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Let FREEDOM ring! A picture review of our 2/25/17 cruise!

watermelonqueen99
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MomofTheBoy

MomofTheBoy

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The water was beautiful, but the vendors were ridiculous! I would definitely recommend an excursion or just stay on the ship. And you're right, I shoulda grabbed a rum punch. That's the very first drink I had at our very first port ever, Montego Bay. It was so good! :hearteyes:

 

Staying on the ship is not an option for us. My son loooooves Jamaica and no way we can be there on his birthday no less and not go and do stuff. Plus we have family there so as soon as I get off the boat there will be food , fam, and a beach waiting on us. I love Jamaica: the way she feels and smells. I've also learned to ignore the vendors.

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watermelonqueen99

watermelonqueen99

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When I left off, we were heading to Lido for lunch. Let me sidetrack here a little. Where I'm from, iced tea is a food group. We have it every single day, with every meal. (We drink it unsweet. And now I have lost all of my southern readers. But to redeem myself, I DO use 138 sticks of butter when making my fried taters, just like my granny taught me. Hopefully that wins me back some points.) Anyway, tea is so important that evolution has changed us Okie women so that when we b*eastfeed our babies, it isn't milk that comes out. One side is iced tea and the other side is Head Country BBQ sauce. So imagine our horror on our first cruise when we first tasted the "tea" on Lido. We both took a sip at the same time. We swallowed together. (That sounds dirty, I like it.) We locked eyes as we lowered our cups to the table in slow motion. A single tear rolled down both of our cheeks as we realized that we would have to go a whole week with tea that tasted like rancid Mop-N-Glo. (Don't look at me like I'm the only one here who's drank Mop-N-Glo. Geeze, people.) Now, fast forward a few years and a few cruises later. They now have Lipton teabags on Lido, and there's a hot water dispenser, so we bring our insulated cups and make our own. It tastes a little "off" because of the ship water, but a million times better than that s*it they try to pass off as tea on Lido. Hello, beautiful:

 

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So we had our tea, and we had us a Guy's burger. It tasted like heart disease, cholesterol medication, and regret. In other words, it was delicious. After we ate, we played cards for a little bit, then we wandered around the ship and upper decks. The Celebrity Reflection was in port with us:

 

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The water in OR was gorgeous:

 

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Eventually, we got ourselves ready for the night. I'll give you all one guess where we spent the evening, I'll wait......To the one who guessed that we spent it in the chapel, doing prayer circles with other passengers: Congratulations, you're obviously on crack. We spent the evening at the Alchemy with our new friends and had a blast. It was Fat Tuesday, so they had a Mardi Gras parade that started in the piano bar, so we got to watch it go by. We all thought about joining, but then realized we would have to give up our seats at the bar, and we just weren't willing to make such a sacrifice. I also thought about showing the girls to get some beads, but then remembered my new career choices, and decided I would not be doing that for free. (Anymore.)

 

 

We closed the bar down and somehow made it back to our room. (Thank you, alcohol gods for that miracle.)

 

To be continued.......

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watermelonqueen99

watermelonqueen99

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Staying on the ship is not an option for us. My son loooooves Jamaica and no way we can be there on his birthday no less and not go and do stuff. Plus we have family there so as soon as I get off the boat there will be food , fam, and a beach waiting on us. I love Jamaica: the way she feels and smells. I've also learned to ignore the vendors.

 

Oh, don't get me wrong, I love Jamaica too. MoBay remains one of our favorite ports. And we're used to pushy vendors, but these guys were just over the top. I understand it's their livelihood, but being overly aggressive is NOT the way into my wallet. Lol That's awesome that you have family there, my entire family lives in OK, outside of one aunt who "escaped" and moved to Florida. :'):'):')

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BigChiefJJ

BigChiefJJ

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"We spent the evening at the Alchemy with our new friends and had a blast. It was Fat Tuesday, so they had a Mardi Gras parade that started in the piano bar, so we got to watch it go by. We all thought about joining, but then realized we would have to give up our seats at the bar, and we just weren't willing to make such a sacrifice. I also thought about showing the girls to get some beads, but then remembered my new career choices, and decided I would not be doing that for free. (Anymore.) "

 

 

That was you? I was the one in the corner rooting for you to get the beads as the 'parade' passed!

