lauraodonnell86

We Sailed the Southern Caribbean on Freedom just this past January and we absolutely loved it. Like @lauraodonnell86 said, it's great to start out with the warm weather and have it throughout. There are a lot of great ports available on southern Caribbean itineraries, too.
Like has been said here previously, negative reviews will abound because those who are looking to complain seem to be more apt to log on and grind an axe than those who simply enjoyed themselves. Keep in mind that some personalities seem to NEED to complain. Case in point; after a 50's style revue show on Grandeur, a "gentleman" on the way out actually was complaining that one of the dancers real hair was a "faux hawk". ("Nobody in the 50's had a Mohawk!")
The Freedom is a great ship and, yes, while there will be some crowding here and there, it's really only noticeable at traditional MDR times and filing in and out of shows/events.
We liked sailing out of San Juan so much that our next cruise will depart from there in January 2020 (Different ship, though. Vision OTS)

I'm sure that I commented on the other thread as well but I just need to reiterate what I said! We have cruised out of San Juan 12 times (see signature) and have 4 more booked in the future (including back to back cruises). We absolutely love leaving from San Juan because you don't have to wait for the weather to "warm up" in January like you might have to if you left from Florida. The ports from San Juan are just amazing! We usually stay 1 or 2 days beforehand in San Juan because it's an amazing place itself! You really won't be disappointed. There are always going to be people out there who complain but honestly, you can't rely on their opinion because they just hate life in general (lol). Freedom is a wonderful ship (our favorite class) and there is always something to do! If you have any more questions, let me know!  

I'm sure that I commented on the other thread as well but I just need to reiterate what I said! We have cruised out of San Juan 12 times (see signature) and have 4 more booked in the future (including back to back cruises). We absolutely love leaving from San Juan because you don't have to wait for the weather to "warm up" in January like you might have to if you left from Florida. The ports from San Juan are just amazing! We usually stay 1 or 2 days beforehand in San Juan because it's an amazing place itself! You really won't be disappointed. There are always going to be people out there who complain but honestly, you can't rely on their opinion because they just hate life in general (lol). Freedom is a wonderful ship (our favorite class) and there is always something to do! If you have any more questions, let me know!  

I'm sure that I commented on the other thread as well but I just need to reiterate what I said! We have cruised out of San Juan 12 times (see signature) and have 4 more booked in the future (including back to back cruises). We absolutely love leaving from San Juan because you don't have to wait for the weather to "warm up" in January like you might have to if you left from Florida. The ports from San Juan are just amazing! We usually stay 1 or 2 days beforehand in San Juan because it's an amazing place itself! You really won't be disappointed. There are always going to be people out there who complain but honestly, you can't rely on their opinion because they just hate life in general (lol). Freedom is a wonderful ship (our favorite class) and there is always something to do! If you have any more questions, let me know!  

Ignore online reviews.
Think about how many people love or hate broccoli. So to find negative reviews of a cruise is not indicative that there's a problem.

We will be on the freedom out of San Juan leaving July 28th. We just booked it. We were supposed to go to Punta Cana but decided to cancel. We are very excited. We are leaving one kid at summer camp and one with grandparents. We are just looking forward to some time by ourselves with lots of new friend#. ?

We cruise out of San Juan every year, albeit in winter months and have been of Freedom a number of times as well as her sister Liberty (this is actually our favorite class of ship).
what others have already pointed out about food and possible rude passengers I agree with.  Food is subjective but certainly eatable and like stated if the meal you choose isn't to your liking ask for something else and as we cruise we find our favorites that we have each time it is offered, can you get some not prepared right, even when you know you like the dish, sure it can happen, let them know they will try to make you happy.
Rude people, on occasion, but they are everywhere, no mater where you go.  More than else where, I sure don't think so, anyway I won't let them ruin my day.
Positives for San Juan cruises, is the Southern Caribbean has the absolute best islands, ones you generally can't get to on a 7 day cruise leaving from a US port
I'd say give San Juan a try odds are pretty good you'll like it

