henrysea13

in my experience with royal lobster night is the last formal night of the cruise of course you can have lobster anytime you want in the main dining room but you have to pay extra 

Happens to me all the time. Darn stuff refuses to stay in the trays, and it would be rude to not eat what's on my plate.

@twangster LOL! The selfie is hilarious! You caved to the pressure! 
That has to be your new profile pic ?

Day 4 - St Thomas
There is no easy way to put this, this post will be photo intensive.  Sorry @Matt, in the immortal words of Roy Sheider's character in Jaws... "We're going to need a bigger boat".
I met with a friend and former co-worker before the excursion.  He reports the majority of residents on St Thomas have power back but other luxuries like cable TV are still a work in progress.  Residents on St John are still getting there.  Many areas have power but more remote areas are still without.  Despite that people are settling back into a routine.
My excursion today - St John's "All Inclusive" Beach & Snorkel
To clear up a commonly heard misconception, all inclusive refers to ferry + taxi + park admission + snorkel gear.  Nothing else.  No water, food or anything else. 
A few pictures around Crown Bay to start us off:




Our greeting committee:




Our chariot (ferry) to St Johns.


We cruised along the Southern coast of St Thomas and from a distance much looked normal but you could see many of these coastal buildings took it hard during the storm and they are a work in progress.

Twenty fives minutes later we approached Cruz Bay in St Johns.






We loaded into our taxi's to begin our way to Trunk Bay.






Our first glimpse at Trunk Bay.

After a 15 minute drive we arrived at the Virgin Islands National Park - Trunk Bay.

Restrooms and showers faired well during the storm:


Some things like the concessions are not open yet.

Chairs are available for rent.

Snorkel gear included in the excursion was available near the beach.
There is a snorkel trail underwater.


The beach is gorgeous with sugar like sand.



The snorkel course is to the left of the island with marker buoys in the water.  I set my stuff in the sand and donned my snorkel gear.
Lots of Sea Urchins.  You do not want to step on one.

If you look closely you'll see lots of minnows.












This complete and about an hour later we boarded our taxi.  Our driver stopped at several viewing spots so we could take pictures.  That's the British Virgin Isles in the distance.

Jumbie Beach

This is the Caneel Bay Resort.  Like most hotels it's closed pending restoration.  

Back on our ferry and heading to St Thomas they offered beer for $5 (brewed in Portland, ME).  

I managed to talk to a few locals this trip.  Most hotels remains closed with no word when they might reopen.  Building material and labor are hard to come by to fix them.  While some hotels have opened, tourism is swayed towards cruise ships at the moment.
While island life is settling into a new normal, the storm's effects continue.  For example, rain inundated many homes.  Appliances not physically damaged are beginning to rust and break down just now from water damage, even if minor at the time.  The storms that keep on giving.  Those that had the money built with concrete and faired better than those with older homes.  They didn't escape unscathed though, even the concrete began to saturate from the days of rain before, during and after both storms which amounted to weeks of rain.  The concrete in some cases withstood the wind but leaked water from saturation.  
I was glad to make it over to St Johns and just as happy to see life moving forward.  It's a process but the tens of thousands of dollars each cruise ships brings are very welcome.  With hotels shut many are out of work but they very much appreciate each ship and the jobs that are created from the cruise industry.

Thanks !  I love those cinemas.  They are so great - especially on long cruises where you really look for something to do on multiple sea days.  I hope they NEVER get rid of them !

I thought we did too, but I cannot believe it, I actually got the email today!!  After not getting anything for years, they sent the Indy one.  Can't figure them out lol!  Not even going to try.

Jim welcome to our forum as far as room service is concerned continental breakfast is complimentary and can be ordered the night before from your cabin you will find door hang menus in the papers left for you everything else is 7.95 per order not item but per order there is a rumor going around that it will soon go to 9.95 but no proof has surfaced when Royal instituted the new charge they improved there menu greatly I have had many of the new items and they are quite tasty . I hope this helps if I can be of any help don't hesitate the freedom is one of my favorites I have sailed her a couple times and the other 2 ships in her class are a treat also enjoy your cruise 
 

I have been to Cozumel many times I love it mr sanchos is a cab ride away and a real treat 50.00 gets you all you can drink and eat search it up on the internet reservations are suggested and can be had for 5.00 although I personally now just stay in the port area there is a little cantina that has great food and drinks for cheap there is a large one but off to the side is the small one by a tree in a fenced area depicting how the people that settled the area chose the place interesting there is a plaque that goes into detail the merchants in the port will gladly negotiate prices and don't miss going upstairs I have gotten my best deals on silver up there
 

@WAAAYTOOO you see this?!  Now they are both trying to suck up and get into @Matt's good graces! 
Sorry, @twangster, I think this photo of Joe is one up on your balcony shot lol ?

