Just off the Freedom...

[annf]

6 night (Oct 3-9) to Key West, Grand Cayman and Ocho rios, Jamaica. Will try to get around to a review and pictures....but in the meantime - what a great week!

 

For those who question going to Jamaica - Go! We LOVED it. To me, it was far better than Grand Cayman.

 

Any questions - ask away.....

[disneyden]

6 night (Oct 3-9) to Key West, Grand Cayman and Ocho rios, Jamaica. Will try to get around to a review and pictures....but in the meantime - what a great week!

 

For those who question going to Jamaica - Go! We LOVED it. To me, it was far better than Grand Cayman.

 

Any questions - ask away.....

 

I'm glad you had a good time! We are sailing on the Freedom on Oct. 31st and we are starting to get VERY excited!!.:D I am looking forward to your review and pics!! Did you do any excursions in Jamaica? If so, which one did you do?

[annf]

I'm glad you had a good time! We are sailing on the Freedom on Oct. 31st and we are starting to get VERY excited!!.:D I am looking forward to your review and pics!! Did you do any excursions in Jamaica? If so, which one did you do?

 

We did a private excursion through Hooves LTD - Horseback riding through an old sugar cane plantation, the jungle and the beach. It was fantastic!

[annf]

Ok......here we go.

 

Day 1

Got up at 4am to drive from St Petersburg FL to Ft Lauderdale. Showered, coffee and on the road by 5am. I had printed a great coupon for Park n Go (5.99/day cruise parking through end of Oct '10 with free transport to and from the cruise terminal). We arrived at the parking lot by 9:30am - they were still dropping off people who had just come in. Hung out in the truck for a bit to let the terminal clear out.

 

By 10:30am we were in line to enter the terminal. They opened the doors shortly after that and we were upstairs to get our sign and sail cards (now called sail and sign cards) in a matter of minutes. My daughter and her bf (1st cruise for both of them) were at one counter, I was about 10 windows down. All of us were sailing on DL and BC (please, I know, I should get a passport. It's on my list of things to do but life has gotten in the way for awhile now). They got their cards with no question - I had a newbie who had apparently never seen a certified BC before and was delayed a good 20 minutes while she had at least 5 different people look at it. Finally I got my card and we were off to the waiting area to board.

 

By 11:30 we were headed up the gangplank! Up to the lido for lunch. Lines were still pretty light as we boarded in group 2. By the time we were finished with lunch, the lido was hopping.

 

After lunch it was time to explore the ship until we could get into our rooms and drop off the carryons. Freedom is well maintained, spotless and a gorgeous ship. The decor seemed a little muted in comparison to the infamous 'snakes' of the Inspiration.

 

1:30 we were able to get into the rooms, drop off the carryons. I immediately headed out onto my 1st ever balcony to check out the view. I was on Empress in 7211 - loved the location but wish I had known during booking that the view to the upper left is partially obscurred by bridge. Overall it didn't bother me, but it made it interesting trying to take balcony pictures in ports without a metal girder piece of the bridge being in the frame - and at night it did feel at times that I had less privacy on my balcony as I could see the ships officers on the bridge.

 

4pm and time to set sail - all three of us elected to watch sail away from the balcony rather than the sail away party on the lido deck. We cleared the harbor and it was time to unpack before heading off to our 1st dinner on board.

 

We were in the Posh dining room, lower level and seated at a table for 4. This was a little disappointing as I enjoy meeting new people at dinner and getting to hear about their experiences. We quickly made friends with tables on either side of us and made up for having a table to ourselves. The setup on this dining room is a bit odd - we were near the windows which is usually a great place to be - in this dining room, being by the windows means you have no view to the center of the room and will miss all of the singing and dancing from the wait staff. Big deal? Not really - but since it was my daughters 1st cruise, I felt like they missed part of the experience.

