Carnival Freedom 8 Day 6/16-6/24 Review (With Pics)

[sweetcurves]

In the Serenity Area, there are only 2 hot tubs. There is no pool. The closest pool is the pool near the end of the slide. There is an adult pool on the Lido Deck in the aft end of the ship. Kids do go in that area because that is where the pizza and a grill is located. But the kids are not suppose to use that pool.

 

Oh ok now it all makes sense! Thanks!

[Godiva5]

 

I brought paperclips. THe decorations had little plastic ring type hooks on them already and I jsut opened up the paperclip a bit and slid them into the crack in the ceiling

 

Ahhhhhhhhhh Well, that just makes so much sense!:rolleyes: You just solved my dilema. Dollar Store, here I come!:D I'll just be sure to do a dry run before I leave home. Need to be quick about the surprise set-up.

 

If you don't mind sharing, about how many packs of the swirly things did you buy? I see the cute fish on the wall. Great surprise for the misses.

[Robpuffdaddy]

 

Ahhhhhhhhhh Well, that just makes so much sense!:rolleyes: You just solved my dilema. Dollar Store, here I come!:D I'll just be sure to do a dry run before I leave home. Need to be quick about the surprise set-up.

 

If you don't mind sharing, about how many packs of the swirly things did you buy? I see the cute fish on the wall. Great surprise for the misses.

 

I went to a store here called Party City. One of those costume/party supply stores. I went down to the lua/garden party area and they had the packs that had them all together. There were like 25 things in the pack. I then went to an office supply store and bought some of that tacky-putty stuff. Used that on the ones I stuck to the walls. I forgot to take a picture when I had the curtains open , but I plastered the windows leading out to the balcony with fish and seahorses and shells that came in that kit.

[kclandshark]

Nice review Rob! and it was a pleasure meeting you, Jen, Ross and Karen.

[kcparrothead]

So glad I found your review, Rob! Lovin' it!! Keep it coming, and have a great 4th of July!!

[BettyPC]

Great review & pictures! Love Senor Frogs - heard about it - but never had seen it before.

[Robpuffdaddy]

Day 6- Thursday 6/21... St. Thomas

We were in port from 7AM - 5PM

Today was another early wake up. We put the room service card out at the door before we went to bed. We requested it to be delivered between 6-6:15. We also did the wake up call on the phone at 6. At 6:05 there was a knock on the door, right on time. We did coffee and bagels and danish. We did not want to deal with the lines at the buffett this morning.

This was our third time in St. Thomas and we have done the island tour already. We were not in any need to spend the day shopping downtown for jewelry. Been there done that. So we decided to spend part of the day at the beach. We have done Megan's Bay before. It is a real nice beach, but since it seems to get all the attention on all the travel shows on tv, we knew that it gets crowded. Even though we were the only cruise ship in port, we did not want to deal with the possibilty of crowds. We had heard so many good things of Sapphire Beach and that it is not as crowded so we decided to give it a try. I love to snorkel so I heard that this was a great place to do that too.

