A Comparison: Carnival Freedom and Noordam

I sailed on Carnival Freedom on March 8th and boarded the Noordam 6 days later on March 14th.

Embarkation for both ships was well organized and smooth. I arrived early for both and was aboard about 11:45 A.M. on both ships.

Muster Drill: For Freedom, a dedicated deck, Deck 4, is the site of assembly. It is well protected from the elements and one would simply step into the lifeboats if necessary. They would not need to be lowered from their storage position first. The PA was very easy to hear and the guests were quiet and attentive to the instructions. No attendance was taken, but one could determine from signs on the bulkhead which lifeboats were assigned to that Muster Station and how many people should be in each one. I did see boxes marked "Crowd Control Supplies" and wondered what they contained. For Noordam, the only change from a regular HAL Drill that I saw was bullhorns being used by the Boat Commanders to help in taking attendance. The instructions on the PA were also very easy to hear and people were attentive, maybe not as quiet as the passengers had been on the Freedom.

Standard Veranda Staterooms on Freedom have the bed situated next to the window/door and the sitting area nearest the bathroom/closests, opposite arrangement to the Vista Class staterooms. I felt that Freedom's arrangement provided more room in the sitting area than the the Vista's staterooms. Verandas were about the same size, each having comfortable furnitire. Freedom's had one chair whose back was adjustable. Lighting was excellent in each. Noordam gets the edge for bathroom size and quality of bath amenities. Comfort of the beds and the air conditioning was excellent for both. Room Stewards introduced themselves very soon after my arrival in the stateroom. Both ships are using "teams of two", but I never saw my Freedom's Steward's assistant. Their service was excellent on both ships.

Entertainment: Freedom wins! There were more entertainment options to experience on Freedom than I could do so during my 6 days aboard. With the exception of a sole piano player, all--indiviudals, cast shows, musical groups--were excellent. The cast shows on Freedom have a LIVE 8 piece orchestra to provide music while HAL is using canned music. Noordam's lead singers seem to feel the need to SHOUT the lyrics rather than just sing them. I have seen this on my past two HAL cruises and do not understand why they are being told to do this. It is not necessary. The Noordam's cast shows were all enjoyable, except for my above comment, and some of the individual performers were good; one was not. The musical groups I heard all were easy to listen to. However, a sole piano player that performed before 2nd seating dinner in the Crow's Nest had the amplification much too high; it made conversation difficult. The bar tender requested on two different occasions that the guests wanted him to turn the volume down; he refused.

Movies on both ships were up-to-date and appropriate for the audience on the ship. The lack of a dedicated movie theater on the Vista Class ships is a major negative. Freedom's Seaside Theater provided a good variety of movies and concert videos. And, the sound was good.

There was one entertainer on Freedom that performed on the 2008 World Cruise aboard the Amsterdam. His show this time was different and just as good as it had been in 2008. There were two late night comedy shows on Freedom, neither of which I was able to attend. By the time I arrived, the lounge was packed with people. Likewise with Freedom's Piano Bar--always lots of people. The Noordam's Piano Bar, on the other hand, had lots of room. (Reason: the performer in each.)

Cuisine: Noordam wins, but not by much. Most items were well prepared, tasty, and well presented. Beef quality on Freedom was weak: most cuts came from the shoulder. All of the Dining Room steaks were Flat-Iron steaks. Their Chateaubriand was from the shoulder and grilled: a very poor entree. Lobster Tail served on Freedom was listed as being "Maine" and I do think to was. Good sized and sweet; all of the seafood I had on both ships was very good, including Noordam's lobster.

The Freedom's Lido-type Restaurant was the equal to the Noordam's as to variety, quality, and preparation. If there was a weakness for either, it was their desserts. (Items having a crust were hard to cut.)

I diner at the Sun King Supper Club on Freedom one evening and had a superb dinner. It was one of the two best dinners I had during my entire trip. I did feel that it was better than any dining experience I have had in the Pinnacle Grill.

