LetsTryThisPlace Posted March 3, 2018 Report Share Posted March 3, 2018 So as a crazy day unwinds and I am getting ready for bed thought I would do a little pre-cruise update. Flew Southwest for the first time and must say I'm really impressed. I was a little sceptical of the whole boarding procedure but turned out alright. The plane was probably around 75-80% full and a lot of spaces between people. The landing was very hard however, and then you heard the captain come on the speakers with "opps" made everyone laugh. We finally ended up going to buffalo wild wings (one of my favs when we get away) thought I would start with some food pictures even if not from the cruise. I had wings with a mix of sweet BBQ sauce and spicy garlic sauce. I washed it down with an IPA the had advertised (not my most favorite IPA). My next post will be on the ship tomorrow (well technically later today). Lilluv117, JLMoran, enjoylife5 and 2 others 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted March 3, 2018 Report Share Posted March 3, 2018 Following! Can't wait to see this, you're on the same itinerary I'll be taking in 4 weeks! mom2mybugs and Deedeelynn 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted March 3, 2018 Report Share Posted March 3, 2018 Following! Have a great time this week! Can you remember to find out if you just pay the difference in price when you order an alcoholic drink with the refreshment package. I downgraded to the refreshment package so I'm hoping you were right ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LetsTryThisPlace Posted March 3, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2018 So on board now. Got in around 3:15 after running around doing last minute shopping (we do not shop much at home as its expensive). Only really took us 15/20 minutes to go through security and check in. It was pretty much empty as everyone was already on board. Did a scope and now waiting for muster drill to begin. Will check in later. 5 hours ago, Sabrinaklai said: Following! Have a great time this week! Can you remember to find out if you just pay the difference in price when you order an alcoholic drink with the refreshment package. I downgraded to the refreshment package so I'm hoping you were right ? i will be checking probably later today or tomorrow :) they gave us a discount token and Sandra isn't wanting alcohol yet so will see how the day goes. Will post more F1guynz, JLMoran, Lovetocruise2002 and 5 others 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joost Posted March 3, 2018 Report Share Posted March 3, 2018 We meet up later i Just had my first Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted March 4, 2018 Report Share Posted March 4, 2018 I flew Southwest for the 1st time to Houston for my cruise. No worries about the hard landing, 737's tend to land fast. Let us know how the GigaSky SIM works out. I tried to watch your sail away scopes but Voom has had some issues on Liberty so I couldn't tell if it was your my internet or yours. Most importantly, enjoy your cruise! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joost Posted March 4, 2018 Report Share Posted March 4, 2018 Just now, twangster said: I flew Southwest for the 1st time to Houston for my cruise. No worries about the hard landing, 737's tend to land fast. Let us know how the GigaSky SIM works out. Most importantly, enjoy your cruise! I did a few voom surf stream tests for you in Port and at sea @twangster Orlando server ping 228 down 3,74 MB up184 Miami. Server ping 213. Down 4.09 up 262 At sea Puarto plaza ping 236 down 3.99 Up 2.50 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted March 4, 2018 Report Share Posted March 4, 2018 21 minutes ago, joost said: I did a few voom surf stream tests for you in Port and at sea @twangster Orlando server ping 228 down 3,74 MB up184 Miami. Server ping 213. Down 4.09 up 262 At sea Puarto plaza ping 236 down 3.99 Up 2.50 Thank you! This appears consistent with 2016-2018 Voom O3b speeds. Freedom had pretty good Voom in my experience on her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Posted March 4, 2018 Report Share Posted March 4, 2018 Looking forward to your posts and photos if you get a chance photos of cabin 9516 would be great just to stop the wife nagging me about what the shower looks like RestingBird 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweety Posted March 4, 2018 Report Share Posted March 4, 2018 Have an awesome time. We loved the baked chicken in the WJ. Some of the cooks are from Jamaica. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjac Posted March 4, 2018 Report Share Posted March 4, 2018 4 hours ago, Ray said: just to stop the wife nagging me about what the shower looks like Ray, just tell her to close her eyes and the shower will look just like the one at home, RestingBird 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LetsTryThisPlace Posted March 4, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2018 Good morning all, I have to say the mystery dinner was amazing. I'll be doing a more detailed review when I get some free time. They kept the wine coming which was all included, food was amazing and I got a special desert because of my allergies and it was amazing. I must confess I was so hungry when the entrées came around I forgot to take pictures. It all started at On Air served some type of rose sparkling wine as the show started. Then they moved us up to Giovanni's to eat. They brought out pickled vegetables, cheese some meat and bread and some greens for the antipasti. When then had the choose of 3 dishes for the appetizer, beef carpaccio, another was the Mozzarella Di Bufalo which was cheese, tomato and arugula, it was supposed to come with a pesto sauce but Sandra didn't get it because it had nuts. The last one was the soup of the day which was the most amazing minestrone soup I have ever eaten. For the entrées there was the Gnocchi Al Gorgonzola which was Gorgonzola with creamed spinach. Gamberetti Alla Ligure which was grilled prawns, cherry tomato's, garlic butter and a potato purée. Lastly, the Filetto Di Manzo Rustico which was a filet mignon with roasted garlic potato purée and barolo sauce but I swear the whole room got the filet mignon It was absolutely amazing. Between entrées and desert they offered us some coffee. Then for desert, Sandra got the chocolate cake, and I was given a little cup dish of some type of strawberry over cream and some type of lime moose thing. I would say both reminded me of cheesecake filling. The lime was so good I ask for more and they brought me 2 more dishes of it. The other dishes were the Tiramisu and ice cream and sorbet. The show skits run between each of your meals so you get a good little break to let it settle lol. accio7, JLMoran, RestingBird and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Posted March 4, 2018 Report Share Posted March 4, 2018 5 minutes ago, rjac said: Ray, just tell her to close her eyes and the shower will look just like the one at home, If only it was that simple! NO JOKE when booking a hotel etc the ONLY thing that concerns her is the toilet/shower. RestingBird 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LetsTryThisPlace Posted March 4, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2018 4 hours ago, Ray said: Looking forward to your posts and photos if you get a chance photos of cabin 9516 would be great just to stop the wife nagging me about what the shower looks like Not sure what type of room 9516 is but this is the bath room in our room. accio7 and Ray 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweety Posted March 4, 2018 Report Share Posted March 4, 2018 37 minutes ago, LetsTryThisTech said: Good morning all, I have to say the mystery dinner was amazing. I'll be doing a more detailed review when I get some free time. They kept the wine coming which was all included, food was amazing and I got a special desert because of my allergies and it was amazing. I must confess I was so hungry when the entrées came around I forgot to take pictures. It all started at On Air served some type of rose sparkling wine as the show started. Then they moved us up to Giovanni's to eat. They brought out pickled vegetables, cheese some meat and bread and some greens for the antipasti. When then had the choose of 3 dishes for the appetizer, beef carpaccio, another was the Mozzarella Di Bufalo which was cheese, tomato and arugula, it was supposed to come with a pesto sauce but Sandra didn't get it because it had nuts. The last one was the soup of the day which was the most amazing minestrone soup I have ever eaten. For the entrées there was the Gnocchi Al Gorgonzola which was Gorgonzola with creamed spinach. Gamberetti Alla Ligure which was grilled prawns, cherry tomato's, garlic butter and a potato purée. Lastly, the Filetto Di Manzo Rustico which was a filet mignon with roasted garlic potato purée and barolo sauce but I swear the whole room got the filet mignon It was absolutely amazing. Between entrées and desert they offered us some coffee. Then for desert, Sandra got the chocolate cake, and I was given a little cup dish of some type of strawberry over cream and some type of lime moose thing. I would say both reminded me of cheesecake filling. The lime was so good I ask for more and they brought me 2 more dishes of it. The other dishes were the Tiramisu and ice cream and sorbet. The show skits run between each of your meals so you get a good little break to let it settle lol. Menu sounds interesting. How did you sign up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LetsTryThisPlace Posted March 4, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2018 25 minutes ago, Sweety said: Menu sounds interesting. How did you sign up? It was on the cruise planner under entertainment and activities. For the price it was well worth it. accio7 and Sweety 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjac Posted March 4, 2018 Report Share Posted March 4, 2018 1 hour ago, Ray said: If only it was that simple! NO JOKE when booking a hotel etc the ONLY thing that concerns her is the toilet/shower. Well, you know what they say...if Mamma ain't happy, no one's going to be happy! accio7 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted March 4, 2018 Report Share Posted March 4, 2018 2 hours ago, rjac said: Ray, just tell her to close her eyes and the shower will look just like the one at home, That strategy will not work for women. A cruise director will not make or break a cruise for me, but a shower/bathroom that is not nice will ? 