Freedom: Which restaurants/meals included?

[DoberDawn]

Hi there.... I saw a cruise review that talked about some restaurants, like the Portofino and the Chops Grille costing a $20 service fee to eat in. Can anyone familiar with the Freedom of the Sea tell me which restaurants are included? Is there a set number of meals a day or can you nibble from one restaurant to another? I saw places like pizza by the slice and a what looked like a 50's diner. Are they included or extra? I understand the room service is included free? Just trying to understand. Also, I gather you just tip at the end of the cruise.... is that true even of room service?

[Dave]

Portofino and Chops indeed have a service fee and also require reservations. Johnny Rockets is the diner you mentioned. There is a service charge there too, but it is around $5 (I think it was either 3.95 or 4.95). Crown And Anchor members get one visit for free. The food is included but there is also a charge for drinks and some of the ice cream specialities.

Moving downstairs......there is the cafe where basic coffee and tea is "free" but specialty coffees and pastries have a charge. They do have sandwiches and cookies that are "free".

The pizzeria is pretty much the same as the cafe - the pizza and other items carry no charge but you pay for drinks.

The Windjammer and Jade - Jade is really part of the Windjammer although they try to make it sound like a separate place - is the buffet area. This is all included in your cruise fare and you only pay for sodas and booze.

The main dining room is included in your cruise fare, but it is not open all the time and it is really one huge dining room although each level has a different name. You will have an assigned table for dinner. Breakfast and lunch are open seating. All of this food carries no extra charge.

Most people tip traditionally - on the last night of the cruise. Room service personnel should be tipped a couple bucks each time they deliver something. I always find a couple favorite bartenders and give them a good tip on the first or second day of the cruise - this is above the 15% they automatically add to drinks - and then hit them up again on the last night with another nice cash tip. I like for the bartenders to remember me since I prefer to sit at a bar as opposed to a table.

There is no limit to how many restaurants or buffets you can hit per day. If you want to eat breakfast in the dining room and then head up to the buffet for more breakfast - go for it. If you want a burger and fries and then a few slices of pizza - go for it. Another option is to skip the dining room one night (or all nights) and go to the buffet for dinner. They have a great selection and many people opt for it on those nights they just don't feel like changing clothes or shaving for the main dining room. We typically hit the dinner buffet once on a 7 day cruise. Others go there every night and never go to the main dining room. I personally don't recommend it (totally skipping the dining room) since I like the banter and service I get in the dining room.

[DoberDawn]

Thank you for the prompt and informative response. I am curious. If you purchase a "soda card", are the drinks still extra at the Pizzeria, Windjammer, Jade & Johnny Rockets?

P.S. How do we get permission to add a countdown timer to our signatures? I notice you have one. I figured out how to get one, but saw it said you must have permission to include the HTML code in your signature.

[Lil' Lori]

Hi DoberDawn. Welcome to cruise-chat. I was on the same maiden voyage as Dave56 on the Freedom. I loved her. Anyways, I noticed you wrote the word "smile" at the end of your text. Just in case you don't know yet. Left click on the yellow happy face that appears, when you are typing a post. Then, up pops a whole bunch of faces Click on the face, and a symbol then appears in your text where your tab is. By the way, about the pizzeria, one word, AWESOME They have great salads too. It makes for a wonderful "snack", Hope this helps, Lil' Lori