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Live From the Carnival Freedom

Kokomo_Man

By Kokomo_Man,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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Kokomo_Man

Kokomo_Man

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I'm going to be putting up my thoughts... the good, the bad, and the ugly... on our 8 day Eastern Caribbran cruise each day. At least I intended it to be each day. But the internet service has been really ugly for the first two days, so I'm posting this on the morning of our third day.

 

Don't worry, so far the internet service has been the only "ugly". Here's my notes from the first day.

 

Live From the Carnival Freedom - Day 1

 

Today we sailed from Port Everglades on an 8 day "Eastern Caribbean" cruise. Before I go any farther, I must say that ever since I got on board, I have not been able to get the smile off of my face. I think I must look like Jack Nicholson's version of the Joker in the "Batman" movie. So any of the negatives I say here have in no way detracted from the first day.

 

We were a bit late in departing... less than 30 minutes, so that was no big deal. But I was disappointed that the sail away party was canceled. I don't know if the late departure was the reason or it it was the football game on the the big screen TV... or something else... but the party didn't start like I hoped. Not to worry, it started later.

 

The ship as usual is great. This is my first time on the Freedom after three previous cruises on the Valor. The layout is exactly the same as the Valor, but the Freedom has a little bit more pizzazz. I especially like the adults only "Serenity" area that makes great use of the upper forward decks with upgraded deck chairs. These are much more than deck chairs... they are larger than the usual deck chairs and have thick padding. I think I'll be spending a fair amount of time in the serenity area.

 

Dinner was the usual fine fair and I "pigged out" getting my Chocolate Melting Cake fix. The waiter's service was OK. That is to say that there was nothing wrong... it's that I have been spoiled by exceptional service on my previous Carnival cruses. Like I say... nothing really wrong and I'll hold off more on this for a couple of days.

 

We chose late seating "traditional dining" and intentionally wanted a big table so we (just my wife and I) would be seated with others. Our table is one of those that seats 6 and we ended up with great table companions. They will be great folks to talk over the days events with. Our talk was lively and made us forget that the waiter forgot to offer us coffee.

 

After dinner we went for to the piano bar for a drink and to see how Doug was. (Sorry, I don't know his last name yet, but I'll post it tomorrow.) The piano bar is a big deal for me... it can make or break a cruse, and I book based on what the reports on the piano bar person that's going to be on the ship. (We booked the bloggers cruise on the Glory in large part because Ron Pass is going to be on that cruise... and ok John... we love you too as "special CD")

 

Anyway... Doug in the piano bar is GREAT. There was standing room only. He had the whole room singing and having a great time. That's unusual for the first day as people are just discovering the ship and have not found the piano bar yet. But Doug already had them packed in and the party was on. So whatever "party spirit" was dropped by omitting the sail away party... at least for me... Doug more than made up for tonight. Now if I can only get a seat in the piano bar *tomorrow night.

 

That's about it for tonight. Just one more tid-bit... upon retiring to my room for tonight... horror upon horror... there was no towel animal *waiting for me. Although the chocolates were there, I don't know if I can sleep without my towel animal.

 

More Tomorrow

 

Bob

Memories of Naked Fanny

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Prphan2

Prphan2

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OP...thanks for posting!

 

If you have any more info about the Serenity deck, I'd love to hear it. Especially whether or not there are sunny areas in addition to shaded areas.

 

Thanks again and lift a drink or 2 for us! :)

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Prphan2

Prphan2

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What do they do special for the sail away party? I have cruised before but don't recall anything special going on as the ship pulls out. Am I missing out on the fun?

 

 

There's usually a party on the pool deck. A lot of music and just a very fun atmosphere...a perfect way to get the cruise started!

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Kokomo_Man

Kokomo_Man

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Here's my notes from yesterday. I'll try and answer your questions in my next post... either late tonight or tomorrow.

 

 

Live From the Carnival Freedom - Day 2 - Morning

 

Today is a sea day. It started as it ended last night... with a giant smile still plastered on my face. I slept in just a bit and then headed up to the Lido deck.

 

As usual... the "chair hogs" were out early taking up the recliner chairs around the pool. You know what the "chair hogs" are don't you?... you know, the folks who come out early and put something to hold the chair for them... and then don't come back for hours. This morning *the chair hogs were out early. I was enjoying a leisurely breakfast and morning coffee and watched the "chair" hogs parade out. By about nine o'clock all of the chairs around the pool were taken with no one was sitting in them. Most had been "taken" for over an hour.

