Freedom 8 Day Western Cruise Report...With Photos!

[AryMay]

Thanks for all of the kind words on the report...knowing someone is reading has made it worth writing!

 

However...I'm starting to run out of steam! :rolleyes: I think I went overboard on the ports...now it's hard to get psyched up to write about the sea days and ship in general. I actually have a list of things I had hoped to cover...so will give you a quick synopsis of each. If anyone has questions or wants to know more details...just ask! :)

 

So...in no particular order...

 

Lunches...my one regret is that I ran out of time to try all of the choices on the Freedom. DH absolutely loved the Mongolian Grill...but after the first day I refused to stand in the long line. He is a "people person" so looked at the wait as a great opportunity to get to know the others in line with him!

 

As far as the buffet...I enjoyed the Mexican station and it rarely had any line at all. Also tried the fish & chips (ok), the Tandoor (good...wish I had tried it earlier in the week); and chocolate buffet on the last day (forgot about it and had already eaten so wasn't hungry enough to really enjoy it...but what I had was wonderful!) I didn't get a chance to try...the deli, the grill, the "taste of nations", the salad bar or even the general buffet. I was determined to eat at least one slice of pizza (which I have loved on past cruises)...and had to force myself to get it the night we watched a movie on the big screen TV. It was good...but would have been even better if I was hungry! Never tried any ice cream either...

 

One day I insisted on eating lunch in the main dining room...and then was sorry I did. We were seated in a booth with one other couple from Puerto Rico...and the wife spoke very little English. They were actually very nice and interesting (the man had been a college professor)...but just a little on the awkward side trying to make conversation. I heard another couple asking for a table for two and wished we had done that...or asked to be at a larger table.

 

Breakfast...did the buffet everyday and enjoyed it. Somedays we got made to order omelets...one day I had the omelet chef fry a couple of eggs over easy. Bacon seemed to be plentiful...but I'm not much on breakfast meat. I absolutely love the danish on the buffet. There is a coffee shop that I go to here in town that serves the same type and I always think of cruising when I eat them! :) Every morning I ate a bowl of grapefruit sections (that I didn't have to peel!). You can see the grapefruit on my tray! DH would also take a big thermal mug to breakfast and fill it up with juice. The rest of the day only iced tea and lemonade were available.

 

[AryMay]

Keeping on the topic of food...on Tuesday night (a sea day) we dined in the Sun King Supper Club. This was something I was looking forward to since none of our previous cruises had a supper club.

 

 

This usually doesn't happen...but DH and I both ordered exactly the same items that night.

 

Copied and pasted from the menu on Carnival's website:

 

BAKED ONION SOUP “LES HALLES”

BABY LEAF SPINACH AND FRESH MUSHROOMS With Blue Cheese Dressing and Warm Bacon Bits

SURF & TURF Seared Lobster Tail and Grilled Filet Mignon

And side dishes: YUKON GOLD MASH WITH WASABE HORSERADISH and CREAMED SPINACH WITH GARLIC. (Side note...the waitress comes by with a larger bowl of the side dishes and scoops out your serving and puts it on your plate. For those of you who have ever been to Lambert's Cafe in Missouri...sort of like the "pass arounds". At least they didn't have "throwed rolls!") LOL

 

The dessert was to die for...CHOCOLATE TARTE WITH BITTER CHOCOLATE PÂTÉ (Pineapple Croquant, Tiramisu Notre Façon)

 

 

All in all it was a lovely evening with great food...but I'm not so sure we would do it again. I enjoy the food in the dining room and the supper club experience just isn't worth the extra $30/person to me. (We also left a tip for those of you who are keeping track!)

 

This is going to sound trivial...but one other reason I didn't care for the supper club was our table...and the view. (OK...that's actually 2 reasons.)

 

Our table was right in the center of the room next to a server's station...and it just felt "busy". A table off to the side or in the other room might have been more enjoyable. As for the view...it was still daylight when we were eating and the supper club windows do not look out over the water...they face the outer deck (deck 10 above the lido deck). While we were eating people would walk by the windows in their swimsuits and peer into the window...kinda defeats the "fine dining atmosphere"! :eek:

[AryMay]

I mentioned some of the food choices on a previous post...but as they say on the infomercials..."But wait...there's more!" :)

 

For the first time ever...DH (at my coaxing) and I tried sushi.

