***LIVE*** From the Carnival Freedom

[micro yaya 13]

this was a great review thanks for such positive input. smoking is not permitted in any of the food areas. i don't smoke anymore(9 years) but i am very intune to the smoke. don't go near the casino, the smoke will kill you. no smoking in the entertainment venues. the habana bar is definitely smoking they even sell cubans i'm told. the pool area is smoking also so choose your seat carefully. i really enjoyed the overview of the cruise so far i think some cruisers just can't be pleased and some are just so happy with whataever they get they do not complain:D you know the glass is half full or half empty

[bekah]

The only smoking areas are listed above and that information is correct. However, I do not see a Cuban on the cigar list as I’m in the Habana Bar right now. They do have some nice cigars, some cheap, but if you are picky about your cigars (as I can be!) you better bring from home or plan on buying in ports.

The internet today from 4-6 is half off! So today I don’t mind giving a report! Also on special today is the laundry. They have a laundry sack about half the size of a pillow case that you can fill and they will wash fold and press for $15. Or you can do it on your own for $4 to wash and dry plus the cost of soap. You decide.

Didn’t hear about the comedian last night, no one we talked to went. Tonight they have a singer, her name escapes me though, so I’ll tell you later. I’ll probably stop in there and see how that one goes.

Today was Ephesus and we took our first and last tour with Carnival. Ephesus the ruins and the house of the Virgin Mary were fantastic! Do not sit this port out! Cannot recommend highly enough that you take the time to go see at least the ruins in Ephesus. We paid 65 per person to go on a tour with Carnival and much of it was wasted time. For the price we paid, we could have booked a private tour for about the same price. With this we were hearded around and half of our group was late leaving the Virgin Mary so that meant less time in Ephesus and our guide was nice to the group, but didn’t allow time for questions. If you are going to book Ephesus with Carnival, do that quickly there were over 1800 people that went on tours today and it sold out quickly. The people that actually took us on the tour worked for Sea Song tours. If we ever come again we will hire a private tour since there is so much to see here.

Tomorrow is Istanbul and we are looking forward to that as well. My DH and I are again going on our own. We are planning on seeing the Topkapi, the Blue Mosque, taking part in a Hamam, and going to the Grand Bazaar. We’ll let you know how it goes!

Have a great day everybody!

[jkeller527]

Bekah

 

Thanks for a wealth of info. I am so glad I have a private driver for ismir. Unfortunately we are with the ship in naples. Oh well. I have called Carnival and they say they are looking into the hot tub issue. Said no one there was complaining. LOL

 

Thanks

[terri910]

I have called Carnival and they say they are looking into the hot tub issue. Said no one there was complaining. LOL

*LOL*!!! I hope someone (or lots of someones) complains before May!

[sharonsorlie]

Bekah: Thank you so much for your postings while on board - I hope you will be able, when you get back to share costs on your trips that you did on your own. Looks doable - may be you could share the advantages and disadvantages of the adventures and would you do it again. Will keep this site on my favourites.

[1ABLRN]

Hi all!

First, thanks to all the current FREEDOM cruisers who are taking their time and money to give us the scoop! Except for the "hot"tubs:( , it sounds great!

 

My DD and I are going on the August 5th cruise. The only Carnival tour we have planned is transportation from Livorno into Florence, but now I just can't see spending the $$ on their bus trip! Do you know anyone who has taken the train into Florence? How did it work out?

 

Thanks again for all the info and have fun!

Amy

[Shorty52]

Amy - train from Livorno to Florence is very easy. Just make sure you give yourself enough time to get back to the ship. The Italian rail system is famous for cancelling trains for no apparent reason.

[HapiFeet]

Thank all of you who have taken time to write about your cruise. You've answered most of my questions. I do have one about the dining rooms. What is the difference between the Posh and the Chic dining rooms other than the location and decor. When you request a seating and time, do you also request which dining room you want?

 

 

 

 

Getting my HapiFeet ready for

Carnival Freedom, September 10, 2007

[Europebound]

They did keep our passports and in return we received a ticket to get them back later. It was explained on the ship that this is because of our visit to Turkey. Carnival has negotiated for us and the Turkish customs will come aboard the ship while we are in Izmir and stamp our passports while being treated to a very nice dinner. We, in return, are to carry with us a slip of paper that allows us to be in country and is our ticket back onto the ship as well. Our passports should be returned in Katakalon.

 

Thanks for the great posts. My one concern is giving up our passports! I had always heard and read that we should NEVER give up our passports. Please advise if you received them back okay once you got to Greece. What if you needed them in Rhoades for some reason? I hate to sound like a worry wart, but this bit of information does bother me. This is the first in all my reading about this cruise that I read anything about giving up our passports. Any additional insight anyone can give will be helpful.

