Carnival Dream, Freedom, Liberty, or Miracle?

[cruiseapril]

Hi- We are looking at various Carnival ships for a cruise next year. Are considering the Carnival Dream, Freedom, Liberty, and Miracle.

 

What are the major differences in these ships? Which would you choose for your third Carnival cruise? (We have been on the Carnival Elation and Fascination-enjoyed both.):)

[familycruzer]

My suggestion is to first look into the itineraries, then move on to ships, and factor in the price of getting to the port.

 

I was torn between many ships and sailings and ended up going with Dream for the second time.

[BeccaBecca1713]

If you want big and brand new with LOTS of pax, then go with Dream.

 

Freedom and Liberty are identical in layout. They are smaller than Dream but bigger than Miracle.

 

Miracle is the "smaller" of the 3 but has the most user-friendly layout.

 

As previous poster said, look at itinerary and price first, cause you really can't go wrong with any of these ships! :)

[cruiseapril]

We like all of the itineraries. Embarkation ports are all fine. Pricing is similar.

 

It is the ship we need to choose.

[michelle1836]

I agree with Becca. what size ship do you want? are you going with children? I have been on the Freedom and Pride (same size as Miracle) and liked the Pride better. just a personal preference

[mrpayroll]

I would go with either Freedom or Liberty...

[Hager1425]

Hi! I was coming to ask a very similar question! I've been reaing the boards for quite some time but never really posted. I'm actually looking to book for this April vacation. BF is a teacher and we have been waiting to see how the schools were handling the snow days and Apirl vacay. One of his schoosl had 8 snow days!!! I just got the go ahead to book the cruise and our only options (due to Easter) are the Dream, Liberty and Freedom. We have only been on smaller ships and not picky about itinerary as they all seem awesome! This will be my 5th cruise and BF's 3rd. Thanks for all of your input!

[toolgrl919]

I've sailed on Destiny, Liberty, and Valor. Liberty has been my favorite ship so far! :o

[Hager1425]

I've sailed on Destiny, Liberty, and Valor. Liberty has been my favorite ship so far! :o

 

Any reason in particular?!?! I am very bad at making decisions :o and all of the prices including airfare are within $150 of each other!!

[swimmom32]

we were on the Destiny and will be sailing the Liberty...My parents friends were on the Freedom and then the Liberty and hands down they loved the Liberty more..

[BeccaBecca1713]

The Liberty, IMO, has the prettiest decor. Not nearly as garish as most Carnival ship decor. The Dream is tempting cause it's new, but it seems like just too many pax for me.

 

I've been on Legend (sister to Pride) and did like the layout best. And pax load/ship size was just right (not too big, not too small).

[milton333]

Vista suite on the Miracle.

[pe4all]

Have been on all 4. Liberty had the friendliest crew. Enjoyed Dream because it was new and "different." Loved Freedom, also. Least favorite was Miracle - too "small" and too many twists and turns for me. (I even liked Fantasy better than Miracle) I also like the entertainment located on one deck - it was split between 2 on Miracle. I also like sitting in the early morning on Lido watching the news on the big screen with a cup of tea. And I like stadium seating, which Miracle doesn't have. Not that I hated Miracle (the southern itinerary I did was fantastic!) I just prefer larger ships.:) I would go with 1.itinerary 2. price 3. cabins available.

[JennLuvs2Cruise]

Well I have only sailed the Dream, and I will be sailing her for a second time this June so my vote is for the Dream. It's new, has a lot of on board activities, many dining options, and just great fun for anyone at any age! :D

[cruiseapril]

Thanks for the responses.:) We have never been on a ship with more than 2,000 passengers- so the Liberty, Freedom, or Dream would be an adventure. Maybe we should try the Liberty or Freedom first, and then try the Dream.

 

By the way, did the Freedom drop San Juan as a port on the Eastern? If so, does anyone know why?

[RWolver672]

Seeing how you've only been on the smaller ships, I would suggest you don't try the Dream yet. It's quite a bit larger and has way too many passengers for the size of the public areas.

[WAHMto5]

We have been on both the Freedom and Dream and enjoyed both of them very much.

[LkMISailor]

Sailed RCC Grandar of the Seas then the Dream 5 years later. The Dream had a lot more to do and had more places to get away from the crowd. With 3,000 people jamed arround the pool, the hot tubs, showers, and water slides were looking better anyway. One thing about the Dream that nobody has mentioned is that it is an oven. May be because I'm from the north but I mean that that ship gets hot! Will be sailing the Liberty at the end of June, so my first-hand comparison will probably be too late for you. Looking at the CC Liberty Reviews it looks like she is a slightly scaled down Dream. The stadium seating arround the pool should air it out a bit.