Carnival Freedom - Review 9/20-9/26

[deannasch]

I just got back from the Carnival Freedom and absolutely loved it. This was my third cruise and by far the best. The Freedom is a very beautiful ship and the crew really worked hard to keep it looking great. I ate in the dining room every night but one, only because I needed some down time. The food was good, I always went away full, but thought the portions were smaller than what I had previously had.

 

The decks do not go straight through, so took some time to actually "find" the dining room, but after the 2nd day we were pros at it. We ate breakfast each morning on the Lido Deck. Food was good, no complaints. For lunch we had pizza and the fish and chips. There were a couple of days we just didn't eat lunch so we would be hungry for dinner.

 

The entertainment was awesome. Very good shows and there was plenty to keep you busy. We finally had to say that we just couldn't do it all.

 

Embarkment/Disembarkment -- From the time we left the motel at 11:30 till we were on the Lido Deck in line for lunch was exactly 1 hour. No complaints, everything was organized and flowed right along. We were in Zone 17 for disembarkment -- Got called to leave the ship at approx. 9:40 and were at the airport at 10:45. Tip of the day -- any alcohol you buy, don't put it on top of your suitcase as the suitcase may fall over and break the botles. I didn't do this, but watched it happen.

 

As for bringing alcohol on the ship, we did. Used rum runners and brought on three bottles of misc booze. Had the small rum runner in each of my front pockets while boarding, so was able to enjoy before the suitcase arrived to the room. While in Key West we each bought a 6 pack of beer and it went through security with no problems. Did we still have a bar bill? Yes we did, but it definitely saved us money. There was one couple that we ran into a lot and by Tuesday, they had over a $700 bar tab. They didn't drink much after that. It was $20 for 4 beers in a bucket. and mixed drinks ranged from $6 - $9. Doesn't take long to add up and sometimes I wondered if there was any booze in the mixed drinks.

 

The weather was very hot and made it miserable to walk around at the ports, I personally would wait another month or two to consider this itinerary.

 

Please let me know if you have any questions.

[kellbellscruise]

Thanks for posting your review!!

[beerman2]

3 weeks from today we'll be at sea sitting having dinner on the Freedom. LOL Talk about being ready to go. Glad you had a good time. Sailing with newbies this time. They usually do AI so anxious to see their reaction.

[Iluvmypuggle]

I'm sailing on the Freedom in 34 days! Thanks for posting your review. So happy to hear you had a wonderful trip.

 

Was this the 6 day itinerary to Key West, Cayman Islands & Ochos Rios? I could look it up on carnival.com, but I'm lazy. :)

 

Any special tips for those cruising on the Freedom in the near future?

[ntune]

To luvmypuggle:

 

We were on that cruise in June:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1017473&highlight=

[oncruisecontrol]

I just got back from the Carnival Freedom and absolutely loved it. This was my third cruise and by far the best. The Freedom is a very beautiful ship and the crew really worked hard to keep it looking great. I ate in the dining room every night but one, only because I needed some down time. The food was good, I always went away full, but thought the portions were smaller than what I had previously had.

 

The decks do not go straight through, so took some time to actually "find" the dining room, but after the 2nd day we were pros at it. We ate breakfast each morning on the Lido Deck. Food was good, no complaints. For lunch we had pizza and the fish and chips. There were a couple of days we just didn't eat lunch so we would be hungry for dinner.

 

The entertainment was awesome. Very good shows and there was plenty to keep you busy. We finally had to say that we just couldn't do it all.

 

Embarkment/Disembarkment -- From the time we left the motel at 11:30 till we were on the Lido Deck in line for lunch was exactly 1 hour. No complaints, everything was organized and flowed right along. We were in Zone 17 for disembarkment -- Got called to leave the ship at approx. 9:40 and were at the airport at 10:45. Tip of the day -- any alcohol you buy, don't put it on top of your suitcase as the suitcase may fall over and break the botles. I didn't do this, but watched it happen.

 

As for bringing alcohol on the ship, we did. Used rum runners and brought on three bottles of misc booze. Had the small rum runner in each of my front pockets while boarding, so was able to enjoy before the suitcase arrived to the room. While in Key West we each bought a 6 pack of beer and it went through security with no problems. Did we still have a bar bill? Yes we did, but it definitely saved us money. There was one couple that we ran into a lot and by Tuesday, they had over a $700 bar tab. They didn't drink much after that. It was $20 for 4 beers in a bucket. and mixed drinks ranged from $6 - $9. Doesn't take long to add up and sometimes I wondered if there was any booze in the mixed drinks.

 

The weather was very hot and made it miserable to walk around at the ports, I personally would wait another month or two to consider this itinerary.

 

Please let me know if you have any questions.

 

 

I was on the Freedom the week before you. Only decks 3 & 4 do not go straight thru-----because of the galley that is in-between the Chic & Posh diningrooms. Glad you had a good time, though. We did as well.

[elsplace2]

Thanks for the review. I always look forward to seeing a new review! What itinerary did you have and did you do any shore excursions? If so, which ones?

[deannasch]

I'm sailing on the Freedom in 34 days! Thanks for posting your review. So happy to hear you had a wonderful trip.

 

Was this the 6 day itinerary to Key West, Cayman Islands & Ochos Rios? I could look it up on carnival.com, but I'm lazy. :)

 

Any special tips for those cruising on the Freedom in the near future?

 

 

This was the 6 day itinerary.. Can't really think of any special tips to give. It was just very hot for us. Never wore a jacket at all, others did as they felt the ship was cold. I was comfortable. If you enjoy adult humor.. The Quest show is a must. We laughed so hard and we had a great team. Attend the shows, they were all very good. Enjoy your trip.