So I just got done reading @Whizbank live blog and she stated that she would pack lighter next time.  I'm now sitting and looking at the suitcase I'm going to have trouble closing today.  Ugh!  So thought I'd share some things I'm going to do for the European cruise this summer (16 days in Barcelona and on the ship) as an accountability post lol.  Please chime in with suggestions and encouragement lol.  I know like the drink pkg we have beaten this to death, but hey, it's fun! 
1.  Royal has amazing storage in their rooms, both interior and outside.I have sailed 5 classes now and fit everything every time.  Majesty had a dinky closet but a great big side table and window ledge.  Others have hidden shelves, ottomans, other closets.   Obviously the longer cruises are a bit more challenging which leads to....
2.  Rewear!  I have favorites that I take on every cruise that I could totally wear over.  Some things I will wash when I get home that I only wore once (or not at all) and they aren't even really dirty.  I get if it's super hot you might have to selectively rewear, but I don't pack that way.  7 days, pack for 9 lol.  Ugh!   Do I need 2 formal dresses? Heck no. Is it ok if people are me in the same outfit twice... Absolutely.    Do I need extra clothes not at all... That's where #3 comes in...
3. Laundry!  I will freely admit I haven't used it in the ship and I won't risk any favorite clothes (I worry about too hot dryers).  But I spend everywhere else...Porters, drink pkg, extra 2 dollars for my favorite ? etc....   A bag of laundry will not kill me to pay for!   And my bathing suits, etc, are wet when I came back...I can hand wash them in the shower.  Now again, with how long everything takes to dry I am not bringing detergent and hanging everything... But a small stain is solvable by a  quick rinse.
4.  Packing cubes....   That was a long thread earlier.  I personally love them but didn't use them correctly.  I was in 3 different places pre-cruise, cruise and post-cruise.  I should have packed the cubes that way rather than every time I wanted an outfit having to go through different ones.  I could have put my pre-cruise two outfits in a bag with a bathing suit and pair of jammies and never opened the rest!
5. Shoes....  Sigh.  I did do better this time.  I wore my tennis shoes on the plane and once again, it wasn't necessary for me personally to have them.  I will just wear my walking sandals on the plane too.  I took my lighter weight sandals this time and didn't fuss with the 3 inch heals I would wear once or twice. I actually packed 2 pairs of flip flops in case one pair broke....omg WHY?  Which leads to...
6.  This next cruise no matter what I'm going with the Rick Steve's packing rule which I never do but am going to start!  I love his travel blogs and YouTube videos and he says "always pack for the expected, not the unexpected".  Ok...I'm a pack for the unexpected....my shoe might break, my phone cord might break, I might spill coffee on my 4 sweaters... All 4!  All the unexpected back-ups come home unused and talking up space.  I'm not traveling to the middle of Africa where I might have trouble getting something!!!! (If you are, you are probably better at packing than I am anyway and not reading this!).  Next time I will truly try and follow this.  Heck I will pack a $100 extra dollars just for things I might need to get and when I don't, take myself out to a nice Cafe somewhere!  
7.  Go with your history and your gut.  Every trip I pack shorts "just in case I feel like wearing them" and workout clothes "just in case I want to work out".  Ok...I've now been on 6 cruises.  Not once have I put on shorts or tshirts (Im a sundress girl) and the only time I've set for in the fitness center is to take pics on day one.  If I haven't used something at home (do I really want that dress) or on a ship, it is just not gonna get used here!  
8.  Compare with the other lovely people in your family.  In March my family brilliantly brought 3 tubes of toothpaste.  Seriously.  We all packed our regular travel kits and we all have toothpaste.  Oh well.  Next time I'm going back to the family ziplocks...1 toothpaste and common shampoo, soap, etc.  And I'm getting slightly better at judging amount we use.  For example, I love using the bath & body works squirt soap better than the bars.  They smell nice and I just like them.  We don't need a whole bottle...I can bring a half-used one and then I have 2 more oz and space at the end of the trip!  Same goes for shampoo, lotion, etc!  
9.  Suitcase stuffing.  I'm a stuffer.  If the suitcase is at 40 lbs and not full, I can stuff just one more extra dress or pair of shoes just in case.  Nope.  The problem is that it takes me forever to fit everything in at home.  I don't have that time on the trip and what happens is I frantically stuff everything in and one day I'm gonna break the zipper.  I have had to buy and check an extra suitcase at Disney before (ok...I could get into souvenir shopping here.  I didn't buy the rum in Nassau because I knew I wouldn't have the space or weight lol).  So next time, things will fit better at the start.  I will do what you are supposed to... Pack and then unpack and take out a bunch you don't need!  Because I don't need the stress at the end of the trip!
So I've now spent time I should have been packing avoiding it but when I get home, this is what's I'm going to re-read before I pack!!!!!! Jane

When you did the caribbean paddling, did you book the excursion version that included travel or traveled there another way?

