MdSue's: Live from CARNIVAL FREEDOM, March 23-31, 2013, Review, Pictures, and more!!!

[MDSue]

Nice review. Enjoying it a lot.

I have 9 uncles and aunts living in Curacao. With their children and grandchildren....oh my!

And can you imagine that I haven't seen Curacao yet!:o hahahaaa

 

I'll be posting pictures of Curacao soon (after Dominican Republic). Once you see what you're missing, you may have to make a special trip there!

We loved the city and port area- so scenic, vibrant, and lively!

[MDSue]

More toward midsip should help even out the ride. However the higher up you go the more you will feel any side to side movment. The higher up ypu are the more of a mvement there will be. Grat way to see how this hapens hold a pen tip down on a desk. Now tip the pen one way or the other. the tip of the would be the ceneter line of the ship at the waterline. the rest of the pen the ship going up.

 

I think we must have experienced some really strong winds and currents because I've stayed in many different ship locations over the years and never experienced so much banging and movement. We had strong winds on many of our days, that closed or limitied the upper deck usage.

 

I do think i may stay more mid-ship on our next cruise. I actually like the movement- it doesn't normally bother me at all; but the constant banging started to get to me after a while. I never did know what caused the banging noises but it was only there when the weather was rough.

[MDSue]

Double post

[Marketa24]

Wow, thanks for the great pictures. We'll be on this ship on 4/20. So it is great to see what the ship looks like from your perspective.

[MDSue]

Day 4 Dominican Republic

 

We were delayed by an hour getting into Dominican Republic due to the changes ports since Grand Turk was closed. About 85 of us from the Cruise Critic roll call signed up for a all day tour with Seavis Tours- the

"Isla Saona - Eco-Adventure".

 

My first worry was whether the tour company could handle such a large group, and whether our tour would be affected by the shortened time in port.

 

Luckily, neither of my fears were realized and we had a fabulous day.

 

As soon as we got off the ship, we were directed to go to the taxi stand where we would be driven to Bayahibe- a small fishing village about 15 minutes from port. We were quickly loded into multiple cabs and arrived at our destination:

 

 

 

 

 

From here, we were met by Seavis officials and introduced to our phenomenal guide- Cisco

 

Lucky for me, I was put in the boat 1 out of 7 (or more boats). There were over 100 of us altogether. I suspect we all had an equally good time, but our boat was the first to leave and the last to return. And like I said, our guide was the best!

 

This is Cisco telling us to hold on for dear lives! (Not really, but he did make sure we knew we were going on a speedboat).

 

 

 

The ride was not for sissies!

[MDSue]

I don't have pictures that can show just how fast we went, but it was pretty exhilarating!

 

We drove along the coastline to see where the Taino Indians lived in caves along the coast. We got a nice history lesson as we drove past:

 

 

 

 

Next we proceeded for a ride through the mangroves:

 

 

 

 

We didn't get to spend a lot of time searching for wildlife here because of our shortened tour.

[MDSue]

From the mangroves, we resumed our speedy ride through the open waters over to Saona Island for a few hours of beach time, snorkelling, and a delicious lunch- Dominican style

 

 

 

 

[phatsneaks]

I don't have pictures that can show just how fast we went, but it was pretty exhilarating!

 

We drove along the coastline to see where the Taino Indians lived in caves along the coast. We got a nice history lesson as we drove past:

 

 

 

 

Next we proceeded for a ride through the mangroves:

 

 

 

 

We didn't get to spend a lot of time searching for wildlife here because of our shortened tour.

Taking the same tour in may cant wait

thanks, more pictures!

[MDSue]

Taking the same tour in may cant wait

thanks, more pictures!

 

You will love it- and if you get Cisco for a guide, you'll be really lucky. I have more pics to come shortly.

 

Wish I didn't have work and school to interfere with my picture uploading!

[Jeafl]

I'm loving your review! We were on the Freedom the same week last year, so it is fun to see your pictures of the ship. We had a slightly different itinerary though. We also have to travel during spring break because I teach. I didn't find it overly crowded with kids though.

 

Can't wait to read the rest! Did you get any pictures of the crazy Statue-of-Liberty-head lights and sconces?

