I sailed on Freedom last week. Ask me anything

[Brett B]

Last week for thanksgiving I sailed on Freedom for a 4 night cruise with my vaccinated wife and daughter, and 11yr old unvaccinated son. 
 

We are diamond members or stayed in an owners suite and also our purchased the “Key” package. 
 

At coco cay we rented a cabana at the beach club, and our kids enjoyed the water park. We stayed on the boat in Nassau.

We also used NextCruise to book Wonder next year. 
 

For those not yet back to sailing yet, ask me anything and I will do my best to and we your questions. 

[SpeedNoodles]

Being Diamond members in a full suite, did you find any benefits from The Key?

[Matt]

Thoughts on the Key?

[Brett B]

2 hours ago, SpeedNoodles said:

Being Diamond members in a full suite, did you find any benefits from The Key?

I will start by saying the only reason we purchased Key was because for me it was about the same price as purchasing an Internet device, which Key includes.  I will also say that we there are a bunch of advantages of being in a Suite we really didn’t take advantage.

We definitely liked liked the welcome lunch for Key members.  It stated it would be “presented by Chops” but I my expectations were low- I figured a prime burger or something like that.  But I had a filet which would rival Ruth’s Chris.  The unch was excellent!  Also, the breakfast the day you get off the cruise was also great!  

Below is the full list of Key benefits for our cruise:

Dear Guest,

We're excited to share that our Welcome Lunch, featuring Chops Grille has been brought back to The Key! We hope you look forward to enjoying your exclusive lunch which will take place in the Main Dining Room between 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM! Additionally, as we previously shared, you'll receive a 25% discount for onboard dining purchases, plus complimentary room service! And, our private debarkation á la carte breakfast is back, replacing the "grab and go" breakfast option. Now, enjoy a more relaxed breakfast experience before heading off the ship.

Here's what you can expect on your upcoming sailing:

• Early access at the terminal.^*
• Drop off your carry-on luggage in the Main Dining Room on Deck 3 by 2:00 PM - your carry-on luggage will be hand delivered to your stateroom. 
• Exclusive welcome lunch in the Main Dining Room featuring the Chops Grille® menu (open from 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM). We recommend arriving to the terminal no later than 11:30 AM for you to have enough time to enjoy lunch with us!
• Complimentary room service for your entire cruise, along with 25% off all onboard dining purchases! 
• Private time at some of our onboard activities such as rock climbing, FlowRider, etc. 
• Priority departure from ship-to-shore at tender ports.
• Early access at shows in the Main Theater on Deck 4, however a reservation is needed so don't forget to book once you're onboard!
• VOOM Surf & Stream package, now including high speed internet, for one device (1 package per guest).
• On debarkation day, enjoy a private á la carte breakfast and choice departure.

*Please arrive at the terminal between 11:00 AM - 11:30 AM. If you are not able to make the early access window, you should arrive within your appointment time and will receive priority access into the terminal.

Lastly, when you arrive to the port for your sailing, please locate The Key signage for priority access into the terminal and make your way onto the ship.

We look forward to welcoming you aboard Freedom of the Seas in the coming days!

 

[CruisingOz]

We are booked on the Freedom, we are Diamond+, bought the UDP, staying in a junior suite, and we're wondering about the benefit of the Key. Being a four day cruise we both get two days of wifi and I can not seem to find any benefit of the Key as we already get lunch on embarkation day, wifi, and seating for shows. Maybe I am missing a benefit, so would love to know. 

[D Alt]

There was no added cost for the Welcome Lunch, correct? 

I am doing the Key on my Freedom cruise as well, but i'm not Diamond yet. So the added extras seem great for me, especially the access for the shows as i heard the Ice skating show can get crowded. 

How do they know you are Key holders, is that added to your Sea Pass card?

[WackyCactus]

34 minutes ago, D Alt said:

There was no added cost for the Welcome Lunch, correct? 

I am doing the Key on my Freedom cruise as well, but i'm not Diamond yet. So the added extras seem great for me, especially the access for the shows as i heard the Ice skating show can get crowded. 

