Anything You Ever Needed to Know About Carnival FREEDOM

[mjmiller]

Certainly not to get blasted here, but do people really take the decor that seriously?? I mean I want clean,comfortable,and nothing falling apart but when I see these reviews that talk about the decor,it makes me wonder.. [/img]

 

DebraSt- I think some folks just gotta complain about something. :rolleyes: Some people are never happy, grumble, grumble, blah, blah, looking for the bad, not the good. I tend to look at all the reviews, but realize that the top and bottom 5-10% are extremely biased and need to be taken with a grain of salt.

 

I like an elegant ship, but I also like a whimsical ship, which is how I'd categorize Freedom. I LOVE taking pictures of the unusual and sometimes bizarre decor. Personally, as long as 1) I have good food, 2) I'm well taken care of and 3) I'm entertained - I'm HAPPY!

[LizaMM]

This seems to be a difficult thread to keep going.....I wonder if it's because the Freedom has been sailing over in Europe and maybe fewer people are able to do those type of cruises (especially with the economy right now)? I'll be anxious to see what happens to this thread now that the Freedom is in the US and sailing from Florida.

 

Either way, I will be sailing on her on Sunday! YIPPPEEEE!

 

I, too, am hoping to see more info and reviews on the Freedom as she is now sailing out of FL again. I hope that you will return to this thread And post a review when you return....hint hint ;)

 

I am very excited to be sailing this ship on my next cruise!

[crsnfun]

15 days!!!:D

I will post a review when I return on 12/22!!

Happy Sailing!

[dclark]

Certainly not to get blasted here, but do people really take the decor that seriously?? I mean I want clean,comfortable,and nothing falling apart but when I see these reviews that talk about the decor,it makes me wonder.. I worry about the decor in my home,but on a cruise, not so much... Just gotta be clean,and comfy...

 

It all depends... five years ago, I was on the ecstasy and it was old, worn out,with thread bare carpet, stains, interior in need of paint, furniture in need of disposal and of course, that horrid decor, complete with neon and black lighting in the lido buffet. If it weren't for the excellent service and awesome food, the way the ship looked would be the main memory in my mind;)

After going on the blah looking Glory twice and the cheesy looking Valor, I kind of resigned myself that the conquest class ships, with strange deck plan and tacky decor, were better tolerated than appreciated. Then, I went on the Liberty and wow, that ship was decorated so differently that it felt like a different class of ship!

[madge57]

Ok again people have different opinions of ships!! I loved the Valor the decor was different and thats what I like. Nothing over the top but different. Have you seen some hotels lately now thats over the top:eek:

[just G]

Hoping to see more info on the Freedom - this is my 3rd cruise on Carnival. Although my travel agent told me I would be very disappointed in Carnival, having sailed on Celebrity several times (and once on Princess, but I hated the ship and the crew was rude), I have been very satisfied with Carnival. Tell me more about the ship and the other dining options (pay). Also has anyone sailed on the new eastern carrib. itinerary (Antigua, Tortola) and what did you think? Any good excursions?

[DebraSt]

It all depends... five years ago, I was on the ecstasy and it was old, worn out,with thread bare carpet, stains, interior in need of paint, furniture in need of disposal and of course, that horrid decor, complete with neon and black lighting in the lido buffet. If it weren't for the excellent service and awesome food, the way the ship looked would be the main memory in my mind

After going on the blah looking Glory twice and the cheesy looking Valor, I kind of resigned myself that the conquest class ships, with strange deck plan and tacky decor, were better tolerated than appreciated. Then, I went on the Liberty and wow, that ship was decorated so differently that it felt like a different class of ship!

Exactly what I meant, I don't want to see stains, broken down stuff, nastiness, but to put so much in the decor, umm not so much...They aren't coming to my house to decorate....;)

[cruzccl]

Have some cruise friends sailing on Freedom tommorow and look forward to their take as well as everyone elses. Once the Freedom does more caribbean runs I am sure we will get some more information on the ship. The Europe runs vs. Carribbean runs are not comparing apples to apples. Ports and passenger demographics are very different which tends to lead to different impressions.

