Carnival Freedom Review Eastern Route

[htrobaug]

I will post a review through out the next few days. Let me preface by saying my boyfriend and I had bad colds during the cruise so my view is tainted a bit. :(. We both enjoyed the cruise and would have had a better time if we felt better.

 

Pre-cruise we stayed a Hyatt Place out side of IAD. Very good hotel with good service. I was told there was 24 hour shuttle service however there is not. They made it good by paying for a cab at 3:30 a.m. I couldn't ask for any more. The shuttle was waiting for us when we returned last night. A reasonably priced and good place to stay.

 

At 3:30 a.m. we were off to IAD. The security does not open until 4 a.m. We had to go to a different area. It was quick and efficient. Our flight was supposed to leave at 5:30 a.m. During the cab ride, (about five minutes) it started to rain. Not just rain, freezing rain. Needless to say our flight was delayed 1 hour while we de-iced and anti-iced. Hot and uncomfortable in our seats. But we were heading to warmer weather so who cares.

 

We arrived to ATL 1 hour late. It made our layover 45 minutes instead of 1 hour and 45 minutes. Alot of people on our plane missed connecting flights. In ATL there was a great deal of fog. 1 hour late to arrive at FFL. We didn't care because we just had to get to our hotel.

 

Make sure you go a day early in the winter. You never know what will happen.

 

In Fort Lauderdale Dec. 31. :D

 

We went to Holiday Inn Express Conv Center. They are undergoing some construction but I never heard a thing. Our room was directly over the lobby were alot of work was being done and not a sound. We are early risers but even when we were in the room during the day we did not hear a thing.

 

The free shuttle from the airport was called. Her name was Sue. She was very nice and arrived in about 10 minutes. She took us to the hotel and gave us recommendations on things to do in Ft. Lauderdale.

 

We checked in and got to our room.

 

We decided to go for a walk. We walked down to the marina. 20 min walk. There were huge boats. Really interesting. We then walked to Chucks Steakhouse and salad bar. About 5 min walk from hotel. It was really good and great service. I would recommend it.

 

Finally our last stop Dollar tree for suntan lotion, conditioner, cold medicine, etc. We went to the dollar tree a couple of times. 5 min walk from the hotel.

[htrobaug]

I forgot to mention that I got sprinkled by the upsell fairy and choked on the dust. I had room 7435 at the back of the ship which was a balcony. (I spoiled my boyfriend 3 years ago with a balcony and only a balcony will do now). They called on Dec. 29 with the offer and we sailed on Jan 2. The offer was for $1100 more for the penthouse suite and VIP boarding. I countered with $400 and was declined. I could do alot with $1100 so it was not a loss to me. I was very happy with the room we had. It was quiet but you did feel the motion a little more.

[Krissta]

Can't wait to read the rest of your review! :) Thanks for taking the time to write it.

[htrobaug]

OK back to Ft. Lauderdale. The next day we walked to the beach. Approx. 45 min walk. It was nice but was busy. It began to rain and I had my cold so we elected to catch the bus back to the hotel. $1.50 but no change luckily we were two and needed no change.

 

The hotel had no pool.

 

We walked to some of the stores in the area and then finally to dinner. We ate at Georgio's? It was directly across the road from the hotel. The food was just par and the service was terrible. I would not go there again.

 

We set up with the hotel the paid shuttle to the port through a service they recommended. The hotel will pick you up from the airport but not the cruise port.

 

We turned in for the night.

[htrobaug]

The first cruise day.

 

We wake up early and get the complimentary breakfast in the morning. Eggs, yogurt, juice, bacon or sausage, cereal and cinnamon buns. It was fairly good breakfast. Nothing to write home about.

 

We were scheduled for the early shuttle to the cruise port 11:00 a.m. So we went back to the dollar store for any last minute things and then to radio shack for a SD card. The one in our camera did not work but we found out in time to get a new card. Sorry no pictures in this review because the camera still was not working properly and we had to take them the old fashioned way with film.

