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Freedom E.Caribbean Review 10/8-10/16

TakeMeAway1001

By TakeMeAway1001,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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TakeMeAway1001

TakeMeAway1001

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For some reason DH really enjoyed this excursion to Blue Lagoon, I thought it was overpriced and I didn't like that there wasn't any real swimming to be had. The water was so shallow and they had an area with slides etc but if you wanted to use any of it you had to wear a flotation vest and I felt no need since the water was maybe 4 ft tops. One side that borders the Dolphin Encounters has a yellow barrier that doesn't allow you to go out far and the other side is so shallow so we really couldn't swim. I guess I just enjoy the open ocean much more than being in a cordoned off area.

 

Once we arrived back at the boat landing we filed off, many people stayed to shop but DH clearly had too much to drink so we once again weaved our way through the tents and puddles to get back to the port area. We did stop at the shops inside and bought some coffee and hot sauce, they had a band playing inside and the atmosphere was lively and fun.

 

Once on board it was shower time since we were both drenched and uncomfortable. I showered and came out to find DH completely passed out, this is so not typical of him so I decided to let him sleep it off and I went out to look for some of our pictures, this is one area I wish Carnival would work on. We found maybe four of our photos from the week, it's just such a cluster in that area and there is so much waste in my eyes.

 

I also made a stop at the pursers desk to pay off our S&S card. While in the long line I had to listen to quite a few people discussing tip removal. The lady directly behind me claims she had no idea about the auto tips and that she had not budgeted for them therefore she was having them "disputed" was her term. I had to listen to this lady talk about this for about fifteen minutes and the comments that came out of her mouth fired me up. Some people simply just don't get it! :mad: I think the gentleman waiting on me was prepared to get some sort of gripe and seemed so caught off guard when I simply wanted to pay off my bill, he asked how my week was and I said it was excellent, he thanked me and off I went to get DH for dinner. I was surprised to find him up and ready.

 

Tonight we sat in Sunita's section and surprisingly the table we were seated at wasn't on top of the tables next to us. We had a nice dinner and said our goodbyes. Sunita and her assistant Mary were very sweet and did a great job!

 

After dinner we went out for some drinks in the Casino, DH bought one of the pull tab raffle tickets and won $25, after that we stopped to see Alex in the Habana Bar so we could thank him for his excellent service. DH wanted to go to the last Bingo game so we headed to the Victoriana and bought two tickets. Tonight they were also drawing the winner of the free cruise, we had bought raffle tickets earlier in the cruise when they were half price. We didn't win but the lady in front of us won the free cruise which was exciting, she looked shocked!

 

Tonight was the Legends show, I reluctantly stayed for it because DH wanted to but I really wish they would change up the shows, while I know the participants are different on each cruise the show itself gets old. After the show the show entertainers and guests went to the lobby bar for a "Happy Hour Party" we walked by but it was jam packed so we headed to see Marty one last time in the piano bar. We stayed for a while and DH grabbed some snacks from the late night snack area and we headed to bed.

 

We received our zone tags on Friday and were in Zone 1, this was the first time we were in no hurry to get off the ship since JetBlue changed our flight from noon to 3. DH and I quickly fell asleep and heard the first announcement just after 6am that they would be beginning the debarkation shortly so I showered and DH packed up the last few things. I called JetBlue to see if there were any openings on an earlier flight and they said there were so we headed to breakfast and figured if we were off in time we would see what they could do at the airport.

 

The Lido deck was a madhouse, we finally found a seat and I had just lifted my coffee to take a sip and they announced Zone 1 & 2 so we headed down, getting off the ship was a breeze! Once we made our way to the luggage area that quickly changed, we were directed to the area where Zone 1 luggage was located and searched high and low for about fifteen minutes before seeking some help, we asked if there was any chance our luggage might have been put in Zone 2...we were told it wasn't there. DH made his way to Zone 2 and found it with all the other 2's. We retrieved our luggage and headed out to grab a cab, the fare was $15 and we headed inside to see if we could get that earlier flight and we had the option of standby or confirmed for a fee and we opted for the fee. Our new flight was leaving at 10:05am and we were thrilled we got on it since we were both eager to get home and weren't really looking forward to sitting around the airport for six hours.

 

Today I am going to scan the Fun Times and some other things I received throughout the cruise. Our scanner is very unreliable so bear with me on this.

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flgatormom29

flgatormom29

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Freedom Eastern Caribbean 10/8-10/16

 

I unfortunately will not be posting the entire review in one shot so if you are against day to day reviews I apologize up front.

 

I also have the Fun Times and will do my best to get all of them scanned as soon as I can but work will put a slight damper on this for now.

 

This was our anniversary cruise~ This was my 8th cruise and DH’s 7th, all with Carnival.

