Tough journey to Barcelona - and on board the Freedom of the Seas!

After Robin's party we did not sleep for many hours, and then it was time to leave for Arlanda. We didn't know it then, but it would be another sleepless night. When we finally got on board the cruise ship Freedom of the Seas yesterday, it also did not start as calmly as we had wanted. On the contrary, the cruise started with queues, congestion, loud speaker announcements and a fire drill. We finally got a quiet and really nice evening on the ship, but before that we had some chaos.

Table of contents

Delay and a night in an airport

Finally in on the way to the cruise, in collaboration with Royal Caribbean, which we have been looking forward to so much! We flew from Arlanda to Barcelona a day before the departure of the cruise ship and should of course have booked a room in Barcelona, but that didn't happen. Have I mentioned that our life has been a bit messy lately? Well, it will work out somehow, we thought. And of course, it always does.

After a delay of about an hour and after asking around for hotel rooms at the airport in Barcelona, it worked out ... by sleeping on the floor (half the night) and on a chair (the other half of the night) at the airport. Or slept and slept, you get the idea. We were not exactly refreshed when the sun rose over Barcelona.

Sova på flygplats — First we tried sleeping on the floor... Hard, but above all cold!

Flygplatsen i Barcelona — Then we switched to sleeping sitting down ... with our feet on loose chairs

Wonderful Barcelona

A little cliché perhaps, but Barcelona is a lovely city! We were not in a hurry and could calmly walk through the city down to the water, where we took a shuttle bus to the terminal where Royal Caribbean's ships depart. We were tired and planned to board the Freedom of the Seas early to get some sleep in the cabin, but it was not quite that simple ...

READ MORE: What to do in Barcelona - 13 tips for experiences

Barcelona fontän — Dust and chicks in the centre of Barcelona

Peter på La Rambla i Barcelona — Peter on La Rambla in Barcelona

Levande staty — An unusually cool living statue

On board the Freedom of the Seas

We have never cruised before and were not really prepared for the hustle and bustle, the waiting and the amount of people. When we were finally on board, we took the opportunity to have lunch in the buffet restaurant on deck eleven. Then we would at last get to sleep for an hour (in our super nice cabin with a balcony). We thought so!

I don't know how many times we were woken up by loud speakers or someone knocking and wanting to serve something. And finally the alarm signal sounded ... It was a training exercise and we had to immediately report to deck four. We planned to slip away, but soon realised we couldn't. The insistent knocks on the door and the exhortation "We are waiting for you Sir!" finally made us put our clothes back on and hurry up. At least we can give the ship credit for being thorough with their fire drills!

Cruising along

We left the harbour at 5 o'clock last night and had a relaxed evening in a restaurant with good food. Now we cruise on! There are unbelievable a lot to see and experience on this ship, and we've only managed to do a fraction of it so far. We will return with reports! We hope for some peace and quiet first, and then for new adventures!

READ MORE: Meet the captain of Freedom of the Seas
READ MORE: Mediterranean cruise with magical ice show
READ MORE: Active activities on the Freedom of the Seas

TUI Valletta — As we left the port, we met another cruise ship in the harbour - and everyone waved!

04 September 2017 6:00

Spain

cruise

Helena

Administrator

59 Comments

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4000mil says:

I remember the safety exercise from our cruise. Of course, it is very important with safety and that everyone knows where to go if something happens.
But it occurred just when the mood was high, we had just ordered a drink to celebrate that we were on board (we had to pour it in hastily) and then you had to stand FOREVER and wait for your designated place before everyone had arrived and the exercise was over. Then that special "now we are on the way" atmosphere was a bit gone.

04 September 2017 - 7:26

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- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  I agree that safety is very important! You do not want them to compromise on it. But help what we had wanted to sleep right then .... ?
  
  04 September 2017 - 9:01
  
  Reply
LinizTravel says:

Omg hard start!!!! But enjoy the cruise 😉 Krsm

04 September 2017 - 8:08

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- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Yes, not rested right away, haha. But now it can probably only get better! Thank you very much!
  
  04 September 2017 - 9:02
  
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Lanclin-Linnea says:

I am kind of hyper-allergic to waiting in crowds, or just a lot of people at all, so in my ears it sounds sisodary. Nevertheless, I have given charter another try in October, whoever lives will see if I survive, ha ha! ?

