Just off the Freedom

[aml3679]

We usually sell on Celebrity but decided to take this cruise  for our 37th wedding anniversary.

 

having heard so many negative reviews, we went in saying that we were going to be determined to have a good time and not complain. Therefore, we went in with low expectations.

 

We drove in the day before and stayed at country Inn and suites. It was about a mile from the cruise port. For $69 they should hold you to the cruise port and pick you up. This saved us about $30. 

 

Embarkation was very organized. We had a boarding time of 1030 and we were on the ship by 11. Since we were hungry, we went with guys burgers and we’re not disappointed. Our room was ready by 1:30. We usually get a balcony, but decided to do an ocean view, and we would do an ocean view again. Our room was clean, very spacious. The only complaint we had the whole time is that our shower flooded the bathroom.

 

Our cruise Director, James love, was fabulous.

 

Food

Our meals in the main dining room were mostly good. We had one disappointing dinner. Breakfast was great. Our server was fantastic. We gave him $30  because we only ate in the main dining room for breakfast and for three dinners.

We did the green eggs and ham breakfast and while it was fun, the food was disappointing and cold. They charge $10 per person.

We eat at the Sun King steakhouse and really enjoyed it. Service was top-notch.

We did not enjoy the buffet plus the selections were very limited.

 

Entertainment

Entertainment was great. They had a the freedom rock band in which my husband really enjoyed it. There were two violinist that were great. The comedian was very funny. The shows were good. We played trivia and the host Marcella was very good at her job and funny.

 

Favorite bar was the alchemy bar. By the second night, one of the bartenders knew what we were drinking. I will definitely say for us, the cheers package was worth it.

 

their private island, Princess Cays , was nothing special.  rented a clam shell for $30 and only stayed for two hours.

 

shopping was nothing special, we bought a magnet and a cup.

 

There was a casino but we did not participate.

 

This is changed our mind about cruising with Carnival. Although we have a cruise on celebrity next November, we are going to try to do another cruise of carnival in April.

Edited October 11, 2022 by aml3679
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[pe4all]

Nice review.  I am glad to see Carnival did not disappoint you after cruising on Celebrity.  We enjoy the class of ship that includes Freedom, and loved the cruise we took on her in January.

[mz-s]

One thing I loved about the Freedom is it's a lot like the Fantasy class in that there are plenty of lounges and public areas.

[momof3cruisers]

The Freedom is one of my favorite ships. I’m glad you had a good cruise and enjoyed yourselves. 

[NanoGirl21]

Freedom was my first cruise ever in March and I loved it.

[Knights on the Beach]

We had a great time on Freedom, just got off yesterday.

 

Embarkation was super easy - we had a 10:00 - 10:30 arrival time and our Uber had us at the port right at 10:00. We dropped off our luggage with a porter, walked into the terminal, checked in with no waiting in line and were directed upstairs to the suites/diamond/platinum waiting area. It was 10:08 when we sat down (had to check the time on the picture I took). I think it was around 10:50 when they started boarding. By 11:20, we had done our muster, picked up drinks at the atrium bar and took them out to a table by Red Frog Rum Bar on Lido. Guy's burgers were also our first meal on Freedom.

 

There were 8 of us - our 2 sons, 2 DILs and 2 grandsons (ages 8 and 5 - first cruise for them). We all had dinner together each night, 3 times in the MDR and once in the steakhouse. All the meals I had ranged from good to excellent. My husband had one disappointing meal in the MDR (he made a bad choice lol) and the boys' French fries were sometimes undercooked but I think everything else was good. The food and service in the steakhouse were amazing; it was a great experience for all of us. Our 8 y/o GS was super impressed. Every time one of our servers came over, he told them how much he loved his fish & chips. 🙂 Four of us did the sea day brunch one day - it was just OK though I did like the flaming tomato soup. For the most part, breakfast and lunch were on Lido daily and everyone picked up their food from either Blue Iguana, Guy's, pizza or the buffet and joined us at a big round table. Four of us had lunch at the BBQ on the sea day and it was pretty good as well.

 

We stayed on the ship in Nassau (our 4th time there during the past year) and we all spent the morning on the beach in Princess Cays. The water was so nice! I figured it would be too cold for me to go in so I didn't bring water shoes - I'll pack them from now on just in case, lots of rocks in the water. We went back to the ship for lunch; it was just easier with the boys.

 

We didn't make it to any of the shows this time. The boys went to Camp Ocean for a couple hours each day but there was also a lot of time spent on Lido at the splash zone for the 5 y/o and water slides for the 8 y/o (and his dad, uncle & grandpa!). The arcade was the top attraction after dinner each night but after the boys went to bed we enjoyed the Freedom rock band by the atrium bar - they were awesome! We watched some football in Skybox and Red Frog Pub, both college and NFL. They need a bigger sports bar - or more TVs in RFP but we made it work.  😉 

 

Debarkation was the best of any ship we've been on to date. We all had priority self-assist and the letter said to be in the Chic dining room by 7:15 am (diamond/platinum). The ship was cleared to start debarkation at 6:45 am! We could have walked right off then but had to wait a few minutes for our youngest son and DIL to meet us in the atrium. Meanwhile we waved goodbye to our other son, DIL and their two boys as they debarked with the suites group - they drove to the port from Orlando and they managed to get the boys to school on time yesterday! Once off the ship, we had to wait a few minutes for a taxi but even so, we were home by 7:15 am.

 

After three recent cruises on Mardi Gras, I was afraid I'd be a bit let down - it's been a long time since we've been on that ship class (although I loved Glory and Valor years ago). I'm happy to say I loved it and wouldn't hesitate to go back on Freedom. I love the specialty dining on MG, but the MDR and steakhouse were way better on Freedom. Service and food were great. It was a very successful family cruise!

 

[my kids mama]

Thank you for posting this.  We will be on her in 13 days.  Glad to know the food and service were enjoyable for you.  Just looking forward to a mix of fun and relaxation.  

[CruisingWalter]

@aml3679 very fair review and you did the absolutely perfect thing going into this cruise, you adjusted your expectations. Too many people go into those reviews with "Well on Celebrity everything is SO MUCH BETTER" without giving the ship they're on a chance. You gave the ship a chance and you had a great time. Especially as Freedom and Celebrity ships are two completely different experiences. 

 

We've only sailed the Mardi Gras on Carnival so far, have not tried any of their smaller ships yet. Thanks again for the great feedback! 

[bambidrummer]

Do you know if the cabin doors are magnetic?

 

[NanoGirl21]

2 minutes ago, bambidrummer said:

Do you know if the cabin doors are magnetic?

 

 

they are