Carnival Freedom 8 Day Eastern Caribbean Review 09/10/11 - 09/18/11 LOTS of PICS

[belkin]

Love your review. We will be on the ship 12/3 and can't wait! Really enjoyed your review of Valley Church Beach. We already had planned on going there by bus and you confirmed it for us. Thanks for taking the time to write it. By chance did you do the Behind the Fun tour or the Chef's Table?

[KU Cruiser]

Great review! We board the Freedom this Saturday and we are from Olathe, KS! Our daughter and her boyfriend have your same room #8450. Your pictures are wonderful.

 

I do have one question...my husband and I are in room 8457 which is supposed to be a mirror image of 8450 on the other end of the hallway next to the Aft wrap. Are you sure that 8455 is the other large Aft balcony on this floor?

[Let'sDoThisCruiseThing]

-:¦:-•:*"'"*:•.-:¦:-•* Antigua Continued *•-:¦:-•:*"'"*:•.-:¦:-

 

 

 

 

We arrived back to the port and decided to pick up a few souvenirs (no fake handbags) before going back to the ship. This is the first time that I saw the fake Louis Vuitton and Coach handbags. There was a lady at one of the stands telling a man that he should buy one for his daughter. He didn’t know that they were not real. His wife did and she said NO and walked away! Her poor husband was stuck there with the lady that was very persistent. The handbags were being sold for $40, but I’m sure they would accept a good haggle. I hope he didn’t end up buying one just to get away from her!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I got sunburned pretty bad on my face, shoulders, chest and back in Antigua. I fake baked for a few months before the cruise in hopes that this wouldn’t happen. We brought 2 bottles of Coppertone Sport SPF 50 and used every last spray by the end of the cruise. I used it, but evidently not enough. Next time, we will be sure to bring double that amount and apply liberally! Be safe out there in the Caribbean!

 

On our way back to the ship there was a guy with dread locks holding a beer in one hand and a bunch of aloe vera in the other. He walked right up to us and asked if I knew what it was. I said “yes, that’s aloe”. He said that he is known as a “doctor” on the island and said that if he applied this to my skin it would make me feel better. I went with it even though it was kind of weird. He cut open the aloe and asked if he could apply it to my arms, face, neck, shoulders and legs. It actually felt REALLY good and cool. He did the same for DB since he had a slight burn. After he was finished he asked for $20. DB said to him….”that was nice and all, but I’m not giving you $20 for that”. He pulled out $5 and gave it to him. He accepted it, gave us a few extra pieces of aloe to go and we were off. We bought a few things and headed back to the ship.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we got back on, I saw our cabin steward Ray in street clothes. I said, “Hey, look it’s Ray!”. He looked troubled and acted like he wanted to say something to us. He stood there for a second not saying anything. Then he said, “Have a good night” and he went to the gangway to get off the ship. We didn’t think anything of it. Later, we saw another cabin steward that we hadn’t seen before near our cabin. He greeted us and asked if we were in so and so cabin. We said no, we are in 8450. He said “oh, ok well I am your cabin steward now. Ray had a family emergency and needed to leave”. Our new cabin steward is now Wayan. Super nice guy who took good care of us for the remainder of our cruise! I hope Ray’s family is ok.

 

Goodbye Antigua! :(

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We showered and changed clothes and went to the lido bistro for a cheeseburger, fries and a bucket of beer. They have hamburgers/cheeseburgers, hot dogs, fries, chicken nuggets, nacho chips, cheese sauce & chili. We decided that we were going to go to the seaside theatre to watch Green Hornet. The 2 movies tonight were 8pm – Green Hornet & 10:30pm Gnomeo & Juliet. We got there and found our favorite seats. They have blue chairs with a table in front of each chair. These chairs are like plastic rocking chairs and I liked them a lot. The movie started and it was really hard to hear. There was a large group of people at the tables right below us playing cards and they were a little rowdy. It was hard to focus and pretty distracting. We made it through about 30 minutes of the movie and decided to leave. It’s ok though. We got home and Green Hornet is currently playing on Cinemax. I think we ended up stopping by the casino, playing a little and getting a little cash for the excursion the next day.