04 September 2017 - 8:14

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- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  I don't like crowds and waiting either, so that's probably why I sound a bit whiny, haha. But now that everyone is on board, it is calmer! Good luck with the charter! ?
  
  04 September 2017 - 9:03
  
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Lisa / life from the bright side says:

Cruising can be quite overwhelming on the first day - but then everything finds its place. Or maybe I should say everyone. Now you will have really wonderful days!
Hugs!

04 September 2017 - 8:18

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- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Yes, talk about it! We were probably a bit in shock yesterday, haha. But think you're right, it already feels calmer! ?
  
  04 September 2017 - 9:04
  
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Ninny says:

Wow, what a tough start to the trip...but now it can only get better! ? Have a continued nice trip! The ship looks absolutely incredible...!

04 September 2017 - 8:46

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- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Yeah, right? Now it can only get better? The ship is incredible, large and with just about everything from nice pools to ... skating rink ?
  
  04 September 2017 - 9:05
  
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Christian Muda says:

But god what a hard start! But have fun!

04 September 2017 - 9:16

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- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Yes, sort of. But we hope things will settle down now?
  
  04 September 2017 - 13:14
  
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Travelsis says:

Wow what a start for you! But think that now it can only get better?/ Pernilla

04 September 2017 - 9:25

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- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  That's how we think too?
  
  04 September 2017 - 13:15
  
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Ditte says:

A rocky start, to say the least. And sleeping sitting down is not a good thing. Things were different in my younger days.
Getting on board such a large vessel is a bit 'messy'. And it takes time. Moreover, the times are well calculated.
Anyway, you had a nice evening and I hope you can now enjoy the journey, the ship and the stops you make.

04 September 2017 - 9:46

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- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Sleeping sitting down is useless. Would have liked to pay for a room at the airport actually, but now there were no vacancies ... We will certainly enjoy the trip in the future, I hope?
  
  04 September 2017 - 13:16
  
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Mr Frank Olsen says:

Yes safety is important and safety drills are mandatory ?
One small tip to avoid queuing and congestion on a cruise is to choose a cruise that has multiple ports of call. If you're going on a cruise in the Caribbean, it's a good idea to choose a cruise that goes between the islands there, not from Miami. There, about 1/6 of the guests are exchanged on each of the islands instead of all boarding at the same port. The same goes for the safety drill which only applies to those who have boarded in the last port.
I don't know if this is possible in the Mediterranean then? But a cruise in the Mediterranean is also on the boat "to do list". Looking forward to hearing how the excursions are experienced. Here there was some waiting in the Caribbean.
Have a good trip !

04 September 2017 - 9:47

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- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Interesting with several harbours. I can understand that there will be less queues then! On this trip it doesn't seem to be possible. It runs a certain route where everyone gets on at the same place.
  
  04 September 2017 - 13:32
  
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Mr Steve says:

I get great vibes when I see Peter on La Rambla.
Hope the continued cruise makes up for the rough start to the journey.
"We are waiting for you Sir!" Were they just waiting for Peter?

04 September 2017 - 10:47

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- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Haha, I still think they were waiting for both of us ... or at least hoping ?
  
  04 September 2017 - 13:33
  
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Ruth in Virginia says:

I shudder at the very thought.
The photo of the second boat: great!
Looks like a prison, where the prisoners have been released
for the daily solar ration 🙂 .

A bit messy there with the different pools, but you do
I'm sure you're comfortable. Learning to find the cabin will take some time as well,
I would think.

But Barcelona is great!

04 September 2017 - 11:12

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- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Glad you liked the photo of the other boat! I also thought it looked fun somehow ? Learning to find the cabin took a while, but now I think I can do it ?
  
  04 September 2017 - 13:35
  
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Emma, sun like sun? says:

I hate sleeping in an airport! I had almost unscrewed those armrests between the armchairs - if it had been possible ... At least it would have been a little more reclining, so to speak.

Sleep deprivation is terrible!

But now you can enjoy yourselves royally! Have a nice trip!

04 September 2017 - 11:57

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- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  The armrests seemed to be there to prevent you from sleeping on the benches... But it's much more comfortable on the ship, so we're fine now 🙂.
  
