Carnival Freedom 6 Day Review with Pictures 01/22/2012

[lovestocruise19]

Navybaby, I've been meaning to ask you if you'd let me know how you post photos within the board. I tried doing it once, but it didn't work. I hosted some of my Carnival Pride pictures on Flickr and then tried using the "Insert Image" button and then put in the URL from Flickr, but it didn't work. Does Flickr not allow hot linking? What photo hosting site do you use?

[mrpayroll]

Enjoying reading your review. We took this cruise in Jan. of 2011. Got our album out and cannot believe how many of our pictures are almost identical to yours. Pictures from Key West and Grand Cayman are almost entirely the same. :)

[calex1976]

Navybaby, I've been meaning to ask you if you'd let me know how you post photos within the board. I tried doing it once, but it didn't work. I hosted some of my Carnival Pride pictures on Flickr and then tried using the "Insert Image" button and then put in the URL from Flickr, but it didn't work. Does Flickr not allow hot linking? What photo hosting site do you use?

 

 

I tried using Snapfish and Facebook for making a review, but ended up going with photobucket. Once all pics were uploaded they were easy to insert. Would be much easier to up load straight from a computer though.

[navybaby1113]

By the way, the water was freezing! You got used to it though after climbing for a while.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is that a bridge you have to go under? Looks like I would get claustrophobic.

I am enjoying your review. My DH and I are leaving soon on the same trip and can't wait. Your pictures are great.

 

Yea, you have to go under the bridge. I freaked out a little when I saw it, but at 5' tall, I was able to pretty much stand up, just ducking a little. Not too bad at all.

[navybaby1113]

Navybaby, I've been meaning to ask you if you'd let me know how you post photos within the board. I tried doing it once, but it didn't work. I hosted some of my Carnival Pride pictures on Flickr and then tried using the "Insert Image" button and then put in the URL from Flickr, but it didn't work. Does Flickr not allow hot linking? What photo hosting site do you use?

 

I use facebook and then right click and "Copy Image Location" and then use the insert picture button on Cruise Critic.

[pale lady]

 

Yea, you have to go under the bridge. I freaked out a little when I saw it, but at 5' tall, I was able to pretty much stand up, just ducking a little. Not too bad at all.

 

Ok it looked a little tight. I am only 5'4" so maybe I won't have a problem.

Thanks for your response and your graet review.

[lovestocruise19]

Oh my gosh, thank you! That totally worked using Facebook! Now I will be able to do a review of the Pride almost one year later! LOL. And I'll be able to do one of the Freedom when I sail her in May! :D

[ribbitt]

I am enjoying your review. Great pictures ! I love to get up early before the boat is awake and take sunrise pictures. Yours are wonderful. I am getting more excited about our June cruise on the Freedom.

[jhnsnfamily]

I am enjoying your review. Great pictures ! I love to get up early before the boat is awake and take sunrise pictures. Yours are wonderful. I am getting more excited about our June cruise on the Freedom.

 

We are sailing then too! My family--me, DH, two sons, my sister, her DH and two sons, and my mom and her best friend. Yeah! Where's that roll call at??? :D

 

I am loving this review ... Thank you Navybaby! ... cannot wait to sail!

Edited February 11, 2012 by jhnsnfamily

[Tickles, Lord of Chaos]

This review is amazing! My husband, a couple of friends and I are going on this ship in August for our anniversaries (our 10th, their 3rd, I think). I'm glad to see your review. We have room 7434, and it looks big on the deck plan. Yours is a similar size, so I'm glad to see that the plan accurately depicts that. Our balcony should be comparatively ginormous!

 

By the way, my husband and I are both FSU alumni. I graduated in 2002, he got his Master's in 2003-ish. There are quite a few of us around!

[Yvonne]

Enjoying your review, and your terrific photos.

 

We were on the 1/28 8-day sailing of the Freedom.

 

That's too bad you couldn't enjoy the piano bar because of someone smoking. Thankfully we didn't have that problem. I would have told the person it was a non-smoking bar.

 

Thanks for including the menus. I took pictures of all our food but can't remember the descriptions so I wrote them down from the menus you have posted, thanks! :)

[gapearl]

I'd love to go back to Jamaica and climb the falls again. So much fun!

[smplyblessed619]

We finally ended up at the Southernmost Beach. It's a very small beach and nothing too impressive, but it was pretty cool to know you were at the Southernmost Beach in the continental USA.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just wanted to say - These were some pretty cool shots. I'm not done with the review yet, so please forgive me if I post a 2nd time....didn't want to forget! :) **going back to continue reading** :D

[sjcruiser]

Great review and pictures, especially of the food and menus. Thanks for posting.

[navybaby1113]

Just wanted to say - These were some pretty cool shots. I'm not done with the review yet, so please forgive me if I post a 2nd time....didn't want to forget! :) **going back to continue reading** :D

 

Thank you. I have the second one as the wallpaper on my computer.

