Cutieredhead107

I think the scariest part of the 2019 attack was that it involved three tiger sharks...not just a "bite and run." And the fact that it took way too long to get the girl any type of medical assistance. They had nothing on board for medical emergencies. In last week's incident, the son did the right thing- poked the shark in the eye to get it off his mother. Then the captain of the boat drove toward the shark in an attempt to help. I feel bad for everyone involved. It was a bull shark. They're very aggressive. I've only ever snorkeled in the Virgin Islands and the Caymans. I just don't care for the Bahamas. However, I'm not going to pretend like I knew there were bull and tiger sharks in the area. I never even considered that because people snorkel there all the time! I assumed there were nurse sharks and other docile species, but nothing to be worried about. Shark attacks are rare, but when you see two in the same area...by some of the most aggressive sharks out there...that both ended in death...I don't know. I feel like it may be a good idea to change some things. (i.e. Stop snorkel tours in that area, alter the group size, safety briefings) Royal Caribbean has nothing to do with this though. Whether it was an independent excursion or booked through them.

Gotcha. Thanks. And I didn't even realize the e-muster was implemented due to Covid. I just assumed it was started as a way to expedite the whole procedure. I distinctly remember having to stand around, in life jackets, until every passenger was accounted for at their lifeboat station. And there were always a few roaming around the ship, completely ignoring the horns.

I'm not familiar with this- they used to make passengers wear a device for contact tracing?

Just so we're clear- I first came to this website after doing a Google search for RC Freedom of the Seas reviews. In all honesty, I was looking for bad reviews of a 4-night cruise that my sister convinced me to go on, so I could prepare her for all the ways we'd be let down. I don't care if you judge me... that's how i found this site. My family and I use to go on 7-14 day cruises (Norwegian & Holland America) back in the 90s and early 2000s. Was never a fan of RC since we weren't refunded for a very expensive cruise we had to cancel when a family member got sick (That's when we learned about cruise insurance). Cruises have changed so much since then. It's more expensive, they have specialty restaurants now, ships are bigger, there's more people (obviously), etc...Add in the pandemic, so there's a staff shortage, more steps needed for embarkation, etc... Okay so back to the 4-night cruise on Freedom we took at the beginning of June... I didn't want to go because I didn't want to get Covid and I just wasn't into cruising. It always seemed like a big production and a royal pain in the ass. I understand people love them, but I just wasn't one of them. I dreaded the disembarkation process, the formal nights, the traveling from Chicago to San Diego, Miami, or Fort Lauderdale, the muster drill, and so on. Boy was I surprised when I learned (from this site) that the days of putting on a life vest and scrambling to your lifeboat station are long gone. Also, disembarkation was simple because after reading through a thread on here, I learned you can just take your bags to the dining room and have breakfast while the rest of the passengers are standing in line to get off the ship. By the time we were done eating, we were able to waltz right off. It was great! Thanks guys! FYI- I posted on here while i was on the cruise because I couldn't understand why some of the food didn't seem to have much flavor. Some members politely responded with a few possible reasons and it was a good discussion. I did notice how long the piers were at Nassau and was thankful I was not among the hundreds of people standing in the blazing hot sun, waiting for their tour to walk as a group to their shuttle. But I'm not a fan of Nassau so i just watched everyone from my balcony. I dont remember it being that long of a walk, but could understand how it would be very difficult for passengers with limited/no mobility. However I kept seeing these adorable little golf carts transporting people back and forth. I assumed those were for passengers with a special guide or it was a perk for those staying in the more expensive suites. I overhead a woman staying in the balcony suite next to ours complain about how sick she was and how she couldn't do a tour on the island because she thought she had food poisoning. But things like norovirus are very common on cruise ships, so whatever. I think the OP assumed this was just a site to randomly post about their cruise experience- not realizing the whole "loyal to Royal" thing. I think maybe he/she will find better luck posting on one of the many Reddit pages devoted to cruises or another cruise review site. I can't imagine the amount of money and stress involved when booking a vacation for 9 people, the cost of drink packages, flights from the east coast, transportation, specialty dining, and someone with limited or no mobility. I think some of the OP's facts are wrong, but he/she was probably hoping to get responses from those who may have shared a similar experience. Side note: I did get Covid, while my other four family members did not. I'm a little bitter about that but it's fine. I'm vaccinated and boosted so it could've been worse.

Agreed. I went 2+ years without getting it. Either way, our short cruise had a lot people cramming into buffet, elevators, etc.

I was on a short 4-night cruise from June 6-10th. Began to feel more tired than usual on flight home. The next afternoon, I suddenly felt like I got hit by a truck and tested positive that day.

Hi all- quick question regarding the disembarkation process and the merits of carrying a passport. We disembarked Freedom of the Seas yesterday morning in Miami. Short 4-night cruise to Cococay and Nassau. Luckily, my family and I all had passports. That allowed us to bypass the very long line for the passengers who only had ID and birth certificates. My question is this: Are they using facial recognition software? They never looked at our passports- only asked if we had them, before telling us we could go to the other lane that had absolutely no people in it. They took our pictures, and then we walked right out of the terminal to catch a cab to the airport. However, the line for people w/only IDs and birth certificates was incredibly long. We were just surprised that nobody wanted to actually look at them.

I did enjoy the funnel cake I plowed through (on my own) today at CocoCay. The Shack Crispy Chicken Sandwich was pretty good too.

I've definitely noticed this. I'm currently sitting on my balcony, eating some sort of adorable cup of chocolate mousse but even the cream on top doesn't seem to be sweet.

I did order some sort of apple blossom for dessert, as well, and that was fantastic! Thank you for explaining how cruising has changed over the years- I would never have considered any of those aspects.

Hmmm...I'll give it another shot this week. It's quite possible I'm just used to having the key lime offset with a little more sweetness.

Hi all- I'm currently on Freedom of the Seas. First cruise in a long time. Only 2nd on Royal though. Been on several Holland, Norwegian, and one Carnival back in the 90sz when we learned that wasn't the cruise line for us :). We just left Miami a few hours ago, and just finished our first dinner in the MDR. I just ordered and attempted to eat the most bitter key lime pie in my life. A few of our entrees were subpar, as well. I've been following the discussions here for the last few months, so am I correct that the food quality has gone down since they have the speciality restaurants? Thanks Note- I'm coming back to edit this because I was a little too harsh regarding the food. I think I was tired.