If you look on the excursions section, several have posted on this (or on St Maarten), particularly @lauraodonnell86.  My husband and I did the Snuba RC excursion when we first went to the island.  We are going a second time in January on FOTS and are hoping to do a non RC excursion that Laura mentioned to Pinel Island on kayaks (www.caribbeanpaddling.com).

We absolutely love sailing from San Juan. We sail from there almost every January. The more expensive airfare is worth it to us! We can escape the Kansas City winter in January and immediately be in 85 degree weather as soon as we get there. There is no waiting for it to warm up as you leave another more northern port. We usually make it a back to back sailing because once you have paid for the airfare, you might as well tack on another week for not that much more $! We LOVE port days and getting to visit a different island 6 out of 7 days is amazing! Some people may see it as a negative that the bigger, newer ships don't go out of San Juan. We love Freedom of the Seas and would never say anything negative about it. It will be refurbished January 2020 so that is something to look forward to!
Let me know if you have any questions as we have done both routes and all of the islands many times over. You WON'T be disappointed. 

I hope so too!  I keep checking SW but no flights past cruise sailing day are out there so I sit and wait a bit to get round trip and research pricing...doesn't look wonderful at this point but oh well.

Xmas and NYE is often an expensive time to fly.  Hotels, cruise fare, airfare, they are all more over holidays.  
I generally find San Juan cruises less than Florida cruises so the savings in cruise fare often pays for the airfare difference in San Juan.  The other benefit to San Juan cruises is an extra port to start with.  San Juan is one of my favorites ports so that's a win even before the cruise has started.

Yowza! We fly through MCI to get to visit my BFs family and normally its cheaper. 

We absolutely love sailing from San Juan. We sail from there almost every January. The more expensive airfare is worth it to us! We can escape the Kansas City winter in January and immediately be in 85 degree weather as soon as we get there. There is no waiting for it to warm up as you leave another more northern port. We usually make it a back to back sailing because once you have paid for the airfare, you might as well tack on another week for not that much more $! We LOVE port days and getting to visit a different island 6 out of 7 days is amazing! Some people may see it as a negative that the bigger, newer ships don't go out of San Juan. We love Freedom of the Seas and would never say anything negative about it. It will be refurbished January 2020 so that is something to look forward to!
Let me know if you have any questions as we have done both routes and all of the islands many times over. You WON'T be disappointed. 

We absolutely love sailing from San Juan. We sail from there almost every January. The more expensive airfare is worth it to us! We can escape the Kansas City winter in January and immediately be in 85 degree weather as soon as we get there. There is no waiting for it to warm up as you leave another more northern port. We usually make it a back to back sailing because once you have paid for the airfare, you might as well tack on another week for not that much more $! We LOVE port days and getting to visit a different island 6 out of 7 days is amazing! Some people may see it as a negative that the bigger, newer ships don't go out of San Juan. We love Freedom of the Seas and would never say anything negative about it. It will be refurbished January 2020 so that is something to look forward to!
Let me know if you have any questions as we have done both routes and all of the islands many times over. You WON'T be disappointed. 

Looking for some valuable feedback from anyone who has taken a RCCL southern cruise departing from San Juan.  The itineraries look very interesting with islands that we have not been to in the past and the prices appear to be very competitive.  I feel like there has to be some drawbacks that are behind the curtain which we cannot see.
Is the cruise mostly full of Americans traveling to San Juan or does it have a a more Latino flavor?  Or is it a mix of guests from many countries since it departs from the Caribbean?
Help please.  ?

An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, medevacs a 55-year-old Canadian man and his wife from the cruise ship Anthem of the Seas, 100 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, June 14, 2019. The medevac was requested for the 55-year-old male, who was reportedly suffering from abdominal pain. (U.S. Coast Guard video courtesy of Air Station Elizabeth City)
 
Video at https://www.dvidshub.net/video/689949/coast-guard-medevacs-55-year-old-canadian-man-cruise-ship-100-miles-off-cape-hatteras-nc

@twangster Thanks for the tip. I just ordered one!

