May 26-June 1 Freedom Review with LOTS pictures (AND Food Porn)

We are a family of 4 - Me, my husband, 21 yr old son, and 16 yr old daughter. This was our 2nd cruise. This was the 6 day with port stops in Key West, Grand Cayman, and Jamaica.

We flew Delta into Ft Lauderdale on Saturday from Des Moines. We always fly out of Kansas City, but Des Moines had better/more times and was actually cheaper this time. (We live right in between the two, literally) We were slightly delayed due to storms & would miss our connection and were in the process of changing flights (re-routed through Detroit!) when the pilot announced he had a small 'window' and for everyone to board right away. We landed at 2:45.

A college friend of my husband's lives in Ft Lauderdale and picked us up at the airport. They took us to the Hard Rock area which we really enjoyed. The Seminole Indian (Native Americans....) tribe owns it. It is huge...full of shops, clubs, a huge casino, restaurants, etc. It was a great place to wander around. I didn't take my camera....

We arrived at the port at 10:30ish. That first glimpse of the ship:

We had Faster to the Fun. We told the luggage porter that when we got out of the van and they directed us to a specific spot for our luggage. We walked inside, right up to the counter, and checked in VERY quickly. The waiting room was quite full already and a Carnival employee did a great job of entertaining everyone until it was time to board. We were given a Priority Boarding zone card.

I think they started the boarding process at almost 11:30. We were on board by 11:45. We went straight to our cabins. We were in Verandah 8327 and 8331 - balcony. Our luggage arrived shortly afterward.

We looked around the ship a bit and went to the buffet. We ate lunch and breakfast there every day. We ate at the Fish & Chips place a couple of times, dinner every night in the Main Dining Room at 6:00, and the Taste Bar once.

Thanks for doing the review. We did the Freedom last October and we loved it!

I'd like to sail on Freedom again, and always enjoy reading all reviews, seeing all the pictures, and reading what others did on the excursions!

Here are pictures around the ship:

The back pool and hot tubs with the retractable dome roof for when it rains. The pizza place is also here.

The Basketball and Volleyball courts

The Lido area

The Victoria Lounge at the front

The Casino. I didn't participate because I have BAD luck, but the guys did and were quite successful.

The Specialty Coffee Shop. I bought a plate of 3 chocolate covered strawberries here for $2.50 multiple times !

My daughter went to Club 02 a lot. We pre-registered online, printed the forms and took them with us to the Meet & Greet at 5:15. They have all the age groups meet at that time, there is an orientation type meeting but not really necessary for this age group. We handed in her papers, met the Counselor, and left.

They have their own daily schedule with Dance Dance Revolution tournaments, 3 on 3 basketball & knock out, fooseball, movie night, etc. She met several new friends and loved it.

There wasn't anyone in Club 02 when we looked at it.....otherwise no one over age 17 is allowed in. We tested out the fooseball table on the way by.

The 70's Disco is next door. We went a few times but on the 80's night....they still played 70's music. They did the same thing on the Paradise last year. I am definitely an 80's girl......they did NOT play 80's music. I requested a couple & they played them, then right back to the early 70's stuff. We enjoyed the quiet music played in the buffet area the most ! (It was 80's). I also think a country night might work for them - several singing country at Karaoke.

Son & I busting a few practice moves.....

The International lounge at the back is where the Comedy Shows were and usually Karaoke.

Great reviews so far, cant wait for more :)

Thanks for sharing :)

We had early dining at 6:00 in the Posh Dining room. We went to dinner every night.The first sea day and the Jamaica day were Formal nights. I saw people in suits, shirts & ties, long & short dresses, pant suits, etc. One gentleman wore shorts and a tank top and the Matrie' D quietly asked him at the door to change before entering.

We were seated at Booth #423. At first I was disappointed we weren't at a table with others. We really enjoyed that on our last cruise. I considered asking to be moved, but decided it was ok. During the day, we went our separate ways then met for dinner, so it was a nice to time to visit and plan. It also gave me the chance to take pictures of our food (Food Porn) that I probably wouldn't have done if others were sitting with us.

Our Head Waiter was Jaydi (pronounced A.D.) and was wonderful. He made sure things ran smoothly. He occasionally slipped an extra dessert or something on my son's plate.

Creme' Brulee

Warm Chocolate Melting Cake

Before Sail Away, we played Mini golf. You check out the balls & clubs at the hut by the pool.

At 12:30, the day we were in Jamaica, they had a Putting Competition. We returned from our excursion in time, so my husband played and WON a ship on a stick !!

