Long, Detailed Review with Photos of Carnival Freedom, 6/13/10

[pcrum]

Only outdoor seating (read not air conditioned) seating is offered:

 

 

Kermit’s sells pie both with meringue and whipped cream. Slices are pretty reasonable, I think about $3.95 a slice.

 

There is a nice koi pond outside too:

 

 

On the way back, we passed a film crew in front of Sloppy Joe’s

 

 

I’m not sure what they were filming, but the shirtless guy was the “talent” and was posing in front of the car.

 

Even after having the pie and a drink, it was still a long, hot walk back to the ship. We were soaked with perspiration and DH could literally wring his shirt out when we reached the cabin. We had a great day in Key West, but it would have been much better to do this in November!! As we walked back to the ship I was saying that we were crazy and that the only place we should be cruising in June was Alaska, where it was cool!!

 

So, word to the wise, if you decide to do a walking tour of Key West in June, be prepared to be hot and uncomfortable!!

 

Once back in the cabins, we decided to order room service and take naps! When I called for room service, I was told it would be 45 minutes. The kids were told the same thing when they called from their room. I actually fell asleep waiting for them to arrive and when I awoke 90 minutes later and we still had no food, I called again, only to be told the food was on it’s way. I ordered a chicken fajita wrap, which was good and DH had the roast beef and brie sandwich, which he enjoyed. I think the kids had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and the creme caramel. They said their food also took 90 minutes!

[pcrum]

I will finish up day 2 tomorrow!! Good night!

[LizaMM]

6/14/10:

 

 

This is the area on deck 10 just outside of the second floor of the Freedom restaurant. This area was never crowded during the entire cruise and it is where the kids and I would spend the sea days while DH preferred a table in the shade on the Lido deck.

 

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I have to LOL....back in 09 this is the exact same area that my DD's and I always found lounge chairs also! Ahhhhh.....memories!

[pcrum]

After another nap after room service and a shower, we felt refreshed. DD and I got ready before the guys and walked around a bit. We checked out the spa whirlpool, which was empty.

 

 

A pool is also attached:

 

 

We also found the Serenity area, which was also empty. I suppose the early seating dinner guests were eating dinner and the late seating guests were getting ready for dinner:

 

 

 

Trying out the hammock:

 

 

Overlooking the clamshells:

 

[pcrum]

DD loves virgin mojitos, but only certain bartenders make them. Others say that they “don’t know what to charge for them” since it is mainly sprite, lime juice and mint. When we suggest they charge as they do for any other virgin drink, they say they cannot do it. We tried to order a virgin mojito for her, but when the bartender refused, she got a virgin mango daiquiri, which she said was too sweet!

 

Finally, it was time for dinner.

 

 

The waiters got our cheese plates straight, so DH and I started with a cheese plate and the kids split one.

 

DS had the french onion soup to start, a flat iron steak, and no dessert

 

Soup:

 

 

DD had a quesadilla to start, salmon for her entree and WCMC for dessert.

 

salmon:

 

 

WCMC:

 

DH had the french onion soup to start, the flat iron steak and cheesecake for dessert. For some reason, I have no photos of his food.

 

I had french onion soup to start, the short ribs as my entree and cheesecake for dessert.

 

Short ribs:

 

 

The show tonight was the Comedy of Allyn Ball and the vocals of Jamie Frasier. The kids went to see the show, while DH and I went to the Habana Bar for the “Party Music by Music Boardwalk”. Music Boardwalk is the Asian band that also plays the part of the Beatles in the “Ticket to Ride” show. They are very talented. Tonight they were doing songs from the 70s and 80s. They had everyone up and dancing and it was fun!

 

Music Boardwalk:

 

 

Sorry the photo is so dark, but the lighting was not the best.

 

When the band went on break, we headed to the piano bar, Scott’s, for Sing-Along with Rob, the piano player. Rob had a printed list of the songs he did and it was the smallest list we have ever seen in a piano bar. We requested Robbie Williams, who most piano players know, at least for his “Angels” song, which was the No. 1 pop song of the last millennium in the UK, however Rob had no clue who Robbie was.

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We were not overly impressed with Rob, who reminded me of a taller Danny DeVito:

 

 

When he started on a Garth Brooks song, we knew it was time to depart!

 

When the comedy show ended, we met the kids and walked DS back to the room, as he was tired. DD wanted to stay out with us, so we went back to the Havana bar to hear Music Boardwalk. We tried unsuccessfully to order her a virgin mojito. After a while, we were all tired, so went to bed at 12:30 pm.

 

A friend was waiting in our room:

 

 

Now, I really am finished. Day 3 tomorrow!

