Seas for freedom
Cynthia Busuttil gets a taste of high life on the waves
Excitement was high on the coach from Heathrow Airport to Southampton Harbour. After an hour-and-a-half sitting down we're almost there.
"There she is," one French guy exclaims in a heavy accent. "Can you see her?"
I - and everyone else on the coach - crane my neck to try and catch a glimpse of "her".
"She" is Royal Caribbean's latest addition, the Freedom of the Seas, which stole the title of largest cruise ship in the world from the Queen Mary II.
Although almost a year has passed, I can still feel the excitement escalating as we get our first glimpse of the gargantuan ship. Manners were quickly forgotten as grown-ups stare open mouthed.
The Freedom of the Seas - or the "Freedom" as I heard many people affectionately call her - was patiently waiting to take one of its first loads of passengers for a familiarisation trip, before it left for New York and Miami for its big debut last June.
Organised chaos reigned at Southampton Port, while passengers were checked in. A taste of the Caribbean was brought to the wet British Isles on that rainy May day with animators dressed as divers providing entertainment and a mini sandy beach created for good measure.
As I made my way to the ship I cringed at the thought of having to carry my luggage up a flight of stairs, but a knight in shining armour - in this case a sailor in a blue T-shirt - came to the rescue, lifting my luggage as if it weighed no more than a feather and jogging up the stairs.
But despite my excitement, the minute I walked into the room I was struck by a feeling of utter disappointment. Saying that the room is smaller than I expected is an understatement. The bed looked comfortable enough, and the plasma television state-of-the-art. But the room was claustrophobic, and missing the balcony that I so coveted. Instead there was a porthole. The bathroom was Barbie-sized, and I am of the firm belief that nobody bigger than a size 16 would be able to fit inside the cylindrical shower. Sharing such a tiny room with someone I had known for 18 hours made it all seem worse.
My brain went into overdrive, as I wondered whether I should leave. Thankfully my saner part took over and instead I dropped everything and went in search of the restaurant. I had taken the right decision not to leave because I would have missed out on quite an experience had I decided to throw in the towel.
The Jade and Windjammer Café on deck 11 was already packed when I arrived but there was an abundance of culinary delights left. The buffet lunch was so ample that any thoughts of sticking to some diet were gone with the chilly English Channel wind. The buffet tables looked like market stalls, full to the brink with goodies, sporting sweet names - Burgerama, Pasta, Pasta, Pasta, Wild Greens and Sweet Dreams. It was a glimpse of the latter that urged me not to overload my plate with the main course and leave some space for dessert.
That afternoon the Maltese posse went round the ship. The presidential family suite is something out of the ordinary. The suite, which accommodates 14 in four bedrooms, even has a private balcony with a whirlpool. But at £1,943 per person for a cruise, such comfort does not come cheap.
The H2O Zone children's water park seems like any young one's dream. The pools are extremely shallow so as not to pose any danger to the kids, while colourful cartoon-like statues shower water.
A stroll around the deck reveals the much talked about FlowRider, a device which creates waves on which to surf. The 43-foot high by 44-foot wide rock climbing wall interests me more. Having a chat with professional rock climber Adrian Baxter over a coffee the following day, I mentally kick myself for not giving it a shot. Like a true professional, Adrian speaks about rock climbing with a glint in his eyes. He told me quite a few women had given it a shot. Maybe, I thought, that had something to do with the fact that Adrian - who admits wanting to climb up the Azure Window - is quite a looker!
The press conference that evening was in the Diamond Club. As I sipped my dirty Martini, served in the proper James Bond-type glasses, I listened to Royal Caribbean's big shots, including captain William Wright, rave about the ship.
Dinner at the three-floored chandeliered restaurant is an occasion to dress up for. The Malta table was close to the windows, and we could see the twinkling lights of England just metres away. Afterwards, we rushed on deck to watch the wonderful fireworks show which saluted the ship off Southampton Harbour.
Next on the list of things to do was the Marquee Production Show, where a handful of artistes sang and acted parts of popular shows, including Chicago, Joseph and the Technicolour Coat and Phantom of the Opera. Later, at the Schooner Bar on deck four, Matt Yee brought the hidden Whitney Houston out of his attentive sing-along audience. Every few minutes, the Hawaiian entertainer would say it's time for him to leave before suggestively juggling the coins in his tip jar.
