Carnival Freedom Review-As Objective As My Antipathy Allows For

[Cruiseathoning]

Carnival 2.0. Where do I start? The cutbacks are glaring. If you have ever cruised before you know the difference. The shows, for example. Look, Carnival is about fun right? To that end the shows are typical high gloss cheese, and if you approach it with the right mind set, you will have fun.

 

On the Freedom, the talent is incredible. From the singers to dancers and side entertainers and band, you will not be disappointed. But you will also see retrofitted treadmills, cheap lighting, and hear no orchestra. Those are cutbacks. The graphical presentation is high schoolish as well. But they try-and deserve your respect, as does the vast majority of the crew. They try, and do the best they can with what Arison's crew has given them-and that is not much. This wonderful crew was basically forced to Redneck Engineer an entertainment program. And did.

 

On this cruise there were no magicians or hypnotists, and maybe those get old for you in any case. Fine. Well, I should not say no magic-because our service staff Kris and Marija in the MDR made Applebee's level ingredient quality a fun and enjoyable experience. That is a trick.

 

The overriding analogy is that of a beat up car, poorly maintained, in need of literal paint, and a 5.0 engine. The talent and excellence of this crew can not be overstated. Better than the corporation deserves.

 

The little touches are long gone-mints, gone. At the MDR you even pour your own water at dinner, unless you get anytime. They simply lack the staff to pull off more.

 

Like trivia? Go to Toys R' Us and buy Trivial Pursuit. Most days there were no planned activities until past 3. RCI's Navigator has more planned activities on a PORT DAY than Carnival had on SEA DAYS. Read that again. The Fun Ship logo is now an anchor.

 

The live band? Awesome. Steel City Groove led by Gramm and Kristen was terrific. The venue? Inexplicable. The side of the Casino bar, which by the way wrecks deck 5, and makes the Freedom eligible for a rename to the Carnival Ashtray. Once again, consummate pros on the ship, idgits in Miami. Or in vehicular terms, a high performance vehicle is being forced to stretch an oil change. Maddening. Inna and Dima (Indi Duo) on several nights saved our evenings with relaxing sounds and smooth vocals in the one space we could find not overrun and crowded.

 

The comedy-Cowboy Bill was awesome; invite him for dinner sometime. Billy D. Washington was vulgar, and not funny. My Wife saw Caroline Picard and did not care for her racial humor. We stopped into Russ Nagel long enough to hear a pedophile type joke and left. Not that we could stay-on this ship for every half hour of entertainment you had to invest that or more to find a seat. We were chasing micro-entertainment the entire cruise it seemed.

 

The entertainment hosts? Engaging and exhausted. Poor Jen, the CD, is working her tail off to make you the happiest you can be-I literally believe if you complained to her about the cruise she would want to cry-she is THAT committed.

 

Dan, Andrea, and Kris with a K care-they care far more than the Miami Bean Counting Machine and deserve better.

 

Back to food. Guy's burgers? Top notch. Best meat quality on the entire ship. Get them-get a lot of them. Blue Iguana? Good fish. Fish and chips? Quality. Lido buffet? Vomitous. No consistency whatsoever. The MDR did their level best to provide good flavors and presentation with food that was obviously from the frozen section of a discount grocer. And hey-I buy food from the frozen section of discount grocers. I just don't expect to while on vacation.

 

I could not figure out how the quality of the food varied so widely venue to venue and even between dining rooms. As an aside embark was painfully slow, debark chaotic and unpleasant, but somewhat faster. Again-it comes down to staff.

 

Made, pronounced "Mah-Dey", our room steward, was phenomenal and when it came time to tip-I found no envelope. He told me they are no longer allowed to leave envelopes, so I had to Vegas him-a handshake with a folded bill-not proper. Way to undercut your stewards, Carnival.

 

The Habana Bar on Deck four is a lovely but unused space. An extra host could have done more than the six hours of karaoke we had the entire cruise. Or trivia. Or something. Why am I mad? Because the 1993 St. Louis Cardinals could have won the World Series. Let me explain. That was the year the Philadelphia Phillies lovable bunch took the N.L. East led by Darren Daulton and Lenny Dykstra.

