BobbieS Posted August 26, 2023 Report Share Posted August 26, 2023 We just got off Freedom yesterday, so I thought I would share a brief summary of our trip while it is fresh. This trip report won't be like some of the wonderful ones I see here with lots of pictures (because I am trying to catch up on some work), but I felt it was important to share because I get so much from this group. My husband and I were traveling with another couple who had never cruised before. We arrived in Miami late Sunday evening and took an uber from MIA to the Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay. Check-in was fast and hotel was very nice and clean. There is a $30 Destination Fee added to the cost of your room. This fee includes the following: Premium High-Speed Internet $30 F&B Credit Welcome Gift - 2 BPA Free Water Bottles Two Bike Rentals (up to 2 hours per room, per stay) Daily yoga/fitness classes for 2 guests per room Two tickets to Millions Billionaire Sight Seeing tour Two Welcome Drinks in “Gold Coast Kitchen + Cocktails” We had a bay view room (#9304), which had a great view of the bay and the ships. We are early risers, so on Monday morning, we woke up, had some coffee in the room and then headed downstairs to the M Club for the complimentary breakfast. The breakfast was nice. It included eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, fruit, cereals, pastries, meats, cheeses, etc. M Club includes 24-hour access for some alcoholic drinks, free breakfast, etc. If you do not have Bonvoy status, it can be purchased, but I am not sure of the price. Check-out as fast and easy. We ordered an Uber for 10:15am for the short ride to the port. Including a couple of pictures below. dr martini, Sweety, Neesa and 3 others 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweety Posted August 26, 2023 Report Share Posted August 26, 2023 I love Freedom BobbieS 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbieS Posted August 29, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2023 On 8/26/2023 at 1:08 PM, Sweety said: I love Freedom We do too! We had a great time. Sweety 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbieS Posted August 29, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2023 Our Uber driver was on time (even a bit early) and was wonderful! We arrived at the port about 10 minutes after he picked us up at the hotel. The port was busy, but extremely efficient. We were separated from our friends as they used the general check-in and we used the suite line. We hopped on the elevator, went through security (no line) and arrived in the suite check-in lounge where we showed out passports and sat for maybe 10 minutes before boarding. There were some refreshments in the suite waiting area (sandwiches, cookies, water and coffee). Once on board, we made our way to check in at our muster station. That process took about 2 minutes. Note we had previously watched the required safety videos at the hotel that morning. Our next stop was the bar, of course! We needed to pick up our soda cups and a drink while we waited for our friends to board. They were on shortly thereafter and we were in vacation mode! They were very impressed with the check-in process as well and said it went much faster than they expected. MaryS 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweety Posted August 29, 2023 Report Share Posted August 29, 2023 We have been on Freedom 6 times with family and friends. We will be on again in February 2024. BobbieS 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbieS Posted August 29, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2023 50 minutes ago, Sweety said: We have been on Freedom 6 times with family and friends. We will be on again in February 2024. I hope you have a great trip in February. We really enjoyed ourselves and found the ship to be in great shape. Our next trip is on Indy in November. I am hoping it is just as wonderful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweety Posted August 29, 2023 Report Share Posted August 29, 2023 1 hour ago, BobbieS said: I hope you have a great trip in February. We really enjoyed ourselves and found the ship to be in great shape. Our next trip is on Indy in November. I am hoping it is just as wonderful! We are on Indy June 2024 with family and friends. BobbieS 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbieS Posted August 29, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2023 Stateroom/Attendant: We were in JS 9338. It was the typical JS. Our cabin attendant, Suraj, was wonderful! Our cabin was always tidy and his sense of humor was wonderful. MDR: We ate dinner in the MDR every night since our friends had no interest in specialty dining for dinner. We chose MTD and had reservations for 7:45pm every night. After the first night, we requested the same wait staff. Our request was granted and we sat at the same table each night. There was never a wait to be seated. Aris and Hope in the MDR were great! They anticipated our requests and were always quick to respond. We discussed the days events and what we had planned for the next day with them. Aris also made an effort to speak to us every morning at breakfast even if we were not assigned to his table. I feel like this type of experience is what makes the MDR what it should be. They were second to none! The food was always the appropriate temperature and was overall tasty. I have always loved the french onion soup. Some other standouts were the calamari app, crab cake, apple cobbler, tiger shrimp, carrot cake, mushroom risotto, NY strip and the chocolate-hazelnut cake. Windjammer: The food was good for a buffet. It was very crowded on the first day at lunch, but was fine the rest of the trip. To me, the desserts were lacking a bit. We