 

Great tip 1: We took cash with us, but learned a nice little tip from Cruise Critic that we used quite a few times to get more cash without ATM fees. Our privately booked excursions needed to be paid for with cash as well as all souvenirs purchased off of the ship. The ship has ATM’s, but you will be charged fees from your bank. You can also get a cash advance from the casino, but they also charge a 5.5% fee. To get cash WITHOUT any fees, you can go to any slot machine and add money to your sail & sign card, play some slots and then go get the remaining cash from your player’s bank from the cashier. Please note that we did this a few times and after 2 times on each of our cards, they locked our cards and we had to go see the cashier. I went over to the cashier and told her that my card is locked. She said that it was probably from putting cash on our cards and then immediately cashing out. She said she had to call the casino manager. The manager came over and said that he unlocked my card, but to make sure that next time….add cash, pull the slot at least once…then cash out and I will not have this problem again. We played in the casino on multiple occasions, but at first when we went there to specifically get cash, we didn’t play. Good to know and he was nice about it. You can also get a free Carnival player’s club lanyard at the cashier in the casino. They will punch a hole for you and you can wear it around your neck so you don’t lose it.

 

Great tip 2: Your cabin safe. We used an old player’s card from a casino in Vegas for the safe. It was convenient because it already had a hole punched in it and I just added it to my lanyard with my sail & sign card so I had them both together at all times. I wouldn’t use a credit card or your sail & sign card for this purpose. You can use any old gift card, library card or any other card that has the scan strip on the back. I’m sure that the casino cashier would be happy to punch a hole in this card for you so that you can keep them together as well. To program your safe, just slide your card of choice with the scan strip up to engage the lock. This will program the safe for this card and from now on you lock/unlock the safe the same way….scan strip up….slide from left to right.

 

 

Next stop….Tortola.

 

 

 

 

Edited September 22, 2011 by Let'sDoThisCruiseThing

[Let'sDoThisCruiseThing]

Great review! We board the Freedom this Saturday and we are from Olathe, KS! Our daughter and her boyfriend have your same room #8450. Your pictures are wonderful.

 

I do have one question...my husband and I are in room 8457 which is supposed to be a mirror image of 8450 on the other end of the hallway next to the Aft wrap. Are you sure that 8455 is the other large Aft balcony on this floor?

Hi there KU Cruiser!

 

Wow! I'm so glad that so many of us are getting away from land locked KS/MO! You are correct....The mirror image of 8450 is 8457. I have been doing this entire review by memory and it appears that my memory slipped on that detail. Thank you so much for pointing that out before people go to book 8455 and then come hunt me down when their balcony isn't what they thought it would be!

 

Have a wonderful trip! You guys will LOVE those extended aft balconies. That is a detail that I am 100% positive about :-)

[Let'sDoThisCruiseThing]

Love your review. We will be on the ship 12/3 and can't wait! Really enjoyed your review of Valley Church Beach. We already had planned on going there by bus and you confirmed it for us. Thanks for taking the time to write it. By chance did you do the Behind the Fun tour or the Chef's Table?

Hi Belkin,

 

No, we did not do the behind the fun tour or the chef's table, but I have read several reviews on the Freedom where people have said that they are both really good. I wish I could help you more with that.

 

Have a wonderful trip! I wish I was going again in December...the midwest is NOT my favorite place during winter.

[jetta8300]

Thank you so much for the wonderful pictures of Valley Church Beach! My husband and I are deciding between this and Dickenson Bay beach. I was wondering:

 

How long did it take you to walk from the bus drop off point to the actual beach? And how long was the ride there?

 

I guess I am just a little worried about safety since it is a more deserted beach. But it doesn't seem like you had any concerns!?!? Thanks! :p

[Kokopelli2]

Noooooooo! The pics are gone. Photobucket says you exceeded the bandwidth! :(

[Jimmanknows]

Noooooooo! The pics are gone. Photobucket says you exceeded the bandwidth! :(

 

Yeah, I'm bumming too as I cannot see your pics.

[Let'sDoThisCruiseThing]

Thank you so much for the wonderful pictures of Valley Church Beach! My husband and I are deciding between this and Dickenson Bay beach. I was wondering:

 

How long did it take you to walk from the bus drop off point to the actual beach? And how long was the ride there?

 

I guess I am just a little worried about safety since it is a more deserted beach. But it doesn't seem like you had any concerns!?!? Thanks! :p

Hi Jetta300,

 

The distance from the drop off point to the actual beach wasn't far at all. I would say a 3 minute walk total. The bus ride there was approximately 20 minutes.