 

 

I wanted to see what the sushi hype was about...and figured the price was right (free!) so might as well give it a try. There was a very nice man in line behind me who gave me a crash course in "sushi 101". I didn't quite follow all he was saying...so just asked to have "two of each" on my plate for DH and I to share.

 

At the end of the counter were bowls of sauces. I started to dish up a big spoonful of "guacamole" when luckily my sushi mentor stepped in and stopped me. Guess it was something called wassabi? and not guac. ;) <Sniff, sniff>...no more stuffed sinuses! :p

 

We did "clean our plate"...but decided sushi must be an acquired taste...probably not one I will ever acquire however!

[AryMay]

On our cruise we encountered some rainy weather and rough seas. I can honestly say the rain wasn't a problem for us...it seemed to come at "convenient" times.

 

And as for the rough seas...we loved it! I would have been so disapointed to go on a cruise and NOT feel like I was sailing on the ocean. There's nothing like being rocked to sleep at night by the waves.

 

Here is a link to a video I took (with my new waterproof camera!) of the rain and waves.

 

We were on Deck 3 and the waves were getting close to splashing up that high at times!

 

[da brickhouse]

You did a great job of re-telling your cruise experience. Thank you for taking the time to post such a detailed travel diary along with great pictures.

[AryMay]

You did a great job of re-telling your cruise experience. Thank you for taking the time to post such a detailed travel diary along with great pictures.

 

You are very welcome.

 

For some reason there are a few pictures not showing up in the last few posts...is it just me...or are some of the photos missing for everyone? I didn't do anything differently so not sure what the deal is. All I see is boxes with a "red x" in some of the posts.

 

Ugghhhh....:mad:

[Snorkel2Much]

You are very welcome.

 

For some reason there are a few pictures not showing up in the last few posts...is it just me...or are some of the photos missing for everyone? I didn't do anything differently so not sure what the deal is. All I see is boxes with a "red x" in some of the posts.

 

Ugghhhh....:mad:

No problem viewing photos for me. Great job on this review.

[guiderchachi]

You are very welcome.

 

For some reason there are a few pictures not showing up in the last few posts...is it just me...or are some of the photos missing for everyone? I didn't do anything differently so not sure what the deal is. All I see is boxes with a "red x" in some of the posts.

 

Ugghhhh....:mad:

 

Mary, thank you again for taking the time to do this. I have 24 days until this same cruise on the Freedom!

 

You are right. The only picture I can see in these latest "food" posts is the breakfast one (with the grapefruit and fruit juice). The video link worked.

Guiderchachi

[AryMay]

I am going to try and post the photos one more time to see if I can get them to show up:

 

The sushi:

 

 

The chocolate dessert at the supper club

 

We had gone to a cooking demonstration where the chefs demonstrated the tiramasu in this dessert.

 

[AryMay]

Ok...this is weird. When I re-posted the photos they now show up in the earlier post as well. :confused:

 

Oh well...I had gotten mad and given up on writing anymore on this review when I had the trouble with the photos...but guess I should have tried a little harder.

 

This review has gotten pretty long winded...so instead of me writing pages and pages more...here are the topics I had on my list to cover.

 

• Cooking Demonstration in the Sun King Supper Club
  
• Ballroom Dance instruction...Cha-Cha
  
• Late night "bites" on Promenade Deck
  
• Evening movies on big screen TV
  
• Future Cruise Vouchers
  
• Tea Time
  
• Our hangouts...the adult pool and deck 3 under the lifeboats
  
• Our interesting dinner companions!
  

