NJVIC - FoS - Maiden Voyage June 4-11, 2006

This will be quite lengthy - so I will post several times to cover the cruise - the following is only through the first day - more will come. Don't become to bored!

Well my friends it was an exhausting week, but one that will not be forgotten. We arrived in Miami on Saturday June 3rd and went to South Beach for the evening. As we rode in the taxi from the airport we passed the cruise port and saw Freedom of the Seas nose to nose with Navigator of the Seas. Impressive to see the two ships together and yes the size difference is noticeable.

We had an enjoyable evening in South Beach and stayed at a hotel in the Art Deco District. Only trouble, it was right next to the Versace Mansion where a party was going on till the wee hours of the morning – separated by only an alley way they broke down the party tents, tables and chairs and loaded them in trucks till 5:30 AM. YAWN - We met a close family friend for breakfast at 9:00 AM and after good conversation she drove us to the port.

Arriving at the terminal just before 11:00 AM we were greeted by a porter who helped unload the luggage and directed us to the entrance for C&A Members. He did not ask, look or seek a tip which is a change from the last time we sailed out of Miami – but he was helpful, friendly and not pushy so I tipped him.

As we made our way to the check-in counter all the RCI employees were extremely polite, happy and anxious to greet us. We went through a metal detector and then were directed to the express line for C&A Members. After checking in we were led to a short line to have our security photo taken and then another short line to take the escalator to the ship. This line was formed more for preventing too many people jamming the escalators with their carry on luggage. The employees would make sure the passengers were spaced just enough to not crowd the escalator.

Along the path to the gangway is where the ship photographers were taking the Welcome Aboard pictures – usually we would pass this by, but since this was the Inaugural Sailing we figured why not.

As we crossed the gangway to the ship (two points of entry on deck 4) we were greeted by two crew members and directed to the doorway into the ship. As we passed through the doorway we were greeted by crew members offering Champagne or a non-alcoholic drink as a welcome and greeted you with smiles. This is when you were told that cabins would not be available till 1:00 PM so we were directed to any of the lounges or the buffet in the Windjammer restaurant on Deck 11. Since it was only 11:20 (yes – less than 30 minutes from arrival at the terminal to being on the ship) we opted to walk around and investigate. If you have ever been on a Voyager class ship, Freedom has a similar layout only on a grander scale.

The Royal Promenade has more space than the Voyager class that includes – Sorrento’s Pizza; The Logo Store; Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream; A Clean Shave (barber shop); Vintages (wine bar); General Store; Seattle’s Best Coffee shop; The Book Nook; Jewelry Shop and shops for clothing and fragrances. Also along the promenade they had stands at which you can purchase floral arrangements, digital cameras, discuss art with the auctioneer, rent tuxedos and more. Many of these places we visited later on when they were open.

We also checked out Bolero's Champagne Bar and the explorations desk to sign up for an excursion later in the week. We had some questions and went to Guest Relations and they were very helpful.

We checked out the spa and gym – why a boxing ring I don’t know, but there it is and yes people were signing up to use it. Just don’t see the purpose of going on a cruise to get beat up. I can do that myself in the Casino! The exercise area is the largest at sea and has more machines than you can believe. Never was crowded and we were always able to use equipment anytime we went without a wait.

Moving out onto the pool deck we first walked through the Solarium, this pool area has both covered sections and areas in the sun, and it is also where the overhanging whirlpools are located on each side of the ship. Most of the area and decorations around the pool are done in ceramic tile and when you look at some of the pictures you’ll see what I am referring too.

We then walked out of the Solarium to the main pool area. Plenty of space and an enormous amount of lounge chairs on the pool deck proper and at different mid levels up to the next deck. Some lounge chair company was very happy that RCI built this ship. We noticed three different types of lounge chairs – usual type with vinyl straps, a cushioned type in the solarium and then one that was more of a chair with a flip out leg rest.

As we walked along the pool deck we saw the platform that crossed between the two pools. This doubled as a dance floor at night. There was an area for the band and then a curved wall. On the other side of the wall was the H2O Zone which was more for children, but many adults took advantage of it to cool down during the cruise. The wall had a waterfall and there were numerous fountains. The objects in the H2O Zone are called “Beasties” (Check pictures when posted). There was information on them that I never bothered to read.

There is an Ice Cream Machine on the pool deck (actually frozen yogurt) and some tables and chairs for sitting. Smoking was permitted on the Starboard side and there were plenty of ashtrays around. Some smokers moved ashtrays to areas they weren’t supposed to be, but the crew was good about politely getting them back to the correct areas. All the smokers I saw were very respectful of others and I did not hear or see any non-smokers complain.

We went back inside through these amazing revolving type doors. They always keep the ship sealed and not let out any of the conditioned air. There is plenty of space to get people through without causing a line. Takes just one time through to understand how great they are and how simple it is to walk through ( at a slow pace) without stopping.

We were now in the Deck 11 restaurant area where the two specialty restaurants and the Windjammer casual dining restaurant are located. Portofino’s and Chops Grill are located one on either side of the Windjammer entrance. These are the two specialty restaurants that have a cover charge of twenty dollars per person for dinner and need reservations. As you first enter the Windjammer it is actually called Jade and has an Asian flair for the buffet line. Passing Jade you enter into the Windjammer proper and have a more American buffet line.
All the food was spectacular throughout the cruise and the service was at the highest level. It was easy to see RCI made sure they had experienced crew members throughout all areas of the ship.