 

I understand your concern about safety because that's exactly how I felt when we were walking down that road. When we got to the actual beach, all of my worries were alleviated. I felt completely comfortable and very safe for the entire day. I think that once you get there, you will feel the same way.

 

Thank you!

[navybaby1113]

Loving your review!

[Let'sDoThisCruiseThing]

Well, evidently I have grossly exceeded the bandwith allowed with the free account on Photobucket and they pulled my pictures. :rolleyes: I have given them their money for a pro account and we are back in business. I guess I AM adding a lot of pictures. I have a lot more to add and I will continue on with my review later tonight. I'm sorry, but I will now have to charge each of you 5 cents per view ;) Just kidding!

I hope that you all enjoy my review. I have read hundreds of reviews on Cruise Critic and I planned to make a wonderful review that would give readers good information and lots of pictures when I got home. Please feel free to give me your feedback or ask any questions that you are wondering about. I will try to help to the best of my ability.

Thank you!

[ibcnusoon]

Ooh Tortola! We took a land vacation there once, we'll be arriving by ship next year, can't wait to read what you did in the British Virgina Islands!!

[Let'sDoThisCruiseThing]

This is the most wonderful detailed review I have ever read!!!!!! We are sailing on the Dream in December and have an aft cabin.....although I don't think it's like the extended one you had.....I'm still looking forward to it as it's the first time I've gotten an aft. In the beginning of this thread there were pics of the inside of the Freedom that I couldn't see....could you post a few of the atrium....appreciated.

LOVE CRUISING!!!!!

 

 

 

Thank you so much Marlene! I really appreciate your kind words. You will LOVE your aft! I don't know if I can have any other balcony in the future even if it's not an extended balcony! I won't budge on the aft! Here are the pics that you requested. Enjoy your cruise in December.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 22, 2011 by Let'sDoThisCruiseThing

[antigualvr]

As you can tell by my screen name, I also LOVE Antigua! Thanks for the review. We will be heading out Dec. 3 as well and this review is getting me even more excited.:D

[LBumb]

excellent review. we stepped off the freedom as you boarded.

wish i was still sailing.

[hawkette64]

Thanks for the great review! We will be on this same itinerary in Nov. Your Antiqua review sold us, we will take the bus to Valley Church :).

[smokenmadelia]

I'd send you a nickel for each pic they are great. We have a baloney for our dec cruise on freedom but now I wish we had gotten a aft. Oh well maybe next time. Just wanted to say thanks for the great review and pictures:D

[Let'sDoThisCruiseThing]

█▓▒░★ Tortola★░▒▓█

 

Thursday, September 15, 2011

 

 

 

 

Ahhh Sunrise in Tortola....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Let'sDoThisCruiseThing]

-:¦:-•:*"'"*:•.-:¦:-•* Tortola Continued *•-:¦:-•:*"'"*:•.-:¦:-

 

 

 

 

We arrived at Tortola at 7am and had to be back on the ship at 3:00pm for 3:30pm sail away. We debarked pretty early to make sure that there were no problems with the time of our excursion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Let'sDoThisCruiseThing]

-:¦:-•:*"'"*:•.-:¦:-•* Tortola Continued *•-:¦:-•:*"'"*:•.-:¦:-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On this day we had another private excursion planned. We booked with Tortola Charters. We were to be picked up and taken on a Jost Van Dyke tour from 8am – 2:30pm. The cost of this excursion $55 per person and you pay them upon boarding the vessel. We planned on spending the day at White Bay on Jost Van Dyke, hanging out at the Soggy Dollar Bar, drinking a few painkillers, soaking up the sun and playing in the beautiful water. We were really looking forward to this excursion. Before our trip we went to soggydollar dot com and signed up for the painkiller club. They sent us a Soggy Dollar Bar wristband, a VIP card and a sticker that had their logo that said “The beatings will continue until morale improves”. Painkiller club membership includes the following:

 

· An irregularly published newsletter on all the Soggy Dollar fun

· Anything you can get away with by showing this card to any bartender in the world. Good luck with that one

· Exclusive access through the VIP Door

· Free use of any unoccupied hammock (occupied hammocks available at your own risk)

· Free use of tanning facilities and unlimited sand

 

 

White Bay looked beautiful from all of the research that we did ahead of time. We looked at the soggy dollar webcam almost every day to see what was going on there. Since it wasn’t an excursion offered by Carnival, we were sure that it wouldn’t be overcrowded. We got off the ship and walked past all of the taxis, around the corner and through the security fence. Our confirmation email said that a uniformed crew member will meet us right at the cruise ship area’s exit gate which is 300 yards from the end of the pier.

