Freedom of the Seas Review

So Much to See, So Much to Do

Review for the Western Mediterranean Cruise on Freedom of the Seas
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freelabor
6-10 Cruises • Age 50s

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Sail Date: Oct 2017

This was not the cruise for those who enjoy a leisurely pace and lots of time on the ship. But it was perfect for us -- energetic travelers who wanted to see as much as possible in 10 days. It definitely delivered.

We were traveling with friends, celebrating our 50th birthdays. We spent an incredible week prior to the cruise in Barcelona and driving through the beautiful Pyrenees.

Our cabin was oceanview and was larger than most of the oceanview cabins we have stayed in previously. We appreciated the enclosed shower particularly.

Cabin Review

Port Reviews

La Spezia (Cinque Terre)

We went on our own and explore the picturesque towns of Cinque Terre. I typed up a bunch of suggestions and a lot of detail in my overall cruise notes and am too lazy to do it all over again. But the main takeaway would be - Cinque Terre is a lot of fun but not built for cruise crowds, so if you are traveling during their peak season, I would recommend you do something else. There's a reason Rick Steves warns cruisers to stay away. But we had a great time nonetheless.

Villefranche

We really liked Villefranche but didn't like the chaos of the tender. We explored Villefranche and Nice on our own. The train station is an easy walk from the port and a quick train ride takes you to Nice. I shared a lot of details in my overall cruise review and am too lazy to retype them all. We enjoyed taking in the lovely architecture and charm of Nice, but also really enjoyed the hidden treasures of walking around Villefranche.

Toulon

Went to Cassis on our own. We intended to take the train, but they were striking that day, so we went via taxi. Cassis is picturesque and charming. We took the boat tour of the Calanques, which were beautiful. Be sure to ask if they have the tour in English (unless you are fluent in French). We didn't, and wished we had. But we still could enjoy the beauty of what we were seeing. I have more suggestions and details in my general cruise review - I did it wrong and put all of the port info in that and am too lazy to retype everything. I think the most important thing to note is this is a port where it takes some planning and coordination to explore on your own, but you can do it. It's just not as simple as walking off the boat.

Palma de Mallorca (Majorca)

Grabbed a taxi and went to church, which was fun. Walked around the cool plazas and the beautiful historic cathedral and museums. It was a Sunday, so they were closed for tours. This is a town where it's a little harder to explore on your own. You might want to look at cruise excursions or tour providers. Cool town though. We enjoyed it.

Ibiza

Gave tips in my overall cruise review, and too lazy to go into that much detail again. But most important thing to share is that you get off the ship and there are lines for buses to transport you into town. You can pay for those if you want, and perhaps that's what you'll want, but if you walk just a little bit farther, you reach their tourist information center where you can rent cars, scooters, grab taxis, etc. We rented a car for the day (4 of us) for slightly more than the shuttle to town. Visited D'Alt Vil (very cool), walked down the road to Europe's oldest cemetery (?), and drove to an awesome beach. We asked the people at the TI and also locals for beach recommendations. Found a great one. If we'd had more daylight (or spent less time exploring D'Alt Vil) we would have tried to drive all the way around the island.

Cartagena (Spain)

Enjoyed this more than we had anticipated. It's very accessible to do on your own. We walked from the ship to the old castle, the Roman theater, and a really cool house from 1st century AD called the House of Fortune. (The latter was the coolest thing we saw and is easy to miss.)

Barcelona

Barcelona is a fantastic city. We loved exploring it. We spent a week prior visiting Girona and then driving through the breathtaking mountains and valleys of the Pyrenees. We also visited Montserrat.

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