Carnival Freedom Opinion

[artvlay]

Have been on many cruises, most on RC and Celebrity. Haven't been Carnival for about 10 years.

I noticed a transatlantic cruise on Freedom in the fall going east and thought that was better than flying to Europe to take a HAL Rotterdam TA back.

I am looking for advice from people who are knowledgeable about Freedom. I saw some reviews that it has gone downhill, smelled of sewage, food was bad, etc. 

Any advice? Thank you

[mz-s]

She doesn't have all the upgrades like the newest dining options or what have you. But what she has I was satisfied with on my cruise over Thanksgiving last year.

 

The MDR left me wanting but pretty much everything else was par for the course for Carnival.

[CaptG]

I haven't been on the Freedom in a while but I had no complaints when we last sailed her. I had a balcony on the lido and wouldn't hesitate to book another if she makes her way back to Miami. 

[kctwinmommy]

We sailed on her a few weeks ago and it will probably be our last Carnival cruise for awhile. We're looking to try something different if/when we cruise again. The purpose of this cruise was truly a cheap, warm, getaway, and it met those standards. But just wasn't what it used to be.

We're pretty laid back, easy going. We don't need a lot of stuff to do, I don't drink more than maybe 1 cocktail on a cruise, my husband may have a few mixed drinks, we're fine with simple food, and just a beach/pool and some lounge chairs is enough for us. But the cutbacks are just getting to be too much. And our mistake for taking the shorter cruise, because it's different kinds of people than what we just experienced 6 months earlier. Too many dirty dishes sitting in the hallways for hours. People arguing with staff over rules. Limited dining, which we know is becoming more common, and some entrees that were inedible. I know they're cooking for a few thousand people, so tastes are going to vary, but some of the foods were just somewhat bland. We did have to wait for some things as well. But our waiter and his co-workers were always busy and hustling. We did order the filet one night (paid the new upcharge for that) and it wasn't worth it for me, mine wasn't that good. My husband and our friend liked his though.

 

We didn't go to any shows because we saw them all in April, and they were the exact same. There was the slight sewer smell we'd catch on occasion in certain areas of the ship. The ship is obviously older, it shows it's age a little bit, but nothing serious. We had problems with the Hub app working a lot of the times. We only use it for the information, as well as the $5 chat feature. But most of the times my chat messages wouldn't go through.

 

Overall, there was nothing major that made or broke the cruise for us with the ship itself. But lot's of little issues and things we didn't care for that have made us reconsider Carnival in general for the future. Although again, we also know it's because it was the shorter cruise. It will certainly make us pause before we book the next one.

[evandbob]

I've sailed the Conquest class ships (which include Freedom) maybe 20 or 25 times.  They were my go to class ship back in 2010 or so.  Freedom is now 15 years old, and compared with the newer Dream, Vista and Excel classes, shows its age and wear and tear.

 

So I stopped sailing Conquest class ships when these newer ships were built.  IMO, Freedom can't begin to be considered in the same thought as the Mardi Gras. Pricewise, not much difference either.  Value overwhelming to MG, IMO.

 

Perhaps the Vista class ships are now where I used to consider the Conquest class, and the Conquest class has assumed the same negative feelings that the Fantasy class used to give me - once solid and dependable, but now old, tired, and past their peak.  YMMV.

[my kids mama]

We were on the Freedom in October, 2022.  We had a very good time. I did smell the sewer smell a few times but mostly when we were in Port Canaveral on embarkation day.  Not so much after that.  I made a point this time to try different things in the MDR.  I was mostly satisfied.  Really missed the stuffed mushrooms though. Room was always clean and our Steward recognized us from way down the hall.  I still don't know how they do that when they have so many new people every 5-7 days. I would sail on her again. 

[havanadaydreaming]

we were just on the Conquest and i didnt have any issues during our sailing.  wonderful ship.  

 

sure, it doesnt have some of the bells and whistles of some of the newer mega-ships but that's kind of its charm.  it definitely felt "unique" and not a cookie cutter design.  

 

sail on, sailors!!! 

 

[groundloop]

I'm on freedom right now.  I must say that if this was my first cruise I'd seriously consider never going on another.

 

There most definitely are sewage smells in some hallways, I've never noticed that on another ship.

 

The ship's wifi is useless (we're sailing close to the Bahamas right now and I'm using mobile data with my TMobile plan).  After a couple days of horrible internet service I got a full refund, the Guest Relations rep admitted that there have been a ton of complaints.

 

We're very crowded on this cruise, 3700 passengers, so there are lines everywhere.  The line at Mongolian Wok was crazy.  We usually prefer the buffet for breakfast but we've been going to the MDR every day, which has generally been pretty good.

 

Now, with all of my complaints, I'll say that the dining room has been very good.

Edited November 26, 2022 by groundloop