disappointed. Having done 2 Carnival cruises for less than half the cost each compared to this RC cruise, I can confidently say that I will not likely by considering another RC cruise. The bar staff was rude and even explained to me that he "has problems". The service was slow as well almost across the board (except for the dining room). The food was just lousy. Buffet was the worst. Greasy, made from dehydrated anything. Also, on the last two days, the fruit that was served was about rancid. 

Unless you get an RC cruise for free, might want to stay away...

We thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment and all the wonderful people we met during our cruise. New Year's Eve on the Promenade was $$$, and while it was crowded, there are places on the ship (computer rooms) with chairs overlooking the Promenade and 20 people or so joined there to watch the balloons fall and wish each other Happy New Year.  We did enjoy a brief visit to the Solarium and it certainly was more quiet than the public pool area.

As Diamond members, we enjoyed the Lounge nightly and met more wonderful servers, (Ariel) and guests.  Looking forward to our next cruise.

We love the activities on board (although it was not as many as our previous Monarch of the Seas cruise), the cruise director was funny and very entertaining. The crews were friendly and helpful as well. Our room was well cleaned, our state room attendant was very attentive to us, we can easily requested anything and will be provided in short time (we did not requested weird things, just extra pillows).

The port of calls were not all very interesting, like Costa Maya where we were docked at a tourist ports where souvenirs were sold 5 times more expensive than the one sold at Mahahual (which also a tourists area for locals and cruises' passengers anyway). Grand Cayman was the best port of calls according to us. While in Cozumel, we did not get any chances to enjoy the city (which lead this comment to other review regarding shore excursion), we decided to book a shore excursion to Cichen Itza (took a 45 minutes ferry rides times 2 because we need to get back with the same ferry to the port, then a very long road trips to get there almost 2 hrs to get there plus 2 hrs to get back, plus the traffic), we paid about $260 for two persons and we only had 35 minutes to enjoy the huge place, yes we were in a "sprint" tour. It was the worst money spent here. Then we rushed back to the port to get the ferry back to the ship. We learned one thing that it is better to get a shore excursion at the ports that from the ship (more cheaper and more options).

Overall, we still had so much fun on-board and off-shore, so we think it's still fair enough to give 4 out of 5 for overalls experience with our recent Freedom of the Seas cruise.

the service in the ONLY non pay restaurants was AWFUL. The server had no help and too many tables. The food was the same every day.  The drink service on deck was hard to find.  The shows were good. 

We were satisfied with every aspect except the Costa Maya.   We chose a beach day as it was our first port and our teens wanted to see a Caribbean beach.  

It was the worst shore excursion I have seen.  Dirty, poor facilities and tacky.

We understand being in a different country but this was a cheap side show.

i am sure it is a convenient location for visiting Mayan historical sites.  However;

for those not choosing that option, it below standard.

We enjoyed our cruise very much and have sailed Royal several times.  My husband and I had a balcony room on the 8th deck.  It was very nice and our statesman did an outstanding job.  My adult children (19 and 23) had an room on the same deck overlooking the promenade.  Unfortunately, their beds were extremely hard and they did not get much sleep.  We enjoyed our dining experience, but would recommend going to the dining room (not Windjammer) for sit down Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.  Our service in the dining room was outstanding.  Windjammer was extremely crowded, loud, and the food was adequate.

I would highly recommend Giovanni (upscale Italian dining) the service was tremendous and the food was delicious, well worth it.  We also did Chop's (upscale steakhouse) but I was less impressed.  If you go to Chop's stick to steak, I ordered sea bass and it was poorly prepared. 

We went to a show every night and I was very impressed with the talent!  Music, Singers, Ice Skating (a must), Magician, it was very nice!  The entire family enjoyed the shows.

Finally, I will say the onboarding experience at the Fort Lauderdale Port was very chaotic.  It took almost 3 hours to get through parking, security, check-in etc.  The Parking was over a mile away from terminal 29, the check-in area was not well ventilated nor air conditioned, and the security equipment stopped working several times. 

All in all, I would give the trip a 7.  I am sure I will sail again with RCCL, but I will only do balcony rooms and will likely not go to the Fort Lauderdale port again. 

We were very appreciative of the hard work that the RCCL staff put into making sure our honeymoon was a fantastic one. Everything from the food available at the buffets to the activities both on, and off, the ship were lots of fun. 

Thanks for a great trip!!!

Always something to do. Great cruise.  Wonderful staff. This was our first cruise and we will definitely cruise with Royal Carribean again. 

A few things that could have been different is how they took pictures on formal evenings and how they called out passengers for the tender line for excursions. We had the best stayer room attendant and the kids loved his towel animals. 

