Freedom of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

the staff and all the aminities on the cruise the size of the ship the helpfulness the experience the photos the food the activities the people it was a fabulous trip. 

Been able to cruise with our family for a special occasion.  The head waiter, cabin steward, assistant server and server was excellent, we sat at table 313.  We have been on this cruise ship twice before and felt this time that the overall service on this ship was lacking this cruise.  It seemed that they had less personnel to take care of the large crowd that was on board.  Up on the windjammer it was very hard to find seats for 6 together and the variety of food was lacking unless you liked Asian. The taco station was very crowded and very small.  I had an issue with my IBS and the doctor on staff did not seem familiar with this, she just wanted to confirm to to my quarters not understanding my IBS issue.  I was supposed to be reimbursed for the day I was in my cabin but as of this date have not seen anything.  Previous cruises we have rated this ship with 5 stars but we could not do it this time.  Quality seemed to be lacking.

We couldn't be more happy with our experience.  Everything was outstanding from the ship itself - we found everything clean, and in good working order.  To our staterooms as all were comfortable and exactly what we were told we would get.  Not to mention on the stuff to do on board!  Several live entertainment options, games, sports activities and so on...we're going to have to go on another cruise to cover it all!  

What really matters is the people that are providing the service and absolutely everyone was as nice and accommodating as they could be.  Everyone exceeded our expectations.  Once we had our wait staff, captain of our section and the chef trained in the main dining room on one of our daughter's nut and diary allergies - all of the staff went above and beyond every single day to ensure she had not just something to eat, but something to present to her that put a smile on her face as the rest of us were impressed with our food choices/presentations as well.  That REALLY makes a parent feel so much better - for their special dietary needs child to have the same experience as the other children!  :-)  THANK YOU!

The food was great all of the ports was very entertaining, there was something new for everyone you just had to get out there and find the right thing for you.

This was my first time cruising with Royal and will definitely not be the last. The staff was incredible, the ship was gorgeous and the overall experience was one for the books. I can not wait to cruise with Royal again!

The ship and amenities was a pretty complete package, with multiple choices at just about every hour.  The pools are great but on sea days they are really slammed.  Luckily the abundance of other activities work to put some people in other places.  If you are a pool person you will be disappointed though.  RCI would be well served to maybe turn down the volume on the pool deck to make it less a central theme of the ship during daytime hours.  

The Solarium was a lot, lot more crowded than it it was on my previous cruise.I guess this is partly an overflow from the pool more than it is an extra number of people wanting the quiet space.  Once again, don't know what RC could do about it.

I only have two real complaints.  One, the constant hocking on the promenade and on the TV and announcements.  Just as you find a way to turn it into background clutter RC changes tactics to put it right back in your face.  Do we really need round-the-clock reminders of the "deals" being offered at the stores at the ports giving kickbacks to the cruiseline?  If I see that same smiling face urging passengers to come to the front of the boat for jewelry information over and over and over and over again it will be too soon.  And second, live music in the bars.  Living in Nashville may have spoiled me on this.  Surely there is room for a few solo artists and bar bands to move around the bars in the evening.  Maybe they get in the way of the announcements about art auctions and Effy sales?  There is more to life than  steel drum or reggae bands by the pool.

Everything about the cruise was awesome from the comfort, cleanliness, food, fun, and wonderful staff on board that ship. I would definitely set sail again on the Freedom of the Seas. 

Towels for 2 women hardly giving without fighting for them ! The towel animals , saw them once in 7 days ! Food was not that good & they put gravy on prime rib steak to cover up that it wasn't prime rib! The wait staff was excellent ! Are table was 114 for most of or cruise .

The Freedom of the Seas is a beautiful ship.  Our room attendant (cabin 1670) did a great job.  Our waiter in the main dining room (table # 350 Johnathan) was wonderful.  My only complaint was with Chops Grille.  On previous cruises Chops was fantastic but now I was upset with the changes they have made.  For an extra $35 per person they should have a much larger selection of steaks than the two options with different sizes. They used to have a wonderful porterhouse but now it costs an addition $19 above the $35 you pay to eat there.  That's ridiculous.  Also if you want anything extra they will charge you extra.  For the extra $35 you should not be charged extra for anything.  I will not waste my money again at Chops Grille unless they reverse these new rules.  I spent $160 for 4 people and was totally disappointed with the experience.  I would rate Chops a ZERO if I could.

