citygirl62

So...

I am going on the Carnival Freedom (6-day) cruise on February 16th.

am stopping at:

Key West

Grand Cayman

Ocho Rios

 

And want to know if anyone has experience with this cruise. I already booked excursions, and am traveling with little brothers and parents and grandparents.

So... uh... yeah.

anything is helpful.

and thank you if you decide to reply.

I hope you decide to take the Sting Ray excursion in Grand Cayman, it is amazing! There are lots of companies that offer it, They are usually cheaper (and less crowded) than those offered by the cruise line. We used Moby Dick Tours, very informative and fun. Plus we had more stingrays around us then any other group.

The beauty of arranging with Moby Dick is that they don't ask for payment until you arrive in GC. If for any reason, the ship doesn't make it to that port (weather, etc) you aren't out any cash. On the other hand, if you change your mind, as a courtesy, they request that you advise them so they don't hold up the tour waiting for a no-show.

Can you seriously buy pumpkin in a can over there? Yuck! Why wouldn't you just buy a piece of fresh pumpkin?

Because the pumpkins that grow in NA are mostly used for decorative reasons, not for eating since they might be too stringy and tough. Most of the pureed pumpkin in a can isn't really pumpkin, it's Hubbard squash or butternut squash. There's nothing wrong with canned pumpkin, it usually contains just pureed pumpkin nothing else, and it is a lot easier to work with unless you want to go all pioneer;).

You never know, it could be a possibility if enough people express their opinions. Shrimp cocktail comes to mind. ;)

 

I liked the strawberry soup, but was not much of a fan of the others. I am not sure what kind of following the cold soups have, but if people really love it, they should express that opinion.

I would think most cruisers are completely unaware of cuts like this. Only a small percentage of cruisers use this board. So maybe that old saying "what you don't know won't hurt you" is the philosophy.

I personally dislike cold soups, they always taste like melted ice cream or something since most are sweet. And savoury ones just taste like, well... cold hot soup.

I heard there was a big uproar once when there was the suggestion of eliminating the melting chocolate cake and it is still there, I think.

Just your opinion, why would you not book through Carnival? We book through Carnival just cause than we can add it to our booking.

 

 

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It's always my preference to do my own booking for flights, I have more control over when I do it, what airlines I chose, and I don't like the domino effect of having things tied together. Plus as the OP said, it is a lot cheaper. I've never booked a cruise through a cruise line either for that matter.

I think some folks really need to get a sense of humor.:rolleyes: I took this a a joke, some folks are just wound way to tight. :eek:

Ha ha! Love your tag about fruit. Very funny!:D

Wearing a lanyard reminds me too much of work. I always carry a small crossbody bag with my camera, card, tissues, lip gloss, etc.

Same here, I don't like those things around my neck.

My mom doesn't have a basement, we live in Florida. And unfortunately I'm paying my own mortgage now. But there are a couple of upshots to living here; I'm currently not an ice cube, and local cruise ports which have provided 40+ cruises over my 31 years.

 

Back to the topic, an open bar package will occasionally cause this sort of thing. You're inferring an elicit agenda where none existed. We boarded the ship around noon and found a bar. One drink led to another and it went downhill. This sometimes happens with a bunch of boozy guys having fun on a cruise ship. When I go to party, I ride that strange torpedo all the way out to the end (with a nod to Hunter Thompson).

 

If we had shown up at muster the complaint would've been that we were too loud. And no one could hear about the intricate process of putting a life vest over one's head and fastening a buckle. Plus, this most recent drill-skip I mentioned was on a Fantasy class ship, of which I could find my way around blindfolded AND drunk.

 

If it makes all the preachy types in this thread feel better, I do go to nearly all the muster drills. The vast majority of my cruises are clean and sober and in line with your social norms.

 

But it is funny reading all these holier-than-thou posts. How's the view from those shiny ivory towers folks? The one about the evil hedonists trampling the children was just priceless! I immediately had a vision of Reverend Lovejoy's wife from The Simpson's giving her "oh won't someone PLEASE think of the children!" line.

 

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You asked a question, we answered it. Just because you weren't regaled with stories of drunk a**holes telling us of their wild (in their minds) hilarious adventures doesn't make us preachy. Have you ever been sober around really drunk people and thought "wow, they are such jerks"? Probably not.;)

I guess you mean me (with the children comment) but FYI I was in a crisis situation once where the resident drunk endangered an orderly evacuation from a building by panicking.

We were on the Carnival Splendor out of Long Beach, and a guy refused to go to the safety drill. The Captain was involved, and he was put off the ship. His girlfriend was crying and she was told she could stay on because she did cooperate with the drill, or she could get off. She elected to get off with him, and we were delayed leaving about an hour while they packed. The were escorted off the ship.

 

They do check the cabins, and we have seen them counting people at the muster stations.

Ah, a happy ending! I just don't get individuals that refuse to go to muster. It seems like a badge of courage or they are too cool to attend. It seems pretty juvenile to me and I can guess that if a real emergency arose they would be the ones screwing everything up because the don't have a clue what to do. Either that or trample over kids and women to get off the ship first.

I know what you mean! Just the idea of not having a place to go makes me want to go! I worried a lot about that when I was planning excursions. The tender ride to Belize had me concerned, the trip to the beach on Roatan was cause for concern, going to see the sting rays had me concerned.

What I did was get in direct contact with the tours I was going with. The boat to Stingray City had a head, not great but adequate. I drank very little the morning we went to the beach in Roatan because the bus didn't have a toilet.

I get really irked when people say "why didn't you go before you left" There is a special place in hell for those that are woefully unaware of the curse of weak bladders and IBD!

I get my doctor to give me a prescription for Dicetal before I go away to parts unknown. It provides me with peace of mind. Sorry for oversharing but it is a real issue for some of us. Thanks.

Hi, if you haven't already booked your cabins, another great website to go on is DeckPlanGenius.com. They have terrific information on all the cruise line ships regarding size of rooms, where they are located, what's above and below them and whether there are any pros or cons to the location.

It can definately help you with your final choices. Before I found this website I felt that booking a cabin was sort of like a crapshoot. I've haven't cruised before either, even though I have crossed the Atlantic 3 times as a child. I am pretty confident that the cabin I finally chose for my first cruise is going to be a good one. Good luck and listen to all these experts: don't share a cabin with another couple. Get out some duct tape and mark off the size of the cabins and balcony and find out if you can live comfortably for 7 days in that space. Not!!!