Im going on the new royal caribbean ship, freedom of the seas?

Question

we are doing the western caribbean itinerary (labadee,grand caymond,jamaica,cozemel, and somewhere eles i forgot)

has anyone been on the ship? is it nice? big? did you like it? did you do the surf thing?

what about the itinerary? which was your favorite island? excurtions?

thanks a bunch =]

Answer 1

I was on this cruise at the end of June, 2007.  You can read my review if you like (it is about 13 type written pages long) ...

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreview...

I also was on the western itinerary.  This was my second time on this itinerary.  I did the same itinerary on the Navigator of the Seas in August 2004.

Monday is a day at sea.  Your first port is Labadee on Tuesday.  This is a private beach owned by Royal Caribbean (RCI).  It is a good day to just relax on the beach.  The small kids land based water park (Luc’s Splash Bash) was free.  The bigger Aqua Park is water based and costs $15 for 50 minutes.  There are water trampolines and a water see-saw and plastic icebergs for climbing.  There are also Wave Runners, but it is a follow the leader type excursion.  There are many other things to do, but I recommend just relaxing at the beach and enjoying the day.

If you are adventurous, then try the 500 foot high, 2600 foot long zip line that goes over the water.  Sign up for this online, as it is very popular and might be sold out by the time the ship sails.

Wendesday is spent at Ocho Rios.  The street vendors can get a little pushy in Jamaica, so be prepared.  As you walk away from the dock on your right is the Island Village Shopping Center (just like a mall in the United States).  To the left is a very nice beach.  It is nice because the street vendors are not allowed in.  I was there in August 2004 and it cost $1 to get in.  The sand was more like powder.  I also did the river tubing, which was fun.  In June 2007 we went to Dunn's River Falls.  That was hard work, but it was also a lot of fun.  

Thursday is spent in Grand Cayman.  Like Labadee, this is a tender port (the ship docks in Ocho Rios and Cozumel) which means you take a smaller boat from the ship to the dock.  Allow extra time for this.  

Both times I went to Grand Cayman I went to Stingray City.  For some reason I just really like feeding the stingrays.  Seven Mile Beach is just north of the tender dock and is a world class beach.  The turtle farm is also popular.  Grand Cayman is also well known for its scuba diving.

Friday is Cozumel.  It seems to have fully recovered from the hurricane that hit it two years ago.  In August 2004 I swam with both a dolphin and a seal.  In June 2007 we did some kayaking and snorkeling.  Both were fun (though I enjoyed feeding the stingrays more than swimming with the dolphin and seal).

Finally Saturday is another day at sea.  

The ship is huge!.  Two days at sea are not enough time to fully explore the ship.  I did not go on the Flowrider (the surf thing).  Unfortunately the Flowrider is not open all day, which limits the number of people who can enjoy it, since it cannot handle as many people in an hour as say the mini water park (H2O Zone) or ice skating (both of which are also available on the ship).

Other activities include the pools (separate from the H2O Zone) rock climbing, miniature golf and people watching in the Royal Promenade.  There are also several lounges and an adults disco.

This ship is also great for teens because of the Living Room (a place for the teens to hang out with other teens) and Fuel (the teen disco with a soft drink bar).  These two areas are exclusively for the teens (no little kids and no parents).

I recommend you take a look at the central promenade (which is on deck five) from one of the balconies between the elevators on decks six, seven or eight - and be prepared to be Wowed!

It is a great ship that has a lot to offer.  Unfortunately one week is not long enough.  My favorite excursion is Stingray City on Grand Cayman.  My favorite island is Labadee because it is a great place to just relax.  I am sure you will have a great time on this ship.

Answer 2

This is one of the if not the best ship out there. I have been on Carnival cruises...they were okay, really wished I had went on Royal Caribbean though. Royal Caribbean cruises are top of the line, and are frequently featured on Travel Channel's best cruises. I have been to many of those islands, and have spent 7 day vacations on Grand Cayman and Cozumel. Love both islands. Cozumel has amazing scuba diving, and Grand Cayman is just all around fun, check out the turtle farm there, you can pick-up and play with turtles, one of the only places in the world you can do that. Also loved Stingray City, a blast. The last place they visit is Ocho Rios. I have heard the surf machine is amazing. I'm jealous of you. Check out some reviews here: http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2006... and http://cruises.hotwire.com/reviews/defau...  One of the most luxirous and activity filled ships around. It will be a blast. Enjoy!