Freedom of the Seas - Mar 31 to Apr 8 - Eastern Caribbean LIVE(ISH)

[JLMoran]

T-minus 3 days until embarkation...

Right now, with everything packed, last-minute jobs taken care of, and our flight not until 2:45, I can only think of Tom Petty.

"The waiting is the hardest part."

[accio7]

31 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

T-minus 3 days until embarkation...

Right now, with everything packed, last-minute jobs taken care of, and our flight not until 2:45, I can only think of Tom Petty.

"The waiting is the hardest part."

Sorry, this immediately came to mind LMAO!
 

 

[Traveler]

54 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

T-minus 3 days until embarkation...

Right now, with everything packed, last-minute jobs taken care of, and our flight not until 2:45, I can only think of Tom Petty.

"The waiting is the hardest part."

Are you planning to eat lunch at EWR  ? they used to have nice stake house at terminal C but than everything change and now it is one big restaurants , same vendor different names  and IPAD to order from.

[JLMoran]

So we left home right at 11:30 as planned and headed out to EWR. And I took the long way there, instead of the more direct route, adding 30 minutes to our trip. By the time we found the long-term parking lot and took the shuttle to the terminal, it was already 1:10. Our flight was scheduled to board at 2, and we still had to get our checked luggage tagged and stowed, and then get through security! Lesson learned: Even when you think you know the way there, double check to be sure! Especially if you’re not using GPS!!

We made it to the terminal at 1:55. We only had time to grab some sandwiches and chips from the grab-n-go place next to the terminal, then quickly scarf them down. The only luck here was that the plane was running about 15 minutes behind.

After that, things went much more smoothly. Even though our flight took off 15 minutes late, we actually arrived in Fort Lauderdale 20 minutes early! We were all shocked, but happy as well.

After grabbing our luggage, we needed a few minutes to find the ride sharing pickup area, not being familiar with the terminal. I hailed a Lyft and we were quickly at the hotel; definitely can recommend Lyft Plus for the hotel haul with luggage, and will use them again to get to the port 

The hotel is absolutely gorgeous! I’ll post more about it tomorrow when I’ve had a chance to better look around and get some pics, but it is worth every penny!

Once we were settled in, we took @Lovetocruise2002‘s suggestion and went to La Bamba for dinner. The food was very good, but we were all so hungry I forgot to take any photos of anything except my Perfect Margarita (which lived up to its name!)

Here’s a pic of the place from our table:

After dinner, we headed back to the hotel. We’re pretty wiped out and ready to call it a night. 

[Lovetocruise2002]

@JLMoran so glad to hear that you like La Bamba! I want that Margarita too!!

[coneyraven]

Hey .....

Am I the only one that feels like we're all on this cruise with Joe and his family?

We all know the thrill of the anticipation of an upcoming cruise...... and being the first cruise, it is ramped up a bit ....

But in Joe's case, this is an incredibly unique case in which he already has an entire family (us) going along with him for the ride.

Joe ..... Thank You for allowing us to be a part of your vacation.

Mark

[Boston Babe]

24 minutes ago, coneyraven said:

Thank You for allowing us to be a part of your vacation.

Well said Mark.  I think all of us are as excited as Joe and his family!  We are just so happy for them and can't wait to hear more!

[WAAAYTOOO]

2 hours ago, coneyraven said:

Hey .....

Am I the only one that feels like we're all on this cruise with Joe and his family?

We all know the thrill of the anticipation of an upcoming cruise...... and being the first cruise, it is ramped up a bit ....

But in Joe's case, this is an incredibly unique case in which he already has an entire family (us) going along with him for the ride.

Joe ..... Thank You for allowing us to be a part of your vacation.

Mark

YES !  I do feel like I'm there with them !  How cool is this ??  I'm as excited as he is !  Well....maybe not quite AS excited...but very excited.

2 more days ?  Can we make it ?

