Freedom Review - 1st Time Cruiser - Nov 15-23

[Jupie Jup]

This was my first cruise. Sailed with a friend who had never cruised before either. I wanted to give a really great trip review because there weren't enough for me to look at before I cruised and I wanted to pay it forward but I didn't do so good at taking notes along the way. I will pass along some of my opinions and observations as I remember them.

 

 

•Cruise was 8 days on Freedom out of Fort Lauderdale. Ports were St. Maarten, Antigua, San Juan and Nassau.

 

•We bought Faster To The Fun. Got to Port Everglades around 12. No line at the guy who checks ID and Boarding Pass. 2-3 people in front of us at Security and ZERO people in the Faster To The Fun line to check in. The other/general population line was a snake of a maze with people. Would have paid the money just to bypass that line. We never had to go to Guest Services but when I did pass the desk a few times I would see several people in the regular line and either no people or 1-2 people in the Plat/Diam/FTTF line.

 

•Room was ready when we walked in at approximately 12:30. Don't know what time luggage came exactly because we were out and about but it was there when we went to the room after sail away.

 

•Ate lunch at the Blue Iguana Cantina and it was great. Ate there a couple of times during the week. They were only open from 12-2:30 for lunch and from ??? until 10:30 for breakfast.

 

•Guy's Burgers does have a veggie burger (I saw lots of controversy on JH's FB page indicating there wasn't) and it was very good. For all the bacon lovers there is unlimited crispy bacon at the fixins bar. The sautéed onions are awesome too! The fries were unbelievable and they gave plenty. We did go back and ask for just a plate of fries and they gave plenty then too. We put Ranch/Chipotle Mayo/Ketchup on the tray for fry dipping. Sooo good.

 

•The first day we sat at tables on the Blue Iguana Cantina side which are under cover but in the open air area and there was no airflow at all. Other days we sat on the Guy's Burger side and the airflow seemed much better--not so stuffy.

 

•We used an old hotel room key for the safe. Didn't need a card for lights/air like I had read on CC. Maybe other ships you do???

 

•The temp of the room was great. Cold when we wanted it cold and warmer when we wanted it warmer.

 

•Shower curtain didn't blow out of the shower like I've read complaints about. I would get in the shower, put the curtain inside the shower and that's where it stayed. I did kind of position the shower head so it didn't point directly at the curtain.

 

•We did bring a power strip. Only one outlet in the room and one in the bathroom but I couldn't get my hair dryer to fit the one in the bathroom??? Glad we had it for cameras, phones, hairdryer and curling irons.

 

•Don't recommend an over the door shoe organizer if only 2 people in the cabin. We had plenty of room without. There are 6 shelves in the bathroom and 4 drawers in the desk plus a few more shelves in the desk---2 with a door and 2 without.

 

•There were 2 closets with hangars and one closet with 4 shelves. Lots of room for clothes.

 

•We brought our own pillows. I got them at Target---2 for $6. I'm a bit of a germaphobe and just sleep better putting my face in a clean pillow. I put them on top of my clothes in my suitcase and they smushed right down with no problem.

 

•We asked the steward to take away the other pillows, bathrobes and the decorative blanket they put on the end of the bed. We gave him a tip on the first day when we asked this and also at the end of the cruise.

 

•The cabin and the whole ship were cleaner than anywhere I've seen!! I was so impressed.

 

•We weren't too impressed with the food at the buffet or the MDR. We felt like nothing had flavor. The cookies tasted blah. The flavored focaccia bread was blah. The pasta was blah. Everything was just blah. MDR was a bit better but not much. We only ate there once. Ate at the buffet 5 nights and would have salad bar and baked potatoes. They baked potatoes were unbelievably good. Pizza one night for dinner and one time late night. Steakhouse 2 nights.

 

•We had anytime dining which was our preference. We did try to go to the MDR two nights around 7-7:30 and the wait was about 30-40 minutes. We chose not to wait. The one night we did go they said the wait was 30 minutes and we did wait 30 minutes.

 

•The steakhouse was great. (We learned on the Behind The Fun Tour that they use Prime grade meats in the steakhouse and Choice grade in the other restaurants.) Definitely worth the extra money. The service was awesome and the quality and presentation of food was super.

 

•Neither of us understand the obsession with the Warm Chocolate Melting Cake. I thought it was good, but no better than the same thing they serve at Chili's???

 

•Every single crew and staff that we encountered was very nice. Better service than I've received anywhere. I've worked in a 5 diamond/5 star resort hotel property and what I experienced on Carnival surpassed that.

 

•I had bought some gift cards from Verizon and applied a portion to an excursion we booked online and then applied the remainder at one of the kiosks. Easy breezy.

 

•We ordered a case of water to be delivered to the room before we left. We took everything out of the fridge and put the water in. We liked being able to grab a bottle or two when we got off the ship or first thing in the morning.

 

•Had a hard time getting the ATM in the casino to read any of my cards. It did work after a few tries at the ATM near the Fun Shops. Eventually went to a slot machine and put money on to my player's bank from my S&S account. Then I went to the cashier and asked to cash out. She told me that they put a hold on your card when you do that and I said well, the ATM wasn't reading any of my cards. She said she understood but she was telling me because people do this to bypass the ATM fees. I'm guessing you could do this once or twice but after that they may have an issue.

 

•My friend smoked and it didn't seem like a big deal to not be able to smoke on the balcony. I guess if you were used to it then it would be annoying but she was fine. The entire starboard side of deck 10 was smoking. They have tables and chairs and also lounge chairs. A portion of the bar in the casino is also for smokers. It was always full of smokers even when the casino/casino bar weren't open. She was also able to smoke at most tables and machines in the casino.

 

•When we were in St. Maarten we bought some Amstel Bright (best beer ever if you have never tried it--only available in Dutch Caribbean--like a Corona--put lime in). We fully assumed that we would have it taken away and stored until we got off the ship. However, when we got back on the ship and went through security no one said anything about it. We went on our way and thought, hmmmm, that's weird. The next day we got on the ship in Antigua and right after we went through security we saw a desk in front of us about 20 feet away where you were supposed to check in your alcohol!! I really thought someone would have taken the alcohol from us and made us check it in, but it seems it was an optional thing. :)

 

•We played Bingo a couple of times. It was $20 for 3 cards. At first they said it would only be one game but one night it was 2 games and one night it was 3 games all for the same $20. You don't need daubers. You punch the numbers and then re-set them for the next game. Very easy.

 

•Cruise Director was Jen. She didn't bother me like some say. She's a bit quirky and she has a schtick but whatever, I'm not going to let it affect me. She was funny and she was nice so that's good enough for me.

 

•We did the behind the fun tour. We signed up on the first day shortly after we got on the ship. It took place on our last sea day. There were 14 of us on the tour. We went to the bow of the ship on deck 3 (I think or maybe 4). There's a bell there and the guide explained that all ships are required to have a bell even though they aren't used any more. We had a group picture taken here and there just happened to be a full rainbow behind us. This is also a smoking area for the crew and there's some lounge chairs and a hot tub for the crew.

 

•We went behind the stage and to the dressing rooms for the performers. We met with the dance captain and learned that Playlist Productions is part of Carnival and not a vendor. It's just the brand name for the group. They plan to change shows every 2-3 years. They have 8 singers/dancers that perform together and will rotate in/out. The group of 8 does not move from ship to ship together.

 

•We saw the laundry room. It was massive and so clean!!

 

•We saw the crew gym. Open 24/7. Some guy was trying to run on the treadmill and here come 14 of us watching him. I felt bad for him.

 

•We saw the freezer and thaw room for meat. Lots of meat!! Food is USDA inspected at the port and then inspected by Carnival. If Carnival doesn't like something they will refuse delivery from the vendor and the vendor will have to replace it before sailing. The ships do not take on any food in ports. They order enough food for approximately 4 extra days in case of issues not allowing the ship to return to port.

 

•We saw the storage room for beer and soda. Huge!!

