27 Mar-04Apr 2010 - Freedom Review, definitely been on better!

[S10Catman]

There is no such thing as a bad cruise, just some are better than others. This definitely was not one of the better ones. It has nothing to do with the intinerary, weather, or service but there was something about this ship that just isn't quite right!:(

 

 

Carnival Freedom – 27 Mar -04 Apr 2010 – Cruise Review

First, I’m not a “Whale Tail” cruiser, this is my 2nd Carnival cruise on a Conquest-class size ship in the past 7 years. Most (emphasis on most) of the crew we met, were very professional, courteous, and friendly. We really enjoyed the itinerary of San Juan, St. Thomas, Antigua and Barbuda, Tortola, and Nassau. That is the only reason we took this cruise, it fit our schedule and desires. There is always good and not so good parts of the cruise. I’ll try to keep off my soap box when it comes to the negative parts. You have been warned!

We drove to Ft Lauderdale on Fri for the Sat departure and stayed at the Pier 66 Hyatt. We had a patio-level room overlooking the pool and courtyard. I can’t say enough nice things about the place but it was exceptional and worth the extra bucks to stay there.

Embarkation – We arrived at the port around 11:30 am and we onboard and at the Freedom Restaurant around 12:15. VIP embarkation is the only way to go!

Room - Our room (OS 7272) was ready at 1:30. The room was very comfortable and spacious but the balcony was very narrow. A 4-foot person could not lay down across the balcony without having to bend their knees. Sitting in the lounge chair my knees were against the glass, I’m 5 foot 7 and ½ inches. The DW is 5’3” and could barely sit comfortably in the lounge chair. Fortunately there was a regular chair that we could use without feeling too cramped up on the balcony. Lengthwise the deck was about 10’ so you could set up sideways to lay down on one of the lounge chairs, but only one person at a time. The bathroom was a double sink with a Jacuzzi short tub. There was ample shelving for toiletries. The entrance to the bathroom was a dressing area with 2 stand up closets and a vanity with drawers for the DW. There are 2 other stand up closets next to the queen-size bed as well as several drawers for my stuff. There is also a refrig, safe, and writing desk with drawers. Storage was not an issue for us over-packing fools. The room attendant and his assistant (Rocky and Nyomen) were non-intrusive and always had the room immaculate even after us being gone for a only a couple of minutes. I swear the jumped out of a closet somewhere the moment we left the room and cleaned up. We rarely ran into them in the halls so I don’t know how they did it!!

Freedom Restaurant (Lido) – What a freaking disaster! This had to be the worst setup/design I’ve seen in my last 14 cruises. There were 5 food lines, they fed from both ends going into the center. It didn’t matter what time of day you went in there, there was always a long line. The morning setup was the worst, the egg station was in one line, while the meat (bacon, sausage, etc) and breads were in another line. Till you could get out of either line to get your choices, your food was guaranteed to be cold till you could eat it. And it wasn’t that good to boot. It was some of the sorriest (sp?) food I can ever remember in all my cruises. I’m not sure if it was the number of kids or what but nothing moved through the Freedom Restaurant very fast. I went to get a slice of pizza and was told (with one in the warmer) that it would be 5 minutes before I could get my choice. I was in line to get an omelet and they closed the line and told about 8 or 9 of us we had to go to another line, which of course was backed up to the line they decided to close for breakfast. I think I was able actually get 2 meals out of the Freedom Restaurant the entire trip. One was the 1st day, the next was 2 days later. The rest of the time it just wasn’t worth the wait. Thanks to the Fish and Chips and dining room or we’d never had lunch on this trip. We ate off ship at the ports so we weren’t starving but it was just unbelievable how poorly the Freedom Restaurant operated.

