WannaCruise

I have done just a carry-on for a cruise but I still left it with the porters. Having an early check-in time plus a few dollars meant my bag was always waiting when the rooms opened up. 

We almost feel like if we've gone to all that trouble to use carry ons for the flight, then we should do the same when boarding the cruise.  It's still stressful waiting for your luggage hoping it's outside your stateroom.

Lots of folks do it.  I think you'll be ok with your airline checked bags, but understand your worry with them lately.  Remember, just because you carried it on the plane doesn't mean you need to carry it on the cruise.  You can still check those bags with the porters and just carry your valuables and passports.

Would not be surprised if they axed this.  While I'll admit I really enjoyed the experience and thought it was worth the money it was not with out its hiccups.  I got all suited up and then had to change to a whole new suit after it didn't work.  That was after staying up until 3 am to book the newly scheduled time slot.  The very limited time slots sold out very quickly.  I was lucky they added another one and that the staff told me it would go live at about midnight......which was a few hours later in reality but it did show up.  
 

What a whilrlwind!  I knew the four night would go too fast and the week home catching up and recuperating flew by even faster!  We had an amazing cruise overall and it was a great experience in our junior suite, I can see how the full level suite life becomes the way to go, especially on the newer and bigger classes.  I will say though, however, we absolutely loved Freedom and loved chatting with the staff, all around we heard the same story, a lot of crew with repeat contracts on Freedom and other Freedom/voyager class ships, many of them said the same things my wife and I would say about Oasis class - it's just a lot.  That can be a good thing, but there are just so many options, even on a full week long cruise, you might only make it to a venue once, even if you really like it you're out catching other shows and venues, seeing other places and never make it back to the spot you first liked!  It's a good problem to have, I suppose, but it was remarkable hearing many crew say the same thing, they really like the balance and size of Freedom.
 
Highlights from Day 3, our sea day, include the sushi making class in the morning and actually getting a pair of chairs on the top deck in the afternoon!  It's been posted elsewhere but Freedom of the Seas has bright pink seat covers throughout the ship that stand out on the blue lounge chairs asking folks not to save seats and behold and by golly, they actually work!  Great improvement from previous cruises, thank you Royal!
We started the day steaming at a brisk 30 knots according to our map channel in the stateroom and we could feel it on the balcony after previously doing 9-12 knots the first couple days.  It's one of the great things about these 3/4 day cruises to CC and Nassau, not far to go and generally smooth seas.  After coffee and fruit with a few pastries out on our balcony ordered from room service that we ordered every evening for the following morning, we took a walk out on the promenade with the Palm beach/FLL/Miami skyline out to our right, I had seen enough of that around the forums and news sites to guess that there had been a medical emergency and, sure enough, the captain made an announcement around 9AM that we had an ALPHA ALPHA ALPHA code type call in the previous night and the wind and other conditions were too strong for a helipad landing, we were close enough and would be taking a gentleman back to Miami but it would not affect our itinerary, never heard any other details.  We chatted with one of our favorite bartenders about it and he either played it cool or genuinely didn't know that we were going back at all until the captain made the announcement, which makes sense, they don't need to get everyone excited over something that won't affect us much after all, it was our sea day. I also did not realize that on many or even most medical emergencies that Miami Fire and Rescue comes out to meet the ship and we avoid having to steam all the way into port to dock etc etc.  



We watched the passenger exchange just in time to walk into Izumi on deck 4 at 10 for our class.  The sushi making class was full, the instructors were very patient and obviously very skilled, it was a really fun activity and a lot of food, plenty enough for our lunch and well worth the $30-ish per person we paid.  I would highly recommend it if you're a sushi fan.  If you're not a fan, then don't do it (we had a couple people absolutely over the top worried about various food allergies and tastes and preferences and to those people I would love to say, please just sit it out next time and let the rest of us enjoy instead of interrupting every 5 min.  We have some limited diets and those with conditions in our family, it's nobody's fault and it's unfortunate and they have a tough time certain places, but they also don't have to make it everybody's problem either).  Anyway, +1 on the class. 

The rest of the afternoon was spent up top as I said on some comfy loungers with a view of the Atlantic with the usual bellyflop competition and reggae band in the background, so great to feel a cruise at full staffing with full range of activities going on, truly felt just like many others pre-covid.  For dinner we returned to Izumi for the Hibachi and it was fine, the food was good although I should mention that we found during the sushi class that supply chain issues and seafood sourcing in general was very tough, not just for Royal but for the whole world right now, they used to have dozens of different sushi and seafood options and on this sailing had less than five.  In any case our meal was entertaining, we knew that going as just us two we would be paired with whatever spot they have open but we had fun with it, met another couple our age who had a very similar approach to cruising and hung out with them in the casino later that night, had a lot of laughs and some late night nachos at playmakers which were awesome!  Really impressed with the food there and just the whole venue overall.

 
Day 4 Nassau -
Our final day we did the Pearl Island Escape with Snorkel, overall we really enjoyed it and it's gorgeous, but cannot recommend it to everybody and I'll explain that a bit later.  The boat ride out was great after getting past all the usual herding cats that is necessary with any group tour and we rode our large water taxi out of the industrial always under construction and not very clean port of Nassau.  It's well documented plenty of other places that Nassau isn't the most glamorous destination, so we were looking forward to a little boat ride and something else outside of the busy town.  The ride to Pearl Island took about a half hour and it was a perfect, just perfect day, mostly clear with a few fluffy clouds and a high in the low 80's forecasted.  Exactly why we all take trips like this.


The island is larger than we expected, you never know from youtube videos and tripadvisor etc, some things you just have to see in person to understand and it was very beautiful spot, maybe 25 yards at the widest and maybe a hundred yards long?  The very northeast end of the island was closed off and still had work going on, it was unclear if it was repairing damage from a storm or building new spaces.  The island itself just had a lot of highs and lows, depending on your preferences and what you want or expect.  Having traveled the islands plenty before, we knew to keep our expectations low and go with the flow.
Service was very slow to nonexistent, the island is naturally gorgeous but the manmade elements are all quite aged or currently under construction, the boat you take out to the island is very full to capacity and very dated.....being out at the mercy of the wind and the water all this is certainly understandable, if you have a relaxed island attitude and are good with walking over rough surfaces and prepped for a little adventure etc then great, go enjoy, but if you aren't in great shape and don't want to be out in the sun all day, out in the water, if your group is on the older or younger ends of the spectrum, it might be a tough day.  Bar service was painfully slow, we had a lot more luck at the tiny bar at the end of the island where they just had a few liquors and beer on ice as opposed to waiting for every group of 5 at the bar who wanted 5 different blended frozen drinks, the food was very low end (paper plates, fried fish) but we were in for this, we didn't plan on eating much and had been eating too much for a few days straight!  It was nice to just chill and enjoy the view. 


There were two boats back and the first one to return to the port area was absolutely packed, I think that speaks enough to what those folks thought of the day but we loved it and were the last ones to board the later return water taxi.  We spent our honeymoon in a small Mayan coast fishing town, we knew the deal and had been around that vibe before and had no problem with it, we were there for the sun and the swimming but there seemed to be a lot of confused or upset customers who didn't really know what they were getting into.  Snorkeling was also kind of a disaster, they didn't have a good head count on equipment and were always going back to a supply shed for more gear, they made everyone wear a life jacket which is kind of cheesy in 10 feet of water, but I suppose after seeing the mix of people they have to work with I can understand where they're coming from.  Reef had some parrotfish, clown fish, small rocks and clumps of coral.  Not world class, but hey, better than an afternoon in my office with snow out the window!

The afternoon brought just a few grey clouds in the distance and while we never got any rain, we did get to see a nice sized waterspout across the small cut next to another little island.  Having visited family in Florida a lot over the years we had seen them before and weren't scared as some were, but certainly remained aware and in respect of nature - it's like a rainbow or a great sunrise, who doesn't appreciate something so beautiful and unique?!  Weather in the caribbean and bahamas is predictably unpredictable, on warm days the heat rises off the land, creates clouds that head over the water and little showers pop up and dissipate all afternoon.

Final night dinner we returned to Giovanni's Table, which for my vote was hands down the best restaurant on the ship.  Best vibe and decor, best menu with a bit of variety and freshness for every course, best wine list (although I do with Royal had more by the glass options for the deluxe bev holders) and just best experience we have had on a royal ship outside of maybe 150 central park a few years ago.  It was outstanding.  Back to the schooner bar and the casino and just like that, we were back in Miami.  
As our flight options weren't great I chose a 1:30 out of Miami instead of trying to push it with a 9 or 10am and be in a big rush.  We had our final breakfast in the main dining room, our first time in there and it was great.  I do feel a little bad almost for not eating there earlier, but as I said earlier this was a splurge and we won't always be doing the unlimited specialty dining.  It is so much food!  And just like the deluxe bev package, one does feel the need to keep squeezing every bit of benefit out of the package because it's paid for and there's so much to see and do and eat!  Definitely need to get back on the bike and hiking trails now that we're home but we truly enjoyed it and I am glad we tried it out.  In the future I will probably just go with one night at a specialty restaurant or look for a chops +1 type deal, I don't think we need that kind of indulgence every night.  
We loved Freedom and were absolutely reaffirmed with our choice as we booked this cruise largely out of our love for Navigator.  Freedom is a slightly larger and I think slightly better ship, mostly just because the slightly larger size gives her a few more venues and options.  We were so very relieved to see that our experience with staffing and activities etc etc on Symphony in March of 2022 was the exception and not the rule, Royal had things back to our expectations on this sailing and we loved it.  The newly built junior suites on deck 11 are amazing as well, when Freedom changes home ports to Fort Lauderdale and gets off the 3/4 night Nassau/Perfect day cycle we will absolutely be back on her again and look forward to booking one of those staterooms again.  For now, it's back to cutting wood and plowing snow.  Oh well.  Trips like this are why we work.  Top highlights have to be the Hilton Bentley on South Beach, Giovanni's Table, Playmakers, the Lime & Coconut and the PDCC Snack Shack!  Can't wait to be back, thanks for reading along.

Thanks. And thanks so much for mentioning that our cruise booking matches our passport.  I don't bother with our middle names but will have it updated then to match our passports.  (We're in Canada)

Agree that the ideal approach here is a button in the app that launches the pdf so you can easily access it.  Also needs to be available at least early evening the night before for those of us (certainly me) that like to read through the CC as a wind-down activity each night to plan the next day. It seems like this is where they are headed but need to tweak the process of each ship uploading the pdf and making it available in the app (which is honestly the easy part).

I prefer the daily cruise compass PDF that I can enlarge and look over.  
This URL will only work on a ship connected to guest wifi:
https://minio.rccl.com/compass/cruisecompass.pdf
It is updated daily usually in the morning.  
Much better than the app and saves paper.  Best of both worlds.   

Just wish it was on the app as a button instead of having to scan that qr code (most people don't know how to do this) or bookmark the URL you shared.  You'd think it would be easy to add a simple web link to download the pdf... Shrug

Interesting thread.  We have never stayed in one of those fancy rooms , so just giving my perspective on the "thought" of having a genie.  The rooms look amazing but to me, having a genie is almost a negative.  Service is always amazing and we always say hello and a chat with our room attendant but I really don't want someone waiting on me hand and foot. And Neesa's experience would bother me.  I'm a planner and love it.  The shows on our Oasis cruise should open soon and can't wait to book them. It's part of the fun.  I just like having the control and doing things for ourselves.  Don't get me wrong, it's interesting reading others experiences and I totally respect it and can understand how a genie would be wonderful for some, just not for us.  I don't know..I grew up with a mom in a wheelchair so we always had help in our house, so that could also be a reason I wouldn't want someone "helping" per se.  (And maybe if we actually had one, my thoughts would change as it's just my perspective never having one)

First order of business was to complete all the safety and check in procedures.  We had already listened to the ship horn sound and watched the short video about life jackets on our phones at the hotel earlier in the morning.  Our muster (in case of emergency) station was C8 on the wraparound promenade of deck 5, so we hung a left as we walked aboard and within the first minute had our entire check in taken care of, boom.  Just like that, let the sail away party begin.
Before heading upstairs to check out our room or the Lime & Coconut we wanted to add a few dining reservations.  The unlimited dining package has one slight trade off and I didn’t fully understand when I booked and I do see a lot of questions about online - the rub of it is basically you’re only allowed to make one reservation beforehand in the cruise planner and then have to wait until you’re on the ship to make the rest of your bookings, which can be done at any restaurant.  There are other people trying to scheme around this but I’m not going to get into that here.  We went right from our muster station and went right to Izumi where we had no problem at all working with a staff member who was right up front on their computer with access to all the specialty restaurant onboard.  Our ten minutes of work being done, it was time for a drink and our own little walking tour of the ship!

 

 
Looking at deck plans and even some of the great YouTube tours and other things online is a ton of fun and helps build anticipation to get people like myself through Midwest winters, but there really is nothing like seeing it all in person.  We chose Freedom for this vacation not because of the itinerary particularly, but for the ship as it was the newest Amplified ship of those on my casino Royale offer and because we loved our Navigator experience so much.  Main differences with Nav to Freedom’s upgrades were noticeable right away - things that blew me away were the playmakers space and the main pool deck.  Playmakers is huge on Freedom!  It really is like walking into a new flashy sports bar anywhere in the states.   We didn’t have reservations but realized Giovanni’s was open for lunch as we walked by and we swung in to check it out.  We were the only people there, rooms weren’t ready yet and we thought hey, why not?

Dining here starts with a nice pair of garlic knots and red sauce with a tiny bit of pesto, we had a couple salads and did our best to split the assorted meat and cheese tray which was huge!  Definitely made more for a group twice or thrice our size.

After lunch we walked back down deck 11 and our room was ready just before 1.
Room 1156 is a junior suite balcony that was added during the 2020 amplification by carving back some space from the spa and workout areas, Matt had a post about it that really helped set this whole mini splurge trip of ours into motion.  The room is huge, enough storage for a transatlantic or to comfortably have our two girls in the room with us.  



The balcony is very generous as well, they have removed that middle pane of glass above the handrail, there are two lounger type chairs and a small table with two matching arm chairs.  Can’t get over how great and new it all is.  There’s also a full set of three different soap, shampoo, and conditioner mounted in the bathroom shower/tub and a huge walk in closet.  I’ll have to grab some more pics there.  We took a quick half hour nap, fully unpacked and stored our bags in the huge walkin closet and below the bed and headed back out to the pool deck to enjoy sailaway with a quick stop up on deck 13 to check out the Viking crown lounge, stilled called Olive or Twist in some of the naming on Freedom.  One of my favorite areas on the Voyager class she’s nearly identical to me here, just great views and never very crowded.

Spent a long time in one of the solarium hot tubs that hangs over the edge with a great view of Miami as we sailed away.  

Cleaned up for dinner, had a couple nice drinks at the Schooner bar, looked around the casino but didn’t play anything (yet) and headed back up top for our dinner reservation at Giovanni’s.  The dinner menu is larger than the lunch and service was still outstanding.  We went with salads and Stromboli, I chose a more traditional looking pasta with a lot of garlic and capers and a hunk of grilled salmon floating on top which was phenomenal and my wife ate most of hers before I could get a great picture so it must have been pretty good!  Haha anyway trying to get as much in as we can without being ‘those people’ on our devices the entire time.




Just got docked at Perfect day and listened to a pretty cheesy pop song that I don’t remember from previous trips but hey!  We’re here. Off to try out the cocoa beach club, let’s have a day.