 

•We saw the crew bar and crew mess hall. Crew bar seems small for 1100 crew. There is a pool table and foosball table. The crew gets discounts on drinks. The mess hall looked like a Denny's with some booths and some tables.

 

 

•Crew is not allowed to be over .08 blood alcohol while OFF duty and not over .04 while ON duty. I don't know which I'm more surprised about?!?!

 

•Next to the crew bar is their internet café. They have 6 computers and some general seating area. They have to pay for the internet use. There were also machines in here to buy calling cards and an ATM.

 

•We saw the Captain's dining room on Deck 0. It's a small room with I think 10 seats. The Captain and the Chief Engineer sit at each end. (They are equals on the ship. Were told that there are actually approximately 5 people on the ship who have the same qualifications as the Captain just in case). There are 2 TVS at each end of the room and one remote next to the Captain and the Chief Engineer. This way they can each watch what ever they want on TV and no arguing. Were told that it's hard for everyone to get together for dinner every night but they do make it a point on formal night.

 

•We saw the Crew Training Center where crew is able to use computers to learn languages or other training sessions. Lots of resources for them to learn new skills so they can work new jobs on the ship.

 

•Crew is paid every 2 weeks on a debit card or via direct deposit. Housekeeping, servers and bartenders make no salary other than tips!! Please, please, please---tip well and tip often.

 

•There is no union but there is a maritime group that oversees how crew is treated. They can not work more than 14 hours per day or 70 hours per week. Some do work every day but the managers are encouraged to give days off when possible.

 

•We saw the engine control room. Wow. So sophisticated yet some of the equipment looked like the same equipment that was used 40 years ago. The ship can be completely controlled from here.

 

•There are 3 desalinization systems on the ship.

 

•They only take on 250 gallons of fuel in Port Everglades

 

•Blackwater (from the toilets) and greywater (from showers, sinks and cleaning) are treated and discharged at sea once 12 miles off shore

 

•There are 3 decks below deck zero. They are A, B, C. The main walkway on Deck 0 is called I-95. (I think it was Deck Zero??).

 

•At the center of the ship on I-95 there were some big pallets of recyclables that were packaged up and ready to be taken off of the ship. Even this area was super clean clean clean! I assumed they would be taken off in Fort Lauderdale but when we docked in Nassau the next day they were taking it off here. This area of the ship is where everything is loaded on/off in port on both sides. They open up both sides and when this happens they shut down I-95 to traffic. Crew has to go up/down one level if they need to pass to the front/back of the ship.

 

•There are about 5 bicycles for the crew to use in ports.

 

•They have all kinds of activities for the crew all month long. Soccer games in port, trivia, crew parties, etc. There's a whole calendar posted with all of the events.

 

•There is an employee of the month and all nominees are posted on a board on I-95. Winners get money and dinner at the steak house and a day off. They are then put in to the pot for Carnival Employee of the year?? (I think it was year). They get even more perks and more money. Then they are put in to the pot for fleet wide employee of the year. They get $5,000 and airfare for someone to come to the ship and cruise for a week. I think the employee gets that time off too?? Employees are nominated by their peers/managers but I'm sure any good feedback from guests would help contribute to that.

 

•We went to the galley and talked to one of the chefs. The chefs with the white scarves are the head chefs, red scarves are the sous chefs and the blue scarves are the cooks. While the chef was talking to us there was a cook carving a watermelon into a monkey and he had displayed some other fruit carvings?? We then moved over to the pastry side of the galley and were treated to chocolate chip cookies which were still warm and gooey. Here was a cook decorating a cake for someone's anniversary. He's the only one who decorates cakes!! Let's hope nothing happens to him!

 

• We went to the bridge and WOW what a view. It was amazing. The bridge itself was so pretty and peaceful. The Captain and 2 officers were there. There was another guy who was not in whites who it seemed like he was on 'watch'?? He pretty much stood at the front and looked out with binoculars. I meant to ask but then forgot when the time came. The Captain said the stablizers were deployed because it was a bit windy/rough. I think he said they go out 35 feet on each side. You know the 2 parts of the bridge that jut out on each side of the ship? Well there is a piece of the floor there that is see-through. Kind of freaky to stand on it and see ocean below. The Captain took a group picture with us and then we could take individual pictures if we wanted to.

