Freedom Review - GT, La Romana, Aruba & Curacao

[momof4boys]

I think my little guy is more excited than DF & I. He sleeps every night with his Freddy Funship stuffed animal from our last cruise & asks us every day when we are leaving for the "big boat". I know he is a little one but I would love to bring him to the roll call Meet & Greet on board! :)

 

 

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Well of course he should come!!!!! He will be the life of the party. Seriously I would be disappointed if you didn't bring him and I think everyone feels the same way!!!

[mara93]

Can't wait to hear more!

 

Aruba is up next!

 

Magda, great photos!!

 

Hope you guys are doing well. :D

 

Hi, Lori! I have the cutest pictures of you & Gabe w/the starfish & on the beach! Thanks for playing with him.

 

Loving your review!! We are doing this cruise in Oct.2013. :)

 

You will have a great time!

[mara93]

We board the Freedom for this same cruise in about 11 hours. We booked the Seavis Saona Special with a group of fellow CruiseCritics.

 

Hope you're having a great time on board! You will not regret booking with Seavis, awesome excursion.

 

so jealous ,we want to try this itinerary soon .Going to jacks shack in GT ? great place

 

It was great!

 

Wonderful review!

 

Thanks!

[mara93]

Great review and nice pics. We will be on the Freedom in 6 weeks with the same route. We are also doing the Seavis tour.

 

Have a great cruise. I just asked my hubby what his favorite day was & he said without a doubt - La Romana. You will have a great time.

 

Same Roll call as HMC RET too and can't wait!! I am so excited now about Seavis tour!

 

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your cruise memories!

 

You will not regret it!

 

Loving this review & the pictures! Like the other two posters above me, I will be sailing this cruise in just six weeks. And I will also be cruising with my son who will be nearly three years old. I was wondering if you still had the Camp Carnival itineraries or could tell me more about the program like times they open & close? This will be his third cruise but first time being able to participate in the program. How did your son like the Camp? I look forward to the rest of this review & your response! :)

 

 

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I do have the CC itinerary. I will try to remember & take it to work on Monday so I can scan it.

CC hours vary throughout the week. Some days they open at 8am, some at 10am. They do recommend the child not be in camp longer than 6 hours (unless you're off on an excursion) and ask that they take breaks from camp if they do exceed that amount of time.

You will have to pick the little guy up for lunch on Sea Days.

Everyday you can leave him in CC for a fee after 10pm. They have Owl Jams twice on this itinerary where they give them a plushy & some extra souvenirs. It's 13.95 (I think)- comes out to $15 including gratuity.

My son did enjoy it but would prefer to spend time with us. We mostly used CC at night so we could see the comedians.

The counselors were great & this CC was the biggest I've seen. Lots of stuff for them to do.

BTW, my son is 3 & he calls the ships Funship Freddy. I kept telling him we were going to see FF & he kept telling everyone about it. It's priceless watching their first glance of the ship. You'll have a blast.

Oh, and the first night, CC held a sale on the Bear Cuddly items. Gabe stuffed his own FF for $5. Great deal! (He has a Freddy for every ship he's been on. So cute!)

[mara93]

Loving your review so far. You are making me so excited for our trip in April. We're doing this itinerary on the Breeze. Looking forward to more!

 

Have a great time! Write a review when you come back, would love to see the Breeze.

[LPLRN]

Magda,

 

Great job with the review, keep wishing that we were all still on the ship!

 

Lise

[gail811]

Another July 14 roll call member appreciative of your review! Do you recall which night the second elegant night fell on?

[angel54321]

Thank you for your wonderful review.

I'm curious how your son liked camp carnival.... I'm hesitant about using it with my 7 year old but it will be our honeymoon so we for sure will need some mommy and daddy time........

 

What's the process for dropping him off there?

 

We will be on the freedom in August.

 

 

 

Soon to be Mrs. Taddeo. 8-10-12

 

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[mara93]

Magda,

 

Great job with the review, keep wishing that we were all still on the ship!

 

Lise

 

Hi, Lise! No kidding, wish I were sipping a Miami Vice right now.

 

Another July 14 roll call member appreciative of your review! Do you recall which night the second elegant night fell on?