 

BUT-my team, the Cards, had a chance. All they needed was one more bat and an arm in a trade. And they sat pat. The Phillies took the east, and lost a classic World Series to the Toronto Blue Jays. I was reminded of that on this cruise. "If only", "Just a tiny bit more", "so close!"

 

The Freedom with just the SLIGHTEST of adjustments could have been spectacular. No smoking on the promenade, a bit better food, more entertainment staff allowing us activities during the day, and this is a different story. We still had memorable moments, and had smiles brought to our faces. You will likely have a good time, as we often did. With rare exception we kept our concerns to ourselves (and then just talking about Washington and small shrimp to one veteran cruiser) and a good thing we did, as this was the least outgoing, angriest group of passengers I have ever cruised with.

 

I took stock of my mindset. I smiled. I reached out, but this was a very surly group of passengers and I felt like the unpopular kid in the cafeteria all week. We had a few good conversations with table neighbors at MDR, but on Lido and in the entertainment venues it was all chair saving, all the time. No generosity, and little help to fellow passengers. I made a point to swallow my concerns so that others could enjoy the good stuff. I did not annoy guest relations with these problems because this is the sort of thing best resolved with a well-worded letter in detail.

 

Still my Wife and I danced, and talked, and connected so the cruise had its moments. But for all of our benefits I intend to pursue an audience with the head of guest relations to attempt to get these concerns resolved, as they are things that can be quickly addressed.

 

If you do vacation right, and avoid complete disaster, good memories should outweigh the negative. I think this cruise will. But I am sad about the lack of friendship building-on the Emerald Princess we had a marvelous time just learning about people and making friends. Very little of that of that here. Why? Why were the older PAX on Princess so much friendlier than the by and large 30-40 somethings on Carnival?

 

I have heard Carnival referred to as Wal-Mart of the seas. This is wrong on many levels. I shop at Wal-Mart, I use coupons, and always have. I am not too good for a Wal-Mart and take offense to that kind of classism. I am as often found in a burger joint-even more so, than fine dining, even though I have moved in a wide range of stature circles. But this ship could be so much better in that the only term I can assign it, fairly, is

 

The Negligence of the Seas.

[legion3]

Carnival 2.0. Where do I start? The cutbacks are glaring. If you have ever cruised before you know the difference. The shows, for example. Look, Carnival is about fun right? To that end the shows are typical high gloss cheese, and if you approach it with the right mind set, you will have fun.

 

On the Freedom, the talent is incredible. From the singers to dancers and side entertainers and band, you will not be disappointed. But you will also see retrofitted treadmills, cheap lighting, and hear no orchestra. Those are cutbacks. The graphical presentation is high schoolish as well. But they try-and deserve your respect, as does the vast majority of the crew. They try, and do the best they can with what Arison's crew has given them-and that is not much. This wonderful crew was basically forced to Redneck Engineer an entertainment program. And did.

 

On this cruise there were no magicians or hypnotists, and maybe those get old for you in any case. Fine. Well, I should not say no magic-because our service staff Kris and Marija in the MDR made Applebee's level ingredient quality a fun and enjoyable experience. That is a trick.

 

The overriding analogy is that of a beat up car, poorly maintained, in need of literal paint, and a 5.0 engine. The talent and excellence of this crew can not be overstated. Better than the corporation deserves.

 

The little touches are long gone-mints, gone. At the MDR you even pour your own water at dinner, unless you get anytime. They simply lack the staff to pull off more.

 

Like trivia? Go to Toys R' Us and buy Trivial Pursuit. Most days there were no planned activities until past 3. RCI's Navigator has more planned activities on a PORT DAY than Carnival had on SEA DAYS. Read that again. The Fun Ship logo is now an anchor.

 

The live band? Awesome. Steel City Groove led by Gramm and Kristen was terrific. The venue? Inexplicable. The side of the Casino bar, which by the way wrecks deck 5, and makes the Freedom eligible for a rename to the Carnival Ashtray. Once again, consummate pros on the ship, idgits in Miami. Or in vehicular terms, a high performance vehicle is being forced to stretch an oil change. Maddening. Inna and Dima (Indi Duo) on several nights saved our evenings with relaxing sounds and smooth vocals in the one space we could find not overrun and crowded.

