Freedom of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

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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Overall experience was good. Food on the dining room could be upgraded. Our waiter, Novelet and her assistant, Zhang were superb. They did an excellent job pampering us. The Filipino Sous Chef did a remarkable way of making our stay enjoyable. He always send us filipino food so we won't miss home. Lovely!

I'm an emerald member with Royal Caribbean and this is my 3rd cruise on the beautiful freedom of the seas.  The crew, the staff the entertainment on this ship its amazing.  I cruise with my niece and she had a Blast!  I highly recommend this ship!

We throughly enjoyed everything about this cruise. There was plenty to do on the ship, the ship was very clean, the food was delicious, the staff was all very curtious, the port destinations were great, and all of the excursions were fun and exciting. 

We loved  the entertainment  and the ocean at night. Our Vista to the different islands only added to 5he trip. The waters in the carribbean  was perfect clear blue and clear. We loved  the food on board and to the same 5 star service in the states would have cost a huge huge amount of money. The crew was exceptional  in kindness and assistance for direction  and help. We look forward to and would recommend  this cruise  to anyone. 

Everything was wonderful, except too much down time without a lot of activities to do.   If you have an early dinner there is not a whole lot to do until 10 P.M.  They also lack music during the day it also starts late and the piano guy is not that good.  The comedy show was terrible. If you are traveling with small children or over the age of 60 then this is the cruise for you. 

BEST TIME OF MY LIFE / PLAN ON DOING IT AGAIN NEXT YEAR IN JUNE

Great experience.  Very easy to book.  We enjoyed the experience.  T^he cabin steward and dining server were fantastic.  It would have been even better had there been more "true" entertainment vs the reality game show type feel of the shows.

This was the first time that our family was on a cruise and we cannot wait to get back on the ship in the near future.  Freedom of the Sea is an awesome ship and what makes it great are its staff.  Rented a car from the National from MCO to Port Canaveral and the process could not have been easier.  Excellent check-in system, did not need to worry about the bags from the moment you arrive on the port as the porters handle them all until it arrives on your door step later at night.

Accommodations, dining experiences, entertainment, and all the ports were great except for Labadee, Haiti where the lifeguard was sneaky trying to get us to pay directly pocketing the money.  Other than that I want to recognize the Stateroom attendant Rosbert Mack, and Dinning staff, Domis, John and Keron.

Excellent experiences, and will go back on the ship soon!