Freedom: June 9-15 - Short Review

[stupendousman8]

Me and and my family of four got back about a week ago from our first cruise. It was a 6 night cruise out of Port Everglades on the Carnival Freedom. We hit the following ports: Key West, Grand Cayman and Ocho Rios, Jamaica.

 

We had a great time. We stayed in an interior cabin which didn't leave a lot of room for 2 adults and 2 kids, but given that we just went there to change and sleep, it wasn't really a problem. The room was kept pretty clean, and it was comfortable.

 

FOOD: The food was great. We did My Time Dining and had no problems. We would typically go pretty early and at most maybe had to wait 2 minutes. Later in the evening we would see small lines waiting to get a table, but those moved pretty quick too. We were always served in a timely manner and almost never seemed to be waiting for anything. Just about as soon as our starters where done, our main course would come, and then the desert. Drinks always kept filled. On the night we had lobster, I finished mine fairly quickly (the lobster tails aren't huge) and the waiter took it upon himself to bring another main course to me without even asking. I had no problem with that!

 

We'd eat breakfast in the MDR every morning. You might have to wait a few extra minutes to be served and have the breakfast fixed for you (compared to the buffets), but we found we'd have hot, freshly cooked omelets, pancakes, french toast, bagels with salmon and cream cheese and most everything available at the buffets with everything brought to us.

 

Lunch in on the Lido deck had great selection. They had a "Grill" restaurant for freshly cooked hamburgers, hotdogs, fries and the fixins, a "Mongolian Wok" for freshly made stir fry, A "Deli" station for sandwiches and wraps, a Pizza window for various types of pizzas (open 24 hours), A "Fish and Chips" place (we didn't get to unfortunately) and a large buffet which changed daily between American, French, Caribbean and other fare. My wife HATES buffets because it sits out, isn't normally fresh, or seems to be a big mess. These aren't "self serve" buffets and due to the number of passengers the food is constantly brought out fresh. We never had an unappetizing meal at either the MDR or on the Lido deck. While it would never pass for anything gourmet, it was as good or better than you'd get at the local chain steakhouse or fast food joint.

 

Activities:

 

Ship Day: We mainly sat out in the main pool area where the kids hit the pool and slides, while different types of entertainment - from a DJ playing a good mix of music, to contests and line dancing - provided something to see and do while relaxing in the sun. I was a little surprised though at the size of the pools. None where very big and the one below the large video screen near the bar always seemed to be packed. We went several times to the pool near the back of the boat which was "adults only" and enjoyed the fun, laid back folks that where there - often times passing around a ball while enjoying adult beverages! We really didn't see anyone during our cruise who didn't handle themselves well with the alcohol except for maybe one older lady who clearly had too many and wanted to come up and talk to us and I don't think she could see straight!

 

We also attended a few trivia contests, where I ended up winning 3 ships on a stick (I'm a bit of a trivia buff.) After winning the third, I ran into a couple in the elevator who were excited to see my trophy, and the husband explained that he'd been trying to win one all cruise and even asked if he could buy one as a souvenir. After a second of thinking I handed it to him and told him that the one I had was his. He protested, but after explaining I had two more back in my room, he thanked me enthusiastically. That was a trivia contest that ended up letting me win twice! It was great to do something nice to make someone else's day better.

 

Ship Evening: When on the ship we watched the big shows in the theater, which where VERY entertaining (though the theater could be very cold - ladies think twice about wearing sleeveless evening attire!). Especially the Beatles show the final night. They really put a lot into that.

 

Ports:

 

Key West: Interesting, but not all that impressive in my opinion. Had we been there at night, without the kids maybe there'd be a little excitement, but the whole island seems as though it's a bunch of narrow streets filled with old run-down houses and buildings that haven't seen a coat of paint in 40 years! We'd taken one of the trolley tours, and while it was worth the money, besides some interesting historical sites there wasn't a lot to get excited about. Nice to do once, but not someplace I'd probably go out of my way to go a second time.

 

Cayman Island: We had a really good time on Grand Caymen. It seemed to be a pretty clean and upscale place, and the people where friendly. There were a bunch of nice shops and restaurants right off the port and some touristy spots (Hard Rock Cafe, a Harley dealer, etc.).

 

We didn't pre-schedule a excursion here and at port found a Stingray/Snorkle tour for $40 each which was well worth the cost and time. We first took a short bus ride to a boat, which then transported us to "Stingray City". I'd thought this would be some corporate owned marina on shore but that was wrong. You go about a mile into the Caribbean to a sand bar about the size of about a half a football field. Many other small boats are backed up to the sandbar as well and everyone gets out into the clear water and steps down into the sand. You end up about waist deep in the water and the tour guide corrals one of the many stingrays roaming around for you to pet, kiss and take pictures with. The stingrays are pretty tame - knowing that the guides have pieces of squid and that if they cooperate they're going to get fed! It was a really neat experience and the location/set up was great for even the worst of swimmers. They then took us just a short ways away to "Corral Gardens" where there was a small reef and let us do some snorkeling for about twenty minutes. Then it was back to port. We had a really good time in Grand Caymen.