 

The food: I have always said that Carnival has superior food to RCC but I could see the cost cutting in the quality of the food all week on this cruise. The menu that I had reviewed online before we left wasn't close to what we saw in the dining room. While there were some great selections on both formal nights - the casual nights were hit or miss. Some selections were better than good, others mediocre and a few were just bad. There was one night that I got room service 11pm because I didn't eat most of my dinner in the dining room. Speaking of room service - they had a NY Strip w/brie on a baguette sandwich that was amazing!

 

After dinner we were off to the Habana lounge to listen to some music before going off to our own activities. I hit the casino for a little while but lady luck was someplace else and I went exploring the ship instead. Then it was off to the balcony to watch the sea go by and bedtime. Next stop Key West......and sleep needed before walking all day. More later.....

[marcyjane]

Glad you had a good cruise. Will be on Freedom Nov. 14, 2010 sailing. Can't wait to read more and see your pics.

Do you remember if they still serve prime rib on formal nights.

Thanks,

Marcy

[annf]

 

Do you remember if they still serve prime rib on formal nights.

 

 

Yes, they had prime rib on the 1st formal night. Daughters bf had it and enjoyed it.

[SMSACE6]

annf, I was getting of the Freedom at about 9.30am! I had a great cruise, but as always, over too soon! Looking forward to more of your review.:)

[daisy7113]

We were on the Freedom last September and loved it. I love Key West so the itinerary was great for me. We are actually contemplating the Nov 14 sailing again. Same ship, same itinerary basically due to the price. Must be that time of year but the price for a balcony cannot be beat. Normally I like to do different ships, but since I did like this ship and the itinerary, I dont mind doing it again. Am enjoying reading your review.

[maabell4]

Annf- I am excited about another Freedom review. Can't wait to keep reading more. Thank you.

[AQW]

Yay, another Freedom review, and for the 6-night itinerary! Hurry up and post; I leave in a week. ;)

[Name Of The Game]

Yay, another Freedom review, and for the 6-night itinerary! Hurry up and post; I leave in a week. ;)

 

You could have joined our roll call! :D

[BarJen]

more please! :D

[dst]

We cruised the Freedom in January of 09 and are sailing again this upcoming January - although we have a different itinerary; I am excited to read more about your trip :)

 

Thanks

[annf]

Day 2 - Key West

 

Slept like a baby with the slight movement of the ship. I am one of those lucky people who doesn't get even the slightest bit seasick. The alarm was set for 7am, up, showered and out onto the balcony to watch the ship pull into Key West. Then it was off to the lido to grab breakfast and meet up with the kids for a day of sightseeing.

 

 

We had bought tickets online the night before for Hemmingway House, Fischer Museum and the Key West Aquarium (nice package deal for $27/pp) and planned on walking to the southernmost point for the required pictures.

 

We were off by 8am and walking. None of us had been to Key West before despite living in Florida so it was a new place to see. I think by the end of the day we had walked about 6 miles and our legs would feel it later that night when going up and down stairs on board the ship.

 

Mel Fischer Museum is directly in front of you when you come out of Mallory Square but we waited until later in the day to stop there. We started out walking down Duval St and would stay on Duval all the way to the far end of the island. We stopped in a little french cafe along the way to have coffee and a snack. They had wonderful pastries including New Orleans style beniegts.

 

Wandered through the gift shop of the butterfly conservatory to pick up a gift for my mom and then continued on to South Beach to see where Hemmingway would write. Photos from the pier there - sun streaming through the clouds look much more dramatic when viewing than it came out in pictures.

 

 

More in the next post as CC limits my pictures per post :)

[annf]

Day 2 - Key West - continued....

 

From South Beach, it was a quick walk to the southernmost point in the US - the infamous Conch Republic Bouy. The line for pictures was fairly short and while waiting my daughter's bf took pictures for other groups who were trying to get their entire group in one shot.

 

 

Leaving the southernmost point, we walked up Whitehead, past the Naval Air Station. Next stop Hemmingway House.

