The World’s Longest Freedom Review: Part 6.1featured

We woke up around 8:45 am, which is pretty late for us on a cruise, but we were tired. And frankly, I can’t remember the last time I got any actual rest on a vacation. Every cruise, every trip to Disney, every side trip…it’s always been late nights and early mornings. This trip was no exception and I needed the rest where I could get it. A quick look out our window showed some overcast skies, but anything is better than the snow that was pummeling our home.

Mom popped in to wake us up (I sleep with earplugs in and Stephanie could sleep through a hurricane) and to wish us a very happy Valentines day. She and grandma headed up to the Lido deck to grab a table and wait while Stephanie and I got ready.

Our problems this morning were early indicators of the problems we’d face the rest of the week. Stephanie and I walked past the main pool and saw that there were NO chairs available despite the fact there were no people in the chairs…or many people in the pool for that matter because it was pretty cool out. Then, we found Mom and grandma who told us that it took them forever to find a table. The Lido restaurant felt insanely crowded…like everyone on the ship was there. The lines were insanely long because there was an omelette bar at every line, which meant that even if you didn’t want an omelette, those who did were backing up into the normal line as they waited. Really. There’s no need for an omelette bar at every line. Then there was the food. The breakfast food today and for the rest of the week on Lido was mediocre, at best. It just didn’t taste good. The bacon police from the last trip now also patrolled the ham, which just meant more lines. All of the food tasted funny. It just wasn’t good. We took to eating breakfast in the MDR for most of the rest of the week.

We looked over the Capers and planned our day as we ate. Today was our first elegant evening, so we had to plan for all the time it would take us to get ready, too. When we were done eating, Mom and grandma went off to do some stuff around the boat and Stephanie and I went in search of a deck chair. The cool weather had warmed considerably and the overcast skies were now just partly cloudy and we couldn’t find chairs ANYWHERE. No where near the main pool or the “risers” that look over it. Nothing at Serenity. The adults-only aft pool was domed so there wouldn’t be any sunning there. We finally found a quiet spot on deck 10 port side. It didn’t stay quiet for long as more people filed in, but we settled in there. I got my iPod out and relaxed, took in the sun and tuned out from the world, where the only things I saw were the passing clouds and the only things I heard were the harmonies of the Glee soundtrack.

We stayed out until around 12:30 pm. We checked out what they were serving at the Lido restaurant for lunch and neither of us cared for the menus so we decided to forego lunch and head back to the room to shower and straighten our hair so it’d be easier to get ready for formal night. I semi-watched My Life in Ruins and flat ironed while Stephanie showered. We hung out in the room and rested for awhile and then Mom came in and told us she had a surprise for us that would be delivered at 3:00 pm. What was at 3:00 pm? Tea time. And if you know us, you know we never miss tea time. So, Stephanie and Mom headed off to tea and I waited for our surprise to be delivered. And promptly at 3:00, our door knocked and an amazing plate of chocolate covered strawberries were delivered! Now, you probably don’t remember, but I had made a comment in passing to Mom while we were at a Publix in Fort Lauderdale a few days earlier that I had a taste for these and I couldn’t believe she remembered!

Another quick note on the strawberries that I found interesting- I know you can pre-order these through the Bon Voyage department. I think it’s around $13, and you get four strawberries and four pieces of chocolate. If you are ordering for yourself or someone you are traveling with, if you go to the cafe (where they sell the specialty cakes and coffee drinks) and order them, you can buy them and have them delivered for something like $4 for five strawberries.

After the strawberries were delivered, I went down to the Posh dining room for tea time. The Freedom had, perhaps, the best tea experience I’d ever had on board. Firstly, the tea time was held in the MDR instead of a small lounge, so there was plenty of room and no crowding. A hostess greeted me and told me my party was waiting and I was escorted to a large table. We were sitting with others and it was nice to chat with everyone and meet some new people. The table settings were different, too, with larger cups that had a more modern feel to them. Another difference was in what they served with the tea. While the teas they offered were generally the same ones they serve on the other ships (except they were serving the Bigelow brand of teas instead of Liptons), they had a variety of different cakes, meringues and other goodies (including fresh strawberries with little cups of freshly whipped cream). I had a slice of chocolate cake and some strawberries and cream and while the chocolate cake was entirely too rich for me, the strawberries and cream were just absolutely decadent.

I thought the tea experience on the whole was SO much better on the Freedom than we had experienced on our previous voyages on other trips. It was quiet, it was peaceful and the offerings and the service were just top notch. I really enjoyed the time to sip my chamomile tea and listen to the soft piano music (live, by the way…they actually have a piano in the dining room).

I’m pretty sure I’ve established this before, but I lack motion sickness in any form. In fact, most times, I can’t even distinguish if the boat is rocking unless it’s throwing me off-balance. I guess the ship must have really been rocking because the sea sickness bags were put out by the elevators. Apparently, that’s when you know it’s really bad. Maybe that’s why less than 20 people showed up for tea.

We went back to the rooms and ended up ordering some room service since we had skipped lunch. Stephanie and I went outside to hang out on the deck in front of our room to listen to the sounds of the sea and watch the waves. I tried to see into Mom’s room and I really couldn’t, so if you’re worried about people looking into your room from these decks, don’t. You really can’t see anything…even with your nose (or lens) up against the glass.

Stephanie and I went back to our room and organized the closets a bit more since we just kind of threw our clothes in there the day before. Room service came pretty promptly with our food. Stephanie ordered a turkey sandwich, I ordered a veggie plate (which had an amazing variety of crunchy veggies…much bigger and different than the previous ones I’d had on other ships) and a beef and brie sandwich (were were consistently delish throughout the week and that I frequently crave now at home) and we had a grilled cheese sandwich delivered to our room for grandma. The grilled cheese, for whatever reason, is made with mayo on it. Grandma had them omit it, but if you aren’t a fan of the stuff, remember to ask them to leave it off. Mom ended up running up to the grill and grabbing a hot dog.

Turkey sandwich

Grilled Cheese

Veggie Sticks with Blue Cheese Dip

Roast Beef and Brie sandwich

We munched on our late lunch, watched the Princess Diaries II and rested up before it was time to get ready for our elegant evening. There were SO many things we wanted to do and we needed all the rest we could get if we were to get everything done.