Chic Dining Room – We ate supper 3 times on My Time Dining. We never waited more than a couple of minutes to get in. They gave us a buzzer the first night but it went off before we could get to the stairs to go to the bar. 3 minutes tops, the rest of the time we were seated immediately with the same waiters, Franz, Henro, and Nyomen (not the same guy as asst room attendant). They tired really hard but managed to mess up 2 of 3 of the DW’s orders. The food was always hot and tasted good except the fish which could have seconded for shoe leather, unbelievably dried out. The steaks and ribs were excellent as were the desserts.

Posh Restaurant – We had lunch in the Posh one day and it was excellent as was the service. I’d definitely recommend skipping the Freedom Restaurant for the Posh at lunch.

Sun King Steakhouse – We ate supper on both eloquent nights at the Sun King. Absolutely the best restaurant and service on the ship. The 12 oz lobster tail (DW) was sweet and perfectly cooked. I had a 14 oz boneless rib-eye that was the best steak I’ve had in years. I tried to eat the Taste of Chocolate samplers and couldn’t finish them. We were so stuffed after the dinner dessert was not really necessary but I had to try the chocolate samplers. The second trip to the Sun King we both had the lamb chops. Perfection is the only way to describe them. I had the mango ice cream and the DW had the champagne sherbet f or dessert and they were delicious. The Sun King is definitely worth the $30 pp surcharge, there is no restaurant anywhere that can serve the quality and quantity food had for $30 pp. You are only cheating yourself by not experiencing the Sun King at least once per cruise.

Shows – We didn’t do any of the shows so I have no comments.

Casino – Even though I won $2,000 on a video poker and the DW won $1,000 in video poker, the slots and machines are tight. We saw others win jackpots but they were definitely the exception to the rule. Most just donated mucho dinero with little return. The 3-card tables also were a bit tight, they were hand dealt. Some folks hit a good hand but they were far and few between. That’s gambling so take it for what it is worth. The casino staff were mostly fun to interact with. The Pit bosses do occasionally give out free drinks while they talk to you, it was a nice touch.

Spa – Didn’t do it, cost way too much and I’m not wrapped tight enough to need a massage or facial or whatever else they offer.

Bars – We spent a bit of time in the sports bar (allows smoking). Very nice bartender but as with all cruise ships, booze is way overpriced plus that 15% service fee. I used the Havana Bar (cigar smoking allowed) a couple of nights and it was never full but had relaxing muzac (elevator music) in the background.

Entertainment - MUS was interesting but the noise level on the Lido made it near impossible to hear the movies or shows. There was a C&W singer/guitar player outside the casino that needs to get a new living. He played the songs well and knew all the words but always sang dead-panned (monotone, emotionless, or whatever you call it). I never thought I go to sleep listening to Johnny Cash sitting in the middle of the casino!!!! Then they brought out a folk singer wannabe trying sing Bob Dylan, he sounded like a screeching cat more so than Bob Dylan. He was very good doing Don McLean (American Pie) but that was about it. Everybody raved about the piano bar but we never went there (no smoking) so second-hand information said it was fun.

Value for the money – We got a very good price since we had booked well in advance but won’t do the Early Saver (or whatever it is called) again because you can’t get the price reductions once you lock in to the Early Saver. We missed 2 price reductions, but in the end still saved a couple hundred because the OS room rate went back up above what we paid.

Overall Impression – Carnival is definitely a fun ship company but Freedom is not the ship for me. I didn’t mention it before because I thought I’d finish with the worst. I don’t know if it was the mid-ship deck 7 room or what but this by far the NOISIEST freaking ship I ever cruised on. At night, there was always doors slamming shut. The door to the dressing area was a sliding door, the least amount of rocking seemed to make them all slam open and shut. There was a catch to hold them closed but it didn’t seem to work worth a damn in what I’d call mild seas (5 to 7 foot swells). The balcony partition rattled all night long while under way. There were creaks and bangs at all times of the day. Thank goodness I’m not a light sleeper because after the first couple of nights I could ignore the sounds. I’m at the age of nightly bathroom breaks so I could get to hear the chorus of creaks and bangs on my nightly trek. Don’t even think you can close that sliding door quietly, it just ain’t going to happen, you can’t get over the latching mechanism without making the door slam. Surprisingly even though we had a lot of kids onboard, it was not them running up and down the halls making noise, it was just a creaky, bangy, noisy-ass ship! And this doesn’t even account for those speed bumps we seemed to hit occasionally and cavitation (sp?) sounds from speeding up and slowing down or the accompanying vibrations. Would I do Carnival again, of course, if the itinerary met our needs but it won’t be on the Freedom even if it is the only itinerary we like!:eek:

[Beth]

We were on the Freedom last Oct and had a super time. Never too much of a line on Lido deck and did not hear any noises, but we always have fun on a cruise and have been on all different size ships. 24 cruises in 11 years and 2 boked for this year. Just my opinion

[lalvey]

We were on the Freedom also - it was our first cruise. DEFINATELY agree about the buffett - WHAT A MESS!! We were happy with the ports-of-call, but if we had to do it over would find a different way to visit them! We had a balcony room on the 8th deck - but we were unable to enjoy it because the people on either side of us were out on thier balconies smoking day and night. Also agree about the SunKing Steakhouse - it was wonderful, and the best dining choice on board!

 

Our room stewards were also very good, and agree that it is SO nice to come back after a busy day to a nice neat stateroom. They even kept our little cooler stocked with ice every day.

[S10Catman]

We were on the Freedom last Oct and had a super time. Never too much of a line on Lido deck and did not hear any noises, but we always have fun on a cruise and have been on all different size ships. 24 cruises in 11 years and 2 boked for this year. Just my opinion

 

We have been on all different size ships as well but for some reason this one was weird. We always make our own fun anyway so that's not an issue. Our primary reason for cruising isn't normally the ship but the itinerary which was great. We consider the ship is our floating hotel, unpack once, travel to multiple destinations and the food is included. :) You didn't mention what room you were in so I'm kind of wondering if it was just our deck (7) and the room location that made for the noisiness.

[golfadj]

We were on the Freedom in Feb and had a great time.

 

Thought the lido deck was ok. Only complaint is they put out breakfast stuff long before opening and food was dried out.

 

Lunch was fine every day and lines were not really excessive.

 

Second time on Freedom and would not hesitate to go back.

[shof515]

Value for the money – We got a very good price since we had booked well in advance but won’t do the Early Saver (or whatever it is called) again because you can’t get the price reductions once you lock in to the Early Saver. We missed 2 price reductions, but in the end still saved a couple hundred because the OS room rate went back up above what we paid.

 

im a bit confused by this. I thought if you book early saver, you can always submit a early saver price reduction form 2 days before the sailing

[royd1968]

im a bit confused by this. I thought if you book early saver, you can always submit a early saver price reduction form 2 days before the sailing

I was confused by that also......doesnt seem to be correct

[shof515]

I was confused by that also......doesnt seem to be correct

 

unless the problem is with this person TA they used? I read some posts where the TA does not submit the the form or dont allow price reductions

[kenrod]

I really liked the Freedom. We didn't encounter some of the "less than pleasant" things that you encountered though.

 

I agree with you about the buffet in the Freedom Restaurant though. This is definately something that Carnival should work on. The Mongolian Corner, as good as the food was, certainly wasn't worth the wait for us, especially with a 5 year old who is impatient. But I kind of knew about the wait from other CC members before we sailed.

 

Nevertheless, we really had a great time on the Freedom.

[S10Catman]

I was confused by that also......doesnt seem to be correct

 

im a bit confused by this. I thought if you book early saver, you can always submit a early saver price reduction form 2 days before the sailing

 

Our TA tried both times to get them but was unable to. I won't even pretend to understand Carnival's Early Saver program but, like I said the price went back up over what we paid so we ended up saving a couple hundred bucks.