 

•We stopped in one of the dining rooms for a break with OJ, water, cookies and a bathroom break for those who needed. We did have the opportunity for one other bathroom break--can't remember where that was.

 

•The tour ended in the Steak House where the chef talked to us about the meat. Here's where we learned that they serve Prime in the steak house and choice in the other venues. The prime meats are aged for 29 days. We were given from the chef a white chocolate something wrapped pretty. (Just found out it was soap. LOL) We then sat down at a seat to fill out a survey and were given a glass of champagne, mimosa, OJ or water. There was also a backpack on our chair that included a baseball hat that said "Behind The Fun" on the front and "Honorary Crew Member" on the back. The backpack said "Behind The Fun". There was also a Behind The Fun rubber bracelet in the bag.

 

•We should have paid attention before we left as to the time zones in each port. The excursions were all on local time but of course we were on ships time. My friend's phone changed time zones even though mine didn't?? It was a bit confusing and I think if we had figured it all out ahead of time it would have helped.

 

•We booked our own tour in St. Maarten and booked the Soualiga Destinations directly with Captain Bob. This was one of those situations where we docked at 9:00 AM ship time but it was already 10:00 local time and the tour was supposed to leave at 10:00 local time. Of course everyone was late and Captain Bob knew to wait for all of us. Funny thing was that Captain Bob checked us in at the marina, but it was Captain Michael from Robinson's Tours who was our captain and whose boat we went out on. I'm glad he was and if I ever go back would definitely book again with Robinson's. He and the first mate were incredible. They were so nice and helpful and funny and definitely easy on the eyes! :) The tour was great. The boat was awesome and so fun to go fast with that beautiful scenery around. The water conditions weren't great this day and the snorkeling was not great but it was still worth every dollar and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I think we had 15 people on the boat. We stopped for lunch on the French side and it was really good. We walked across the street to a little convenience store. When we got back to the marina we walked to a nearby supermarket to buy the Amstel Bright and they packed it up in bags so we could carry it easily. Very nice and helpful in the supermarket.

 

•We booked the Zip Line & Beach Tour through Carnival in Antigua. The tickets were delivered to our room a few days before the excursion and said that departure was at 9:00 AM on the dock. We arrived promptly at 9:00 and asked one of the excursion people where our tour was and was rudely told that we were late and they already left. He said we were supposed to be there at 8:45 and it said so on our tickets/envelope. I looked and nope--nothing indicating to be there 15 minutes early. I tried to show him but he didn't want to see it. They called the driver and they hadn't left yet so we made the excursion. Not a good way to start and didn't appreciate the attitude, but lesson learned. The ride to the Zip Line place was about 20 minutes. Our driver was great and told us lots about the island. We also asked a million questions. There were only 4 of us in the car--it was an SUV of some sort. Once we got to the zip line place we filled out some easy paperwork and were able to put our bags in a locked cabinet. No cameras are allowed except Go Pros and they have to be on a chest harness or on your helmet. I think we did about 9 or 10 zip lines. There was quite a bit of walking from line to line and some was uphill. I always felt very safe and there was a ton of people working here. At the end they have a gift shop and you can buy pics and video of you ziplining. I don't remember the prices but I don't think they were too bad and of course they were having a special that day. Next was about a 15 minute ride to Turner's Bay Beach. It was a beautiful beach with a restaurant/bar and some vendors set up on the beach. You can do watersports here and buy souvenirs. Jet Skis were only $50--not sure for how long though. Lunch was good and then we went to the beach for about 2 hours. We had beach chairs provided as part of our package. Ride back to the port was about 15 minutes. We had plenty of time to walk around downtown if we had wanted to.

