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Freedom of the Seas or Independence of The Seas?


Aron_Ross

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Hello All, 

Sailed on Royal for the first time in May on Freedom, 4 day Coco Cay/Nassau.  We figured it was a good way to get our feet wet before we sail Harmony this Nov for 8 days, plus we had never been to Miami.  92 days before sailing..DAMN is it Nov yet?

Anyway, I have been watching youtubers post their recent Independence sailings, which also looks like a fun ship. I know they are sister ships and both amplified, but was wondering which ship do most people prefer and why? 

Let me also ask, if anyone has sailed all the Freedom class ships, which is your favorite?
 

 

 

 

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We have done both after they got amped. They are both so similar. I think with our kids, maybe Indy. Only because Indy has Grease and my kids love the shows. The shows on Freedom were not Broadway ones and just mediocre at best. For Hubby and I, I would give the edge to Freedom because of the same reasons the @AshleyDillojust mentioned. We love El Loco and we've discovered that we really like the new Giovanni's Kitchen as well. We ate there 3 out of our 4 nights a few weeks ago.

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Was on Indy for a week last month and had a great time.

That said, I'd probably choose Freedom for El Loco Fresh alone. Haven't even tried it but included Mexican food would be a welcome addition for me, personally. As someone who usually sails Oasis-class, the one thing I really missed on Indy was having additional included food options besides Sorrento's or Cafe Promenade.

The only thing I prefer on Indy is the OG version of Giovanni's just b/c it's always been our favorite specialty restaurant but many people seem to like Giovanni's Kitchen.

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Freedom got a later and better amplification.  However Indy is a fine ship. 

It might come down to Port Canaveral or Miami if one or the other is easier for you.  For me Port Canaveral is a more enjoyable port overall while Miami sail away is kind of cool but the rest of the port experience suffers compared to Port Canaveral.   I was able to watch a SpaceX launch while boarding in Port Canaveral so that was really cool.  Parking is a lot cheaper in Port Canaveral if driving.

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22 hours ago, Aron_Ross said:

Anyway, I have been watching youtubers post their recent Independence sailings, which also looks like a fun ship. I know they are sister ships and both amplified, but was wondering which ship do most people prefer and why? 

I don't know which ship I prefer because I haven't been on either ship since they were amped.  We liked both ships before they were amped.  We got away from Freedom class ships but we are making a return to Freedom this October.  I had a similar dilemma because we would be closer to Port Canaveral when we debark in Tampa after our Panama Canal crossing.  I don't know why I chose Freedom because Independence would have been more convenient. 

Freedom was the least expensive cruise at the time but getting to Miami from Tampa isn't cheap.  However, we can visit relatives north of Miami so that will be nice and saves some of the expense.

I like the way Freedom was amped but I don't think you will go wrong either way.  We got a junior suite on the pool deck at the front of the ship.  All of those staterooms were booked on Independence at the time.  I'm wondering how that location on the ship will be.  At the time we booked that stateroom, I was thinking everything would be right there and the only need for the elevator would be for shows, MDR and occasional trips to the promenade.

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10 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said:

Yup..makes the lower prices on a weekender out of Miami negligible over a PC sailing. I can make up the difference in gas and toll costs and parking alone, not to mention coming from N. Florida means a hotel stay for a south Florida sailing.

Seems like even more of a no-brainer for you than me. I've never even bothered looking at the exact costs associated with Ft. Lauderdale or Miami. The hour drive to PC for me is just too damn convenient.

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1 hour ago, Cruisingmama said:

Might be cheaper to Uber.

Yes, if you're based in the Miami metro area it can make sense. I have done 2 one-way car rentals for cheaper than port parking there! 

There aren't as many offsite options in Miami as there are at PC, so there's not much competition to bring the prices lower. 

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11 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Only because Indy has Grease and my kids love the shows. The shows on Freedom were not Broadway ones and just mediocre at best. For Hubby and I, I would give the edge to Freedom because of the same reasons the @AshleyDillojust mentioned. We love El Loco and we've discovered that we really like the new Giovanni's Kitchen as well. We ate there 3 out of our 4 nights a few weeks ago.

Wow I did not know Independence has Grease.  Unfortunately El Loco Fresh was our least favorite on Freedom.  We live in Los Angeles where there is an abundance of Mexican food so that's probably why, ha ha!  Giovanni's was excellent!  It was the only specialty dining we did and a filet in the MDR from Chops, which I thought was quite tasty.  Looking forward to Chops on our Harmony sailing.  I know there are a lot of mixed reviews, but have to try it at least once.  I wish the MDR would offer the Ribeye.  Loved the waffles, lamb shanks and Indian food at The Windjammer!  

11 hours ago, twangster said:

Parking is a lot cheaper in Port Canaveral if driving.

I got a cheap car rental so we figured it was better than taking an Uber/Lyft everywhere, but I still spent a lot on parking in the downtown area.  Bayfront Park was ridiculous!  Stayed at an Airbnb in Coral Gables.  Parking there and in Little Havana was easier and way less expensive.  I got addicted to the Cuban Espresso at Versailles.

10 hours ago, Dad2Cue said:

We got a junior suite on the pool deck at the front of the ship. 

NICE!!

1 hour ago, Ampurp85 said:

And I actually loathe Grease. 

HAAA HAAA!!

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We just got off Indy and had a blast.  Grease was the show.

Indy is getting a little "long in the tooth" and weathered a bit, but for us Pt Canaveral is easy to jump to from Detroit.  The crew is great, enjoy a quite day ON the ship at Nassau and GO BIG TIME to Coco Beach Club at Coco Cay.  If Freedom was easier and cheaper to get to, we would likely go to it.

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