Carnival freedom ???

[LUV THE SEA]

I have so many questions and so little time---35 days or so...I just booked a 6 day cruise for July 26 on the Freedom...I am midship 6th -UPPER DECK-- What is your favorite thing about the FREEDOM...

Does anyone know if you can hear noise from the promenade??? I have the opportunity to go to a higher deck but not mid-ship...Any thoughts if we should move???

Also is one dining room assigned to early dining and one for late...if so do you know which one...does it matter???I heard one dining room is nicer???

Do you miss shows, comedians if you take the late seating?

Has anyone sailed in the summer...are the movies overly crowded...we were on Princess in the fall and the movies under the stars was so much fun but it was the fall so very few people were out at night.

Other than the pay coffee...do they have a coffee and dessert place at night? On Princess and Royal they have coffee & free pastries/cookies at night...does Freedom have that??

[2910car]

Just returned from the 6 night Freedom - you will have a great time!

 

Both dining rooms have early and late seatings. There are 2 shows most nights - one for each seating. Do not miss the Beatles show or the one about New Orleans. Also the comedian (don't remember his name but he was very large and bald) was very funny. We couldn't get in to his adult show so if you want to see that get there early.

 

The buffet was very crowded for breakfast and lunch so we opted for the dining room which was much more civilized. The pool area was very crowded too and there is no shade by the pool.

 

Don't know about the movies. There was so much to do we never got there!

[H2OH!]

I have so many questions and so little time---35 days or so...I just booked a 6 day cruise for July 26 on the Freedom...I am midship 6th -UPPER DECK-- What is your favorite thing about the FREEDOM...

Does anyone know if you can hear noise from the promenade??? I have the opportunity to go to a higher deck but not mid-ship...Any thoughts if we should move???

Also is one dining room assigned to early dining and one for late...if so do you know which one...does it matter???I heard one dining room is nicer???

Do you miss shows, comedians if you take the late seating?

Has anyone sailed in the summer...are the movies overly crowded...we were on Princess in the fall and the movies under the stars was so much fun but it was the fall so very few people were out at night.

Other than the pay coffee...do they have a coffee and dessert place at night? On Princess and Royal they have coffee & free pastries/cookies at night...does Freedom have that??

 

Deep breaths!

 

1) Our favorite thing is the pizzeria, best pizza at sea.

2) We were on deck 8 so not sure about noise from promenade. We were quite forward and had no problems with movement from the ship. So if you are concerned, may you should move. I would try and head aft as is closer to food etc.

3) for the life of me, I cannot remember the dining room name..it was late seating and the food was very good.

4) unsure about the movies...not our thing

5) coffee and pastries, again we do not drink coffee and with late seating, we were not looking for pastries and cookies at night so not sure about that either.

[LUV THE SEA]

What was disembarkation like...In Feb. we were on Rccl Libert and we had to chose self disembarkation and had to carry them down to the frst floor...do you know which floor they disemebark from on the Freedom...do they put ou in general rooms...ehat time do they start calling colors etc?

[LUV THE SEA]

One more thing does anyone know who the cruise director was...did you do your own excursions or do the ships...any problems in Jamica???

[2910car]

Self assist started at 7 AM for people who were carrying thier own luggage. I think they go by deck number for self assist. Regular debarkation was about 8:15. We were off the ship by 9 AM and we had number 18. The numbers go from 1-36 I think.

 

The cruise director was Todd but he is leaving after the next cruise to go to the Dream.

 

We did our own excurison in Grand Cayman. Went to the turtle farm and swam in their lovely lagoon. In Jamaica my son and son in law went on the ships excurison to play golf. My daughter, her husband and children went to Bamboo Beach and had a blast. This was also a ship excursion. Neither had any probelm in Jamaica. Both said it was a beautiful island.

[LUV THE SEA]

Self assist started at 7 AM for people who were carrying thier own luggage. I think they go by deck number for self assist. Regular debarkation was about 8:15. We were off the ship by 9 AM and we had number 18. The numbers go from 1-36 I think.

 

The cruise director was Todd but he is leaving after the next cruise to go to the Dream.

 

We did our own excurison in Grand Cayman. Went to the turtle farm and swam in their lovely lagoon. In Jamaica my son and son in law went on the ships excurison to play golf. My daughter, her husband and children went to Bamboo Beach and had a blast. This was also a ship excursion. Neither had any probelm in Jamaica. Both said it was a beautiful island.

