PHOTO REVIEW of my maiden voyage on the FREEDOM! Food porn, people!

[MistyRo76]

H was supposed to post a photo of his "special bed" so other parents could see how this was set up. He says he "accidentally" left it out. Anyway, here's a photo. It cost about $20 total for the magnetic hooks (I just searched for "magnetic hooks" on amazon and bought the cheapest ones) and shower certain. It would have been much, much harder to share a room without this.

 

 

That's a great idea! Thanks for sharing the pic! I was having a hard time picturing it without the photo. We are taking our daughter on her first cruise in October - she will be 14 1/2 months at that time. We may have to use this idea. We are definitely booking a balcony so we can relax out there during nap times. And we're bring along reinforcements (i.e. grandparents) who can help out and babysit occasionally to give us some time for adult fun (casino, fruity cocktails by the pool, serenity area, etc.).

 

A couple quick questions - did you have any tender ports? How was that getting on/off with the little one. Did you bring a stroller on and off the BIG BOAT with you at the tender ports?

 

Also, did you use any public transportation on the islands? Did you bring a car seat along for that? Just wondering how best to travel around the islands with the little one in town - for example if we take a shuttle bus to a beach or something like that.

 

Excited to try the Suess at Sea! Looks like a like of fun.

 

Thanks,

Misty

[ProfCruise]

That's a great idea! Thanks for sharing the pic! I was having a hard time picturing it without the photo. We are taking our daughter on her first cruise in October - she will be 14 1/2 months at that time. We may have to use this idea. We are definitely booking a balcony so we can relax out there during nap times. And we're bring along reinforcements (i.e. grandparents) who can help out and babysit occasionally to give us some time for adult fun (casino, fruity cocktails by the pool, serenity area, etc.).

 

A couple quick questions - did you have any tender ports? How was that getting on/off with the little one. Did you bring a stroller on and off the BIG BOAT with you at the tender ports?

 

Also, did you use any public transportation on the islands? Did you bring a car seat along for that? Just wondering how best to travel around the islands with the little one in town - for example if we take a shuttle bus to a beach or something like that.

 

Excited to try the Suess at Sea! Looks like a like of fun.

 

Thanks,

Misty

 

Hi Misty. No, we didn't have any tender ports, so I didn't have to worry about that. We brought an umbrella stroller with us. Anything larger would have been extremely difficult to navigate around the big boat and through all the crowds at the ports.

 

As for the car seat, this one is I debated A LOT before going. As it turns out I needed the car seat in order to visit my brother who lives in Florida, so I did end up bringing it with us. It was a PAIN to haul around (with only two adults it was almost impossible with all our other luggage). I would really try to do without it if you can. Cabs in Ft. Lauderdale would NOT take H unless he was strapped into his car seat. Shuttles DID take him without the car seat (in fact they just threw it in the back with the luggage -- shuttles didn't have seat belts anyway). I'd probably call and ask before you book anything. We didn't do any excursions, so we didn't need the car seat for off the boat.

 

Let me know what you end up doing and how it works out (for my own future reference and I know a lot of other parents have questions about this stuff). Good luck and have fun! :D

[abcsteward]

That's a great idea! Thanks for sharing the pic! I was having a hard time picturing it without the photo. We are taking our daughter on her first cruise in October - she will be 14 1/2 months at that time. We may have to use this idea. We are definitely booking a balcony so we can relax out there during nap times. And we're bring along reinforcements (i.e. grandparents) who can help out and babysit occasionally to give us some time for adult fun (casino, fruity cocktails by the pool, serenity area, etc.).

 

A couple quick questions - did you have any tender ports? How was that getting on/off with the little one. Did you bring a stroller on and off the BIG BOAT with you at the tender ports?

 

Also, did you use any public transportation on the islands? Did you bring a car seat along for that? Just wondering how best to travel around the islands with the little one in town - for example if we take a shuttle bus to a beach or something like that.

 

Excited to try the Suess at Sea! Looks like a like of fun.

