Live From The Carnival Freedom: Crossing the Atlantic for a New Whale Tail

[jam19872016]

Fish and chips.

 

 

I can't believe how quiet it is here. Looks like two other groups. Everyone else is fighting the buffet mob I guess.

[jam19872016]

That fish was soooo good. Fresh off the fryer, flaky and delicious. 

 

The fries were also amazing. I didn't even need ketchup. 

 

The peas...meh. I'm sure if I was British I would like them. I didn't mind that they were mushy but it had mint in it. Blah.

 

Sticky toffee pudding for dessert. 

 

[jam19872016]

Yum! That may be the hottest thing I've ever eaten on a cruise ship. If the dining room food is that fresh from the kitchen I'm going to really enjoy the food here.

 

Muster is old school gather as a group so no need to do that so I'm off to explore a little. 

[jam19872016]

On 10/4/2023 at 6:59 PM, Petersonfcu said:

John, you know what I want when you board the Queen Elizabeth.  Well, maybe you don't.   A picture of the Fun 21 table please!!

Bad news, no fun 21. Smallest casino I've ever seen. It's not even its own room, just some games set up in the walkway.

 

There are two blackjack tables. Hand dealt.

 

 

 

[Essiesmom]

I believe the Cunard casinos shrunk a lot when they became non-smoking quite a number of years ago.  EM

[jam19872016]

Walking across deck 2

 

Queens room where tea time  and ball room dancing are held.

 

 

Queen Elizabeth memorabilia.

 

 

Shopping. 

 

 

Walking towards the center. 

 

 

The lobby area is beautiful and instead of party music being blasted to welcome you on-board, Adele is being softly played on the piano.

 

 

[jam19872016]

The library spans over two decks.

 

 

 

 

[jam19872016]

1 minute ago, Essiesmom said:

I believe the Cunard casinos shrunk a lot when they became non-smoking quite a number of years ago.  EM

I saw a sign stating free drinks while playing. I thought great, a casino this size drink service should be easy. Then I read it uses a meter that fills in while you are playing.

 

Hmm will investigate to see if it is a timer or a coin in meter.

 

Even if I had a gambling budget there is almost nothing I like to play. It's definitely not a gamblers cruise line.

[jam19872016]

Still a little hungry so grabbed a little snack from the buffet.

 

Sushi

 

 

Salmon on croissant. 

[ninjacat123]

3 hours ago, jam19872016 said:

No problem checking in so early.

 

Boarding will not begin until 12:30 but at least we are inside and sitting. There is a large duty free shop in the terminal and I think I'll take a look around while I wait, see if I made a good decision buying my carry-on wine outside of the tourist areas.

Glad you and your mom could check in early.  How was the price difference on wine at the terminal or outside of the tourist areas?  TIA!

[jam19872016]

Just now, ninjacat123 said:

Glad you and your mom could check in early.  How was the price difference on wine at the terminal or outside of the tourist areas?  TIA!

It was a little higher but not as bad as I thought being we were a captive audience. 

 

I paid €6.99 for a cheap brand of cava they wanted €8.99 which is about equivalent to what I would pay for a cheap bottle of sparkling wine at home.

 

I've never tried cava so I don't know how it will compare to what I'm used to drinking back home but I imagine it will be similar since I don't drink the expensive stuff anyway.

 

Overall the prices seemed comparable to us prices.

[jam19872016]

Found this in my fridge. Confirmed it is complimentary. 

 

 

Tea kettle for my mom.

 

 

Twice daily service.

[kmb4567]

Off Cunard topic but do you recall if you could purchase Tervis bottle from the Red Frog on the Freedom?

 

[jam19872016]

At least muster is inside.

 

[jam19872016]

1 minute ago, kmb4567 said:

Off Cunard topic but do you recall if you could purchase Tervis bottle from the Red Frog on the Freedom?

 

Yes. They were available and roaming waiters were actively pushing them HARD. Be prepared to say no another ten times after you have purchased one.

[jam19872016]

Got mustard in English and German. Glad we were seated inside for the double speech. 

[balcony bound]

Looks like you are going to be having some lovely food!  Makes up for the lack of casino:)

[heffy2]

Thank you so much for the Queen Elizabeth pictures! It's always been a dream of mine to sail Cunard. I got into cruise ships when I was about 8 yrs old because I was obsessed with the old ocean liners. I can't wait to follow along on this one! Your Freedom live was wonderful too, thanks for taking the time to share this with us all.

[jam19872016]

Checked in for dinner at 729 with 4 guests ahead of me in queue. They don't list time, just people.

 

Cunard doesn't have an app but rather a web page that acts like the app. It's a bit strange but functional the only downside I see is it will not work off the ship for keeping track of all aboard or emergency contact information.

[jam19872016]

The menu. 

 

 

[jam19872016]

Turkey and apricot wellington 755.

 

[jam19872016]

That was a tasty little bite. The waiter seemed confused when I ordered two entrées but with these portion sizes I don't think that's out of line.

 

That said, it was very very good although I had no idea what to expect when ordering I can't say I've ever had beetroot ketchup before now 😆.

 

Mustard crusted roast sirloin of beef and pink roasted breast of duck 822

 

 

[jam19872016]

Very tasty and very generous portions.

 

Cappuccino included at mealtime. 

 

 

Italian hazelnut cake.

 

 

Chocolate cheesecake 

 

 

Petite fours 

Edited October 9, 2023 by jam19872016

[Petersonfcu]

7 hours ago, jam19872016 said:

Bad news, no fun 21. Smallest casino I've ever seen. It's not even its own room, just some games set up in the walkway.

 

There are two blackjack tables. Hand dealt.

 

 

 

Thanks very much for posting this.  Its actually not all bad news for me.  While I prefer to play Fun21, I see a regular blackjack table that is hand dealt, has a $5 minimum bet, and pays 3:2 on blackjack.  This is a better blackjack table than any currently on Carnival ships.   I will happily play this game on Cunard.

[BigDog46202]

1 hour ago, jam19872016 said:

Very tasty and very generous portions.

 

Cappuccino included at mealtime. 

 

 

Italian hazelnut cake.

 

 

Chocolate cheesecake 

 

 

Petite fours 

I sure do miss the included Cappucino! I used to get that almost on a nightly basis at dinner on Carnival!