@JLMoran love seeing this through your "first timer" eyes too.  I stopped a bit to reflect after reading your "ocean is so cobalt blue" comment.  Such a good reminder to not take things for granted after many cruises.  Every cruise and vacation is a blessing and a joy.  Enjoy your day!

Took a couple of minutes to stand in our balcony and take in the view. It’s truly breathtaking. I am SO glad I invested in these add-on lenses, as they’re helping me take photos that capture the memories so much better than the plain camera.

As you can see, we’re almost exactly in the middle between the bridge wing and the whirlpool on deck 11.
I’ve never seen the ocean such a cobalt blue. It makes me pause every time I see it, just to take it in. Being a New Jerseyan, the Atlantic has always been more of a greenish tint whenever I’d go to a beach. I just assumed you had to get to a Caribbean island to see blues like this.

Embarkation Day recap...
We checked out of the hotel about 10:20 and hailed a Lyft. The experience was not nearly as smooth this time; the first assigned driver mysteriously changed the ride to “in progress” without ever showing up, and I had to cancel that one and hail another (thankfully with no penalty applied). The second driver we got showed up earlier than predicted, but clearly didn’t know the area fully as he was blindly following Lyft’s GPS directions and I could see it was taking him in a crazy route compared to where the port was. It eventually got us there, and we made our way to Terminal 29, the very last one in the port. As we made our way through, we passed Harmony of the Seas, Carnival Conquest, and HAL Nieuw Amsterdam. It was indeed a busy day in the port!
We arrived about 11:10, and there was already a good line of cars forming for drop-off. We checked our bags with a porter and I tipped $10 for our 8 bags (four big suitcases and four carry-ons that we wanted to check, while keeping the essentials in our backpacks and handbags). I was openly gawking at the ship and the sheer size of her, now that I could see her up close. I kind of pissed off the port workers as I failed to quickly follow their directions to GTFO and go into security, and just stood there for a minute debating whether to take a picture (I didn’t).
From there we quickly went through security, and ship check-in was relatively fast as well comparing to other times I’ve seen reported here. We boarded Freedom around 11:50, so a 40 minute turnaround. Considering the large crowd already there when we arrived, and the time I “wasted” ogling her from outside the terminal building, I’d consider that pretty good. Sadly, our t-shirts advertising our 20th anniversary got us no love from any attendants, and we had to take the “no status” line.
Here’s a shot of the crowd at the checkin counter, plus a panoramic showing it wasn’t actually that crowded.

We boarded on deck 4, and went straight to the gym and spa so my wife could find out about those unlimited classes. Unfortunately, this resulted in us getting the guided spa tour, which none of us wanted but we got roped into as we didn’t see the way into the gym that bypassed the spa. We realized afterward that we should have gotten off at deck 11 instead of 12. My wife ended up not signing on to the unlimited classes in the gym, deciding she’ll be fine just using the complimentary equipment. But she did sign up for the free pampering session they had on offer, and the girls signed up for the teen version (though they might skip it).
After this, we went outside to the pool deck, and had our first split up of the day, with the girls wandering off to explore the ship. I got right down to business, and sat down in a lounger in the shade with my first beverage — a lava flow!

It was good, at least when the rum wasn’t settled to the bottom and overwhelming the flavor. My wife stayed with me and had a taste, agreed it was good. We got up and explored the rest of the deck, enjoying the view of the surrounding area. I had a moment looking over the railing where it really hit me that I was on a cruise ship, about to embark on a helluva trip, and I laughed out loud. This is what I was looking at.

From the other side of the ship, we could see Harmony and Carnival Conquest, sharing the port with us.

We made our way to the Promenade, and once again I had to take a few moments to just absorb it all and realize I was somewhere I’d only seen in pictures up to this point.

