The World's Longest Carnival Freedom Pictorial Review! Feb. 13-21

[Nicole721]

Stephanie and I went back to our room and organized the closets a bit more since we just kind of threw our clothes in there the day before. Room service came pretty promptly with our food. Stephanie ordered a turkey sandwich, I ordered a veggie plate (which had an amazing variety of crunchy veggies...much bigger and different than the previous ones I'd had on other ships) and a beef and brie sandwich (were were consistently delish throughout the week and that I frequently crave now at home) and we had a grilled cheese sandwich delivered to our room for grandma. The grilled cheese, for whatever reason, is made with mayo on it. Grandma had them omit it, but if you aren't a fan of the stuff, remember to ask them to leave it off. Mom ended up running up to the grill and grabbing a hot dog.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We munched on our late lunch, watched the Princess Diaries II and rested up before it was time to get ready for our elegant evening. There were SO many things we wanted to do and we needed all the rest we could get if we were to get everything done.

[Nicole721]

When the Princess Diaries II finished, we started getting ready for our elegant evening. Now, usually we'd be running super late trying to make it over to the Captain's Cocktail Party, but that's since fallen by the wayside in favor of a cocktail hour on the promenade bars where drinks are $1 off and a farewell party later in the week. I liked this change a lot (and I'll touch on it more when I get to our last night when we went to the farewell party). It allowed us more time to get ready and I thought the farewell party was much nicer than the cocktail party ever was.

 

So after we got ready, Stephanie and I went out to the little deck in front of our room to take our obligatory formal wear pictures and then we headed down to the disco bar for some drinks. I think we had few rounds of vodka cranberries in the nearly empty disco before heading off to dinner.

 

 

 

 

When we got to dinner, there were Mardi Gras beads decorating the table. I thought the touch was adorable, but unfortunately, all it did was serve to remind us that Mardi Gras was going on and the entertainment staff had planned nothing to celebrate it. In addition to that, this was opening week of the Olympics and that wasn't even acknowledged, either. They didn't even air some of the events on the big screen when nothing else was being played. Oh, and let's not forget it was Valentines Day and they didn't acknowledge that, either. I thought these were three big missed opportunities by the entertainment staff to really get creative and make some fun and they just decided not to. I mean, come on. Mardi Gras! Have a deck party or something! On our last trip on the Miracle, we had two or three deck parties! Play some music, host some games, throw out some beads. Do *something*.

 

[Nicole721]

Dinner tonight was fantastic on the overall. Really, I can't say enough how tasty the MDR food was this week and just how amazing our dining staff were. If we liked something, they were quick to ask if we'd like another, always great with the suggestions, always addressed us by our names and remembered our preferences and both of them were just so pleasant to talk to. We all started with the Baked Stuffed White Mushrooms (spinach, Romano cheese and fine herbs) and they were sooooo good but so very rich. Even though we sit alone at dinner, we almost always make friends with neighboring tables and the table next to us saw the mushrooms and all had to have their server go get them some just because they looked so good. I'm telling you guys...these are amazing. Order them from the get-go.

 

Baked Stuffed White Mushrooms

 

Mom also had her usual starters of shrimp cocktail and a caesar salad. She thinks that the shrimp get progressively smaller with each trip we take. Stephanie ordered the Greek Farmer Salad (Iceberg lettuce, cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, olives and feta cheese, tossed with vinaigrette) for her salad course. This salad has been on the menu for a few years and it seems to change each time (it also used to be served with chicken kebobs, but those were cut a year or so ago when they began cutting the proteins out of the salads). Stephanie thought it was just okay, but that there were too many green olives overpowering the flavor. I ordered the Strawberry Bisque and it was just as amazing as it always is. It's poured tableside (nice touch, Carnival, but entirely unnecessary) and it's really just like a thinner, more flavorful strawberry milkshake with lots of mint.