 

Oct 7th~ We flew from Boston to Fort Lauderdale and arrived just after 10am and rented a car from Avis which was painless since we signed up for Avis Preferred, we skipped the long rental line and just proceeded to the garage to get our car and left. We figured it was way too early to check in to the hotel which was the Westin Beach Resort however we figured we’d give it a shot and drove directly there. We requested an ocean view room and thankfully they had one available but sadly we were given a much older room that appeared to have been closed up for some time. While we could see the ocean it wasn’t like the room we had there the last time we stayed. We realized when calling to have our car brought up that the phones didn’t work and soon noticed that every time the toilet was flushed that there was a pretty bad leak. After many calls and lots of waiting we were finally moved to a nicer, newer room like the one we had in the past. We booked this hotel through Hotwire for $92 and we were happy with our stay.

 

 

Notice no one was on the beach, the weather was crazy

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The first room we received

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View from the room

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Walkway to the beach

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New room we were moved to

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Lunch~ We had a yummy lunch at Waxy O’Connors, I had a burger and DH had a delicious Ruben followed by a few ice cold beers.

 

Dinner~ My family drove down from Sarasota to meets us for the day/night and we decided to try Bimini Boatyard for dinner. I signed up on their website for their email club and received an instant coupon for a free entrée which was nice. We arrived there around 6:15 and were seated quickly, the restaurant was busy but there was no wait at that time. They have a nice outdoor seating area however due to the rain we opted to eat inside. They also have a huge bar area where they had live entertainment. Prior to going here a guy we were talking with at our hotel told us not to go here but I am happy to say we didn’t listen, the food was amazing! It was probably one of the best meals we had on this trip.

 

Oct 8th~ Cruise Day

I woke up early and found it to be down pouring with crazy whipping winds, what a bummer! At 6:30am I decided to head to a 24 hour CVS to get a few things I had forgotten, the rain was so bad I could barely see and managed to drive by the CVS and ended up at another one much further away. I was truly bummed out since I was so looking forward to a warm and sunny sail away. We enjoyed breakfast while DH returned the rental car, he was gone for a really long time and when he returned he said that he was informed that the grill was missing from the rental car and Avis made him fill out an incident report. Not really sure what happened since we barely drove the car and we definitely were not in any sort of accident. I anticipated a call or email from Avis but so far we haven’t heard anything.

 

Port bound~ We headed to the Port shortly after 10am and found the whole process to be completely chaotic, it was by far the most unorganized drop off we have had. After about a half hour of being directed around we were able to get out and head to the check in area.

 

For those of you who don’t know I received an up-sell call a few weeks prior to my cruise and took the offer to move from a balcony to a Grand Suite, my goal was to keep this a surprise from DH and I am happy to say I succeeded. However when we were heading to the check in line I attempted to go in the VIP line since that was one perk of booking a suite and DH questioned me but since the Rep working that area told us to check in around the corner DH didn’t say much after that. Once in line he asked me why I was trying to get in that line and I showed him the paperwork said VIP but told him I had no idea why, he took that answer and didn’t ask anymore questions.

 

This is where it got crazy, we wove our way through the line only to see others walking right in the door where I attempted to get in the VIP line, oh well we just decided to stay put. Where were standing we had VIP/Wedding/Special Event boarding to our left, along with the security scanning. We had to wait for all of the above to get upstairs before we were allowed to begin our check-in process. While standing there watching a wedding party check-in in we witnessed an interesting group coming on-board as visitors for a wedding and what seemed to be a routine thing turned into a fiasco. One of the couples visiting went through the security scanning line with their two very young children, once they were through the line and organizing their belongings the female started freaking out because her wallet was missing. This fiasco went on for about 45 minutes, during this time she accused security of stealing her wallet, her male partner as well as a few others who were in this group decided to get involved and it was like a scene from Jerry Springer. Finally the Sheriffs Department was called in and after grilling our group about potentially picking up her wallet by mistake he was informed we had yet to go through security. The whole scene was annoying and finally the group was moved to another area and we were allowed to head upstairs. Once upstairs we continued to hear announcements over the PA asking if anyone had seen her wallet. Not sure what happened but my guess was it was accidentally picked up by someone in her party.

 

Once we were upstairs we were finally directed to an area where they sat VIP passengers and we gave our names to a rep and were told to take a seat, we sat for maybe fifteen minutes before being called up to give our passports and credit card info. I was pretty convinced my suite secret would get blown at this point but it wasn’t and we were directed to the ship. Once we went through security we were directed to an area where they made DH take out the 12 pack of Pepsi he had in his back pack for inspection. Before putting it in his backpack he split the 12 pack in half so it was pretty easy for security to inspect the cans and we were cleared and sent on our way. Security had large tables set aside for inspection and every single table was full of items being inspected. We stopped for the first of many photos and headed up the ramp to board the Freedom. I am not sure what time we finally boarded by my guess it was just after noon time.

