Freedom of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Staff was top notch, room clean and maintained, excellent food service, relaxing and fun. Excursions were fun and well organized. Weather good despite last couple days it rained. Booked ready for 2017.

i found the staff to be very pleasant and the entertainment very good. They had a wonderful nursery and child care program. The food however was horrendous and the speciality restaurants limited and lousy. Everyone in our cabin ended up sick and vomiting for 1-2 days. Also, drink packages and everything else is too overpriced compared to other cruise lines. I won't travel on RC again.

Pat and I were very dissipointed in the lack of tv programs, actually nothing for adults @ night when we like to go to sleep with something good on.

Had a very rude officer @ the main desk, kept calling me a liar over two different issues.

did like the speed of disembarking when we carried our own luggage.

Waiter and assistant were great (table 129)

cabin attendant also great state room # 8224

Line Dancing classes did NOT have adequate floor space, had double the people to fit the floor.

gentleman giving the talk on detox did not have enough seats, several standing and propping.

Food was all good.

too many events going on on deck 5 for the # of passengers on board.

started out really impressed  but it went downhill over several smaller things.  If you get the soft drink package only there are machines on deck 5 and deck 11 ONLY.  No big deal but the ones on 5 were broke most of the time.  Watch out for any food (like the Tortuga rum cakes) in their ship store.  When we opened them up they had expired in May of 2013!  The main dinning food was okay but the buffet on deck 11 beat it almost every day.  They do really try to bleed you on (I suspect) all cruises.  120 bucks to park!  An ATM machine that would only give you 50 bucks at a time no matter what your balance was (6.50 per transaction so I don't think this was an accident)

The line went to adding 18% on each and every transaction. Well the boys from Jamaica know this and are in NO hurry to help you, smile at you, or even converse with you. Bad idea RCCL!!!

Pool bar service, you know the guys going around yelling "coco loco", and would

bring you a beer.........GONE!! Well not really gone, just standing up by the Skybar with their trays in their hands BS'ing with each other. 4 at a time....just standing there!! NOT ONCE IN 7 DAYS DID I HAVE SOMEONE ASK ME IF I WANTED A DRINK!!! Again I attribute this to the mandatory tipping at the bar.

The room steward could not have been better

The food was much much improved from the last time we were on this ship.

I wish NCL would give me the status I have on Royal, I would love to try them again.

We have really liked Royal Caribbean in the past. This trip did not measure up. The staff seemed tired and low energy. The dining room and food in general was average at best. The maitre 'd in our dining room was inept. Our cabin steward was okay. Our one meal at Chops Grillr was excellent. 

We will try other cruise lines before returning to RCCL - if we ever return. 

It appears that the service on Freedom of the Seas has gone south a bit.

We arrived and got on fairly quickly. We got a room on the 6th floor which faced the Promenade. We were assured we would not hear anything in the room - Not so! When the speakers are on for events, they hang right outside the room and the room seemed to bounce. On Thursday, the housekeeper "forgot" to come into our room at all - no clean towels, no bed made - nothing. I called Housekeeping and they sent up towels! The next afternoon, the attendant showed up to apologize but damage had already been done. Housekeepers fill the halls in the day time, chatting amongst themselves and it is difficult to walk down the already narrow corridors. 

Needless to say, we will never step foot on this ship again. Apparently when a ship gets older than brand new, service declines and no one really cares. 

My wife and I very much enjoyed our cruise on the Freedom of the Seas to St. Thomas and St. Maarten!  CrusiesOnly and their staff was wonderful to work with!  They did everything and all we really needed to do was show up aside from the online requirements to complete the required paperwork to board the ship.

I would highly recommend if you are looking to book a cruise.  Of all the cruises we have been on, this was by far the easiest one for embarking and disembarking!  Thanks !

Second time cruising on the Freedom of the Seas; first trip was 7 years ago on this approximately 4000 passenger ship.  Having lived in Florida for 30+ years the forty something temperatures driving to the port made the prospect of a Caribbean cruise even more enticing.  I'm sure  those traveling from more snow laden areas felt that much more! Fortunately many wisely got out before the blizzard hit in the east. 