 

The comedy-Cowboy Bill was awesome; invite him for dinner sometime. Billy D. Washington was vulgar, and not funny. My Wife saw Caroline Picard and did not care for her racial humor. We stopped into Russ Nagel long enough to hear a pedophile type joke and left. Not that we could stay-on this ship for every half hour of entertainment you had to invest that or more to find a seat. We were chasing micro-entertainment the entire cruise it seemed.

 

The entertainment hosts? Engaging and exhausted. Poor Jen, the CD, is working her tail off to make you the happiest you can be-I literally believe if you complained to her about the cruise she would want to cry-she is THAT committed.

 

Dan, Andrea, and Kris with a K care-they care far more than the Miami Bean Counting Machine and deserve better.

 

Back to food. Guy's burgers? Top notch. Best meat quality on the entire ship. Get them-get a lot of them. Blue Iguana? Good fish. Fish and chips? Quality. Lido buffet? Vomitous. No consistency whatsoever. The MDR did their level best to provide good flavors and presentation with food that was obviously from the frozen section of a discount grocer. And hey-I buy food from the frozen section of discount grocers. I just don't expect to while on vacation.

 

I could not figure out how the quality of the food varied so widely venue to venue and even between dining rooms. As an aside embark was painfully slow, debark chaotic and unpleasant, but somewhat faster. Again-it comes down to staff.

 

Made, pronounced "Mah-Dey", our room steward, was phenomenal and when it came time to tip-I found no envelope. He told me they are no longer allowed to leave envelopes, so I had to Vegas him-a handshake with a folded bill-not proper. Way to undercut your stewards, Carnival.

 

The Habana Bar on Deck four is a lovely but unused space. An extra host could have done more than the six hours of karaoke we had the entire cruise. Or trivia. Or something. Why am I mad? Because the 1993 St. Louis Cardinals could have won the World Series. Let me explain. That was the year the Philadelphia Phillies lovable bunch took the N.L. East led by Darren Daulton and Lenny Dykstra.

 

BUT-my team, the Cards, had a chance. All they needed was one more bat and an arm in a trade. And they sat pat. The Phillies took the east, and lost a classic World Series to the Toronto Blue Jays. I was reminded of that on this cruise. "If only", "Just a tiny bit more", "so close!"

 

The Freedom with just the SLIGHTEST of adjustments could have been spectacular. No smoking on the promenade, a bit better food, more entertainment staff allowing us activities during the day, and this is a different story. We still had memorable moments, and had smiles brought to our faces. You will likely have a good time, as we often did. With rare exception we kept our concerns to ourselves (and then just talking about Washington and small shrimp to one veteran cruiser) and a good thing we did, as this was the least outgoing, angriest group of passengers I have ever cruised with.

 

I took stock of my mindset. I smiled. I reached out, but this was a very surly group of passengers and I felt like the unpopular kid in the cafeteria all week. We had a few good conversations with table neighbors at MDR, but on Lido and in the entertainment venues it was all chair saving, all the time. No generosity, and little help to fellow passengers. I made a point to swallow my concerns so that others could enjoy the good stuff. I did not annoy guest relations with these problems because this is the sort of thing best resolved with a well-worded letter in detail.

 

Still my Wife and I danced, and talked, and connected so the cruise had its moments. But for all of our benefits I intend to pursue an audience with the head of guest relations to attempt to get these concerns resolved, as they are things that can be quickly addressed.

 

If you do vacation right, and avoid complete disaster, good memories should outweigh the negative. I think this cruise will. But I am sad about the lack of friendship building-on the Emerald Princess we had a marvelous time just learning about people and making friends. Very little of that of that here. Why? Why were the older PAX on Princess so much friendlier than the by and large 30-40 somethings on Carnival?

 

I have heard Carnival referred to as Wal-Mart of the seas. This is wrong on many levels. I shop at Wal-Mart, I use coupons, and always have. I am not too good for a Wal-Mart and take offense to that kind of classism. I am as often found in a burger joint-even more so, than fine dining, even though I have moved in a wide range of stature circles. But this ship could be so much better in that the only term I can assign it, fairly, is

 

The Negligence of the Seas.

 

whew...

 

so did you like your cruise?

Edited April 19, 2015 by legion3

[Cruiseathoning]

6 out of 10. But so much missed potential.

[MrMileStoner]

Thank you for sharing your opinion.