[Island Crazed]

Thanks for sharing - We sailed on the Freedom and we really liked that ship. I plan to try all her itineraries!!!:)

[MDSue]

I'm loving your review! We were on the Freedom the same week last year, so it is fun to see your pictures of the ship. We had a slightly different itinerary though. We also have to travel during spring break because I teach. I didn't find it overly crowded with kids though.

 

Can't wait to read the rest! Did you get any pictures of the crazy Statue-of-Liberty-head lights and sconces?

 

Glad you like it! I rememeber the crazy sconces you were talking about and will go back through my pics to look for any. If I find any, I'll post them soon. The decor was definitely over-the-top wild (but I'm beginning to think that's the norm for Carnival)!

[MDSue]

We were advised to head out snorkelling as soon as possible to avoid the crowds (since we were the first boat to arrive), so we headed to an old pier to snorkel.

 

We were told to stay near the posts and not venture to far from the posts because fast moving speedboats tend to pull in very close. I did notice they kept one boat ilding at the end of the pier to protect the area and maybe watch for any snorkellers in trouble or drifting too far from shore.

 

They said the best snorkelling was at the furthest posts. This wasn't the best snorkelling spot I've been too, but we saw plenty of fish. I was really bummed to realize that my camera had turned off shortly after I started snorkelling and I missed quite a few good shots, including a large school of needle fish near the end of the pier.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After about 45 minutes of snorkelling, we heard the call for lunch and headed back to the beach to eat:

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was also soft drinks, and plenty of rum mixers too- an unlimited supply

 

 

The lunch was a typical Caribbean grilled chicken, pork, and beans. The fresh fruitl especially the pineapple was delicious. I went back for three helping of pineapple because you can't get fruit this good in the states

 

[MDSue]

We returned to our seats on the beach to eat:

 

 

-and bought a few souveniers from a trio of ladies selling handmade jewelry. What I really liked was they were not at all pushy or annoying and these were the only three we saw. There was a small booth of handicrafts further back off the beach, but I didn't see anyone at it when I went to look.

 

 

Then I walked around and took a few more pictures and took a short dip in the water

 

 

 

[MDSue]

a few more from Saona Island from the water:

 

 

 

 

This cute little kitten showed up at lunch time hoping for a few handouts

 

 

A pirate ship tour sailed by:

 

[MDSue]

 

 

 

[MDSue]

After a few hours on the beach, we headed off to a sandbar to find some starfish

 

 

 

Notice the three motors each- did I mention thee boats go fast?!!!

 

 

 

One thing that came in really handy on this tour was water shoes. They asked that we take our shoes off when we were on the boats to avoid sand damage, but when we had to clinb back on the boats from the shore, we had to walk over shells that were hard on the feet. I decided to opt for water shoes to get on- the people who didn't have them wished they did!

[MDSue]

The starfish bar:

 

After a short ride, we stopped at this shallow sandbar a few hundred yards from shore. They water was only a few feet deep and easy to navigate. Our guide led us through a path of sea grass and sand to search for the starfish. (I'm glad I had my water shoes here also, some of the kids were sqeamish about walking through the grass, and I prefer to see where I'm stepping). It was sandy for the most part and they actaully asked that you avoid the grass to avoid stepping starfish or damaging the grasses, but you couldn't avoid it in some spots.

 

Within seconds, we found starfish- lots and lots of starfish:

 

 

 

 

Our guide had us carefully carry our finds back to the boat (holding them underwater so as not to harm them) and then gave us a lesson on how to tell males from females and other interesting facts:

 

 

[MDSue]

While we played in the water with the starfish, this nice young man came around and made sure anyone who wanted had some refreshing rum punch (or Dominican juice, as he called it).

 

 

 

Someone else carried a plate of fresh pineapple around to hand out

 

Didn't want to get dehydrated out in the water!

[MDSue]

After our time was over in the water, we had to high-tail it back to Bayahibe to meet the rest of the group

 

 

 

 

At one time, our driver did donuts on the water with the boat just to add some excitement to the ride. Believe me, it was pretty exciting without the donuts; especially on the ride back. The water was especially rough and there were times I wasn't sure if we were going to topple over into the water.

 

Luckily, we arrived safely back to shore in a short time

 

 

When we got off the boats to end the tour, there was plenty of boys with jugs of water to pour over your wet sandy feet. We paid the first boy a dollar each to rinse our feet, but declined future attempts.