The first stop at in the Bahamas at Coco Cay was a little cooler then previous felt but pleasant and partly sunny a beach barbecue is included.   At Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas VI, we opted to take a taxi for $10/pp each way to the port of Red Hook and took the ferry to St John $7/pp.  This is one beautiful island, took a taxi tour with most of the time spent viewing and stopping at some of the many beaches.  Many stunning views from differing heights.  Before returning on the ferry we stopped at a friendly, mostly outdoor pub, Cruise Bay Landing enjoyed a snack with the local beer.  Phillipsburg St Maartin, our final stop great as always for shopping though at times we've walked off the ship to the beach area where you can rent a chaise lounge, umbrella and use of a bathroom.  The prices dropping the farther you walk from the port. 

RCL maintains the Freedom of the Seas well,  our stateroom attendant Dennis kept the stateroom clean and responded to any requests efficiently.  The food on the MDR for lunch and dinner was very good, at the lunch chopped salads were great. The service provided at table 62 in the Galileo room could not have been better.  We ate there 2 nights. The service for breakfast was slow and understaffed. The Windjammer buffet  provided many varieties of

food  we ate there for breakfast and some lunches.  For breakfast lovers you can get omelets prepared your way and they constantly make fried eggs so they are hot when you sit down to eat.  The cafes on the promenade deck were open 24hours, good for a grab and go sandwich, pizza or breakfast sweet.  The pizza crust has improved over the years especially if you get a slice from one freshly made.

Normally we don't eat at the specialty restaurants but friends traveling with us were going so we ate at Chops, Giovannis and Sabor (kind of upscale Mexican).  They were all great with excellent service.  It was disappointing to see that Chops has an up charge for Lobster and Porterhouse steaks.  Sabor's $25/pp charge includes freshly made at the table guacamole and warm crisp chips and salsa.  At all restaurants there is plenty of food to enjoy. 

Entertainment from musical production shows, ice skating shows, comedians, piano bar with star themed nights, Latin dance at the Boleros lounge and other types of dance and listening music available until late throughout the ship. 

Activities during the day include jewelry making sometimes free sometimes a charge, wine tasting, cooking shows, some for a charge but including a meal, scrapbooking, line dance and other dance classes.  No enrichment lectures like I've heard on other ships. 

The bartenders in the Schooner bar were both friendly and talented with magic trips, drawing etc and the drinks were good too! 

This ship provides plenty of activities for people of all ages and that's what typical of RCL.  Happy Cruising!

overall it was a good cruise. the ship was crowded as most rccl cruises are. not enough space and too many lines. The food was good, but not as good as it used to be. We weren't allowed on Lebadee because of a protest. I believe rcccl could have rectified this before we got there. The help on the ship was outstanding. They do the besat they can with what they have. One complaint I had was the bed. It was broken down on both sides. Not too comfortable with two people sleeping in the middle.

We've been on a few other cruises, all with Royal Caribbean.  This one wasn't quite "up to snuff" for us, but much of our dissatisfaction wasn't directly due to anything Royal Caribbean had any control over.  Because of local protests related to local political issues, we left Labadee shortly after arriving and passengers were not allowed off the ship. Falmouth, Jamaica was quite disappointing as a cruise destination. And once we left Cozumel and headed back to the port we experienced constant winds of 50-60 mph and of course the ocean was very rough.  So, while we can't blame Royal Caribbean, this cruise wasn't the usual winner we've become accustomed to.

this was my first cruise so I wasn't 100% sure what to expect. The meals in the windjammer cafe had a lot of selection, but it seemed like the staff were unable to keep the dining room clean due to the volume of guests. The meals themselves were delicious and there was a lot of variety. There were plenty of activities for everyone to enjoy. The ports of call were fun. Overall, good experience. 

 The food and wind jammer could have been much better .

 On previous cruises I have had a better selection of food .

 The lineup to get coffee, tea often  got too long I prefer the self-serve method.

Overall this was a great trip.  We stayed in a junior suite and it was totally worth it. The staff on Board the Freedom of the Seas was wonderful and the ship itself was nice.  However the food was average at best.

On our cruise we made it all the way to Labadee, Haiti and were unable to disembark due to "political protests" on the shore.  This was a complete disappointment and Royal Caribbean should be ashamed of themselves for marketing this island as their "private island".  They had zero security measures in place to ensure our safety if we disembarked and did nothing to makeup for the missed port.