[JLMoran]

T-minus 2 days to embarkation...

Today in Fort Lauderdale is gray, windy, and a little cool. Plus, there’s a riptide warning until Thursday. No beach for us today, and even the hotel pool is unlikely since it’s outdoors. We’ve decided to just make today a day to relax and hang out at the hotel. Which means @Lovetocruise2002 starts getting some pics of the place!

Main lobby

Atrium where the complementary breakfast is served

While it only says “omelets” here, I found you can get fresh eggs cooked any way except scrambled (since they already have a platter for scrambled eggs in the hot buffet line). Many people were ordering eggs over easy or sunny side up.

In addition to the fresh egg / omelet station, they have fresh grits and oatmeal, cereals, yogurts, assorted pastries (muffins, mini danishes) and breads, a juice station (one of those dispenser types, which my wife said came out really watered down), and a coffee dispenser that actually served good coffee (same flavor profile as a blonde-roast Starbucks). It’s really a step up from most complementary breakfasts and another element that makes you feel you’re getting your money’s worth for the higher price.

Next is “The E Spot”, the hotel’s bar and restaurant. It’s right next to the atrium area and from a quick glance didn’t appear to use separate seating for those having a meal.

To take advantage of the free happy hour, you need to show your room card. Drinks appear to be anything you want, as I saw multiple mixers and spirits getting poured along with bottles of beer and fountain sodas. There’s probably some limit on it, but the line was long and I didn’t want to hold it up asking a million questions of the poor bar lady.

I’ll try and get a pic of the menu later today; I got a glance yesterday, and it’s typical high pricing for a hotel restaurant. E.g., $20 for a chicken quesadilla. I’d say just go the regular restaurants like La Bamba that are in easy walking distance.

Last up is the hotel’s outdoor pool, which includes a whirlpool tub at the far end and a nice little waterfall.

[Lovetocruise2002]

Morbot Photography!!!! LOL!!! Love it!

@JLMoran are the rooms updated? Online they don't look like they have been. The public areas are gorgeous!

[Boston Babe]

2 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Morbot Photography!!!! LOL!!! Love it!

Yes, but at least we have a sense of what Joe looks like unlike @twangster, ! @JLMoran the hotel looks magnificant!  I love Embassay Suites so we will for sure book this when we sail from FLL

[JLMoran]

A few stray observations about the hotel:

- All rooms, from second floor to 14th, open to a view of the central atrium; no one gets a plain hallway, although the few right across from the elevator doors don’t get to enjoy the view without moving a little to the side.

- While none of the rooms have what you could call “a view” outside the balcony window, our room at the front of the hotel (407) has a definite flaw: The flood lights on top of the main entry’s roof that illuminate the hotel sign shine right into our window. It’s blindingly bright and makes seeing outside at night impossible. At least it’s fully blocked when the curtains are drawn, so we can sleep

- This is clearly a frequent destination for cruisers. We ran into a gent on the elevator this morning who instantly asked us, “So where are you cruising to?” We laughed, told him, and when we asked where he was going he replied that he’s been living there for the last three weeks while his house is getting some renovations done, and that practically everyone he’s met and asked what brought them there said they were on a cruise.

- The WiFi here is being upgraded, and it’s causing some annoying connectivity issues; random dropouts, failures connecting using either the last name and room number that the login form requests or the promo code we were told to try, and some pretty variable signal strength.

- They are also upgrading the room locks. These rooms use cards that you hold up to a sensor on the door, rather than sliding into a slot. Sort of like a Disney MagicBand or Royal WowBand, just not worn. I’ve found the cards (or maybe the sensors) to be hit or miss, and it takes between one and three tries to get it to work. I think it’s this last part that’s being addressed with the upgrade, as the notice in the elevator indicated workers who came to your room would just just need to futz with the locks for a few moments and be done.

[JLMoran]

19 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

@JLMoran are the rooms updated? Online they don't look like they have been. The public areas are gorgeous!