[navybaby1113]

After we got back on the ship, we went to the room and took a quick shower because we were covered in sand.

 

Afterwards, we headed up to the lido buffet for lunch. The buffet was Caribbean. Nothing seemed interesting so I went to the grill and DH went to Mongolian. I got a grill chicken sandwich from the grill. They keep them in the back and you just have to ask for them. They're delicious!

 

 

Desserts were some cream cake that was delicious, carrot cake, and some kind of cheesecake (I think it was key lime).

 

 

After lunch, we went to a couple trivia sessions.

 

We went back to the room to get ready for the past guest party. Since tonight was the second elegant night, the dress code for the past guest party was also cruise elegant. They held two different parties, one at 4:15pm and one at 5:30pm. We decided to attend the second one so we could go straight to dinner afterwards.

 

We headed up to the party and there were huge lines wrapping around the lobby waiting to get into the theatre. They let us in exactly at 5:30pm. When we got into the theatre, they had the lights dimmed low and the band playing.

 

 

There were plenty of waiters walking around with drinks and appetizers. I drank amaretto sours while DH was having blue margaritas. For appetizers, they had a couple different cheeses, olives, chicken salad on toast, and a caprese salad on toast.

 

 

They did the normal video where you shout for what ships you sailed on. I was shocked that only a couple people (including us) shouted for the Carnival Dream. They also pulled an invitation out of a bucket and that person won a bottle of champagne and dinner for two at the steakhouse.

[navybaby1113]

After the party, we headed to dinner, which was around 6:15pm. We were seated immediately and were in Richard's section again.

 

Here are the menus from tonight, courtesy of Zydeco Cruiser.

 

 

[navybaby1113]

I apologize for the bad pictures tonight. It was really dark in our section.

 

For appetizers, we both had the fruit cocktail again. It was good, but you could tell we were getting towards the end of the cruise because the fruit was starting to get overripe.

 

I really wanted to try the escargot, but I was full from the appetizers at the past guest party. I was kicking myself for that one. Guess that means I have to book another cruise so that I can try them!

 

For an entree, DH ordered the flat iron steak. He said it was good. I ordered the chateaubriand and Richard also brought me the grilled jumbo tiger shrimps because he thought I would like them. Both entrees were delicious! The jumbo tiger shrimps were like a large shrimp cocktail.

 

 

 

 

For dessert, I ordered the warm chocolate melting cake again. Tonight was the only night it wasn't cooked right. It was way underdone and was more like chocolate sauce. DH ordered the baked alaska and said it was really boring. I forgot to take picture of both of these as well.

 

During dessert, we got to watch the waiters dance. Here's Richard and his assistant.

 

 

[navybaby1113]

After dinner, we went to the theatre to see Jump, Jive, and Wail. We arrived at 8:15pm for the 8:30pm and it was packed. We got stuck sitting in the very back of the theatre and didn't have a very good view of the show. From what we could see thought, it was a great show!

 

After the show, we turned in for the night.

[lovestocruise19]

Thanks for letting me know that the past guest party is cruise elegant attire. I love dressing up and this way my then husband will have to dress up too! LOL. We were planning on dressing up and going to the MDR on Tuesday, but now we'll have to dress up Thursday, too, even if we don't go to the MDR. The first cruise we did only one cruise elegant night and went to the buffet during the second one. This will be our first past guest party. :)

[lovestocruise19]

Quick question, are there any time changes on this itinerary? We didn't have to worry about time changes on our first cruise.

[navybaby1113]

Quick question, are there any time changes on this itinerary? We didn't have to worry about time changes on our first cruise.

 

We stayed on EST the entire cruise.

[abisha]

Wonderful review with pics! I am sailing on her April 15 for same itinerary. DH and I can hardly wait.

[navybaby1113]

Friday, January 27, 2012

 

Sadly, we're on the last day of the cruise. We woke up at 8am and headed to breakfast in the dining room.

 

 

After breakfast, I headed to the cruise loyalty seminar because I wanted to buy a future cruise certificate. They talked about the past guest program, new itineraries, and stateroom categories. You had the opportunity to apply for the Carnival Mastercard and also a future cruise certificate while you were there. If you got a FCC while you were at the presentation, you were entered into a raffle to win two gift baskets. Stupid me forgot my sail and sign card, so I couldn't get one.

 

After the presentation, I went to find DH. We headed down to the room so we could pack and get it over with. They put our luggage tags in our room and we had Zone #27, which was supposed to be called between 9:40-9:50am.

 

After we were done packing, we walked around the ship to take some pictures.

 

These were taken on deck 3 outside of the lobby.

 

 

 

[navybaby1113]

We then headed up to the secret deck. We had the entire place to ourselves.