 

Thanks,

Misty

 

GREAT Questions... You can tell I haven't had a little one around in ages... LOL

 

Hi Misty. No, we didn't have any tender ports, so I didn't have to worry about that. We brought an umbrella stroller with us. Anything larger would have been extremely difficult to navigate around the big boat and through all the crowds at the ports.

 

As for the car seat, this one is I debated A LOT before going. As it turns out I needed the car seat in order to visit my brother who lives in Florida, so I did end up bringing it with us. It was a PAIN to haul around (with only two adults it was almost impossible with all our other luggage). I would really try to do without it if you can. Cabs in Ft. Lauderdale would NOT take H unless he was strapped into his car seat. Shuttles DID take him without the car seat (in fact they just threw it in the back with the luggage -- shuttles didn't have seat belts anyway). I'd probably call and ask before you book anything. We didn't do any excursions, so we didn't need the car seat for off the boat.

 

Let me know what you end up doing and how it works out (for my own future reference and I know a lot of other parents have questions about this stuff). Good luck and have fun! :D

 

Thanks for answering... H is one lucky Boy to have such a Great Momma... :) And Grandma... ;)

[ProfCruise]

For anyone with questions about cruising with a terrorist, I mean toddler, here's a link to a review from the brilliant mom who came up with the "special bed" idea. She has lots of other great tips/information too.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2088500&highlight=toddler

[abcsteward]

For anyone with questions about cruising with a terrorist, I mean toddler, here's a link to a review from the brilliant mom who came up with the "special bed" idea. She has lots of other great tips/information too.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2088500&highlight=toddler

 

Thanks for sharing, going to check it out now... :)

[gingertom]

I just loved reading your review! Looking forward to my upcoming cruise even more!! :D

[ProfCruise]

Thanks, gingertom! Have a great trip -- I wish I was going with you! :p

[we3travelers]

This is a fantastic review! Thank you for the wonderful descriptions and photos. You write very well for a 2 year old. :D

[ProfCruise]

This is a fantastic review! Thank you for the wonderful descriptions and photos. You write very well for a 2 year old. :D

 

Thanks, we3travelers! Whadya say we make it 4? :D

[we3travelers]

Thanks, we3travelers! Whadya say we make it 4? :D

 

I think that is a marvelous idea! My 8 year old grandson would enjoy hanging out with you. He's pretty fond of cheese, sherbet and "noodles", too! ;)

[sweetcurves]

Great review H! Freedom was my first and she's a great ship!

[ProfCruise]

Great review H! Freedom was my first and she's a great ship!

 

Thanks, sweetcurves! Happy cruising!

[Human Speedbump]

C'mon H.... Did I miss the rest of the story about the geezer who "misplaced" his pants in front of two ships full of people?? Or did your short attention span cause that story to be left out??

 

Great review BTW, you hit this 46 y/o check list... Food first always!!

[aquarianne11]

Loving this review!!! Adorable! :D

[ProfCruise]

C'mon H.... Did I miss the rest of the story about the geezer who "misplaced" his pants in front of two ships full of people?? Or did your short attention span cause that story to be left out??

 

Great review BTW, you hit this 46 y/o check list... Food first always!!

 

Short attention...wait what was I talking about? Sherbet? Pants-less dude on the beach at Grand Turk. Right.

 

Here's how the story starts:

Older gentleman gets separated from his trunks while swimming at Grand Turk. Took him a hot minute to realize it too. Grandma witnessed all. Along with, like, 5,000 other people.

 

Here's how the story ends:

He didn't die of embarrassment. But his wife did. And grandma went blind. Very, very sad.

[Soupy Sails]

We are sailing May 16 and I want to purchase a FTTF pass where can I buy it at?????

[ProfCruise]

We are sailing May 16 and I want to purchase a FTTF pass where can I buy it at?????

 

If it's available for your sailing, you can buy it online under "excursions." I'm sure you could also call Carnival and purchase over the phone. Check back regularly as my understanding is that they release them in groups over time.