 

Thanks, Marilyn

[queenslander]

Hi Marilyn,

 

Being Australian we have often had to give in our passports even when cruising out of the USA so we don't worry about this. They do need to keep them sometimes to get permission for everyone to enter a port for the day otherwise we would need to get a visa for places like Turkey.

You don't need to worry about giving it up on the ship as you will definitely get it back! You won't need your passport in Rhodes as your sail and sign card will suffice. If it makes you feel better you can take a printed copy of your passport with you.

 

We have two passports Australian and European but found that we didn't need to use our European one at all last time we were in Europe.

 

 

Joyce

[1ABLRN]

Thanks Queenslander- I think you answered a question I had. We don't need visas for Turkey because the ship has our passports?

 

Thanks,

Amy

[terri910]

Just took a glance at the Freedom webcam1 before heading off to bed....looks like a lovely sunrise!!!

[bendigo]

hello Europebound.

Just in addition to queenslanders reply. we always carry a good photocopy of our passport with us when travelling just in case. But we too have always had to surrender our passport on cruises (must be an Australian thing!) and it has caused no hassles.

[Europebound]

Thanks Joyce and bendigo. I was really worried there as we have never had to do that before. Of course, I've never been to Turkey before either. I had planned to take photocopies of our passports, so will definitely do so now. I feel a lot better. Thanks again, Marilyn

[alinehu]

Dont worry aabout passport, we did a cruise that included , Greece , Turkey, Italy and France. Princess had our passports the whole time.No Problemm..

Carry a copy.

[bekah]

To the question about requesting dining rooms. . . I didn’t request any specific dining room and it’s some work to get all the way back to the posh dining room as we are on the forward side of the ship on the 10th floor. We are on late seating as requested, the chic dining seats at 6 and 8 the post at 6:30 and 8:30. We are at table 360 and our server, Asep is fantastic! Tonight my DH and I eat at Sun King the specialty restaurant and I’ll let you know about that!

Yesterday was Istanbul and as soon as we arrived, my DH and I were off once again. We dock just over the Galato (sp?) bridge and it’s about a 2-3 mile walk to the Blue mosque. So wanting to beat the tour buses, we hopped in a taxi that took us for 10EU. He got us there in about 5-7 minutes. We toured and went to the Topkapi, the entrance to the Topkapi only accepts Lira is what their sign says, but they do accept CC as well. My DH and I used Mastercard, I’m not sure which ones they take other than that. Do not eat lunch at the Topkapi. We did and it cost us $40 where just outside it would have cost about $5. Our mistake. After that we went to Cemberlitas. Boy was this an experience and I’ll write more about that later, although it is highly recommended! (Ladies, wear a bathing suit bottom if you go) Then we were off to the Bazaar. Nothing was hard to find and I never felt unsafe. We ended up having about 3-4 hours at the Bazaar and most of the tours had an hour. (With the tour they require you to sit through a carpet salesman’s speech that takes about 45 minutes then you go to the Bazaar.)

After we were finished, we had a lot of stuff so we hopped in another cab and came back to the ship for 12EU. It was during rush hour and took about 20 minutes to get back. We were back in plenty of time to not miss the boat. Apparently someone missed it in Izmir!

 

today is a sea day and they had a chocolate buffet in the Freedom buffet very nice! Also, last nights entertainment got stuck in NY because of all the storms and as there wasn't a back up they showed a movie instead. Tonight is supposed to be another of the 'great shows' of dance!

[micro yaya 13]

thank you bekah, your posts are eagerly looked foward to. how was the overall feeling in izmire, and did you take a tour or did you do it on your own. we are thinking about doing it on our own but would appreciate your input. thanks again for taking the time and money to let us all know what your feelings are about the ports.:)

[Shorty52]

Thank you bekah for all your information. It is much appreciated. If you can, would you mind telling me what is the difference between the Posh Dining Room and the Chic Dining Room. I believe we are in the Chic Dining Room, although I am awaiting confirmation from my TA. Our cabin is on the Veranda Deck in the middle of the ship so I guess it doesn't matter.

 

Any info provided to all of us awaiting to sail is greatly appreciated.

Enjoy the rest of your vacation!!!!:)

[sharonsorlie]

Thanks Bekah - Your posts are fantastic. My husband and I had a really bad experience in Hell, yes folks there really is a place it is on Grand Cayman Islands - went on the Stingray Tour and our bus driver forgot to come back and pick us up. Like venturing out on our own now. Will you be posting your tour info, prices of cabs, train etc. on this site when you get home? How will we find you again. We have booked our first private tour in Naples awaiting your posts to book others - to see what you recommend.

