 |
| Author | Post |
|---|
nhrich
Charter Member
| Joined: | Thu Jun 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Windham, NH |
| Posts: | 4959 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
back to top
|
Posted: Sun Nov 5th, 2006 11:23 pm | 1st Post |
|
Jeri & I were fortunate enough to be invited to sail on a 2-night pre-inaugural cruise on Royal Caribbean’s new Freedom of the Seas, which is now the largest cruise ship in the world. This cruise was a “cruise to nowhere” from Cape Liberty, New Jersey, on which we actually sailed south towards Chesapeake Bay, and turned around to return back to Cape Liberty.
Embarkation:
We arrived at Cape Liberty, having driven from our home in New Hampshire, just in time to see what was to be our home for the next two days just backing up to the pier. It would be an understatement to say that this ship is big. We entered the terminal, went right through security, and were checked in within five minutes. Pretty easy, right? Of course not! From there we went into the “holding area”, where we waited two hours for the shuttle bus to take us to the ship. Boarding actually started right after we got there, but since the terminal is a short walk from the ship, they run shuttle buses. It would have been easier to just let those of us who were willing to walk to do so, but I suppose forcing everyone to use the bus adds to the security.
The Ship:
Once onboard, we immediately went to drop our luggage and check out our spacious balcony stateroom (category D1, #9376). The cabin was quite roomy, with a full size sofa, and one of the new Royal Caribbean beds that are being rolled out fleet wide. These beds are very comfortable, comparable to some of the better hotel beds that I’ve slept in. There is plenty of storage space in the drawers (about 8 drawers in total, including the night stands), and over twenty hangers in the closet (at least for now). The bathroom was large enough (none of the standard cruise ship bathrooms are what I’d call large), and the round shower had sliding doors. The balcony was large enough for two chairs, with plenty of room left over. Partitions between the cabins on the balcony, when unlocked, slide open, rather than swinging open like most ships…a nice touch for those traveling together if you can get your cabin steward to open it.
Exploring the ship, we found the layout to be very similar to Royal Caribbean’s Voyager-class ships. The centerpiece of the ship is the enlarged promenade on deck 5, with stores, bars, restaurants (Sorrento’s Pizzeria, Café Promenade, Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Parlor), and even a barber shop lining the sides. The promenade tends to serve as a gathering place, and the ship’s crew does a themed parade during the cruise. Staterooms (category PR) on decks 6, 7, & 8 overlook the promenade, and the deck 8 windows are slightly tilted to allow passengers to better see it. On deck 8, cabin 8305 is known as the “Ben & Jerry’s suite”, with a view of the butts of two cows. There is an upside to this, though, as the passengers in this cabin, as I understand it, will be entitled to free Ben & Jerry’s ice cream for the length of their cruise.
Since the ship is so similar to the Voyager-class vessels, the remainder of the description of the ship will be devoted to the differences between those and the Freedom of the Seas.
The most innovative new feature on the Freedom is, of course, the Flowrider. This allows passengers, one at a time, to attempt to surf (with “attempt to” being the key phrase). A good friend of ours who is an avid surfer had problems doing this. Apparently, it’s nothing like regular surfing, because of the force of the water and the uphill slope of the Flowrider. Royal Caribbean’s Chairman, Richard Fain, did very well on it. He probably spends his day practicing on one in his office. There is also a water park for kids, called the H2O Zone. The young ones who were using it looked like they were having a blast, with water cannons, a circular pool, cascading waterfall, sculptures, fountains, and hot tubs for the kids. I expect that parents may have a difficult time getting the kids out of this area.
Near the Flowrider is the miniature golf course, which was reduced from eighteen holes to nine, due to space considerations. This area was getting a lot of use during our cruise.
The large fitness center is state of the art (or at least it seemed that way to a fitness center non-user). It also includes a place for you to settle disputes with your loved one – a full-size boxing ring. I don’t believe there will actually be boxing matches (except for the occasional passenger who wants to take his cabin steward to task), but they will be offering training sessions.
You would not think that there were as many people on board as there were. I’m not sure how full the ship was, but there were never any problems finding places to go that were not crowded. There are so many places to go on Freedom of the Seas that crowds don’t seem to be an issue.
We were also able to view the Royal Suite (#1640), and the Presidential Family Suite (#6414). The Royal Suite holds four passengers, with a baby grand player piano, and is very elegant. This would be nice for upscale passengers, but probably not for a family with children. The Presidential Family Suite holds up to 14 passengers. There are several separate bedrooms and large living area. It’s not as elegant as the Royal Suite, but very nice, and for a family reunion group or something similar, would make a nice vacation. Both suites have a large balcony with private hot tub, and the Presidential Family Suite also included a wet bar on the balcony.
Food & Service:
While we only were able to have five meals on board, we found the dinners in the dining room to be very good. They included prime rib and filet mignon, and the prime rib was among the best I’ve had. Service was prompt and attentive, and I didn’t notice any of the typical issues of the crew having problems getting used to working with each other that are often the case with a new ship. Breakfast in the dining room was a limited menu, since the morning we ate there was already disembarkation morning. The food here was adequate, and the service, again, was excellent.
We enjoyed breakfast and lunch at the Windjammer buffet. There was a large selection at both meals, and the food was high quality for a buffet. Breakfast was better with a larger selection than the dining room, and for lunch, there’s something for everyone, with burgers, a carving station, dessert station, and for those watching their weight (and if you are, why are you on a cruise?), a salad bar…plus much, much, more.
Our cabin steward, Sandra, had previously been on the Monarch of the Seas. She was very happy to be working on the Freedom, as it appeared the entire crew was. Her service was excellent for the short stay that we had, and she was very personable.
Bar service was excellent. Of course, being a pre-inaugural mainly for travel agents, the drinks were strong and free. What could be better than that? And, with the number of bars and lounges on board, we never had to go very far to get our next drink.
Entertainment:
Since this was only a two-night cruise, we were not able to take advantage of all of the entertainment offered. The lounges had singers, there were ice shows, and a production show, none of which we had a chance to see. At sailaway, we attended the party on deck, complete with fireworks from Liberty Island. The following evening, there was a live performance by Jon Secada. While we’re not big Jon Secada fans, he did put on a good show, and upon returning to our cabin, there was a signed CD of his, which was a nice touch.
Summary:
I think that the Freedom of the Seas is going to be a great ship for families. There’s plenty to do on board, and with the new innovations, it’s a very exciting ship to be on. Unfortunately, we were only able to spend two nights on board, and it was barely enough time to see the whole ship. I look forward to spending a full week sailing on Freedom of the Seas some time in the future.
Last edited on Sun Nov 5th, 2006 11:29 pm by nhrich
____________________
Rich, ACC
Carefree Vacations
http://www.carefree-vacations.net
|
gurlwithbaggage
Founders
back to top
|
Posted: Sun Nov 5th, 2006 11:29 pm | 2nd Post |
|
| Thanks for posting this Rich! I always enjoy reading your reviews!
____________________
Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans~~John Lennon
|
Current time is 12:07 am | |
|
|
|
|
