Family Mini Cruise - Royal Caribbean
Auntie Sharon was praying for great weather, so we could use the pools and I could also hopefully get a bit of a tan whilst in and out of the pool with a 9 year!
Royal Caribbean Freedom of the seas is a family orientated ship with lots going on:
• Swimming pools • Splash water park for the younger ones • Water Slides for the bigger ones • Surf Simulator • Hi Fly – Sky Diving Simulator • Climbing wall • Crazy golf • Kids clubs • Outdoor Cinema screen • And lots more……
After arriving in Southampton we parked the car in the designated car park next to the ship (this has to be pre-booked) and walked to the cruise terminal. This is the bonus of sailing from Southampton being able to park and walk to the check in area, or for the less mobile there is a drop off zone right outside. After a quick check in and trip through security with photo taken for our cruise cards we were on the ship. We headed straight to the buffet for lunch, there is a huge choice to suit all tastes and any special diets, we tucked into some lunch and ignored the fact the bread and cookies was the lunch of choice for Ollie,
The cabins on royal Caribbean when sailing from Southampton are generally ready for around 1300. I had booked an inside promenade view cabin which sleeps 5, the cabin had two large windows which overlooked the main promenade of the ship. It is still an inside cabin but these windows give you extra light and also something to look at. There was a large king size bed, 2 x window seats, a large lounge area with sofa bed, a walk in wardrobe and separate room with bunk beds. There were no internal doors just curtains to separate each sleeping area, by cruising standard this cabin was huge and plenty big enough for 5 people on a longer cruise.
The kids are safe on board and the older ones are OK to wander around on their own, we just made sure we arranged a meeting point and time they he needed to be back. The children are all given their own cruise card which has to be scanned to get off the ship and they are not allowed off without an adult with them so they cannot get off on their own. The cruise card will also get them into the cabin and if you have given them signing privileges they can also use the card to buy drinks. The children are also all given a coloured wrist band which tells them which muster station they need to go to in an emergency so if this was to happen whilst they are on their own a member of crew will take them.
Royal Caribbean has a mix of set dining times, early and late sitting as well as freedom dining where you can eat when you wish. They also have a mix of casual and formal nights or as my nephew called them “fancy pants night”. On our 3 night cruise we had one fancy pants night and two casual nights which is smart casual I usually describe as what you would wear if you were going out to a nice restaurant at home.
This time we went for early sitting dinner which was 1830 and had a table just for the four of us, the crew were great and it was all about the children being happy whether it was chicken nuggets along with two deserts every night for Ollie or a fillet steak for Jack. They could accommodate most things and if there was nothing they liked on the menu then after dinner we went to the buffet for round 2 where there is so much choice they could find something they liked!
My prayers were answered and we had glorious weather, we swam, played on the slides, crazy golf, table tennis, climbing wall and more I was in charge of water based activities which meant I was in the pool and on the slides as Nanny is not the best swimmer and Nanny was in charge of all dry activities.
Over the 3 nights we had a day at sea and a day in Zeebrugge in Belgium. From Zeebrugge you can head into Bruges which is approx. 2 hours away on one of the tours or we used the shuttle bus which took us to the closest town a lovely seaside town of Blankenburg, which has a couple of shopping streets, a lovely sandy beach and a promenade with restaurants. After a spot of souvenir shopping for Belgium chocolates and an ice cream we were back on the ship for more swimming pool fun.
These short cruises are a great insight into cruising if you have never been and want to give it a go before booking something longer, or a great long weekend away for family or groups of friends.
My top tips
Book parking early to get next to the ship Choose cabin wisely Book set dining time Relax and enjoy