Overview
About
Passengers: 4,515 | Crew: 1,360
Passengers to crew: 3.32:1
Passengers to space: 40.8:1
Launched: 2006
Decks
- Deck 2
- Deck 3
- Deck 4
- Deck 5
- Deck 6
- Deck 7
Additional decks
Deck 2 layout
Cabins
Ocean View (2N)
Ocean View (3N)
Spacious Interior (1R)
Interior (2V)
Interior (6V)
Interior (1V)
Interior Accessible (3V)
Ultra Spacious Ocean View (1K)
Ocean View (8N)
Ocean View (1N)
Amenities
Studio B
Arcadia Theatre
Conference Center
Cabins
Balcony
Cabin size: 188 - 214 sq. ft.
Connected rooms: 173
Accessible rooms: 8
Maximum passengers: 4
Number of cabins: 738
Reviews
Traveller rating
- 39
- 28
- 16
- 2
- 9
Time of year
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Wife and I took our first cruise on 3N sailing out of Miami to CocoCay and Nassau with Royal Caribbean. We have been to several all inclusive resorts and this was a ton of fun. I think I actually like cruising more and we will be back! Actually looking at this same cruise for a trip with the kids to share the experience with them in Jan 2022. We had an 11:30a boarding time and arrived from our hotel that we stayed at the night before at about 11:15a (highly recommend getting in the day before). We waited in the queue line to go into the port building for about 5 minutes and then we were in the building in another line making our way through the check in process. I will state that the check in process seemed redundant as we had to show our passport/id/COVID/vax/text documents to two different people before getting upstairs to the last stop before actually getting on the boat. Seemed they were checking the same thing but I guess they have to make sure protocol is being met in this day and age of COVID. Prior to that last stop upstairs before getting on the boat, it was a bit of a "cattle call" and the lady "directing traffic" and releasing groups of seated passengers who were waiting according to when they got upstairs into the line, it was a bit of a cluster and chaotic as some people were not following RC Staff directions and just getting in line as they saw fit. I was pleased that RC Staff said something to those people. I want to say we stepped on the boat at about noon to begin our adventure and were off to Windjammer for lunch! We then did the safety meeting at the muster station. We were so lost as to where our muster station was at. That had more to do with not knowing where we were at on this massive ship LOL! When asked for guidance where to go, the RC worker just told us to stay where we were and do it there. He checked us off in their system and we we were on our way. It was difficult to hear/understand the instructions being given due to masks and noise. Maybe an area RC can improve in? We booked a balcony room on deck 7, mid-ship. It was nice to be able to go out at night and enjoy the breeze and serenity of the quiet sea and to wake up and see the new destinations in the morning. Honestly for another short cruise like this, I'd probably just book interior stateroom and save the $. I guess that's part of the learning process of cruising. Our state room was bigger than we expected and the bed was comfy. Had a small couch that was ample but I would not say it was comfy! For just the two of us I would say this room was more than ample. I could see it being a little cramped if we brought our two teens with us, but we'd make it work as, you're not there for the room. Pro Tip - store your luggage under your bed to save space! The balcony was ample sized as well with two chairs and a table. Food was decent. We don't require 5* dining when we travel and the Windjammer Buffet had quality and variety that we could deal with. Karlson (Windjammer wait staff) took care of us on a couple occasions we were in there and his demeanor and positive attitude was both welcoming and appreciated. He provided quick service on our drinks and worked hard to make sure our glasses did not get empty while eating....much appreciated! We did not make it to main dining room, as we try to wing it on our dinner plans. I was late to making reservations on day 2 so we didn't get to eat there. I think next time, I'll make those on first day so we can experience that. We did venture down there during non dining time and the room was beautiful! I don't recall what deck we were on but looking over the dining room and all the tables draped with white table cloths, to the big staircase where the baby grand piano was really a classy look. We did pay the additional fee for a dinner at CHOPS Steakhouse on our final night and it was FANTASTIC!! Our server's name was Glen and he was easily in my top 3 all time servers that I have had anywhere I have traveled to in the US, Mexico, Turks & Caicos and the Bahamas! His recommendations on what to order (and suggestion to try the entire menu if we wanted) were spot on. I would HIGHLY recommend CHOPS as a dinner option on at least one of your nights on a Royal Caribbean ship . The filet was so tender and I got the peppercorn glaze....one of the best steaks I've had. The crab cake was tasty, the prawns on the shrimp cocktail were nice sized (the sauce needed a little more kick but that's a minor thing that some horse radish can fix). The bar tenders all around the ship took good care of us. I found Christian at the casino bar to be one of the most professional and personal guys I dealt with. When the bar tender remembers you and how you like your drink made , that's the guy you want. Hats off to him. DRINK PACKAGE PRO TIP #1 - If you have someone over 21 in your stateroom that doesn't or can't drink alcohol (medical, pregnancy or recovering) you CAN get around the policy of having to buy that drink package for everyone in stateroom who is over 21. Simply Call RC and explain the situation and they will offer a waiver of that policy and buy the drink packages. DRINK PACKAGE PRO TIP #2 - If you buy a drink package and see that the price goes down....you can cancel the package and re-buy it at the lower price! Entertainment: We really enjoyed what was offered in the theater. We saw the stand up comedy show, the musical production Once Upon A Time and a Whitney Houston Tribute signer. All shows were great and at 45 minutes