A Carnival guy on Freedom OTS, The WOW factor: A pictorial review

[madra2112]

Grady, I've just come across this thread and am now seriously behind in my work!! The reason I didn't see it at the time is that as you were leaving on October 25th, my family and I were having a pre-breakfast swim at the Florida Hotel and Conference Centre before being brought to PC by bus to board Freedom of the Seas.

 

You and your fellow guests left her in immaculate condition that day, thank you for that, and for one of the best cruise reviews I've ever seen!!

[ChaylaT]

Amazing review with wonderful pictures! My family and I have a deposit on the Carnival Dream in July but after many of the poor reviews, I am thinking about taking this Freedom ship instead. You have made it a difficult decision!!! The crowds are what kills me on the Dream...4000 people in smaller public areas! But the water slides and the Atlantis trip in nassau are on my kid's list! What to do!!!!???? This ship looks soooo classy! Just spectacular!! Thank you! :)

[DarthGrady]

Amazing review with wonderful pictures! My family and I have a deposit on the Carnival Dream in July but after many of the poor reviews, I am thinking about taking this Freedom ship instead. You have made it a difficult decision!!! The crowds are what kills me on the Dream...4000 people in smaller public areas! But the water slides and the Atlantis trip in nassau are on my kid's list! What to do!!!!???? This ship looks soooo classy! Just spectacular!! Thank you! :)

 

Thats exactly what I just did. We were booked on the Dream in September, but we decided to go back on Freedom OTS since the Dream's reviews have been mixed.

 

If it were just me and the wife I wouldn't have cared since we are happy on any cruise. But our friends cruise rarely, so I want them to have an excellent experience. I will miss my Carnival Platinum perks though, the free laundry is especially nice on a week long cruise.;):D

[DarthGrady]

Grady, I've just come across this thread and am now seriously behind in my work!! The reason I didn't see it at the time is that as you were leaving on October 25th, my family and I were having a pre-breakfast swim at the Florida Hotel and Conference Centre before being brought to PC by bus to board Freedom of the Seas.

 

You and your fellow guests left her in immaculate condition that day, thank you for that, and for one of the best cruise reviews I've ever seen!!

 

We tried to not get too rowdy and tip her over.......:D

[BeyondKen]

I was able to get some pictures of the Carnival Glory and Disney Magic as they left port:

How cool is that? I was aboard this boat!

[DarthGrady]

How cool is that? I was aboard this boat!

 

Small world, two friends of ours were also cruising out that day on Glory. We went out on the dock there at Grills and waved goodbye to them, it was pretty cool.

[ncovert]

Great pictures! Makes me think I should try and book Freedom of the Seas

[sasysutler]

Thanks Grady for all the great pics! As you can see we are both from Ocala!! flip over and join us in the floataway lounge for the Florida cruiser board!

[pbinn]

Wow..great review and pictures ! We will be on freedom in May..and now I want to be on it tomorrow!! Hope the time flies till then

[Ariel's Mum]

Fantastic Review. Really enjoyed it.

 

Roll on June

[DaisyGirl55]

I read your review last year when you first posted it...now I will be sailing on this beautiful ship in just 24 days! I went back to the beginning, and read it all again....I am so excited and cannot wait until I am on board and can see all of it for myself! Looks like this ship definitely has the WOW factor all throughout!

[MrFunInTheSun]

Your review and pictures of this ship are amazing. Other than my next two cruises, my next mission is to book a cruise on this ship next spring or fall.

[mp466]

Great Review. Thanks

[nannybeth]

We are leaving on FOS in 10 days, been planning for the past four months. I'm sorry I haven't seen your review until today. It was the best review/pictorial of FOS I have ever seen. Thanks again for taking the time to post this. And thanks, especially, for thinking to take a picture of the tv hook ups. We are going to try to hook up the portable dvd player for the kids!

[scottishwee35]

wow, your photos look so beautiful....

 

after we sailed with disney cruise for 4th times and I booked FOS for my speical birthday next April...

 

so these photos make me realised that it look so beautiful as our first time with RCI...

 

we with our kids will be 14, 11 and hopeful they like it.... after had been disney cruise...they begged us to rebooked it but we explained them about rci... they are looking forward to....

 

we booked back balcony on 10th floor so we love sunset or sunrise...as your photos look good....