How do they know you are Key holders, is that added to your Sea Pass card?

I purchased The Key on my past cruise on Navigator.  I loved the perks.  I will say if it's a short cruise, like 4 days, and there are no "Cruise" dates, I found that a lot of the perks did not get used.  For instance, the private hours at the rock climb, or flowrider.  These were provided when we were on shore excursions.
I did like the quick check in, and the ability to hand off my carry on to someone else to take care of.  The lunch at Chops was awesome.  The steak was amazing, and the burger was too   The internet combined with The Key was really nice too.  I brought my laptop and hooked it up to the TV in room and streamed Netflix, because the in room TV entertainment is always less than spectacular lol.

I purchased it for my next 7 day cruise and hope to use it the extras for the shows and what not.

Oh, the ala carte breakfast on departure date was SOOOO good too.

The Key is a pro move.

[WackyCactus]

5 hours ago, Brett B said:

Last week for thanksgiving I sailed on Freedom for a 4 night cruise with my vaccinated wife and daughter, and 11yr old unvaccinated son. 
 

We are diamond members or stayed in an owners suite and also our purchased the “Key” package. 
 

At coco cay we rented a cabana at the beach club, and our kids enjoyed the water park. We stayed on the boat in Nassau.

We also used NextCruise to book Wonder next year. 
 

For those not yet back to sailing yet, ask me anything and I will do my best to and we your questions. 

How was the muster drill done.  Was it just through the phone app.  Was it quick?

[TheRoll]

What was capacity like?  Full?  Half full?

[Brett B]

18 hours ago, CruisingOz said:

We are booked on the Freedom, we are Diamond+, bought the UDP, staying in a junior suite, and we're wondering about the benefit of the Key. Being a four day cruise we both get two days of wifi and I can not seem to find any benefit of the Key as we already get lunch on embarkation day, wifi, and seating for shows. Maybe I am missing a benefit, so would love to know. 

I think you are right for you it may not make sense, being Diamond+, unless you want the priority arrival, welcome lunch, departure breakfast, free room serviced and other benefits I listed.  I’ve never stayed in a Junior Suite but my understanding has been that does not yield any additional benefits but please correct me if I am wrong.

 

[Brett B]

16 hours ago, TheRoll said:

What was capacity like?  Full?  Half full?

I was told it was at about 70% capacity which surprised me being thanksgiving week.  I don’t think they are intentionally limiting.

And normally the Nassau stop is a great time to enjoy the boat as most people get off… but it was pretty packed on the ship that day.  My Theory is the requirement that you can’t just get off the book and explore if you have unvaccinated children- you are required to purchase an excursion via RCCL. But that’s just my guess.   Having been to Bahamas so many times, plus vacationed at Atlantas, we prefer to stay onboard that stop. 

[Brett B]

17 hours ago, WackyCactus said:

How was the muster drill done.  Was it just through the phone app.  Was it quick?

OK the muster drill was weird I must say.  I remember being told (or reading somewhere) that what is supposed to happen is you get on the ship, and you have so many hours to visit your muster station and “check in” using the App.  But that’s not what happened.  As soon as we got onboard we were directed to our muster station where an employee was standing there and giving a brief (and I mean BRIEF- like 90 seconds) overview of the life jacket to people in small groups of about 5-10 (or even as small as just your family).  

Since I mentioned the app… it’s worth nothing everyone should DOWNLOAD THE APP BEFORE YOUR CRUISE.  Everything is in the app, it’s so much easier.  

[IRMO12HD]

1 hour ago, Brett B said:

OK the muster drill was weird I must say.  I remember being told (or reading somewhere) that what is supposed to happen is you get on the ship, and you have so many hours to visit your muster station and “check in” using the App.  But that’s not what happened.  As soon as we got onboard we were directed to our muster station where an employee was standing there and giving a brief (and I mean BRIEF- like 90 seconds) overview of the life jacket to people in small groups of about 5-10 (or even as small as just your family).  