[Tapi]

Even though I know you'll get some hate from several readers, I REALLY liked your review. I think it provided the good AND the bad which I appreciate (I dislike reviews where it was ALL bad or ALL awesome).

 

As I prepare to sail on Carnival again after a 5 year hiatus, it's going to be reviews like yours that will better prepare me for what I can expect! [emoji41]

[SMSACE6]

I liked your review very much. I also agree with much of what you say. I felt that the crew was excellent. Also agree about the promenade deck being ruined and actually felt bad for that great band Steel City Groove, that they had to perform there. The always empty Havana bar might have been a better place for them to perform and there would be much better seating there for the audience, I know that I would have certainly gone to all their shows if they had had a better venue. On my cruise they were still serving the old menu, so cant comment on the new menu yet. But, yes, I thank you for posting your review, and love your humor and writing style:)

Edited April 19, 2015 by SMSACE6

[jimbo5544]

6 out of 10. But so much missed potential.

 

 

It appears this will be your last cruise on Carnival. Thanks for the review. I might disagree with much you say, but it is your opinion. I do wonder if you sailed in a while. Carnival has stopped giving envelopes some time ago (they are still available at guest services for those that want to do things the old fashioned way). It is funny how people throw around the "cutback" word to everything.

 

I am also unsure how anything on a ship makes people less friendly. Happy cruising !!

[Cruzinbabe06]

I liked your review.:)

 

I agree with most of it. Carnival is always our first choice in cruising, because of prices.

 

We cruise for relaxation, so entertainment, is not a big factor for hubby and I. If it was, I would choose NCL.

 

Thanks for the review.

[amr2393]

Thank you for your review. It is perhaps a bit disheartening for me. But that is the risk you take for reading the reviews of others and I cannot hold that against the originator. I will be sailing Freedom April 25th and now need to remind myself to not take the opinions of others along with me but to form my own along the way.

[jbhcw]

thanks for posting your review...we've not been on the Freedom..but have sailed many Carnival ships..and lately have been completely underwhelmed by our Carnival cruise experience...we love Carnival...and will still sail them because of pricing.....and occasionally a great itinerary.....we are doing Bermuda this year on a new to us Carnival ship...the price was good...port near us...so it's all good.

 

But I totally get what you are saying...one of the gotcha moments from a cruise a while back was when at the atrium bar we were served Irish Coffee in a paper cup...I should have complained but it just wasn't worth the effort.

 

We have always liked the entertainment....food and crew and size of the cabins.....crew is still great...although they are overworked...waiters no longer have time to spend a minute or two with you...they are always rushing...but I accept the fact that cutbacks will continue and we will adjust:):):)

[tropicaledrink]

Personally, I like the Playlist productions. I don't mind there not being a live band, and I thought it was overall well done. Still a little cheesy, yes - but so were the old shows.

 

I haven't eaten the "regular" buffet in ages, so no idea on that. I stick to the speciality areas (deli, Mongolian, Fish N Chips, Blue Iguana, Guys, etc) and have had good luck.

 

It's been almost a year since I sailed on the Freedom, and she was still in Ft Lauderdale at the time, but we found her activites plentiful. Hate to hear that's changed.

 

I did think your review was fairly balanced - the good with the bad - but I don't agree that everything you mentioned was a cutback. Hope you still enjoyed your time on the ship. :)

[Joanne G.]

. . . . Lido buffet? Vomitous. . . .

 

Seriously?? :eek: Ok, I will assume this is hyperbole, that the food did not actually cause the OP and other passengers to vomit. But this choice of words is inconsistent with the OP's stated intent of as "objective" a review as possible. It is consistent with his "antipathy", but I don't find it a helpful description of the Lido buffet food. What exactly didn't he like about the food?

 

Sorry the OP had some disappointments. I hope he gets a positive response from Carnival or that he finds a cruise line more to his liking.

Edited April 19, 2015 by Joanne G.

[ready2cruzagain]

Thanks for the review. I rarely read reviews because they are so one sided, yours was different. Showed the bad and the good.

 

I have to say the CD Jen is my favorite!!

 

I do agree with you on the entertainment. It has gone way down hill over the last few years as far as the shows. Trivia all the time. Hasbro. Not my idea of entertainment.