 

My husband and I want to do the turtle farm...were there buses/taxis by the ship to get there...do you know how my=uch it cost to get in and the fare on the transportation?

[travelinggrandma]

Hi,

 

I was on the six night Western in May. My favorite thing was that the music venues were all near each other. We moved from Piano Bar to Guitar Player to Kareoke easily. All these areas were hopping at one time or another and it was fun to experience them. I also liked the Mongolian Barbecue in the buffet, even though the lines were long at noon. It was delicious. The chocolate buffet the last sea day was also great.

 

I took the ship excursion to the turtle farm, hell and tortola rum factory and it was interesting, but not exciting. I loved the Bamboo Beach Club ship excursion in Ocho Rios even though it was pouring rain the day we were there. It was a lot of fun. Drinks and food flowed and we were entertained the whole time. I found the island beautiful and the people friendly, if a little aggressive. It was my favorite port.

 

Have a lot of fun on the Freedom. It's a beautiful ship.

[travelinggrandma]

One more thing. We had late seating dinner. The main shows were either before dinner or at 10:30, so no one missed them.

 

Also, found shade at the pool at the tables and chairs. I could see the entertainment and participate in the fun from those areas.

[LUV THE SEA]

Thank you...what deck are all of the music venues...we are on the 6th deck are they on the Promenade???

 

Hi,

 

I was on the six night Western in May. My favorite thing was that the music venues were all near each other. We moved from Piano Bar to Guitar Player to Kareoke easily. All these areas were hopping at one time or another and it was fun to experience them. I also liked the Mongolian Barbecue in the buffet, even though the lines were long at noon. It was delicious. The chocolate buffet the last sea day was also great.

 

I took the ship excursion to the turtle farm, hell and tortola rum factory and it was interesting, but not exciting. I loved the Bamboo Beach Club ship excursion in Ocho Rios even though it was pouring rain the day we were there. It was a lot of fun. Drinks and food flowed and we were entertained the whole time. I found the island beautiful and the people friendly, if a little aggressive. It was my favorite port.

 

Have a lot of fun on the Freedom. It's a beautiful ship.

[Chigirlcruzin]

Thank you...what deck are all of the music venues...we are on the 6th deck are they on the Promenade???

 

 

They're on deck 5. I haven't ever stayed on deck 6, so I can't tell you what the noise is like.

[2910car]

My husband and I want to do the turtle farm...were there buses/taxis by the ship to get there...do you know how my=uch it cost to get in and the fare on the transportation?

 

We made reservations for the turtle farm online at their website boatswainsbeach.com. It was much cheaper than Carnival's excursion and included transportation. It has alot more than a turtles by the way. You can swin in a lovely lagoon with a waterfall. Great on a hot day. You can also swim with fish in another lagoon. There is also a shark display and some very intersting iguanas. We totally loved our day there.

 

If you go make sure you know where to go on the dock to get the van. After asking around for half an hour in the hot sun, we were finally told to go to an air conditioned building where we could have waited. Anyway we were immediately driven to Boatswains and told we could get a shuttle back to the ship whenever we wanted. It was very easy.

[semichigan]

What cabin on the Upper deck are you in? We are booked on Aug. 23 in cabin 6270 which according to the deck plan is right above the shops on the promenade - so I am not concerned about noise from there. If you are above the disco, maybe...if you decide to move to deck 8 aft, check to see what is above you - I have read complaints about all the chairs from the lido deck above scraping on the floor.

There is soft serve ice cream and frozen yogurt 24 hours a day available for free - you can always get coffee for free (even room service - just tip them). Also I am sure that we have always been able to find some desserts, cookies or cake or something....my DH likes to order milk and a pb&j from room service :)

I believe both dining rooms have two seating times for dinner (6pm and 8:15) - the menus will be the same.

[LUV THE SEA]

They provide the van???That sounds great!!! Is there an extra fee for the van? Thanks for the helpful info...

 

We made reservations for the turtle farm online at their website boatswainsbeach.com. It was much cheaper than Carnival's excursion and included transportation. It has alot more than a turtles by the way. You can swin in a lovely lagoon with a waterfall. Great on a hot day. You can also swim with fish in another lagoon. There is also a shark display and some very intersting iguanas. We totally loved our day there.

