Carnival Freedom - Grand Turk, DR, Aruba, Curacao

[michelle028]

Hi All,

 

Excited about my upcoming cruise in the summer on Carnival Freedom.

 

Visiting the following - Grand Turk, (La romana) Dominican Republic, Curacao, Aruba.

 

Any tipcs or advice for these ports or ship?

 

Thanks for your help!

[beachbaby2]

Go to the ports of call section in cruise critic. It's a wealth if information. We just did iten on the breeze in feb. we loved it! Look into sea is tours for la romana it was one if the best excursions we have ever done.

[Mizzouaholic]

Hi All,

 

Excited about my upcoming cruise in the summer on Carnival Freedom.

 

Visiting the following - Grand Turk, (La romana) Dominican Republic, Curacao, Aruba.

 

Any tipcs or advice for these ports or ship?

 

Thanks for your help!

 

We are sailing on the Breeze this Saturday on the same itenerary(grand Turk, la romana, curaçao, Aruba). I plan on doing a review when we get back. Look for my post towards the end of the month. :)

[CruzCrazy]

I've done this itinerary (except it was on the Miracle when it was out of FLL).

 

 

In Grand Turk, we have hung out on the beach at Jack's Shack, and we have hung out at Margaritaville. Either is fine--whatever you prefer. I don't know much about what else goes on there--it seems like most people stick close to the pier area because the beach is right there. Here is a picture taken at Margaritaville with a view of the ship in the background:

 

 

 

Curacao was one of the most beautiful spots IMO. We took a cab over to Playa Porto Marie. What an unspoiled paradise this was!

Here is a photo of Playa Porto Marie in Curacao:

 

 

 

In Aruba, we went to Palm Beach, which was very crowded. This is the beach with all the high-rise hotels. If I were to go to a beach in Aruba again, I would pick a different one, but that's just me.

Here is a photo of Palm Beach on Aruba:

 

 

Reached my limit for pictures, so I will add my comments on DR in the next post.

[CruzCrazy]

Okay, in DR we went to Dreams Resort and got day passes that included lunch buffet and all drinks (including alcoholic drinks) and use of the pools/chairs/towels/beach. We really enjoyed it. It's a good little cab ride from the pier, but we split the cost with others going there, so it wasn't too bad. I would recommend this as a good way to spend the day. The place was very nice, and the staff was friendly. The food was abundant and nicely presented. This place is a couples resort, so no children. Here is a photo of Dreams Resort in DR:

 

 

Hope this helps!

[beachbaby2]

In Aruba we got the day pass for the rennisance hotel which us beautiful. They take you by boat from the lobby of the hotel to their private island. It has 2 sides , family and adult. They provide towels and lunch is included. The vast part is that you can walk to the hotel from the port so you don't have the added expense of a cab ride. The beach is beautiful, lots if flamingo just roaming around lol

[gobucks_43228]

Okay, in DR we went to Dreams Resort and got day passes that included lunch buffet and all drinks (including alcoholic drinks) and use of the pools/chairs/towels/beach. We really enjoyed it. It's a good little cab ride from the pier, but we split the cost with others going there, so it wasn't too bad. I would recommend this as a good way to spend the day. The place was very nice, and the staff was friendly. The food was abundant and nicely presented. This place is a couples resort, so no children. Here is a photo of Dreams Resort in DR:

 

 

Hope this helps!

We are booked at Dreams in July with teenagers? Did they tell you no children?

[linbobky]

Okay, in DR we went to Dreams Resort and got day passes that included lunch buffet and all drinks (including alcoholic drinks) and use of the pools/chairs/towels/beach. We really enjoyed it. It's a good little cab ride from the pier, but we split the cost with others going there, so it wasn't too bad. I would recommend this as a good way to spend the day. The place was very nice, and the staff was friendly. The food was abundant and nicely presented. This place is a couples resort, so no children. Here is a photo of Dreams Resort in DR:

 

 

Hope this helps!

how much was this place? it looks great!!

[Rockee4055]

Hi All,

 

Excited about my upcoming cruise in the summer on Carnival Freedom.

 

Visiting the following - Grand Turk, (La romana) Dominican Republic, Curacao, Aruba.

 

Any tipcs or advice for these ports or ship?

 

Thanks for your help!

 

Hey Michele - We'll be on the Freedom too, same itinerary. When is your sailing?

 

GT we're doing the dune buggy trip around the shoreline of the island. The exc looks amazing and really looking for ward to it.

 

On Aruba we're doing the jeep tour through the island then some shopping in both places when we're finished.

 

Not sure what we're doing in Curacao or Dominica.

 

Maybe we're on the same sailing!

[Rockee4055]

Okay, in DR we went to Dreams Resort and got day passes that included lunch buffet and all drinks (including alcoholic drinks) and use of the pools/chairs/towels/beach. We really enjoyed it. It's a good little cab ride from the pier, but we split the cost with others going there, so it wasn't too bad. I would recommend this as a good way to spend the day. The place was very nice, and the staff was friendly. The food was abundant and nicely presented. This place is a couples resort, so no children. Here is a photo of Dreams Resort in DR:

 

 

Hope this helps!

 

How do you book the Dreams resort? Is this through the ship or do you call the resort? Appreciate any help with this...looks awesome!

[dballz]

We are booked at Dreams in July with teenagers? Did they tell you no children?

 

We stayed at Dreams La Romana for a week last summer with our kids who were 6 and 9 and there were lots of other kids there too. So they are definitely welcome.

[MDSue]

Hi, We did this itinerary on the Freedom in March. The only difference was that Grand Turk was closed at the time due to water issues, so we went to Freeport instead. I did a full review of the cruise and posted lots of pictures. The link is in my signature.

I highly recommend to Seavis Eco-tour in Dominican Republic. A large group of us from our roll call all ended up booking. It was one of my favorite excursions and a great way to spend the day. You really need to book an excursion in Dominican Republic as there is nothing at the port but one small shopping area.

Enjoy, you will love the cruise!

[CruzCrazy]

We stayed at Dreams La Romana for a week last summer with our kids who were 6 and 9 and there were lots of other kids there too. So they are definitely welcome.

 

Oops, I might have had the details about no kids mixed up with another all-inclusive we did in St. Lucia (Rendezvous). Anyway, I e-mailed Dreams ahead of time and they reserved a spot for us but we didn't have to pay until arrival, so we didn't have any money tied up. It was $60 per person for a day pass (this was in March 2012), and they asked for cash.

 

I used the e-mail address from their website. If you google Dreams Resort, you will find it, but I think this is it: info.drelr@dreamsresorts (dot com).

 

They had more than 1 large pool (the one in the picture is the infinity pool). There was a small beach also, and a swim-up bar. They greeted us with champagne when we arrived. They asked to hold one person's ID while there, but there was no problem getting it back. Here is a picture of the lobby:

 

 

And one of the grounds:

 

[planningdiva]

In Aruba we got the day pass for the rennisance hotel which us beautiful. They take you by boat from the lobby of the hotel to their private island. It has 2 sides , family and adult. They provide towels and lunch is included. The vast part is that you can walk to the hotel from the port so you don't have the added expense of a cab ride. The beach is beautiful, lots if flamingo just roaming around lol

 

Hi beachbaby2

 

My family and I are going on the breeze in April 2014 (we are early planners) and I was wondering how you booked this trip, and how much it cost per person? it sounds pretty nice, and we were curious.

 

thanks in advance