Freedom of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Was a great time and would recommend it to anyone looking for a trip!  Worked with Gordon and he helped guide us through this process being new, would love to work with him again on future cruises.

Overall was good and ship was beautiful.  If you sailed Disney before and you have young children you may be disappointed.  Not as kid friendly.  Kids club does not stay open all day.  You also have to pay after 10p.m.  and this is when most of the adult activities begin.

Also, if you are not a gold member please know if you get to the cruise early for departure, you will have to wait quite a long time until all the gold members get on the ship.  I assume these are repeat clients.  But not a good experience for excited first timers.

Great family boat. It's basically the allure, just smaller and older. 

We really enjoyed the specialty dining. Missed the Asian restaurant

and the Central Park and the aqua theatre but other than that 

you get an amazing week long cruise. Loved the port at Port Canaveral. 

Easiest on and off out of 12 cruises! Would book again. My teens had a blast

as well. Lots of nighttime activities. 

This ship is amazing and the dedication to serving customers is evident.  We loved all the fun options of things to do and see.  My two teenagers found plenty of friends to hang out with and enjoyed all the nightly activities - we enjoyed having a curfew for them that was enforced by the ship so we didn't have to be the bad guys :).  Our dining room server was "above and beyond" and the selection of wonderful food went on and on...

Royal Caribbeans Freedom of the Seas can't be faulted.

If you take the time to talk to the staff, they will go overboard to assist you. The bar staff made us special drinks everyday with whatever type of liquor we wanted (and blended well).

The food was very good, available at all hours of the day and night.

The only disappointment was the "chair hogs", those people that literally got up at 0530, took chairs and rarely returned to them and we're always situated in the best areas. I sat next to a few of these "hogs" and felt bad for people who thought they were available, there is a notice about not keeping vacant seats that are empty for thirty or more minutes, but it is not enforced.

Entertainment on board was decent. Two of the shows were pretty hopeless, not amusing and the head singer in one show was bad, so much so, a large portion of the audience left.

The ice show was fabulous.

The evening entertainment for adults was total fun and audience participation makes the show.

waiting to disembark needs better organization. We waited close o an hour later than our scheduled departure time and then waited in Customs for not her 45 minutes. There were only 5 customs officers for over 3800 pax.

The stops in port were long enough and enjoyed them. One thing about Labadee, their private area in Haiti. None f the locals smiled and they expect monetary handouts. This location is a major money maker for RC and we will avoid this in the future.

We had an opportunity to eat with the Captain and Head of Security one night and it was fabulous, this opportunity was available because we talked to the staff and they are the ones who "suggest" dinner guests.

The kids love the Dreamworks characters and flock to have their pictures taken.

The Cruise Director, John, mentioned that they have 70 nationalities working on RC and there is obvious harmony and no ill will noticed on board.  This comment makes us realize they we can make this happen in our everyday lives.

All in all, we booked another cruise on a smaller ship for next year.

From the moment you step on the ship, you will feel welcome. The staff goes out of their way to provide friendly, professional service. The ship is kept impeccably clean and all public areas are welcoming. The schedule of activities meets the needs of every family member. The only complaint I have is the smoke one must breathe to participate in the casino games. Smoking has been proven to cause cancer yet, Royal Caribbean puts smokers rights above all other passengers rights to clean air! 

I was exceptionally surprised by how great the staff was, and of course the food was awesome! We never worried about the kids going for ice cream or hot chocolate on their own.  The sanitizing stations made me very comfortable and the different dining options were a plus.

Over all great experience.  Internet cost way too much should have been free because it was agonizingly slow and kept kicking me off.  One of the staff told me they were upgrading soon.  Most staff were awesome, guest services not so much.  Shore excursions were excellent, only did one with the ship. Did the Helmet dive in Cozumel.  My 16 year old son loved it! I think because he has not snorkeled before and he could keep his head dry. I would prefer snorkeling as I thought it was mostly about the pictures they wanted to sell you and had limited area to view with very little to look at.  Does not give the "2nd most beautiful dive site in the world" justice. Others: we used Dexter Catamaran tours for sting rays in Grand Cayman, absolutely the best! not crowded like the ship tour.  Used Braco tours in Jamaica for tubing down the Bueno River. Also excellent!   Labadee island was relaxing and we enjoyed walking around. People very pushy to sell you things except in the building at the front.

We went on this ship in Nov. 2007.  It has changed.  Food was good but not like the 5-7 course meals before.  Before when at the pool you had people come by and ask if you wanted a drink etc.  Never had anyone come by this time.  Nice trip but not cruises fault we all came down with head colds.  Waves made it so we could not visit Coco Cay and striking merchants on St. Maarten made it so that we could not do our submarine tour that the kids were looking forward to so a big disappointment for them.

This was our 4th cruise, 2nd with Royal Carribean. Overall, we were very pleased with our cruise experience. 

Boarding and port experience went as smoothly as could be expected.  Our room was ready when we arrived.  Luggage arrived later in the afternoon.  First evening was wonderful, arrived in Coco Cay the next day but were informed that the winds and sea were a bit too rough for us to go ashore.  Disappointed about that but knew that that was a possibility.  Winds worsened and seas were very rough.  Captain kept us informed very well as we headed on to St. Thomas.  Days in port at St. Thomas and St. Martin were great.  Shore excursions through RC were great.  Upon leaving St. Martin, seas were again super rough.  45 mph winds.  Again the captain kept us well informed and thankfully we had no issues such as motion sickness.  Two sea days turned out beautifully.  Winds calmed and it was smooth sailing from then on. 