 

If you go make sure you know where to go on the dock to get the van. After asking around for half an hour in the hot sun, we were finally told to go to an air conditioned building where we could have waited. Anyway we were immediately driven to Boatswains and told we could get a shuttle back to the ship whenever we wanted. It was very easy.

[LUV THE SEA]

I will check again we are in 6297... not sure what is below us...

 

What cabin on the Upper deck are you in? We are booked on Aug. 23 in cabin 6270 which according to the deck plan is right above the shops on the promenade - so I am not concerned about noise from there. If you are above the disco, maybe...if you decide to move to deck 8 aft, check to see what is above you - I have read complaints about all the chairs from the lido deck above scraping on the floor.

There is soft serve ice cream and frozen yogurt 24 hours a day available for free - you can always get coffee for free (even room service - just tip them). Also I am sure that we have always been able to find some desserts, cookies or cake or something....my DH likes to order milk and a pb&j from room service :)

I believe both dining rooms have two seating times for dinner (6pm and 8:15) - the menus will be the same.

[LUV THE SEA]

It looks like we are above the casino...has anyone heard of any noise to deck above???

[travelinggrandma]

The private tour to the turtle farm sounds much better than Carnival's. However I think the ship offers several and I may have chosen the wrong one, trying to see everything in one day. I'd definitely choose the van next time.

[mtnprotracy]

Did your husband book the golf excursion prior to the cruise or from the ship? We have been to Jamaica before, and DH says the only thing he'd like to do is go play golf while we're there. If I'm not being to nosy, how expensive was it to play golf? Thanks for your advice...we leave on July 12th...so we're getting excited!

 

Tracy in NC

[nmyorkiemom]

We are also on that cruise. John Heald himself is our cruise director!

 

We are doing Boatswains beach. My niece & her DH just got off Inspiration & said it was GREAT! Booked thru their website.

 

Check out the roll call....

[Colorado Kat]

We also just got off the Freedom yesterday (Sat 6/20). Loved it!

 

We were in the larger of the two dining rooms, the Posh. Very nice. Expresso and Cappuccino were available each night with dessert, no charge. The first two nights I ordered the cheese plate with dessert, and they brought it to me without me ordering it every other night.

 

I loved the piano bar - Josh Tuckman is great!. Make sure your room is not above the piano bar. (Deck 5 - called Scott's Bar)

 

I remember seeing people with cookies, but not sure where they got them. There was always pizza and ice-cream available, and late night buffets on Deck 5. (Cheese & breads, fruit, maybe some desserts?) One night somebody went out and brought plates of fruit and cheese to us in the piano bar - went well with the wine and cocktails. On the night of the deck party - really fun - they had quite an elaborate dessert buffet. Instead of the typical midnight chocolate buffet one night, they had it on Lido deck, on the last sea day, at noon. They said it was so more passengers could enjoy it.

 

The on-deck movies were great - but I was really too busy to watch them. I did catch most of one one evening - very pleasant. Could watch from the hot-tubs (mostly kids?), or some pleasant blue plastic rocking chairs, but mostly from the deck lounges, places in tiers by the pool.

 

They also had a fun chess set on deck - the pieces were about 2 feet high, and there always seemed to be someone playing, or waiting their turn to play.

 

Shows were mostly done twice a night, one showing for late seating, and another for early seating. Some were only done once a night, but I think that was 10:30 at night, when either dining time could attend.

 

I remember from last year, that I found some web-site that could show you what would be above and below each room. Avoid rooms above/below the disco, and the piano bar. I think the casino could be noisy, depending on what table is below you? The slot machines seemed to be quiet areas, but the craps tables could get noisy if someone was doing well.

 

Jamaica - We reserved a private tour with Marva Shaw. (I think it's KnowJamaica dot com???) It was fantastic! Jamaica is one spot where the vendors can be aggressive, so you don't want to venture out on your own. She met us in the pier area, on the inside, and walked us to one of her buses, with her son driving. He was Javier, and was wonderful. The typical "must-do" is to climb Dunn's River Falls, and he drove us there, and waited for us. Then he let us dictate where else we wanted to go. We were lucky that our group of three had a tour van to ourselves, and could make our own decisions. We stopped for a typical lunch/snack food called patty's, and drove to some very pretty scenic outlooks, to view the ship. We drove up to Fern Gully, and very pleasant foresty/fern filled area.