If the room pics you saw were from this page‘s photo gallery on Embassy Suites’ site, those are current. Our room looks exactly like the pics in the photo.

[Rose City Cruiser]

Enjoying reading on your family's journey so far! 

We are chasing that first "high" through this live blog!

[henrysea13]

On ‎3‎/‎26‎/‎2018 at 12:45 PM, WAAAYTOOO said:

Joe, I feel like you are a chick that we all raised and now we're watching you learn to fly on your own !

So excited for you.  I know we are all just recalling the awe that we felt when we drove up to our first cruise ship.  Even the little ones are SOOOO impressive and when you first step foot through the Centrum and see all the shiny glass and metal.  It takes your breath away.  Freedom is a beautiful ship.  You are definitely not starting small like we did.

I know you're going to have a great time.  You have chosen VERY well with all of your options.  I think the adjoining balcony rooms are going to be WAY nicer than a suite.  There will be much more room and 2 bathrooms.  I think you've thought of everything !  ...but of course, you haven't.  There will be something that you will learn on this cruise that you will use on your next...and so on and so on.  It never ends.  I still learn something new every single time I cruise.

Wishing you fair winds and following seas.

Look everyone - our little Joey is going off on his own !
 

WOW did you ever hit that square on the head I too feel the excitement and anticipation cant wait till JOE posts his first entry

[Lovetocruise2002]

Wow, Joe, are the expectations ever set high for you!

I propose you film that first entrance for all of us to see!!! 

Only kidding, seriously, I am so excited for you too!  Savour every moment!

[Floski]

[JLMoran]

The weather actually cleared quite a bit by lunchtime, and also warmed up nicely. We spent some time just lounging by the pool in some shade; every so often, we’d hear a cruise ship’s horn off in the distance as it set off for another journey, and we knew that we’d be hearing those horns ourselves from one heck of a lot closer in just two more days.

We just went to Outback Steakhouse for dinner tonight, so no photos of our dinner or the surroundings. But when we got back, the atrium was lit up really nicely. I took some more pics to show the contrast between night and day.

 

I also got a pic of one of the lobby murals.

 

Just going to relax the rest of the night, maybe watch a movie with the missus while the girls continue to work on school assignments. We’re seeing better weather in tomorrow’s forecast, so we’re hoping to get some beach-walking time, maybe after breakfast.

[twangster]

Pictures look great.  Which lens are you using?   Mine shipped early but didn't make it in time for my cruise.  I'm in flight on my way to FLL at the moment, arrive at 1:30am.  Ugh. 

I decided to try the Osmo Mobile 2 gimbal.  It arrived this morning as I was flying home.  Super disappointed with it and sent it back before I left town.   Bringing a Smooth Q with me.  Seriously looking at the Smove Mobile for the built in extention.  

Great job on the live blog!

[JLMoran]

11 hours ago, twangster said:

Pictures look great.  Which lens are you using?   Mine shipped early but didn't make it in time for my cruise.  I'm in flight on my way to FLL at the moment, arrive at 1:30am.  Ugh. 

I’ve been using the wide angle lens for the most part, a few pics were taken without any add-on lens. Most are untouched apart from applying the wand in Photos where I thought it improved things, a few were cropped for better final framing / composition.

And thank you for telling me about that Image Size app! Great tool, just wish I cloud pull in multiple photos to batch process them.

 

11 hours ago, twangster said:

I decided to try the Osmo Mobile 2 gimbal.  It arrived this morning as I was flying home.  Super disappointed with it and sent it back before I left town.   Bringing a Smooth Q with me.  Seriously looking at the Smove Mobile for the built in extention.