 

 

great start!!! I got off the Freedom the 8th, and it was horrible rainy weather! Kinda was a nice end to our vacation...we didn't want to stay on the boat with that weather...but it ended shortly after we were on the road! Looking forward to the rest of this review! And hope to see some great weather for you guys! Was beautiful on our trip right before yours!! :-)

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TakeMeAway1001

TakeMeAway1001

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Ugh, what a process it to me over two hours to scan the Fun Times but I am done and going to upload them now. Note to self....pay more attention to the Fun Times...realized they had another Military Veterans Meet & Greet on the 2nd Sea Day...not sure how both DH and I missed seeing that, not once but twice.

 

Anyhow, I do have other items to scan and post but will focus on the Fun Times today and other stuff either tonight or tomorrow. Off to upload :)

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Irishlinny

Irishlinny

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Thanks~

I love the planning part, I just decided DD and I are going to go on a short cruise in May :)

If you decide to do a longer cruise, join us on the Miracle out of NY on May 6th! Great bunch of people...will be our 3rd year cruising together;):D

Thanks so much again for the excellent review! I really enjoyed it! 2 weeks from today I can start living it:D

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flgatormom29

flgatormom29

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Thanks FlGatorMom~ Tyson, I knew someone would know, he should have his own comedy show :) Our weather ended up being nice, Friday in the Bahamas was pretty much a wash but we had a great week!

 

I just noticed you are going on the Ecstasy in Jan! I just think it's funny that you went on the Freedom the week after me and the Ecstasy a month after me...

Are u following us? ;)

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antigualvr

antigualvr

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Thank you for the review and great pictures. We will be on the Freedom on Dec. 3. I am a little disappointed to read there really isn't any swimming on the Blue Lagoon. You said your husband loved it though. What did he like so much about it? If there isn't swimming I am thinking about booking elsewhere.

 

Again, thanks for taking the time to do the review!

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TakeMeAway1001

TakeMeAway1001

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If you decide to do a longer cruise, join us on the Miracle out of NY on May 6th! Great bunch of people...will be our 3rd year cruising together;):D

 

Thanks so much again for the excellent review! I really enjoyed it! 2 weeks from today I can start living it:D

 

Funny you say that, I have been contemplating a cruise out of NY and being able to eliminate airfare, I will have to go see what the rates are and double check when DD finishes her semester...it might be the 5th which might cut it close with having to pack her up and move her home from college. Thanks for the invite :) Two weeks will fly by and before you know it you'll be enjoying the Freedom.

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TakeMeAway1001

TakeMeAway1001

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Thank you for the review and great pictures. We will be on the Freedom on Dec. 3. I am a little disappointed to read there really isn't any swimming on the Blue Lagoon. You said your husband loved it though. What did he like so much about it? If there isn't swimming I am thinking about booking elsewhere.

 

Again, thanks for taking the time to do the review!

 

 

You're welcome :) It's hard to describe Blue Lagoon, in one of my pics you will see the wooden walking pier with the yellow floating barrier in it, that is one side of the lagoon and I found that side a little dirty and confined with the boats docking right there. On the other side is the lagoon, you could probably walk across it and not be over your head, to me it was like sitting in a lukewarm bathtub. The ocean on the other side was nice, they had loungers etc but signs saying no swimming allowed :confused: DH liked it because he was able to relax and for him that is so hard to do, he isn't a huge fan of loud crowds and this place was quiet so I think that is why he enjoyed it. There were other options for beaches on the excursion list we read the day before so you might find that there is a better swimming beach available, for the $ I think we could have found better. Have a great cruise!

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TakeMeAway1001

TakeMeAway1001

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I just noticed you are going on the Ecstasy in Jan! I just think it's funny that you went on the Freedom the week after me and the Ecstasy a month after me...

Are u following us? ;)

 

Funny... you'll have to let me know how the Ecstasy is, that is the oldest ship I have booked on. I am trying to plan a trip for DD and I and when I told her the ship was older she panicked saying "how old", for some reason she gets all freaked out if the ship is older and convinced something will happen. I told her she needs to get over it since when I was her age my big trip was to the amusement parks ;)

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Geri and Dave

Geri and Dave

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What am I doing wrong, I can only see the first page when I try and look at the FunTimes:(

 

If you look on the right side of the screen, there is a box with a black background. It shows #1 of 49. That is where you can view the different pages of the Fun Times. I kept hitting "Next" and was able to view them all. I hope this helps!

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sjn911

sjn911

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What a fabulous ship, trip review and couple....I really loved it and want to do this trip...such great feel for the islands as well as the ship...thanks ever so much...sarah

 

PS...also thank you Take Me Away 1001 so very much for your service...Sarah

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belkin

belkin

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If you look on the right side of the screen, there is a box with a black background. It shows #1 of 49. That is where you can view the different pages of the Fun Times. I kept hitting "Next" and was able to view them all. I hope this helps!

 

There is no black box or numbers for me. I will try it on another computer. Thanks

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