[cruiseclues]

Hi. I’m H. I’m almost TWO (that’s why I yell A. LOT.). This review is of my maiden voyage on the Carnival Freedom (12/13/14-12/21/14, ports were St. Martaan, St. Kitts, San Juan, and Grand Turk).

 

 

My mom and grandma tagged along.

 

 

 

Here's my mom. She's super hot and funny and smart (and may be helping me with this review if you haven't figured that out already).

 

And here's my grandma. She kept my mom sane by hanging out with me lots.

 

 

Coupla dead weights really if you ask me, but they insisted on coming (I was determined to make them regret it though. Next time, I sail SOLO.). If you were on this ship, I probably gave you a sticky high five at some point. Or you probably heard me yell. Because, dudes, I yelled A. LOT. My mom told me to tell you sorry for that -- I don’t really know what that means yet, but SORRY. Oops, yelled that, didn't I? She tried her best to keep me quiet, people, I just suck at it.

 

It’s good I’m cute!

 

You might find my review particularly helpful if you’re traveling with a little one around my age (lord help you) or a vegetarian (my mom’s one of those weird hippy types, but my grandma isn’t…so there are non-vegetarian food pics too), or are on a tight budget (My mom wasn’t, she’s just uber cheap. She’s seriously proud that her on-board expenses totaled -$.19. Yeah, she actually got refunded 19 cents. Sorry shareholders. She’s going to be one of those cat ladies living in a shack with millions in the bank when she dies. On a related note, Christmas is coming soon and I saw Goodwill bags in her closet—pity me, people.).

 

There should be something here for everyone though. My mom keeps telling me to “tell them this” and “tell them that.” So fine, I’ll talk about lots of boring grown up things too.

 

Anyway, instead of organizing this review by day, I’m organizing it by theme as follows: “FOOD,” “SHIP ACTIVITIES,” “PORT ACTIVITIES,” and finally, “THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY.” I'll give you a hint about that last one -- it involves an older gentleman losing his trunks. My grandma found that a bit disturbing. Just another day at the office as far as I'm concerned -- I'm always losing my drawers.

 

 

FIRST THING’S FIRST: THE FOOD! Sail away with me and stay tuned!

 

 

Excellent Photo Review...and I agree that your mom's super hot and funny and smart...and thanks for all those food porn photos you took. :)

Edited May 20, 2015 by cruiseclues

[ProfCruise]

Excellent Photo Review...and I agree that your mom's super hot and funny and smart...and thanks for all those food porn photos you took. :)

 

Don't encourage her...

[amyj23]

I'm loving the food porn! Thank you! One question... What is the red and blue stuff that's in the waffle squares? Also, how was the ox tongue? I think that's a new addition since my last cruise!

[jaxkai]

in october we are going on our first cruise with the grand daughters, sorry i dont know what an LO is , one will have just turned 2 the other will be 7 and they are staying in gramma's cabin.

 

the 2yo really doesnt talk she just grunts and yells and ive been so worried it will drive everyone crazy on the ship, thank goodness she is as cute as the wonderfully cute H. this translates to im so excited after reading your review and wondering what other wild things i will learn about.

 

my daughter says we have to take the grandbabies so i stop looking so out of place in the seuss parade, but whats a gramma to do with when DR Seuss, is ON THE LOOSE??

 

any tips would be gladly appreciated on this end, and thank you so much for a really really huge smile. btw, i told my granddaughters we would get up early and sneak out for icecream for breakfast cuz im the cool gramma :)

[ProfCruise]

I'm loving the food porn! Thank you! One question... What is the red and blue stuff that's in the waffle squares? Also, how was the ox tongue? I think that's a new addition since my last cruise!

 

Glad someone else loves food porn as much as I do (whenever my husband or I close our computer screens when the other walks by, we're ALWAYS looking at FOOD porn -- never real porn...hehehehe)!