 

The Shuttle driver showed up to the hotel at 10:30. We paid him $8 pp for the ride to the port and he told us he would take us to the airport for $10pp. We paid our $36 and were all set so we thought. 11:00 came and went, 11:15 came and went, 11:30 came. We were very upset we wanted to be at the port around 11:30. We went up the the guy and he kept making excuses the whole time. At 11:30 we found him hiding out on the street and asked him for our money back. He reluctantly at first but when the mob followed behind finally agreed to give us our money back as well as other people. We talked to a guy that had just used his services to come back from the port and ended up calling a cab. His family had been waiting over 2 hours for the shuttle!!! We were glad we had gotten all of our money back.

 

So we take off on foot. Not an impossible task but we are light packers. Only carry on lugguage and a 12-pack of pepsi. We made it at around 12:15 maybe 12:30.

[htrobaug]

Please keep in mind that when we took off on foot it was only maybe 72 degrees and a very pleasant day. I would not recommend to walk to anyone with any limitations or much luggage. It is amazing what you will do when you just want to get on a ship. I do remember it was 12:16 because we were selected for the embarkation test to see how long it took for us to go through. We were still very early for getting on. Embarkation was a breeze. On the ship by 1:15.

 

We went to our room which was still being cleaned and dropped off out bags with permission from Arya? the best room steward on the ship. I would not recommend going in until the posted 1:30 time however. You could tell we were in the way and they were just trying to do their job. They were really nice though.

 

Up to the Lido deck for my first Reuben I thought but instead remembered the reviews of the mongolian grill. I went to the grill and had beef and vegatables with the black bean sauce. It was really salty and I didn't find it very good at all. I am however very salt sensitive and I do not like to add any salt to food. So it may just be my taste. The first day there was no line but I am glad that I didn't wait for my meal.

 

More later

[Mestiza Queen]

Eagerly awaiting the rest of your review! Boo for the shuttle driver - so glad you called him out and got your money back.

[htrobaug]

We hung out on the Lido deck and went up to the serenity area. It was really a nice area and we enjoyed the quiet. More on the problems with the serenity area later. At this point we loved it.

 

We went to the muster drill. We were among the first to arrive so we could stand next to the wall. We waited and waited and waited. Finally they started to give all of the information in spanish. Then we wait and finally get the info in english. The english took less time so I am not sure what we missed that the Spainish received. We waited and waited and waited. Finally the captain gets on the intercom and says his precanned thing of when you hear the horn sound you are free to go.

 

That is when the action happened. This older maybe mid 70's lady that was standing next to my boyfriend passes out. He didn't realize what was happening until she had already hit the floor next to me. I also did not realize it happened so quick. She hit her head pretty hard. My boyfriend can whistle really loud and got the attention of the people on hand. Meanwhile still waiting on the horn. A lady behind us said she was a doctor and for all of us to let her have air and get away from her. Still waiting on the horn. One of the people helping with the muster had a phone and dialed something. Finally a little beep like thing. They told us to clear. So everyone tried to clear out of the way.

 

We later saw the lady and she said that she only had a bump on the head and a scrape on her arm. We were so glad that she was all right.

 

We went to our room to get ready for our first dinner in the dining room when I remembered that I needed to go talk to the Matri 'd to get a table for 2. We rushed down and he approved our request. We were so happy.

[Dennislee2]

Sorry to hear you both were :( under the weather. That's always a fear on any vacation.

 

Looking forward to the rest of the review. :)

[htrobaug]

I am mistaken. We went back to the room to prepare for our meal in the steakhouse. We then received a call that in order for the steak house to open there had to be at least 12 guest reserved for the evening and we were the only ones. The said that we had to reschedule. We rescheduled for the night of Antiqua. So instead of going to the steak house we prepared for the dining room.

 

We went to the dining room at 6 and had the grilled flat iron steak. It was good but I am a person that does not want sauce on my steak. The first night there was a gravy on the steak. It was OK but not good. I just like the flavor of the meat.