Where to start?!? But, it was 1:10 and the announcement came out that rooms were now open. So, off we went to see what our balcony rooms were like.
In two words, very nice! We were a little nervous when we saw how narrow the door was, but breathed a sigh of relief when we walked in and saw the actual space. No photos right now, my wife was adamant that I not do a photo tour set the second we got in. And happy wife does indeed equal happy life!
She did not, however, say anything about taking photos of our view, so I give you one fisheye and one telephoto pic that sums it up.

Our luggage arrived not long after, around 1:30. Most of it... Oddly, we got every piece except my wife’s carry-on; maybe because it was more like a very large handbag than a suitcase? That didn’t show up until a little after muster.
Before muster, after unpacking our luggage, my wife and I went to the MDR to see where our table was and if we got the really big table we’d hoped for. We didn’t, but from what I could see there really weren’t any apart from a half dozen in the center.
Our table is on Deck 3, #356, located to the right of the central staircase.

We left the MDR and wandered around deck 4, making our way to Studio B and the ice rink. It is cold in there!

By the time we were done taking in the MDR and ice rink, it was about time for muster. Muster itself was uneventful, but a little surprising. I was sure we were going to be outside, so I had all of us put on sunscreen... and then we had muster in the Star Lounge! It was over pretty quickly, and then D14 and I got Down to our post-muster goal — a margarita for me to have with sailaway, and a mocktail for her.
She went back to the room to enjoy sailaway from her balcony (favorite spot #4, per @Matt, IIRC), and I made my way to the helicopter deck (favorite spot #1) by way of the “secret path” through the Star Lounge. Here I did my first ever Periscope, which was... well, let’s say I have a lot to learn on this front. ?
I really enjoyed sailaway. The weather at this point was perfect, not too much sun, comfortable temperature, and a refreshing breeze blowing in. Once we cleared the channel and got into the open ocean, I took a few pics of the receding coastline and the helipad.

I made my way all the way aft to take in the view of the wake. Doing that walk really made clear how long the ship is! But it was worth it, as I caught this view that was absolutely striking.

After this, I met up with everyone back at the cabin. We got changed for dinner, then saw the welcome aboard show. I got my second margarita of the day before the show started. We got to meet our cruise director, Drew. He was very funny and engaging, so this bodes well; I found out later from the staff at Vintages that he just transferred (from Liberty?) last week. As for the main acts, there was a pair of artistic dancers who opened up the show and were really impressive, with good choreography and some jaw dropping moves. After them was a comedian who was hit and miss for me, mostly because of some his subject matter that has become a sensitive subject for me. No photos as photography was not allowed and we were sitting in the back of the theater.
After that, we had our 8 PM dinner (not 8:30 as I’d originally posted) in the MDR. Menus are the same as posted earlier by @LetsTryThisPlace in his live blog, so I didn’t take pictures. Also didn’t take pics of our food as I was too engaged with the family and our table mates, a mother and son from Michigan who happen to know @mpoole3 and have cruised with him a couple times! Small world, indeed!
I tried the escargot, not expecting to like them, and was very pleasantly surprised! D14 had asked to try one if I liked them, so I passed over the plate. I have to quote her here, because it kind of sums up my own experience:
”I’m kind of nervous about this...” ::eats the piece, and a moment later her face simultaneously lights up and gets confused:: “This is wrong, why does this taste so good?!?”
She said she’d have it for sure tomorrow, assuming it’s offered.
The rest of our meals were very good. In addition to the escargot, I had the wild mushroom soup, the horseradish crusted salmon, and creme brûlée for dessert. My wife had the Caesar salad, spaghetti bolognese, and royal chocolate cake. D14 had the crispy calamari, prime rib, and hazelnut chocolate. And D17 had the French onion soup, salmon, and fruit for dessert. D14 and I both got a cappuccino with our dessert, which is why I’m posting a novella at 1 AM instead of sleeping; lesson learned!
After dinner, I went to the pub and spent some time listening to guitar player James Brown from Canada for a while, while I enjoyed a Paulaner Salvator double bock.

