I was on the Freedom last summer and LOVED her! One of my favorite things was walking ALL the stairwells to see the art on each landing. It's exceptional.
As for food, I prefer fine dining to buffets and the like, so found the Portofino and Grill restaurants much better than what is usually reported here RCCL food wise. We ate in Johnny Rockets one night and did the hamburgers and shakes but had guilt so spent the next morning in the gym trying to work it off.
Speaking of the gym, had a GREAT yoga teacher on the Freedom so that was a perk for us. I also had one of the best deep tissue massages I've ever had in the spa and I'm a massage junkie. He was exceptional (sorry, forgot his name).
We sat one night watching the Flowrider private classes. That was a hoot! Dad's wiping out left right and center. If memory serves, it was a port night ... thinking San Juan, but don't remember. It was a beautiful night with a gentle breeze and I DO remember thinking if I didn't get off in a single port, it wouldn't have bothered me, as there was just so much to do and see on board the ship. The night before we came back to Miami, we were still discovering quiet little places we didn't know about.
The entertainment was terrific, especially the ice show. The ship had minimal movement so was surprised to see quite a few falls on the ice though, but overall, I was so happy we got tickets for it. The specialty hoop aerial act was the highpoint. The production shows were very well done. Just sitting in the theater looking at the curtain is a highlight. It's gorgeous and another 'attention to detail' that I found all over this ship.
The library had very good, current books. I read an Augustin Bouroughs book. A fun, quick read that kept me happy by the pool.
Checked email once and was pissed I did. I promised myself no business during the trip and there I was, sitting and answering client's emails the day before we disembarked. I don't remember the charges being particularly steep though. My life is a computer so the last thing I want to do on a vacation, is sit behind a computer. We turned our cell phones off also.
I LOVED their pools. The H20 zone is a KICK! But we sunned and swam at the adult pool. It was nice not being bothered with musicians who want you to get up and dance or kids splashing you when you don't want to get wet. Every once in a while, a child would try to get in and a staff member would politely let the child know it was 'adults only'.
I didn't do the jacuzzi thing but everytime I glanced at them, they were full of people having a great time.
Another favorite place of mine was the wine bar. We were there every evening for cocktails or wine and had a blast watching the parade of people go by.
There was a huge La Quinceañera group on board our sail which added to the fun. The girls were gorgeous in their gowns. They took over the showroom one early evening for their party and the hubbub surrounding it all was so much fun to watch.
The only thing that disappointed me was the retail selection. I bought one cute top in one of the shops, but other than that, there wasn't really any WOW shopping aboard. Oh, the guys who hawk the jewelry and alcohol in the center of the Promenade worked my nerves a bit.
Ventured into the casino once. It's laid out very well, but don't gamble so didn't stay long.
We had inside cabins which I thought would KILL me, but it was cozy, well laid out and quite enjoyable. I slept soundly EVERY night, the twins having been pushed together. My cabin number was 9589. Not sure if it would have been as enjoyable if I had to share the cabin but for a single cruiser, it was perfect. This cruise was a birthday gift so I have no idea what the price point was.
I absolutely loved my experience on the Freedom and would book RCCL again in a heartbeat. Now take all that with a grain of salt, because when I cruised Carnival, it was a good 20 years ago, and Princess before that. I know much has changed for all the lines and my trip on the Freedom was my first experience with today's cruising styles. But the Freedom sold me on returning to cruising. I can only hope the other lines provide as much entertainment and fun as I found with RCCL.
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Carnival Veteran Exploring RCCL Trip
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