Our favorite take-away from the adventure of a cruise is visiting with other cultures. We have an opportunity to explore the diversity of our planet from meeting others whether guest or staff. A cruise is all about expanding your horizon and Royal Caribbean does this very well in itinerary and accommodations.

This is my second cruise on Royal and I have to say I was sadly disappointed.  The cabin smelled very musty, the AC was not working very well room was very stuffy and warm even after having it checked out, the water for showering was luck warm at best and the beds were very uncomfortable.  As far as the food it was not very good at all and it was the same thing every night.  We had the misfortune of having a group of 15 to 20 young adults on board that must have thought there was no one else on the ship.....they would come out on the pool deck playing there music to the point you could not hear the music provided on the ship and playing it during movies and cont. to do so even after being asked to turn it down several times, this issue was taking to crew staff but cont. thru out the cruise.  Over all our cruise was very disappointing and will not cruise Royal again.

My wife and I have been on several cruises. This was an excellent first time cruise for our two young teenage girls. The rock wall, Flowrider (wake boarding), Ice skating, and the standard kids activities kept them happy. The shows were very good. The Promenade was also spectacular. The food was very good, with exception that several nights my wife and I were underwhelmed with the dishes, compared to other cruise experiences. The wait service however was the best we have had. The service on the ship as a whole was outstanding. Housekeeping, guest services, excursion services and the people we experienced throughout the ship were all great. The exception was the Casino. It had quite a few problems. If you're going and gambling is a big part of your cruise, I would think twice.

SO-SO experience as the embarkation process had terribly long lines and wait was over 1 hour to board the ship. Disembarkation was a breeze. Only 1 soft serve ice cream machine for a ship full of ice cream lovers, not good, waits as long as 30 minutes for ice cream. Really!!

We had a good time. There was some good times and bad times. But I enjoyed the cruise very much! Didn't like the long check-in lines and the check-in process very slow and unorganized. Enjoyed the boat and the staff. Didn't care for the Starbucks on the boat. I wanted the old Barista back. They used to make their own premium coffee and teas. I enjoyed all the boat activities. One night we did need 1 more ice cream machine. it ran out 4 times. LOL. Can't wait for my next cruise. 

Highlights- ports of call and the shore excursions - Costa Maya was fun because we have never been there before - Cayman Islands - our second time there; the first time we did stingray city, this time around we enjoyed kayaking in the Caribbean along with snorkeling and a beach break.  Cozumel was also fun - and also our second time there; we did a tour of the Mayan Ruins and then enjoyed some beach time.  The Diamond status definitely made our embarkation seemless and relatively quick compared to prior cruises. We also enjoyed the Diamond Perks like the free food and drinks every night between 4:30 and 8:30 along with up to 3 complimentary drinks from any of the other bars on the ship.  The lowlights - it was the week before Christmas - and there were very little by the way of holiday cheer on the ship - other than the very large tree in the Promenade.  The service was not nearly as good in the main dining - we often felt forgotten as people were served their deserts and we were still waiting on salads and water refills.  And the lines- we waited in line for everything it seemed - which is typical I guess for a cruise vacation - but this one we definitely felt the presence of all 4400 passengers - and over 1000 of them were under the age of 21. I dont think we will cruise the holiday time frame again - but overall we had a great time together and made the most of the ships amenities; theater show, ice show, flow rider, rock wall, and the Promenade.  If I could make any suggestion here - I would suggest that if you know you will drink a lot - regardless of the beverage type, and if you know that you want a lot of the photos taken by the ship's photographer, and if you know you will want an internet package - it really does save you money to buy these packages ahead of time; online; and before you board the ship.  I wasn't sure if it was legit or not - or just away to upsell you on the front end when booking the cruise - but I did buy the internet package and a water package - both about 50% less than if you do it on board.  same with shore excursions - take advantage of any online discounts you may be offered on booking the shore excursions because it does save you money.  On board - everything is expensive - for example - one 6x8 photo is $16.99 - and you know how many photos are taken - so buy a package and do it online.  Beers are $7.99 each (with gratuity) - so if you have at least 4 to 5 per day - it makes sense to buy the alcohol package.  And mixers - can run $12+.  If you have a lot of sea days - that is where you will spend the most money - that is when these beverage packages really make sense.  We only had 2 sea days and we took advantage of the freebies in the Diamond lounge so our drink cost was minimal.  Lastly - the internet was DREADFULLY SLOW AND CUMBERSOME TO LOG INTO and it would boot you out without warning and frequently. The cool thing is that wireless is available throughout the ship - and you can text message family and friends at home using imessage if you all have iphones - just don't expect speed. We really do like Royal Caribbean and it is nice to earn a "status" that allows you to save money and convenience while sailing.

Everything about the cruise was excellent.  The food. The ship was exceptionally clean. The staff friendly. Great entertainment even though we did not go and see any shows. The pools were immaculate. Deck chairs were clean. What a beautiful ship! The stop-overs were well organized (but $100 pp to zipline in Labadee??).