 

After dinner we went back to the room and off to bed shortly after because we were sick and exhusted.

[htrobaug]

Our first day at sea.

 

We went to breakfast at 5:30 to find that it didn't open until 6 for cereal and 7 for the hot food. So we waited until 7 to get our first omelet of the cruise. It was good but not anything great.

 

After breakfast we went up to the serenity area and we got a lounge with the canopy. We spent a great deal of the day relaxing in the lounge. I fell asleep and when I woke my boyfriend was missing. I waited about 45 minutes and then went to find him. So we lost the chair in about 5 seconds. I understood they were in high demand the entire trip and we had it for half of the day.

 

I went to the shopping talk while my boyfriend lounged for a while. Then we went to lunch. I had my first Reuben of the cruise. It was really good.

 

We didn't do many of the activities because we were just trying to get away and relax. We looked around the ship and lounged some more then we went back to the room.

 

We prepared for our first elegant night. I had the prime rib and my boyfriend had the prime rib and the flat iron steak. Can you tell he likes steak. He actually preferred the flat iron steak. I however preferred the prime rib.

 

We then went to our first show. It was the Vegas style show. Sorry I can't remember the name right now. I have been to very nice dinner theaters and The Kennedy Center in DC for broadway style shows. I guess this ruined me. The show was OK but not great. The costumes were really nice but the singing was not the best.

 

We then went back to the room to turn in for the evening.

[htrobaug]

The second day at sea/ San Juan

 

By the way this review is just what I remember. I did not keep a journal so I may get out of sequence once in a while. Please forgive me if I do.

 

We went up for breakfast at around 6:30 and had our second omelet.

 

We then relaxed on deck. We also went to the casino to deposit 2 quarters. We won our 2 quarters back and lost them. That was the extent of our gambling. On deck 5 down from the casino is a really nice place to relax and get away from all of the noise. It is quiet and you can just people watch.

 

We went to get a hot ham and cheese and lido buffet for lunch. Spent the rest of the day relaxing.

 

When the ship docked in San Juan we were told that the stores would only be open for 2 hours. I had not set up an excursion so we decided to stay on the ship and got to the dining room. It was open seating in the Posh dining room. We had been in the Chic dining room all other evenings. We sat with a nice family from Georgia.

 

Here is where it went wrong for an evening. We had the Ceasar salad and the New York strip for dinner. Both my boyfriend and myself. The steak had a sauce on it that I could have done with out. We did not feel very well later that evening. So we went back to the room and went to bed. We woke up the next morning very sick feeling but I had set up a private sailing on the Jolly Mon.

 

We went to the dining room and had pancakes to try to make us feel better. No luck and we were really sick. We went down the pier in front of the ship to wait for Gail to pick us up. She was there in about 2 minutes in a dinging and took us out to the beautiful Jolly Mon. I was very sick. I am not normally a person who gets sea sick.

 

We board the Jolly Mon and head out for our sail. We went to Buck Island. There were two other snorkel excursions there but they left after about half an hour. When the other boats saw that it was just 4 of us on the boat we had people yelling over can we ride with you? They were packed in like sardines. I was so sick I could not even get into the water. My boyfriend got into the water and took some pictures and snorkeled some. He got back on to the boat and proceeded to also get sick. It was really unfortunate. The green sea turtles came up to the boat for air many many times and were just off the side of the boat. That made the experience better.

 

We felt really bad. Gail had made us a beautiful lunch and deviled eggs for an appitizer. As well as dessert. We were both so sick we could not eat a thing. We sipped on our coke that she provided and just tried to relax.

 

We sailed back to the ship it was so peaceful and quiet. I was feeling some better on the ride back so I was able to partially enjoy that. I would definatly book with Gail again and do the trip again. Just no Ceasar salad the night before.

[htrobaug]

By the way the Jolly Mon was in St. Thomas.

[htrobaug]

If you would like to go to the Jolly Mon web site here is the link. http://www.jollymonstthomas.com/

 

I really enjoyed the trip even though we were sick.

[htrobaug]

We did not eat dinner the night of St. Thomas after feeling so ill all day. So we went up to the secret door and watched the sail away. That was always a blast and after St. Thomas we did it every time we left a port. It was nicer than being on the balcony because you could see both sides of the ship.

 

Next stop Antigua.

 

I had booked online the Segway Tour http://www.segwayantigua.com/ This was a great tour. Antigua was really neat to me because I am an animal lover. There were little dogs; mutts really, horses and cattle roaming all over. I have a farm so it was neat to see the cattle.

 

I have to start by saying we were supposed to be at the pier by 8. I called down to guest services and asked what time it was on land. They said the same as us. So at 7:15 I said lets go down because we want to be extra early. When there was no Segway waiting I got a bad feeling. Even though we were really early. I went to the information area and asked what time is it? They said 8:20. I said please say you are kidding me. He said no. I said I was supposed to meet a lady for a Segway tour here. He said yes she was just here a little while ago. My heart sank. We missed our tour. I had the information guy call the tour just in case we had a chance. Good news!!! She was still looking for us and she brought her own private vehicle to pick us up. This was way above customer service. I could not believe we were just out of the trip. She came and picked us up and took us to the headquarters where a family of 5 had already watched a safety video and were trying out the Segways. She told us all we could do is watch the safety video and we would be taught about the segway at the tour sight. That was fine with us we were just glad that we made it. We watched the video and then loaded in to a big van type taxi. We were off to the tour.

 

There was an asphalt area that we practiced for about 10 min to get used to the Segways. This was so much fun. I thought that I would have a problem because I can't balance on my own two feet very well much less on two wheels. It was a breeze. We went on our tour and saw native trees, ate what looked like honey locust pods, and sugar cane at various spots. It was good to relax. They then gave us a water break, showed us a fort, and then gave us time to run all over an open grass area. We could run the Segways as fast as we wanted. They will go between 11 and 12 MPH. We saw some very beautiful views of the ocean and the island. St. Thomas is my first love but Antigua is right at the top of the list.

 

After the Segway tour the guide gave us an hour at the beach and a free drink from Millers? I had fruit punch and my boyfriend had a coke. We relaxed and went down to feel the water. The sand is really soft. Not as coarse as some places. The water was great. We went back to the canopy area where you could get food if you like, and rested until the taxi came back for us. The taxi was paid by the tour company so we didn't have to worry about carrying alot of taxi money. We had a nice ride back to the shopping area. We went to Diamond International to get our free charm for our 8 year old niece. She seems to enjoy them. We then went back to the ship.

[htrobaug]

We ate lunch when we returned and I went back out to shop by myself while my boyfriend caught a nap. Once I returned I got ready for sail away. My boyfriend was still under the weather so he stayed in the room and rested. He chose not to eat dinner that night as well. I went up to watch sail away and talked to some really nice people. Sail away was at 6 so I had to leave a little early so that I could make it to dinner.

 

I went to dinner. I had the duck for an appitizer, soup I think and I can't remember my entree. It was all very good. On this cruise there were very few things that I felt like I had to have more as far as food. I think that I had the warm chocolate melting cake for dessert this evening. It was good but not spectacular. I went back to the room to relax on the balcony and then turn in for the night.

[Krissta]

Thank you so much for posting such a detailed review of the Segway tour, as we have booked that for Antigua as well. Sounds like such fun!

[boaterette]

Wow. It sounds like being sick really did put a damper on your cruise. That is too bad. I hope your next one is a lot better.

[htrobaug]

Next Tortola.

