Freedom Review Jan 5-12 - Part I: Chromatherapy anyone?

[bobbygirl]

Background and Booking Info

 

The 4th cruise for DH and me, first time for teens aged 16 and 18. Our previous cruises have been on the CCL Destiny, then on the NCL Jewel and Spirit. We were looking for a good deal in the beginning of January and were leaning towards the NCL Jewel, but the price of Montreal-Miami return flights was astronomical. What finally swayed us in favour of Carnival was their great deal on flights and the Freedom being a new ship. We contacted an online agency then checked out the Carnival website. Since the prices were similar, we booked through Carnival and I’m glad we did, as the consultant was extremely helpful. We requested a balcony room for 4, but this was unavailable since we were booking in late October. The consultant suggested that with teens we book two rooms (two bathrooms!), a balcony and an inside. A terrific idea, it really made a big difference having two rooms, both for our privacy and their independence. They were across the hall and down a few doors. My husband and I were split into different rooms for booking purposes (obtaining terrific past guest rates), but we obtained extra key cards at the purser’s desk. The consultant inquired about any health concerns; my DD has mild asthma and I was asked which medication she used as they would arrange to have some on board in case she needed it. They later called back to confirm the medication – I was impressed with their thoroughness.

 

As I mentioned, we booked air through Carnival’s Fly Aweigh program because we were saving about $850 on flights. I was a little nervous because of the cruise air horror stories posted on the boards, but we decided it was worth it. This was the first time we’d booked air through a cruise line; we’d either booked our own or driven to the port (NYC). In mid-November, we received a phone call from Carnival asking us if we minded to fly in the day before, landing in FLL instead of MIA. They would put us up in a hotel free of charge and all transfers were included. Being from Canada and wary of snowstorms, we jumped at the opportunity to fly in a day ahead. We were also very happy to learn that we were booked on direct flights coming and going on Air Canada.

 

Arrival and Embarkation

 

The flight down was fine and we landed in FLL around 11 pm. The Carnival reps met us at the luggage carousels, and after a short delay they transferred us to the Airport Hilton in Dania on Greyhound buses. They had two rooms booked for our family. This is a beautiful hotel, very clean and comfortable. We had to pay for our own buffet breakfast; a little expensive, but absolutely delicious and with impeccable service. We then waited for our transfer to the ship, which was scheduled to leave around 12 pm. We had to wait longer than that, because most passengers staying at the hotel were sailing on the Liberty out of Port Everglades and they filled up three buses. The last bus was carrying the passengers to the port of Miami; out of a dozen or so of us on the bus, our family was the only one sailing on the Freedom. I was wary of Carnival transfers because of the comments on the boards; and while it was much slower than taking a taxi, it was pretty well organized - so we just relaxed and went with the flow.

 

The embarkation process took about 45 minutes to an hour, all told. It’s our habit to usually embark pretty early, but since the arrival time was out of our control we ended up standing in line. Things moved along, and we were on the ship by about 2pm.

 

Decor...?

 

First off, let me say that the ship was very, very clean. I had researched the Freedom quite a bit and was looking forward to seeing for myself the “decor” of the ship. Although some of the bars were tastefully appointed, especially the International Lounge with its subdued earth tones, other parts of the ship elicited a “huh???” I refer specifically to the glass stairway panels with their coloured chromosome/virus/worm squiggles and the incongruous “Animals of North America” panels in the forward stairwell near the Victoriana lounge. Overall, the decor, although not completely hideous, seemed to be a mish-mash too many styles. And by the way, skip the spa and get a relaxing chromatherapy treatment by finding a comfy spot in the atrium and staring up at the lights as they morph though the colours of the rainbow.

 

Questions? Feel free to post and I'll do my best to answer ;)

[bobbygirl]

Full review is now posted in the "Member Reviews" section of Cruise Critic.

 

Carnival Freedom Western Caribbean Jan 5-12

 

Part I: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=693413

Part II: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=693419

Part III: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=693425