 

Yeap, 2nd Elegant Night was on the 2nd Sea Day.

 

Thank you for your wonderful review.

I'm curious how your son liked camp carnival.... I'm hesitant about using it with my 7 year old but it will be our honeymoon so we for sure will need some mommy and daddy time........

 

What's the process for dropping him off there?

 

We will be on the freedom in August.

 

Soon to be Mrs. Taddeo. 8-10-12

 

Congrats!

Seriously, don't be worried about CC. The counselors are great & extremely helpful & friendly.

You will be given paperwork on how to sign up your kiddo once you complete your pre-boarding at the port.

Make sure to fill out your CC paperwork beforehand, you can find it in your account on Carnival.com. This way, you don't have to fill out any paperwork once onboard, just turn it in.

That's all there is to it.

Have a great cruise & congrats on becoming a Mrs!

[mara93]

Day 6 - ARUBA!

 

We are slated to arrive in Aruba at 2pm & leave at 11:30pm. Original plans were to hop on the public bus & head to a beach but we're a bit sunburned so we decide to skip the beach today & purchase a tour through Carnival.

 

We purchase the Best of Aruba excursion the night before & have a late morning & lazy lunch. We hop off as soon as we can & our tour leaves right from the pier.

 

Ready to roll!

 

Downtown Oranjestad

 

 

First stop is the Natural Bridge.

The Natural Bridge did collapse a couple of years ago but you can still see the Baby Bridge. The views are great. There's a small store here in case you want to purchase souvenirs or drinks/food called Thirst Aid Station.

 

Salt residue from the splashing waves

 

The collapsed bridge.

[Eeyore_Lover]

Thanks so much for the firsthand review of the Seavis excursion. We had thought about doing that, but decided not to in the end. I will definitely try to convince my mom and sister to do it in November on the Breeze! I especially appreciate you mentioning what was served for lunch. Mom is not an adventurous eater at all, so I was a little worried about that.

 

And I think I may have been on the same bus as you for the best of Aruba island tour!

[mara93]

Baby Bridge

 

Be nice to the stray doggies, please.

 

This stop was alright. Lots of people since this is the first stop for several of the buses.

Next top, Casibari Rock Formation.

 

Aruba is very arid = lots of cacti everywhere.

 

Consequently, most of the plants have some sort of thorn so please be careful. As we arrived at the Rock Formation, a small child walked underneath this tree & scratched his head/face.

 

There is a small climb to get to the top of the Rock. There is a small passage/tunnel that you will have to go through. Lots of people climbing down when we arrived so it was a bit of a wait. There are stairs on the left hand side if you don't wish to wait but they don't have any railings.

 

[mara93]

Thanks so much for the firsthand review of the Seavis excursion. We had thought about doing that, but decided not to in the end. I will definitely try to convince my mom and sister to do it in November on the Breeze! I especially appreciate you mentioning what was served for lunch. Mom is not an adventurous eater at all, so I was a little worried about that.

 

And I think I may have been on the same bus as you for the best of Aruba island tour!

 

You should've joined us! Seavis had a total of 70 people sign up but only 50 showed so there was plenty of room. We had a great, great day there. Hope you get to do it in Nov.

Hey, maybe you'll show up in one of my pictures! :)

[mara93]

Once on top of the Rock there is a SMALL wood railing but please make sure to keep your children secured. :)

 

Great views of the island from up here.

 

Here's a view of the stairs with no railing. Proceed at your own risk.

 

There's a small botanic garden next to the Rocks, great photo op here!

 

There's a couple of small stores across the street where you can pick up refreshments, mostly drinks & chips,etc.

 

Next stop, Alto Vista Chapel, the first Catholic church built in Aruba.

[mara93]

View from the bus

 

It's tiny.

 

 

This is a very short stop, not everyone opts to get off. Next, we're off to the California Lighthouse. There are a couple of vendors in small shacks here. Most small drinks & ice cream/popsicles.

 

 

That's it for this tour, we're back at the pier & we're headed up for dinner. We made it back just in time to head over to the MDR.

