1st timers loved the Freedom! Jan.24-30/10

[goscudder]

Looking forward to reading more of your review! We leave in less than two months and we can't wait...it's been a cold, Michigan winter.

 

My daughter will be 13 when we sail so I'm glad to hear your son liked the Circle C Club. Did they have a lot of planned activities during the week? Did a lot of the kids show up for them, or just hang out on their own?

[ruby2sday13]

Day 1 (Jan. 24) - Lunch

 

After boarding the ship, and walking through the lobby with our heads turned up and mouths gaping at the decor, I herded our little gang towards an elevator that would take us to the Lido deck for lunch. Although none of us had ever set foot on a cruise ship before, I had memorized the deck plans (like a true serial vacation planner), and - thanks to all the great advice I have read here on Cruise Critics - knew that the Fish & Chips counter on Deck 10 would be a quiet place for our first meal onboard. Well, it did not disappoint!

 

We walked through the buffet area, which was quickly filling with people, and up those stairs beside the Lady Liberty, and found that we had practically the whole Deck 10 dining area to ourselves. The cooks behind the counter at the Fish & Chips stand were ready for guests, so we placed our orders. We all got the fish and chips, plus I ordered the ahi tuna appetizer. There were lots of condiments to help yourself to, like wasabi, tartar sauce, seafood sauce, olives, etc. A drink station was conveniently located close by, so within a few minutes we were all sitting down with our lemonade and iced tea to the first of many great meals on the Freedom.

 

 

 

[ruby2sday13]

Day 1 (Jan. 24) - Serenity Deck

 

So after lunch, we headed outside on Deck 10 to take some photos. Before long, my sister-in-law and I made our way to the Serenity Deck to check it out while DH and DS roamed some more of the ship. It is a beautiful space, with dark wicker furniture with turquoise padding. There were lots of lounge chairs, and great big party sofas. Lo and behold, we were lucky enough to nab one of those clam-shell beds. Score!! Within a few minutes, a friendly waiter, Hamish (who turned out to be our drink waiter for the week in the dining room) came over to take our drink orders. Well, drinks certainly were in order so I got a margarita, while SIL got the Fun Ship Special. It was breezy up there but nice and warm, and we got to relax for close to an hour before we decided to give up the coveted bed to other lucky passengers. It was time to go see our cabins!

 

 

 

[ruby2sday13]

To goscudder: In the Circle C club, they had most of the activities planned in the evening. It seemed like there were only about a dozen kids who regularly hung out there, and once they got to know each other, they were more likely to hang out on their own. Although each evening from about 9 pm to 9:45 pm, the 12 - 14 year olds had the disco to themselves, and this gang always seemed to have a great time there. I'll be posting the Weekly Activity Schedule for Circle C soon.

[goscudder]

To goscudder: In the Circle C club, they had most of the activities planned in the evening. It seemed like there were only about a dozen kids who regularly hung out there, and once they got to know each other, they were more likely to hang out on their own. Although each evening from about 9 pm to 9:45 pm, the 12 - 14 year olds had the disco to themselves, and this gang always seemed to have a great time there. I'll be posting the Weekly Activity Schedule for Circle C soon.

 

 

Thanks for the information and the great review!

[serene56]

Day 1 (Jan. 24) -- knew that the Fish & Chips counter on Deck 10 would be a quiet place for our first meal onboard. Well, it did not disappoint!

 

how was the seating up here on deck 10?

 

Did a lot of people get their food from the buffet and head up here?

(thats what I am doing)

[As You Wish]

I'm enjoying your review so far and looking forward to more. Glad you had such a good first cruise experience.

[b_bay_girl]

We have never cruised before, and curiosity finally got the better of us, so we decided to try a cruise for vacation this winter. We sailed on the Carnival Freedom, departing Fort Lauderdale on Sun. January 24, 2010 - the 6 night itinerary with stops in Key West, Grand Cayman Island, and Ocho Rios, Jamaica. We are a couple with a 13 year old son. We stayed in a category 6B cabin - oceanview, mid-ship - on the Riviera deck, cabin #1371.

 

I will be posting more in detail as I have more time tomorrow, but I will say that our time on the Carnival Freedom was a very enjoyable vacation. The ship is so well maintained, there is so much to see and do, the service was wonderful, and so was the entertainment and all the dining options, too!

 

If you have any questions about the Freedom, the new Serenity deck, the current cruise director Felipe (Woo-Hoo!) Couto, or the Circle C club for 12 to 14 year olds, please ask away!

 

 

Welcome back. Glad to hear your trip was a success. What was the security issues like for us Canucks flying out Buffalo? We fly out on Sunday.

[b_bay_girl]

Another cruise virgin here & trying to decide if we want to take the plunge and give cruising a try. Basically clueless to everything cruise related so trying to get as much info as possible. Glad to see your post.

 

Make sure you research your cruise and the ship, etc. We are going on our third cruise on the Destiny on Monday and only found out after the fact about problems with the ship, and indeed our itinerary got changed just last week! My brother and his wife did a four day Bahamas cruise as his first experience (she had cruised Royal Carib before) and he was not impressed with cruising. His wife said it was not comparable to her week long with Royal. But they had only two ports, Freeport and Nassau. They docked in Nassau overnight. I don't think it was a good choice for a first cruise and hopefully he won't be turned off completely and will give it a try again. We are doing a five day only this time and that is the shortest I would go.

[ruby2sday13]

Welcome back. Glad to hear your trip was a success. What was the security issues like for us Canucks flying out Buffalo? We fly out on Sunday.

 

Hi b bay girl: We are also from St. Catharines. We found that there were no additional security issues for Canadians flying out of Buffalo. We frequently fly from Buffalo, and prefer it to flying out of Toronto. Waiting to cross the Peace Bridge at Buffalo, with passports in hand, took less than 10 minutes, only one of which was spent talking with the customs/immigration officer. Once we got to the Buffalo airport, checking in with our airline (Southwest) to check our bags, then going through the airport security checkpoint, took only about 15 minutes total. Flying within the U.S., rather than into the U.S., is a breeze (in our experience), even if you are a Canadian citizen.

[ruby2sday13]

how was the seating up here on deck 10?

 

Did a lot of people get their food from the buffet and head up here?

(thats what I am doing)

 

To serene56: There were lots of tables and some booths up on Deck 10. We ate up there twice. The first time, on Day 1, we were the only ones up there. Two days later, after getting lunch from the buffet on Deck 9, we headed up there to eat. There were quite a few people up there, but we were still able to easily find a table. It's much quieter up there, too.

[reno3]

Thanks for the infomation on the CD Ryan.

[ruby2sday13]

Did you by chance catch Music Boardwalk? I hope to cruise the Freedom in July. Can't wait to see them. Mary49

 

It's not the greatest photo, but I thought I'd post this one of Music Boardwalk.

 

[kruise66]

It's not the greatest photo, but I thought I'd post this one of Music Boardwalk.

 

 

Thanks for all of the photos you posted on Webshots...I'm enjoying them a lot!!!

[newfiegirl4]

Thanks so much for the review.Will be sailing on her in Apr/8 night Western Cruise.Loved the pics.Sound like you had a blast.I'll have to remember to memorize the deck plans as I'll be lost more that once...lol

Our kids are 13 & 18.They are so looking forward to this cruise.

Thnaks again for all the info.:)