[golfadj]

Our TA tried both times to get them but was unable to. I won't even pretend to understand Carnival's Early Saver program but, like I said the price went back up over what we paid so we ended up saving a couple hundred bucks.

 

For our recent Freedom cruise I filed the forms several times and got a reduction of about 100 pp.

 

I wonder if your TA really did try to get you reductions. Have seen quite a few posts where the TA would either charge to do this or do this half heartedly as this will eat into their commissions.

[S10Catman]

I really liked the Freedom. We didn't encounter some of the "less than pleasant" things that you encountered though.

 

I agree with you about the buffet in the Freedom Restaurant though. This is definately something that Carnival should work on. The Mongolian Corner, as good as the food was, certainly wasn't worth the wait for us, especially with a 5 year old who is impatient. But I kind of knew about the wait from other CC members before we sailed.

 

Nevertheless, we really had a great time on the Freedom.

 

We were on the Freedom in Feb and had a great time.

 

Thought the lido deck was ok. Only complaint is they put out breakfast stuff long before opening and food was dried out.

 

Lunch was fine every day and lines were not really excessive.

 

Second time on Freedom and would not hesitate to go back.

 

It wasn't that we had a bad time, as matter of fact we enjoyed the folks we met and time we spent on ship but the boat is noisy and the Lido was always packed. There were a milllion urchins onboard but they were mostly quiet and as well-behaved as vacationing kids could be. Maybe next time we'll just avoid spring break time to cruise and it won't be so bad in the LIDO.:)

[S10Catman]

For our recent Freedom cruise I filed the forms several times and got a reduction of about 100 pp.

 

I wonder if your TA really did try to get you reductions. Have seen quite a few posts where the TA would either charge to do this or do this half heartedly as this will eat into their commissions.

 

She has always gotten them from our previous cruises/cruislines. She is very reliable and her office is only 3 miles from our house so we go there most times versus calling. She likes her commission but not at the expense of losing repeat customers.

[fishnfun]

We were on the same cruise and really enjoyed it. We also booked early saver and received $280 in obc and an upgrade because the price went down.

 

We were also on the 7th floor and didn't experience the noise that you did but we were in an inside cabin so that could have made a difference also.

 

As for the lido and the buffet we never had to wait more that a couple of min. to get through the line. I do agree the layout is a bit goofy. The only time I saw the line very long was one day right at noon.

 

Happy Cruising!

[Elaine515]

I was also on this cruise and have to agree with Alan... The way the Lido Deck was set up, and possibly because of the Islands and times, it was the worse I have seen in all my years of cruising.

 

Even worse, they would close down all but one line for breakfast way too early leaving that one line at least 30 passengers long. I am glad I got to eat at the Mongolian Grill the first day because after that I understand and saw people waiting between 30 to 45 minutes long on the line... ridiculous...

 

Again, keep in mind that this was a Spring Break Week, but the chairhogs were in full force, and we unfortunately, never ever saw security doing anything about it... Serenity Area was really nice and a great place to hang out and read. Also, we were extremely fortunate with the weather. Florida weather had been cold and this week was absolutely perfect weather so lots of passengers were definitely taking advantage of it...

 

The cigarette smell in the casino was also the worse I have ever encountered. And I also came across some extremely rude smokers...(I believe it was just this cruise because it is not something I have had a problem with in the past)....

 

I only go to the Carnival Dancers/Singers show and enjoyed them as much as I always have... Do not miss the "Ticket to Ride" show, a tribute to the Beatles... new for us and really really good the entire show..... They even got the audience involved in this one by handling out glow sticks....very cool...

 

I will tell you that we also had a good time, but Carnival Freedom was not our best cruise. We had a dining room team who did their job, but that was it... They didn't laugh with us, didn't talk with us, heck, they didnt even call us by our names which is something that has always been done. Same as our Room Steward, did his job, thats it...