 

Shrimp Cocktail

 

Caesar Salad

 

Greek Farmer Salad

 

Strawberry Bisque

[Nicole721]

For her main course, Mom had the Duet of Broiled Maine Lobster Tail and Grilled Jumbo Black Tiger Shrimp (Yukon Gold potato mash and roasted broccoli florets) and Mom thought it was just fantastic...one of the best she'd ever had in the MDR. Bawa offered to bring her another, but she was more than full with the one since she thought it was bigger than the ones she'd had in the past few years.

 

Duet of Broiled Maine Lobster Tail and Grilled Jumbo Black Tiger Shrimp

 

Stephanie and I both ordered the Tender Roasted Prime Rib of American Beef au Jus (Cooked to perfection, Baked potato with traditional accompaniments) and the best thing I can say about it is that Stephanie is *not* a steak or meat person at all and she really, really enjoyed it. I thought it was the best prime rib I'd ever had on board. It wasn't all that fatty, the meat was tender and so flavorful. I'm honestly getting hungry just remembering it LOL. After they bring your plate, one of your servers comes around with a tray of au jus, horseradish, sour cream and bacon bits and will prepare your plate to your liking. Me? Au jus and lots of horseradish.

 

Tender Roasted Prime Rib of American Beef au Jus

 

 

Bawa had told us that tonight would be a special night because it was Valentines Day and they had prepared a special dessert for us. The "special dessert" was a gorgeous heart-shaped flourless chocolate cake. It was rich, it was chocolatey and it was sinfully delicious. I really only got a few bites in because I was so full and it was so rich, but it was just amazing. Along with our special dessert, we were given red carnations. The dining staff really went above and beyond to make this a festive day with both Mardi Gras and Valentine's Day and it really made for a fun evening, but it just highlighted the lacksidasical nature of the entertainment staff, who didn't acknowledge or plan for either of these events.

 

Valentines Day Dessert

 

[Nicole721]

After dinner, we headed back to the rooms so Stephanie could change and to take grandma to dinner. I was wearing these gorgeous new shoes that I'm totally in love with but totally couldn't walk in anymore (four inch heels don't mesh with rocky seas) so I took 'em off on the way back to the room thinking that there wouldn't be any broken glass on the carpeting. Later in the week, I saw lots of broken glass on the carpet, so do as I say, not as I do: don't take your shoes off and walk barefoot. No shards up the foot this time, but you never know with the next time.

 

 

 

Stephanie went off to the Victoriana to get seats for the show and I went with Mom and grandma up to the Lido deck. Grandma made friends with the Lido restaurant manager, Virgil, and she would come over and talk with us every time she saw us up on deck. Virgil had recently lost her mother and her grandmother wasn't doing too well (Virgil was actually leaving to go see her a week or two after we debarked) and I think grandma made her feel more connected to her family. People like her are the reason I can never really say enough good things about the staff on the boat. Anything we wanted up on Lido, Virgil would make sure we had. She would come and chat with us whenever she saw us, address us by name...outside of the entertainment staff, I really can't say enough good things about the staff around the rest of the ship.

 

As for grandma's dinner, she had steak for dinner. For real. They had flat iron steaks up on the Lido deck (along with most of the other foods that were served in the MDR that evening). They weren't cooked to order (you could choose from medium-rare or medium-well), but I thought it was a nice touch that people who don't want to get dressed up for dinner can still get a steak and a really good dinner with lots of options up on the Lido deck in a more casual environment.

 

Mom and grandma hung around the Lido and chatted with Virgil for awhile and we made plans for them to meet us for the second show (Stephanie and I like to see the big production shows twice...so you can only imagine how many times we've seen Ticket to Ride LOL). I went back to the room and changed into something more casual and headed off to the theater.

 

 

The Victoriana Lounge is probably the largest at-sea theater we'd ever been in. Huge. And it's just stunning, with blue tones and a breathtaking chandelier. There's always something to look at in the public areas on Carnival ships, but in the theaters in particular, I could just spend hours looking at everything. Even on the Miracle, where I've spent countless hours in the Phantom Lounge and seen dozens of shows, I can find something new every time I'm there.