A visit to the two-level discotheque - The Crypt - could not go amiss, and we huddled around a table to rest our weary stiletto-clad feet.
As I hopped inside the elevator to go to bed I noticed that the ship was so steady that I had not really realised we had left Southampton.
On day two I started the day with a strong espresso and a couple of mini croissants from Seattle's Best Coffee on the Royal Promenade.
20070317-lifestyle--travel2.jpgThe promenade, on deck five, is like the main street in a village, with shops lining each side. There is even a barber's shop where men can get hour-long shaves including a relaxing massage.
Late that afternoon there was the Circus Parade, where clowns, elephants and girls in colourful costumes marched down the promenade. After that the Maltese group sat at the Vintages Wine Bar to catch up after a day touring the ship. Although dinner was just an hour away, I could not resist some chocolate ice cream from Ben & Jerry's. According to cruisecritic.com, anyone who gets the Ben & Jerry's suite - a cabin whose window is partly concealed behind the backsides of the two cows on top of the shop - will get free ice cream for the duration of the cruise.
Dinner the second night was a lavish affair. Afterward, we all went to watch the ice-skating show, a masterpiece of lighting and ice dancing. Later we all convened at the Schooner Bar to catch up with Matt Yee and his antics, before hitting the bed.
The following morning, as we were all packed and ready to bid farewell to this grand ship, I realised with a pang of disappointment that I had not seen as much as I should of it. And maybe, this trip had made me think of cruises in a slightly different way. They no longer seemed the stuff for elderly couples, but fun for those who know how to have it.
The short adventure did not finish there. While on the coach back to Heathrow that morning the travel agents I was travelling with decided it would be a good idea to try and catch the 11 a.m. plane back to Malta rather than waiting until 8 p.m. We managed to wing it, thanks to Air Malta's London office, since we only got to the airport half an hour before the plane left. My luggage did not make it on the same flight, but it was a very small price to pay for not wasting nine hours at the airport.
• Royal Caribbean cruises, including Freedom of the Seas, can be booked from Executive Holidays, in Hamrun, or other travel agents.
"There she is," one French guy exclaims in a heavy accent. "Can you see her?"
I - and everyone else on the coach - crane my neck to try and catch a glimpse of "her".
"She" is Royal Caribbean's latest addition, the Freedom of the Seas, which stole the title of largest cruise ship in the world from the Queen Mary II.
Although almost a year has passed, I can still feel the excitement escalating as we get our first glimpse of the gargantuan ship. Manners were quickly forgotten as grown-ups stare open mouthed.
The Freedom of the Seas - or the "Freedom" as I heard many people affectionately call her - was patiently waiting to take one of its first loads of passengers for a familiarisation trip, before it left for New York and Miami for its big debut last June.
Organised chaos reigned at Southampton Port, while passengers were checked in. A taste of the Caribbean was brought to the wet British Isles on that rainy May day with animators dressed as divers providing entertainment and a mini sandy beach created for good measure.
As I made my way to the ship I cringed at the thought of having to carry my luggage up a flight of stairs, but a knight in shining armour - in this case a sailor in a blue T-shirt - came to the rescue, lifting my luggage as if it weighed no more than a feather and jogging up the stairs.
But despite my excitement, the minute I walked into the room I was struck by a feeling of utter disappointment. Saying that the room is smaller than I expected is an understatement. The bed looked comfortable enough, and the plasma television state-of-the-art. But the room was claustrophobic, and missing the balcony that I so coveted. Instead there was a porthole. The bathroom was Barbie-sized, and I am of the firm belief that nobody bigger than a size 16 would be able to fit inside the cylindrical shower. Sharing such a tiny room with someone I had known for 18 hours made it all seem worse.
My brain went into overdrive, as I wondered whether I should leave. Thankfully my saner part took over and instead I dropped everything and went in search of the restaurant. I had taken the right decision not to leave because I would have missed out on quite an experience had I decided to throw in the towel.