The dining room service was outstanding !! The entertainment was

excellent along with there interacting activities such as Bingo,Sing it, Love and Marriage and battle of the sexes!!

My favorite part of this cruise was the dining experience. Each night the red carpet was rolled our way as we dined on a variety of delicious and gourmet meals. Our waiters were terrific. They went above board to ensure that we were happy with their service and were enjoying the food. One particular day, I was separated from my party while eating in the Windjammer Restaurant. Our friendly waiter spotted me ( as he was working that day in the Windjammer) picked up my plate and helped me find my way to where my party was sitting. Outstanding service definately with a smile and lots of laughs.

        That which I enjoyed least was the cost of the excursions. We ended up renting a car for about a fraction of what an excursion with the ship would have cost us. We explored St. Thomas on our own and had a fantastic time.

    This is a must do cruise - Terry our travel agent was very helpful.

Loved the visits to St Thomas and St Maarten, Ship was VERY clean and food was very good. Disappointed in scheduling, as we were unable to attend many of the shows due to late dinner time AND dining room in stern and theater in bow!

Also, I'm not happy about being "chiseled" for 18% added to EVERY ship board purchase, as well as the exorbinant  charge per day for soft drinks and water, plus you have to carry around their cup everywhere to participate!

First the good - Checking in and embarkation was fast and easy - thank you!  The options at dinner were decent, tasty, and varied.  Our personal wait staff was friendly and responsive - often bringing extra appetizers and entrees for the table to share.  The other places to eat were adequate, but offered a lot of variety as well.  Room service was also adequate with a small but varied menu.  The stateroom with a balcony was spacious for two and reasonably kept the noise out from the rest of the ship.  Our room steward was very friendly and didn't bother us at all when he knew we were in the cabin, but waited patiently until we were gone before going in to clean (without putting the 'do not disturb' sign out).  He even had fresh ice in the room every morning and evening for our wine. The pizza place was a welcome addition that I have never seen on other cruises and offered an alternative to the crowded jabbing you got in the Windjammer and the more formal dining room.  Also, the fact that we were allowed to bring our own wine aboard was a nice surprise, except that my bag got confiscated until I could prove it was wine. Now the bad -- 1. I am not new to cruising, but I thought the number of items that incurred extra fees was outrageous!  I expect to have to pay for the spa, casino, bingo and alcohol - along with a few other minor extras.  Based on the fact that I paid A LOT more for this cruise line, I did not expect to have to buy a bathrobe to wear; pay $30 for the galley tour; incur an extra surcharge for room service over the night; and I thought $60 for a soda card was a bit excessive (I didn't even consider an alcohol package).  All the fitness center classes like spinning and yoga had a fee and the individual price of alcoholic beverages was outrageous ($11.75 for a piña colada, including gratuity for me serving myself at the bar). 2. From the first day until the last, several in our party constantly felt sluggish and needed a nap continuously.  I know that the heat and hubbub from the cruise can make you tired, but we all live in Florida and NEVER nap!  Not to mention that we didn't lay out in the sun or swim in the pools.  A couple of us played sports, but most opted out.  We felt like we had been given Benedryl the entire cruise and as soon as we were home, we were fine again.  Am I the only one?  Could there be something in the water or food? 3. We had several problems with our booking requests being honored, but we booked through BJ's travel and will bring several of our problems up to them as well.  The three families (9 people total) were supposed to be "linked" in their system and seated at the same table, but we weren't.  The wait staff took care of us right away and got us seated together.  Some of the other issues were brought up to Guest Services and that is where my complaint lies - the line was always long with about a 45 minute wait every time we needed to talk to them.  They attempted to send staff out to try to triage the line, but most of the time the staff member didn't speak English very well and didn't understand our issues (usually ending with "you need to talk to the people behind the desk" until the next triage staff member came out and we repeated the same conversation with someone else).  I finally just shut them down and told them we needed to talk the people behind the desk.  However, very few people behind the counter were willing to make a decision and stick to it which put us in a perpetual circle of shifting blame and responsibility. 4. The bed was HORRIBLE!!! It was like sleeping on a piece of plywood with a 1-inch cushion on top.  The pillows were like sleeping on air.  They had no substance to them for support and I ended up with a kink in my neck and a sore back and shoulders.  Every morning that I woke was progressively worse. 5. As RC takes their ships and updates them, they may wish to consider adding at least one more outlet to the cabins.  When the ships were built, few of us had as many electronic devices as we do now and with the ship offering internet (another fee), the people in my cabin often had to balance the charging of cameras, phones, and Kindles, with getting ready with the electric razor, blow dryers and curling irons. 6. I understand that the cruise industry has taken a beating over the recent outbreaks of sickness on their ships and they are trying to be proactive about it offering Purell everywhere.  However, I should be able to refuse it when entering or exiting somewhere.  I had just (emphasis here) exited the restroom after washing my hands and using a paper towel to open the door (the paper towel was still in my hand) and about to enter the Windjammer when I was stopped by the attendant with a bag of Purell and told that I HAD to have a squirt.  She wouldn't take no for an answer and wouldn't accept my explanation - either I took the Purell or I didn't enter.  Even those who were walking in rubbing Purell into their hands from the self-serve automatic dispensers were accosted by this woman.  She took her job way too seriously and needs to take a breath. 7. Two in our party got sick the last day of the cruise and were quarantined.  The sick ones were told that they must exit the ship at 6 am by Guest Services.  The group was allowed to disembark together, but several in our party would have liked to enjoy a cup of coffee before meeting the Customs people (it would have made me nicer), and were told several different answers depending on the "person behind the counter"- so we were put in the carousel of shifting responsibility.  We ended up disembarking at 6 amfrom the deck 1 infirmary.  HOWEVER, RC has been in business for decades and I would think that they would have had a smoother routine worked out than they did.  It was a mess.  We were called out of the waiting room by stateroom, told to get our luggage and have it x-rayed; but the RC staff member didn't pause between staterooms, so the result was about 20 people throwing luggage onto the x-ray machine with no order; the ICE staff wanting us to stay with our luggage (I had 5 bags) and answer questions while other people blocked the way with their bodies and bags.  There was no line, no order, and no coffee.  And then they found the remainder of the wine (remember we brought it onboard and had to rescue it from the RC staff) in my bag which I had to open up and prove what it was in the middle of this mess! UGH!!

