Freedom of the Seas Review
If I were a rich woman, and had flaws in my face
Rating by category
Additional details
A wonderful experience for celebrating my parents' 50th Anniversary wedding with the family. Onboarding and check-in went well. The cabin (with balcony) was nice, although one could see the deterioration in the bathroom. The Guest service desk we met were mostly rigid, so try to ask the personell in charge directly if something is possible. The performers in the shows were excellent, and the theatre is really big for being on a boat. I saw just one 3D movie and one show, but I was quite excited about them.
Please be aware that the beverage packages for soda beverages does taste that they come from dispensers: Synthetic, and not at all anything like the soda normally taste like. Soda on cans are not included in the packages, and please note that you need to add services fee and VAT in addition to the price listed to you. Everything costs, and costs twice as much as onshore. As a Norwegian, that should say a lot, as all foreigners tend to complain about Norwegian prices when in Norway. When Norwegians start complaining about the prices, you should be worried.
The internet speed may be the fastest off shore, but expect to only have a minute or two of browsing before being disrupted, and you need to log in again. It states that if you are inactive for more than 2 hours you'll be disconnected. Not sure why that statement is there, when they disconnect you after only 2 minutes.
Cabin Review
Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Balcony
Nice cabin with double bed. Balcony spacious for two. You need to expect noise from the other balconies, so be aware that you are not too loud. The balsony dividers may make noise when windy.
Bathroom was OK. A bit wear and tear here and there, but nothing that would throw the nice experience off.
The room was clean and tidy twice a day, which is somewhat of a luxury for me. However, after ordering breakfast to the room one day, a new order form was not available to us, so we could not order it the second time.
Port Reviews
Barcelona
Took a taxi from the train station to the ship. Onboarding went smoothly, but there is no information signs as to what you are expected to do with luggage and then retrieving your Sea Pass card. You have to ask the personell, who are already busying doing their tasks.
Villefranche
The ship did not dock at shore, so the cruise arranged for boats to bring us back and forth to shore. It worked quite good. Villefranche is worthwhile a sigthseeing, but you can do this on your own. It is hilly, so you need to be able to walk hills and stairs up and down. Villefranche also have a soft-stone beach, and I really recommend a stop there to for a swim in the Meditteranean ocean.
If you plan a trip to Eze or other places in a taxi, be aware that they rip you off. For USD 100 they would take you back and forth to Eze, which in total is a 40 minute ride. Seriously?
La Spezia (Cinque Terre)
Easy to find information at this port. My family and I went to Pisa and Lucca, and we were not disappointed. The guide spoke excellent English, and was very knowledgable. It was a true delight having Angelica as a guide. I learned a lot and it was not so much focus on what to buy as in Aix-en-Provence. We got to Lucca first, a town I would like to return to. After that, we went to Pisa for the tower, bapistry and the church. There were a lot of people there, and little time available to see inside the buildings. We bought tickets at the ticket office first, and then went to the bapistry and the church, but only had 5 minutes available in each building before rendez-vous with the group to head back to the bus that was waiting for us 20 minutes walk away. No buses are allowed closer to the tourist attractions
Rome (Civitavecchia)
A bit confusing start, as the ship did not dock where it originally was supposed to dock, but they informed us that shuttle buses were set up to take us to where we were supposed to have docked, and where we could take a bus to the train station for EUR 2 per person.
The train station was easy to find, and the person selling tickets speaks good English. As one in the family was very knowledgable about Rome, we decided to take a tour on our own. We visited the Colosseum, walked to Forum Romano, the Emmanuel Vittorio-buliding and passing the Trajan-obelisk. Heading for the Capitol heights and further to the Pantheon which is my family's favorite place. We then took a taxi to cozy Trastevere, and ate lunch there. We then split up, some went back to the ship, whilst the rest took taxi to St.Peter's Square, Neptune fountain, walking to Trevi fountain, and then take a taxi to the train station, Termini, to retur to the ship.
All in all, a very nice trip and better when you can do whatever you like.