 

 

[Nicole721]

The show tonight was one we'd never seen before, The Big Easy, and it was all about the music and influences of New Orleans. The show started kind of slowly but it really picks up in the middle of it. The dancing and choreography was just amazing and the singers (Sam Boyers and Bobby Broughton) were probably the best duo we've seen at sea. And not only were they fantastic singers, they were AMAZING dancers! Really. Normally, they kind of adjust the choreography for the singers, but these singers kept up with the dancers and the normal choreography. It was a really fun show. What was kind of annoying, though, was CD Felipe's pre-recorded pre-show spiel so he could sit and flirt with his girlfriend instead of introducing the show. That and more missed opportunities to celebrate Mardi Gras. They didn't even mention it.

 

 

Mom and grandma met up with us to see the second show and I ran back to the room to take my contacts out because my eyes felt like they'd been scrubbed with sandpaper (the air on the boat was insanely dry all week long). When I got back to the room, waiting on Stephanie's bed, was the last part of our Valentine's Day surprise from Mom- two pink roses.

 

 

We walked around and looked in the shops for a bit after the show and we ultimately ended up at the Midnight Bites area to have some nibbles and listen to some of the live music coming from the casino (where they had some really great live performances all week long that drew a lot of crowds).

 

 

The boat was really rocking. It wasn't storming out, but we were stuck in rough seas all week. A lot of people were just really sick all week. I was sleepy all week and grandma could barely keep her eyes open so we took her back to the room and then headed back out to the promenade. I heard the opening notes to Tik Tok playing as we walked past the disco and dragged Mom and Stephanie in with me.

 

 

 

We headed off to the piano bar after that, but we really didn't spend much time in there because it was super crowded every time we were there. And then Sweet Caroline came on (and Glee kind of ruined that song for me), so we left and went strolling again. We ended up at the pizzeria around 1:30 am and grabbed some pizza. It was the first and last slice I had all week. Just wasn't good. I don't know what it was, but it didn't taste like the pizza I'm used to on Carnival. Hopefully, it was just isolated to that ship and this voyage.

 

 

We missed the last movie showing on the big screen (Angels and Demons), so we just headed back to the room and watched some TV and made plans for the next day. We'd be docked in Cozumel tomorrow and though I wanted to go to the beach (which if you know me, you'll know I almost never want to do since most beaches gross me out, but the last time we were in Cozumel, we had an amazing day at Playa Mia) I was overruled and we were just going to kind of play the day by ear. Mom and Stephanie wanted to find a pharmacy downtown, I wanted to find some sangria and the rest? That was up to whatever the day brought.

[Nicole721]

Today's Lido lunch menus:

 

 

 

 

Today's Lido dinner menu:

 

[brnsnbrws]

New installment now up on Nicole's blog. Great review, keep it coming!

[Ashpalo]

Nicole,

 

Great bit on Cozumel! Your pictures are amazing!!! Thanks for posting the pic of the taxi fares. I know a lot of people will appreciate that. You should post it on the Cozumel board (if it's not too much trouble for you).

 

Thanks again for your review - it's what gets me by until my next cruise!!!

 

Ashley :)

[nobody000]

It has been a great read...thank you very much.

[lawskool10]

Ahhh. Pancho's Backyard. I've been there twice and loved it each time.

[banilla]

Great Review.

I was just wondering (probably asked before but I cant seem to find it)

what type of camera do you use???? Awesome PICS...very inspiring.

[Lyn2005]

Enjoying your review sooo much! One quick question, when you were at Los Cinco Soles did you notice if they sell vanilla? Other than visiting some bars our only other interest is picking up vanilla, have been out of it for a while. Thanks!

[frazzledrazzle16]

Enjoying your review sooo much! One quick question, when you were at Los Cinco Soles did you notice if they sell vanilla? Other than visiting some bars our only other interest is picking up vanilla, have been out of it for a while. Thanks!

 

I'll try answering this one since I bought it. LOL

Yes, we picked up some vanilla from Los Cinco Soles. I was really surprised at how inexpensive it was, so I didn't think it was going to be good quality. I finally got around to using it this week and it was great! It is very strong too so I found myself using a little less than I would with the regular stuff we use. I wish I would have purchased the bigger bottle now that I know how good it is!