 

There was another man determined to sell us some cigars, but a firm "no" convinced him to leave us alone. This guy was less demanding.

 

 

There were a few stray dogs and cats wandering around Bayahibe. This cute doggy came by for a little attention, but none were at all threatening. I'm always careful not to get scratched or bitten by the animals- I doubt they have any vaccinations

 

 

However, I did get bit by some kind of bug while on Saona Island and ended up with a very itchy and swollen neck for the next few days. I think the only bug on the island found me, cause otherwise, they really weren't a problem

[MDSue]

When we got back to Bayahibe, we all had a few minutes to relax while the taxis returned to picj us up. We were all told our taxi numbers and told to use the same taxi for the return ride.

 

When our taxi showed up, there were twice as many people than we originally had. Evidentally there was a mix-up, and two groups were told the same number. Luckily, our driver recognized my sister and I a put us back in the front seat with him for the ride back. We sat in the front for the first trip and had a great conversation with him, He told us about his family and the costs of living on Dominican Republic. He says lots of people from all over the world come there to retire because they can buy a nice home for very little. He seemed to make a decent living driving cabs, and said he owned a 4 bedroom, 3 bath home that was worth about $120,000.

 

There were too many people to load in our cab, but the ones from the cab that were given the worng nmber weren't going to budge. They dodn't want to get left behind or wait for another cab. The people from seavis were very good about resolving the problem and getting replacement cab.

 

We were soon headed back to port where I bought a cold drink and a few souveniers before heading back to the ship.

 

 

 

This is really the only shopping area in the port- make sure you have a plan for this port, as there is little to do where the ship docks.

 

 

 

Our tablemates took a cab to downtown La Romana and quickly headed back to the ship- they didn't feel real safe there.

 

 

 

However, they also took a ship-sponsored horseback ride tour which they loved. Our other table mates took a zip-line tour and also gave rave reviews.

 

Overall, I loved DR!

 

Tomorrow- Curacao- my best pics yet! I can't wait to share, but have to get some homework done before I head to bed!

[Momma Mojito]

Your Pics and reviews are fantastic, I can't wait to see more.I'm enjoying all you have posted Thanks

[MDSue]

Your Pics and reviews are fantastic, I can't wait to see more.I'm enjoying all you have posted Thanks

 

Thanks, I've been really eager to post all of my pics, but sadly, I've had to return to work:( and school (I'm ten weeks away from completing my Bachelor's degree I should have gotten many decades ago and have homework due tonight).

 

 

Curacao

 

The whole reason we chose this particular cruise is because I've really wanted to go to Curacao- my next stop. We didn't book a tour this day because I just wanted to make this a photo-op day and most of what I wanted to see was right where the ship docks.

 

The downstown area of Willemstad is called the Handelskade and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As much as I would have loved to see other parts of the island, we spent the entire day enjoying this area and taking hundreds of both day and evening shots.

 

Even better for us, the night we visited was a full moon night, so we had the added pleasure of getting shots of the moon rising over the city. For the past few hours, I've been trying to weed through pics and post the best.

 

As we were apporaching the city, I wanted to head to the highest part of the front of the ship to take advantage of picture taking ops of our arrival. Unfortunately, the top part of the ship was roped off because of high winds.

 

A few scofflaws couldn't stand the temptation, especially since the winds were much tamer near the shore, and went under the ropes. I won't say if we were part of that group, but instead will post a few pics of our arrival

 

Approaching the dock:

 

 

Beginning to see the Handelskade area in the distance:

 

 

looking good in the distance:

 

 

A nice resort with an infinity pool with city in the background:

 

 

a close up of the pool= wouldn't mind staying here!

 

[MDSue]

This is what I've been waiting to see for years (framed with a little help from Photoshop):

 

[MDSue]

We walked off the ship and through a small shopping area and then followed a walkway that took us to town. Along the walkway, there were numerous taxi/tour companies offering tours of the island.

 

We then passed through a mall area:

 

 

There was plenty of shops and restaurants to browse or grab a bite- got very busy in the evening

 

 

You had to walk through this tunnel area to get to the Handelskade area:

 

 

This woman was enjoying the fountain along the way:

 

 

entry to the tunnel: