Freedom of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

This indeed was the best cruise so far. A wonderful ship with the best staff.They were always happy,attentive,and very helpful. The shows were very good enjoyed most of them. This cruise stood out to be my best because of the service we got at .....My time dining....Our servers Rebello Rodson , Deepak Vishwanath and head waiter Chris gave us outstanding service. It exceeded our expectations. Always welcomed us happily and went out of the way to make us feel special. This is why we will be back on our next cruise soon. WILL HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS TO MY FAMILY, FRIENDS AND CLIENTS.

Freedom of the seas the ship was big and beautiful the staff was very nice had a great time. Been on the Norwegian cruise. Line also and thought they had more things to do on  board . They had things around the pool every night which  was nice for a older person. 

This was our third time on Freedom of the Seas. The experience was just okay. Pros: ship is clean, staff in the dining room and shops are excellent. Entertainment headliners are excellent

Cons: We booked a junior suite- other than extra room there was no other difference than a regular balcony cabin. Never knew the steward's name, had to ask for ice, ask for an extra towel, not even a pen was in the room. Bed had huge sag on my side- ouch. Food was cafeteria level and very small portions. If you happen to order and extra entree or dessert your waiter is allowed only enough for the number of tables they have in their station. They must go around to other waiters to see if they had no shows in their station so they can use that allotted entree- RIDICULOUS! Rented a cabana on Labadee- they are very nice but NOT worth $250 for the day- oh well. They raised the prices to $35 a person in the specialty restaurants- noticed they were mostly empty- I can understand why. Largest steak in Chops is 12oz- not that we eat a lot, but that is higher than New York city prices (Wolfgang's Steakhouse- excellent 20 oz- you  could share!) Going back to Celebrity...

We enjoyed our cruise to the western caribbean onboard frredom of the seas from port canneveral from april 12-19.However,I can't say that royal caribbean has anything better to offer as compred to Carnival.(we had done 2 previous cruises on carnival)For one ,we really were disappointed that there was NO food on the pool decks during sea days or any days.We had to go inside to the Windjammer to get food for lunch & the times it was available were limited.On Carnival there were food stations available at all times being freshly prepared all day on the Lido deck.Also I must say that the formal dining experience was much better on Carnival,in that the food was presented in a much more timely fashion at our evening meals &in a  much prettier display.Our experience on RC was not as pleasant in that we had to wait around 45 min to 1 hour between  getting our appetizer & our main course & our waiter was not very accomadating.The whole staff on Carnival seemed happier & more willing to serve their guests.Our ocean view room seemed more spacious on RC,but for the total experience & cost I must say I would tend to choose Carnival for future cruise experiences. I was very disappointed that I was not able to participate in RC's survey simply due to fact that I waited one week to complete it.

We are 4 * mariners on HAL but found a last minute cruise on Freedom of the Seas and decided to try it.  We were very impressed and will be cruising much more often on RC now.  The food was not as good as HAL and we did miss the unlimited laundry service, but other than that we were pleased.  The (Owner's) suite was outstanding and so was the cabin steward and the concierge.  The concierge lounge may not be as good as HAL's Neptune lounge in the fact that there is much less in there.  I could not get iced water or drinks and every time I got hot water, it was NOT.  The coffee machine worked occasionally.  The food offering were pretty good in the afternoon, BUT, having a complimentary glass(es) of wine every night made up for it and then some.  I brought 2 bottles of wine onboard and never opened them.  Our dining stewards went out of their way to make everything perfect.  Giovanni's was awesome and can't wait to go back, however Chops was terrible and we won't be eating there again. The fish was dry and tough and the filet mignon was way overdone and when I received the new one it was tough and riddled with gristle. I ordered the filet mignon in Giovanni's and it was cooked perfectly.  We thoroughly enjoyed our excursions even though we have been in these ports many times. My favorite excursion was booked through Cruises Only, the Gardens and waterfalls tour in Jamaica.  The cruise line didn't offer this one, but the should!  This was our 23rd cruise.  We definitely plan to cruise with RC again!

We enjoy this cruise, lot of activities, good food the best service, the crew members are so great and make our vacations unforgettable. Thank You Royal Caribbean!!!

This was one of the best Cruises we have been on from 1995 to present because the size of a Ship makes a difference. Thank you, Royal Caribbean for the Freedom of the Seas. Now, we are looking at the Oasis, Allure and the Harmony when it set sail 2016.