 

My view from the Alchemy Corner that night:

2080420232_ALOF.JPG.5fb25c8b73f56e7e1dd0a7bf97e2d93b.JPG

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watermelonqueen99

watermelonqueen99

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"We spent the evening at the Alchemy with our new friends and had a blast. It was Fat Tuesday, so they had a Mardi Gras parade that started in the piano bar, so we got to watch it go by. We all thought about joining, but then realized we would have to give up our seats at the bar, and we just weren't willing to make such a sacrifice. I also thought about showing the girls to get some beads, but then remembered my new career choices, and decided I would not be doing that for free. (Anymore.) "

 

 

That was you? I was the one in the corner rooting for you to get the beads as the 'parade' passed!

 

 

 

My view from the Alchemy Corner that night:

 

LOL! I hope you enjoyed the show. :'):'):')

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pastamom2011

pastamom2011

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Very much enjoyed reading your review blog. Hilarious! I especially LOVE all your photos that don't have anyone in them. Because I meet tons of nice, fun, somewhat fashionable, happy, energetic, enjoyable people on Carnival. But there is always one brief moment when I become dazed and confused while looking around and think that I have somehow been body snatched and set down in Walmart. I forget between every cruise... but it eventually happens. Your photo of embarkation day brought the memory up like a flashback. And, yes, I am horribly snarky... while, you.... you are just endearingly funny.

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watermelonqueen99

watermelonqueen99

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Very much enjoyed reading your review blog. Hilarious! I especially LOVE all your photos that don't have anyone in them. Because I meet tons of nice, fun, somewhat fashionable, happy, energetic, enjoyable people on Carnival. But there is always one brief moment when I become dazed and confused while looking around and think that I have somehow been body snatched and set down in Walmart. I forget between every cruise... but it eventually happens. Your photo of embarkation day brought the memory up like a flashback. And, yes, I am horribly snarky... while, you.... you are just endearingly funny.

 

"Body snatched and set down in a Walmart" should be part of Carnival's logo. :'):'):') Thanks for reading! :D

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ScottyZkaaayk

ScottyZkaaayk

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Howdy, neighbor, thanks for reading! What part of OK are you from?

 

I'm in eastern OK, near the Arkansas border, in what HAS to be the smallest town in the world. We don't have a Walmart and I literally have to drive like 15 minutes into AR just to get a lovely MickeyD's sweet tea..

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GrannyR

GrannyR

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So we've been back for a few days from our 7 day Western Caribbean cruise aboard the Carnival Freedom. I thought I might as well do a review, since there aren't many on this particular ship. I have done a review on CC before on the Magic under a different name and it went over quite well. But, unfortunately, I had to have it deleted by a mod because I had an Internet stalker who was creeping me out. I should really take that story all the way to Springer and get my 14 (typo and it stays) minutes of fame, but ain't nobody got time for that. So anyway, I'm just holding the place for now, and will start my proper review tomorrow. Let me formally and properly (not really) introduce us:

 