 

We switched to Princess and love it, but will be back on Carnival next year because of the Carnival Journeys cruises. They look exciting and I hope they do not disappoint me.

[winddawn]

Thank you for your review. I think you hit the nail on the head. Carnival does have a lot going for it; however, some of their decisions of the last few years are painfully obvious, changing the culture of the company in the process IMO. One of the biggest changes was in doing away with the Calypso music on Lido. Whoever thought that a DJ was better is just out of touch with customers IMO. That might be the norm in his world, but not in mine. I'm sure there are a couple of people who don't mind that though, but I think those tend to be customers that either don't care about music or that never experienced the cruise experience in years gone by. A blaring DJ takes away from that laid back Caribbean feeling that I used to enjoy on Carnival.

 

I agree Carnival crew members are its strength. Carnival has so many crew members that go out of their way to please guests, and IMO that is obvious fleet-wide. What an asset they are to the company. But anyone that likes to be entertained stands to be disappointed. I guess you have to give Carnival points for trying to think up ways to entertain guests on a shoestring budget. For those people good at entertaining themselves, then Carnival fits the bill. I'm one of those people so the entertainment doesn't bother me. I agree I can play Trivial Pursuit at home, so I don't consider that anything worth seeking out on vacation. Each to his own though.

 

I think your statement that the promenade area has become the Carnival Ashtray is spot on too, and true not only on Freedom, but on all of Carnival's ships I have sailed on. Smokers gravitate to that area in and near the casino in droves leaving a smoky, ashy, unpleasant, unhealthy mess. That situation worsened when Carnival cut out balcony smoking.

 

I appreciate the value Carnival offers, and I think learning how to steer clear of the un-pleasantries is key to having a good time. I just don't pay much attention to the spin Carnival uses to promote their brilliant changes. I know what I like and I've cruised enough to know how to seek out what I enjoy and avoid the things I don't. And another big reason I tend to choose Carnival is they offer a range of cruise lengths from ports many other lines do not offer. I'm grateful though there are options out there for when the time comes that I have more flexibility to travel.

 

Thank you for sharing your experiences. I enjoyed reading your review. Some people are uncomfortable with honesty if it doesn't have a completely positive spin, so its understandable some others may not appreciate your review.

Edited April 19, 2015 by winddawn

[Tapi]

Seriously?? :eek: Ok, I will assume this is hyperbole, that the food did not actually cause the OP and other passengers to vomit.

 

 

Don't know if it's a hyperbole, but the buffet on the Dream did, literally, make me vomit. I got food poisoning and spent the day in Cozumel tucked in my stateroom vomiting while the rest of the family went ashore.

 

That experience was a big reason why I've stopped eating at the buffet, not only on Carnival but on other cruise lines. It's just gross.

Edited April 19, 2015 by Tapi

[legion3]

Don't know if it's a hyperbole, but the buffet on the Dream did, literally, make me vomit. I got food poisoning and spent the day in Cozumel tucked in my stateroom vomiting while the rest of the family went ashore.

 

That experience was a big reason why I've stopped eating at the buffet, not only on Carnival but on other cruise lines. It's just gross.

 

See this is a review with a valid reason to vomit. Never eat at buffets either...

 

 

I wish the OP would post the fun times for his trip so that we could see just how little there was to do on this voyage.

 

And blame Carnival corporate for those issues since they are clearly to blame in the OP's 6 of 10 cruise.

[legion3]

I wish the OP would post the fun times for his trip so that we could see just how little there was to do on this voyage.

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

For people who cruise to be entertained, those days are in the past. Many of us could care less about the shows, or the bands, or trivia, or lectures, or hairy chest contests. But to each their own. We cruise to relax, get together with friends, visit ports, and enjoy some sunshine, read that book we bought months ago when it was a best-seller and an occasional visit to the casino. If I want to go to shows I visit Las Vegas.

 

Buffets are buffets...no gourmet would eat at one if they could avoid it. I don't particular like food kept warm in steam tables at any time...but thousands do. Though I can find plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, enjoy a cup of soup, make myself a sandwich with the cold cuts.

