Beagle’s Fun-Filled Freedom Cruise – A Review That Just Won’t End

[Cruise, J.D.]

That looks like a fun excursion!

[Beagleluv6107]

22 hours ago, Cruise, J.D. said:

That looks like a fun excursion!

Hey Cruise, J.D

I would totally recommend this Excursion. They treated us great, start to finish! Even with paying through Carnival, we all agreed the price was worth it! 

[Beagleluv6107]

Once we got to Nevis, the crew took the beers, ice water, and rum punch onto the beach for us. They told us we had over an hour to hang out. There were loungers and umbrellas for us all to use.

 

 

 

 

 

One of the crew members offered to walk K and J over to local bar where they ordered K a shot called a Bee Sting. I just used the facilities and got the heck out of there. I didn’t need any shots! I forgot to take my phone so I could get a few pics. When I got back to the gang, they were all in the water loving life or loving potent Rum Punch. DH was the smartest one that opted for just beer. The MIL asked me to get her more "punch" so I told the crew guy to just give me 2 cups with 80% ice water and a splash of the punch. A very wise decision for me and for her.

[Beagleluv6107]

We had to say a sad goodbye to Nevis. It sure was a pleasure visiting and I hope we get back there someday. Our ride back to St. Kitts took at least an hour. There was dancing in the middle of the boat and singing and laughing. Everyone was living it up. I’m sure the crew gets a kick out of watching all this craziness on every trip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Beagleluv6107]

 

Here’s an odd moment I just had to mention. Me and the MIL were out on this makeshift dance floor having a blast and a young man that looked 18 or less approached us and asked if he could kiss me…. I’m sorry what?????  I’m sure I was asked that question by an 18-year-old once ... but that would have been over 30 years ago so I busted up laughing and said "Um – No!". I looked at the MIL and so did he and he planted one right on her lips. Dang…. Where did I put my camera??? What a missed Photo Op that was!

 

After the crew dropped off this merry band of drunks and all our new friends, we stopped into the shops. We bought shirts and a magnet.

 

 

Lee’s husband was patiently waiting for her by the register because he had no cash. She went missing for almost 20 minutes. We finally found her and she had her bag and she had the money, but she had no cell phone. We were all just sick over it. We went back to the crew and they checked the catamaran but she didn’t leave it there. We checked the bathroom which is where we thought she was when she went MIA. No phone. We checked The Lazy Lizard Store where we had been shopping.  No Phone. We talked to the security all around the area. It was a frantic search for about 40 minutes. Eventually, we had to leave and get back on our ship.

 

I am so sad to report that all the great pictures I was going to use in this review... are gone forever. 😱 We had hoped that she backed up to Google Photos but because of the lack of decent Wi-Fi on the boat, nothing backed up to her account.

[SenatorsFan]

That's such a shame about your friend's phone and all the pictures. 😢I have been enjoying your review very much. 

[Beagleluv6107]

On 5/14/2022 at 3:47 PM, SenatorsFan said:

That's such a shame about your friend's phone and all the pictures. 😢I have been enjoying your review very much. 

 

Thank you so much SenatorsFan! I apologize for the delay. I will finish up St. Kitts right now. What a day that was!!! 

[Beagleluv6107]

I was back in the cabin by 4:20 to shower and get ready. 

 

 

These aren't necessarily pier runners but certainly the last to board.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think this night not everyone showed for dinner, so we downsized to 1 table. These ducks were found by my friend G’s daughter. She ended up collecting over 10 during the cruise. And it’s a good time for me to recommend table #326 to anyone getting on the Freedom. It’s right by the window and we loved it.

 

 

109.HEIC

[Beagleluv6107]

 

 

 

For dinner, DH had the BLT Salad, Baked Potato and Cheddar Soup, and the Slow Cooked Prime Rib.

 

 

 

 

I had the Buffalo Cauliflower, the BLT Salad, and the Boston Crème Cake.

 

 

 

My MIL tried the rabbit. I think she liked it.

 

[Beagleluv6107]

After dinner we all met on the Lido at the Red Frog. It was a beautiful night and we caught some of the end of the Dive in Movie. It was around 8pm and most of the gang started eating popcorn. I didn’t try any. I don’t think it was worth 3 bucks, but they do have butter you can add to make it better.

 

 

While we were hanging out, “little dude” showed up. He was full of stories his parents would not want him repeating. I forgot most of it, but I know he sure was a funny little guy.

 

 

We went to comedy, but I have no idea who the comedian was on this night. DH headed off to bed and I went for pizza and got 1 last drink since the pool bar is so conveniently located right by the pizza place. Since DH was not with me, I didn’t have to order a special pie and just grabbed the first available. By the time I got to the cabin it was almost midnight!! That’s right on time!

 

 

Up Next – San Juan and My New Case of Hives

[fee]

On 5/10/2022 at 7:26 PM, Beagleluv6107 said:

Everyone was swimming so I took the opportunity to take some terrible photos. LOL

 

 

 

 

No plane in this picture but I wonder what it would be like to stay in those condos or hotel rooms? I bet it's awesome! These pictures also remind me that we didn't have a very pretty day. All that sunblock I spackled across my face was completely unnecessary! 😏

 

 

This was an epic fail at me getting the plane and my friend in the same shot. Pitiful!