  04 September 2017 - 19:03
  
  Reply
Lisa in the village says:

Oh, the misery. Wishing you a pleasant journey, with no more madness.

04 September 2017 - 12:15

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- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Sometimes it gets a bit messy ... but now we are on board, everything has calmed down and we are having a great time. Thank you very much!
  
  04 September 2017 - 19:04
  
  Reply
åsa in åsele says:

Oh poor you so hard. But now it can actually only get better and hopefully you can sleep well 🙂 .

04 September 2017 - 13:21

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- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  I can say that we slept very well the first night on the boat 🙂 Comfortable beds ... and so very tired 😉.
  
  04 September 2017 - 19:04
  
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Anette says:

A tough start to the journey, to say the least.
The rest is going to be great.
I also like the picture of the boat you met. Human hive ?

04 September 2017 - 13:25

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- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Human hive was a good description! 🙂 Yes a tough start, but after that start we are enjoying even more a comfortable life on the cruise ship 🙂 .
  
  04 September 2017 - 19:06
  
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Role o Carina says:

Certainly a tough start to your journey south!
We probably prefer the motorhome and the plane 🙂 .

Have fun and enjoy.......

04 September 2017 - 13:38

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- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Yes, it was tough, but perhaps we had ourselves to blame as we had not booked a room in Barcelona ... Now we are comfortable on the boat! 🙂
  
  04 September 2017 - 19:07
  
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BP says:

Camping at an airport is something you do when you are between 18-20 or so. No, what a start. Hope the week is enough to become human again. Also like the picture that resembles a prison block as Ruth said, and I now know why cruises are absolutely nothing for me; -)
Hope you get at least liiiiite rest in the sunbed now!

04 September 2017 - 14:17

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- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Haha, we are young at heart 😉 And now we are much more comfortable I can promise 🙂 .
  
  04 September 2017 - 19:08
  
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Hasse says:

Better and quieter with a campervan, cruise, what's the tramzz?
Take care, Greetings from Makarska

04 September 2017 - 15:26

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- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Haha, we do not have it bad at all on the boat now that it has calmed down 🙂 But motorhome in Makarska does not sound stupid either! Have a nice time!
  
  04 September 2017 - 19:10
  
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Emelie says:

This will be exciting to follow
The children have a desire for a cruise in Europe or the Caribbean.
With ships passing outside the kitchen window every day, it's easy to dream of travelling.
We've been quite negative as we're a bit worried about feeling locked on the boat/stressed on land/bored on board/stressed on board 😉.

04 September 2017 - 15:44

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- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Oh now I get curious, where do you live if the ships pass outside the kitchen window ...? So far I can say that it is difficult to get bored on board, there is so much to do! We will have to come back to other questions, we will continue with reports during and after the trip!
  
  04 September 2017 - 19:12
  
  Reply
  - Emelie says:
    
    We don't live too far from you, at least by water.
    In Nacka, along the Staatsgårdsleden, we have a small house of about 50 square metres if you count all possible surfaces.
    After all, there are more important things to do than having living space 😉.
    
    Even overstimulation can be a luxury problem!
    
    05 September 2017 - 13:37
    
    Reply
Fantasy Dining says:

Haha... hard, poor you. Looks cool, another great trip:)

04 September 2017 - 18:42

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- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  It is a different way of travelling from what we are used to. Exciting! 🙂
  
  04 September 2017 - 19:13
  
  Reply
Matts Torebring says:

Sorry, but I'm glad I stayed home. That start to the journey was not very inviting. But what ships there are. Unbelievable! I hope you have a calmer time later.

04 September 2017 - 19:03

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- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  The start was quite stressful to say the least, but we have ourselves to blame for not booking a room in Barcelona ... Now we are much more comfortable! 🙂
  
  04 September 2017 - 19:14
  
  Reply
Matts Torebring says:

Sorry, but I'm glad I stayed home. That start to the journey was not very inviting. But what ships there are. Unbelievable! Hope you have a calmer time later in the trip.

04 September 2017 - 19:04

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Tia says:

Sleeping at Barcelona airport? Would have been more fun to party in the city??. I have not really grasped that with a cruise ... charter where you can go where you want is our max ... although the daughter talks out loud about how fun / lovely / wonderful you can have on a cruise ... Hope you get to experience just all that!!! ☀️

04 September 2017 - 19:55

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- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  A party in town might have been more fun, but not the day after haha ... ? We usually do not even go on a charter so this is a different experience for us! We will tell you more about the cruise of course, there will be a little every day!
  