 

We visited "Carl the Rastafarian Spice Man", and it was the highlight of our trip. Older gentleman, dreadlocked hair, very nice. He had all sorts of spices and fruit for us to sample. (Everything legitimate and legal) I didn't take notes, but remember lemongrass, vanilla, allspice, pimientoe (not the red stuff inside olives), grapefruit that was much better than the sour stuff we have here in the states, sugarcane that was peeled in front of us, and given to us to chew on. A coconut that was opened so we could taste the coconut milk. A pineapple that our driver peeled, that was the sweetest thing I have even eaten in my life. Before modern medicine, roots, bark, berries and peels of plants were the things that kept people alive when ill, and we got a short mini-course on some of the classic remedies. We tipped him when we left, and that was his only compensation. Just totally enjoyable.

 

We told Javier we wanted some t-shirts, and he brought us to a specific shop, and told us they had the best prices. Oh, a warning - the clothing sizes seem to run small - my daughter is tiny, and the small sized shorts she chose are quite tight, but she'll just wear them while working out, or under sweats. Luckily, we got her a size medium t-shirt, and that is still quite form fitting.

 

Then we told Javier we wanted to go to a beach. He gave us a few choices, and we chose uncrowded, bathroom facilities, and a nice beach. (As opposed to music, waterslides, etc.) We ended up at Reggae Beach, and we paid $5 per person, which he warned us in advance. He told us the beach was very nice, and the bathroom facilities were not-so-great. (There were flush toilets, hand-washing sinks, and outside showers, though I don't know if the outside showers worked well.) The facilities were quite functional, and adequete. The beach was wonderful. I don't know if we were just lucky, but there were 18 of us on a beach 1/4 to 1/2 mile in length.

 

Gentle slope to the beach. Shade or sun. Water was delicious. Sand lovely to walk upon. Just sat/stood in the water, being pushed gently by current, until I decided I had better not expose myself to the sun anymore. Jamaica was my favorite port!

 

Kathy

[rednose83]

We are going on this ship in August. We are on panorama deck under the spa and above other staterooms. I'm not sure about the noise but I haven't had a problem on any ship.

[cruisegal58]

our friends were in cabin 6461 aft...they had a terrible time sleeping, the piano bar and international lounge were under them. even brought a fan, it didnt help. u may ok over the casino, they close it around 2:30am every nt. the live music at the casino bar seemed to be over around midnight.

walk down the hall past the casino towards the piano bar, disco..

from 11:30-1am they have midnight bites. cheese, fruit, something with meat, olives and cookies, cakes/brownies and a wonderful pastry to dip in the whipped cream or sauce..one night they did not offer it, we were on the 8 day eastern a few weeks ago.

there is always shade around the pools, underneath. adults pool is very boring, no music, they have speakers, just no music! the lido pool has what some may call music..it was sooo loud, we couldnt stand to be there. the pool up by the slide is overrun with kids spitting the pool water back into the pool from their mouths and picking band-aids off. eewwww

most of the shows r the same as every other carnvial ship..

if u have been on a conquest ship like valor or glory...this is the freedom..except it has the mutts...other than that..about the same ol thing...

[2910car]

Did your husband book the golf excursion prior to the cruise or from the ship? We have been to Jamaica before, and DH says the only thing he'd like to do is go play golf while we're there. If I'm not being to nosy, how expensive was it to play golf? Thanks for your advice...we leave on July 12th...so we're getting excited!

 

Tracy in NC

 

They booked the golf excursion on the ship. They were the only two booked and went with the golf pro. I think it was $130 plus a tip for the caddy. They left at 7:30 AM and stopped somewhere for lunch on the way back to the ship. My son is an avid golfer and enjoyed the course. They brought their own clubs with them on the cruise.

[2910car]

They provide the van???That sounds great!!! Is there an extra fee for the van? Thanks for the helpful info...

 

The transportation is included. There is lots of information and pictures on their website. Look up Boatswains Beach.

[mulvihill]

Trust me !!!!! Do not get a room over the casino unless you stay up until it closes. All you can hear in your room is the "ding ding ding" from the machines and all the yelling when people win. It made for a very long week for one of the couples in our party. Go far far away!!!!!