 

As far as fellow passengers...I never evaluate my enjoyment level by the actions of others, in fact when I am "relaxing" or "reading" or playing my favorite slot machine I don't feel up to carrying on a conversation with someone I don't know. And some people will always be rude or self-centered no matter where you run into them. Manners flew out the window a long time ago so I just ignore them to the best of my ability.

 

As far as the little niceties (mints on my pillow, etc.) if they are provided its great, but if they aren't I don't "miss" them...and my arm isn't broken I can pour my own water and get a full glass at exactly the time I want it and if I want a drink while sunbathing the short walk to the bar is a good reason to stretch so I don't care if waiters aren't hovering at my elbow.

 

Now back to your regular scheduled program.....

[cruizinisthebest]

Had an absolutely wonderful cruise on th Freedom last year. My favorite so far. Sorry you didn't. ... I think.

[jessico78]

OP, thank you for taking the time to review your experience.

[Tapi]

I'm not sure I've ever heard of only one person getting food poisoning at a buffet?

 

 

In my case, I can't tell you how many other people got food poisoning. Contrary to some reviewers who love to post inaccurate statistics from dubious sources claiming that half the passengers were poisoned to sensationalize their reviews, I prefer to post what happened specifically to me and keep my reviews as accurate as possible. If other people got food poisoning on my cruise, I'll never know. But I did report it.

 

What I can accurately tell you is where the food that I ate during the 24 hours prior to the incident came from, and what my symptoms and length of illness were. It wasn't hard to figure out.

Edited April 19, 2015 by Tapi

[GottaLuvCruising]

I really appreciated your review, enjoyed reading it and feel very much the same. My 19th Carnival cruise (Triumph 10 days 2/20/15) was very likely my last.

[Cruiseathoning]

Dutch girl you could not be more off. The correct statement is for those who cruise for entertainment, the timing has never been better. The trend is towards big bold entertainment, and if Carnival can not keep up, they will be left behind.

[legion3]

Dutch girl you could not be more off. The correct statement is for those who cruise for entertainment, the timing has never been better. The trend is towards big bold entertainment, and if Carnival can not keep up, they will be left behind.

 

instead of correcting other people's opinions with your facts, do you have the fun times you said you would post in your "live from the ship thread"

 

I will save and upload the Funtimes when we get back for y'all.

 

It would be helpful to actually see how little

Poor Jen, the CD, is working her tail off to make you the happiest you can be-I literally believe if you complained to her about the cruise she would want to cry-she is THAT committed.

considering how few things there were to do on the ship.

 

If she worked that hard and there was nothing to do, for you apparently, where did this energy go?

[Mikew0805]

For people who cruise to be entertained, those days are in the past. Many of us could care less about the shows, or the bands, or trivia, or lectures, or hairy chest contests. But to each their own. We cruise to relax, get together with friends, visit ports, and enjoy some sunshine, read that book we bought months ago when it was a best-seller and an occasional visit to the casino. If I want to go to shows I visit Las Vegas.

 

Buffets are buffets...no gourmet would eat at one if they could avoid it. I don't particular like food kept warm in steam tables at any time...but thousands do. Though I can find plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, enjoy a cup of soup, make myself a sandwich with the cold cuts.

 

As far as fellow passengers...I never evaluate my enjoyment level by the actions of others, in fact when I am "relaxing" or "reading" or playing my favorite slot machine I don't feel up to carrying on a conversation with someone I don't know. And some people will always be rude or self-centered no matter where you run into them. Manners flew out the window a long time ago so I just ignore them to the best of my ability.

 

As far as the little niceties (mints on my pillow, etc.) if they are provided its great, but if they aren't I don't "miss" them...and my arm isn't broken I can pour my own water and get a full glass at exactly the time I want it and if I want a drink while sunbathing the short walk to the bar is a good reason to stretch so I don't care if waiters aren't hovering at my elbow.

 

Now back to your regular scheduled program.....

 

Well if I wanted to relax and read a book, I certainly would not need to travel across the hemisphere, and pay upwards of thousands of dollars to do it.

 

YES, I want more than sitting by the pool, or reading a book. Entertainment, activities, and food are all important to me on a cruise. That will not change.

 

As far as service... well we have different opinions. I like to be waited on, and do not mind paying for it. I spend long days and nights waiting on my "customers" and never even get a thank you half the time... so when I vacation.. it is my turn to be waited on.