In Jamaica we did the Margaritaville Catamaran Sail, Beach Break and Party. BEWARE - they make you get off tje catamaran IN THE OCEAN!  The waves were over our heads and the boat was rocking so bad we had bruises. They neglect to tell you this in the description.  The beach was average at best and the locals hounded you the entire time "relaxing" at the beach.  Also, Maragaritaville back at the port was disappointing.  Try a different excursion.

In Grand Cayman we did the Push, Pull, and Swim with the Dolphins and it was AMAZING!  I cannot say enough good things about the entire experience.  It was VERY pricey, especially after we shelled out $200 just for the CD of pictures for a family of 4, but it was worth every penny.

In Cozumel we did the Deluxe Beach Break and Playa Mia Water Park.  Had the weather cooperated and all of the Ocean Activities not been cancelled this would have been a great excursion.

My last piece of advice would be to stay CLEAR of the Royal Caribbean transfers.  Our bus had no air on the trip to the port and was blowing hot air.  It was close to 90 degrees in  tje bus with no water for 50 minutes and NO APOLOGIES.  On the way back our bus had a problem getting trew the gate at the airport and our diver exited the bus and left us unattended - in tje bus - at tje gate - without any information fpr well over 15 minutes.  GET YOUR OWN TRANSPORTATION.

Overall anywhere besides the cold Chicago weather was going to be great.  Glad we went but could have done without the issues.

For my first cruise this was a great experience. We were surrounded by friendly staff and great options for dining, shopping, entertainment, and more. As a gluten free traveler I am thrilled to say that my needs were well accommodated for by every establishment, with the exception of the pizzeria who couldn't seem to make a gluten free cheese pizza that wasn't raw or missing one of the three ingredients (sauce, crust, cheese) under any circumstance. The entertainment was great, although I would love to see full productions on the show not just hour long excerpts. Even with running into some iffy weather, and a political protest in Haiti the trip was a fantastic one. 

The best service I've every received land or sea!  These people work very hard to please the customer and deserve the utmost respect from the travelers.

Tip them well.  The daily charge per person is nothing considering what they do for all of us!

Freedom of the Seas is one of the friendliest ships on the high seas. I have cruised on her several times and always find the staff onboard to be above-average. The ship is maintained well and is clean and up to date. Service in the dining room (both formal and “my time”) is very good. Waiters and waitresses are pleasant and quick to come to your aid if need be. They are knowledgeable regarding the menus and can help with special dietary needs, if requested. My cabin steward was very nice and quick to accommodate my requests. My cabin was always sparkling!  The reason I frequent this ship so often is that the crew actually seems to like their job and it comes through in their smiles and their service. I recommend Freedom of the Seas for a wonderful cruise!

This ship is recalling showing its age.  Our mattresses were basically a set of box springs.  They covered it with three blankets to try and soften it.  It didn't help. The blankets were as thin and worn out as the pillows, also very hard.  So if you want a comfortable bed, bring your own pillow top and pillows.  Our toilet stopped working mid cruise. Maintenance said the ship was having plumbing problems.  It worked the rest of the cruise about half the time.  The food in Wndjammer was great on the first day, but thereafter the quality went downhill and was almost always the same variety. The main dining room food was cold. Shrimp cocktail was comprised of baby shrimp, the kind you find in a salad. Order multiple so you at least get a taste. The only great thing on the ship was the cruise director, Casey. Very funny guy. 

We totally enjoyed our cruise on Freedom of the Seas.  The ship was beautiful, staff took care of our every need, all professional and friendly.  Our room was always clean and tidy, the food was really good (ate too much!).  The dining room was so beautiful and food excellent.  The entertainment was awesome.  Professional dancers, singers, even went to an ice skating show which was really fun.  Hard to believe there would be an ice skating rink on a ship!  All aspects of the cruise were great!

We went on our honeymoon to the 7 night western caribbean cruise! It was pretty amazing and we loved every single minute of the cruise. We loved the activities on the ship, free champagne for honeymooners and the choice of ports. Our stateroom attendant was especially very good!!