 

At Hemmingway House, we did the guided tour. The tour guide is a wonderful character - older man with a stereotypical sea captain beard and a great voice. He could have stepped out of the pages of one of Hemmingway's novels. We not only got the tour of the house, but the history and personalities of the people he was telling us about. The house and grounds are beautiful.

 

Leaving Hemmingway House we continued up Whitehead and stopped into what appeared to be a Nascar store. Turns out it's a shop that let's you drive your own race car. So while I had a ice cold bottle of water and rested my feet for a few minutes - my daughter and her bf did the race. The cars are stationary but tilt in relation to the track being projected in front of you. They say that from inside the car, the track and the motion made it feel as if you were actually driving - or in the case of the bf - wiping out into walls :)

Next stop, the flip flop store. We all had inexpensive flip flops on for this walking tour and by now had probably walked about 4 miles. Anyone who lives in FL will attest, we live in our flip flops. I bought the best pair I have ever owned - made from the material of Yoga mats and sooo comfortable.

 

Mel Fisher museum was next, I didn't take any pictures there as I was reading all the cards for the displays. The museum is on 2 floors and has some beautiful coins and gems that the Fisher family has pulled from wrecks off the Florida coast. There is also a traveling display there now that represents the relics from slaving ships. There is a 3d viewer that allows you to look at some photos from that time period. The pictures were powerful and this is probably the memory that will stay with me from this stop. Seeing the faces of the people affected gave me chills.

 

From Mel Fisher, we stopped at Sloppy Joe's for lunch. I highly recommend their Grouper sandwich with cheese, onion and peppers.

 

Next stop, the Key West Aquarium and another post as I have almost run out of image uploads again.

[annf]

The Key West Aquarium is small but had personality. As wikipedia says:

 

The Key West Aquarium is the only public aquarium in Key West, Florida. Built between 1932 - 1934, the Key West Aquarium is one of Florida's oldest aquariums. During the Great Depression, Key West had turned over its charter to the federal government due to the economic disaster that had hit the island. The federal government believed Key West, with its great weather and location, would make a wonderful tourist destination. The Works Project Administration (WPA) was sent in and built the tourist attraction. The Aquarium was originally an open air aquarium, one of the first and largest at the time.

 

 

 

For anyone who wants to see full size images - they are here:

http://travel.webshots.com/album/578755491DgKVLL

[Name Of The Game]

So it sounds like you think the three museums for $27.00 was worth it. Do you remember how much it was to drive the race car simulator? Do you remember how long all that took and what time you got back on board?

[annf]

So it sounds like you think the three museums for $27.00 was worth it. Do you remember how much it was to drive the race car simulator? Do you remember how long all that took and what time you got back on board?

 

The three museums for 27/pp was definately worth it. The race simulator was buy one/get one and so cost $15 for my daughter and her bf to do one race.

We were back on board by 3:30-4pm for a 5pm departure - with the race simulator, shopping, lunch and three museums. If you took the Conch train, you could probably do it in less time. We walked the whole route.

[Name Of The Game]

Were any of the museums air conditioned?

 

How about public bathrooms?

[annf]

Were any of the museums air conditioned?

 

How about public bathrooms?

 

The Mel Fisher was air conditioned. We had a cloudy cool day so none of the places that weren't air conditioned were as oppressive as Key West can be in October.

 

I didn't look much for public restrooms. We made obligatory pit stops at Hemmingway house, South Beach (restaurant with no requirement to buy to use their facilities) and Mel Fisher. Most of the restaurants on Duval are open to the street and it would be easy to use their facilities.

[Name Of The Game]

Thanks!

 

I thought I had read before that the Aquarium was not A/C, which is surprising. Hope it's not miserably hot when I go next week. Were you able to pet the cats in the HH?

[pmaxy12]

Ok......here we go.