[terri910]

Just glanced at the Freedom's webcams....fun day at sea, apparently!

 

I wonder how the weather is. It looks nice enough but it must be at least 2:30 or 3:30 in the afternoon there and I can't see ANYone on the Lido Deck. I am so accustomed to those decks being full on sea days...

[Shorty52]

I heard it was only 59 degrees and raining in Venice yesterday. We are sailing May 1st. Hope it warms up:(

[terri910]

We are right behind you on May 13th. I'm trusting that it will warm up between now and then!!

 

The only cruises we've been on (until the upcoming Freedom sailing) have been to very tropical locales, where it is even warm on the Lido Deck in the middle of the night. I wonder how different this is going to be....

[Maryutah]

Just glanced at the Freedom's webcams....fun day at sea, apparently!

 

I wonder how the weather is. It looks nice enough but it must be at least 2:30 or 3:30 in the afternoon there and I can't see ANYone on the Lido Deck. I am so accustomed to those decks being full on sea days...

 

We noticed not a lot of activity up on deck, it was about 62 degrees around 1:30pm, and I think we saw the most folks up there - about 5! Even at 62 i'd be up enjoying the sea breeze (maybe with a sweater/light jacket)!

 

Turkey was cold and rainy last week and Rome was warm and sunny, this week they seem to have flipped spots, with Rome getting the rain and Turkey warming up - hopefully in 30 days it'll all be warm all over! :)

 

Thanks for the updates Bekah - we do appreciate the information, we are craving for all we can get!

[rogerand]

TURKISH VISAS

Could anybody currently on Carnival Freedom answer this question please.

 

We are going on the April 19 sailing and has been discussion on the Cruise Critic board for this sailing re the price of Visas for the two ports in Turkey.

 

QUERY

How much did the ship charge for Visas for the two ports in Turkey ?

 

Also was there a difference in the charge for USA, Australian or United Kingdom citizens.

 

We find it very hard to get this information from Carnival.

Many thanks

Roger

[okteach_61]

Bekah,

We have booked the Freedom's Rome to Miami cruise Oct.28th. We will be boarding on Sunday the 28th and then leave the next evening th 29th. We would like to leave the ship after boarding on the 28th since our flight comes in late morning and go back into Rome that evening for site seeing but we can not get clarified what time we would have to be back on board ship that night. One Carnival rep said the policy is to leave the gang plank down all night but the captain has the option to set a time. I hope this is not imposing, but is there any way you could ask someone onboard? Thanks so much!

 

 

 

 

 

To the question about requesting dining rooms. . . I didn’t request any specific dining room and it’s some work to get all the way back to the posh dining room as we are on the forward side of the ship on the 10th floor. We are on late seating as requested, the chic dining seats at 6 and 8 the post at 6:30 and 8:30. We are at table 360 and our server, Asep is fantastic! Tonight my DH and I eat at Sun King the specialty restaurant and I’ll let you know about that!

Yesterday was Istanbul and as soon as we arrived, my DH and I were off once again. We dock just over the Galato (sp?) bridge and it’s about a 2-3 mile walk to the Blue mosque. So wanting to beat the tour buses, we hopped in a taxi that took us for 10EU. He got us there in about 5-7 minutes. We toured and went to the Topkapi, the entrance to the Topkapi only accepts Lira is what their sign says, but they do accept CC as well. My DH and I used Mastercard, I’m not sure which ones they take other than that. Do not eat lunch at the Topkapi. We did and it cost us $40 where just outside it would have cost about $5. Our mistake. After that we went to Cemberlitas. Boy was this an experience and I’ll write more about that later, although it is highly recommended! (Ladies, wear a bathing suit bottom if you go) Then we were off to the Bazaar. Nothing was hard to find and I never felt unsafe. We ended up having about 3-4 hours at the Bazaar and most of the tours had an hour. (With the tour they require you to sit through a carpet salesman’s speech that takes about 45 minutes then you go to the Bazaar.)

After we were finished, we had a lot of stuff so we hopped in another cab and came back to the ship for 12EU. It was during rush hour and took about 20 minutes to get back. We were back in plenty of time to not miss the boat. Apparently someone missed it in Izmir!

 

today is a sea day and they had a chocolate buffet in the Freedom buffet very nice! Also, last nights entertainment got stuck in NY because of all the storms and as there wasn't a back up they showed a movie instead. Tonight is supposed to be another of the 'great shows' of dance!