  05 September 2017 - 7:26
  
  Reply
snort says:

Oh my goodness! What a great start to your trip. Hope the cruise itself will be quieter.

04 September 2017 - 19:57

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- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  The start was a bit shocking, but yes, it has settled down?
  
  05 September 2017 - 7:27
  
  Reply
Cattis says:

What a tough start you had, but I hope you can enjoy the cruise now anyway!

04 September 2017 - 21:17

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- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Thank you very much! It's calmer now!
  
  05 September 2017 - 7:27
  
  Reply
Marianne - Glimpses of the world says:

What a start to the journey, hope everything goes well! By the way, I like that Swedish has its own word for cruise - in Norwegian we only use the English word. We should have had a Norwegian word for something that has become so common 🙂.

04 September 2017 - 23:22

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- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Oh, you say cruise in Norwegian? Yes, we actually have our own word for this. I like that too?
  
  05 September 2017 - 7:28
  
  Reply
Ama de casa says:

Tough start - but now it can only get better 🙂 ).

A bit late now, but for 26 euros/person you could buy a seat in the VIP lounge at Barcelona airport. Then you got free access to something to chew on and/or to drink. And comfortable "beds" to lie on:

https://amacasa.wordpress.com/2017/03/14/all-var-vantan-bliver-svar/

Clearly affordable when we had 8 hours to kill at the airport 🙂 .

Have a wonderful trip on the cool ship!

05 September 2017 - 0:49

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- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  But hey, is it true? Why didn't anyone say this when we asked around? Or maybe it was on the inside of the security check? (We arrived and would not fly again so we were on the outside). In any case, it looked much more comfortable than our sleeping place ...
  
  05 September 2017 - 7:31
  
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Lena - good for the soul says:

Sleeping on hard and cold airport floor! Been there done that! NOT fun!

Hahaha, sorry, but what a chaotic start for you. As if the first night's ordeal wasn't enough. But now it can only get better!

Hug Lena

05 September 2017 - 6:16

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- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Sometimes you have to have some trials and tribulations so you can appreciate when you are doing well afterwards?
  
  05 September 2017 - 7:32
  
  Reply
Deciree says:

I realise it was a rough start for you. Super tired and it's a fire drill. Yes, I think it's great that they are testing so that everything works. But what a ship! You can't believe it's a boat!!! Although I'm afraid to go on a boat, it looked cool. Now have fun on your continued journey 🙂

05 September 2017 - 7:41

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Across the board says:

With a start like that, it can only get better, so I hope you get some rest and enjoy everything you're doing!

05 September 2017 - 8:50

Reply
Jeanette says:

Ugh, I recognise myself in that! I hate that they made armrests between each chair so that it is impossible to lie down on several seats.

05 September 2017 - 15:02

Reply

Tough journey to Barcelona - and on board the Freedom of the Seas!

Delay and a night in an airport

Wonderful Barcelona

On board the Freedom of the Seas

Cruising along

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59 Comments

4000mil says:

Helena says:

LinizTravel says:

Helena says:

Lanclin-Linnea says:

Helena says:

Lisa / life from the bright side says:

Helena says:

Ninny says:

Helena says:

Christian Muda says:

Helena says:

Travelsis says:

Helena says:

Ditte says:

Helena says:

Mr Frank Olsen says:

Helena says:

Mr Steve says:

Helena says:

Ruth in Virginia says:

Helena says:

Emma, sun like sun? says:

Helena says:

Lisa in the village says:

Helena says:

åsa in åsele says:

Helena says:

Anette says:

Helena says:

Role o Carina says:

Helena says:

BP says:

Helena says:

Hasse says:

Helena says:

Emelie says:

Helena says:

Emelie says:

Fantasy Dining says:

Helena says:

Matts Torebring says:

Helena says:

Matts Torebring says:

Tia says:

Helena says:

snort says:

Helena says:

Cattis says:

Helena says:

Marianne - Glimpses of the world says:

Helena says:

Ama de casa says:

Helena says:

Lena - good for the soul says:

Helena says:

Deciree says:

Across the board says:

Jeanette says:

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