long, they were the right amount of time so you could go to other shows or places around the ship. Casino: We had read the cruise ship casinos don't pay out....well, I guess luck was on our side this cruise! LOL! They had all your typical table games and slots. Pool: We hung out at the pool. Wait staff works hard out here to keep everyone's drinks in hand but there's a lot of people hanging out. Please be patient. They had a Reggae band playing and they were a lot of fun. El Loco Fresh on the pool deck had some good food! Quesadillas, tacos, nachos...all hit the spot. Our housekeeping girl's name was Pita. She was AMAZING and one of the nicest people we encountered during our time on this ship. Her positive attitude and willingness to take care of her guests is how the customer service book should be written. We like a lot of pillows and when we asked for more, she quickly got them. I misplaced our TV remote, she went and got us another right away. We would return from being away and she would stop and chat us up, ask us about our day, what we did, celebrated our casino win and just took a genuine interest in us as people. We believe in tipping and taking care of those that take care of us (even with the prepaid gratuities)...We personally handed her a cash tip on our last night and the look on her face was worth every penny. I don't know how they assign the housekeepers on Freedom of the Seas but I would personally try to be on deck 7 in the vicinity of room 7568 just to see her again. She was a sweetheart. Disembarkation was easy, being that we only had carry on bags, we kept them with us and breezed through customs and were on our shuttle to airport in no time. We were on the last RC shuttle to MIA international and while the wait was a bit long, that is not the fault of the shuttle driver. I would say we waited about 35 minutes on the bus before we actually left. That was a little frustrating. A private transfer back to airport might be in order next time but the peace of mind knowing the RC shuttle would be there waiting to transport us was worth something. Being our first cruise, we don't have anything other than our AI resort experiences to compare to. What I will share is....This boat was beautiful, clean, had everything we look for in a vacation spot (clean, comfy bed, nice beaches, food/drink, choice of excursions and daily/nightly entertainment) and I would say it exceeded our expectations. Obviously we didn't get to see everything or participate in everything this ship had to offer in such a short amount of time (water slides, flow rider, ice rink, some bars and places to eat and more) but it was enough of a tease to make us want to look at longer cruises and we will likely sail with RC! The only issue we ran into was an error in billing on our statement. I had the deluxe beverage package and had a drink charged to our account. Guest Services corrected that without question. We are pretty laid back and easy to please (it's vacation after all) and it was not hard to be pleased with what RCCI and Freedom Of The Seas offered and we'll be back soon!…
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We just completed a 4 day cruise, the trip was amazing First off I would like to say the two waiters that were assigned to our dining table went above and beyond. Thank you Erhan and Joseph. The food was, by far, the best I've had on Royal Caribbean. Not sure I'll ever eat at a specialty restaurant again after this cruise. The selections were great at the Windjammer. Our cabin was kept in tiptop shape, Dede was amazing with his towel animals. Thank you Dede. The ship itself was beautiful, not showing really any wear and tear. Although our particular cabin did not get an update, the furnishings were in excellent condition. There was an abundance of shopping on the ship, from jewelry to purses. Here are the couple things I would change; The phone calls trying to sell me private photo sessions. I don't mind one call, but 5 calls are just too many. The only other thing that I found odd was the hibachi chef that cooked for us. We almost immediately picked up on his high pitched, weird laugh but assumed that was his normal laugh. We quickly realized he was making this weird, high pitched laugh and the other hibachi chef was doing it too. It seemed to be in response to a customer laughing, very unprofessional. With the cruising industry just getting back to normal I find it odd that this man would risk his much sought after job to belittle paying customers. Our whole table was weirded out by this guy. Overall, a wonderful trip and we will return in a couple months.…
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The Staff That TOOK VERY Good Care Of The 7th FLOOR From Rooms 7282 To 7288 Showed us How great they Are
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We hadn't been on this ship since 2017 - It was nice to see all the upgrades, fresh paint, and some new carpets and furniture after the "Royal Amp". Our Grand Suite was very nice and everything was very clean. We did not have a good experience with the Suite Lounge Concierge on day one - maybe it got better for the other folks but we can't say as we never went back which would be the first time out of 30 plus RCCL cruises. The bar staff was great in all places we went and the Casino bar staff was above and beyond outstanding - say Hi to Elizabeth, Christian and Rene if you are going soon - sadly the next time we are scheduled on this ship they may not be there as thrie contracts will expire. Food was pretty good other than being barely warm - buffet food should be kept at 60C (140F) it was not even close. I will bring a chef thermometer with us next time and post the findings. The best, and hottest food was at Playmakers amazing wings and Pork Sliders along with ice cold beer and sports TV's Just a great place.…
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Great time on the cruise. Izudin in the main dining room deck 3 is the best. Also had a massage with Grace that was fantastic. Great cocktails and fun. Loved vaccinated guests only/testing prior to boarding. Overall fantastic trip.
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