We headed off the ship as soon as we were able to. We walked through the shopping area and headed to the taxi stand. We got in a van with about 10 other people. I was thinking well this place might not be as secluded as I thought. Well I found out that the rest of the people were getting off at the port to take the ferry to St. Johns. After we dropped them off we were the only ones left in the van. Now I am thinking well maybe this place is not all that since we were the only ones left on the van and that no one else was going there. What kind of place is tis going to be like? We were dropped off right next to a resort on the beach. It was a pretty nice looking resort. Little worn down but it was nice. Well let me tell you that this beach was beautiful. It was really quiet and not crowded at all. When we got there we went to this little dive shop/snack bar right on the beach. We rented 2 lounge chairs for $7.00 a piece. They had snorkle equipment and beer and soda and snacks if needed. I brought a small cooler with us fro the ship with water and adult beverages. The guy from the shop brought us our lounges and placed them where we wanted them. I was going to go do some snorkling so I put my chair under the trees on the beach. It was a nice area with a lot of shade. Just keep an eye up in the trees for the friendly iguanas that live up there. My wife decided that she can never have to much sun and so she camped out near the water. We met this nice couple from Tennessee that were staying at the resort. We got along for the day even though he was a Vol and I am a Gator!!! The guy in the shack saw my snorkle gear and he gave me some great tips as to where to go out in the water. He told me that out to the left in the water there is a large grassy bottom area where sea turtles and other fish hang out. Well I went to that area for awhile and sure enough I saw a few turtles and then I saw a nice size speckled ray swimming in the area. I then went back to the beach to take a break and have a drink. I then went out to the area to the right and it was a lot of rocks and nice size coral area. There were a lot of differnet varieities and sizes of fish. I even had a visit from a nice size barracuda. We kept our sistance from each other and all was well. I had brought several boxes of Cherrios with me from the buffet and started to feed the fish again and I got some nice pictures with the underwater camera I brought with me. Unfortunately it was not a digital camera so I will not be able to post those pics but I will be posting several pictures later tonight. I am not using my laptop now with the pictures on it.

After about 4 hours relaxing/snorkling we decided to head back to the ship. We got back to the ship and dropped off all of my snorkling gear and we changed and went had had some lunch on the Lido Deck. We then decided to head back into port. We then walked down the street and grabbed the cable car lift that took us to the top of the hill at Paradise Point. If you have never been there it is one of those must do's. It is such a nice view of the ship and the harbor and the town. Plus it has a nice place up there to get the famous drink "The Bushwacker" It is a drink of Amaretto, Irish Cream, and Cream de Cauco. It is spinkled with nutmeg and whipped cream. It was not busy at there at all up there. There were several crew members hanging up there using their laptops and free WIFI available up there. It was a nice place to spend an hour and chill out. We then headed back toward the ship and did soem shopping around Havensight Mall. I have come to the conclusion that after going on 4 cruises and all the ports AI have gone to, you seen one jewelry shop you have seen them all. We did pick up a few soveniers for the kids and family. We went to this liquor store near the port, when we went there several years ago there were great deals there, but this time nothing spectacular. The cruise ship will price match any deals you see. If you see anything cheaper in the port, you need to take a picture of it and show the staff in the duty free shop onboard. We started heading back to the ship but noticed that we still had time to kill so we decided to go to the Senor Frogs at the pier. I had to get me another one of those Pina Coladas in the yard glass. When we were in San Juan they told us at Senor Frogs there that when we go to St. Thomas we need to ask fora free margaritta. So we did, free is for me. So just a tip, when you go to St. Thomas tell them you were told to ask for a free margaritta. After a few drinks we went back to the ship to chill out and relax and get ready for our special dinner that night. More on that next.

[Robpuffdaddy]

Tonight we had made reservations to have dinner in the Sun King Steakhouse. I just to put this diclaimer out there that if you are one the did not like the steakhouse or have no interest in the steakhouse then you do not need to read any more of this portion of my review and move on to the next part because this section is going to have a lot of details and my glowing review of my steakhouse experience.

If you have never done the Steakhouse on a cruise ship I believe you should try it at once. I know that there is an additional charge of $35.00 per person for this meal, but compared to the higher end steak restaraunts this was so worth it. DOn't get me wrong the Sun King Steakhouse is no Ruth's Chris Steakhouse here in Tampa, but it is a lot better that a Outback. Before you experience the Steakhouse, I have two tips for you.

1) Plan on spending at least 2-3 hours there. Like I said this is an experience. Not just a place to go to eat, but a place to go and have a wonderful evening with the one you love or some friends and enjoy the amazing service and attention to detail.

2) BE HUNGRY!!! Do not have a big lunch or snack before dinner or you will regret it. Trust me.