 

 

Around 1pm we walked over to the restaurant to get some lunch.

 

 

 

I had the angry fish tacos and DH got the wings.

 

 

 

I thought the tacos were very good. 

So enjoying your review. My husband an 3 daughters will be on in August. I've been on Freedom before but its been a while. We're so ready to go.

[Beagleluv6107]

4 hours ago, fee said:

So enjoying your review. My husband an 3 daughters will be on in August. I've been on Freedom before but its been a while. We're so ready to go.

Hey Fee,

Thank you for following along! Great to hear your gonna be boarding the Freedom in August! I'm sure your all going to have a blast. 

[Beagleluv6107]

Day 6 – San Juan

 

 

 

We woke up a little after 6am to the sounds of the ship docking in San Juan. It was loud and there was no going back to sleep after that.

 

 

DH headed to get coffee and I just lounged around the cabin, turning my phone off and on and logging in and out of the hub app trying to get any type of service. What a frustration. I was also furious about the hives on my face. This happened to me on the Mardi Gras and I almost went to the infirmary. Thank goodness I didn’t because they probably would have nose swabbed me and then put me in quarantine. I think I finally came to the conclusion it’s from Neutrogena Sensitive Skin Sunblock. How Ironic!!! I tossed it in the trash. I finally gave up on the Wi-Fi and went up to the Red Frog. It turns out the MIL was there waiting for me since 7am.

 

Wow, if only Wi-Fi worked, I would have known because she did try to text me.  We had not planned to meet at 7 but I’m not shocked she showed up so early. Both the girls went to bed right after dinner last night. Our time spent in St. Kitts the day before was exhausting and that potent Rum Punch really takes a toll.

 

Since the girls were fresh and ready to go, we were at the dining room for breakfast by 9am. I got the Masala Dosa again and this time I talked the MIL into giving it a try. I think she liked it but she didn’t like the crispy crepe.

 

 

[Beagleluv6107]

 

We had no plan for San Juan. Our little 4-year-old was not allowed off the ship. His parents just planned to treat the stop like a sea day. Lee was still upset about her phone but tried not to let that ruin the rest of her cruise. They got off early and booked a tour.

 

After breakfast we were back in the cabin by 9:35. Wow that was fast!

 

 

That gave DH time for a quick nap, and I walked the ship and took a few pics. The Wonder of the Seas was also in port that day, but I didn’t get a picture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Beagleluv6107]

DH, myself, and the girls decided to get off the ship about 10:30 and just walk to a few shops.

 

Once we walked off, we were greeting by some taxi drivers trying to get us to do a tour. One guy, Rafael, was hard to resist. We agreed that he would just drive us around Old San Juan for about an hour for $20pp. We enjoyed it because he was so friendly and knowledgeable. He did tell us gas at the time was was $1.23 a liter (3/31/22)

 

 

 

 

 

I took pic of protesters against vaccines

 

 

We got out 2 times for great pics by the water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Beagleluv6107]

We got dropped off in front of the ship and as luck would have it... a bar… Senior Frogs. We just had to stop in 1.) because it was noon and 2.) we were thirsty. It was packed inside but K and J were at the bar and had empty seats next to them. Wow, what great timing. We didn't even plan that! We all had a drink and a few of them took a shot.

 

 

We didn’t stay long. There is a CVS next door and I stopped in to get something for the hives on my face. We took a few pics on the walk back. 

 

 

 

 

When we got back on board, we took the MIL to guest services. We had bought her a Carnival Gift Card for Christmas and the only way to load it to her account was at Guest Services. I believe there is a kiosk right there we could have used, but we opted for a live person. While I was there, I forgot to rant and rave about how much the W-Fi sucked. 😂

I also forgot to ask at what capacity the ship was sailing. Rumors continued to float around 80-85%.

 

We set sail around 2. 

 

 

 

We went up to the Lido to grab some lunch. The MIL and Hubby each had a burger, and I went to the deli for the first time on any ship. They didn’t have the southwest wrap which Is what I really wanted. I settled for this Turkey Wrap.

 

 

It was just ok, and the cookies were pretty good.

 

We sat out at the pool until after 4 and then headed to the cabin to start getting ready for dinner.

[Beagleluv6107]

 

 

DH had the Baked Onion Soup, Alligator Beignets, Caesar Salad, the Shrimp Creole. I forgot pics. I had the Baked Onion Soup, Shrimp Creole, and some type of cake.

 

 

 

 

MIL got the Apple Pie for dessert.

 

 

The magician came over to our table. He only did 1 trick but I tell ya this… he really was magic!!!

 

We hung out at the back "Pool" bar until it was time to go buy tickets to Deal or No Deal at 8:30pm.

 

 

 

The game started at 9:30pm. We decided to just stay in the theater and wait. One person in our group won a free bingo game. Neither of the players was particularly funny and James Love did just OK. Depending on the players personality, the games can be great. These two were just ok.