[LizaMM]

Hoping to see more info on the Freedom - this is my 3rd cruise on Carnival. Although my travel agent told me I would be very disappointed in Carnival, having sailed on Celebrity several times (and once on Princess, but I hated the ship and the crew was rude), I have been very satisfied with Carnival. Tell me more about the ship and the other dining options (pay). Also has anyone sailed on the new eastern carrib. itinerary (Antigua, Tortola) and what did you think? Any good excursions?

 

Glad to hear you tried it out for yourself! I have had TA's (who never sail Carnival by the way) tell me that I would not like it as well - not based on cruise experience but my land vacays - and as you can see from my sig I did not agree!

 

Although I have not sailed on the Freedom yet i can tell you what the dining options are - it is the same on all Conquest Class Ships. Included will be the Main Dining Room as well as the Lido Deck Buffet. There is also a Sushi Bar open for a couple of hours in the early evening on the Promenade Deck.

 

The Freedom will have for an extra charge a specialty cafe (lattes, milkshakes, cakes etc etc). There is also a Specialty Dining Room. You make reservations if you want to dine here and the cost is $30 per person. I think if you want popcorn during the evening movie you pay extra for that as well when it is available.

[stlrboo]

Although I have not sailed on the Freedom yet i can tell you what the dining options are - it is the same on all Conquest Class Ships. Included will be the Main Dining Room as well as the Lido Deck Buffet. There is also a Sushi Bar open for a couple of hours in the early evening on the Promenade Deck.

There is also FREE Deli and Asian Country service, as well as 24/7 Pizza/Salads as well as the 'Grill' by the aft pool..:p

Not to forget Fish & Chips... :D ENJOY! I know I will.. 14 days and counting...

[LizaMM]

There is also FREE Deli and Asian Country service, as well as 24/7 Pizza/Salads as well as the 'Grill' by the aft pool..:p

Not to forget Fish & Chips... :D ENJOY! I know I will.. 14 days and counting...

 

Oh yes...I was kind of lumping all those options into "Lido Buffet area" because the poster seemed more interested in extra cost stuff....Actually this reminds me though.....is there currently the Mongolian Stir fry on the Freedom??

[stlrboo]

Oh yes...I was kind of lumping all those options into "Lido Buffet area" because the poster seemed more interested in extra cost stuff....Actually this reminds me though.....is there currently the Mongolian Stir fry on the Freedom??

I kinda' thought that, but I wanted to include the other FREE stuff...:p We haven't sailed on the Freedom, YET (13 days and counting), tho' we were on the Liberty in 2007..:)

 

I'd guess the Asian Cookery and Mongolian Stir Fry may be incorporated into one.. Anyone know for sure???:D

[tally10]

We just got off of her Nov. 6th. We went with low expectations because we are Celebrity and RCCL fans. We had heard the complaints about the decor, etc. It was one of the best cruise experiences we have ever had! The food was amazing and so much better than RCCL and equal to or better than Celebrity. Yes, this was Europe and as the poster said, it is not apples to apples (with the Carribbean). Service was fantastic as well. I still can't get over how pleasantly surprised we were by this!! We had no problem with the decor though thought it was a bit dark (and not as many windows as RCCL and X). I asked my sister in law, who came with us, how she would rate the whole experience. She has traveled NCL, Celebrity, and Carnival, and she said it was excellent! Much better than NCL and Celebrity. So this is the opinion of the three of us. Hopefully, those of you traveling the Carribbean route will enjoy the Freedom as much as we did. The things we did not like were the giant bowls of cereal as opposed to individual boxes, and jelly/jam packets rather than the open jars with spoons in them (kind of icky). My personal preference would be a stricter smoking policy as every time we went out on the balcony, our neighbors would light up on theirs, so we did not get to utilize it. Celebrity has supposedly banned smoking on the balcony as of October. All in all, it was a wonderful experience.

 

PS: there was still the mongolian stir fry when we were on her this month.

[mjmiller]

The last I heard the Asian "window" is now Mexican, because of the new(er) Mongolian barbecue, which is like a made-to-order stir fry.