We had an enjoyable lunch and then realized it was after 1:00 PM and made our way to our cabin. We had a balcony cabin on deck six. When we arrived at the cabin we noticed it had been decorated for our anniversary – a gift from my sisters and brother that included wine and a cake. Decorations were nicely done and for future reference they are well worth it if you know someone celebrating a special event.

Our next surprise was our luggage was already in the cabin – so we unpacked and checked things out, flat panel television, balcony larger than on the Voyager class and when we looked up we looked directly at the bottom of the overhanging whirl pools - glad they had solid bottoms. Thebedding, pillows etc.were amazing. They really went all out in the cabins to make passengers comfortable. There was plenty of closet space and drawers – at least for our needs and the safe was located in the closet. Bathroom was usual size, clean and new. Hot water was instant and the towels were soft and absorbent and plenty of them.

After unpacking we went out to search some more and checked out the Arcadia Theater, Pharaoh's Palace lounge, The Crypt, Schooner Bar, Viking Crown Lounge (a/k/a Olive or Twist) The card room, arcade, Johnny Rockets, Sports Deck, Library, Future Cruise Booking Area, Internet area, Casino, Studio B, On-Air club, photo area, and the Main Dining Rooms. There are three dining levels, Leonardo, Isaacs and Galileo. Each level has a different color scheme and different style chairs/tables. We located our table in the Isaacs Dining Room on Deck 4.

Wait – there’s the announcement – time for the lifeboat drill. Went to retrieve our life jackets and found a gift from our cruise agent – wine with a cheese and fruit platter. (Chocolate covered Strawberries!) Life boat drill or eat and drink?

Life boat drill – they are entering cabins to make sure everyone participates. Upon arrival at our station they check cabin numbers and number of people from cabin. We were now in the midst of a torrential downpour (See Liz’s capture from 6/4) standing on Deck 4 which is completely covered. (Thank you) As they sounded the alarm (whistles) the rain stopped, the clouds parted and out came the sun. We knew there was a reason for this drill. After the drill we went up to Deck 11 for the sail away party and with special of the day drinks in hand we watched as we sailed out the channel and into the ocean.

We had the early seating so back to the cabin for a quick change and off to the dining room. We were surprised to see that many of the passengers stayed up on deck the first night as most of the tables were only half full. We were at a table of eight but only one other couple came the first night. We met our waiter Veron from Jamaica, very pleasant and soft spoken, but excellent service. Our assistant waiters name was so long that even by the end of the week we still couldn’t pronounce it. The head waiter made sure he stopped by the table every night to see if everything was to our satisfaction, he also assisted the wait staff if he saw there was a need.

Shortly into our dinner another waiter carrying a full tray of dinners for the next table lost his balance and the tray tilted dumping half of the dinners. I was amazed to see several other waiters immediately run over to assist in clean up, replacing orders and making sure everyone was alright. In a few short moments you could not tell anything had happened. No ones meal was delayed. Truly this was teamwork at its best.

After dinner we left the dining room passing through the photo gallery and into the casino. The Casino is larger than on the Voyager class and contains more tables and slots than I’ve seen before on a ship. Never had to wait for a slot – always some available. Tables were another matter. Even with three roulette tables there were times you could not get close. Sometimes I thought this must be a gamblers cruise – RCI was surely making money here. We did well the first night but by the end of the trip we gave it back and then some. But it is the only time we gamble and we enjoy it on the ships. It is a great way to kill some time between dinner and a show. This was the night where the slot machines hit the skids. Every one of the machines where a person had hit the cash out button jammed and would not cash out. The dealers and attendants all jumped into action and immediately obtained a printout of each machine and the payout it was to make. They took cash from the cashiers counter and manually went about paying everyone in the order that the cash out buttons were hit. It took less than 30 minutes – but they called the theater and asked they delay the show and let the dining rooms know that some passengers would be late for the second seating. Again team work at its best. We heard only one person complaining. They were not happy the manual payout was being done in order.

The first night was the ‘Welcome Aboard’ show with a comedian (Don Friesen) and the orchestra entertaining. The Cruise Director (Ken Rush) welcomed us aboard and listed much of what was in store for the week. His favorite phrase was – There’s time enough to sleep when you get home! – And there was so much to do on this ship they kept things going till all hours of the night.

The show was entertaining and afterwards we made our way to the Schooner Bar on deck 4 and listened to the piano music of Peter Ritz. There were two bar servers in the lounge and we ordered drinks from Minnie – we only ordered once that night – but every time we visited the lounge Minnie would come over and ask us if we wanted our usual. She knew based on only the one order and not just for us but everyone in the lounge she served. She received a little extra for her fine service.

We hung out for about an hour and then headed to the cabin – it was a long day. The bedding and pillows are so comfortable we just passed out and had a great nights sleep. RCI really hit a Home Run with this new bedding and they will be putting it on all their ships over the next year.

To be continued:

Vic