 

Carnival Freedom did have a small outbreak of Gastronical Intestine (GI?) so they had to cancel the Behind the Scene Tour just as a precaution... We thought it was an Aprils Fool joke, but unfortunately NO it wasnt... This actually turned out great for us, because after telling of our disappointment etc to the Guest Svcs Supv and Manager, we were given a private tour of the Bridge, including getting to meet and talk with the Captain and his 1st and 2nd mates... That made up for everything... Even got pictures up there....

 

And we did book our next cruise while on board for Spring Break once again

[S10Catman]

Elaine,

 

I was surprised that on eloquent night they allowed smoking in the casino. RCL and Celebrity both had no smoking on formal nights in the casino. I realize I smoke but it would have been a welcome break and allowed the non-smokers a chance to do the casino without us smokers smoking up the place. They had the sports bar right there close if we were desparate for a nicotine fix!:)

[S10Catman]

We were on the same cruise and really enjoyed it. We also booked early saver and received $280 in obc and an upgrade because the price went down.

 

We were also on the 7th floor and didn't experience the noise that you did but we were in an inside cabin so that could have made a difference also.

 

As for the lido and the buffet we never had to wait more that a couple of min. to get through the line. I do agree the layout is a bit goofy. The only time I saw the line very long was one day right at noon.

 

Happy Cruising!

 

I didn't say we didn't have a good time, just like any cruise there always places the cruise line can improve upon. The lido was one and the sliding doors in the dressing areas and the balcony partitions could definitely use some work.:)

[F22Smitty]

I didn't say we didn't have a good time, just like any cruise there always places the cruise line can improve upon. The lido was one and the sliding doors in the dressing areas and the balcony partitions could definitely use some work.:)

 

You can fix the balcony partition either by folding a piece of paper up and stuffing it in the latch, or move you chair up against it. You can also call maintenance or tell your room steward to fix your sliding door.

 

We were on the Freedom the week before you in room 7363 and had a blast. This was our 3rd time on the Freedom. The lines were a little longer but that is to be expected during spring break.

 

As for the cold breakfast food, you need to improvise. What we do is, I stand in the Omelet line and get two, while my wife goes through the sausage line and gets double, including bacon.:D Then we just divi up at the table. It normally comes out pretty even on timing.

[diathoney]

We were on the Freedom with you! Had a great time. I agree the buffet lines were terrible. I usually ate up on the second level to get away from the noise and crowds. Our dining room team was good - not great. Our room steward Alvin was the best I have ever had. I loved that guy!

 

My son caught the Noro on the last night. Poor kid threw up in the parking garage while we were loading the luggage.

 

Aside from the bug, we had a fabulous time. Loved all the ports and the ship.

We spent a lot of time in the Serenity area. I was disappointed that the winds closed it so many days.

Sushi was pretty good - the last day the seaweed was very rubbery.

Sun King was really good. My filet was one of the best steaks I have ever had. The dessert was just ok. If I have any complaints (other than the usual chair hog problem) it would be that the desserts were pretty lame. Even the chocolate melting cake was not very good. It think the recipe has changed. Now it's more like a pudding and less like a cake.

 

I'm going to put together a full review, but thanks for letting me relive a little of my trip! My vacation glow has been slowly fading...I just got a spark back!

[S10Catman]

You can fix the balcony partition either by folding a piece of paper up and stuffing it in the latch, or move you chair up against it. You can also call maintenance or tell your room steward to fix your sliding door.

 

We were on the Freedom the week before you in room 7363 and had a blast. This was our 3rd time on the Freedom. The lines were a little longer but that is to be expected during spring break.

 

As for the cold breakfast food, you need to improvise. What we do is, I stand in the Omelet line and get two, while my wife goes through the sausage line and gets double, including bacon.:D Then we just divi up at the table. It normally comes out pretty even on timing.