I Periscoped some of his set before my battery got too low, and my wife joined me after a while. We tried to go back to the helipad to see the stars, but the moon is full and the wind from the bow so strong that we couldn’t even make it all the way up there! We decided to call it a day and went back to our cabin, where I started working on this. She fell asleep about midnight, but I was still wired and decided to finish this post.
So there you have it! Future posts may be broken up more or they may also be novellas, but that’s the writer in me for you. I hope I conveyed how amazing this first day was for all of us, me especially.
 
Just want to wrap up with a couple items:
- Drink package tally: 1 lava flow, 2 reposado margaritas, 1 cappuccino, and 1 craft beer; I think I got my money’s worth today, given the $43/night rate I paid.
- I stopped in the casino briefly and spoke with the gent at the craps table; minimum is $5 all day, and you get single odds for that bet, however if you bet $25 you get double odds; betting $50 gives you 3x/4x/5x odds, depending on what number you rolled. So serious craps players can actually get Vegas casino level odds on their pass line play.

I also have one in October ugh what a long wait Savor is the perfect word although I must say although I have forgotten many parts of the other cruises I will NEVER forget every minute of my first this is truly one of lifes greatest adventures ENJOY

Hey Joe we have a lot in common black cats run our house and we both have redheads LOL love them both so much

what a beautiful day for a beautiful family on there way to the time of there lives fun fact at one time Freedom was the largest ship in the world and now for a fun tip from someone who lived in the keys for most of his life don't stand under the pelicans when there in formation like your great picture shows more pictures please

I also have one in October ugh what a long wait Savor is the perfect word although I must say although I have forgotten many parts of the other cruises I will NEVER forget every minute of my first this is truly one of lifes greatest adventures ENJOY

Hey Joe we have a lot in common black cats run our house and we both have redheads LOL love them both so much

Well somehow this never posted this morning. So backtrack and pretend it’s 9:30 AM. In the Wind-jab-mehr right now, getting some late lunch (nothing worthwhile at Cafe Promenade).
 
A gathering of angels
appeared above my head.
They sang to me this some of hope,
and this is what they said: They said,
COME SAIL AWAY! COME SAIL AWAY!!
COME SAIL AWAY WITH ME!!!
 
The day is finally here! Just another couple of hours and we’ll be on board. I was told by another couple we met on the hotel elevator that Harmony is also in port today, and between those two ships and the others in port there are going to be 17,000 people there. Very glad I learned the lesson to get there between 10:30 and 11, because I can’t imagine what the crowds are going to be like! I know it’s multiple terminals and it won’t be all 17,000 in one place, but that many people funneling through the port entrance and security checkpoint is going to be nuts!
I’m going “dark” now, probably until after sail-away. I’ll be Periscoping during sail-away, so keep an eye out for me there. Periscope handle is the same as my handle here.
 

Guess what @JLMoran ?  IT'S CRUISE DAY!!!   Finally !!!!!

I would not be surprised if it is as described here a money grab this is becoming quite common with Royal sadly, but I am not sure if it is company wide or per ship after a long conversation with a friend who is a senior cruise planner with Royal I came away with several points Royal is making a big push to turn over control of the inner workings of the parts of cruising controlled by the hotel director making it his decision what goes on when it comes to these fees and it was evident in small ways recently when I lost or someone stole my drink cup on my majesty sailing to my surprise when I went to customer service to see if someone had turned it in they tried to charge me 9.95 for a new one.Barely 2 months previous on the oasis my son lost  his and was just handed a new one no charge also the drink card on different ships is differently priced with no apparent reason in view some 65 75 85 while I am sure Royal as a company still sets the hi and lows they may be attempting to create competition between the hotel ends of the cruising business.It does seem a bit early having just recently imposed the 795 penalty for room service to now raise it again and looks more like a money grab to me p.s. I agree charging that kind of money for rockets is stupid and would explain why on my last few sailings there was very few customers no matter when I walked by aside for burgers that are of the same quality free in the windjammer

I start about a month away from sailing I go on a sea food diet all the food I see I eat 