 

It said that they will have a sign that reads “Jost Van Dyke Tours – Tortola Charters”. We stood where we thought we were supposed to be and after about 10 minutes, we saw the crew member. He introduced himself as Shane. There was another couple there waiting for the same excursion. Later we found out that they were from Dallas and were also part of Cruise Critic. Shane took us to the boat that was waiting for us in the Village Cay Marina not far from where we met him.

 

 

 

One more Freedom pic right before I went down the steps to the marina.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We boarded and were waiting for a few more passengers. While we waited, we signed our waivers and paid Clive, our other guide. The boat was named “Oil and Water” out of Jersey City , NJ and was currently for sale.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The remaining passengers arrived, one of which was also from Cruise Critic. She was nice and we talked to her a lot while we were on the boat. Once we were boarded, we were told that we would in fact NOT be going to Jost Van Dyke because the seas were too choppy due to Hurriane Maria. Instead, we would be taken to Cooper Island for snorkeling and then taken to a beach on Cooper Island. They told us that we would be using Tortola as a barrier from the choppy seas and the water should be calm. None of us were happy about this change, but we couldn’t do anything about it.

 

 

 

We set sail and were off to Cooper Island for snorkeling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[australian_girl]

Loving your review. Excellent pics. Thanks for sharing! :D

[Let'sDoThisCruiseThing]

-:¦:-•:*"'"*:•.-:¦:-•* Tortola Continued *•-:¦:-•:*"'"*:•.-:¦:-

 

 

 

On our way, Clive gave us history to different sites that he pointed out to us. Dead Man’s Chest, Salt Island, a natural rock formation that looks like a lion, the burial site of the passengers that sank with the RMS Rhone and a few more things that I cannot remember.

 

 

Dead Man's Chest. This is the island that the famous pirate Blackbeard marooned 15 mutinous members of his crew and left them with only a sword and a cask of rum. This is where the song "Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum" came from.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Salt Island: The population of the island hasn't been more than three people since at least 1980. They pay an annual rent to the Queen of England, delivered to the Governor, of a one pound bag of salt.

 

 

 

 

Lion rock formation:

 

 

 

 

 

The burial site of the bodies recovered from the RMS Rhone. This ship sank in October 1867 due to a hurricane off the coast of Salt Island. This is one of the best dive & snorkeling sites in the Caribbean.

 

 

[Winterstale]

Great review.

 

My husband and I are regulars in the BVI - we charter and sail ourselves every year - you got the better end of the deal at Cooper - I'm assuming you snorkeled Cistern? Hope it was great - Cooper has been recently "re-done" in the last couple of years and the Beach Club is fabulous! I have some amazing photos of our boat on a ball there last summer. Don't get me wrong, White Bay is a must for us every year as well - the bartender, Mic, at SDB is a GREAT guy -- but going to Cooper is not something ANY cruise ship guest gets to do often so you have to understand that you REALLY lucked out! Good for you for booking something like this!

 

One correction to your guide?

 

The island is simply called "Dead Chest" :D

[Let'sDoThisCruiseThing]

-:¦:-•:*"'"*:•.-:¦:-•* Tortola Continued *•-:¦:-•:*"'"*:•.-:¦:-

 

 

 

We were told that there was free water available in a cooler at the back of the boat, but that the rum punch was for the way back. They also had a variety of beers available for $3 per beer. We arrived and pulled out our snorkel gear. They also offered snorkel gear, belts and fins.

 

 

 

 

We all jumped in and as soon as I looked under the water, I was amazed. The reef was absolutely gorgeous and full of life. I have to admit, this was waaay more beautiful than the snorkeling the previous day at Buck Island and Capella. I loved it and everyone else did as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Let'sDoThisCruiseThing]

-:¦:-•:*"'"*:•.-:¦:-•* Tortola Continued *•-:¦:-•:*"'"*:•.-:¦:-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We snorkeled for 45 min – 1 hr and then jumped back on the boat to head to a beach.