[dfmeeks]

Great review! I enjoyed the pics of those furry cuties. I have 3 indoor cats & 8 barn cats, who get treated like our indoor cats but just live in our barn. I'm on the Board of Directors to out Humane Society so I'm always coming home with a cutie who has been there too long but can live outside.

 

Your family is beautiful & it looks like you're having a great time. I can't wait to see where the Freedom brings you next!

[jdawsonrn]

Thank you so much for the wonderful review. I love the details!!!! I can't wait for more :D

[pcrum]

Great review! I enjoyed the pics of those furry cuties. I have 3 indoor cats & 8 barn cats, who get treated like our indoor cats but just live in our barn. I'm on the Board of Directors to out Humane Society so I'm always coming home with a cutie who has been there too long but can live outside.

 

Your family is beautiful & it looks like you're having a great time. I can't wait to see where the Freedom brings you next!

 

From one cat lover to another, thanks so much for the kind comments! You are indeed a special person to take in those cats who need a home! It's so sad to see all the strays!!

 

Thank you so much for the wonderful review. I love the details!!!! I can't wait for more :D

The review is fun to write. I hope I am not overdoing the details, but these are the types of reviews I like to read, so I hope there are others who feel the same!

[pcrum]

I love reviews with pictures...thanks for taking the extra time to include them.

 

This time last year we were in Ft. Lauderdale ready to board the Freedom on July 4th. We had Cabin #1238 so were right in your "neighborhood"!

 

Looking forward to more...

 

Thanks for the kind comments? How was your experience with the Riveria deck? Although we felt very little ship movement, our neighbors made it less than enjoyable!

 

I am really enjoying your review. Thank you so much for taking the time to post it. You write so well.

 

Thanks so much.:)

Can't wait to read more...I'm not even going to be on this ship, I think I just like reading reviews :D

 

I like reading reviews too...that is why I decided to start writing them.

[pcrum]

Outstanding review! Looks like your kids were having a blast!

 

Yes, the kids had a great time. They loved being able to order all the room service they wanted!!

 

WHat a fabulous review so far! I am loving all the pics!!

 

Looking forward to more!!!! Thanks!

Thanks so much.

 

thank you for the review so far. My hubby and I are looking forward to our cruise on her in Feb. Kids are staying home though YAAAAAA

Enjoy your cruise with just the two of you. DH and I did that in March on the Emerald Princess. Sometimes it's nice to get away without the kids, although I did miss them!!

[pcrum]

Wonderful review. Love the details & the photos.

 

Thank you for taking the time to share.

 

It is fun to write the review and gives me a push to upload those photos!!

 

pcrum, once again a brilliant review. Loved your Emerald Princess one too. Looking forward to the rest of your review.:)

 

FYI: Don't be surprised at the names of the Filipino crew staff. Here in Canada, we have a lot of Filipinos who immigrated here and in conversations with them, have learned that there is a large Spanish influence/background in the Philippines. Many have Spanish last names.

 

Thanks so much for the kind words.

 

I had no idea that so many Filipinos had Spanish names. I guess that explains our waiter's name of Alfredo!

[pcrum]

Wonderful!!! I am so enjoying your review. Hubby and I did this cruise back in Feb. We had a great time! Can't wait to read the rest!:)

 

I'm sure Feb. was much nicer in Key West...you did not have the terrible heat and humidity to deal with!!! Thanks for the kind comments!

[Name Of The Game]

I'm loving your review!

 

We're sailing on the Freedom next stopping in Key West and the Hemingway House. Great photos and descriptive details!

[tamirpr]

We are sailing on the Freedom in October and had planned on renting one of those little electric cars. Are you saying there isn't anywhere to park the little car at the southernmost point? That was what our plan was.

 

Loving the review, BTW.

[INCHARGE]

I am loving this review. Thank you for taking the time to give us such detailed info. I have saved your review in my favorites for later reading, since I will be on the Freedom 9-10-11. There are not many reviews that catch my attention like yours. You gave balanced info on the good, and the not-so-good. I also would not have been happy with the plates at your door from your neighbors, or the noise.

 

Let me just say that your twins were so cute when I saw them up front and center for the line dance. On the first picture, they were just chilling in the chairs. The next thing I know, they are up there having a ball on the dance line. It made me think of my oldest grandson, who we could not get off the dance floor. I like to see the mid-teens having good family time. This is a very important age to keep the family time, and family values. They will cherish it always. Way to go. :)

[pcrum]

Day 3, 6/15/10, Sea Day

 

Seeing in the Fun Times last night that the Posh Restaurant opened for breakfast at 10 am, we set a 9 am wake up call. We much prefer to sit and relax and have our breakfast served to us than deal with the madness of the Lido buffet. Lazy, you bet, but hey, we are on vacation! The kids, however, wanted to sleep in, so we left them sleeping and went on to breakfast.