Tony grew up on the Jersey Shore...he's had enough beach to last a life time (IMO.)  I grew up in Nebraska - can't get more landlocked.  Not a fan of being wet, sandy, or smelling like the ocean.  When we were younger, we'd hit the beach for at least half of our ports.  The older we get, the less we beach. 
We save money by wandering...costs nothing but sore feet at the ed of the day!  

That's funny because all we do is go to the beach anymore! We LOVE it! Makes for cheap(er) cruises too! ? 

Day 3 - Bermuda 
First, let me say .... omg getting old sucks.   My mind says 'hell ya we can do this' .... then my body goes #wtf.  
6:45 ... phone rings.  Now, before yall go and get all worked up, it was actually legit.   The past two mornings we have had our soy lattes and a strawberry banana smoothie delivered at 7.  See, we just thought we would be awake by then.   Well the first morning they knocked and knocked then rang the door bell (yeah, we roll like that ... gotta have a door bell).  This time, they called us before to make sure we were awake.   Tomorrow, yeah ... let's delay that stuff till about 9.  If we get up earlier, I'll go hunt down coffee. 
We had arranged with Yen to get off by 930.  Since we had to all be back by 3.  This should give us plenty of time to snorkel at horseshoe bay and make a run to Hamilton.  Yen escorted us all the way off the ship and to the shuttles.  We would have been happy to find the shuttles, but let her spoil us.  The shuttles were $7 per person one way.  Not even realizing I should have brought plenty of cash, I was lucky I had some left in my wallet. I do have 'secret' money hidden in my wallet for emergencies ... don't you?  Lol
The shuttle ride is packed with close to 26ish folks.   Glad I put on extra deodorant and made my son put extra on.   The roads are narrow, glad I wasn't driving.   Seeing that makes me realize to NOT do one of those mowped scooter tours.  We made it to horseshoe bay in about 20 minutes.  It was pretty crowded.  We meandered up a rock cliff, past a sign that said don't do it ... but all those other people were ... ok, so me and my daughter decided to scramble up there for a quick picture.  
Like I said, it was crowded.   Looking out I was expecting to see calm or semi calm water ... nope, big old crashing waves.   Well crap, there goes the snorkeling plan.  Yeah,  horseshoe bay .... don't try and snorkel.   My son and I acted his age,  he's 12 ... put our flippers and masks on and ran out there.    Three waves later we lose a flipper.... stupid wave.   Luckily, they float so we found it and I ran them back to our towels.   Oh, yeah, um, I forgot to mention ... the water was COLD ... yeah, that was unexpected.   Once you try and slowly get used to it, a wave comes and breaks and laughs at you. Now your cold and wet.  Then another wave comes and knocks you back.   It was actually fun jumping waves.  I was surprised by how much grass there was.  It wasn't seaweed, but rather some type of scratchy grass.    We had a lot of fun but had to be careful.   There was a pretty strong current that was pulling back out.  There were a couple of people that got to far out and the lifeguards had to go get them.  After getting hammered by the waves for a couple hours, we were all 'beat'  lol.   Yeah, no Hamilton run .... another shuttle ride back to the ship and back on board by 1.  
The boys claimed the showers first, while the girls took off to hunt down lunch.   Oh yeah, we brought a lot of sand back ... and grass in our pockets.   We ran down to JRs to grab a burger and shake, but they don't open till 2.  I wasn't waiting 30 more minutes, so we snuck into CK.  My BH was already there snacking on a salad so we joined her.  I got a really good burger while my son ordered a pasta that he liked.   
The adults retired to the room and the kids went to go meet yo with new found friends.   A nice nap was just what we needed.   But, 2 hours later we woke up and realized just how mean those waves were......ooowww  
Guess what, it's time...... to eat...... again.  Back to CK for another filet.  
Cruise totals:  filets .... 3

Possibly! I am going on a B2B at the end of December (NYE GC) and hitting St. Maarten twice during that cruise and my husband and I were planning on going there one week so I'm not sure if I'll go on Oasis too. My sister is coming with me on Oasis and we aren't sure what we are doing yet at any of the ports! I can't wait!