The ship is beautiful.  Really loved the promenade and enjoyed just sitting and snacking in the café and Sorrentos pizza several times.  Shows were wonderful each night.  Enjoyed the game shows and things in the Star Lounge as well.  Dining was great, no complaints about the food.  We had My Time dining and that was a bit of a challenge at times.  I had thought we could go anytime, but that is not the case at all.  That was my only complaint.  Overall, dining was ok and what we expected. 

We had a great time celebrating our 20th anniversary on this cruise and would definitely recommend.

Highlights - Outstanding Ice Skating Show, Evening Broadway Review, Wave Rider and huge fitness center. Majority of crew members were friendly and helpful. One disappointment - very crowded walking path due to the number of chaise lounges on that same deck.

First time on RCC, I think Freedom of the Seas fares worse than all the ships we have been on in almost all aspects. Particularly, Windjammer food quality and variety are below average with Jade Asian fairs almost non-existent. A rope was used in the middle of the buffet to block the access from both sides, first of such scene ever encountered. Unlimited Internet by the day or days is the only option but the connection was so bad that sometimes it simply wouldn't load the login page. We purchased 6 day package but it's only useful for about an hour per day, not worth the money at all. The stateroom lacks the basic amenities of even a motel, there's no glasses, ice bucket, lotion etc, no sanitary bag unless you ask for it. We forgot to pack toothpaste, the guest service simply told us to buy it at the store although other cruise lines usually provide it in staterooms. Our luggage wasn't delivered until we asked and were told to pick it up because they wanted to  check the contents thoroughly for alcohol. They found nothing but a bottle of wine which is allowed. We were among a long line of guests there to pick up luggages, totally unpleasant experience we never had with other cruise lines.  

For the most part it was a great cruise.  I believe the worst issue on the boat was just communication and guest services was just horrible - they never seemed to know what was going on and they were horrible about communicating if there was an issue and getting it resolved.  The food on the boat was great and majority of the staff that we encountered were very friendly and went out of their way to help with what you needed.  The entertainment on the boat was simply amazing! I have never been on a cruise with so much talent.   We would certainly go back on the ship again.

My family and I loved our cruise on Freedom of the Seas.  The crew was great, the cabin was larger than expected (room 7676), especially when you include the balcony.  There were plenty of things to do on the ship - pools, bars, restaurants, shows, etc.  My children (3 and 9) enjoyed the kid's programs.  You won't be disappointed.  

This was my first RC cruise. I have to say the service was exceptional. The few problems I had were resolved right away. The staff know you by name. I felt very safe aboard this ship. I enjoyed the shows, the dining room, the adult only pool and the ports of call.

There are a few negative things I could say. For one the internet packages are $20 per day and you have to purchase it for the entire cruise. That's $140 for one device. People who bought it complained the internet was too slow. Also, the prices for the arcade games are $1.50 each. They warn parents that children are able to use their seapass cards here, but I don't understand why they don't have packages where parents can pay for a certain amount of time. Also, they are always trying to sell you stuff - watches, jewelry, etc. The ATM machines charge you a $6.50 service fee. Casino slots are tight. Don't even bother.

We had 6 of us on this cruise (three couples with balcony staterooms).

We were disappointed in the dinner service as we had to wait  quite a while

for attention in the first few days of the cruise. After complaining to the matre'd

we did have improved service. She told us the fault was not with the wait staff

but that the kitchen staff was shorthanded and that the waitstaff had to help

with the food prep. The other shortcoming was with the excursions. After

waiting by a boat dock for a boat trip the boat staff informed us that we would

have to wade in waist high water to get off the boat onto shore. All of us  being elderly we decided not to go but that ruined our afternoon on the island.

The next excursion was outright cancelled as that amphibious vehicle had

mechanical problems. We got the message about an hour ahead of the trip.

On the positive side, we enjoyed excellent service in the windjammer restaurant

for breakfast, had fun in the casino and at the evening shows.

Overall, the cruise was very good even though the first and last day ocean crossing was very windy.  Dinner service and food was very good.  As for breakfast, need more people to clean tables and some were walking around like zombies.  As for service around the pool, well, not too great.  Some people were smoking just outside the smoking area and dumping ashes on the deck.  When we mentioned this to a cruise steward, he shrugged.  My husband asked if he was going to do anything about it, and he just walked away.  Too scared for their jobs.  Not enough management walking around to make sure things run smoothly.  As for the islands, they were great. Swimming with the dolphins in Cayman was the best day ever!

Several things I didn't like.  Housekeeping held onto soap like it was gold.  We were down to nothing, and had to ask for more.  When we went to eat on Monday night, we were refused for lack of "formal" dress--and refused in a fairly rude manner.  On my last cruise, there was one one formal dining night, Thursday; this time there were two, but they made it hard to know that.  The next night when we went to dine, our table had been given away to someone else.  At that point, I just skipped the dining room and ate in the Windjammer cafe.  When I say the refusal for lack of formal dress was rude, I mean just that.  They could have said: "I'm sorry, sir, but we now have two formal dining nights; sorry if you didn't get the message.  Can I hold your table until you dress more formally?"  Instead,m they snarled at me, as if I were a social pariah, inflicted with deadly leprosy, and they were obliged to yell "Unclean!  Unclean!"  So others could flee from my filthy presence!  My next cruise will DEFINITELY NOT be on Royal Caribbean/.  The Caribbean was fine, but there was nothing royal about my cruise or that ship.

If I had know their was a large group of 1,150 I would have postponed my cruise. I was a bit upset when speaking with another couple and learned that they had a Suite and paid way less that we did for a Jr. Suite.

Gracious service & attention to every detail; excellent entertainment, along with the many different activities that are offered, make every day a fun experience.