We both agree the worst part was the private island in Haiti! Armed guards everywhere, couldn't take sand or shells from the island. The people that live there were very pushy and kinda scary. 

The best part for us was Jamaica!! We did a all inclusive resort for the day and it was so beautiful! We arrived through Chubba buses and had a wonderful guide named Tashina or mama T as she was also called. She answered all of our questions and all the other people were so calm and happy! We are planning a trip to that resort for a week next year! YEA MON!!! 

The other ports were beautiful as well. Lots of great deals on jewlery too. 

The ship was grand! Very clean and everyone was very nice! We won't be going back to Carnival again! Royal is where it's at!!!

Ports of call were excellent my first time to these ports I enjoyed it very much

Nothing I would not change anything it was a great cruise, great service, great food, great entertainment and great on board spa and other services. 

Yes I would recommend the cruise.

From entering the parking area to boarding the FOS there was no waiting, arrive at 1045 and boarded at 1103.  Got my favorite cookie "Ranger Coconut" and hot meal from the windjammer.  Room Steward was on point as all ways.  All ports visited were awesome.  The Freedom of the Seas staff never disappoints.

I loved all of the entertainment. The food and food service was amazing!

only suggestions for improvement, replace worn couches in stateroom. And eliminate musty smell in stateroom hall areas.

Although we had severe health problems on the trip, everyone was very accommodating and did their best to make us comfortable.  We were limited in our activities, but still enjoyed our trip.  May be our last, but who knows? 

I really enjoyed all the islands that we visited. The dinning room staff and cabin steward were great. I was a little disappointed in how early everything closed. I have been on other cruises were there was always somewhere to eat open. There really wasn't much dancing to do. And the buffet served the same thing that was being served in the dining room. Overall it was a fun trip and I enjoyed it.

This was my 12th cruise and my 3rd on Royal Caribbean line. I must say the entertainment was great best on the seas I have seen. Ship is clean and service for most part was great. Down side Johnny Rockets was awful not worth the extra $$ and the main dinning room food was okay. They shut down the buffets pretty early so if you don't eat by 9 pm you are out of luck or its room service.

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