 

As for the waffles, it was a sweet, tangy cream of some sort. It actually tasted to me like sour cream with brown sugar mixed in. In my opinion it's impossible for anything to ever be too sweet, so I loved it. If you don't like sweet, well, we can't be friends. And you probably wouldn't like this. LOL. :p

 

As for the ox tongue, I didn't actually try it, so I can't speak firsthand to how it was, but I *saw* it and almost jumped overboard. LOL. My mom had it for the first time and said it tasted pretty good (although she had nothing to compare it to), but the look of it kind of grossed her out too. It was a piece of bread with, like, a tongue on it. Ew. I'd give it a try tough -- trying something new, even if you end up not liking it, is half the fun, right?

 

Report back if you try it and let us know what you think! And take some food porn photos for me ;)

[amyj23]

Glad someone else loves food porn as much as I do (whenever my husband or I close our computer screens when the other walks by, we're ALWAYS looking at FOOD porn -- never real porn...hehehehe)!

 

As for the waffles, it was a sweet, tangy cream of some sort. It actually tasted to me like sour cream with brown sugar mixed in. In my opinion it's impossible for anything to ever be too sweet, so I loved it. If you don't like sweet, well, we can't be friends. And you probably wouldn't like this. LOL. :p

 

As for the ox tongue, I didn't actually try it, so I can't speak firsthand to how it was, but I *saw* it and almost jumped overboard. LOL. My mom had it for the first time and said it tasted pretty good (although she had nothing to compare it to), but the look of it kind of grossed her out too. It was a piece of bread with, like, a tongue on it. Ew. I'd give it a try tough -- trying something new, even if you end up not liking it, is half the fun, right?

 

Report back if you try it and let us know what you think! And take some food porn photos for me ;)

 

 

I'm with ya. There's almost nothing too sweet for me. Sour cream with sugar?? Sign me up! I love buttercream frosting, too. [emoji2] As far as the tongue, I'll try it. I'll try almost anything. I tried escargot on our first cruise and LOVE it! It's nice to be able to try stuff for free so if you don't like it you don't feel bad that you wasted money! And yes, the tongue picture DID actually look like a cooked tongue!!

[ProfCruise]

in october we are going on our first cruise with the grand daughters, sorry i dont know what an LO is , one will have just turned 2 the other will be 7 and they are staying in gramma's cabin.

 

the 2yo really doesnt talk she just grunts and yells and ive been so worried it will drive everyone crazy on the ship, thank goodness she is as cute as the wonderfully cute H. this translates to im so excited after reading your review and wondering what other wild things i will learn about.

 

my daughter says we have to take the grandbabies so i stop looking so out of place in the seuss parade, but whats a gramma to do with when DR Seuss, is ON THE LOOSE??

 

any tips would be gladly appreciated on this end, and thank you so much for a really really huge smile. btw, i told my granddaughters we would get up early and sneak out for icecream for breakfast cuz im the cool gramma :)

 

You sound as fun as my grandma! I loooooove anyone who loves Dr. Seuss as much as I do! I think your 2 year old needs to bring a friend along though. I'm available...just sayin. Go with the flow and HAVE A BLAST!!! :D

[jlazz]

H, you wrote "delightful" review. It is definitely the best I've ever seen! Great Job!

 

I came home from my cruise on the Freedom a week ago. We had Randy as our cabin steward too! He was so nice! Always cheerful and always knew our names.

 

We accidentally went into the Dr. Seuss breakfast. Looked like fun, but we were looking to eat in the mdr that day. We also saw the Dr Seuss Parade. There were so many kids in the Parade. So cool! Did you do that?

 

I'm glad you had a good time on your first cruise, and that your mom and gma survived. sorry H, but I have 2 kids, and even though it's been 15 years, I *vividly* remember traveling with 2 yos. ;-)

 

I love the pics your mom took while you were there. I am the photographer when we travel, and I always drove my kids crazy. Hang in there, one day you will be glad to have those pictures. Make sure you tell your mom to make a real album (not digital) so you can turn the pages and look at it all the time. She will be glad she did. Even with all the sticky pages. As a matter of fact, H, make them as sticky as possible. It will make it more realistic. lol!

 

Sorry for the long comment. Guess I got a bit nostalgic. Thanks again for your review!

 

Jackie