 

We saw our head waiter, Alfredo, who stopped to chat. He talked about how long the sea days were and how much he worked. I just recently read Cruise Confidential, about how hard the waiters worked and Alfredo seemed to confirm what I had read. He said during his contract with Carnival, he had to punch another hole on his belt because he lost so much weight from working so hard. But, he said that the job allowed him to provide for his family at home. He said when he went home in between contracts that he was able to gain some weight.

 

DH had an omelet of cheese and mushrooms, along with hash browns and bacon. DH likes how Carnival serves the orange juice in wine glasses rather than the tiny shot glasses used on Princess. The larger glasses call for less refills! I had my normal eggs benedict with a side of pork sausage.

 

 

We then went to the Photo Gallery to look at the photos that had been taken. We usually don’t buy a lot of the ship photos, but I liked this one the kids had taken last night of them posing with a showgirl. They said she was posing outside the theater.

 

 

I also bought the photo of DH and I from the first night’s dinner.

 

 

 

We then went back to the kids’ room and found them stirring. We decided to spend the day relaxing on deck, so went up to the Lido deck where the kids got some breakfast. DH found a table in the shade to sit and read and after the kids ate their breakfast, we went up to Deck 10, just outside the second floor of the Freedom Restaurant, where there was a ready supply of chaise lounges. Fortunately, they had two rows, one row in the sun and another row behind it in the shade! Perfect!! I wish Carnival put more chaises in the shade, as I prefer a chaise to sit and read but don’t like the sun.

 

Here is DS relaxing in the first row, in the sun:

 

 

We lay out for a couple of hours and then DS decided he wanted to go in the cabin where it was cooler and order room service. He also really liked the chocolate milkshakes at the Viennese Cafe and would usually have one of those each day. DD and I went to the spa and used the whirlpool, which only had one other gentleman in it. We then got into the regular pool adjoining the whirlpool, which was empty and then did the sauna until it was much too hot!! The sauna is very relaxing, as it has large windows looking out to the sea. These facilities at the spa are free to use. You just leave your sail and sign card at the desk if you want a locker and then when you turn in your locker key, you get your sail and sign card back. The lockers are big enough for two to share.

 

At 3 pm, DD and I went to tea in the Posh Dining Room. We love tea time on the ships and were glad to see that the Freedom held the event in the dining room, where there is more room. On past Carnival sailings, tea time has been held in a lounge which tends to fill up quickly. Carnival holds tea only on sea days, whereas Princess offers it every day.

 

If you don’t know about tea, you could easily miss it. It is listed in the tear off section of the Fun Times at 3 pm, with various other activities. In fact, I think a lot of people did miss it as the two teas we attended (on both sea days) were the least crowded we have ever seen.

 

Tea was held in the upper level of the Posh dining room. We asked for a table for 2 and enjoyed the classical piano music playing in the background.

 

First, we were offered tea. A wooden box was presented to us from which to choose our tea. The tea offerings are the same throughout the ship and the same teas can be found on the Lido deck. DD and I like English breakfast tea, so chose that. An individual pot was presented to each of us with hot water and they had lemon, honey and cream, upon request, for the tea. Next, the waiter came around with a tray of sandwiches, including an open faced salmon sandwich and the traditional cucumber sandwich. I had one of each:

 

 

Next, we were offered scones with cream inside (they even had chocolate scones):

 

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Then, the sweet cart appeared with lots of offerings that looked delicious. It was hard to choose!

 

Sweet Cart:

 

 

DD tried a cake with a lot of fruit on top and a chocolate mouse cake:

 

Tea is a lovely tradition and one that I hope cruise ships continue to have!!

 

As stated above, this was the least attended tea we have seen. The waiters came by offering us seconds, but we were much too full!

 

After tea, we went to find DH on the Lido deck. He had enjoyed the day reading and had eaten burgers from the grill for lunch. We all went back to the cabins for naps before formal night. All this lazing around and eating is hard work!!

 

As has been written before, Carnival has done away with the Captain’s cocktail party with the free drinks on “Cruise Elegant” nights. Instead they offer $1.00 off drinks in select bars and introduce the Captain and senior officers one time at 8 pm in the Lobby area.

 

We got dressed up and went to the Lobby bar for a before dinner drink.