 

Scottishwee35

[DarthGrady]

We are leaving on FOS in 10 days, been planning for the past four months. I'm sorry I haven't seen your review until today. It was the best review/pictorial of FOS I have ever seen. Thanks again for taking the time to post this. And thanks, especially, for thinking to take a picture of the tv hook ups. We are going to try to hook up the portable dvd player for the kids!

 

Thanks! Hope you all enjoy the cruise. Don't keep her out too late, we expect her home on time so we can embark on September 5th! :D

[mbjonsn]

Awesome review...totally enjoyed it. Thanks so much for all the time and effort you put into this...and I agree, you should do this for a living! :)

 

We cannot wait to sail her again...we don't have much longer to wait, thank goodness!

[sjcruiser]

Awesome pictures!!!

 

Brings back memories of my time on the Explorer. Hopefully I'll be on the LOS in January. I have my fingers double crossed!!!:)

[jmvda]

Great review...Great pics....Great work

 

i am planning a med cruise with freedom´s twin Liberty of the Seas, next year.

 

Are the ships layout,rooms,etc equal?

 

Does the couch in your stateroom serve as a bed for 2 children?

 

thanks for you work

[BillOh]

Great pictures Grady. We've been on all 3 Freedom class ship, now I remember why I miss them. I guess it's time to book another one.

 

Rollie

 

That is how I am feeling, I think I'm homesick for Freedom.

[Jenjer]

Thank You so much for all the work you put into your posts. We are trying to decide between Freedom and Carnival Dream. I think you just made the choise a put clearer...Freedom here we come watch out

[MrsPete]

No trick really, I just take a lot of pictures from a lot of angles hoping for a few great ones among them.

 

As far as the tech, its just a point and shoot "bridge camera", Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28, 10 MP, 18X Zoom. Although its not a DSLR, it has served me well so far.

 

Photo from: http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-cameras/panasonic-lumix-dmc-fz28/4505-6501_7-33175918.html

I'm not knocking Grady's camera, but it's not responsible for the quality that you're seeing here. He has "an eye" -- and that's not something you can buy down at Circuit City or Best Buy.

 

The reason we all like his pictures is that he has a knack for composition; whereas most photographers take a too-wide shot that includes distractions or they zoom in too much on the object of focus, Grady's good at including just enough material in a shot to give the subject depth, and he seems to fit just enough into each shot.

 

Who says this? Me! A photography teacher.

[nannybeth]

[/url] I'm not knocking Grady's camera, but it's not responsible for the quality that you're seeing here. He has "an eye" -- and that's not something you can buy down at Circuit City or Best Buy.

 

The reason we all like his pictures is that he has a knack for composition; whereas most photographers take a too-wide shot that includes distractions or they zoom in too much on the object of focus, Grady's good at including just enough material in a shot to give the subject depth, and he seems to fit just enough into each shot.

 

Who says this? Me! A photography teacher.

Wow Grady...looks like you get an A from the teacher! Way to go!!!

 

And we will have her back on the 5th.:( Enjoy your vaca!!:):)

[DarthGrady]

Great review...Great pics....Great work

 

i am planning a med cruise with freedom´s twin Liberty of the Seas, next year.

 

Are the ships layout,rooms,etc equal?

 

Does the couch in your stateroom serve as a bed for 2 children?

 

thanks for you work

 

Yes, they would be virtually identical as sister ships.

 

The couch in our room did not make into a bed, and would be too small for sleeping. A small child could I suppose, but it didn't seem intended for that.

[DarthGrady]

[/url] I'm not knocking Grady's camera, but it's not responsible for the quality that you're seeing here. He has "an eye" -- and that's not something you can buy down at Circuit City or Best Buy.

 

The reason we all like his pictures is that he has a knack for composition; whereas most photographers take a too-wide shot that includes distractions or they zoom in too much on the object of focus, Grady's good at including just enough material in a shot to give the subject depth, and he seems to fit just enough into each shot.

 

Who says this? Me! A photography teacher.

 

Wow! Thank you very much! I'm humbled that a professional likes my photos.

 

I've had no training, I've just always been an aspiring shutterbug. Kinda funny that my very first camera was a mini 110 that my mom gave me when I was a little kid. I thought that getting to take my own pictures was the coolest thing ever. It's pretty amazing how far things have come in recent years.