 

This was a beautiful island however it was really steep. We thought about renting scooters to run around the island, but we felt that they would not pull the hills with just a 125 motor and it was to dangerous. We walked to town and shopped in the areas for a little while. It was funny, when we first got out of the pier area tours cost $15 for a tour around the island. I jokingly said by the time we get to town it will be $10. Sure enough by the time we got closer to the open tent market we could go on a tour for $10. We decided not to do a tour. We looked all around the market area and went through a few stores. We went to the spice store recommended by the cruise ship. I felt that the prices were a little high and I was concerned about being able to get the spices on the plane. I therefore chose not to buy anything.

 

We went back to the boat and then went to the secret door to watch sail away. It was beautiful however a storm was moving in. You could see the dark clouds moving in over the island. There were so many boats moving in to the harbor. I guess it was to get out of the storm.

[htrobaug]

The next day was our day at sea.

 

We got up early and went to breakfast. We then went up on deck to sun for a little while. I decided to go to the art auction. I went to the one earlier in the week. They all seem to be the same but you do receive a small piece of art if you stay for the whole thing. It is from 1 p.m.-3p.m. Alot of people don't want to invest that much of their day to the auction. I think that they should use the word auction loosely. It really is an art sale. They make believe that it is an auction however they tell you the minimum price. I understand that they can't lose money but call it an art sale not an auction. They most of the time have more than one and anyone in the room that is interested just needs to see one of the workers and they can receive a print. Don't get me wrong, I have purchased some art that I really loved but most of it is not unique. They have some 1 of a kind things for a fairly high price. I found one Peter Max that I thought about purchasing but I could not justify the price. If you love art, go to the auction.

 

This was the next formal night. When I was done at the auction I went to find my boyfriend. He is not into art. We went on deck for a while and then got prepared for dinner. He had the flat iron steak and I don't remember what I had. He had baked alaska and I had something chocolate. It was good.

[htrobaug]

The next day was our day at the Nassau. We just shopped at this port. The port has the most beautiful blue green water. I can't explain how beautiful it was. We went around the port area and we were going to swim with the dolphins. We got a weather report and found out that a storm was going to be in the Bahama's when we were there. We decided against any excursion because of the weather. There were really neat stores and we went to DI to get our charm for our niece. We then went to Del Sol to get a hat for my boyfriend's dad. This was our only purchase the entire cruise. We just didn't find anything we could not live without. My boyfriends father was very ill and we thought the hat would cheer him up. By the time we finished shopping and were walking to the ship the wind started to pick up. It was extremely windy, my boyfriends hat blew off. We retrieved it after chasing it for a few yards. By the time we got to the ship it was beginning to rain. It did not ruin our trop but some people were really disappointed with their excursions. We went out to the secret deck to get pictures of lighthouses at the entrance of the harbor and a few houses. We just did make it before the down pour.

 

This was our last night of the cruise. I was so sad that it went by so fast. We went to dinner and tipped the waiter and waitress a little extra. We also tipped the room steward extra. The room steward was the best.

 

The next morning we did the self disembarkation. It went very smoothly and we were at the airport by 7:15 a.m.

 

We just caught a taxi out side of the ship and it cost $15 for the two of us. Much cheaper than the bus from the original driver at the hotel. I am still glad we got our money back from him.

[htrobaug]

Some little side notes that I remembered-

 

The serenity area was really nice. However my boyfriend could not sleep one night because I was talking to much in my sleep. He decided where better than the serenity area to go to catch a nap. He got into one of the canopy loungers and was trying to go to sleep. When all of the sudden he hears teenagers get into the canopy loungers on either side of the one he was in. No big deal as long as they are respectful. Much to his surprise the teenagers began to recreate in the loungers beside of him :eek::eek::eek::eek:. He began to think what happend in this lounger a little while ago. He decided to go back to our balcony to get some rest. He is a really good judge of age because he works at a college. I asked him are you sure it wasn't college kids. He said he was positive it was teenagers. What a perfect place for them to go to while their parents sleep. So a warning to the parents about the private area.

