elliebelle

Thanks !!

The differences seem to be exactly what we are ready for. Stale is a great word to describe our "C" experiences..

We chose to cruise at the time we do to avoid kids. LOVE kids, have kids but would prefer not to vacation with them if possible - however we have never had an issue with kids on a cruise they always seem to be entertained really well.

I am a sit in the sun most of the day with a good book and a beverage kind of person. My husband on the other hand will spend a good portion of his day in the Casino :) or on our balcony reading. This is why we vacation so well. The one thing I did love on our last cruise was the Serenity deck that had big oversized covered chairs that offered shade and privacy. Anything like that ?

We will likely skip formal nights - We dress for work and social events surrounding our business way too much .. I kick off the heels and put on the flip flops for vacation, so we are happy to have a quick dinner on the lido for that evening...

We are really excited to go, it's nice to breathe life back into our cruise adventures..

Good Morning

So, we have been Carnival cruisers for several years but after our last cruise decided it was time we try a new line. We have chosen HAL.

I just booked the Westerdam cabin V 8066 in January for a 7 day Eastern Carrib.

Just my dh and myself - We have been on 6 cruises but only with Carnival and are interested to know if anyone else has made the change from that line and what the biggest differences are.

I will say that cost wise this cruise only cost me $225 more than our last CCL cruise so that was a great surprise.

Looking forward to meeting new friends here and getting some feedback. Let the countdown begin

I admittedly did not read the entire thread but assume that it is pretty much the same. I do not smoke but my husband does:)

We honestly said we would like to try another line but this was the catalyst .

So we would like to cruise Christmas - my 2 adult sons will be in an inside & hubbs and I with a balcony - any ship suggestions to look at would be great.

Meanwhile it is fun getting to know another line - reading the boards ect

Tina

Celebrity Silhouette was in port with us :

We enjoyed a lovely sunset from the balcony of our cabin

Once we were settled in we decided not to go to the dining room for dinner. We had chosen any time dining but honestly were so curious to explore that we decided to explore the ship a little and hit the lido.

So for all you food porn lovers.. sorry we had a slight mishap with a memory card so the pictures of food and a some interior pix of the ship were lost but we have plenty of others to show.

So the lido food was in my opinion blah.... for some reason we did not love the food on this cruise. The deli was consistent and good and always had yummy sandwiches and thanks to friends on here we knew we could make any sandwich grilled ect.. we did eat there several times. The 2 crew members working the deli were another story. We honestly always saw the same 2 people working there & found that there was not only a serious language barrier but they were very short with some of the guests. They were not with us but we both witnessed some exchanges between them and frustrated guests because the crew members could not understand them.

Pizza.. I don't know I feel like such a Debby downer but we did not like the pizza at all.. and hate to start a trend but again found the crew member who worked there to be .. well .. unpleasant.. he was not the usual friendly crew member we are so used to encountering.

Some of the theme stations were better. The Mongolian Wok was great as was the salad bar. We were not impressed with the nightly buffet at all. The food was very bland and just was not our favorite ship for food :(

On a much more positive note the Fish & Chips were FABULOUS. I will admit to sneaking a snack there more than once. Yummo and probably my favorite food the whole cruise...

We ended Day 1 with smiles on our faces and excited to have nice weather in the forecast for Key West the next day. More to follow...

The weather in Ft Lauderdale was not great. When we got in Friday night it was rainy and it rained all day Saturday. We didn't really care we were winding down and getting into vacation mode. By the time Sunday morning came we were rested and ready to get on the Freedom.

I purchased FTTF and for us it was the best $50 I have ever spent. We checked out of the hotel at 11:15 on Sunday morning and got to the pier at 12 noon. Once we stepped foot in the terminal we just kept walking from check in right on board we were in our room with our luggage at 12:35 it was the easiest and best check in EVER.

So we had balcony cabin 1105 which is the Spa Deck

Pretty standard balcony room

Now you will notice in the above picture some of the reasons I say the Freedom is overdue for a facelift. If you check out the balcony drape, several of the hangers are broken - did it effect my cruise NO but the ship is showing some wear and tear.

We were not overly impressed with being on the " top" deck of cabins. Our balcony had NO privacy. Folks on deck were directly above us and there was no cover to the balcony so when it rained you could not go out and there was no shade at all. Again did it ruin our trip NO. We still enjoyed both the room and the balcony.

So sorry for the delay. I must honestly blame my crazy job. Without further delay lets give my first shot at a review a go...

OK so I will try not to repeat too much but.. just some background... DH and I were cruising together just the two of us !! This was our 4th cruise and all with Carnival. Several years ago I made huge career change and part of that possibility included NO vacation budget for 4 years... as much as I missed and needed vacation it was worth it. See I am already off track....

We have always cruised with a group so this was a change for sure. So, as of Friday 1/3 I had not booked a hotel for Friday & Saturday. We originally booked the Embassy Suites but then cancelled that reservation thinking we would stay in Orlando. Well last minute we changed our minds and attempted to make reservations in Ft Lauderdale and everything was booked.

Ultimately I had to go against every fiber in my body and use Priceline name your price option. Well for $99 a night we ended up at the Westin Beach Resort. It was very nice, the staff were helpful and friendly. The room was very clean and comfortable. Here is the view from our room

If you have the daily fun times, could you post. Thanks

Yes I have them all & will get them posted for sure :)

Yes we have agreed it is time to try another line - just to "compare" we met some very nice couples one of whom is on week 3 of 5 weeks of cruising with 3 different lines !!!

They have 50+ cruises and had some VERY insightful info : )

I will elaborate on "OUR" experience in the review -

So just some background - 4th CCL cruise - traveling just DH & I

This trip had some ups & downs ! NOT our overall favorite but still a nice vacation

Will download photos & get started this evening !!

Freedom is ready for an overhaul for sure !!!

My MIL & SIL are on Sensation with you !!! Have a great time

No I am not ... hoping all the speculation is wrong..

Thanks!! Fuji SL & Im still getting to know it but so far so good!! I want to take a beginners photography class

Just emailed TA - yes we will take the OS for that rate & keeping FTTF !!

I have spent a lot more for a lot less ( my DH reminded me ) his only concern was that I won't want to back to a standard Balcony .. we will see

Thanks everyone :)

Can you request a refund on the FTTF?

 

For $98, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Normally I consider suites to be a big waste of money on Carnival, but for that price, I'd give it a shot.

Yes TA said we can cxl FTTF no issue there but we do have a tender port so we may just keep it not sure yet. But I agree $98 seems like a no brainer.. thanks for the input

We are sailing Freedom in January - we are currently booked in 1105 balcony Cabin on the spa deck. TA mentioned today a price drop on Suites wondering the difference between an Ocean Suite and Grand Suite.. Right now based on the price reduction I could move into an Ocean Suite for the additional fee of $98 that is total not pp.. but I can't see much difference other than a bath tub lol .. we have FTTF already .. any input would be great

I told her I would get back to her later today

Thanks All

I just purchased a Fuji SL1000. This is my first camera that wasn't a simple little point and shoot. Our kids are off to college and the military in the Spring and that means much much more travel for us and I would like a " nicer" camera. I am in no way a photographer yet but sure do enjoy photography in general. I should have the new camera today and will post some of my test shots. It was very affordable and had a lot of the features I decided I wanted

Good luck...

Great Thread.. I can not wait to try some of these great ideas in January:p