[Lyn2005]

Thanks! Sounds like it's an easy place to find since we won't be doing tours that day.

[Nicole721]

Th latest installment is up on Nicole's blog. Great review.

 

Thanks for bringing it over for me :) And glad you liked it!

 

My family and I LOVE your reviews! :) We went on the Miracle last summer, and read your review before, I recognized lots haha.

 

Thank you! I'm so glad they've been helpful!

 

One thiing they did on lido deck made no sense.

 

They would put out french toast and pancakes under food warmer about 45 minutes before they opened.

 

The first ones to get it would get a rather crunchy pancake.

 

Caused us to go to the DR several times for fresher food.

 

Overall thought the food to be very good. Lunch was one of the better experiences on the lido deck. Only complaint was some of the breakfast stuff.

 

I think with lunch, we've been on so many cruises the past few years that the offerings are all the same now and we're just kind of bored with them. That and the fact we could almost never find a table for lunch. Most days, we ended up grabbing something from the grill or ordering room service.

 

I think our biggest (and probably only real significant) complaints from the week were really the entertainment staff, chair hogging and the problems with overcrowding in the lido restaurant and inconsistent quality of the food up there.

[Nicole721]

I'm really enjoying your review Nicole! I check every day for a new installment.

 

Your hair looks great by the way!

 

Ahhh thanks! I had it done right before we left :P

 

We are going on the Freedom June 4th. I am enjoying your review. I to have a Nikon, mine is the D90 and I love it. My hubby has the D50. How did you get the photos of the "blurred" lights?? I also scrapbook and I want to use the photos for a title page for the ship. Thanks!

 

BTW: Next time your in Atlanta go to The World Of Coke!! It is something to see and I don't even like Coke. I go every time we are there.

 

I have not one complaint with the camera...ever since I made the switch over to DSLR, every complaint I had with my P&S pictures was resolved. My Nikon is my baby (well, my Nikon and my Roberto Cavalli shoes :P).

 

To get the blurred lights, turn the switch on the lens from autofocus to manual focus and adjust the manual focus ring on the end of the lens until the lights blur. If you Google how to make bokeh, it'll give you some better instructions (that's how I learned :D)

 

Stephanie pesters me to go with her to the World of Coke museum every time we're in Atlanta. I'm not going there with her until she goes to the Atlanta Zoo to see the panda bears with me ;)

 

Waiting for next installment. Where are you Nicole? Can't wait to read more.

 

Blahhh I'm sorry. I've been so busy. We're kinda sorta maybe planning another cruise that may or may not leave in less than two months and we're doing a lot of preliminary research and planning so we can try to book it this week or next. And some of my friends are home on spring break. But I'm going to try to get two full parts (or four small parts) up this week. That's my goal :D

[Nicole721]

New installment now up on Nicole's blog. Great review, keep it coming!

 

Will do :)

 

Nicole,

 

Great bit on Cozumel! Your pictures are amazing!!! Thanks for posting the pic of the taxi fares. I know a lot of people will appreciate that. You should post it on the Cozumel board (if it's not too much trouble for you).

 

Thanks again for your review - it's what gets me by until my next cruise!!!

 

Ashley :)

 

Thanks (again), Ashley :) I'll be sure to post that over on the Cozumel thread this week :D

 

It has been a great read...thank you very much.

 

So glad you enjoyed it! :)

[Nicole721]

Ahhh. Pancho's Backyard. I've been there twice and loved it each time.

 

Best sangria I've ever had (and I make a pretty mean sangria myself :P). A bit pricey for a glass, but it was a pretty big glass...

 

Great Review.

I was just wondering (probably asked before but I cant seem to find it)

what type of camera do you use???? Awesome PICS...very inspiring.

 

I shoot with a Nikon D60 :)

 

Enjoying your review sooo much! One quick question, when you were at Los Cinco Soles did you notice if they sell vanilla? Other than visiting some bars our only other interest is picking up vanilla, have been out of it for a while. Thanks!