 

Ochos Rios Jamaica: We reserved the Snorkeling/Dunn's River Falls excursion through Carnival for this port, and had a lot of fun. You first take a very short bus trip to "Dolphin Cove" which offers many different activities (dolphin, shark swims etc). We had already choose to snorkel, and they have a large area where there's a coral bed and provides all the snorkel gear. For anyone who doesn't believe that they are a strong swimmer or doesn't like water, all "snorkeling" requires is for you to wear a life jacket and kick your feet around to propel you around while looking down into the water wearing a swim mask. Very easy, very fun to see all the various forms of aquatic life. My 8 year old daughter did get a jellyfish sting while exiting the snorkel area, but the staff had stuff to put on it and she was fixed up in no time. As they say on the island, "no problems, mon!"

 

We then headed to Dunn's River Falls. This was also a very fun experience. The water is a little cold, and you get wet, but it all happens so slowly you quickly get acclimated to the water and the experience and it's a great time. The guides and the people who take video (you can buy for $20 I think) make it fun by leading your group in chants and dances as you head up the falls. It takes a little bit of climbing effort, but all but the most feeble should have no problem making it to the top and seeing some great sights.

 

Ochos Rios doesn't appear to be the cleanest, or safest ports around though. It's one I'd suggest not choosing to veer too far off the beaten path for. Also, unless you really want to buy wooden trinkets and t-shirts from the jamaican peddlers there (or have a very strong ability to say NO), I'd keep my distance from the tented shops they have at port and at Dunn's Rivers Falls. They really will hardly take "no" for an answer when trying to get you to buy something. It really can be exhausting if you thought you'd just browse though what someone has for sale. There's a few brick and mortar shops not far from the pier that aren't quite so bad, but pretty much all the open air/tent style shops will do everything they can to take your money from you, so be prepared. They have no mercy on folks who aren't strong willed enough to just say "no".

 

Conclusion: While I've stated a few small complaints, overall we couldn't be happier with the "bang for buck" we got out of this trip and will be cruising again very soon. We are looking towards March. The only complaint I can think of about the Freedom is that the way it's laid out, you have to either go up and down floors to get to one part of the ship or the other, or walk through the MDR. An inconvenience, but no "deal breaker" by far.

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[Bunkie103]

Nice gesture with your ship on a stick. Sounds like you had a good time mainly because of your attitude. Our turn in 11 weeks!:D

[stupendousman8]

Nice gesture with your ship on a stick. Sounds like you had a good time mainly because of your attitude. Our turn in 11 weeks!:D

 

After re-reading my review, it sounds a little confusing. If it wasn't clear, the guy didn't ask ME to buy my ship, he'd asked Carnival staff if he could buy one from them as a souvenir and he couldn't.

[stellfamily]

Thanks for the info. We are about to book this very same cruise for October. Never been on the Freedom. Can you tell me which deck you were on? We most likely will be on the Main Deck (2). I have never been that low before, but this time it's just husband and I and we were looking for a DEAL.

[tkotis]

who was the cd and how was he????

[jsfromsc]

Nice review. Those guys at Dunn's River Falls are the worst. My husband and I got guilted into buying one of their carved wooden thingies. We were mad but we caved because they asked us our names and immediately carved them into the item. So then you're left feeling guilty because how could they sell them to anyone else with your names carved into them, right? When we got back to the ship we found our two sons had the same experience and got stuck with the same piece of wooden junk that we had. We all laughed at each other, but next time I won't even look at the locals much less speak to them. It's a shame because you want to be friendly, but it's really a racket. And I wouldn't have minded spending the money on something I actually liked but this was a real scam. Oh, well... fool me once...:)

[omalley16]

Thanks for the review! Officially in single digits until my sailing day on the Freedom :)

 

 

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[Vitamin_Sea]

nice review and thanks. We are sailing her on July 7 and were on deck 8! cant wait

 

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[Dare2Believe]

We're on the Freedom in less than 3 weeks! Thanks for your review. We also eat breakfast in the MDR everyday...I feel like many people don't realize this is an option. Love it! Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

[NCJess]

Great review, thanks! We're sailing the Freedom in October (my first cruise)! :D

 

Question: do you have to make reservations for breakfast in the MDR?

[omalley16]

Great review, thanks! We're sailing the Freedom in October (my first cruise)! :D

 

Question: do you have to make reservations for breakfast in the MDR?

 

Nope, you can just walk in there. In my experience, no one knew about it, so it was empty. Same with lunch. On sea days, the Freedom has "brunch" featuring breakfast and lunch, and is open from 8-1 I think. Not sure about those times, but it is something like that.

 

 

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