Let me start with the service. The service is amazing. The attention to detail is amazing like I said. The serves were very knowledgable and informative about the food being prepared and served. The manager made a point to stop at our table and actually every table and visited and just wanted to make sure that we were enjoying our dinner. It was not like at Chili's or Applebees where the manager just comes by and says hi and moves on. She was very friendly and held a conversation with us. Like I said to be prepared to spend several hours here and the reason is that the meal is prepared to order. There is hardly anything prepared ahead of time.

The meal started off with a Caesar salad. Now I have had good Caesar salds in the past and this was no exception, but this time they actually bring out a cart and they prepare the salad in front of you. They add the dressing and the croutons and the cheese and fold the dressing in with the leaves. It was good. Next was the appetizer, I had the crab cakes adn my wife had the shrimp cocktail. The crab cake was good but the shrimp cocktail looked even better. It was a meal in itself. The shrimp were extra large in size, 15-20 count size shrimp. The cocktail sauce was very good too. It had a nice bite to it thanks to the horseradish in it. Well now it was time for the entree. My wife had the surf and turf. 8oz tenderloin and a nice size lobster tail. I had the 20oz Ribeye with the 7 spice rub. They use Prime Grade beef in the steakhouse and it was awesome. You could almost cut my steak with a fork. I take my steak very serious and let me tell you I can not tell you enough how well this steak was prepared. Cooked to perfection and full of flavor. You better not ask for steak sauce cause they might be offended. I am just saying. Anyway if you can not tell by now I am a foodie, I love to cook, bake, grill etc. You name it I can do it. I also love to eat. Like I said you better come hungry. A few nights ago I could not make up my mind if I wanted to have the lamb loin chops or the NY strip, so I ordered both and I was able to eat them both. Then I was still able to order my nightly molten lava cake. Well let me tell you by the time it was time for dessert I was about ready to throw the towel in, but I knew that I had to keep going. When we came to the cooking demonstration they prepared and gave us a sample of the tiramisu that was included in the chocolate sampler, and I knew then that is what I wanted. I had also heard that the cheesecake was good too. So we decided to order one of each and we would share them. Well the sampler was good, trust me and we knew we should have called it a night. But no, sitting there in front of us was the largest single piece of cheese cake I had ever seen. I could only imagine what the size of the baking pan they use to make this and the amount of cream cheese they use in a week jsut to make this cheesecake cause it was huge. It had a layer of mascapone cheese on it and it was unbelievable. I swear when we were done with this meal I sure could have used a crewmember to bring me a wheelchair and roll my back to the room cause I did not want to move, but I got the strength to get up and we went for a walk.

[dwaterhouse]

It looks like I need to make a reservation at the steakhouse

[FreezingInMichigan]

It looks like I need to make a reservation at the steakhouse

 

We loved the steakhouse on the Freedom. Worth every dollar. Agree with OP... don't eat lunch or snacks the day you're going. It's a 2 - 3 hour experience and you're wickedly full by the end. We ended up taking our desserts back to the cabin. Excellent breakfast the next morning... lol

[Robpuffdaddy]

Here are some of the pics from St. Thomas

 

Sailing into the port

 

The pier

 

Views of Sapphire Beach

 

 

 

 

 

The friendly iguanas in the tree

[pcrum]

Enjoying your review. We were on the Freedom the summer of 2010 and loved her. Also love Embassy Suites!

[Robpuffdaddy]

More views of St. Thomas

 

 

 

 

The cable car up to Paradise Point

 

 

 

 

 

View of the ship as we started to go up

 

 

 

My wife Jen in front of the sign

 

 

 

The view from the top

 

 

Another view from the top

 

 

A house going u the hill I am thinking of buying. I wish....

[Robpuffdaddy]

Views of Senor Frogs at St. Thomas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[FloridaGram]

It was funny to hear you say the skyride was not crowded. We were there in May on a Disney cruise and when we were taking a taxi back to the ship from town about 1 they were lined up down the sidewalk to get onto it.

 

I am really enjoying your TR. Less than 7 weeks and I get to said on the Freedom. YIPEE!

[Robpuffdaddy]

Pictures from the Sun King Steakhouse

 

 

 

View from our table of other tables.