 

Day 1

Got up at 4am to drive from St Petersburg FL to Ft Lauderdale. Showered, coffee and on the road by 5am. I had printed a great coupon for Park n Go (5.99/day cruise parking through end of Oct '10 with free transport to and from the cruise terminal). We arrived at the parking lot by 9:30am - they were still dropping off people who had just come in. Hung out in the truck for a bit to let the terminal clear out.

 

By 10:30am we were in line to enter the terminal. They opened the doors shortly after that and we were upstairs to get our sign and sail cards (now called sail and sign cards) in a matter of minutes. My daughter and her bf (1st cruise for both of them) were at one counter, I was about 10 windows down. All of us were sailing on DL and BC (please, I know, I should get a passport. It's on my list of things to do but life has gotten in the way for awhile now). They got their cards with no question - I had a newbie who had apparently never seen a certified BC before and was delayed a good 20 minutes while she had at least 5 different people look at it. Finally I got my card and we were off to the waiting area to board.

 

By 11:30 we were headed up the gangplank! Up to the lido for lunch. Lines were still pretty light as we boarded in group 2. By the time we were finished with lunch, the lido was hopping.

 

After lunch it was time to explore the ship until we could get into our rooms and drop off the carryons. Freedom is well maintained, spotless and a gorgeous ship. The decor seemed a little muted in comparison to the infamous 'snakes' of the Inspiration.

 

1:30 we were able to get into the rooms, drop off the carryons. I immediately headed out onto my 1st ever balcony to check out the view. I was on Empress in 7211 - loved the location but wish I had known during booking that the view to the upper left is partially obscurred by bridge. Overall it didn't bother me, but it made it interesting trying to take balcony pictures in ports without a metal girder piece of the bridge being in the frame - and at night it did feel at times that I had less privacy on my balcony as I could see the ships officers on the bridge.

 

4pm and time to set sail - all three of us elected to watch sail away from the balcony rather than the sail away party on the lido deck. We cleared the harbor and it was time to unpack before heading off to our 1st dinner on board.

 

We were in the Posh dining room, lower level and seated at a table for 4. This was a little disappointing as I enjoy meeting new people at dinner and getting to hear about their experiences. We quickly made friends with tables on either side of us and made up for having a table to ourselves. The setup on this dining room is a bit odd - we were near the windows which is usually a great place to be - in this dining room, being by the windows means you have no view to the center of the room and will miss all of the singing and dancing from the wait staff. Big deal? Not really - but since it was my daughters 1st cruise, I felt like they missed part of the experience.

 

The food: I have always said that Carnival has superior food to RCC but I could see the cost cutting in the quality of the food all week on this cruise. The menu that I had reviewed online before we left wasn't close to what we saw in the dining room. While there were some great selections on both formal nights - the casual nights were hit or miss. Some selections were better than good, others mediocre and a few were just bad. There was one night that I got room service 11pm because I didn't eat most of my dinner in the dining room. Speaking of room service - they had a NY Strip w/brie on a baguette sandwich that was amazing!

 

After dinner we were off to the Habana lounge to listen to some music before going off to our own activities. I hit the casino for a little while but lady luck was someplace else and I went exploring the ship instead. Then it was off to the balcony to watch the sea go by and bedtime. Next stop Key West......and sleep needed before walking all day. More later.....

Loved reading your review. We have the same cabin 7211 on the 23rd of October and are doing a Back to Back.

[paulalynn]

I'm enjoying the review too. We leave on an 8-day on the Freedom Nov.6th!

Paula

[annf]

I'll try to get some more done tonight. First day back to work yesterday and I was dragging by the time I got home.

[caryrae]

I just booked this exact same cruise yesterday for my wife's 40th birthday in Oct 2011 also will be our 1st cruise:). Is there a lot to do at or near the ports or is it better to pick an excursion from the Carnival website or the ship itself? We have been to Key West a couple times so we know what things to do there but I know nothing about the Cayman Islands or Jamaica. Also is a lot of the food and drinks (not alcohol of course) included with the cruise?