Our cruise in December was just DH and me so we just found a spot on Chill Island.  It wasn't too busy on the beach and behind us was the buffet and restrooms.  We were next to the sports rentals (kayaks, etc) and a bit further from the ship so not too loud or crowded.  There is a bit of seaweed in the water near the shore but it was fine.
A couple pictures

 

Our cruise in December was just DH and me so we just found a spot on Chill Island.  It wasn't too busy on the beach and behind us was the buffet and restrooms.  We were next to the sports rentals (kayaks, etc) and a bit further from the ship so not too loud or crowded.  There is a bit of seaweed in the water near the shore but it was fine.
A couple pictures

 

We did the same thing last time at CocoCay. It was kind of busy. But the music wasnt as loud. 

Our cruise in December was just DH and me so we just found a spot on Chill Island.  It wasn't too busy on the beach and behind us was the buffet and restrooms.  We were next to the sports rentals (kayaks, etc) and a bit further from the ship so not too loud or crowded.  There is a bit of seaweed in the water near the shore but it was fine.
A couple pictures

 

DAY 8:  * At Sea *
It’s here… this is the last day of the cruise.  😟
We had breakfast at the Windjammer again and just wandered around the ship. Last SAT (1/14) was the day the winds and surf really picked up. Capt. Henrik closed all the decks above Deck 15 due to high winds.
Just a pic of the CP balcony divider closed on one side and opened on the other side (our friend’s cabin) for those interested…


We booked adjacent rooms again for our upcoming OCT sailing on Wonder, but this time we will have OV balconies and will be sure to open them up again!
Some random pics…



We plan on booking either brunch or dinner at the Mason Jar next time!




Elevator tower looking up…

Rising Tide bar down in the promenade…

Heading to lunch in the MDR with my wife’s uncle and GF… the wind was whipping around even on deck 15… surf starting to kick up… definitely light jacket weather!

A couple more pics of the MDR on deck 3…


Lunch menu…

I had Mozzarella Sticks as an appetizer… not bad!

Christine had the Seafood Sandwich… with all the food we’ve had so far, she could not eat the bun!  😆

I went with the Grilled Beef Quesadilla which was surprisingly good…

… and every meal needs to end with a dessert on a cruise of course… I had the White Chocolate Mousse which was decent…

 
We met up with our friends and headed to the puzzle room (“Royal Society of Puzzles”). Once we realized it was a small room in Adventure Ocean with just tables and chairs, pen and paper, we decided to skip it! I did not expect the scale of the Apollo 18 escape room on Oasis, but we were expecting something a little more elaborate (it was complimentary).
After that we just wandered around some more. We stopped by the cabin a little before dinner and I checked the current wind and ship speed.
At that time, we were dealing with 51 kt (58.7 mph) winds across the bow and the ship was cruising at 20.7 kts (23.8 mph)…

 
On to the “last supper”… tonight is “Bon Voyage” evening…

I had the shrimp cocktail for my appetizer. We all had the Autumn Turkey Dinner… the turkey was surprisingly tender…

… and we finished with the Crema Catalana (very similar to Crème Brûlée), Dark Chocolate Brownie, and Warm Apple Cobbler… all tasty…



 
After dinner we headed back to the cabin to finish packing so we could place our checked bags out in the hall…  😟

 
We spent the rest of the evening before calling it a night walking around Central Park, the promenade, and made a final stop in the casino. 
Tomorrow will be debarkation day… have a good night!
 

I have made it onboard Symphony and have settled into my new home for the next 7 months.
 
Once again, I am very excited to share with you guys my adventures over the course of this contract. It was a tough decision for me to come back to work, some of you may know that I went through some difficult circumstances back home, but I am happy to be back!
 
 

It has to be close to if not over a thousand children on this sailing. So many knocking over people and in to things, sneezing and coughing without manners. I saw a group of teenagers using the PDCC wheelchairs for fun. The old lady in me said those are for people who need them. They looked at me and kept taking them. So many people not washing hands and eating, throwing trash everywhere. We are the only ship here and certain areas of the island are still too congested. I finally did the helium balloon.....not worth it. I got it for a little under $50 black Friday. It's too cool for me to be in water and stuff, I'm sure Mexico will be warmer.
While the ship is empty we went around taking pictures including a trip to the WJ. The selection is appalling,  the desserts are lackluster. Glad we got the UDP. My brother is eating cheese and bread while I type this. There is a pinnacle couple across from us complaining to every crew member who walks past about breakfast this morning and the children.
I know there's an iced tea rumor, Oasis has it along with lemonade but no fruit punch. Also park Cafe no longer has chips. The new menus are up in the MDR. I heard it was a complete shitshow last night.
 
