Carnival Freedom 9-30 to 10-6-12

[MMOMOM]

Great trip! We took the 6 night cruise and followed it by a week at the beach so am just getting to write a quick note about our experience on the Freedom. We usually do RCCI or HAL ... hadn't done Carnival for years and really didn't know what to expect. First I will say that I won't hesitate to sail Carnival again if the price, itinerary and timing is right. Is RCCI and HAL still my first choice? Probably, but we also still want to try other cruise lines too ... think it's good to try them all. But, here's what we think after this trip:

 

Service ... very good. Is RCCI better? Maybe a tad on certain things, but basically everything was fine on Carnival. I've had better Cabin Stewards, but I've also had worse ... he kept us in ice and everything was kept clean. But, we really don't require alot either.

 

Found the Dining Room very good, a little crazy at the Lido ... no, ALOT crazy. Surprisingly, the first day's lunch was not bad at all, but after that it always seemed they were either rushing to open or close something and the lines were always pretty bad. In fairness, I think it's the set up. RCCI has the 'stations' which makes for much less confusion and long lines. The staff was friendly, not all of it, but most of it. We got on and off the ship with no problems. We had a JS so were VIP and I think it was 20 minutes from arriving at the pier to getting on the ship. Getting off went much the same till we got to customs and got in a line where the guy seemed to take forever, but still nothing to really complain about.

 

Food - We thought it was excellent, especially in the Dining Room ... I think better than RCCI, not HAL, but RCCI. The Lido breakfast wasn't that great, but still can't complain. After the first day, the Lido lunch/snack wasn't quite as good, but really it was mostly if you could catch it after getting back from Port before they close up.

 

Entertainment - Think RCCI has better options, but thoroughly enjoyed the shows we saw. The Singers and Dancers were probably better with the show content and presentations, although neither my husband nor I were that impressed with the lead singers, male and female and the sound system seemed to be shrill or something. But, all in all we enjoyed it.

 

Passengers - Like everywhere else, there are some wonderful people and some questionable ones ... but basically, we saw none of some of the things we've heard. Getting back on the ship from Grand Cayman there were a group of people who were 'having a really good time with the rum' but we weren't offended and they were actually funny! ;)

 

We had a blast in Key West ... hadn't been there for years and rented one of those electric cars and went all over the island. Chocolate Covered Key Lime Pie at Kermit's was great and drinks at the Hogs Breathe before going back to the ship was alot of fun too. In Grand Cayman we rented a car (very reasonably) and drove to Rum Point which was lovely. Everyone we came in contact with in both places were great and we had a good time. In Ocho Rios we just pretty much walked off the ship and got back on. We didn't do an excusion because of an injury (had wanted to do the horseback ride/swim with Chukka that we've done before and highly recommend) ... so we just went to Island Village and Margaritaville. We weren't bothered too much by the vendors, but it's just not the port that Falmouth is ... not our favorite place. However, feedback getting back on the ship from others is that they did excursions and had a blast. Sea Days were good. We did the Tea we'd never done and it was okay. Nothing ever seemed all that crowded and we just really had a great trip. Although some people asked us about the Oasis and how crowded it must be and have to say at times the Freedom felt more crowded than the Oasis ... but I think that's because although there are more people, there are so many other venues and the lay out is different which is what makes the difference. We love cruising and make our own good time anyway and it was good to try something new. Love falling asleep with the ocean sounds and door open. Then, as I said we had a week following the cruise at the beach and our place was right on the ocean so again, the sound of the waves while drifting off to sleep! Literally, I spent 2 weeks falling asleep to that and last night was a real bummer in my own bed!! LOL!!:D And, when we got off the ship and talked to our house/pet sitter the first day at the beach, found that our cat of 12 years was missing .... still no sign so I guess we've lost him :( Thank God our Black Lab is okay tho, but still, it did put a damper on the whole thing.

 

Think I've covered everything, but if not, will be happy to answer any questions. So, in a nutshell ... Service - Good, Food - Excellent, Cabin (JS) - very nice, Entertainment - Good, Passengers - Fine ... Carnival is a good value for what we paid and I'd do it again if the circumstances were right. Not my 'favorite' but certainly don't have alot bad to say about it. :)

[LOVECRUISING100%]

Thanks for posting .. I'll sailing on the Freedom in the near future .. sorry to hear about your cat... : (

[BeadedGoblets]

do you happen to have a copy of the fun times that you could scan?

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the review!

[kah1829]

Do you know approximately the depth of the swimming pools on the Freedom? Our youngest (6) isn't the best swimmer and we're going over Christmas this same itinerary. Thank you!