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Just off 6 days on the Freedom- best cruise yet!

lissvarna

By lissvarna,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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lissvarna

lissvarna

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This was my 3rd Carnival cruise, and I admit I was kinda bummed that we couldn't do Royal Carribean (no cruises that fit with the departure point/schedule we needed). I was still excited of course-- the Freedom is the biggest ship I've been on, this was the longest cruise, and I thought the ports sounded great.

 

Well, after this experience, Carnival totally won me over. I had great former cruises with them but this one exceeded my expectations. I LOVED the ports- Especially Key West and Ocho Rios (Grand Cayman was okay), the ship was very good looking I thought, and the entertainment was AWESOME. My one complaint would be the entrees in the main dining room. The appetizers and soups were awesome, and dessert was always great. We had SOME good entrees, and some just eh. However, the midnight snack food (calzones specifically) was soooooo good. This is the first time I actually preferred buffet food.

 

We did the steakhouse on the first night so we could get the free bottle of wine... perfect. The food was amazing, every single thing. The lobster bisque was probably the best thing I had all week.... it was so flavorful and delicious.

 

The comedians were hilarious, the shows were awesome, and we had the best time hanging out in the sports bar watching college basketball. Ocho Rios might be my favorite port ever-- did a catamaran booze cruise/Dunns River Falls excursion through Carnival and it was totally worth the $65; best day of the cruise!

 

I think I'm going to do a long review, but if anyone has any questions now feel free to ask. Had such a great week!!

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lissvarna

lissvarna

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Another highlight of this trip was the cruise director. Brad was hilarious! Other cruise directors weren't really memorable, but we thought he was great. The second to last night he was dancing to motown by the casino, so funny.

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Loveland2Disney

Loveland2Disney

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Our first (and only) cruise was an Eastern on the Freedom. I loved the ship and all the ports. We will be on the Magic in 59 days and one of our stops is Jamacia. Cant wait!! I love Jamacia and this will be our 2nd visit there- the first was almost 13 yrs ago to get married!!:)

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lissvarna

lissvarna

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I'm not sure if this is the case on all ships, but on the Freedom you get a free bottle of wine if you eat in the steakhouse ($30 pp) the first night. It would have been worth it without the wine, but that made it even better!

 

In Key West we walked to The Hemingway House and then went to Sloppy Joe's bar for lunch and drinks. I'm a hemingway fan obviously :) I thought visiting his house was very cool and well worth it. Also, with a school ID it's half the price. ($12 normally). It's maybe a half mile walk or so, but Key West is so quaint and cute it's a nice walk. Sloppy Joe's is awesome and the food is great. This is the second time i've been there and they had live music both times. Just a great atmosphere.

 

In Grand Cayman we did the stingray swim & snorkel. Stingrays are very cool. It was a really unique experience. The snorkel area sucked though... nothing to see, really. It was a good day but nothing impressive about GC besides the stingrays.

 

In Ocho Rios, we took the Carnival catamaran excursion to Dunns River Falls. Dunns River Falls is a cannot miss, period. The catamaran back and forth was SUCH fun. On the way back from the falls the free rum punch, music and dancing begins. It was SOOOO much fun. Then, we took a cab ride "downtown", had jerk chicken, did some shopping and walked around. Had blue mountain coffee, a red stripe at a bar by the dock and got on the ship. Best day of the cruise for sure!

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pcvtmom

pcvtmom

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We've been to all 3 ports (on separate cruises, though), and have done each of the things you have described. We'll be on the Freedom in August for this itinerary, and plan to walk Key West (Duval Street), snorkel with the stingrays in GC, and take Cool Runnings catamaran in Ocho Rios! Can't get too much a such a good thing! We had so much fun before, we want to repeat these experiences with our (grown) kids! Looking forward to your longer review!

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sharecruises

sharecruises

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Oh wow....sounds great :) I will be on Freedom for the 8 Night "Exotic Eastern"...I enjoy reading all the reviews of her

 

Did they have some good bands, a cover band or??

 

Any input on the Serinity Area?

 

Did you enjoy the Tandoor /Indian area of the Buffet?

If so, what sort of dishes did they serve there??

 

Thanks

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