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Carnival Freedom or Dream

Jimi123

By Jimi123,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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Jimi123

Jimi123

Posted
Posted

Per a recommendation from my original post, I'm posting this question to the Carnival Board:

 

I'm looking to book my 2nd cruise and would like some opinions between the 2 cruises that I'm checking out.

 

Let me know what you think. I'm also looking to avoid spring break. Seems like May is safe for that.

 

I'm open to other cruises/options. It has to leave from Florida, the further North of the state, the better.

 

Thanks.

 

Carnival Freedom - 8 Night in May - $2470

Ft Lauderdale, FL

Fun Day at Sea

Fun Day at Sea

St Thomas

Antigua

Tortola

Fun Day at Sea

Nassau

Ft Lauderdale, FL

 

Carnival Dream - 7 Night in May - $2417

Port Canaveral, FL

Nassau

Fun Day at Sea

St Thomas

St Maarten

Fun Day at Sea

Fun Day at Sea

Port Canaveral, FL

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Love PalmTrees

Love PalmTrees

Posted
Posted

The Freedom was by far the best cruise we have been on, and this is in spite of the fact that we were rerouted from Costa Rica and Panama! (So disappointed, but it had to be. :() The staff was so friendly and going above and beyond in all respects. The Serenity (adults only) area was magnificent. The food and service was great. The ship was clean and in good shape. The decor was also the most "elegant" of any of the Carnival ships we have been on. (However, this has never stopped us from having a great time on any Carnival cruise.) The Beatles show was awesome. Can you tell we liked our cruise?! As a matter of fact, I bought a Freedom keychain for my work keys. That way I can walk into work with a smle on my face, thinking about the next cruise. :) However, I must say, we have not been on the Dream, so my opinions may be a bit biased. Either way being on a cruise is the BEST!!!!!

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samzgirl84

samzgirl84

Posted
Posted

I am going to be sailing away on the Freedom--with the exact same itinerary as you have listed here in 20 days. (Thanks everybody for the very possitive feedback--I am even more excited now!)

 

I have already sailed the itinerary that you have listed 2nd and loved every minute of it.

 

I would advise the 8 day cruise just because it is one day longer.

 

Have a wonderful time! (I know you will.)

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rjnickmom

rjnickmom

Posted
Posted

Hi,

 

We have been on both ships - just returned from the Dream yesterday. Both are nice ships, but - I would go with the Freedom. Beautiful ship - and I loved the itinerary....and the extra day on the ship! The Dream was a good cruise, but in my opinion, the ship accomodates more people, but doesn't have the extra common area space to reduce wait times or lines. Still a great cruise, but we would go with the Freedeom if given the choice.

 

Happy Cruising!:)

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awayfromhere

awayfromhere

Posted
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We book based upon time of year, ports of call and ship in that order. We have always gone during spring break (March) as our daughter was in school. Now that she is in college we have more flexibility...but are still taking her along. We booked the Dream in January for a change. Based upon where the Dream and Freedom were going at that time, the Dream had a better itinerary for us by presenting 2 new ports we have not yet seen. Also, we have never been on the Dream so we are going for the trifeca...new time of year, new ports, new ship. This cruise will be 10th for me and daughter and 11th for husband (all Carnival). Based upon the options you presented, my personal preference would be the Freedom....based upon the itinerary. We have gone on serveral cruises where we went on the same class of ship and it ended up not as fun since we love to explore the ship as part of our vacation experience. So mix it up a little and have fun!

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Swampbaby

Swampbaby

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We had the same Freedom cruise in October and would highly recommend it. Did not meet a single staff member who wasn't pleasant, friendly, and helpful. Did the 6 hour Island Safari Tour (booked privately) in Antigua and it was great - much, much better than the 4 hour Coast to Coast Carnival Tour in Tortola.

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Jimi123

Jimi123

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This will be our 2nd cruise. I figured that Dream was the latest and greatest from Carnival. That is why its in the running with Freedom.

 

Is Freedom considered and old ship by seasoned cruisers? Or is it still considered a newer ship?

 

We took our 1st cruise on Carnival Fantasy. Now that, I know, is considered an old ship.

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kcparrothead

kcparrothead

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A 4 1/2 year-old ship is not old by my standards. We were on the Freedom 2 years ago and loved it so much we are returning on it next June. We were just on the Dream 2 months ago and although it's newer, it's also larger. They made room for more passengers, but they didn't add any more common areas or food areas than a ship the size of the Freedom. The pools are amazingly small and the lines for food in the later afternoon were ridiculous. They closed the buffet around 3:30 or 4 so your only choice was the Deli or Pizza. Imagine the lines for people who came in after being in port looking for something to eat! :cool:

 

Just my 2 cents! ;)

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Regestd

Regestd

Posted
Posted

We've been on both ships and hands down the Freedom wins. Sailing from Port Canaveral was fun but the the Dream wasn't what we expected. I love Carnival, but these bigger ships are not for us. Carnival made her bigger, but not better. They added staterooms which equaled more people and no more public space so it was very crowded even in places that are not usually crowded, like along the side decks. There were only 2 pools, lots of kids and long lines everywhere. The show lounge is the same size as the Freedom only with more people trying to fit in - you had to arrive at least 40 minutes before showtime to get a good seat. Don't get me wrong, we loved the cruise, but given a choice I would go with the Freedom every time.

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