Freedom of the Seas – Review & Ship Tour

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We sailed with Royal Caribbean on the Freedom of the Seas in April for a Southern Caribbean itinerary. The ship left from San Juan, Puerto Rico and made stops in Curacao, Bonaire, Aruba and St. Maarten. We’ve cruised with Royal Caribbean before for a Mediterranean itinerary and really enjoyed their amenities. The Freedom of the Seas was the biggest ship we’ve sailed on to date, and here is a detailed review of our cruise.

The Ship & Amenities

As I mentioned, the Freedom of the Seas is the largest ship that we’ve ever had the pleasure of sailing on. Before sailing with Freedom of the Seas we thought we liked smaller ships, with less people. But smaller ships also mean less activities. The larger ships on the oceans have more room for amenities, activities and variety. But they also have more cabins and therefore more guests. We really enjoyed the variety of amenities on this ship, but we did find it to be very busy. Something to note if you prefer less people on your vacations.

When it came to amenities, we really loved the Promenade! It was a great spot to hang out before our late dining time and we really enjoyed the entertainment there. Vintages was probably my favourite spot on the ship because of the variety of vines they offered. I also enjoyed the comfortable seating and that snacks were nearby.

The pools were nice, and we liked that they had an adult only pool – but holy moly were they ever busy! It was impossible to find seats most days and despite the “no reserving seats” rule, people still did it which was very frustrating.It was also nice that this ship had a large gym with workout areas big enough to host small exercise classes. The spa also looked quite nice, but seemed a little too pricey for the services especially with the Canadian exchange added.

Overall, aside from the scarcity of pool chairs, there were many great amenities to choose from on this ship to occupy your time.

Activities / Entertainment 

The Freedom of the Seas ship certainly had plenty of activities and entertainment to choose from. If you were looking for an active cruise you could partake in mini putting, arcade games, ice skating, water activities, the gym, rock climbing and sports activities on the sport court.

If you were more into shows or music there were musical performances throughout the ship, karaoke, movie screenings, fantastic shows in the theater and various entertainment shows with audience participation.

You could even participate in art auctions, bingo and trivia throughout the week. And for those who like to gamble, the casino was always open when the ship was at sea. I wish I had more time to take part in all of the fun. I’d definitely say the entertainment on this ship was some of the best we’ve experienced.

Service

The service on Freedom of the Seas was top notch. From the restaurants, bars, guest services, and shore excursions the service from all of the crew members was great. I don’t have a single bad thing to say about the service we received on this cruise. I thought all of the staff we encountered were friendly and helpful.

Our Cabin

We stayed in an inside cabin (check out the Freedom of the Seas inside cabin tour here) and really liked our room. The cabin was small, but I liked that there was a seating area and storage to be able to unpack our luggage. The room was kept quite clean and tidy and our room steward was very friendly and efficient at his job. We never had to ask for extra towels, toilet paper, kleenex or soap – we always had more than enough. Our room steward also knew our schedule and never once did we come back to him during his cleaning or turn-down. We joked that he was a ninja!

Drinks

On this cruise we splurged and got the drink package and it was completely worth it for us. Because we were on a cruise with two sea-days we had time to make the most of our drink package. Drinks were fairly expensive and priced in US dollars. I tried cocktails, mixed drinks and wine throughout the week and my husband focused on craft beer. We found all of the drinks to be tasty! Since we had the drink package we also went for the most expensive drinks our package could cover. I’d definitely consider getting the drink package on a future cruise.

Food

Dining Room
We had an 8:00 pm dining time which was not an ideal time for us to dine. Typically we like to eat between 6:00 – 7:00 pm but 8:00 pm was the only option available to us. By the time we were seated, ordered and finished eating it was 9:30 pm at the earliest. The food in the dining room was really good! No matter what we had and I really enjoyed their dessert options.

Buffet & Snacks
The food in the buffet was also really good! I liked that they tried to have different themes for dinner each night, but lunches and breakfast were pretty much the same each day. Honestly, I’m not complaining though because breakfast is my favourite meal of the day. The Promenade also had dining options including Sorrento’s Pizzeria and Italian food and Cafe Promenade. The food served at these locations was included in your cruise.

Specialty Restaurants & Snack Options
On the Promenade Ben & Jerry’s and the Cupcake Cupboard were also available for an additional charge. We tried out Ben & Jerry’s but not the cupcake place. We also didn’t find a need to try one of the specialty restaurants. I’m sure they were probably delicious as well, but the food offerings included in our cruise were more than sufficient and tasty for us!

Food Overall
In general we thought the food was quite good no matter the time of day or location. If I had any suggestions for improvement I’d say that more variety would be nice for the lunch buffet. I understand that when the ship is in port most people tend to eat off the ship so it’s not even a deal-breaker in my opinion.

Excursions

We opted to do excursions through the ship in all of the ports of call. Mainly because we wanted to see the islands we were visiting beyond the popular beaches. We also found it to be more convenient booking through the ship – for example, you could book through your TV in your cabin! – than trying to source local tours. In the end when I compared to local tours there were definitely cheaper options available for similar itineraries. I think it comes down to preference though. If you’re like me with no time to do my own planning, the convenience factor was just great.

We had excellent tour guides with all of the tours we did! Tour guides can really make or break the tour. We were lucky to have very knowledgeable, friendly and efficient tour guides to share their islands with us. However you choose to see the ports, I strongly suggest taking some sort of tour. You can sit on a beach if that’s your thing, but you can also try to experience some of the local culture and highlights in the short time you have in each port.