 

 

 

 

The Chefs do the cooking right in front of you

 

 

The Surf and Turf

 

 

The Ribeye

 

 

 

Chocolate Sampler

 

 

 

 

The Huge Cheesecake!!!

[Ramrac]

We sat there for an hour or so had some food and had a few drinks and I made my way back to the Lobby Deck and went to the Shore Excursion Desk, I wanted to go on the Behind the Fun Tour (ship tour) on the last sea day (Saturday). I knew that the tour is only for 16 people so it is first come first serve. It cost $95.00 per person, It was so worth it and I will explain that tour in detail later. But my suggestion is to book as soon as you get on board. They had signs on the doors heading to the staterooms that they would be ready at 12:30. Sure enough, they were. We made our way to our Suite on the Empress Desk to drop off our carry-on and go walk off lunch.

 

 

 

 

Views of our Sweet Suite

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flowers that I had delivered to my darling wife.

 

 

..

Ok got to end it here for the night. Much more to follow. So stay tuned

 

 

Was this an ocean suite? What was your room number?

 

Great review!

[Robpuffdaddy]

Was this an ocean suite? What was your room number?

 

Great review!

 

Yes it was an Ocean Suite. We were in room 7264 on the Empress Deck.

[Spring1onu]

Loving your review! We were on the Freedom last December and your pics are bringing back some fantastic memories! Sapphire beach was beautiful - we had the best time there :) Looking forward to the rest of your review - thanks for taking the time to write the review and post pics! Much appreciated!

[gertiesmom]

Great review!

[2manyBagsLady]

Yes it was an Ocean Suite. We were in room 7264 on the Empress Deck.

 

Great review - enjoying all the pictures!! Loved that you shopped for and decorated the room, ordered flowers, all as a surprises for your wife - so sweet!

 

I have a funny question - I hope you don't laugh - but did you happen to take a picture of the closet area in your cabin? We're staying on the same deck as you did & I'd love to see in advance the closet/storage area.

 

p.s. I see your rum runners got through. :D I'm thinking of just paying the super inflated price through bon voyage for a bottle of rum as a surprise for my husband because I don't feel like dealing with the stress of maybe getting caught plus we're flying so I'd have to buy the alcohol in FLL.

[Robpuffdaddy]

Great review - enjoying all the pictures!! Loved that you shopped for and decorated the room, ordered flowers, all as a surprises for your wife - so sweet!

 

I have a funny question - I hope you don't laugh - but did you happen to take a picture of the closet area in your cabin? We're staying on the same deck as you did & I'd love to see in advance the closet/storage area.

 

p.s. I see your rum runners got through. :D I'm thinking of just paying the super inflated price through bon voyage for a bottle of rum as a surprise for my husband because I don't feel like dealing with the stress of maybe getting caught plus we're flying so I'd have to buy the alcohol in FLL.

 

Thanks for the comments. I looked and I did not find of a picture of the actual closets. But in the shot of the changing area and taht counter. There are 2 seperate cabinets with hanging area for clothes and several shelves. It goes from the end of the pictue to the door, which leads to the bathroom. I hope that makes sense. Then there is another 2 seperate cabinets with shelves in the main area of the cabin that is left of the tv. Plenty of stoarage of space in the suite. I overpacked, according to my wife and we still had 2 drawers in the coach and the lamp tables that had drawers that were not used. I would use the RR's. There is no stress in gettng caught. Get caught, they just take them from your luggage. The price is way high one you compare to what they sell it for in the duty free shop.