HAL presents a more elegant tea than Freedom. Selection of items are greater on HAL than on Carnival.

On Noordam, my first and last dinners were disappointing: Snapper that was tough; lamb chops that had 3-4 bites of meat that had little lamb flavor. Other dinners and items were very good.

Dining service on Freedom was good, but the atmosphere seemed hectic. Noordam's dining service was more relaxed and smooth. If a glitch occured, such as someone arriving at the table late, the service was somewhat negatively affected. There was no Wine Steward on Freedom; the regular steward handled the wine. Noordam still had good Wine Stewards.

Room Service was prompt on both ships; only cold breakfast items are available on Freedom.

New (at least to me) was an Eggs Benedict station in the Lido Restaurant with 5 or 6 variations of Eggs Benedict.

The maintainence on both ships was of a high caliber. However, my veranda's railings, plexiglass, and furniture were salt encrusted. Before sailing, I took a towel and wiped everything down. After wiping the rail, the towel was black(!). It used to be the cabin steward's job to care for the verandas. I am wondering if they have been given so many cabins to take care of that this is not being done anymore.

Cutbacks noted on Noordam: No Head Stewards in the Dining Room. Luke's Ice Cream has replaced Haagen-Dasz in the Lido; Luke's is not as good. Are both companies hiring less experienced Executive Chefs? Neither the Noordam's nor the Freedom's were wearing the Confrerie de la Chaine des Rotisseurs medallion

Other Observations: Price of a CC-7 on Freedom: $4.50; on Noordam: $5.45

Noordam has a 2 for 1 Happy Hour 4:30 to 5:30. Drinks are well made.

Airport Luggage Service was available on each: $16 on Noordam; $20 on Freedom

Laundry by the Bag available on each: $15 on Freedom, $20 on Noordam

Freedom still has a Captain's Welcome Aboard Party where you can meet the Captain if you wish. I experienced the Captain's Toast for the first time on the Noordam and feel it is a poor replacement for the traditional Welcome Aboard Party. If Carnival feels it can still do it, then HAL can too.

I attended my first Mariner's Brunch was found it to be 100% wonderful. A definite improvement over the Mariner Receptions of old.

The biggest difference between the two cruise experiences: the CREW.

Every steward with whom I had direct contact on Freedom was polite and their service most satisfactory. But, if they were not directly "working" with you, mostly, one was not noticed. I experienced more smiles and greetings from the Noordam's crew the first afternoon I boarded than I did from the Freedom's crew the 6 days I was aboard. This is not to say that I was displeased with the service I received aboard Freedom. I am not! The Stewards and Bartenders with whom I had contact did a fine job. But, there was most surely a qualitative difference between the two crews.

Would I sail on another Carnival cruise? Yes, I would. I was impressed. I found the decor of the ship modern, but elegant in its own way. Entering the ship's Atrium for the first time does provide a "WOW" experience. Alot of money was spent on decor details. It was not, IMO, gaudy. It was not difficult to find one's way around.

In short, both the Noordam and the Carnival Freedom provided excellent cruise experiences!

Thanks for the great and thorough review!

One additional note I would like to add at this time: my comment about the conditon of my veranda was on the Noordam. The veranda on the Freedom was properly cared for.

The verandas on the Noordam were cleaned during one port day, but not really well. Plexiglass was still salt stained.

Sounds like you had a great time on both cruises. Thanks for the comparison.

Thank you for a very thorough review.

Entertainment: Freedom wins! There were more entertainment options to experience on Freedom than I could do so during my 6 days aboard. With the exception of a sole piano player, all--indiviudals, cast shows, musical groups--were excellent. The cast shows on Freedom have a LIVE 8 piece orchestra to provide music while HAL is using canned music. Noordam's lead singers seem to feel the need to SHOUT the lyrics rather than just sing them. I have seen this on my past two HAL cruises and do not understand why they are being told to do this. It is not necessary. The Noordam's cast shows were all enjoyable, except for my above comment, and some of the individual performers were good; one was not. The musical groups I heard all were easy to listen to. However, a sole piano player that performed before 2nd seating dinner in the Crow's Nest had the amplification much too high; it made conversation difficult. The bar tender requested on two different occasions that the guests wanted him to turn the volume down; he refused.

I'm convinced that HAL's Bill Prince has started to lose his hearing (probably by having his IPOD too loud), and insists that the music on the ships be so loud that all the passengers will go deaf, too.

There was one entertainer on Freedom that performed on the 2008 World Cruise aboard the Amsterdam. His show this time was different and just as good as it had been in 2008. There were two late night comedy shows on Freedom, neither of which I was able to attend. By the time I arrived, the lounge was packed with people. Likewise with Freedom's Piano Bar--always lots of people. The Noordam's Piano Bar, on the other hand, had lots of room. (Reason: the performer in each.)

I take it that David was still on the Noordam in the Piano Bar.

Awful. Truly awful.

Thank you for your well presented review. I enjoyed the comparisons.

great comparison review, Just want to ask one question . What was the price difference in the two cruise lines that you reviewed???

Thank you for your thoughtful and balanced review of two ships and two cruise lines.

I have been drawn toward HAL in the past several years but a cruise on a newer Carnvial ship, during certain times of the year (demographics) is comparable in many ways to HAL.

I think Carnival does a better job with fish, but love Hal's escargot:D

I love that you can get a hot breakfast from Hal but also love the Sushi station on the promonade deck on the Fantasy class ships:)

Thanks again for your review, am thinking about the Dream in the next few years:) Love sailing out of Port Canaveral:)

I am SO thankful for your review and comparison. We have sailed on Westerdam and Eurodam (which from what I've read I would say are comparable to Noordam) and will be sailing on Freedom in November. I have been waiting to see something like this.

Thank you!!

Thanks for your review! As you can see from my signature we've mostly sailed with HAL but are trying the Freedom in May. Our main reason for trying something new was the itinerary,Western with our Cozumel or Costa Maya.

How would you compare formal night attire between the two ships? we normally dress up on HAL but I'm afraid we'll be over dressed on the Freedom.

Thanks for your review! As you can see from my signature we've mostly sailed with HAL but are trying the Freedom in May. Our main reason for trying something new was the itinerary,Western with our Cozumel or Costa Maya.

 

How would you compare formal night attire between the two ships? we normally dress up on HAL but I'm afraid we'll be over dressed on the Freedom.

On the first formal night on Freedom, I wore my tux and saw many others who did as well. On the second formal night, because I had chosen to start packing "early", I wore my blue blazer/gray slacks and found many other gentlemen who were also dressed less formally. There were still a few who were in suits or tuxes. But, the 2nd formal night was not as "formal" as Night #1.

This is one of the several reasons I was/am impressed with my Carnival cruise: the demographics were much broader(and it was a Spring-breakers cruise) than I expected and the dress of my fellow cruisers were much more appropriate than what I have seen on--and I will be specific--a Star Princess Caribbean cruise in 2005. On Carnival Freedom, I saw NO ONE in jeans or flip-flops during the evening. I did so see on Star Princess.

great comparison review, Just want to ask one question . What was the price difference in the two cruise lines that you reviewed???

This is a difficult question to answer. When I booked Freedom, I received an upgrade from an 8A to an 8C cabin. I booked Noordam at the same time, but I booked a SY cabin. (My Noordam cabin comments as to size and arrangements are based upon my previous experience with such cabins on Noordam's sister ship, the Zuiderdam.) I received a $100 onboard credit from my travel agent for the SY booking, then, the price dropped, I got the cheaper price and maintained the onboard credit. Interestingly, there was no price reduction from Carnival after I booked. Both bookings took place in August, 2008.

