After taking a Disney cruise to the Caribbean, we decided to get our feet wet with Royal Caribbean to see what one of their larger ships had to offer. The Freedom of the Seas was the world’s largest ship until the Oasis ships came to call. The Freedom has a wave simulator, rock climbing wall, ice skating rink and many other activities you would never imagine are on a boat.
Day 1 – Port Canaveral. Embarkation was a breeze. I had sailed as a teenager on Royal Caribbean and was able to produce enough proof that they enrolled me as a Crown and Anchor member. This meant breezing past the other lines and walking right on the ship. Lunch was served and soon we found ourselves in the middle of a Welcome Aboard party with the Dreamworks characters.
Day 2 – Cococay, Bahamas (private island). I seem to not have much luck on private island stops on cruises. Bad weather kept us from gaining access to the private island! Oh well…another day on a beautiful ship. I guess it could be worse! We will roll with it and enjoy the ship. There is so much to do so we can appreciate another day. The kids love the pools and the splash zone! They go to the kids club for a bit but aren’t crazy about it. They are more interested in doing all the things the boat has to offer.
Day 3 – At Sea. Today we do the Flo-rider wave simulator, go ice skating, and finally take in a night time ice skating show (how do they do those jumps on a rocking boat??). I am not sure we are ready to get off at the next port!
Day 4 – Charlotte-Amalie, St. Thomas. Today we are finally leaving the boat and we aren’t sure yet if we want to! We arranged for the “Christmas and Honeymoon Cove” excursion through Royal Caribbean. This is a pirate boat that sails to a private beach and then serves lunch on the beach. You are able to go snorkeling and just hang out! It was the perfect mix of relaxation and adventure.
Day 5 – Philipsburg, St. Marten. We decided we really just want another beach day so we just skipped the excursions and walked over to “Great Beach” which is really just a beach within walking distance of the pier. You do have to endure a lot of merchants asking to braid your hair or sell you a beach chair. Eventually we settled on a spot on the beach and paid someone for beach chairs. The kids were able to swim and play on a large inflatable raft. Later, we walked a bit in the town to find some souvenirs. Again, we were approached by a ton of salespeople. This can get annoying and certainly makes me feel I don’t need to go into town again!
Day 6 – At Sea. Today my daughter and husband give rock climbing a try! They are avid rock climbers but say it is somewhat scarier towards the top where the boat rocks!
Day 7 – At Sea. You would think that with this many days at sea, we would be bored, but we haven’t even come close to doing and seeing everything on the ship. First, we did a Dreamworks character breakfast. Next, we watched a movie and took in a few complimentary classes. We mostly just loved to wander around and swim at the pools.
Day 8 – Conclusion. Overall, I might say this has been our favorite cruise. We loved the boat and we loved all the activities. It was a good balance of adult and kids activities and fit our active family really well. Despite missing a port, we still felt we had a full vacation!
Contact me to help plan your vacation: yb*******@gm***.com