 

On a better note. One night when my boyfriend was out on the balcony when we were going by the Dominican Republic my boyfriend saw a whale breach. I thought he was dreaming. However when we went on the Jolly Mon Gayle said that the humpback whales were having their young this time of year in that area. She said that he more than likely did see a whale. Unfortunatley the horrible earthquake hit so I am not sure if the whales would still be in that area. My thoughts and prayers are with all of the people in Haiti.

 

If anyone has questions I will be happy to tell you what I remember. I loved the Jolly Mon and the Segway tour. The food was good. The room was great. We did feel the motion a little more on this cruise but the water seemed rougher. It is hard to say if it was the location of the room or just the ocean.

[Nanatravel]

Thank you for your detailed review. Hope you both are feeling better.

 

Could you kindly tell us where the "Secret Door" is located on which deck forward or aft? We sail on the CCL Freedom in 5 weeks.

 

Can't wait.

[htrobaug]

The best secret door is all the way forward. The one we used was on the Lido deck or deck 9. It is on the port side or left side of the ship. There is also a door on 7 and 8. I think below 7 is for crew members only. The 9th deck is the best because it is over the main bridge of the ship so it goes out past the sides of the ship. From the 9th floor you can access the area on the 10th. Very few people go to this area. We only saw maybe as many as 10 people on one day. It is really nice and I highly recommend going out there. A word of warning. The winds are very heavy when you go through the door. You don't notice it when the ship is docked but as you start to move of course the winds start.

 

I hope this helps.

[manonreal]

We did not eat dinner the night of St. Thomas after feeling so ill all day. So we went up to the secret door and watched the sail away. That was always a blast and after St. Thomas we did it every time we left a port. It was nicer than being on the balcony because you could see both sides of the ship.

 

Next stop Antigua.

 

I had booked online the Segway Tour http://www.segwayantigua.com/ This was a great tour. Antigua was really neat to me because I am an animal lover. There were little dogs; mutts really, horses and cattle roaming all over. I have a farm so it was neat to see the cattle.

 

I have to start by saying we were supposed to be at the pier by 8. I called down to guest services and asked what time it was on land. They said the same as us. So at 7:15 I said lets go down because we want to be extra early. When there was no Segway waiting I got a bad feeling. Even though we were really early. I went to the information area and asked what time is it? They said 8:20. I said please say you are kidding me. He said no. I said I was supposed to meet a lady for a Segway tour here. He said yes she was just here a little while ago. My heart sank. We missed our tour. I had the information guy call the tour just in case we had a chance. Good news!!! She was still looking for us and she brought her own private vehicle to pick us up. This was way above customer service. I could not believe we were just out of the trip. She came and picked us up and took us to the headquarters where a family of 5 had already watched a safety video and were trying out the Segways. She told us all we could do is watch the safety video and we would be taught about the segway at the tour sight. That was fine with us we were just glad that we made it. We watched the video and then loaded in to a big van type taxi. We were off to the tour.

 

There was an asphalt area that we practiced for about 10 min to get used to the Segways. This was so much fun. I thought that I would have a problem because I can't balance on my own two feet very well much less on two wheels. It was a breeze. We went on our tour and saw native trees, ate what looked like honey locust pods, and sugar cane at various spots. It was good to relax. They then gave us a water break, showed us a fort, and then gave us time to run all over an open grass area. We could run the Segways as fast as we wanted. They will go between 11 and 12 MPH. We saw some very beautiful views of the ocean and the island. St. Thomas is my first love but Antigua is right at the top of the list.

 

After the Segway tour the guide gave us an hour at the beach and a free drink from Millers? I had fruit punch and my boyfriend had a coke. We relaxed and went down to feel the water. The sand is really soft. Not as coarse as some places. The water was great. We went back to the canopy area where you could get food if you like, and rested until the taxi came back for us. The taxi was paid by the tour company so we didn't have to worry about carrying alot of taxi money. We had a nice ride back to the shopping area. We went to Diamond International to get our free charm for our 8 year old niece. She seems to enjoy them. We then went back to the ship.

 

 

Sorry but this will be my first cruise, where is the secret door!!!!