Ports of Call

San Juan
Technically San Juan wasn’t a port on this trip, but it was the departure and return port. We spent two nights in Old San Juan before of our cruise and had a fantastic experience. We almost didn’t arrive early and I’m so glad we did. Old San Juan was full of such charm and character. You can check out my San Juan itinerary for more details on our stay. I highly recommend adding a few days before or after your cruise to experience what this city has to offer.

Curacao
The island of Curacao is a Dutch Caribbean island famous for their blue liqueur, beaches and coral reefs. The capital of Willmestad is also well known for the brightly coloured building reminiscent of the tall buildings in Amsterdam. We did the Discover Curacao shore excursion that took us to 3 of Curacao’s top attractions. On our tour we went to the Curacao museum and saw some of the antique home items used on the island and unique art. This museum was fairly small as would be expected for an island of this size. It was still interesting to see some of the trinkets and furniture from the early settlers of the island.  Next we visited the Hato Caves where you could go deep into the geological wonders of the island and see some of the interesting and ancient stalactites and stalagmites. The final stop was at Landhuis Chobolobo also known as the Blue Curacao distillery. We got to sample three of the liqueurs they produce – all of which were tasty. At the end of the tour we were dropped off by the fort to either walk back to the ship or venture into Willemstad on our own.

Travel tip: make sure you know about the Queen Emma pontoon bridge! This pontoon bridge connects two areas of Curacao and frequently opens to let ships pass into the harbour. For small boats it might only take 15 minutes, but for large boats it could take up to 45 minutes or more – and you can get stuck on this pedestrian bridge! Pay attention if you’re planning to walk across. They do have pedestrian ferries that will bring you across during the longer bridge openings. You wouldn’t want to miss your cruise because you’re stuck on a bridge.

Aruba
Another Dutch Caribbean island and often referred to as one happy island, Aruba was probably my favourite of all the ports. And luckily for us it was the longest day in port on our itinerary. We did the Best of Aruba shore excursion that took us on a scenic drive to the natural bridge, California lighthouse, the Casibari Rock Formations, an aloe factory and one of the most popular beaches in Aruba. Our tour guide Rubin was fantastic and really made the tour extra entertaining and informative. Similar rocks to the Casibari Rock Formations an only be found in a few locations in the world. We stopped at the natural bridge for some amazing water views and learned this side of the island has such rough water it is unsafe to swim here. We stopped at the remains of Bushiribana Gold Smelter a 19th century facility built by Aruba’s Island Gold Mining Company an since abandoned.

Travel tip: If you take a tour in this port you have enough time to go out and explore on your own or to head to a beach late in the day. This port is early morning to 10 or 11 pm so make sure you maximize your time and plan accordingly!

Bonaire
The island of Bonaire is a municipality of the Netherlands and is approximately 40 km from Venezuela. We took the Best of Bonaire shore excursion that took us to the salt flats, on a scenic drive and to Lac Bay. It was fascinating to learn about the history of Bonaire – especially the salt production industry and what that meant for slavery on the island. The salt flats were large pink pools and on the day we visited there were lots of flamingos in the pools. Across the road from the salt flats you could see the slave huts that still stand today – with modernized roofs for tourism. These small huts were used by the slaves of the salt industry to store their belongings and sleep. After visiting the salt flats we took a scenic narrated drive to Lac Bay, an inlet that’s popular with windsurfers due to the tradewinds and calm waters. It was a beautiful spot and the Sorobon Beach Bar was in a great spot to enjoy the water views.

Travel tip: The port of Bonaire has some shopping and interesting buildings to see, but if you really want to experience the island, this short island tour was a great way to get beyond the port and learn about the history of the island.

St. Maarten
We went to St. Maarten on a previous cruise before the hurricane that destroyed much of the island. On our last cruise we didn’t get to see much beyond the beach area and downtown Philipsburg. This time we decided to take the St. Maarten Island Tour shore excursion to see more of the island. It took us from the Dutch side of the island to the French side and we were able to see some of the beautiful beaches and views overlooking the city. This tour also included a stop at Simpson Bay at the Carousel ice cream parlour. Out of all of the tours we took, I think this was my least favourite as most of the time was spent driving. Our tour guide was very knowledgable, but it would have been nice to have more photo opportunities.

Travel tip: if you take a tour that offers to drop you off in downtown Philipsburg – take the opportunity! It’s about a 30 minute walk from downtown to the ship depending on how fast you walk. There is great shopping in the area for souvenirs and it’s famous for their jewelry stores.

Freedom of the Seas Galley Tour
We also decided to do the ship galley tour on one of our sea days. This tour took us behind the scenes into the main dining room kitchens and then we had brunch with bottomless mimosas! It was an incredible tour and I highlight recommend it. I had always wondered what the kitchens looked like and it was a very informative tour. We got to see just how our meals were prepared, how the servers have to maintain such an orderly process to order and pick up the food and how the ship handles food waste.

Travel tip: If you have the opportunity to do the galley tour I would highly recommend it. You can take photos and videos on the tour and ask as many questions as you want as you get a tour by one of the informative crew members.

Freedom of the Seas Overall Experience

I love cruising. Despite experiencing some seasickness on this trip, I thoroughly enjoy cruising and the convenience that comes with it. Unpacking once and being taken to various countries/ports is such a nice change from the hustle and bustle of day to day life. I’ll definitely be cruising again and would highly recommend Royal Caribbean, Freedom of the Seas and cruising in general!