2 hours ago, Ray said: If only it was that simple! NO JOKE when booking a hotel etc the ONLY thing that concerns her is the toilet/shower. It is a serious issue. We spend a whole lot of time in the washroom so it has to be a nice space. Take her concerns seriously ? mom2mybugs 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Posted March 4, 2018 Report Share Posted March 4, 2018 26 minutes ago, Sabrinaklai said: That strategy will not work for women. A cruise director will not make or break a cruise for me, but a shower/bathroom that is not nice will ? It is a serious issue. We spend a whole lot of time in the washroom so it has to be a nice space. Take her concerns seriously ? She spends a fortune on all these beauty products and in all honesty give me 6 bottles of beer at a fraction of the cost she spends and results the same Lovetocruise2002, ellcee, RestingBird and 3 others 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjac Posted March 4, 2018 Report Share Posted March 4, 2018 2 hours ago, Sabrinaklai said: That strategy will not work for women. A cruise director will not make or break a cruise for me, but a shower/bathroom that is not nice will ? It is a serious issue. We spend a whole lot of time in the washroom so it has to be a nice space. Take her concerns seriously ? All joking aside, I fully understand....my wife is the same way. There have been more than one occasions where we have checked into a motel room, I leave the bags in the car and my wife inspects the room. Bathroom first. If she says OK, I unload the car. If she says no we have changed rooms. I spent over twenty years on active duty in the US Army, so a bathroom to me not used to be a big deal especially when I was deployed. However, I am older and grayer now I do appreciate a nice clean roomy facility when nature calls! Lovetocruise2002 and RestingBird 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
accio7 Posted March 4, 2018 Report Share Posted March 4, 2018 Following! Have fun on your cruise :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjac Posted March 4, 2018 Report Share Posted March 4, 2018 2 hours ago, Ray said: in all honesty give me 6 bottles of beer at a fraction of the cost she spends and results the same Now, who said the Scots don't have a sense of humor? Cruising with you must be a lot of laughs! Ray 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rose City Cruiser Posted March 4, 2018 Report Share Posted March 4, 2018 8 hours ago, Ray said: If only it was that simple! NO JOKE when booking a hotel etc the ONLY thing that concerns her is the toilet/shower. happy wife, happy life Lovetocruise2002, WAAAYTOOO and Ray 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
accio7 Posted March 5, 2018 Report Share Posted March 5, 2018 Thanks to this post, I realized that @joost and @homa0605 are on your sailing as well :) Woooo, more RCB members! I am very intrigued by your live post, @LetsTryThisTech, as I am sailing on the same itinerary on Adventure later in December. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LetsTryThisPlace Posted March 5, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2018 @accio7 @joost and I have met up so far. Haven't met @homa0605 yet but hopefully we will. We ended up going to the silent party which was great fun. My camera wasn't great but here is a shot I got from there. And a view down to the pool deck. This afternoon we hit up Sabor for our lunch and I must say it was pretty good. They first brought out the chips and they are very tasty and warm. Sandra then had the calamari which she really enjoyed. We found that only one entrée is included but the waitress brought us an extra to share. We went with tacos. Sandra went with the shrimp taco that she said was amazing. I ordered the beef short ribs taco and pulled pork taco. The short ribs were alright but no were near as amazing as the pulled pork. I would highly recommend the pulled pork and Sandra would also recommend the shrimp tacos. (Beef Short Rib Taco) (Pulled Pork Taco) (Shrimp tacos) We did order sides but I wasn't able to get to them because I was so full. They then brought out the desert but told me I couldn't have it because of my allergies and they weren't safe. They then brought me fruit which was so not the same. Sandra's favorite was the banana chocolate chiming changa. 2nd was the churro which was in the same bowl. Her 3rd favorite was the chocolate crapes. She did not like the coffee con leche, but she's not a coffee drinker. She also didn't like the coconut flan. For last nights dinner we went the mdr. I forgot to take pictures of everything but the main course lol. (Still getting used to this) We went without reservations even though it was formal night because we were going a little later and funny enough our line was shorter then the reservation line so it was actually a good thing. So first up, they brought me sourdough bread off the bat because of my allergies and boy was it good bread, I could have just kept eating it lol. Sandra ordered the lobster bisque which she said was really good. I ordered the French onion soup and it was not my type of food but that's fine I save room for desert. For our main course we both picked them same thing which was the beef tenderloin with mashed potato, gravy and asparagus, this was amazing. After we finished that I had some coffee and Sandra had some tea before moving to desert. I ordered both the apple pie and the strawberry cheesecake and Sandra had an apple pie. They were both great except for the apple pie having like 2 raisins in it which made absolutely no sense. We also had an amazing ice show last night. The main theme was freedom (wonder where they thought of that). There were some times when the boat shifted you thought they may not make it and although they looked like they had to make a quick adjustment they did it well. @joost and I asked the bartender about adding alcohol and only paying the difference and they confirmed at least at his bar. I think it may also depend on the bartender but most should be able to do it. To end my post here are some photos of the windjammer. ellcee, JLMoran, accio7 and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted March 6, 2018 Report Share Posted March 6, 2018 3 hours ago, LetsTryThisTech said: I ordered both the apple pie and the strawberry cheesecake and Sandra had an apple pie. They were both great except for the apple pie having like 2 raisins in it which made absolutely no sense. Ummm, you sure those were raisins? I heard that Alvin, Simon, and Theodore were on board this sailing. Ray, LetsTryThisPlace and mom2mybugs 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LetsTryThisPlace Posted March 6, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2018 So I did a much better job tonight on my photos lol. The pools were mostly all closed but the solarium due to bad weather today. Ice skating was also cancelled. I heard it was so bad that on some of the smaller ships it tossed people out of bed. I can tell you as large as freedom is, its still getting tossed pretty good and makes you walk as if you were drunk lol. They whole ship has been creaking like crazy. We saw The Las Vegas Tenors and they sounded great. They even got people up and dancing to a love song. They did a great performance. Walking around the promenade I noticed an Izume express. Didn't expect it but they had sushi in to go containers. Pretty interesting. For dinner we hit up the MDR again. Here is the menu for today. To start I got the ceaser salad which was good and Sandra got the seafood cake which she said had good flavor but was on the dry side. Next I had the steak (which I ended up getting a second order of), first one was perfect but second one seemed a little tough in parts, and from what our waiter told us it wasn't the only item they had complaints of tonight (maybe a new chef or something different tonight). Sandra got the chicken cordon bleu which she says was not very good and only took a few bites of. For desert I ordered only one tonight lol, I got the chocolate cookie that was served with ice cream and I would compare it to the taste and texture of the outer shell of a lava cake (which is one of my favorite deserts) and even though wasn't exactly cookie like to me was still very good. Sandra tried to avoid sugar and got lemon panna cotta with strawberry sauce and she thought it was pretty good. When we got back to our room we found this little guy :) Also for reference is today's menu for sabor Now I'm going to try and catch the end of the 70s party. Although might have a better view from our room. twangster, accio7, JLMoran and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melski94 Posted March 6, 2018 Report Share Posted March 6, 2018 Looks like a fun night. Sorry to hear seas so rough. Any port changes for you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boston Babe Posted March 6, 2018 Report Share Posted March 6, 2018 Following! Enjoy your cruise!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LetsTryThisPlace Posted March 6, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2018 9 hours ago, melski94 said: Looks like a fun night. Sorry to hear seas so rough. Any port changes for you? Not so far, all our ports are docked so we should be in the clear. I am sure some excursions may be cancelled though, although we don't have any water related ones so we will be fine. Being in St. Kitts now all seems well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLA Posted March 6, 2018 Report Share Posted March 6, 2018 2 minutes ago, LetsTryThisTech said: Not so far, all our ports are docked so we should be in the clear. I am sure some excursions may be cancelled though, although we don't have any water related ones so we will be fine. Being in St. Kitts now all seems well. Have a great time in St. Kitts! LetsTryThisPlace 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted March 6, 2018 Report Share Posted March 6, 2018 Interesting that there is now the "Izumi Express" on Freedom. I guess this takes the place of the old "to go" sushi section in the Windjammer (Jade?). I'd personally be a little nervous about how long that had been sitting out there, but if it's of the same caliber as what I can pick up at my local Stop & Shop it's probably going to be OK (if a little stale / bland). Thanks for posting the MDR menus, too! Good to know that the "all in one" menus are on Freedom now as well as Liberty. I've let the family know to expect that when we sail. And lastly, sorry to hear about the rough seas! Not something I would have expected to be an impact from a nor'easter, I had no idea that those traveled all the way down the coast and didn't spin out to the middle of the Atlantic after slamming the northern coast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted March 6, 2018 Report Share Posted March 6, 2018 13 minutes ago, JLMoran said: Interesting that there is now the "Izumi Express" on Freedom. I guess this takes the place of the old "to go" sushi section in the Windjammer (Jade?). I'd personally be a little nervous about how long that had been sitting out there, but if it's of the same caliber as what I can pick up at my local Stop & Shop it's probably going to be OK (if a little stale / bland). Liberty also had the Izumi Express trolley. Times are posted in the cruise compass. I'm not a sushi fan so can't speak to the quality. I didn't see bottles of beer in the trolley on Liberty though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted March 6, 2018 Report Share Posted March 6, 2018 5 minutes ago, twangster said: Liberty also had the Izumi Express trolley. Times are posted in the cruise compass. I'm not a sushi fan so can't speak to the quality. I didn't see bottles of beer in the trolley on Liberty though. Ah, so it's scheduled times only. At least that makes me feel a little better about the timeliness of the prep and that it hasn't necessarily been sitting there for hours on end. I'll have to let my kids know about this, they'll both appreciate a chance to grab any kind of sushi as a snack. RestingBird 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted March 6, 2018 Report Share Posted March 6, 2018 2 minutes ago, JLMoran said: Ah, so it's scheduled times only. At least that makes me feel a little better about the timeliness of the prep and that it hasn't necessarily been sitting there for hours on end. I'll have to let my kids know about this, they'll both appreciate a chance to grab any kind of sushi as a snack. On Liberty it was available at lunch on sea days, port days around dinner, listed under specialty dining: Sea Days 11:30am - 1:30pm Port days 5:30pm-7:30pm JLMoran, accio7 and mom2mybugs 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted March 6, 2018 Report Share Posted March 6, 2018 Great photos! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn T. Posted March 6, 2018 Report Share Posted March 6, 2018 3 hours ago, JLMoran said: Thanks for posting the MDR menus, too! Good to know that the "all in one" menus are on Freedom now as well as Liberty. I would like to add my thanks for posting this as well @LetsTryThisTech. My husband and I are on the Freedom for the 3rd time in April. We had these menus on Oasis last September. Very happy to see that they are on Freedom! Enjoy the rest of your cruise! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LetsTryThisPlace Posted March 7, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2018 Thanks guys :) we should be going again later tonight. I also have a few photos from today that I'll try to get resized and written up :). Two things, Ziplines were amazing only complaint is there should be more lines lol. Second thing I can confirm gigsky sim works and actually did a pretty good job. I did get some go pro videos that I hope turned out lol. Will post those when I get a chance. I have to say its nice being in a warmer area that's temps are much closer to cayman. Ft. Lauderdale was just way to cold. @JLMoran in Cayman we get many Nor'easters this time of year and causes a lot of rough conditions which causes us to get missed. accio7 and KathyC 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joost Posted March 7, 2018 Report Share Posted March 7, 2018 Forgot tot taken pictures of my french Union and garlic soups For desert i only need 1 picture cheesecake accio7, LetsTryThisPlace and RestingBird 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LetsTryThisPlace Posted March 7, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2018 So good morning have an early start to our ATV tour in St. Maarten. Just wanted to show a few pictures from zip lining yesterday. Also wanted to share which beers I had in port. So for the beers, I started with the Carib which is their main local beer. It was actually pretty good and reminded me of a Caybrew which is our local beer in Cayman. Very similar in tastes. I bought this at the excursion for $3. I then had the Stag and I thought it was a horrible flavor and have nothing to even compare it to. I'm glad I tried it as that's what I do but I'm also glad I had an extra Carib after (I got 3 for 5 at the port or if you buy a shirt some stores offer free beers with them). Below are just a few photos of the zipline itself. Below are a few photos of the plantation where you start and end the zipline. and lastly some photos of the trip to the plantation in no real order. hope to take some video and photos along the way today. Lovetocruise2002, Sweety, accio7 and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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