Interesting. What was bad about it that you decided to return it? Asking because I was doing some testing with my Rigiet gimbal , and I was kind of disappointed in that as well. For me, the directional control nubbin isn’t smooth at all, and produces very rough and jerky pans. I also found that using the bundled app with the gimbal was a disaster; the app would decide to lock on to some moving element and not stay pointed straight ahead as I kept walking. I had better results using the stock camera app, but then I lost the ability to start and stop recordings or take pictures with the button on the gimbal. Definitely a “version 1.0” product. Glad it was only $129 and not the $300 for an original DJI Osmo.

11 hours ago, twangster said:

Great job on the live blog!

 Thanks a bunch! That means a lot coming from a photo master!

[JLMoran]

T-minus 1 day to embarkation...

The weather is a lot nicer today, as expected. Just some scattered clouds, and nice and warm. We’ll be catching the shuttle at the Publix in a little bit to get to the nearby beach; only $1 per person vs whatever we’d have to pay for a Lyft.

Will be another “take it easy” day, no set agenda.

A few random thoughts:

- Our room lock was adjusted yesterday, and it is much more reliable now

- I can’t for the life of me understand why a room meant to sleep four has two double beds instead of two queens, especially when the bedroom section is more than large enough to accommodate them. The girls are doing OK with it, but my wife and I are finding it a little too cozy. I called the main desk before we came in and confirmed that there are no queen bed rooms, only two doubles or a single king.

- D14 painted this last night, just for fun. Sketched the drawing from a photo she pulled up on her iTouch, then painted with watercolors. I continue to be amazed by the artistic talent of both my girls, but D14 is rapidly outpacing her sister (which is understandable, since D17 takes art for fun and is focused much more on music, where D14 is planning on an art / visual design focus in high school and eventually college)

[coneyraven]

Holy cow ..... D14 has some undeniable talent going on here ....... I have zippo in the art department...... Every circle I try to draw comes out like a triangle.

[WAAAYTOOO]

43 minutes ago, coneyraven said:

 I have zippo in the art department...... Every circle I try to draw comes out like a triangle.

+1

[twangster]

1 hour ago, coneyraven said:

Holy cow ..... D14 has some undeniable talent going on here ....... I have zippo in the art department...... Every circle I try to draw comes out like a triangle.

I use a zippo when I try to paint... to light it on fire.

[henrysea13]

what a talent your D14 has treasure it and it will grow in leaps and bounds 

 

[Lovetocruise2002]

2 hours ago, coneyraven said:

Holy cow ..... D14 has some undeniable talent going on here ....... I have zippo in the art department...... Every circle I try to draw comes out like a triangle.

 

1 hour ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

+1

+2

There's a reason why I gave up using the board in the classroom and use projectors lol.

[mworkman]

3 hours ago, twangster said:

I use a zippo when I try to paint... to light it on fire.

Nice try, but we know bots can't actually start fire . ? They might spread thru websites like wildfire ?

[Boston Babe]

D14 has such a talent! You must be so proud of her!

[JLMoran]

So we ended up spending about four hours today out at the nearby public beach. As planned, we took the Beach Link trolley bus from Publix. On the way, we passed by the port and saw Navigator of the Seas at the far end of the port, and also Royal Princess docked very close to where we were driving past. We were all kind of awe-struck at how big Royal Princess was, and then I quickly realized that she was about the same size as Navigator, and Freedom would be even bigger! I honestly have no idea what my reaction when I finally see her up close is going to be.

We got off the trolley at a park a short stretch past where the trolley’s route left the beach area; we didn’t realize until we passed that final stretch of beach that this trolley line doesn’t have fixed stops, and you need to tell the driver when you want to get off. We had to walk a little ways to get back to the beach, but not that far.

The stretch of beach we ended up on was great. Not at all crowded, plenty of space to just stand at the water’s edge and take in the view, as well as a lot of pictures that included some very nice family snaps. Some of those also confirm I’m no bot. ?

 

At one point we saw a big flock of pelicans flying in formation. I always thought they were more solitary birds and didn’t do that, so this was quite surprising. It was like watching the Canada Geese migrating, only these birds were slimmer and far less obnoxious as they flew by.