 

It wasn't just my partitions rattling I could hear down a cabin or two. It was our neighbors that seemed to have the problem with the slamming sliding doors. You just couldn't close ours without it sounding like an elephant was in the room.

As for getting warm food from the Lido, the lines were ridiculously long and my patience wears thin after 10 minutes of Mom telling Junior you are eating this and Junior squawking "I don't want that!" for every other item in the line. I'm sure it was the spring break crowd that slowed them all down but when they cloded the line down while folks are waiting and tell you to go to the other line that is backed up 20 to 30 deep. No food is worth that much aggravation! Besides I can honestly say I lost several pounds on this cruise!:)

[S10Catman]

We were on the Freedom with you! Had a great time. I agree the buffet lines were terrible. I usually ate up on the second level to get away from the noise and crowds. Our dining room team was good - not great. Our room steward Alvin was the best I have ever had. I loved that guy!

 

My son caught the Noro on the last night. Poor kid threw up in the parking garage while we were loading the luggage.

 

Aside from the bug, we had a fabulous time. Loved all the ports and the ship.

We spent a lot of time in the Serenity area. I was disappointed that the winds closed it so many days.

Sushi was pretty good - the last day the seaweed was very rubbery.

Sun King was really good. My filet was one of the best steaks I have ever had. The dessert was just ok. If I have any complaints (other than the usual chair hog problem) it would be that the desserts were pretty lame. Even the chocolate melting cake was not very good. It think the recipe has changed. Now it's more like a pudding and less like a cake.

 

I'm going to put together a full review, but thanks for letting me relive a little of my trip! My vacation glow has been slowly fading...I just got a spark back!

 

We also ate up at the Fish and Chips and the Posh on the sea days but ate most lunches in port. When we finally had late supper (in Puerto Rico), we were not impressed with the Freedom Restaurant's food. I should say my breakfasts consisted of a bagel, cream cheese and coffee. The DW was able to get some eggs but till she got her bacon and toast and got back to the table it was cold. It only took her 15 minutes to get her eggs and another 10 to get toast and bacon. I thought she got lost but she came back madder than a wet hen!:( We were expecting a lot of kids because of spring break but nothing like what we experienced. This was our 4th spring break cruise and was not the best experience by a long shot. We had a great time in port and donating at the casino. The 2 sore spots (Lido and noise) didn't ruin our cruise but we'll definite look into a diffferent ship than the Freedom if we do another spring break cruise.

[F22Smitty]

It wasn't just my partitions rattling I could hear down a cabin or two. It was our neighbors that seemed to have the problem with the slamming sliding doors. You just couldn't close ours without it sounding like an elephant was in the room.

:)

 

Are you talking interior room sliding door or balcony door?

[S10Catman]

Are you talking interior room sliding door or balcony door?

 

The interior one to the dressing room/bathroom. The latch mechanism was at he very end of the door track, when you pulled the door to close it, to get over the latching mechanism, it always hit the door jamb with a loud bang. Some folks must forget to close them at night and when the ship rolls, the door slams either open or closed. The exterior were a standard swing open door type.

[F22Smitty]

What I have noticed the most noise from are the chairs on the balcony rattling or rocking against the walls or railing from the neighbors.

 

What upsets me the most are the BALCONY DOOR SLAMMERS. My fix to that is if they slam there door at 2 or 3 in the morning, I slam mine at 7 or 8 in the morning. By day 2 there is no more slamming.:D

[amistad]

I've been considering this cruise and I appreciate you taking time to post your review, we have noticed the last few Carnival cruises Liberty and Triumph the buffet is just so poorly laid out compared to some of Carnivals competitors, I just don't understand why they don't rethink that. I have wanted to take this cruise for the itinerary and am torn between the Freedom, NCL's Pearl, and CCL's Victory. I took an 8 day similar to this iten. on RCCL a few years ago and it was one of my favorite cruises. The 8 day's just seems to be the right amount of time. Again thank you for posting.