This is our 2nd cruise on Freedom and she is a beautiful ship.  Having undergone a renovation in January 2015, she is up-to-date from top to bottom.  Her crew were exceptional.  Erlinda Martinez, our stateroom attendant, was awesome as were were waiter, Adrian, assistant waiter, Blaz, and one of our favorite bartenders in Viking Crown lounge, Lucian..  Every request was handled quickly and efficiently.  The various venues were great.  Don't miss the ice show if you cruise on Freedom, as it is spectacular.  Having come down with bronchitis while on this trip, I can tell you that Freedom's health center is top notch.  We would definitely cruise on Freedom again!

great time had by all. many shopping deals on board! Buy your take home liquor on board the first day for 20% discout. The vendors on board will meet any price on like items found on the island...that's not good enough for me though i want them to beat their best price! they did on a beautiful watch saved around 60%! Not much time on shore,  i would prefer a few more hours at each port.

This was our first RCCL cruise in 10 years, mainly because their pricing model for 3rd person in the same room had us paying more for the 3rd person than either of the first 2, so for the past decade we had stopped sailing with RCCL in favor of other lines (Norwegian, Disney and Carnival).  We were happy to finally get an offer that allowed us to continue to improve our Platinum status.  However the RCCL we loved back then seems ot have changed.  The ships are magnificent and the amenities are unimaginable!  The food was good, but the people in general seemed to go through the motions.  Our servers for instance never bother learning our names.  This is not  a huge deal but the personal touches that we found so grand are gone.  Also we found the guest services desk to be most unhelpful when we tried to get a listing of those items we had purchased pre-cruise (tours, cupcake class, character breakfast).  Little things like the daily towel animals in our room that our son loves were cut to only one for a 7 day cruise.  The activities on the ship stop way too early, the rock wall, flow rider were shut down by 5 every day.  The kids club close dat lunch and also was done for the day at 7pm so we didn't use it much, other lines don't break for lunch but offered kids the option of eating in the kids club.  Also with the early closing we never took advantage of any of the adult sonly type shows that occur after 7pm.  The ships may bring us back to RCCL again, but the service was not that good overall.  The shows were good with alot of variety. The casino was rather cold in terms of payback, and we never saw it crowded as on other lines, and never really saw anyone stick around to play very long (if folks win form time to time they tend to stay and play).  The art auction was also not that good and the auctioneer a little rude, we thought RCCL had parted with Park West, but they were the company being used. We had a couple issues with purchases from them in the past so we do not buy from them, but if you see something you really like for your wall, buy it and enjoy, but don't buy it for an investment regardless of the auctioneers banter. You probably won't be able to get the framing price back at anytime in the future.  The bar staff was not too overbearing in the theaters which was great, however at 7am the morning of disembarkation, they knocked on our door to check the mini bar inventory!  We do not use the mini bar and would prefer it to be emptied so we could use the fridge space, but to knock at 7am is a bit too early on any day of the cruise, especially the last day when we are trying to gather our stuff and vacate the ship.  I gave this 4 stars although struggled to move it up or down based on the service.  I think 4 star is fair given what our matre de called the "New Royal Caribbean" I know some folks don't care about their dining staff remembering  a preferred drink and having it there already, or addressing you by name as opposed to "The Mister and Misses and the little boy", but those were the things that made cruising special for us when we started 30+ cruises ago, sadly they seem to be gone from RCCL.  The ships however cannot be beat for size, openness and day time activities.

Freedom of the Seas is an AMAZING ship.   The staff all through out the ship were so friendly, helpful and HAPPY!!!   One could ask for anything from the staff and IT would appear.   Stateroom was EXTREMELY clean and comfortable.   Loved the entertainment EVERY night.   The food was BEYOND amazing every morning, lunch and dinner.   Without the HELP I received from Peter VONN at CheapCruise I would NEVER have been able to plan the trip on my own.   Our excursion thru CheapCruise were EXCELLENT even arriving 1 hour late on one island due to an Unexpected stop at Nassau for a medical emergency on board.   I was nervous that when we arrived 1 hr. late at port our excursion would be gone BUT they were there waiting for us.    My husband and I are ALREADY planning our next trip and Peter Vonn will be our "go to man" to plan it for us!!

Awesome cruise, relaxing. Great way to spend a vacation.

after cruising on the freedom of the seas more than 10 times i find that the crew keeps on getting better with each cruise. they are polite, careful, knowledgeable and overall the best. the ship as always is well kept and should something have to be done it completed in record time.

please not us let forget my cruises only travel expert she does the best in making all plans for the cruise.

The ship was never untidy and crew members were always available, but their knowledge was limited to their own area of job assignment.

The shows were excellent, don't miss any. The quality of the food in the seated dining areas far exceeded that of the buffet available, but the buffet had a much larger selection. The former is not suited for children.

Everything in the ship is geared towards generating sales and the prices for products and services are excessive, despite the quality. A single photograph was $25.