 

•We booked our own tour in San Juan. We did the 2 hour Segway Tour. The office was on the pier right next to where we docked. Neither of us had used a Segway before. We were all given a training and test drives before we took off as a group. They were super easy to learn and after about 2 minutes we were experts and wanted to go faster for longer periods of time. There were only 5 of us and it was nice with a small group. Our tour guide was so knowledgeable. I asked if he was a history major in college because he knew so much. (He wasn't a history major). We would go for a few minutes and then sometimes just stop and listen to him give us some info and sometimes we would actually get off the Segway and listen. We went to the El Morro Fort and our admission was included in our tour. It was nice to have our guide as he pointed out the highlights and items of interest. I felt if I had gone through on my own I wouldn't have learned as much and it would have been a bit boring. The tour was awesome. I would do it again and will definitely recommend it. I loved the Segway and want to do a tour in every city I go to!

 

•We didn't have anything planned for Nassau and kind of glad we didn't. The weather was yuck that day. Rain off and on and overcast. The other thing was that we got in to port at 1:00 and left at 7:00. Not a lot of time to do much. We had been to Nassau in January when we stayed at Atlantis so we were all set and perfectly happy to chill out on the ship--reading and napping and a Guy's burger for lunch.

 

•We only watched one of the Playlist Production shows---the 80s music one. I thought it was entertaining. I liked the length--not too long. It's not a Vegas production show, but I thought it was good for the cruise. I knew every song so that was fun and the singers were all very good.

 

•We went to see the hypnotist one night. He was hilarious. I always love those type of shows. Always good for a laugh.

 

•We went to the casino every night. You can obtain a free drink card after you accumulate 1500 points on your card from a slot machine or 200 points at the table games. They do not automatically combine. If you play both and you think you're at the level that you should get the free drink card, might be a good idea to ask a pit boss or casino host for it instead of waiting. Free drinks are only good from the servers in the casino and not at the casino bar. However, I think some bartenders would give them to you?? You can order any drink you want except shots and you can get one every 15 minutes. I did get a letter in my cabin mailbox for a free cruise from the player's club. It looks to be a form letter and all of the cruises available are for 2014 only. Some dates have already passed and being that it's the end of November I don't have enough vacation time left to use it. I'm hoping I'll get another invite for next year.

 

•My friend had a flight at 10:30 out of Fort Lauderdale. We were scheduled to get in at 8. We got our luggage tags and were in Zone 1 and instructed to go to Deck 3 at 7:00 AM. But....the night before we were to arrive in Fort Lauderdale, the CD informed that we would be arriving early around 6:30 AM and that if anyone wanted to get off early they could. I saw people walking off the ship before 7:00. We were taking our own luggage down and left our cabin at 7:00 and were able to get an elevator down without any issues. They swiped our S&S card as we got off the ship and there was no line at Customs at all. Easy breezy.

 

•I never felt like the ship was crowded. Never any crazy bad lines at the buffet as I have seen some others complain about on other ships. Don't know if it's this ship or maybe the time of year? Very few kids on board. I think they said there were 3600 on board (capacity is 3700 with uppers according to the pamphlet we got in the Behind The Fun tour).

 

•As a first time cruiser I was a bit skeptical to be going on Carnival. I couldn't have been more wrong and was so happy with the whole experience. I really liked cruising and I really liked Carnival. I think I would like to try another line but would go back to Carnival in a minute.

 

 

Please ask any questions. I got a lot of info from this board before my cruise and just want to pay it forward. I do have all of the Fun Time and lots of pics of "stuff".

 

Thanks!

[cruisexlife]

Glad you enjoyed it, she is my favorite ship! :D

[ABQrobin]

Nice review.

I do want to say though that you cannot say you didn't care for the MDR food if you only ate there one time. Maybe you ordered the wrong thing or maybe it was bland, just can not say if you only had one dinner. We ate in MDR every night on our 7 day cruise a few weeks ago (Magic) and only 1 time did each of say it was just okay. We are foodies so it isn't that we don't know food. Yeah, some things were better than others but overall we were very happy with MDR food.

[MNcruiser117]

Do you remember how much the Segway tour was in San Juan?

[Jupie Jup]

Do you remember how much the Segway tour was in San Juan?