I asked many on both ships when they booked. (One does not ask "what did you pay?") I heard ALOT of within the last two months of sailing and I heard ALOT of "DEALS".

But, on Freedom, I heard a lady who had gotten a "deal" complaining bitterly about the fact that her cabin was on the lowest passenger deck, as far forward as one could go; she did not like on those mornings when we came into port that the bow thrusters' operation got her awake. (For Port Everglades, we arrived around 4:15 A. M.)

David was still there.

It is disappointing that the comments that I have made and that I know that others have made on the end-of-cruise comment forms have not been heeded by Mr. Kruse. There have been problems within the Entertainment Department for the last two-three years. I know I am going to have difficulty in booking another long HAL cruise knowing who the likely Cruise Director is going to be. He is unresponsive to guests' comments/complaints and selects entertainment that is often not appropriate for the audience. To be fair, I have experienced excellent entertainment. But, what has not been good--well--IT WAS NOT GOOD!

There are so many Cruise Directors who are SO good. The men on my Noordam and my Carnival Freedom cruise were excellent!

Maybe it is time to appeal to a higher authority: Mr. Micky Arison.

David was still there.

 

It is disappointing that the comments that I have made and that I know that others have made on the end-of-cruise comment forms have not been heeded by Mr. Kruse. There have been problems within the Entertainment Department for the last two-three years.

I place responsibility for the "entertainment" (such as it is) smack dab in the middle of the desk of Bill Prince. I don't know where he gets his ideas of what HAL cruisers want, but he is far off base.

But, you're right. He has a boss, too, and his boss isn't listening either.

It is interesting that in a couple of these side by side reviews, Carnival has more than held its own. If this price is right, I will try an HAL cruise in the future.

Thank you for the wonderful, detailed and very fair reviews. :) Though I prefer HAL, I'm not one of those who is dead set against Carnival.

Excellent comparison review. I really enjoyed reading it.

Thank you.

MrsLTG...You have a PM from the DIS boards

RKAcruiser...I one day want to have a signature like yours :)

Thank you for this review. It was well written and very objective. Your experience mirrored my two cruises last year, except for the ships' names. We were on the HAL Zuiderdam and the Carnival Splendor. Did you notice any differences between the two lines for excursions or port days? We are now deciding between HAL and Carnival for a December cruise and I am happy to see that I am not the only one that thinks the new Carnival ships can "hold their own." Do you have any comments about the ports you visited? Did you do excursions through the ship or on your own? Thank you again for the review!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cherie

Thank you for the interesting review. We will be sailing on Carnival (Splendor) for the first time in September. This gives me great hope that we will enjoy it!

Robin

Great job RKA on a fair side by side comparison. It's refreshing to read a nice thorough review. See ya over on Inletcam!

Nice review.

In the past two-three years, nearly all cruise lines have become identical with very minor differences here and there. The only lines that haven't are NCL (IMO continued to five in quality of everything) and RCL (taken a much more outdoors adventure approach). Carnival, Princess, HAL, Cunard ... all Carnival lines ... are virtually identical aside from ship decor.

Thanks for the very fair review of your recent sailings. The people who put down CCL should see for themselves the changes which have taken place in recent years. We have 10 cruises on HAL so far and 1 booked, and did the Carnival Miracle Jan. /09, Carnival Freedom Jan./08, and recently the Eurodam Dec./08. A specific comparison is difficult and subjective as everyone's wants, needs and hot buttons are different, but WE will cruise Carnival's longer cruises anytime if itinerary and price are near equal. Just another opinion and the flame suit is nearby. cheers.

rkacruiser,

Thank you very much for sharing your experiences on the two ships.

I am a long-time HAL fan trying the Freedom (first CCL experience) in November this year due to the timing and itinerary. I have heard from several sources that Carnival has tried very hard to upgrade the cruise experience, particualry on the somewhat longer cruises.

I was going with an open mind, and your review makes me look forward to some good fun and some good food too!

Alison:)