Since I mentioned the app… it’s worth nothing everyone should DOWNLOAD THE APP BEFORE YOUR CRUISE.  Everything is in the app, it’s so much easier.  

This! I’m on Freedom right now, and yesterday (Boarding Day) I completely forgot to watch the “Putting on your Lifevest” video while we were sitting in the Terminal waiting to get on.  As I boarded, I was directed to go to my Muster Station — no one was there, but then I was told to keep walking to the next one — and there I was asked if I had watched the video yet.  I said no, so I and about five others (standing on our little socially-distanced circles on the deck) watched the live lifejacket demonstration, received our info on what the alarm sounded like, and our Set Sail Passes were scanned — and we were free to go!

[IRMO12HD]

19 hours ago, WackyCactus said:

How was the muster drill done.  Was it just through the phone app.  Was it quick?

You could watch the lifejacket video on the app, but you still have to “report” to your Muster station and be checked in.  It’s painless and uncrowned though.  See the notes @Brett Bposted on the Muster Drill being weird.

[IRMO12HD]

20 hours ago, D Alt said:

There was no added cost for the Welcome Lunch, correct? 

I am doing the Key on my Freedom cruise as well, but i'm not Diamond yet. So the added extras seem great for me, especially the access for the shows as i heard the Ice skating show can get crowded. 

How do they know you are Key holders, is that added to your Sea Pass card?

@D Alt, to answer your questions:

The Welcome Lunch is included in The Key — and it is delicious!

The added extras are nice — especially if the cost of The Key is close (say within $5 or $6/day) of the Voom 1 Device cost.  The Chops Lunch is sold for $24.99 onboard; not sure about the equivalent value of the Disembarkation breakfast.  I haven’t used the access benefit yet, but may this evening at the Ice Show.

Your Sea Pass card will have a little key icon in the bottom right corner, beside your MDR time/table assignment

[Brett B]

20 hours ago, TheRoll said:

What was capacity like?  Full?  Half full?

It was at around 75% capacity but I don’t think that was intentional.  I think they are sailing at full capacity if they have enough bookings. 

[Brett B]

On 11/29/2021 at 3:23 PM, SpeedNoodles said:

Being Diamond members in a full suite, did you find any benefits from The Key?

There’s a lot of overlap.  I didn’t take advantage of any of the Suite benefits- so while I think they may have some special meal options I can’t say unfortunately.  We liked the welcome lunch and the last day departure breakfast as part of Key, and the fact it included internet was the main selling point for us.  

[Brett B]

On 11/29/2021 at 4:25 PM, Matt said:

Thoughts on the Key?

I liked the welcome lunch, the departure breakfast, and the included internet device.  Those were the selling points for me.  The luggage service and free room service I didn’t care about being in a Suite.   I posted all the benefits of Key (I think they keep tweaking it, so this was the latest as of last week) one one of the threads here. 

[Brett B]

On 11/29/2021 at 3:23 PM, SpeedNoodles said:

Being Diamond members in a full suite, did you find any benefits from The Key?

My apologies I thought I responded to this but must have missed it.

The only benefits I really enjoyed from Key (Being a diamond member in a full suite) were the welcome lunch was really nice, the departure breakfast was nice, and the Internet device was the main selling point (as for me, on this sailing, key was just a few dollars more per day than just an internet device). I didn’t take advantage of any of the other key benefits but for these it made it work it for me.

[Brett B]

On 11/29/2021 at 8:18 PM, TheRoll said:

What was capacity like?  Full?  Half full?

It was about 75% Full, which was surprising being thanksgiving week.  I don’t think they are intentionally limiting cruisers. If they can sell out at 100% I think they are.

[Brett B]

On 11/29/2021 at 6:33 PM, D Alt said:

There was no added cost for the Welcome Lunch, correct? 

I am doing the Key on my Freedom cruise as well, but i'm not Diamond yet. So the added extras seem great for me, especially the access for the shows as i heard the Ice skating show can get crowded. 

How do they know you are Key holders, is that added to your Sea Pass card?

There is no additional cost for the welcome lunch.