 

It was $100 cash that we paid the day of the tour. No deposit required and if we had missed the port or changed our mind we would not have been charged anything. I think it's advertised as $95 or maybe $89 but we paid after the tour and he said it was $100 including tax. We gave a tip too of course.

 

If you Google Segway Tour San Juan you will find it.

[katiel53]

Thanks for your review. I think it was one of the most interesting and thorough of all the reviews I have read.

[SMSACE6]

Excellent review! I was on the same sailing, and enjoyed it immensely. I also noticed what a great crew this was. Every single crew member I came across was so friendly, and they just seemed like a happy lot.

 

During the past guest party Jen the CD, said that even down in crew quarters, no one was ever grumpy, and she herself could not remember such a great group of crew.

 

Im sure we probably crossed paths with each other, as I spent some time in the casino as well, and did Anytime dining. I always went fairly early and their was no wait once I got to the hostess.

 

Thanks again for your detailed review. Lots of interesting info that I never knew before.:)

[adaptabl]

"Crew is paid every 2 weeks on a debit card or via direct deposit. Housekeeping, servers and bartenders make no salary other than tips!! Please, please, please---tip well and tip often. "

 

That is not true. All workers are paid a regular salary.

 

"Income Range

 

Salaries range from around $800 per month up to $8,000 depending on the position you work and the line for which you work. Entry-level positions such as junior waitstaff are at the bottom of the ladder, while the maitre d'hotel will be at the top. The crew from the captain on down are responsible for running the ship and getting it to each destination safely. They are full time, salaried career staff and do not work on the same contract basis as cruise ship workers. On-board entertainers are not affiliated with the cruise line at and are hired on short-term freelance contracts as well. They are paid somewhere between $450 and $2,000 on average depending on the line and the talents they bring."

Edited December 4, 2014 by adaptabl

[lindy56]

I do want to say though that you cannot say you didn't care for the MDR food if you only ate there one time. Maybe you ordered the wrong thing or maybe it was bland, just can not say if you only had one dinner.

 

Or, maybe one time was all it took!

[Delta Dear]

Thank you for the review, I enjoyed the details and the tidbits you included. We will be boarding the Freedom in 9 days, can't wait. Your review just heightened my excitement.

[Jupie Jup]

"Crew is paid every 2 weeks on a debit card or via direct deposit. Housekeeping, servers and bartenders make no salary other than tips!! Please, please, please---tip well and tip often. "

 

That is not true. All workers are paid a regular salary.

 

"Income Range

 

Salaries range from around $800 per month up to $8,000 depending on the position you work and the line for which you work. Entry-level positions such as junior waitstaff are at the bottom of the ladder, while the maitre d'hotel will be at the top. The crew from the captain on down are responsible for running the ship and getting it to each destination safely. They are full time, salaried career staff and do not work on the same contract basis as cruise ship workers. On-board entertainers are not affiliated with the cruise line at and are hired on short-term freelance contracts as well. They are paid somewhere between $450 and $2,000 on average depending on the line and the talents they bring."

 

 

I'm just telling you what I was told by our tour guide who was part of the Human Resources department. I've seen the quote you are referencing above and was surprised to hear what we were told on the tour. I myself am more inclined to believe what I hear from someone personally than what I read on the internet. Either way, I think we can all agree that they are not paid enough and that gratuities are deserved, welcome and encouraged.

[MissCruiseAddict]

Depending on how long a bartender's shift is they are probably making bank, so to speak, in tips. Where I used to work (a movie theater) we had a bar. One of the bartenders, who usually worked Friday nights would walk away with over 300 in tips. I once took the amount he made in tips added in what he made as an hourly wage (5 bucks) and divided it by the hours he worked and he averaged 45 bucks an hour. There were a lot of times he made so much in tips, which were paid out in cash, that he didn't receive a pay check because his hourly wage covered the taxes on his tips.

 

 

Enjoyed your review. I keep saying I'm going to do a review on one of my cruises but never do. Maybe this upcoming cruise, on the Breeze, I finally will.