[Robpuffdaddy]

Day 7- Friday 6/22...Sea Day

Today was going to be a rough day. Well not really rough. First of all, we had to get up. Then we had to get motivated enough to make it up to the Spa for a massage. Well here is the long story short, well as short as possible. Back on embarkation day, we had time to kill, waiting for our luggage to arrive and we decided to go on the tour of the Spa. We have been on the tour before on the Valor and it was basically the same setup. We just wanted to see if they had any deals going on. Well here is the deal we got, well I thought it was a deal. They had a full body massage and a facial. It was a 110 minute massage, normal price was like $279.00. They said if you book today and do the massage on that Saturday it would only be $199.99. Well my wife and I was planning to go and have massages done, but near the end of the week not the first day. We went and talked to the staff and asked if they would offer the deal to us on either of the last 2 sea days Friday or Saturday. They said that they would, so we felt we got hooked up because they did not have any deals or specials at that price advertised for the rest of the week. Especially on sea days when it is the busy time in there.

 

Well I let my wife go first, being the gentleman I am. She went at 8AM. I got to sleep in. Well actually I decided to get up and go for a walk on the deck and then go get breakfast. It was still a bit early for a sea day and there must have been a lot of people that stayed up late the night before cause it was not that busy out there yet. I decided since, I am a nice guy and I knew that my wife would be real relaxed after her massage, I went to the Lido deck and brought her breakfast back to the cabin and had it waiting for her when she got back. Well it was my turn to head to the Spa. All I will say is that the massage and facial were so worth it. It was a great way to relax destress. In my opinion I know it was $200.00, but I do not mind spending some money for something if it is worth it. Just like the Steakhouse. I felt I got my money's worth. Well as much worth as they were allowed to do to me on the massage. Ok I know, bad massage joke.

 

Well I got done with my massage around noon and headed back to the cabin, I figured that my wife wa going to be out by the pool, Wrong!! She was crashed out in the bed watching tv. She said that when she got back she had jsut enough energy to go fill the jacuzzi tub in our bathroom up with water and she layed in there and then went and layed in bed. She said that I had to try it out so went in the tub for a bit then we changed and went to the Lido deck to have lunch and see if we could find a few chairs to lay out in. We were surprised that we were able to find several chairs available. It was a bit cloudy out today, no rain, just cloudy. Guess that scared people away. Well we had chairs and that is all that mattered. We had decided that the rest of the day was going to be a day to do nothing. After sitting in the sun for a bit I decided it was time for me to make my favorite drink of the week. I do not know if I had wrote about this yet, If I had, please forgive my for the repeat, but then again the drink was so good it deserves a mention again. I went and grabbed my Bubba Mug that I had brought with me. Waited in line with all the other kids at the soft serve ice cream machine and started to fill my mug up. Now you should have seen the looks I was getting as I was doing this. Most were why did I not think of doing that compared to putting the ice cream on a little cone or that tiny bowl they give you. Well it seemed like it took an hour to fill the mug up, but one it was almost at the top I would stop and then go to the hot coffee machine and put about a half a cup of coffee in the mug. Then I would get a spoon and head back to my lounger. Then I would go into the wife's pool bag and pull out my special little RR filled with Irish Cream. I would a pour a nice amount into the mug and then stir and make me a nice milk shake/frappachino. Take that Starbucks. Boy was that good.

Tonight was the 2nd Formal Night. I am sorry Elegant Night. We went back to the cabin to get showered and dressed up. I put the tux back on again for tonight and my wife put a beautiful black and white dress that matched me so wonderfully. We did this on purpose to run the gaunlet of photographers again to get the perfect formal picture of us. After the pictures we headed to the bar near the casino and had a few of the martinis they were making. We just wanted to continue the theme of the day to do much of nothing and just hang out and people watch and see the parade of people walking by. I would have loved to sit there and have score cards like an olympic judge and score the people on what they were wearing and how they looked. Just like with diving I would give or take away points for degrees of difficulty. Or in this case, I would give or take away points for what people were wearing cause we have all done it admit it, we have all said that we saw someone wearing something and they should not be wearing that for what ever reason. Or give points for the person that was dressed to the nines and looked good. Male or female. We also would take points away for the teenage girls that were wearing clothes that they should not wear for another 10 years. God, am I glad I got boys...

More on the rest of the evening later....

[Chelleum]

Great review and I love the pics.

[jacksmom09]

Great review!