The ice skating show was not too crowned on our sailing.  If you haven’t seen it before on Freedom…. Not to be a downer here but it is defiantly my least favorite entertainment across the entire Royal fleet. I found it barely watchable but I hope you enjoy it!

Key members have a logo added to their sea pass card.  And for the special meals they seem to have a paper list they work off as well before admitting you into the lunch or breakfast. 

[Brett B]

For those asking about key, see my respond to @SpeedNoodleswith the details of what the Key program entailed for my sailing. 

Others asked about how key members are identified.  There is a logo on your SeaPass card (see my attached image) and for the welcome lunch and departure lunch they seem to work off a printout for some reason.  

 

[Brett B]

On 11/29/2021 at 3:23 PM, SpeedNoodles said:

Being Diamond members in a full suite, did you find any benefits from The Key?

I am trying this again as my previous reply does not appear to have posted.

I main reason we purchased key was because it was only a few dollars per day more than buying an Internet device, which we were going to purchase for each cruiser anyway.  We did enjoy the welcome lunch (the filet was outstanding), and the departure day breakfast. Suite guests may have had their own arrive lunch and departure breakfast- because our cruise was so short (only 4 days) I didn't spend any time looking at suite benefits we just wanted the larger room itself.  

[Brett B]

On 11/29/2021 at 4:25 PM, Matt said:

Thoughts on the Key?

For us the free Internet device for each Key purchase was the main selling point.  The welcome lunch and departure breakfast were also really nice.  We didn't use the luggage service, and being a suite we already had free room service.  If the price for key is near the price for an internet device and you already plan on purchasing that, it can be compelling. 

[Brett B]

On 11/29/2021 at 6:05 PM, CruisingOz said:

We are booked on the Freedom, we are Diamond+, bought the UDP, staying in a junior suite, and we're wondering about the benefit of the Key. Being a four day cruise we both get two days of wifi and I can not seem to find any benefit of the Key as we already get lunch on embarkation day, wifi, and seating for shows. Maybe I am missing a benefit, so would love to know. 

I don't think in your case you would receive any meaningful value, unless you want to be connected all four days.  For us there was so much overlap between Diamond, Suite and Key so our main benefits were the welcome lunch, departure breakfast, and internet. 

[Brett B]

To those who have posted a question- my apologies if you are not seeing my reply.  I have responded to every question, but for some of them my response is not posting despite multiple attempts. I am new to this group and I understand the moderator needs to approve my responses, but they just are not posting in some circumstances.  As someone who benefiting from consuming the content on this site, I am trying to give back and answer as many of your questions as I can.  

[AshleyDillo]

57 minutes ago, Brett B said:

I understand the moderator needs to approve my responses

Thanks for your help @Brett B.

I removed you from the moderation queue so you shouldn't have any problems going forward!

[Brett B]

On 11/29/2021 at 3:23 PM, SpeedNoodles said:

Being Diamond members in a full suite, did you find any benefits from The Key?

@SpeedNoodles I hope this reply comes though as some of my posts haven’t.

I don’t know if my suite included a special welcome lunch or denature breakfast but I really liked the Key welcome lunch and departure breakfast. It was i the main dining room and handled by Chops. My filet was outstanding.  And the Key included an Internet device which was the main selling point for me. 

 

[Brett B]

On 11/29/2021 at 6:33 PM, D Alt said:

There was no added cost for the Welcome Lunch, correct? 

I am doing the Key on my Freedom cruise as well, but i'm not Diamond yet. So the added extras seem great for me, especially the access for the shows as i heard the Ice skating show can get crowded. 

How do they know you are Key holders, is that added to your Sea Pass card?

There was no additional cost for the welcome lunch.  

As for how they know, there is a symbol printed on your Sea Pass (I posted a picture of my seapass on one of these threads). But for the welcome lunch and departure breakfast they worked off a printed list for some reason. 

[Brett B]

On 11/29/2021 at 8:18 PM, TheRoll said:

What was capacity like?  Full?  Half full?

The ship was at about 75% capacity the week of Thanksgiving