The “better late than never, here it is for what it’s worth” Carnival Freedom review

[UPGrandma]

Thanks for the post. Our first cruise was on the Freedom in 2010 (not same ports tho) - Hotel sounds little like the one we were at pre cruise and had the same transportation issues to the ship. Group we were with had 40 if I recall correctly. Haven't read to the end, but disembarking & transportation to airport was horrible also. Supposed to be "ready & waiting" with one bus big enough for all ..... but.... everyone made it to airport in plenty of time, specially when some of our flights were delayed. Gave us time to catch up with those we didn't see much of during the cruise. Bummer about the cc issue. It's happening more frequently that's for sure. Passwords are a must.

[jhnsnfamily]

Coffee/Iced Tea/Bottomless Bubbles (Coke sticker)/Ship Water: Yes, this warrants a separate post. Coffee / iced tea / pop lovers will understand. Okay … I gotta say it … their iced tea suuuuuuuuuuuucks! A few people at our table liked it, but it’s made from a premix of syrup (gallon jugs poured into a machine—I witnessed a few refills in the Freedom restaurant). I drank it, but towards the end of the week I switched over to plain old water.

 

Now on to coffee … I LOVE coffee (I should have made that one of my confessions … lol). For you coffee lovers, pay attention. The coffee is better than the iced tea, hands down. It’s not comparable to my beloved Keurig/Donut Shop Extra Bold at home, but it’s drinkable (3.5 out of 5 stars) and it’s available 24/7 in the Freedom restaurant (back of the ship). We ladies found ourselves getting regular and decaf coffee and hot tea a few times late in the evening. One night my sister and I *tried* the coffee at the bar along the Promenade by the Casino … OMG … hands down the nastiest coffee I have ever had. I don’t know what “process” they use for this coffee, but it was gross. It looked like foamy oil. Black, foamy oil. We both took one sip and looked at each other in disgust. We asked the bartender for her sail-n-sign card back (she was buying … :)) and told him we couldn’t drink it. He was P.O.’d … he kinda threw my sister’s card back at her. He was the only employee that we encountered during the entire cruise that wasn’t polite, friendly, cheerful, and helpful. We left our untouched coffees and beat it. I will mention here that on the last day of the cruise, I wanted to try the coffee at the Viennese Café so I could report back to all of you … but I noticed the same type of machine and coffee cups, so I asked the gal working if it was the same coffee as at the bar … she said it was. So, I skipped it. I will say that I saw *some* people with the coffee cups, so they must have liked it, or they may have ordered cappuccinos or lattes (maybe with enough crap in it, I could have choked it down …). I will also say that I never saw a line of people there, and most of the time the gal working there looked bored to tears. That might be an indicator of some sort … Definitely wasn’t Starbucks, Tim Horton’s, McDonald’s or even Speedway coffee!

 

I also went to the Freedom restaurant for cups of ice water for our cabins each night. I just put a few of the plastic cups on a plate and carried them up to our cabins. I put one or two in the boys’ cabin and I also kept one beside my bed. We also drank the large bottle of water in the cabin. I was too lazy one night to go to the restaurant and get the water. Oh well … it was only $3.95 … and it’s a big bottle. Eh.

 

Regarding the Bottomless Bubbles, it took four trips to four different locations on the ship to actually find someone who had the stickers where we could purchase them. We ended up purchasing them at the Casino bar while we were docked at Key West. They charge differently for adults ($6/day) and kids ($4.50/day) = $64.32 (includes 15% gratuity and tax – however, I noticed in the daily FunTimes that gratuity was to be excluded!). The good news is, she only charged us for five days’ worth, because we were already on Day 2 of the cruise. DH doesn’t think it was worth it … at least, he doesn’t think he drank his money’s worth.

[jhnsnfamily]

In case you are curious, here's a link to a picture of our beloved Izzy ... of course, the boys dressed her up for a Buckeye game!

 

As you can see from my signature below, we just booked the Allure of the Seas for June 2014! Same group as before! We can't wait!!! I've already started planning and have started my "cruise binder." :D Should I write another review???

 

I hope you all enjoyed this review of the Carnival Freedom ... I'm just so glad I finally got it posted. Sooooooooo ... if you have any questions, fire away!

[sjn911]

The review is just wonderful Michelle...so want this itinerary...and to try Freedom sometime...lots of great reviews lately and yours is extra special...Godspeed to your step dad and your family is beautiful...and your mom...wow...Sarah

[jessiesgirl2013]

Thank you so much for writing this awesome review. It makes me even more excited for my upcoming cruise!!:D:D:D

[uprivermama]

Thanks for the time you took to write this review! You provided some great info and insight on the Freedom that I haven't seen anywhere else. I've absorbed it all like a sponge, and feel so much more prepared for our June sailing! Definitely write a review after your January cruise--you've got knack for it my dear!

[rlyans]

Thank you so much for posting your review. We are going on the Freedom 7/7 with our family of 6. We love to cruise and do most of our own shore excursions. Loved you pic's of rum point. We are renting a car and heading to that side of the island. (been there 2 times before) also been to Jamaica but not to Ocho Rios. Your pictures of Dunn Falls look fun ..but looks like lots of people. We'll see. A Question if you don't mind..at the fish and chips station upstairs do they only have fish and chips or are there other options? Again thank you so much for taking the time to post a such in depth review. It is getting is excited for July ... Rlyans

[Cruise Today_Work Never]

Great Review!

I was wondering when is the chocolate buffet? Sea day 1 or 2? Mid-afternoon?

I'm going on the same cruise in a month. I'm super excited :D

[deedle7544]

Awesome review, can you tell me what the elegant nights were?

[Ksea1961]

Great review, thank you for posting it and all the pictures. Your boys are so adorable. Im off to look for that special case for the iphone!!:)

[jhnsnfamily]

Awesome review, can you tell me what the elegant nights were?

 

Thanks deedle7544! Elegant nights were the first Sea Day (Tuesday) and Jamaica (Thursday)

 

Great review! And a great reminder of our Freedom cruise last summer. Thanks for sharing!

 

Thanks for reading rubberband1293! I hope you had as much fun as we did!

[jhnsnfamily]

Great review, thank you for posting it and all the pictures. Your boys are so adorable. Im off to look for that special case for the iphone!!:)

 

Thanks Ksea1961! And thanks for the comments on my boys ... as you can see, they take after their Dad ... blue eyes, blond hair (well, DS1's hair is getting darker) ... they clean up well! I think I'll keep 'em! :D

 

I got my Lifeproof case on Ebay for $50 ... keep that in mind before you pay full price! I'm so glad I got it! Since the cruise, DS1 joined the ski club and has used this case for his iPhone and has videotaped himself and his friends skiing and snowboarding down the mountain. There's no way I'd be comfortable with him taking his iPhone unless it was in this case! :eek:

[jhnsnfamily]

Thank you so much for posting your review. We are going on the Freedom 7/7 with our family of 6. We love to cruise and do most of our own shore excursions. Loved you pic's of rum point. We are renting a car and heading to that side of the island. (been there 2 times before) also been to Jamaica but not to Ocho Rios. Your pictures of Dunn Falls look fun ..but looks like lots of people. We'll see. A Question if you don't mind..at the fish and chips station upstairs do they only have fish and chips or are there other options? Again thank you so much for taking the time to post a such in depth review. It is getting is excited for July ... Rlyans

 

Hey rlyans! You will love Rum Point ... I just hope it's sunny while you are there! It's a beautiful place regardless, but the water just looks so different with the sun shining on it! Yes, DRF in Jamaica was very crowded. We had to stop and wait several times, because there was just nowhere to go ... people and lines were everywhere! That's okay though ... it gave me plenty of photo/video opportunities to annoy my kids! LOL :rolleyes: Regarding the Fish n Chips, I still have a copy of the menu and this is what is says: Cold seafood appetizers and salads are as follows: Cured tenderloin of Ahi Tuna served with watermelon, Cajun Barbequed Octopus Salad, and Ceviche (marinated tiger shrimp and red snapper with peppers, lime, and coconut). Hot main dishes with seafood are as follows: crisp fried oysters, cider batter fried fish fillets (MMMMM), calamari zucchini maui onion fritters, bouillabaisse a la carnival (steamed muscles, gulf shrimp, clams, fillet of red snapper served in tomato and pesto broth with garlic bread. All dishes are served with french fried potatoes and marinated vegetables. I have to be honest ... I didn't try anything other than the fried fish. I don't care for seafood, unless it's breaded and deep fried! Have a wonderful time on your cruise!

 

Great Review!

I was wondering when is the chocolate buffet? Sea day 1 or 2? Mid-afternoon?

I'm going on the same cruise in a month. I'm super excited :D

 

The chocolate buffet is the last sea day/Friday ... according to the FunTimes, it shows that it's available from 12 noon to 2:30 p.m. Enjoy!

[jhnsnfamily]

The review is just wonderful Michelle...so want this itinerary...and to try Freedom sometime...lots of great reviews lately and yours is extra special...Godspeed to your step dad and your family is beautiful...and your mom...wow...Sarah

 

Thank you Sarah! This itinerary was great overall ... now that my kids have climbed DRF, I'd be okay with just skipping Jamaica in the future though! Thanks for your comments about my stepdad, my family, and mom. She certainly is a special lady. :)

 

Thank you so much for writing this awesome review. It makes me even more excited for my upcoming cruise!!:D:D:D

 

You are very welcome jessiesgirl2013! I hope you have a fantastic cruise! P.S. Here's something special for you ... here's a link to my husband's band's website ... the songs at the bottom of the page will play for you. One of them (I think the third song ... you can fast forward to that one) is Jessie's Girl! LOL ... (playback doesn't work on Mozilla Firefox browser though ... not sure why!)