The Jade and Windjammer Café on deck 11 was already packed when I arrived but there was an abundance of culinary delights left. The buffet lunch was so ample that any thoughts of sticking to some diet were gone with the chilly English Channel wind. The buffet tables looked like market stalls, full to the brink with goodies, sporting sweet names - Burgerama, Pasta, Pasta, Pasta, Wild Greens and Sweet Dreams. It was a glimpse of the latter that urged me not to overload my plate with the main course and leave some space for dessert.
That afternoon the Maltese posse went round the ship. The presidential family suite is something out of the ordinary. The suite, which accommodates 14 in four bedrooms, even has a private balcony with a whirlpool. But at £1,943 per person for a cruise, such comfort does not come cheap.
The H2O Zone children's water park seems like any young one's dream. The pools are extremely shallow so as not to pose any danger to the kids, while colourful cartoon-like statues shower water.
A stroll around the deck reveals the much talked about FlowRider, a device which creates waves on which to surf. The 43-foot high by 44-foot wide rock climbing wall interests me more. Having a chat with professional rock climber Adrian Baxter over a coffee the following day, I mentally kick myself for not giving it a shot. Like a true professional, Adrian speaks about rock climbing with a glint in his eyes. He told me quite a few women had given it a shot. Maybe, I thought, that had something to do with the fact that Adrian - who admits wanting to climb up the Azure Window - is quite a looker!
The press conference that evening was in the Diamond Club. As I sipped my dirty Martini, served in the proper James Bond-type glasses, I listened to Royal Caribbean's big shots, including captain William Wright, rave about the ship.
Dinner at the three-floored chandeliered restaurant is an occasion to dress up for. The Malta table was close to the windows, and we could see the twinkling lights of England just metres away. Afterwards, we rushed on deck to watch the wonderful fireworks show which saluted the ship off Southampton Harbour.
Next on the list of things to do was the Marquee Production Show, where a handful of artistes sang and acted parts of popular shows, including Chicago, Joseph and the Technicolour Coat and Phantom of the Opera. Later, at the Schooner Bar on deck four, Matt Yee brought the hidden Whitney Houston out of his attentive sing-along audience. Every few minutes, the Hawaiian entertainer would say it's time for him to leave before suggestively juggling the coins in his tip jar.
A visit to the two-level discotheque - The Crypt - could not go amiss, and we huddled around a table to rest our weary stiletto-clad feet.
As I hopped inside the elevator to go to bed I noticed that the ship was so steady that I had not really realised we had left Southampton.
On day two I started the day with a strong espresso and a couple of mini croissants from Seattle's Best Coffee on the Royal Promenade.
20070317-lifestyle--travel2.jpgThe promenade, on deck five, is like the main street in a village, with shops lining each side. There is even a barber's shop where men can get hour-long shaves including a relaxing massage.
Late that afternoon there was the Circus Parade, where clowns, elephants and girls in colourful costumes marched down the promenade. After that the Maltese group sat at the Vintages Wine Bar to catch up after a day touring the ship. Although dinner was just an hour away, I could not resist some chocolate ice cream from Ben & Jerry's. According to cruisecritic.com, anyone who gets the Ben & Jerry's suite - a cabin whose window is partly concealed behind the backsides of the two cows on top of the shop - will get free ice cream for the duration of the cruise.
Dinner the second night was a lavish affair. Afterward, we all went to watch the ice-skating show, a masterpiece of lighting and ice dancing. Later we all convened at the Schooner Bar to catch up with Matt Yee and his antics, before hitting the bed.
The following morning, as we were all packed and ready to bid farewell to this grand ship, I realised with a pang of disappointment that I had not seen as much as I should of it. And maybe, this trip had made me think of cruises in a slightly different way. They no longer seemed the stuff for elderly couples, but fun for those who know how to have it.
The short adventure did not finish there. While on the coach back to Heathrow that morning the travel agents I was travelling with decided it would be a good idea to try and catch the 11 a.m. plane back to Malta rather than waiting until 8 p.m. We managed to wing it, thanks to Air Malta's London office, since we only got to the airport half an hour before the plane left. My luggage did not make it on the same flight, but it was a very small price to pay for not wasting nine hours at the airport.
• Royal Caribbean cruises, including Freedom of the Seas, can be booked from Executive Holidays, in Hamrun, or other travel agents.