If anyone wants anymore information on any of these...just ask! :)

[chacha813]

Great review! I enjoyed reading and going on the itinerary in 7 weeks. You said we could ask so hear I go-- the dance class did you have to pay and was it fun (DH dosen't dance but would give a try for me)--the wine tasting I think it costs $15 pp but was it worth it?-tea time sounds nice. Been on many cruises but never made it but with so many sea days I think well give it a try. Did you hear of anyone doing the tram in CR? Didn't want to do the zip DH is afraid of heights. In Pamana were doing the City tour. Hope we have a great time like you had just counting down the days now.:)

[AryMay]

Great review! I enjoyed reading and going on the itinerary in 7 weeks. You said we could ask so hear I go-- the dance class did you have to pay and was it fun (DH dosen't dance but would give a try for me)

 

No...the dance class we went to was free. It was on the first night on the stage in the Victoriana Lounge. Quite a few couples showed up so it was a bit tight to learn the cha-cha! :eek: One of the Carnival dancers taught the class. It didn't last too long...less than 30 minutes for sure. I took a quick glance through the Capers I brought home and on Sunday and Tuesday they offered a 60's dance class and 70's dance class respectively (we didn't attend those.) On the last night of the cruise I see there was ballroom dancing at 9 pm before the Carnival Legend's show at 10:30. We made it to the Legend's show (some were pretty good...some not!) but guess we must have been packing earlier in the evening because we missed the dancing.

--the wine tasting I think it costs $15 pp but was it worth it?

 

You are correct...the wine tasting was $15 and they suggested making a reservation. It was held on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 in the Sun King Supper Club immedieatly after the cooking demonstration that we went to. We didn't go to this so can't really give you much info. :(

 

-tea time sounds nice. Been on many cruises but never made it but with so many sea days I think well give it a try.

 

I was determined to make it to tea time and finally did on the last sea day. On past cruises tea time was held in one of the smaller lounges...but on the Freedom it was held in the upper level of the Posh dining room. There were only a handful of people there the day that I went so it felt odd to be in such a big room. I went alone (I hinted for DH to go...but he didn't) so I was seated with three other women and a couple of daughters at a large table. A piano player was playing softly while we were there. A waiter came around with tiny sandwiches and desserts first...and then brought a box of tea bags for me to choose from.

 

A nice afternoon activity...but would have been more fun going with friends or family. I did find out that one gal at my table had grown up just a few miles from where we live! Small world!

 

Did you hear of anyone doing the tram in CR? Didn't want to do the zip DH is afraid of heights.

 

No...I didn't talk to anyone that did the tram tour...sorry. As I mentioned in an earlier post...I probably should have been scared...but was having too much fun to NOT do the zipline! Jumping off that platform the first time was a bit creepy...but after that I could hardly wait to get to the next line.

 

In Pamana were doing the City tour. Hope we have a great time like you had just counting down the days now.:)

 

I'm sure you will have a great time. DH and I don't fit the mold of typical cruisers...we avoid the crowds and at least on this cruise, didn't go to any of the clubs in the evening. But you know what...it was a wonderful week because we did what WE wanted to do!

 

Be sure and write a review when you return!

[aggie1]

I am ready to leave for Panama tomorrow. Your review and pictures were awesome. Have done a full transit of Panama Canal and a partial. On full we did not even stop, just kept going. On partial we were with 4 other couples who just wanted to stay on the ship. I will now go back to do the tour with Anne Gordon. I am also going to try and get my elementary school to collect items for the village. Do I just contact her thru her tour company or write to the Miami address? We have a group called "Kids for Kindness" at school and love to collect things like this. Thanks again.

[AryMay]

I am ready to leave for Panama tomorrow. Your review and pictures were awesome. Have done a full transit of Panama Canal and a partial. On full we did not even stop, just kept going. On partial we were with 4 other couples who just wanted to stay on the ship. I will now go back to do the tour with Anne Gordon. I am also going to try and get my elementary school to collect items for the village. Do I just contact her thru her tour company or write to the Miami address? We have a group called "Kids for Kindness" at school and love to collect things like this. Thanks again.

 

I would just email her through the tour company: anne@emberavillagetours.com

 

Anne has been good to answer anytime I have emailed. It may take a few days because if she is in the village, she has no internet. (She does overnight tours to the Embera villages as well!)