did have breakfast there one morning and it was good. Other Food: El Loco Fresh was fantastic, but the line was always crazy long. Playmakers wings and nachos were fantastic. Sorrentos pizza was just how I remember it...a nice pizza fix. Entertainment: We frequented to casino and had a good experience there. There casino hosts were very helpful and knowledgeable. We enjoyed the various shows, but I do wish there was a bigger headliner show (like Grease, etc.). Pools: The pool areas were always clean and never really felt so crowded that you couldn't find a seat. We enjoyed our time in the pool areas. Bar Service: Bar service was excellent. No complaints whatsoever in this department. Drinks were not "watered down" as we sometimes hear complaints of and were very tasty. Ports: Coco Cay was a nice beach day. We rented a beach bed on Breezy Bay and we felt it was worth $199 to us. It was nice to have a home base for the day and some shade. Most of the time, I stay on the ship in Nassau, but we ventured off the ship this time because our friends had not been there before. We did some shopping, had a nice lunch and headed back to the ship. Overall, we had a great experience and our friends really enjoyed their first cruise. I have never sailed Freedom before and was pleasantly surprised! I will say that I was very skeptical of the MDR going in based on other reviews, etc., but our experience was good. Was it the best food I have ever had? No, but it was good and certainly edible. The service made it special. DDaley, MaryS, WAAAYTOOO and 2 others 3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JVPIII Posted August 30, 2023 Report Share Posted August 30, 2023 13 hours ago, BobbieS said: Our Uber driver was on time (even a bit early) and was wonderful! We arrived at the port about 10 minutes after he picked us up at the hotel. What time did you have your driver pick you up? What time did you arrive in port? I am trying to judge when to have our driver pick us up in October. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbieS Posted August 30, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2023 6 hours ago, JVPIII said: What time did you have your driver pick you up? What time did you arrive in port? I am trying to judge when to have our driver pick us up in October. It really depends on your assigned arrival time. Our arrival time was 11:30a. Our friends were super nervous about checking in and wanted to avoid the crowds as much as possible because this was all new to them. We were in a JS, so there was some flexibility with early arrival, so we had our driver pick up us at 10:20am. Honestly, it was the easiest check-in process for any cruise I have ever been on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PPPJJ-GCVAB Posted August 30, 2023 Report Share Posted August 30, 2023 20 hours ago, BobbieS said: I hope you have a great trip in February. We really enjoyed ourselves and found the ship to be in great shape. Our next trip is on Indy in November. I am hoping it is just as wonderful! We are on Indy for the November 5th cruise to Labadee. Been on Freedom and love it. Hoping Indy will be just as nice. BobbieS and WAAAYTOOO 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbieS Posted August 30, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2023 22 minutes ago, PPPJJ-GCVAB said: We are on Indy for the November 5th cruise to Labadee. Been on Freedom and love it. Hoping Indy will be just as nice. We will be on Indy 11/26, so I can't wait to hear about your trip! Sweety and PPPJJ-GCVAB 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PPPJJ-GCVAB Posted August 30, 2023 Report Share Posted August 30, 2023 8 minutes ago, BobbieS said: We will be on Indy 11/26, so I can't wait to hear about your trip! Will definitely post my thoughts! We are cruising with another couple (Rich and Rhonda) and it just so happens Rhonda is leaving this weekend to cruise on Indy Sept 4th! I already gave her a few things to check out for us . Luckily her itinerary is the Nassau/CocoCay one! The four of us cruised on Allure last year and Labadee was on the agenda…we loved it and are looking forward to being back there in Nov! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbieS Posted August 30, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2023 1 hour ago, PPPJJ-GCVAB said: Will definitely post my thoughts! We are cruising with another couple (Rich and Rhonda) and it just so happens Rhonda is leaving this weekend to cruise on Indy Sept 4th! I already gave her a few things to check out for us . Luckily her itinerary is the Nassau/CocoCay one! The four of us cruised on Allure last year and Labadee was on the agenda…we loved it and are looking forward to being back there in Nov! Please encourage her to share her thoughts and some pics with us! Our Indy trip goes to Cozumel. PPPJJ-GCVAB 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted August 30, 2023 Report Share Posted August 30, 2023 2 hours ago, BobbieS said: We will be on Indy 11/26, so I can't wait to hear about your trip! We are on this one, too !!! ...plus the following cruise 11/30. We're also on 11-6 but there are a couple of weeks and a Disney trip in there between cruises !! BobbieS 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbieS Posted August 30, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2023 1 hour ago, WAAAYTOOO said: We are on this one, too !!! ...plus the following cruise 11/30. We're also on 11-6 but there are a couple of weeks and a Disney trip in there between cruises !! Wonderful! We are excited because our friends have said they may join us again. I am so glad they loved their first cruise! WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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