Royal Caribbean offer cruises in Europe, Asia and soon, The Middle East but this year we decided to try The Caribbean.  We had previously been put off by the daunting 16 hour flight to the USA, but friends had been to Florida and come back waxing lyrical, and after eleven years living in Dubai, and holidaying in closer quarters, it was time to give it a try.

Getting There
We flew direct to Houston and from there, a further short flight to Florida.  Flying with a seasoned traveler we dutifully followed advice to switch to local US time as soon as we got on board.  Thus at 9am Dubai time (11pm US), with the help of Panadol Night and a dose of children’s cough syrup, we put on the eye masks and went straight to sleep for five or six hours, thereafter staying awake through to the American night.  It worked really well for all of us. We arrived at the hotel shortly before midnight and had a good night’s sleep, waking early the next morning ready for breakfast, and pretty much on US time from the start.  It worked just as well in reverse so flights to the US are no longer daunting and we will no doubt be exploring more in that part of the world over the next few years.

We had booked a family holiday aboard Freedom of the Seas, the flagship of the Royal Caribbean fleet with a capacity to accommodate some 4200 holiday makers, attended by a staff of 1400.  Freedom alternates this time of year between Eastern and Western Caribbean routes, and we had chosen the Eastern, primarily because it offered more days at sea, with just three days of the seven, stopping at Caribbean islands: St Thomas, Puerto Rico and St Martin.  It was a holiday of firsts for the family; first cruise, first time in Florida and the Caribbean.

We left the first couple of days clear of plans in case we were wrestling with jet lag but we were fine and enjoyed South Beach, people watching and fabulous shopping, as well as fitting in a couple of tourist staples; the Duck Tour and Parrot Island. 

On Board !
Sunday lunch time we boarded Freedom and despite the vast number of passengers, were efficiently processed (suggest you arrive early to avoid the queues for any cruise) and with a welcoming pina colada in hand, set off to find our staterooms.
 

We booked two staterooms (cabins) with balconies.  It is a little extra but I think well worth it to have the feeling of space and especially when at sea, it’s a bonus to be able to sit on your balcony with a good book, enjoy a sundowner or watch the ship pull into port.  The cabins don’t connect but with a double bed + sofa bed option, a family with young children could manage in one cabin, or there are suite options if preferred.
 

Freedom is a HUGE ship with great facilities for all the family.  Specifically for children they offer :
                                                                                                                             Swimming pool
Three fun Swimming Pools ;               
Flo-rider (surfing and body boarding) ;
Climbing Wall ;
Mini Golf on deck ;
BasketBall court also used for Dodge Ball ;
Ice Rink ;
Arcade Games ;
Table Tennis ;

Board Games Room ;
Kiddiclubs for several diiferent age groups…. and more.
               Flowrider

And for adults only….
A well equipped large gym ;
Both a Spa & a Salon ;
Jogging Track ;
Adults only Swimming Pool and sun lounging area ;
Business Centre ;



 

A daily double sheet of Cruise News offers a dizzying array of activities from sports to arts, cookery demonstrations to art appreciation classes, games and get-togethers, from well before we got up to long after we’d gone to bed.  I have to say, we didn’t do any of them.  But that’s absolutely fine.  There is no compulsion to join in any holiday agenda.  There really is something for all tastes on board and the huge variety of activities serves to disperse the passengers such that it never really feels busy or crowded.  We were holidaying during the US Spring Break so the usual 400 children on board had swollen some 1400 in number, and even then, the queues for the climbing wall and the flo-rider at the very busiest times of day were never more than 10 minutes. For most activites, there were no queues.

Somehow the days just disappeared.  With the children able to go off and entertain themselves, we both got through a couple of good books which was a bit of a bonus.  We’re usually full on entertainments officers ourselves ;-)  We bought (on board) a couple of walkie talkies which helped us to find each other through the day.

We did make good use of the gym and the spa, the pools and all on deck family facilities. The sun was searingly hot and any patches missed by the sun cream for half an hour turned into attractive red stripes by evening.  Just goes to show what a marvelous thing sun cream is!  There was plenty of shade too for those of us not going for the Florida tan. I was completely indulgent in the spa, booking in for a superbly relaxing back massage – I really should do that in Dubai sometimes – and a microderm-abrasion facial which was great.  It’s a Steiner salon using Elymis products.  I also had a manicure, wash and blow dry… well, it was formal night.

Dining      
When you book a cruise, you can opt for the 6pm or 8.30pm dining sitting, and your preference to be seated at a table for 5 – 6, or 10 -12.  We chose the later sitting and a private table for the family which worked well for us but it would also have been nice to have been a little more sociable maybe, and meet some fellow passengers.  We did get chatting to a few other families and they were all, without exception, serial cruisers…. this being their 5th, their 7th, their 11th. Beware; once bitten by the cruise bug, there’s no going back!
 

Breakfast is the most enormous buffet with every option catering for all nationalities, in huge quantities.  Fresh fruits, cereals, grits (?!), pancakes, waffles, bacon, eggs, sausage, potatoes, tomatoes, beans, hash browns, croissant, muffins, scones and pastries, bread, toast, bagels, cold cuts and cheeses…… and is offered from early morning through ‘til 11am.  Breakfast was so good, we never actually thought about lunch but there are several options on board along with snacks such as pizza and sandwiches being available at all times of day. 
 