 

We wandered back up to the Lido and they started the Mega Deck Party. James Love came over and spoke to us. He was funnier just in general conversation. Here’s where I will really compliment him… He did a great job teaching all the dance moves to the group. Most people knew the moves but if you didn’t, he directed everyone what to do and when.

 

 

They were all out there having a blast. I was just about to go dancing... I was waiting for the line dancing to stop and just regular dancing when it all came to a screeching halt and off went the DJ and James Love. OH Darn. I haven’t danced on a ship yet. I’ve got to make this a priority in the future.

 

Tonight’s Pizza was excellent! We discovered they had the parmesan cheese hidden behind the counter. We saw someone else ask for them to sprinkle a teaspoon on their pizza. Wow, it just made a great pizza even better! Shame on them for hiding the Parm!!  

 

 

Up Next – April Fool’s Day in Grand Turk

[Beagleluv6107]

Day 7 – Grand Turk

 

 

Good Morning, it’s April 1^st and we had a wonderful day planned in Grand Turk. I thought about playing some type of April Fool’s Joke on somebody, but I didn’t want Karma to come and bite me on the you know what. This theory doesn't work out later, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

 

This good news is that I woke up with no hives and was immediately in better spirits. 

 

Hubby could not sleep so he had me up and out of bed before 7. I finally captured a nice sun rise picture.

 

 

 

We hit the Red Frog by 8am and I was finally in the mood for a Bloody Mary again.

 

 

Today was towel animal day.

 

 

My friend asked the staff if he could have this little guy.

 

[Beagleluv6107]

I requested a table on the HUB App and it was ready as soon as I hit submit.

 

 

While we were waiting for the food, we heard the craziest noise as we were docking and the table shook like crazy. Even our new friend looked concerned.

 

 

DH had the Ham, Eggs, Corned Beef Hash, Hashbrowns and Bacon. Does this guy have an obsession with black pepper or what? AND it makes him sneeze every time!

 

 

I had the Masala Dosa one last time. I knew we’d be at sea tomorrow with a different menu, so I just had to do it. I don’t even like potatoes or crepes. I just love that spicy stuff.

 

[Beagleluv6107]

We took a walk after breakfast just to kill some time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were docked right next to the Magic. I hope to get on that ship one day. It looks like I could high five someone standing out on deck. 

 

 

 

 

We were back in the cabin to pack up the beach bag by 10:20.

 

[Beagleluv6107]

 

 

We walked all the way to Jacks but they had no more chairs. We had to back track a bit. I like this area of the beach much better. When you first walk off the dock, the water is very rocky. The MIL wasn’t too pleased about the long hike down the beach. If you’ll recall, I asked her to exercise a little and do some walking and she told me to kiss off. Ok, she really didn’t say that. What she said was her silence implied that I should kiss off. 😜

 

There were only 6 of us at the time so I took a walk to let the rest of the gang know where we were camped out. While I was gone, a Carnival Photog came along and took a pic of everyone in my group out there swimming. Dang, I missed out!

 

 

 

I got in the water, and we all swam for quite a while. The water was nice and clear. No fish pics but I did try.

 

 

 

[Cruise, J.D.]

I love how easy it is to do a beach day at GT!

Edited May 17, 2022 by Cruise, J.D.

[Beagleluv6107]

6 minutes ago, Cruise, J.D. said:

I love how easy it is to do a beach day at GT!

Absolutely!!!  One of my favorite ports!!!

[Beagleluv6107]

The boys bought some local beer that was warm.

 

 

I-AIN-GA-LIE, it’s not very good. I snuck up to Jacks and got a Coors Light.

 

 

Eventually, someone got hungry so we left the MIL and went to see about some jerk chicken. There was a long line.  While the guys were trying to get an order placed, I tried to find a seat for 5. It looked like a nice group of ladies were about leave so I inquired and got my head ripped off. I couldn’t have been more apologetic because I hate people hovering around me in crowded bars. Getting drinks and ordering food did take so long that the mean lady came back and offered us her table. Score! It pays to be nice sometimes!

 

DH decided to get the jerk wings this time because the past 2 times we just had jerk chicken. The wings were good.

 

 

 

 

We collected the MIL on our way back by and then stopped to do a little shopping. We were waiting for DH to pay for a magnet, and I spotted a few beer bottles laying about 10 feet away from a trash can. That really burns me up! I walked over and took care of it.

[Beagleluv6107]

We were back way too early to clean up. Me and the girls hit the Lido pool for a least an hour and half. I took these 2 pics once back at the cabin.

 

 

 

After I got a shower and dressed for dinner, I met DH back at the Red Frog for a pre-dinner drink. Tonight, was our 2^nd elegant night.

 

We didn’t take one nice picture this night. ☹️ What a shame because I knew Lee’s phone was lost forever. I should have never trusted the google photo back up idea.

 

 

 

 

 

I had the Crab Cake, Moroccan Pumpkin Harira Soup, and the Stuffed Mushrooms.

 

 

 

 

DH had the Filet Mignon and the Crab Cake.