 

The kids do go to school in town and Anne mentions on her site that they need school supplies and western style clothing. She has other suggestions on the site as well. I'm sure it would be fun for kids at your elementary school to do a project like this and then be able to see photos of you delivering their donations! :)

 

We saw the school where the kids go...it was very primitive compared to US standards.

[chacha813]

Thank you for answering my questions. Now DH and I just have to wait till 9/26 for this great cruise. Thanks again.

[hazeleyez3]

Any chance you have any more pictures of the actual ship? I know you had a couple of the hallway, cabin, and dining room but I was hoping there might be some of the other public areas.

[AryMay]

Any chance you have any more pictures of the actual ship? I know you had a couple of the hallway, cabin, and dining room but I was hoping there might be some of the other public areas.

 

I do have a few! :)

 

The Victoriana Lounge...this was in the afternoon during a game show.

 

 

The upper level (entered from deck 4) of the Victoriana Lounge

 

 

This was our first cruise on a ship that had a big screen TV. In the mornings, John Heald's "Morning Show" was shown...afternoons were concerts...and in the evenings movies (a different one each night.) On the day this photo was taken, the Michael Jackson tribute was being broadcast. The whole idea was sort of surreal...some people were visibly upset and crying...while others were just having a good time sunning and playing in the pool...oblivious to what was even being show.

 

 

Another picture of the Lido deck looking forward (taken on a different day.) Must have been early morning because it is so empty.

 

[AryMay]

The Promenade Deck...again the photo was taken in the morning. In the evening this was a very popular place. This is also where we waited for our number to be called for debarkation. We had number 28 and were one of the last ones to get off the ship. Since our flight wasn't until 1:30 this was fine with us. I would much rather wait on the ship than in an airport. While we were waiting we met several nice people and enjoyed chatting together.

 

 

The casino...we walked through here once and that was it. At night it was very smoky and I just couldn't handle being in there. Gambling isn't our thing anyway. On the other hand I would have enjoyed the piano bar if the smoke wasn't such an issue. Our first two cruises were on the Paradise which at that time was totally smoke free. We enjoyed being able to go into all of the clubs without dealing with the smoke and are sorry that a smoke free ship is no longer available.

 

[AryMay]

The lobby bar on Deck 3. The lights are constantly changing (in unison) from one color to another. Much of the time there was entertainment in the lobby...often a piano player and/or singer. A nice place to relax in the afternoon and a fun place to "people watch"!

 

 

 

Just outside the lobby was this outer deck. During the day this was our favorite place to relax, read, nap, watch the ocean, etc. The lifeboats kept the deck shaded and since most people were up on the lido deck it was very empty and quiet.

 

 

My DH's two favorite cruise activities...napping...

 

 

And just watching the ocean go by.

 

[Shawn loves to cruise]

Thank you som much for taking the time to post your review. That was so enjoyable to read!:D

 

Shawn

[AryMay]

Thank you som much for taking the time to post your review. That was so enjoyable to read!:D

 

Shawn

 

You are very welcome! :) I learned so much from reading cruise reviews on this board...so it is nice to be able to return the favor for others!

[Lisaanne]

Thank you for answering my questions. Now DH and I just have to wait till 9/26 for this great cruise. Thanks again.

 

What ship are you on? We are sailing 9/26 on the Freedom. We are doing this tour. How many are in your group? We are two. The tour is definitely cheaper with more than two. I am so looking forward to this excursion. It sounds amazing.

[Lisaanne]

What ship are you on? We are sailing 9/26 on the Freedom. We are doing this tour. How many are in your group? We are two. The tour is definitely cheaper with more than two. I am so looking forward to this excursion. It sounds amazing.

 

Sorry, I mixed up some people. I see that you are doing a different tour. So, never mind.

[hazeleyez3]

Thanks. We are thinking about taking the cruise next November and its nice to see the pics.

[michelle1836]

arymay

still reading your review! trying to get my son to look at your panama excursion as a possible eagle scout project!!

 

looking to sail on this cruise next summer