More buffet pictures

Chess Game on the Lido Deck

We went to all the shows in the Victoria Lounge. The Welcome Aboard show was kind of slow, but still good music and choreography. They have a live jazz band, keyboard, and guitarist. Our favorite show was the Beatles tribute - Ticket to Ride on the last night.

LOVE reviews with pictures, esp. of ships that I probably won't sail on. Kind of makes me feel like I was there! Thanks for sharing your cruise with us. ;)

For the most part, we had great weather ! It rained in Grand Cayman a bit (torrential about the time to re-board), sprinkled in Jamaica, and rained a few times at night. One evening, the captain said there were 18 foot waves. They even considered cancelling the main show. I get sea sick & took Bonine faithfully. I took it two days prior, then every day. Even with the rocking, I was fine. It did make me really tired about 3:30 and again around 8:30. I may try the patch next time.

Window on the Promenade

Serenity Area

Waterslide

The first evening, they had an alcohol tasting in front of the Fun shops.

Memorial Day in Key West.

This was our first trip to Key West and we loved it. We did the City View Hop on Hop Off tour. I booked on their website and printed the tickets for $19.95 each. It was about $10 per person cheaper than booking through Carnival. I think I read too that kids under 12 are free ?! We walked across the street from the big red Customs' building to a t-shirt shop. In front of it in the doorway was a podium to check in and the first stop was across the street. Very easy. We got off at a few stops and rode on through on a few others. It was hot and would have been a lot of walking.

There was so much to do !

Here is the Red Customs House (History museum) from the ship - the City View trolley is on the other side.

My husband pretended to catch a big one....

Loved all the statues around the History Musuem !

We walked around Mallory Square and did a little shopping.

Chickens everywhere...

One of the stops along the way was at Fort Zachary & Higgs Beach. We walked on the beach but didn't swim. There was a big sign warning about Portugese Man O War jellyfish. :eek:

I wish I could post more than 6 pictures at a time !

Fort Zachary: (Old Civil War fort)

My son is a Fisheries & Wildlife major (Marine Biology) so we stopped at the Key West Wildlife Center while by the Fort. It was a quick & hot walk through. Not great.

We also stopped at the Southern Most point of the United States. People were lined up for blocks to take their picture in front of it. We walked down to it.....stood up on top of the concrete divider wall....waited for the people to change places & took a picture from up high. We didn't get to be IN the picture, but didn't have to wait in line either.

Right next to this, they were selling coconuts, water, snow cones, & pina coladas.

Back in the main part of town we stumbled across a Coyote Ugly. Loved that movie !

Across the Street, I found the Open air margarita bar I was looking for. It was called the Flying Monkey and is next to Fogarty's.

Raspberry was delicious ! (They have 1 non alcoholic one too)

More shopping spots in Key West...

Oh....and Captain Jack Sparrow also enjoyed my Margarita. :D

LOVE the spokes in the fence next to the southern most point marker! :cool:

We ate lunch at the Conch Republic Seafood Company on stop #8. It was really good ! I wanted to get some Key Lime Pie at Kermits which is also at this stop, but by now we were full, hot and tired. Back to the ship.

Time for Dinner:

This was my husband's. I don't know what it was called but it had shrimp, scallops, calamari, a piece of salmon on top and the oysters. He said it was excellent !

This was my son's. I think it was prime rib......maybe.

Waiters danced....

Strawberry Cheesecake

Fig something....

Tonight's Towel animal:

Monday night....I bought a new camera at the photo shop on board. I had/have an Olympus 35 mm that took excellent pictures. I moved on to digital with a Kodak easy share several years ago. It quit unexpectedly right before vacation in 2010. I bought another one quickly and haven't liked it since. I looked at some bigger Nikons & Canons this past fall but didn't like how big they were for carrying around. I also don't need all the extra/different lenses. I just need one that takes good pictures and will let me zoom without being blurry.

I bought the Olympus for $199. It has a 26 zoom & takes really good pictures. I walked around the ship Tuesday morning and took pictures all over again . It has a 'cuisine' setting and really did a good job on the food pix too !

Here's a couple new pictures of the buffet area:

This is the dessert station.

At noon on the first sea day is a cooking demonstration in the Steak house. I got there about 11:40 and sat in the front row. They give you a program with the recipes. The chefs prepare an appetizer, a main dish, and a dessert in front of you then pass around samples. It was fun and very tasty !

Pictures of the food samples:

Mushroom cappacino soup

Cesar Salad with homemade dressing and spices.