Negatives: Everything is extra. It feels like all they want to do is charge you.  We did not get any free bottled water in the cabin - purified water would've been great. The refreshment package should be included so a person does not have to walk around with that huge drink holder. 

The galley tour was not good at all. Too many people per group - we did not hear one word that was said. The brunch thereafter was not good at all. 

Big negative is the 18% gratuity that is added to absolutely everything. Then they have an additional line on the bill for a tip? Then they give you two envelopes at the end for extra gratuity and just before you leave they hit you with a huge bill - mostly gratuities for making up the room etc and at $13.50 pp each time...not good. Bad ending to a nice holiday. We were relieved we had breakfast at the WindJammer every day.

Dining and housekeeping staff were exelent. Quality of boat could be improved. The stops that the boat makes should all be walking distance from the port. The private island labadee and st. Martin were great. 

Freedom of the Seas 8 night Eastern was a wonderful vacation for our multi-generation family of 7.  Everyone had an easy time finding something to make them happy for the entire trip.  The ports of call were great and allowed us to visit places we have not been to before.  St Maarten was beyond beautiful.  We did a private snorkel excursion and got to spend some wonderful time talking to some locals while exploring the water.  St Kitts we visited Dolphin Encounter and enjoyed an amazing afternoon in the water with the dolphins.  San Juan was the only port that we found disappointing.  Some probably loved it, we simply didn't. 

We had two balconies on deck 7 (7370 and 7370) that were perfect.  Close enough to the elevator but far enough that there was not a lot of foot traffic in the hallway.  We had great views pulling into the ports from the balcony.  The ship in general was extremely clean.  The staff was incredible.  Every single person was quick to make sure that everything we needed or wanted was found.  The Adventure Ocean staff were amazing and the DreamWorks experience was also great.  The cruise director was fun and the captain did a great job of giving us information in regard to other ships and islands we were passing.

The only complaint we had was with the Coke Freestyle machines.  There are four in the Windjammer which are only accessible when the Windjammer is open and even then only 2 worked the entire time and during morning hours only served juice type drinks.  There was one in the arcade that would have been accessible 24 hours a day but it was down the entire trip.  There were two in the promenade that seemed to work.  It is something to consider when deciding whether or not to get the soda package.  We don't spend a lot of time in the promenade so it was a hike from the pool area when Windjammer was closed.

This rounded out our Freedom class ships and of the three in that class Freedom and Liberty were the sure winners with Independence simply not matching.

We loved seeing St. Kitts and the tour of the old part of the island including the Batik factory and Old Fort at the top of the hill. Roads were in good condition owing to a recent visit by Prince Harry. Narrow winding road goes around the island (don't try this yourself) tour buses have to blow the horn as they go around curves. Views are lovely. People are nice. It's not as commercial as St. Maarten. But, tourism is king. Sugar cane is gone, so it's only a matter of time before cruisers are expected to shop til they drop. Royal Caribbean emphasizes the shopping more than I ever remember on a cruise. Dining rooms are lovely, wait staff is pleasant. Room stewards are hard working. Ship was very full. They charge $3.00 for a water bottle now. We did get to bring wine on board. We felt like the dining room was crowded at breakfast and lunch time. Only one open at those times. It's best to eat on the early side. We thought the 5:30 dinner was too early. Would like to see it go back to 6pm.  

My husband and I have been extremely fortunate. Over the last 25 years we have been on approximately 50 cruises. Normally 2 times per year. We LOVE cruising and we are not terribly fussy. We are last minute cruisers and not necessarily loyal to any cruise line. The bulk of our cruises are on Princess and NCL, with the balance on Cunard, Celebrity, Carnival - in that order. This was our first Royal Caribbean cruise and we were not impressed. At all. It was loud and crowded. This ship ( and RCL in general ) apparently caters to families with small children. That's great, but doesn't always make for a peaceful experience coexisting with childless travelers. We are in our 50s. But we are young 50s! Lol. We just want to chill. The buffet food was seriously disappointing. Cold and tasteless most of the time. Very repetitive. My husband has a neurological disorder so we don't always like getting "dressed" for dinner. After 5 nights of bland, we finally resorted to eating in the dining room for the final 2 nights. The dining room food was very good. Service was terribly lacking in the buffet, but definitely on par in the dining room. Our favorite part of this cruise was the cruise director!! Casey from Canada. Great guy. He is truly outstanding :) Funny, funny, funny. Overall, it was an ok cruise, but I have to say disappointing overall. Too loud. Too many people. Too many kids running wild. Too many first time cruisers.  Too many drunks. Everything was just a bit too much I guess. We will return to Princess and NCL whenever available. We just want to chill.