Quick review Freedom 2/15-2/21

[willydoit]

I was pleased with all aspects of the cruise. I thought Jen did a great job as cruise director. There seemed to be an upbeat theme throughout the cruise from all the staff. Anytime dining we split our time between 2 waiters, Michael and Eduardo who we had a lot of fun with. Never had a wait and all of our times getting there varied every night, from 6:30 till 8:15. It was also good to see Elton the magician onboard in the dining room,,,we made friends with him on our last Valor cruise and he recognized us right away. Too bad he wasn't able to do an "aisle" show like he normally does one evening during a cruise in the Alchemy bar area,,,he is a fantastic illusionist. Dining room food was OK, sea day Brunches and dining room breakfasts were great. Lido buffet for lunch barely used by me since it was my first experience with 2.0. Guy burgers, Blue Cantina, Mongolian Wok, the Deli counter all got a good workout and were all very good,,,,especially the Guy burger. Lido buffet was adequate for breakfast, but both times used I waited for omelettes, not a problem for me at all.

 

Our room steward Paul on lido deck port side forward was fantastic,,,kept my cooler filled with ice and always had a smile and story for us. Casino was not as cooperative financially as I would have liked, but I did manage to have enough points for free drinks rather quickly. The bar staff was a bit slow in the casino, but maybe that was because I wasn't in a very good mood for them!!:rolleyes:

 

Our Chacchoben Mayan tour through Native Choice was good,,,but the time limitations due to the 1PM arrival and another group late getting off the ship really limited our time there,,,I would have been happy with at least another 45 minutes, but the ruins site closes at 5PM, and they really hustle you out of there. I knew there was going to be a time issue so ourselves and another couple arrived ASAP off the ship, unfortunately, a large group kinda dawdled onboard, and then couldn't find Native Choice even with a map in their hands. Oh well,,,it primed me enough where now I want to go see Chichen Itza in the future.

 

We took the Carnival sponsored all inclusive Chankanab tour in Cozumel and had a good time. Ouir guides name was Charlie and he was great, he explained everything that was available and gave different times as to when different activities would take place. Snorkeling was first. The water had quite a chop on it so the snorkeling portion was done by only about a ¼ of the group. My DW did go ahead and snorkel while a friend and I just relaxed by the pool. We then all did the “tour” through the Mayan replication in the park, it was OK, some nice information was shared and we did visit a “kitchen where we had a fresh mini-taco prepared for us in the old Mayan fashion. When that was up, we enjoyed the buffet in the Dolphin Discovery restaurant, food was OK, nothing to write home about. Next was a tequila tasting and the sea lion show. Our group skipped both of those activities and just lounged at the beach. The drinks available were served in small cups and were satisfactory. You could get drinks either at the pool bar or the restaurant. Overall, we were pleased with the excursion. Again, our time in Cozumel was shortened by the threat of high winds later in the day, so there was no time for any shopping,,,it was straight back onto the ship.

 

For Progresso we had nothing planned and the girls took off a tad earlier than I and made their way into town as I got some laundry done. The town was pretty much as I expected, so I lasted about 30 minutes till the girls and I made our way back onto the ship. We spent a leisurely afternoon by the pool that day, and the following sea day as well.

 

We enjoyed the Playlist Production shows. I know some people miss the old style shows with the live band, but I thought these productions were much tighter and quite entertaining. I enjoyed the use of their technology and walked away happy from each show, especially the “88 Keys” production at the end of the cruise. We also found the band playing outside of the casino to be very good, many different styles of music being played from night to night. Motown night Thursday and the “60’s” theme Friday were my two favorites. Trent was a little to “twangy” for my taste, but the Texans seemed to love him. And, for the first time ever, I never made it to a comedy show. I think the comedy shows and Fish and Chips were the only things I missed. Needed some time to relax,,,,:)

 

Our only negative for the entire cruise was after we got off the ship. The transfer to Hobby airport was ridiculous, they only had one bus running and our wait was almost 2 hours to0 just get on the bus. I normally don’t use Carnival’s transfers and this experience proved why. Frustration levels were quite high by all folks waiting, especially those of us with plane tickets around 2PM. We finally boarded a bus around 11:40AM and did make our flight, but I didn’t need the apprehension levels to be rising after a great cruise. Plus, the folks that Carnival has chartered with really didn’t give a damn and weren’t reluctant to tell you that. Next time I go outta Galveston, I’ll do it on my own.

 

Again,,,overall a great cruise. And Conquest class ships,,,,especially those with 2.0 upgrades,,,are still my favorites!

[SMSACE6]

Thank you for your review of the Freedom. She is one of my two favorite ships:) I also thought Jen is a very good CD.

[josefina022]

Thank you so much for the review! Makes me even more excited for our upcoming freedom cruise!

[IPlayWithString]

Thanks for the review...we're headed out on the Freedom in a little less than 2 weeks :eek::D and I'm really looking forward to my first 7 day cruise.

 

We're SO SO happy Jen is the CD on the Freedom...we had her on our first cruise on the Fascination out of Jacksonville and we freaking LOVE her. :D

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for your report.

[WindsorFred]

Thank you for your review of the Freedom. She is one of my two favorite ships:) I also thought Jen is a very good CD.

Same here, Freedom and then Miracle. Not sure we'll sail either till Carnival moves them to other ports. Looking at other ships out of New Orleans and Fla.