 

All of these shots were taken using my new telephoto lens. It’s really good in these well-lit conditions, definitely better than it did with the test pics I took at home. Surprisingly, I also really like how panoramic photos with the tele lens come out. I think these are a lot better than what I get with the iPhone 6s Plus’ base lens.

 

After deciding we’d had enough time at the beach, we walked about a mile back up the main road and found a little place to grab lunch, which was right next door to a Haagen Dasz store that we also took advantage of. After that, we caught the trolley back to our hotel, rested a little and cleaned up, then grabbed dinner. (Outback again, as I’d scored a Dine Rewards discount on our prior visit)

Now we’re packing up for tomorrow, when we will finally be boarding Freedom of the Seas. I have my alarm set for 7 AM so we have plenty of time to shower, grab breakfast, pack up the last of our things, and hail a Lyft to get us to the port around 10:30 or 10:45. We all want as much time as possible on board before the crowds!

[Floski]

Beautiful family, Joe.

 

 

[JLMoran]

5 minutes ago, Floski said:

Beautiful family, Joe.

Thanks, @Floski!

[Dawn T.]

Fantastic blog so far!  Love all the pictures!  I can't believe you will finally be on the Freedom tomorrow!  So excited to hear your impressions.  Have fun!

[twangster]

Great pictures!

BTW - That was Serenade in PEV today with Royal Princess.  Source: Me.  I'm on Serenade.  

Serenade is smaller than Navigator by quite a bit.  

Serenade 90,000 GT

Navigator 139,500 GT

Freedom 154,400 GT

Royal Princess 142,000 GT

So yeah, you are getting on Royal's 9th largest ship.  Bridge crews love the Freedom class.  Lots of power and very maneuverable.  Like a sport car in their words (as cruise ships go).

Very much looking forward to your post tomorrow.  Tell your family to capture some of your expressions :) 

[Lovetocruise2002]

1 hour ago, JLMoran said:

Some of those also confirm I’m no bot. ?

Umm...I say the glasses need to come off for official confirmation 

You and your family look awesome!

Cannot wait for your official "on board" post tomorrow.  Will be thinking of you tomorrow morning Joe!  Have the best time!

[mworkman]

Hey Joe...sneak over to the Serenade and take a pic of Twangster if you can identify him...so we know he's real and not a BOT!

[Traveler]

excellent live blog , waiting for you and your family  to go on the ship .

 

[twangster]

Guess what @JLMoran ?  IT'S CRUISE DAY!!!   Finally !!!!!

[Boston Babe]

@JLMoran, your family is gorgeous, look at the red heads! so pretty! IT'S HERE JOE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So so excited for you!! PLEASE POST PICS WHEN YOU ALL SEE THE SHIP AND BOARD!!

[Ogalthorpe Haywood]

Have a great time!!!

[JLMoran]

Well somehow this never posted this morning. So backtrack and pretend it’s 9:30 AM. In the Wind-jab-mehr right now, getting some late lunch (nothing worthwhile at Cafe Promenade).

 

A gathering of angels

appeared above my head.

They sang to me this some of hope,

and this is what they said: They said,

COME SAIL AWAY! COME SAIL AWAY!!

COME SAIL AWAY WITH ME!!!

 

The day is finally here! Just another couple of hours and we’ll be on board. I was told by another couple we met on the hotel elevator that Harmony is also in port today, and between those two ships and the others in port there are going to be 17,000 people there. Very glad I learned the lesson to get there between 10:30 and 11, because I can’t imagine what the crowds are going to be like! I know it’s multiple terminals and it won’t be all 17,000 in one place, but that many people funneling through the port entrance and security checkpoint is going to be nuts!

I’m going “dark” now, probably until after sail-away. I’ll be Periscoping during sail-away, so keep an eye out for me there. Periscope handle is the same as my handle here.