 

So for free: the Lido/buffet area including typical buffet fare, plus separate sections for made-to-order deli, Mexican, 24/7 pizza, grill, made-to-order Mongolian barbecue, soft-service ice cream. Upstairs from the Lido is the Fish n Chips, which includes other seafood. By the casino is a sushi stand which has limited hours, basically around dinnertime. There are two main dining rooms. Room service is also free of course, but a tip is recommended, and the menu is limited.

 

The pay-per restaurant is $30/pp and is supposed to have great steaks and good seafood. And the cafe, as someone mentioned, has fancy coffees and pastries for a fee - less than you would pay onshore. And as noted, the movie popcorn is $1.

 

My question - I heard rumor of another food area that serves Indian food every day (not part of the Nations section of the buffet). Can anyone confirm that?

[inco]

 

My question - I heard rumor of another food area that serves Indian food every day (not part of the Nations section of the buffet). Can anyone confirm that?

 

Lido deck by the bar at the front, below the screen. Enjoy.:rolleyes:

[tally10]

The last I heard the Asian "window" is now Mexican, because of the new(er) Mongolian barbecue, which is like a made-to-order stir fry.

 

So for free: the Lido/buffet area including typical buffet fare, plus separate sections for made-to-order deli, Mexican, 24/7 pizza, grill, made-to-order Mongolian barbecue, soft-service ice cream. Upstairs from the Lido is the Fish n Chips, which includes other seafood. By the casino is a sushi stand which has limited hours, basically around dinnertime. There are two main dining rooms. Room service is also free of course, but a tip is recommended, and the menu is limited.

 

The pay-per restaurant is $30/pp and is supposed to have great steaks and good seafood. And the cafe, as someone mentioned, has fancy coffees and pastries for a fee - less than you would pay onshore. And as noted, the movie popcorn is $1.

 

My question - I heard rumor of another food area that serves Indian food every day (not part of the Nations section of the buffet). Can anyone confirm that?

 

Yes, there was an Indian "station" outside near the pool on the way into the buffet. The menu was the same everyday. They had Tandoori meatballs, salad of some sort, but that is all I can remember. We didn't try it. On the vegetarian menu, there were Indian options occasionally.

[LizaMM]

Oh! I am happy to hear about the Indian food! I have been reading about that on some of the new Splendor reviews but I was not aware that it was on the Freedom!

[SimonBr]

The Buffet was some of the worst on the oceans. In 12 days, the breakfast buffet never changed ONCE!! Above the buffet is the best kept secret on the ship, the Fish and Chips Cafe (If you go up the staircase,in the Lido restaurant, by the dessert island, you will find lots of tables and no crowds. Just go through the buffet line, then climb the stairs.). Contrary to it's name it does not serve just fish and chips. It has fresh made bouillabaisse , ahi tuna, ceviche, and calamari. Yum! It is open only for lunch and is a delightful change. The upstairs venue affords you a quiet spot with a great view.There is a beverage center, so you don't even have to worry about carrying it upstairs.:mad:

[kiffrig]

HI Everyone.....sailing on the FREEDOM as I type this. As you probably already saw in the other thread tonight, we had a bit of excitement this evening once we left Grand Cayman.....below is an email I sent my family tonight so they wouldn't worry about us!!

 

 

Here is what happened:

As I was typing an email to my family at home earlier this evening, I noticed something go flying by my window outside my room. For a split second, it actually DID look like a person, but then I realized it was a large inflatable MONKEY with a person’s t-shirt on it. It gave me a mini-heart-attack, at first, but as I realized what it was, I went on with my email and didn’t think anything of it. A few mins later, our ship made a HARD turn to the right. So much so, that things fell off the counter in our room and according to my hubby who was at the pool with my 5yr old, the water was literally pouring out of the pools and onto the LIDO deck and people were freaking out because we were tilted so hard to the side. We were clearly turning around and heading back towards Grand Cayman, which is where we had just left a short time earlier. I assumed maybe we had forgotten someone or that there was a medical emergency but didn’t even think about the “flying monkey” for a split second! It wasn’t until a few mins later when the cruise director came over the emergency system and mentioned that they had had reports of “a possible person overboard” that it dawned on me that it was most likely the monkey I had seen earlier. I told Tom (hubby) what I saw and we decided I needed to call the Pursor’s desk to report it. I called them immediately and thankfully, they said they had received other calls reporting the same thing, but we still had to conduct a full search effort to be sure it was not a person….totally makes sense. So, we started looping in a Figure-8 pattern and enlisted the help of a nearby cruise ship to assist. They also used a helicopter. They had all of us go to the lobby and “ding” in with our sail and sign cards to prove that we were all here, on board, and that took a few hours for the whole cruise ship to do. They also conducted a full crew search, as well. Thankfully, we were in the middle of getting ready for dinner when this all started to happen so we finished getting ready, went to the lobby, ding’d in with our cards, and headed to our dining room to eat dinner. During dinner, they made several announcements asking people to go to the lobby and check in if they hadn’t already and then they finally resorted to calling specific names to get the last 85 people to show up. They finally reported that everyone was on board and we were under way again, heading towards Jamaica. It took about 3+ hours to conduct a full search to confirm that everyone (passengers and crew) were on board and okay. They never said whether it was confirmed to be the monkey or not, or if they ever even found the monkey, but at least everyone on the ship was safe and sound.

I have no idea if you will hear anything of this on the news or see any headlines about it on the internet, but I wanted you all to be aware that WE ARE FINE and there is nothing to worry about. We are making up time tonight by going much faster than usual and we will be in Jamaica in the morning.

[MrsBlair]

HI Everyone.....sailing on the FREEDOM as I type this. As you probably already saw in the other thread tonight, we had a bit of excitement this evening once we left Grand Cayman.....below is an email I sent my family tonight so they wouldn't worry about us!!

.

 

What's the other thread?

[stlrboo]

What's the other thread?

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=884055

[maryhou]

Thanks for all the info on the Freedom. We will be sailing in 15 days :) I have heard some good things so we are excited. Has anyone visited panama & Costa Rica? Yes I know there are port folders but haven't found exactly the info I want to read. lol

[stlrboo]

Thanks for all the info on the Freedom. We will be sailing in 15 days :) I have heard some good things so we are excited. Has anyone visited panama & Costa Rica? Yes I know there are port folders but haven't found exactly the info I want to read. lol

We sailed on the Liberty to Colon and Limon, and so far, it was our favorite cruise!!:D

 

We sailed just after the 'group' got mugged in Limon, and were a tad hesitant, but everything was perfect!:p

We hope to do the same cruise in the future.. We loved the four sea days!!:cool:

[nothomeonacruise]

Thanks for all the info on the Freedom. We will be sailing in 15 days :) I have heard some good things so we are excited. Has anyone visited panama & Costa Rica? Yes I know there are port folders but haven't found exactly the info I want to read. lol

 

What would you like to know?

 

http://s438.photobucket.com/albums/qq109/onvacation2008/?albumview=slideshow

 

My family and I enjoyed our trip. Although, Limon wasn't our favorite, but we didn't do an excursion. Although, the flea market that is in port was fun. I love crafts and there were a few nifty things there that I bought.

[mjmiller]

Thanks for all the info on the Freedom. We will be sailing in 15 days :) I have heard some good things so we are excited. Has anyone visited panama & Costa Rica? Yes I know there are port folders but haven't found exactly the info I want to read. lol

 

Panama is one of the very few ports we did a cruiseline excursion, due to safety reasons. I loved our excursion, especially for being through the cruiseline - I don't usually think theirs are all that great. However, I think I loved it more for the idea of it than anything else...

 

We took a train along the Panama Canal to the west coast, stopped at some locks, saw a few things on the west coast, and returned via train to the east coast again. I believe we were provided beverages and either snacks or a light lunch on the train. The scenery was really nice on the train ride, and I stood outside a lot to feel the breeze and take pictures.

 

Being from the midwest, it was the first time I stood on the east coast, then the west coast, and then back to the east coast - all in one day! :)