Hi Starry welcome to our forum as a parent of a special needs wheelchair bound 17 year old at least partially on the spectrum who has been cruising for 8+years I understand your concerns and will help you anyway I can.First and foremost you have definitely picked the right cruise line they will bend over backwards to accommodate your every need beginning with a great special needs dept.8665927225 they can answer any questions you may have about the ship and its activities and shore excursion questions basically any questions about accessability you may have from embarkation to disembarkation getting to the ship early is definitely a plus because I have found that as you get towards 1p things get real hectic in the windjammer I have found that sorrentos was open a lot of times we sailed on freedom class it is located on the promenade and has pizza which my daughter prefers.check both out and see which is preferred you cant get in your cabin till about 1 p, I found after a little stroll around the ship away from the lost souls you will encounter my daughter likes to go outside on deck when you see the crew members starting to put on there brightly colored muster drill vests proceed as early as you care to your assigned station because it has been my experience that most people wait till the last minute to go to them and pack in fast and tight at least for my daughter you will see a crew member with a scan gun or a clipboard go to them and show them your seapass card and explain your situation after they check you in you can usually do as I do and go to the schooner bar and sit down they will have someone there to show you the life vest and you can hear the announcements the first bump in the road I encountered was the alarm going off signifying the drill is underway my daughter was terrified to say it is loud is an understatement I cured the problem with a personal music player and headphones playing her favorite tunes it is a great idea to search on google for the freedom videos to familiarize all with what to expect depending on the degree of your childs sensitivity you will find a much more peaceful breakfast in the dining room but it is only available from 7 to I think 9 but you will get a cruise compass everyday telling you times and such for everything I love dinner in the dining room but my daughter loves the windjammer dinners where it seems lately many of the same selections are in both and the crowd is very minimal I just got off the independence and we ate dinner in the windjammer every night the waiter took very personal care of us making sure we had the same table all the time.If your child is sensitive to darkness try to get to the shows early and get up as close as you can to the show in the middle to back of the theater it gets dark and has caused me problems in the past.i could go on and on but I don't want to bore you if you have any questions at all that I may help you with please don't hesitate to ask one last thing there is an organization named Autism on the seas they specialize in special needs family vacations they are incredible and cost is about the same as booking a cruise normally search them on google they take families with autistic children of all ages they have a tremendous amount of experience in this field my first RC cruises was with them they bring counselors with them on the cruise according to how many children or clients they have going they have pool time every day they go with you on shore excursions to the beaches they take care of the muster drill experience by bringing all the clients and families into one of the conference rooms dinner is in AOS private dining room an attached dining room to the main we have had personal ships bridge tours ice skating every type of activity you can name and every night the kids can go to adventure ocean with the AOS staff for respite giving you time to go off on your own These people are the best ive ever met and many have become great friends Royal has heavily supported this organization for years The pirate night brought tears to my eyes google them and see what you think they made the very first 2 cruises go so smoothly with absolutely no stress. once again WELCOME TO OUR FORUM 

what a talent your D14 has treasure it and it will grow in leaps and bounds 
 

Thanks to all who have taken the time to respond.  I am surprised to hear that the dress code is more relaxed than what is stated on the website. I am a rule follower by nature and never would have thought that I could take a slightly more relaxed approach to dressing while on board. It is sounding like a nice pair of tan pants, a dress shirt, blue blazer and a pair of Sperrys  or dress shorts and golf shirts will be sufficient and is something he is a little more at ease wearing. 
I think we will try to be there to board around 11AM as suggested.  I'll make sure everybody has a little snack in their backpack and we will go find some chairs by the pool and relax until the lunch rush has subsided. 
 
 
 
 

T-minus 1 day to embarkation...
The weather is a lot nicer today, as expected. Just some scattered clouds, and nice and warm. We’ll be catching the shuttle at the Publix in a little bit to get to the nearby beach; only $1 per person vs whatever we’d have to pay for a Lyft.
Will be another “take it easy” day, no set agenda.
A few random thoughts:
- Our room lock was adjusted yesterday, and it is much more reliable now
- I can’t for the life of me understand why a room meant to sleep four has two double beds instead of two queens, especially when the bedroom section is more than large enough to accommodate them. The girls are doing OK with it, but my wife and I are finding it a little too cozy. I called the main desk before we came in and confirmed that there are no queen bed rooms, only two doubles or a single king.
- D14 painted this last night, just for fun. Sketched the drawing from a photo she pulled up on her iTouch, then painted with watercolors. I continue to be amazed by the artistic talent of both my girls, but D14 is rapidly outpacing her sister (which is understandable, since D17 takes art for fun and is focused much more on music, where D14 is planning on an art / visual design focus in high school and eventually college)