 

 

Yes, I love being the shortest member of my family:

 

[pcrum]

 

 

Once again, the bartender refused to make a virgin mojito for DD (we did find them later in the cruise). DH had a red wine, I had an appletini and DS had a virgin banana daiquiri.

 

 

 


We watched the introduction of the ships’ officers:

 

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Then, we peeked in the Habana Bar at Music Boardwalk, whom we really enjoy:

 

 

Then, it was time for dinner. This is a shot of the lower level of the Posh dining room

 

 

We started with the cheese plate from the dessert menu. It is hard to see in the photo, but the cheese plate consists of 4 different types of cheese, including brie, munster, gouda and swiss along with grapes, some pear slices and some nut bread.

 

 

We ordered a bottle of Korbel champagne for dinner using one of the coupons from our wine package.

 

We love the stuffed mushroom appetizer:

 

 

DS and DD ordered the shrimp and lobster and DH and I ordered the prime rib with an order of shrimp and lobster to share. He eats the shrimp and I eat the lobster.

 

I’m not sure what this dessert was, but DH said it was good:

 

 

The rest of us ordered WCMC. DH would usually order a double expresso after dinner. Carnival does not charge for expresso or cappuccino at any time in the MDR. These specialty coffees are also available for breakfast.

 

Now, for a word about the other passengers. I have written before that we found this cruise to be different from past Carnival cruises in that we encountered many rude, obnoxious people on this sailing. One teenager sat next to a woman who I presumed to be his mom for the first two nights in the MDR in a baseball cap. Yes, a baseball cap worn at dinner!! If I had been his mom, I would have knocked that thing off of his head. Then, at another table, DD spotted another teenage boy, who she called “Hot Guy”. Hot Guy wore his “cruise elegant” jeans to Cruise Elegant night. Hot Guy’s dad wore his cruise elegant jeans also, paired with his cruise elegant Harley Davidson vest!! Wow, is this people’s idea of “cruise elegant” attire? Now, these people’s choice of dinner attire did not affect our enjoyment of our meal in any way at all, however I do think that if Carnival is going to suggest certain attire on certain nights of the cruise, they should enforce it. For people who fly, it is hard to pack everything into under 50 lbs. of luggage and I don’t think it’s fair that some people go out of their way to bring the appropriate clothes while others simply disregard the rules. Ok, enough of my ranting!!

 

The show tonight was The Big Easy and I had read so much about it on cruise critic, that I was anxious to see it. We are all big Broadway fans and love big production shows and in the past we have found the quality on Carnival to be quite good.

 

The band even got into the act, dressed as as band members in a New Orleans band and parading down the aisle before the show! The show was good and we enjoyed it, although one scene of the gospel church was so familiar we feel certain that it was in another Carnival production show we have seen. But all in all, the costumes, dancing and singing was very good and we all enjoyed the show.

 

After the show, we went to bed, as we had an excursion booked the next morning in Grand Cayman.

[Bribrittmom]

Great review!We're going on the same trip 7/25.

[pcrum]

I am loving this review. Thank you for taking the time to give us such detailed info. I have saved your review in my favorites for later reading, since I will be on the Freedom 9-10-11. There are not many reviews that catch my attention like yours. You gave balanced info on the good, and the not-so-good. I also would not have been happy with the plates at your door from your neighbors, or the noise.

 

Let me just say that your twins were so cute when I saw them up front and center for the line dance. On the first picture, they were just chilling in the chairs. The next thing I know, they are up there having a ball on the dance line. It made me think of my oldest grandson, who we could not get off the dance floor. I like to see the mid-teens having good family time. This is a very important age to keep the family time, and family values. They will cherish it always. Way to go. :)

 

Thanks so much for the kind comments!! I agree that family time is so important with teens. We are all so busy during the year, that we cherish our time together on vacations. It's just 3 short years until they go away to college, so I want to enjoy every minute of it!!

 

Enjoy your cruise in 2011!! I know you will have a lovely time!

[alpal1993]

Thanks for the review. Although not the same itinerary we are planning the ship looks fabulous DH and GS will love the water slide.Grandma not so sure,but I might give it a try.Seems like a great choice for our first Carnival Cruise.

[pcrum]

Thanks for the review. Although not the same itinerary we are planning the ship looks fabulous DH and GS will love the water slide.Grandma not so sure,but I might give it a try.Seems like a great choice for our first Carnival Cruise.

 

The ship is in perfect condition. It looks new!! The water slide is fun...I go on it once every cruise!! Enjoy your first cruise. I'm sure it won't be your last as these things are addicting!

[pcrum]

Great review!We're going on the same trip 7/25.

 

I'm sure you will enjoy your trip. Try to stay cool in Key West!