Freedom impressed

By sailingrose

• July 12, 2011

Freedom was our choice because Port Canaveral was close to home and we didn't want a ship any larger. We sailed on her last year and we found that this year's trip was much better.

We had a balcony cabin on deck 7 forward. Cabin size was good, would have preferred to be more aft but I booked a guarantee so you get what you get. I did however save $600.00 so it was well worth it. Our cabin steward Teddy was efficient and funny, one of the best we've had in a long time.

The ship is in excellent condition. No real wear and tear that I could see. She just came back from dry dock a few months ago where they added a few of Oasis's features.

We sat at a table for 6 but only another couple and us sat there. We enjoyed their company even though they were much older then us. We also had the pleasure of dining with the Hotel Director on the 1st formal night. We sat with several couples that we have cruised with before and we enjoyed everyone's company. The food was pretty good compared to last year. I only had a problem with the scallops on an appetizer and the lobster both of which were underdone. We ate at Chops the 1st night, I had the shrimp, it was OK but I'd skip it next time. The appetizers were out of this world and the mushrooms at dinner were outrageous. I ate the whole dish by myself. LOL Our waitstaff was excellent in both Chops and the dining room. Our head waiter was non existant, fortunately we didn't need him.

We only went to one show, Beatlemania and it was excellent. We don't care for production shows and we have already seen the Ice show so we skipped it. We spent many evenings just gambling in the casino and I broke even, Howie lost a bit. We enjoyed it and were happy to see staff there that we have sailed with before.

Our ports were CocoCay, St. Thomas and St. Maarten. We stayed on in CocoCay and enjoyed the Solarium with many other regular cruisers. The pool and the hot tubs were excellent and no kids! Biggest problem is it is very crowded in there on sea days. The other pools have a water like park on one side for the kids and the newly added TV on the other side. Sorry they added this but at least it wasn't so overpowering that you couldn't hear yourself think like we had on Princess. On sea days we avoided those areas and headed to deck 4 promenade to sit and enjoy the sound of the ocean.

St. Thomas we did a little shopping and had lunch with a friend from the ship.

St. Maarten it poured rain all day so many stayed on the ship but this Grandma and Grandpa had shopping to do so we got wet. Poor Howie looked like a drowned rat.

I did go to Vintages the wine bar one evening and enjoyed a peaceful glass of wine after leaving the casino.

We enjoyed the ship much more this trip as we didn't have to see all the shows, the stores, etc. Large ships are overwhelming sometimes and you end up exhausted much like a European cruise, constantly moving. Our staff was excellent and all the crew we encountered where friendly and willing to have a conversation with you or give you a suggestion. It was a nice restful cruise for us after several crazy months. I look forward to sailing aboard her again.