Vacation Crazy

We are not responsible for the port fee in St. Maarten since we were already booked. Although we love St. Maarten we are still making that our one and only sea day.

I am disappointed in the change as well. We will make our own Sea Day and make the most of it! What problems to have ?

I have to laugh..... Royal's IT dept couldn't just add a port without messing up my whole cruise planner. My excursions are now showing up under the wrong port days. They have us visiting the pitons in Barbados. I'm sure they will eventually get it sorted out.

It really is! Just curious why they would add a port. I could sail around in a big circle right now and call it a great itinerary. As long as I have warm weather and sunshine I will be happy. It has been a long winter.

** I just received this email regarding our FOS sailing. Day 7 was supposed to be a sea day (our one and only). They have now added St. Maarten on that day. Talk about a port intensive sailing! We will probably still treat Day 7 like a sea day. I love a nice, relaxing sea day. Any idea why they would do this?** Dear Guest, We're excited to welcome you onboard for our May 24, 2020 Freedom of the Seas sailing. Before you begin your vacation countdown, we have an awesome itinerary change to share with you. To improve your experience, we've added the beautiful port of Philipsburg, St. Maarten to our itinerary! We do lose a little time in Bridgetown and St. Lucia to make room for this change, but we're confident you'll have an excellent time in St. Maarten on the most destination-rich Caribbean itinerary! Please find our revised itinerary below. Day Port of Call Arrive Depart Sun San Juan, Puerto Rico 8:30 PM Mon Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas 8:00 AM 6:00 PM Tue Basseterre, St. Kitts & Nevis 8:00 AM 6:00 PM Wed St. Johns, Antigua 8:00 AM 5:00 PM Thu Bridgetown, Barbados 10:00 AM 6:00 PM Fri Castries, St. Lucia 8:00 AM 5:00 PM Sat Philipsburg, St. Maarten 9:00 AM 5:00 PM Sun San Juan, Puerto Rico 6:00 AM Whether you're sailing solo or with your family, we're sure you'll find many activities to enjoy in Philipsburg. From spending time at the beach, to experiencing the destination's many indoor and outdoor attractions, a St. Maarten getaway is whatever you want it to be. We can't wait for you to soak in everything this destination has to offer! Our Shore Excursions team will automatically reschedule any Royal Caribbean International shore excursions affected by this change. In the next few days, you'll receive an email with your updated tour details. Then, feel free to browse all the exciting shore excursion options for your sailing in Cruise Planner! Thanks for your understanding. We can't wait to welcome you onboard Freedom of the Seas.

Does anyone know if Izumi will offer the hot rocks?

Following along! We have an aft room(9406) for our May FOS cruise. This will be our first aft room. There is nothing like the wake view. Have a great cruise!

Great. Now that is all I'm going to think about. Gross! During the performance I can't help but think about my college days waiting tables. For a customer's birthday we would stop everything and all go sing Happy Birthday. It always seemed to take place at the busiest time. As I was singing with a smile I couldn't help but think of everything else I needed to do. I still say being a server was one of the hardest jobs I had. I wonder how the wait staff feel about the performance? As always....service with a smile!

One more question for you about your last day..... Were the street vendors set up on Sunday morning? Last time we were in PR I bought some Ray Bans and a Michael Kors purse ( I'm sure they were real;) I would like to do some shopping before our return home. Thanks for your review! It was very helpful.

I guess FOS is the ship to celebrate silver anniversaries! We are the week before you. Congrats to you and happy cruise countdown! We are soooo looking forward to it.

We have a 3:30 departure flight. The San Juan On Your Own w/Airport Drop Off tour thru RC might be for us. Was your airport arrival time around 1:30? Thanks!

It looks like you had a fabulous anniversary cruise. In May we will be celebrating our 25th anniversary on Freedom as well. Thanks for sharing!!

We are trying to decide between the Coastal cruise to the Pitons and the Soufriere by Spanish Galleon tour. We are leaning towards the latter. Has anyone done this tour? Thanks! OVERVIEW Enjoy a scenic sail on the west coast of beautiful St. Lucia aboard a 16th-century replica Spanish Galleon, voyaging to the town of Soufriere, home to the Pitons (two mountainous volcanic spires) as well as mineral mud baths. Relax with camera in hand as guides relate the history and many interesting facts about the island. Sail past the famous Marigot Bay and the fishing villages of Anse La Raye and Canaries before setting eyes on the majestic Pitons, a St. Lucia icon and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Arriving in Soufriere, board a bus to the world’s only drive-in volcano. There, take time to soothe your body and mind at the therapeutic hot mineral mud baths. Then head to Morne Corbaril Estate, an 18th-century working plantation, for a creole buffet lunch. After, cruise up the gorgeous the coastline to a pretty bay for a swim in the clear Caribbean before returning to the Castries Harbor. SLI0

I noticed this last night. What a deal! We considered jumping on it but didn't. I'm so sick of work and other life responsibilities getting in the way of more cruising?.

We seen a Bon Jovi cover band in August while on Ovation. This 80's girl was in heaven! I've always been a fan of Bon Jovi and now even more. They will always remind me of our wonderful Alaskan cruise.

We use a sharpie marker to label the cups. Works great!

We were on Ovation last month. It is a great ship! The perfect cruise to Alaska with kids. My son did the flow rider and said it was heated. We had some nice days where we enjoyed the outdoor pool too.

We always get one room with no issues. The sofa pulls out like a trundle so there are 2 distinct beds. Our teenage boys sleep just fine on them. No complaints at all!

I second the vote for the Lavender daiquiri. I found the drink on the menu at Schooner bar a few weeks ago. I do not like sweet drinks but with the drink package I decided to give it a try. It is my new favorite RC drink! I would love a Lavender daiquiri from Schooner's right now!!!

We were on the Aug 23rd sailing. There are no words for the scenery and wildlife on this cruise. It was an amazing trip! I know you will enjoy it. I'll be following along in hopes it helps my post cruise low!! Tip for the train in Skagway--sit on the left hand side.

Thanks for sharing! We are doing the same itinerary in May, 2020. We bring our swim spring floats along on our cruises and love them! We floated right up to the swim up bar in Labadee without dealing with seaweed. I never thought about bringing a beach tent though. I'm adding it to my list now. It will be a smart purchase for my fair skin in the Southern Caribbean. Thanks!

I'm by far no expert on the casino but I would guess it is against the rules. My luck if I was using someone else's card I would hit the jackpot and they would deny the payout. I'm sure it is written in fine print somewhere.

We always bring our small electric clock with no issues. The problem is we never sleep in. I guess we have FOMO! We love walking around the ship early in the morning when everyone is sleeping. We can catch up on our sleep when we are home!

The little 50th birthday cakes are very cute and festive. The real question is....are they good? I will be happily sampling one very soon. Our Ovation sailing is almost here!

I had the mentality "the bigger the better" for ships. Our last 3 cruises have been on Oasis class ships. We were offered a free cruise from the casino on Empress. We had low expectations after reading reviews. We were pleased to come to our own opinion that she is a great ship. She felt a lot bigger than expected and the staff were top notch. We enjoyed every minute of our sailing. We usually travel with our teenage boys but this trip was just us. Our boys may have been bored without all the bells and whistle the bigger ships have. We had a great time and would not hesitant to sail Empress again!