[deannasch]

Thanks for the review. I always look forward to seeing a new review! What itinerary did you have and did you do any shore excursions? If so, which ones?

 

This was the 6 day, Key West, Grand Cayman and Ochos Rios. We took the Conch Train in Key West, that was good. Grand Cayman it was raining, so we just walked around the area. Ochos Rios we did the Dunns River Falls and Dolphin Cove. The Falls are amazing and definitely a work out. The Dolphin Cove is "ok". I got to snorkel as I had my own, but the rest was just ok. I thought the people in Jamaica were very pushy and not afraid to try and sell you drugs... I didn't care for it much.

[WAHMto5]

Thank you for the review....we will be leaving next Sunday on the Freedom!!

[terrirus]

Thank you so much for the info, my husband and I will be going on the Freedom in January, 16th and the 24th sailing. Cannot wait. Any suggestions on excursions. We are looking forward to Costa Rica and Panama as well as Key West. Has anyone every cruise in Upper Deck room 6202, curious about it? Thanks and look forward to reading more.

[deannasch]

Thank you so much for the info, my husband and I will be going on the Freedom in January, 16th and the 24th sailing. Cannot wait. Any suggestions on excursions. We are looking forward to Costa Rica and Panama as well as Key West. Has anyone every cruise in Upper Deck room 6202, curious about it? Thanks and look forward to reading more.

 

We were in room 6345... right above the casino, not bad though. Key West we did the Conch train, good tour of the town. You can also rent a buggy ride with a person pulling you with a bicycle.... They give you a narrated tour as well. Someone in our group, did this, they wanted $20/person, but got it for $20 total.

[amcjeep4life]

Thank you so much for the info, my husband and I will be going on the Freedom in January, 16th and the 24th sailing. Cannot wait. Any suggestions on excursions. We are looking forward to Costa Rica and Panama as well as Key West. Has anyone every cruise in Upper Deck room 6202, curious about it? Thanks and look forward to reading more.

 

Not to highjack the thread, but we'll be doing the western 8 day itinerary in just under 4 weeks!!!!! We have room 6214, so in the same area. I'll definitely be posting a review, so keep your eyes peeled!

[cjcjohio]

Hello

Where did you dock in Key West?

Was there a past cruiser party? Were the drinks free?

I understand the drinks are no longer free at the captains party.

thanks

colleen

[cschultz]

Where did you stay in Ft Lauderdale pre-cruise? I'm planning a trip on the Freedom in March and haven't figured that out yet. Thanks

[GymJen]

We were on this same cruise and it was amazing. Simply amazing.

 

Here are a couple of answers . . . the captain party did not have free drinks but they did have $1 off. The past guest party did have free drinks and it was a nice little party. They also had a farewell party on the last day for everyone and that one had free drinks too but was crowded and dumb.

 

We did the Tranopy adventure in Jamaica and it was awesome. It is a zipline, bobsled, and a ski lift type thing. It is at a newer resort area in Jamaica. They provided the transportation, etc. The tour was clean, safe, well organized and offered other things to do as well. There was a very nice pool there with a cool waterslide and one of those drop off sides that looks like you are on a cliff. The resort was Mystic Mountain and I would really recommend it for the tour we did or the other ones they run.

 

A big tip I have is . . . on the port days we would head up to the Lido deck to have some breakfast and found it very crowded. The first day at Key West we decided just to wing it and headed to the Posh for the sit-down breakfast. We found it to actually be very quick! We were able to sit, relax & be served without waiting in quite a line on the Lido deck. The 2nd day we timed it and it took 17min from sit to finish. Somebody in the elevator 1 day warned us not to do it b/c it would take an hour or so (she didn't know we had already done it twice!). It was definitely a little secret that really made the start of our port days so much nicer then waiting in a long, loud line!

 

I am jealous of those of you who are still waiting for your cruise. I want to go again NOW!!!

[deannasch]

I was already today plotting my next cruise... We never ate in the dining room for breakfast, but must have timed the Lido Deck just right each port day as we didn't wait very long. And that could be because I slept in a little bit too long. lol

 

Enjoy everyone that is waiting to go on this amazing ship.

[deannasch]

Where did you stay in Ft Lauderdale pre-cruise? I'm planning a trip on the Freedom in March and haven't figured that out yet. Thanks

 

Forgot to answer your question as to where we stayed, sorry... We stayed at the Sleep Inn, Dania Beach. It is close to the airport and to the cruise port. The rate was very reasonable and they pick you up at the airport and take you to the cruise port the next day for nothing. When we checked in, we signed up for the transfer to the port. Everything was very organized. Like I said in my post, from the time we left the motel, which was 11:30 till we were on the Lido Deck was 1 hour. Simply amazing. Also next to this motel is a Walgreens, which we visited a couple of times picking up last minute incidentals. There is also a Publix across the street where you can get wine, liquor, etc.

 

The one thing that we did and we had a lot of fun. In the directory in the motel room there is a flyer for a restaurant/bar on the intercoastal that will come pick you up at the motel and bring you back for $3 a person. We had so much fun there. It is right on the water and there were boats going by all the time. The food was great and the live band was awesome. When we were ready to go, we found the driver and he brought us back. Very little waiting time.

 

Would I stay at this motel again, yes I would. Tip of the day: when you book your motel room, no matter where it is, keep checking the rates. Our rates went down twice from the time I booked and we got the cheaper rate.

[kuntry moe]

im sailin on the freedom nov,the 15th hope its not to hot in the 3ports we are stoppin at,:eek:this be my 7th cruise with carnival,