 

/facepalm

 

The one obvious thing is the one thing I forget to mention.

 

Yes, they definitely had vanilla, but so did every other souvenir store. They have their own brand, though, and like Steph said, it is pretty darn good!

[flyingb]

Hello Cruise Critic! It's me again, back from another AMAZING cruise and ready for another super-long review, chock full of pictures.

 

Some background...I'm Nicole. I'm 24. I'm a writer and I'm just starting to get into photography. I travel with my sister Stephanie (who posts under the name FrazzledRazzle or something like that), my Mom and my grandma. We're all obsessed with cruising. Our favorite ship is the Miracle (as evidenced in my signature ;) ) and we'll be platinum the cruise after next. My favorite onboard activity is afternoon tea, I'll watch every production show twice, a cruise doesn't start until I have an umbrella drink in my hand, I take pictures of everything I eat (and every menu I find) and I have (and will post) all of the Capers from this trip.

 

I've been posting my last few reviews at my blog just because there's so many pictures. Stephanie tells me I should start posting them in the post, too, to make things easier for people to comment on or ask questions about, but CC only allows six pictures per post. So, I can do a few things. I can continue just posting on the blog as I did before, I can post just the text parts of the review here, or I can post it here and on the blog in all of it's pictorial glory and if you don't mind reading it in short bursts, you can read it here and if you want to sneak ahead and read it in full, you can read it on the blog. I'm leaning towards the latter and we'll see how it works :)

 

The first part of the review is up at my blog. It's all of background and planning stuff and a mega picspam of the Gaylord Opryland. I'm not going to post that here because it's a lot of pictures unrelated to cruising (even though it was a part of our experience), but I'll get another part up tonight because I *really* want to get to the cruise part! You can find part one here: http://sunglassesandumbrelladrinks.blogspot.com/2010/02/worlds-longest-freedom-review-part-1.html

 

Anyways, if anyone has any questions, feel free to ask and I'll make sure to include it in the review :)

 

-Nicole :)

 

Please don't wait too long, we sail on Apr. 10 and would like to see the pics. Welcome home and hope you will soon sail again! :D

Luv's Crusin'

[tweety33]

Luv's Crusin', please join us on the roll call for Freedom 4/10, there are about 81 of us friendly folks who have met on here, & become friends, join in.:)

[CruiseVacationQueen]

Thanks for such a detailed review! I can hardly wait to try the roast beef sandwich from room service... looks super-yummy in your fabulous photo! Looking forward to seeing and reading more!

 

Yes, Luv's Crusin'... do check in at our roll-call found here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=987681&page=75

[sailingawaysoon]

Missing your installments Nicole...can't wait to continue where I left off. Did you plan another cruise? If so, which ship?

[Nicole721]

The second half of part seven is up!

 

http://sunglassesandumbrelladrinks.blogspot.com/2010/03/worlds-longest-freedom-review-part-72.html

 

Please don't wait too long' date=' we sail on Apr. 10 and would like to see the pics. Welcome home and hope you will soon sail again! :D

Luv's Crusin'[/quote']

 

Thanks! :)

 

And I'm workin' on it :D Hope you have a fantastic cruise!

 

Thanks for such a detailed review! I can hardly wait to try the roast beef sandwich from room service... looks super-yummy in your fabulous photo! Looking forward to seeing and reading more!

 

Yes, Luv's Crusin'... do check in at our roll-call found here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=987681&page=75

 

Mmmmm it's soooo good! :)

 

Missing your installments Nicole...can't wait to continue where I left off. Did you plan another cruise? If so, which ship?

 

We're hoping to book it this week. I'm hoping the rooms we wanted are still available...and then I'll post which one (don't want to jinx it!). Keep your fingers crossed for us!

[sailingawaysoon]

Thanks Nicole for the latest installment. I was getting worried about you because I hadn't seen anything in awhile. I love your reviews and whenever you have a new one, I look forward to it each day. Can't wait to read more! The Thai salad looks really good. I'm going to have to try that. Is it only offered one time, or each night? Thanks again.