For dinner, there is the main seating in several large dining rooms, as mentioned.  Each night the menu is refreshed with a good range of options and a children’s menu for picky eaters ;-)  We enjoyed the menu and didn’t venture further but if you’re looking for more of a private dining experience there are a couple of specialist restaurants on board. Service is excellent – everywhere.
                                                                                                                    

Two nights in the week are designated as formal, men wearing suits/tux and ladies in cocktail or long dresses. It’s a good excuse to dress up of course.  Remember to take something smart-ish for the children.  I wouldn’t go as far as a tux (although some did) but board shorts won’t cut it on a formal night.  Other nights, its smart-casual and, as in Dubai, that pretty much means whatever it means to you personally.
                                                                                                                        Bull & Bear Pub


After dinner, there are numerous evening activities; many bars, from the sophisticated to a traditional local pub, several with live music of various genre, dancing, a theatre offering different shows each night, karaoke for the brave, the casino (over 18s), and an ice show. 





The Islands
Turquoise waters, pretty coastlines with lush vegetation, bright blue skies and fluffy white clouds… all those   picture postcard images of The Caribbean are spot on.  For any cruise destination, with just a few hours on land you can only really get a snapshot, just a taste for the resort but what we saw, we certainly enjoyed.  The tours were interesting, and the islands being relatively small, everything was pretty close to hand so we didn’t spend hours on tour buses.  Puerto Rico had the feeling of Cuba… not that I’ve been to Cuba but how I’d expect Cuba to be! We sat in the piazza that evening sampling the local cocktails with a pasta dish and it was easy to conjure images of bar life in the 50’s and 60’s.  St Thomas we took a full day excursion to Tortola, a British Virgin Island, which was a great day out, with very pretty scenery.  And in St Martin we split up… two for deep sea fishing and three for snorkeling, which was fun.  Followed by some good tourist shopping with duty free bargains to be had in the jewelers and electrical stores, but not compared to Dubai prices. We stuck to t-shirts and souvenirs ;-).

Budgeting
We tend to think of a cruise as an expensive option but although certainly not on the same scale as a week’s camping in Bridlington, you may be surprised.  Staterooms for the seven day Caribbean cruise range from US$1500 to US$2200 per room. The price of the cruise covers all your entertainment and meals on board.  In addition, you need to budget for your drinks (think Dubai hotel prices or less) any excursions, (which you can pre-book), tips, shopping and maybe a little extra if you are tempted by the casino.  You are “captive” on board but there are no hidden extras.  On the contrary, the various concessions serving muffins, sandwiches, pizza… all day, only charge for drinks; all food is complimentary.  And when you first get on board you are offered various package deals for drinks which are great value.  The children had the option of unlimited sodas for the full week for US$4 per day, so there was no extra cost if their on board activities took in a slice of pizza and a coke mid afternoon.  A couple of concessions, Ben & Jerry’s and Johnie Rockets are not run by Royal Caribbean so there is a nominal charge for meals.  But My Whippy type ice cream cones were available without charge, all day every day by the kids’ pools.  Our three trips for five of us (two half day and one full day) came to US$1500.  We did think about not bothering with the trips and doing our own things on arrival but in retrospect we were glad we had booked.  You only have so much time in port so better to be sure to make the most of it.

Back to Florida & The EverGlades
We could have happily stayed on board but we were back in Florida with more activities awaiting.  We had booked to see Miami Heat play New York Knicks (that’s basketball for the uninitiated!) and what a great night out that turned out to be.  Basketball is a big family occasion with lots going on between the many breaks in play.  Certainly – sadly - some contrast to taking the children to a UK soccer match.  


The next day we picked up a hire
 car and headed for The EverGlades, an easy hour or two’s drive West. The EverGlades is an immense, 50 miles wide, slow-moving river.  A distance you can drive in 3hrs takes the river over a week to reach.  It’s a huge area and we were just visiting a part of it, around EverGlade City.  Everyone we met said we were the first people they’d met from Dubai so I need to encourage a few more of you to go! 

 

We were right at the end of the dry season so the wildlife was really concentrated around the riversides and we saw hundreds of alligators! We did some exploring by car (very accessible), and by air boat, before checking into Ivey House hotel which we had pre-booked on line.

Day two, we went out for a full day in kayaks in the mangrove
tunnels, with a guide.  Brilliant!  Lots and lots of fishing birds, and loads of fun getting into and out of trouble in the mangroves ;-))  The water is of course flat and there is little to no current, so the kayaks were very safe and stable.

 


Our route back to Miami, we took a different scenic road and again saw so many alligators, snowy egrets, ibis, carrion birds, hawks, turtles, and one little otter, playing in and out and back into a stream.  That was a great day too.



 

All in all, it was a memorable family holiday, and we came back very mellow, very relaxed, and yet with lots to talk about; we’d packed loads of activities into less than two weeks.  Would we go back to Florida – certainly, there’s a lot more to see.  And would we enjoy another family cruise…. Absolutely!  We picked up all the brochures on board…. ummm, now where next ?
 

Jane
April 2009