Hey, girl, hey! We are T (me) and C (him). We met in 1998 in college, and married the next year. We are late 30's, and we own our own business where we provide alternative fuel training. We first started cruising in April 2014 for our 15th wedding anniversary, got completely hooked, and this cruise on the Freedom was #7 for us. We are currently Gold (actually, it's more of a mustard yellow color), and looking forward to that Platinum card, mostly so that we can get our draws washed for free and we don't have to keep going to the Deck 2 laundry room like mere pheasants. We are loyal to Carnival, and are very laid-back and easy to please. We have a 14 year old son and a 10 year old daughter, but we do not cruise with them. We do, however, take them to Disney World every summer. (Our bank account just dropped by $6K when I typed that. Reaching for Xanax/Vodka cocktail.) On the ship, we are very social, very friendly, and love to make new friends. During the day, you'll find us around the ship playing cards, people watching, day drinking, wasting money at the casino, or getting wind blown on one the lower, quieter decks. At night, you'll find us at our favorite bar, hanging out with our favorite bartenders and new friends we've met. We don't go to any of the shows, comedy or otherwise. We don't go to dinner in the MDR. (We prefer the classy ambiance of Guy's Burger Joint and/or the Lido buffet.) We do not cruise without the Cheers package, and we make full use of it, no shame. (15 drinks? Honey, that's not a limit, that's a goal.) I hope ya'll will join me as I relive our week aboard the Carnival Freedom. :) And if not, that's ok, it won't be the first time I've talked to myself. :cool:

 

My husband and I are cruising on the Freedom in November. I have also cruised on the Freedom in July of 2015 with our daughters and granddaughters with different ports. This is my husbands first cruise so hoping he has a good time.

 

countdown.pl?image=Beach-9&name=GrannyR&date=11-25-2017&text=&ship=Carnival Freedom

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watermelonqueen99

watermelonqueen99

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I'm in eastern OK, near the Arkansas border, in what HAS to be the smallest town in the world. We don't have a Walmart and I literally have to drive like 15 minutes into AR just to get a lovely MickeyD's sweet tea..

 

I won't judge you for drinking tea from McDonald's if you won't judge me for drinking my tea unsweet. :'):'):') No Wal-Mart......I would die! Lol :D

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watermelonqueen99

watermelonqueen99

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My husband and I are cruising on the Freedom in November. I have also cruised on the Freedom in July of 2015 with our daughters and granddaughters with different ports. This is my husbands first cruise so hoping he has a good time.

 

I'm sure he'll have a great time! Thanks for reading! :)

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watermelonqueen99

watermelonqueen99

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Sorry for the delay in posting! I've been busy doing all sorts of things like volunteering at nursing homes, thinking about ways to end world hunger, and taking in stray animals. (None of that's true.) But I have some time right now, I mixed me up a cocktail, and I'm ready to continue.

 

Wednesday, March 1st

Today we were visiting Grand Cayman, and we were really excited for this port. On our first cruise in 2014, we were scheduled to stop in GC, but had to skip due to weather. It also happened to be the day of our 15th wedding anniversary. We were disappointed, but we understood. I did briefly consider going to Guest Services, demanding that we be compensated with $3000 onboard credit, free Cheers packages for life, and an actual Carnival ship to take home with us, but I wasn't in the mood to stand in line. And I don't know where I'd store a cruise ship. But anyway, we were hopeful that we would be able to stop here today, but prepared because we had been having some pretty high seas. Well, the cruise gods (I picture them like the Ghost of Christmas of Past. Fat and happy, but instead of a robe they are wearing speedos, lanyards with Diamond cards attached, and they're surrounded by Guy's burgers, martinis, Warm Chocolate Melting Cakes, and those pencils they hand out at trivia.) were smiling down on us, and we were able to stop. We had a quick breakfast on Lido, and headed down to catch a tender. After a short wait, we were on our way to the island:

 

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We passed the RCCL Liberty of the Seas on our way to the mainland:

 

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After a short ride, we made it. Here's a pic of the Freedom from the pier:

 

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We had a much better experience with the locals here than we did in Ocho Rios. We grabbed a taxi (Which was more like a glorified minivan that my nearly 6 foot, long-legged self had a h*ll of a time getting into, and I'm pretty sure I flashed everybody behind me as I crawled to the back of the already-full cab and my swimsuit cover up flew up. Sorry everyone.) and headed to Royal Palms on Seven Mile Beach. C ended up having to sit in a jump-seat. It was hot AF, and the ride over there was wild. I ended up on my seat-mate's lap several times. When we got to our destination, I asked him for a tip for the free lapdance, but he and his wife just looked at me with a horrifying look on their faces, so I dropped it. Here's some pics of Royal Palms:

 

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To be continued....

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