Disney vs Freedom of the Seas

[Steamboat Bill]

Has anyone been on FOS besides me yet?

 

[GrandFloridian4]

Has anyone been on FOS besides me yet?

I haven't, but I sure appreciate all of your info. I've been copying it into a file & printing it out to read to my DH. One of these days we'll try FOS, but everytime I bring it up to my family (DH & two DS's-15 & 20), they vote for another DCL instead. Can't get away from that Disney magic!

 

[lflynn]

Thanks Bill. I was debating FOS for our Spring vacation and opted for Disney. Love your reports. Thank you thank you thank you.

 

[TahoeMom]

Thanks for all the great info Bill! We are going on our first Disney cruise in 11 days . My in-laws just booked a trip for all of us (my family, my SIL, MIL, and FIL) to go on FOS in June so it is nice to hear about some of the differences.

How does excursion/spa/dining booking happen on RCCL? Can you pre-book online as with DCL?

Kathie

 

[dclcelebration]

As the Magic will be in the Med during my vacation next year, I will have to "jump ship" and have booked on the FOS for next September. (I do have a 4-day booked on Wonder for June, yes I'm a Disney junkie, 5 cruises so far)

One thing that everyone on this forum knows is how easy it is to get informatin on Disney Cruises. I have only sailed on the Disney Magic and would like to get as much information on the FOS. Has any found any good information resources for Freedom of the Seas or Royal Caribbean in general?

Thanks!

 

[hank56]

Their website is quite informative and yes you can reserve similar to DCL.

 

[seema]

I have been on both the Disney Magic and Wonder and just went on Royal Carribean Freedom of the Seas last week.

To answer your comparison questions:

Disney has great crusies that are timeless and has nothing to worry about. FOS is the biggest ship in the world, and has all the cool new stuff but is not necessarily better.

Disney likes:
We liked the kids club at disney way better (7yo son and 10 yo daughter), we liked the rotating restaurants for dinner better, we liked the room size better, we liked the chicken fingers better, we liked the pool slide (FOS has no slide), we liked the beeper system better, Palo was better than Chops, we liked the Disney characters, better bathroom in the cabins, better night shows, better Interent connection, free Coke stations.

Freedom of the Seas likes:
Flowrider is the best activity on any boat, H2O zone is awesome, better pools, ice skating rink, casino (beware of smoke), awesome promenade, incredibly large boat, better arcade, better for older teens and college crowd, better drinks, this is a floating city and we did not feel the boat rock as much as the Disney boats did, better LCD tvs in the rooms.

There are more comparissons, but this is a brief overview.

I have not ever gone on a RCC ship - next summer I have to decide if I want to go on a Disney cruise in the Mediterranean, or a RCC cruise. Can you expand on the features of the "Flowrider" and the H2O zone?

PS-Are non-alcoholic beverages covered on a RCC ship?

 

[allie_to_you]

Can anyone tell me any specifics about the wheelchair accessibility on FOS. How about activities? Are there any that someone in a wheelchair can participate in? How nightmarish is the ports? I read somewhere that FOS is trying to make it easier for those in wheelchairs to tender to the ports. Also, I read that they have hydraulic lifts at one of the pools so that someone in a wheelchair can get in them.

 

[mruhaak]

Hi-
You might want to try cruise critic. They have a Royal Carribbean board that will have all the information you're looking for and also people who could answer your question.
Melanie

 

[WingRider]

We have cruised on the Magic a couple of times now and were on the Freedom in August. Our opinion is: The Freedom is an awesome ship with it's size and amenities....BUT, the atmosphere was more "night clubish" than we prefer, and a lot more young people (teens and younger) running amok without supervision. We REALLY enjoy the standards, service and more family atmosphere that Disney has to offer. We also noticed people were not as friendly on the Freedom. Having said that, we have not been on a cruise yet we absolutely didn't like! Signed up for the '08 Florida-California repositioning cruise on the Magic.