 

One of my favorite things, coffee on the balcony at sunrise. 
 

We too recently booked for March 2025, which means we currently have 5 Royal bookings.
Anyone that doesn't cruise like us (and "us" as some on here on Royal Caribbean Blog) may think we're nuts and don't get it.  But...we know school dates far in advance, we know we want to cruise and this is how you get the best price.  I find, especially these days, cruise bookings only go up.  I have one that has gone up by $1000, another by $3500, and even our Icon booking has already gone up by $500 and it was only booked just over 2 months ago.  So definitely good to book as soon as you know your dates.
Also, for our March 2025, we booked one of those staterooms where there are only a few and they are already no more available, so always good to book earlier rather than later if you want a specific room.  We do book refundable though so as it gets closer, there is no harm (aside from sadness and disappointment) if we need to cancel.
P.S. - OP, DH and I were just on Liberty.  Great ship!

Room pictures. Ultraspacious Ocean Balcony 1A. Room 11172.
 

We too recently booked for March 2025, which means we currently have 5 Royal bookings.
Anyone that doesn't cruise like us (and "us" as some on here on Royal Caribbean Blog) may think we're nuts and don't get it.  But...we know school dates far in advance, we know we want to cruise and this is how you get the best price.  I find, especially these days, cruise bookings only go up.  I have one that has gone up by $1000, another by $3500, and even our Icon booking has already gone up by $500 and it was only booked just over 2 months ago.  So definitely good to book as soon as you know your dates.
Also, for our March 2025, we booked one of those staterooms where there are only a few and they are already no more available, so always good to book earlier rather than later if you want a specific room.  We do book refundable though so as it gets closer, there is no harm (aside from sadness and disappointment) if we need to cancel.
P.S. - OP, DH and I were just on Liberty.  Great ship!

I try to book as far out as I can…usually the best prices and I have no problem picking the rooms I want. I do lots of back to backs so I want the same room on each leg. Then, I check the booking very frequently by doing mock bookings and look for the price to drop. Usually the price rises as the cruise gets closer, but sometimes the price drops during sales or sometimes for no apparent reason…so I call and reprice. Or sometimes a suite category may drop in price just enough for me to decide to pay a little more and grab it.
I do my own bookings so I can control the reservations and call for repricing as soon as I see a drop. The only issue I have is sometimes the website only shows a small sample of cabins available in the category I want. 

But, if I didn’t have the time to monitor my cruises, I would definitely use a good travel agent to do it for me. Plus, the TA would have more access to available cabins. I also try to book through NextCruise when I’m aboard. I save lots at the time of booking on the reduced deposit and get the OBC which pretty much returns my deposit…or more. Plus, an additional benefit is if I do use a travel agent, I can transfer the NextCruise booking to them when I get back on land. Also, for the b2b, the NextCruise agent can look at both cruises at the same time to see which cabins are available on both. A TA could do that too.
I have lots of future bookings and those furthest out are the Icon in September 2024 and then the Symphony in October 2024.
Just my opinion, but….never worry that you may have cruises booked too far away…or too many…lots of flexibility and pricing opportunities between time of booking and time of sailing. Enjoy the anticipation! Enjoy your cruise!

I hear you. I live in NJ and booked Symphony for May 2024 out of Bayonne. Normally i would just look for minute deals but they do not seem to be happening lately.
 
And as it turns out, it was good to book when i did, just after Christmas.  I think i was the first to book a 2BRAT for that sailing and then the price shot up for those (both the last A1 and the rest of the A2s). In fact, a week after i booked, the A2 was 400$ more pp than what i paid for the A1. And now they're gone. I know because checking pricing and inventory is one of my unhealthy obsessions ....

Oh wow, cool. Didn't know so many do this. It was the right price and itinerary. 618 days is tough to see on the countdown.