Grilled rosemary chicken with a special secret recipe macaroni & cheese

Tiramisu for dessert. (It was SO good)

The dishes presented when purchased in the steak house are 'prettier'.....

Great start to the review!! Can't wait to read the rest. Thanks for posting!:)

I called guest services on embarkation day. I stopped by the desk on the Key West day. Finally today...I left a post it note on the mirror for our room steward to open the partition between our two cabins. Done.

I did use the Guest Services a few times. The regular line was fairly long - 10+ people. I only waited behind one person in the FTTF line. A very nice perk.

Hairy Chest contest:

Lobby area:

The photo area: I bought several this time. Small ones are $11.99 and 8x10 are $21.99. They have an incentive program....buy so many & get a tumbler free.....buy 10 and get a free flash drive. Add $9.99 to that & they'll put any 10 you've bought on the flash drive. I wish they'd make 5x7 instead and sell them a little cheaper. My daughter & her 02 friends took several and all would like to have bought more of them.

The hallway/promenade past the Casino, dance club, 02, and the Piano Bar

Piano Bar

I went to the spa on Sea Days. The first day, they had a 'Mix & Match' special. You chose from the list. 2 treatments was $99 and 3 was $119.

On the last sea day, they had a "Drift Away" special that offered a neck/shoulder massage, scalp massage, ankle/foot massage, hot stones, mini facial & an exfoliation treatment. It was one hour and $119.

The offered specials for teens and men too.

We used the Serenity area today, took more pictures, sat on the balcony, etc.

The comedy shows were good. They had about 4 shows on the 2 comedy nights. There were 2 family friendly and 2 adult shows. They were packed, so get there early for a seat.

Karaoke was fun too. I wish I could sing. I especially like the Superstar Karaoke where the live band plays your music. Some of the people were great !

Tonight was formal night. I saw a lot of men in suits, a few tuxes, and a few collared shirts & ties. Women were in long & short dresses as well as pant suits, etc.

Alligator from the Didja Ever menu....

stuffed mushrooms

corn chowder with vegetables (really good)

Lobster & tiger shrimp

prime rib ?!

more pix in the next post....

Cherries jubilee

Fruit plate

My family after dinner:

Tonight's towel animal:

Tomorrow: Grand Cayman

Before bedtime, there was a message on our phone from guest services regarding Faster To The Fun and tendering in Grand Cayman. We checked in at the desk, then they immediately escorted us to the front of the line. Very quick.

It was cloudy and rained a little off and on. We had planned a beach day at Royal Palms in the morning, then shopping back at the port in the afternoon.

This pirate was serious ! LOL

We walked across the immediate port area, through the shops, across that street, across a courtyard, and into the next street. There was an area of white vans parked and a sign about the public bus system. I asked them if this was the bus that took us to Royal Palms. They showed us to a bus, waited just a few minutes for it to fill with locals & we were off.

It is $2.50 each and takes about 15 mintues. The driver announced when we were suppose to get off, right out front. I'd planned exact bills/change for today to make it faster/easier when paying. I gave him a $10 for the 4 of us with a couple one's for a tip.

It was suppose to be $2 each to use the facilities at Royal Palms but there wasn't anyone there that early to give our money to. I asked the bar tender & he said the guard wasn't here yet so he guessed were were free.

We got our lounge chairs ourselves. When I saw that man walking around tidying up & stuff, I paid him $5 per chair. The sign says $10 but their website says $5.

The water was beautiful !

My son buried my daughter then they dug this big hole.....

The man to rent snorkel gear and floats, etc from didn't show up.

We ate lunch at the royal Palms restaurant and it was really good. Prices are in Cayman dollars. I thought I understood the exchange rate, but did not. It looked reasonable at about $10 or so each. We had 2 mahi sandwhiches with fries, a mango shrimp wrap plate, conch fitters, 2 alcohol drinks and 2 sodas. It was $96 !!

Conch Fritters:

Fresh caught Mahi sandwhich

mango shrimp wrap:

We were walking out to the street to catch a bus when the taxi drivers were hassling us. It would be $5 per person for them. We said no, it would be half price on the bus. What do you know? He lowered the price to match the bus.

We had time to shop for awhile around the port area. I've never been too impressed with the shopping in Grand Cayman. I guess it's great for jewelry.

Free Rum Punch while shopping in the jewelry store:

We all met at the Green Parrott when it started raining really hard. We took the tender back. The line on the right for the Paradise was really long. Our line was shorter. They got everyone on the tenders quickly.