I had a problem with an excursion and left photographs behind. When I asked guest services and shore excursion services to help me track down a telephone number so I could call them, the response was "since you didn't buy the excursion from us we can't help you." The excursion was available thru them, I just booked it myself instead. The attitudes towards me about it was profoundly negative.

The ship does not have do it yourself laundry, like NCL does.

A can of soda was $2.50 and a mixed drink $15. Beer was $8. The full open bar drink package of $55 per day (must purchase on day one) is worth it if you drink a lot. The soda only is $19 per day.

The port of Labadee was terrible, Jamaica was good, Grand Cayman very good and Cozemel great.

We had a wonderful time.  It was Spring Break so the ship was full of families and since we had our kids with their kids it all was perfect!  Staff was excellent!  Wish we could have better access to watch the Parade!  The ice show was wonderful as well as the other entertainment and games. 

We have always preferred the smaller ships because we enjoyed the intimacy of space and personal attention they offered. However, the Captain, officers, and cruise staff of Freedom of the Seas made our cruise experience very comfortable and enjoyable. Entertainment was top notch and food/food service was outstanding. Staff kept all areas clean and tidy. Embarkation and disembarkation were both a breeze. 

The ship itself is great. Theres alot to do and its very clean. My issues are with the food mainly. The Windjammer is almost unedible. The pizza place is slightly decent. Main dining food was okay at times but never great. Tiny portions so get more than one entree. Now on to the Bartenders. I would say 90% of them could care less about you. Slow service with zero personality. Nobody bothers to learn your name or what you like to drink. Like i said the ship is great but the quality is no better then a cheaper Carnival. Also we got a. Excursion that stated 3 and a half hours. It lasted maybe a little over 2. Hard to complain about a cruise but if you have other option you should look into it.

- Pool areas - towels, dirty dishes left for long, long, period of times. Bar tenders were hard to find around any of the pool areas.  Ice cream areas "Sprinkles" were not kept clean, and why in the world is it called Sprinkles when there are no Sprinkles - very miss leading, ask any child.

- Bar tenders in the majority of the on board bars must rather be someplace else, not very friendly and attentive with customers.

- Our room  was kept clean, but only we only had the animal shaped towels in our room on one of the nights.  It has become a very cute and sweet tradition on a cruise, it was missed.

Our late night family experience was exceptional as far as the excellent food and the service from the staff was superior.

The entertainment including the game shows were so much fun and enjoyed by all of us in our group.   The entertainment director/host and his staff were all wonderful.

- Are biggest disappointment was from the assistance from "Cruises Only" and the poor planning we received.  We were told that seating arrangement for our group was all taken care and we would be seated together. We were not seated together  and it was stressed and requested more than once.  Communication with our group leader that made the arrangement with Cruises Only was not kept informed which caused disappointments and additional cost to some of our cruise members, and this would not of happened if the group leader would have been kept informed.  Another incident - It was our group leader who found a better deal on line for one of our family members with 3 kids rather than Cruises Only which resulted in a large savings to that family by her instead of Cruises Only offering or searching for the best deal for it's customers.  All in all we were very disappointed in Cruises Only.

The service and STAFF were fantastic as always.  You truly feel like royalty when you cruise on RC (not that I need to, but it sure feels wonderful).  The food was fantastic, and the restaurants and cafes were excellent.  My only complaint is that the ports are so over commercialized, and there were no men's sunglasses to purchase on board the ship, and only men's baseball styled hats on board the ship (no bucket hats to help with unexpected sunburns).  When we were late for our excursion, the staff reimbursed us, and found us a new one.  I was not expecting that, but was thrilled.  It turned a bad turn of events into a memorable day.  Wonderful time.  Highly recommend this cruise line.  No stupid activities either like drinking yards of beer.  Very family friendly and suitable.

This was our first cruise and we learned alot about RCL cruises.  Overall the experience was good thanks to the staff and crew members who made it very special.  The Freedom of the Seas was renovative and added stateroom to increase the ship's capacity to 4400 people plus 1500 crew memebers..  In doing that, they reduced the services in the stateroom areas ( ICE,etc).  They also did not increase the deck chairs, number of pools, elevators, dining facilities, etc.  Thus you waited in lines for the deck chairs, elevators, and Windjammer dining.  We even heard from people who had been on many cruises this was not a good one.

Shore excursions were another event where we waited in lines to disembark.  RCL shore excursions were good, but it again it was the guides and drivers who made our day.  With 4-6 cruise ships in port, it was hectic and in some cases disorganized.  We really did not want to do shore excursions with 1000 people.  But we survived.

The ships officers were always present for toasting and pictures but after that you couldn't find  them !.

Shows were great and very enjoyable.

If you wanted spend time with thousands of people.  Cruising is for you....