[jhnsnfamily]

Thanks for the time you took to write this review! You provided some great info and insight on the Freedom that I haven't seen anywhere else. I've absorbed it all like a sponge, and feel so much more prepared for our June sailing! Definitely write a review after your January cruise--you've got knack for it my dear!

 

You are very welcome uprivermama! Thank you for reading! I was nervous to post the review ... I've read some really great ones on here and wasn't sure mine was up to par! Thanks for your kind words ... I'll consider doing another one after our Allure of the Seas cruise! (not in January though ... I wish! It's not until June 2014! Too long! :mad:

[jhnsnfamily]

I just realized that some of the first pictures I posted in my 2nd post of this review on Page 1 aren't showing up. Dang it Photobucket! Here's our group shot ...

 

And here's a picture of the extra room key we got ... and the cool little gadget we use for our keys ... it clips on your wasteband, swimsuit, whatever, and has a retractable "string" so you don't even need to take it off to get into your cabin. :D

 

.... last minute advice ... READ AND STUDY YOUR FUNTIMES! So you don't miss any of your "just gotta do's!" ... like the martini tasting I missed! :mad:

[jhnsnfamily]

Grab a Deck Plan and keep it handy! It folds up (tri-fold) and is small enough (about 4" x 3" folded up) to slide into a small purse, camera case, or even a back pocket.

 

THIS!

 

 

Just going back thru the review and realizing some of my pics aren't showing up! Photobucket is making me :mad:!

[SMSACE6]

Excellent review, I enjoyed it very much, also the photos.

 

I agree about the coffee 100pc.

 

Thanks for posting your review.:)

[portlandpete]

Once we got off the catamaran, we were immediately put into small groups of about 20-25 people. Just a few minutes later, Archer introduced himself to us as our guide. Meet Archer: (the picture is incredibly dark ... sorry!)

 

I ended up being right behind him, which was fun! I had my iPhone in hand in its Lifeproof case and I was ready! I used my left hand to hold the guide’s hand and my right hand held my iPhone, so my hubby held onto my wrist. There are parts of the falls that you really don’t “need” to hold hands, but there are certainly parts where it’s helpful. Archer was an older gentleman who was very good. He immediately told us *NOT* to purchase the DVD at the end of the tour that the crazy guys in the yellow shirts were jumping all around and shouting about. Archer said they were crap. So, we tried to ignore them the rest of the climb, but it was difficult because they’d continue to heckle you and splash you (the water was VERY cold, but refreshing).

 

Here's some pics ... Archer was great and took pictures and video of us along the way:

 

So pretty!

 

The bridge you have to go under ... some people are claustrophobic, so I wanted to forewarn you!

 

Anywho … about two-thirds of the way up, a lady from my group must have been having some difficulty, so our guide went back and got her and put her right behind him and in front of me. No biggie … She seemed to do fine the rest of the way up.

 

This picture without people in it would be a perfect photo!

 

 

There was a pretty long line at the end for a photo opportunity beneath a sign that said something about climbing DRF ... we skipped it.

 

Love this photo of you and your family!! You are adorable! Everyone looks so happy! Great review.

[BoardwalkBabe]

Great review! Our first Carnival cruise was on the Freedom and I am hoping to do the same itinerary soon.

[Frank12]

Thank you so much for this review! DW and I are doing this same cruise in less than 2 months. Love all the pics.

We did this exact itinerary in 2008 on the Liberty and loved it!

Edited March 25, 2013 by Frank12

[Momma Mojito]

Such a good looking family!!

 

Your review is FANTASTIC!!!! One of the best ones I have read. Our family of 12 are going on the Freedom August 10 witch is DS, DDIL, DGC, DD. her guy, DGD. It was our Christmas gift to all of them,started out with inside cabins but with the great sale last week we were able to get balconies on the Panorama deck.

Glad to see I'm not the only one who took pics of everything we ate, in fact on our cruises my DH usually will tell everyone at our table to be prepared for my picture taking!!

Although we aren't doing the same itinerary Your description of all you saw and did was very informative. The ship photos are wonderful!!!

Thanks again.

[Momma Mojito]

Anyone who is going on the Freedom should read your review!!! It is so thorough

[Houst]

Thanks for your report! Grand Cayman here we come.

[BEACHPAD04]

WONDERFUL REVIEW and love your pictures, My sons are volunteer firefighters and EMT so lots of prayers for those Guys that go out everyday.