 

Aruba pier

[mara93]

Dinner tonight is:

 

Langostino & Crab Cake

 

Edgar tries the Beef Carpaccio

 

Thai Chicken in BLT Salad

 

Blackened Fish

 

I can't remember what this is called but it was very good.

 

After dinner, we clean up a bit, drop Gabe off at CC & head out to explore Oranjestad.

[mara93]

Right on the Aruba pier, you hardly see these anymore.

 

Across the street from the pier

 

Our first stop, the street vendors across from the pier. We buy a couple of souvenirs & then head over to Iguana Joe's for a drink. This place is PACKED with lots of our fellow cruisers. After a 20 minute wait with no luck, we decide to head over to Mojito's next door.

 

Success!

 

Service isn't the greatest here & the music is SO LOUD we can't talk amongst ourselves. After waiting 30+ minutes for a drink order, we head out looking for another place.

 

If you do try Mojito's, try their Green Iguana - it was delicious!

[mara93]

We cross the street & head over to 7 West. Place is EMPTY. My guess is because it's not on the main street but hidden in a side road.

 

See, very nice!

 

The owner/bartender greets us & we order drinks. We're feeling adventurous so we ask him to surprise us. He heads off to create a masterpiece of comes back with this!

 

Orgy. Delicious!

 

Edgar with our Orgy bottle & the bartender.

 

You can get an idea of where 7West is from this picture. Located on the street directly across from Iguana Joe's. You can also watch the buildings change colors from their balcony.

 

Also, here's the ship from 7West. Very close, don't be afraid of missing the ship.

[mara93]

After a couple of drinks we head back to the ship & just in time since it starts to POUR.

After visiting the three locations, our favorite was definitely 7West. If you're looking for a place for reasonably priced drinks, great views, close to port, great service, yummy drinks & no congestion - head here!

 

Port of Oranjestad

 

Ship lit up

 

We pick up Gabe from camp & decide to go to the deli for some sandwiches to soak up the liquor.

 

Make sure to use the hand sanitizer throughout your cruise!

It's blurry but you get the point.

 

Everyone gets a sandwich!

 

Off to bed since tomorrow we're at out last stop, Curacao.

[chill6x6]

I really enjoyed your review! You did a great job and I really enjoyed the pictures!

 

I'm gonna save a link to your review. I have the same itinerary planned aboard the Breeze for November 2013!

[smurfm69]

Enjoying your review and pictures. We have never been to these ports and would like to try this cruise in the future.

[phabric]

We are doing this iternary on the Breeze at Christmas.

 

Would you recommend the Carnival tour for Aruba?

[JennLuvs2Cruise]

Thanks for answering my questions! I am glad to hear that your son enjoyed Camp Carnival. I am only interested in using it a few hours, mostly at night to watch comedy shows & play in the casino.

 

But if you could get a chance to upload the Camp Carnival itineraries, that would be wonderful. You could email them to me at jennifer.cherubino@yahoo.com

 

 

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[mara93]

I really enjoyed your review! You did a great job and I really enjoyed the pictures!

 

I'm gonna save a link to your review. I have the same itinerary planned aboard the Breeze for November 2013!

 

Have a great cruise!

 

Enjoying your review and pictures. We have never been to these ports and would like to try this cruise in the future.

 

Give them a shot, we had a really great time.

 

We are doing this iternary on the Breeze at Christmas.

 

Would you recommend the Carnival tour for Aruba?

 

The tour was just okay for us. The driver was good, lots of commentary but it seems that all the tour buses follow the same route so wherever you stop, there is bound to be lots of people.

There is another tour that includes a beach break after sight seeing, I would've preferred that. Don't know how much beach time one would have though since it was 6pm by the time we got back to the ship.

Have a great cruise.

[mara93]

Thanks for answering my questions! I am glad to hear that your son enjoyed Camp Carnival. I am only interested in using it a few hours, mostly at night to watch comedy shows & play in the casino.

 

But if you could get a chance to upload the Camp Carnival itineraries, that would be wonderful. You could email them to me at jennifer.cherubino@yahoo.com

 

No problem. I'm going to add them here, hopefully they're not tiny & you can read them. If not, let me know & I'll email them to you.

 

Camp Carnival Schedule 2-5 yrs