 

Then it started to even become amusing. A woman with orange hair came looking for a chair. I don't mean that she was a bright red-headed woman... I mean she had the brightest orange I had ever seen in a carnival clown's wig... *In fact she would have put carnival clown's to shame. And this was no young woman who had her party hair on. She was defiantly no spring chicken. (More on old folks in a minute).*

 

Anyway, the orange haired woman was looking around for a chair near the pool. But they were all taken. She walked around both sides of the pool, but couldn't find any thing. So finally, she looked both ways and when she didn't see anyone, she started moving some of the "chair hogs" stuff from two chairs and just piled it all up on another "chair hog" chair. I thought to myself... good for her. Then she put her stuff down on the two chairs... and then walked off and disappeared. I stayed there for another thirty or so minutes and she didn't return. If I had any balls I would have thrown all of the chair hog stuff in the pool.

 

A word about old folks... Don't get me wrong about old folks... I'm going to be one some day. So I'm the first to say that old folks should "party-on". I'm convinced that old folks, despite their outwards appearance, are mostly all still think young. Just watch them on any cruise ship... at least any Carnival ship.

 

Watch the old guys. They will be watching all of the young... and sometimes not so young women in their bathing suits. If an especially attractive woman walks by you'll see all of the old guys watching as they walk by. And you know what they're thinking... and no these are not a bunch of "dirty old men"... they are just young guys in their thinking. They suck in their guts and think... "just maybe".

 

And by the way, this isn't just restricted to old guys. Watch the women too. They do the same thing. And you just know that they are thinking, "being a 'cougar' is in fashion... hummmm, I'm just the right age to be a cougar... and they think, "well, just maybe".

 

It takes a little more for the old folks to warm up to the "party". In the beginning you'll see them just tapping their foot to the music. But before the second day is out, you'll see them somewhere on the ship dancin' to a rock-n-roll band. Yea... they're old, but they don't know it... and on a cruise most of them start to let their "inner young folks" get out. Today's old folks are from the 60's generation; the "baby boomers", and they knew... make that know how to party!

 

Of course that's just my belief about old folks. Weather or not it's true and an absolute, I'll leave you to judge. But no matter what you decide, an absolute truth I learned a long time ago it that what a person professes to be true about others is at least true of himself.

 

More later

 

There's not a lot more to report on for today. It's has been a sea day, so other than the trivia games on board... and of course watching the bikinis out by the pool there's not much else today.*

 

I went to the gym for a work-out. This gym has a bit different configuration than the Valor. On the Valor there is a big glass bowl area where some kind of classes were held... a lot of stationary bicycles in there. The area on the Valor is mostly unused except during the exercise classes.*On the Freedom that glass bowl area is a hot-tub/whirlpool tub area. It seemed to be getting used quite a bit.

 

The gym was was pretty crowded. Almost all of the equipment was in use. I try to do my workouts about two hours before dinner. So that means for this cruise I'm going in there around 6:00 P.M. On my previous cruises, I've had the place almost to myself at that time. But on this cruise, it has been crowded. I think that it's may be in large part because of the slightly younger crowd on this ship. Even though it's right after the holidays... when people have gone back to work... it seems that a lot of twenty- somethings, and thirty-somethings are extending their holidays... just like me.

 

All of the equipment in the gym seemed to be in good working order... except for the scales. I can't have gained that much weight in just only one day on the ship... in only one nite for Chocolate Melting Cake. So it must be faulty scales... yea that's the ticket.

 

I had intended this to be a "live blog"...but since the internet service has been intermittent and in general slow and crappy... I'll be posting in batches when the reception is good.

 

Before dinner (late seating) we spent a little time in the Cigar bar with the "rock-n-roll" band they had there. They were very good and entertaining... just the way to spend a little time before dinner. And just as I suspected there was an "older couple" who got out and were dancin' to the rock-n-roll band. And they were pretty good too!... better than anyone else on the dance floor.*

 

For the non-smokers of you out there (I'm a non-smoker... ex-smoker too), they seem to be doing a good job of keeping the smoke evacuated from the Cigar bar. I'm not as sensitive to the smoke as some, so I barely noticed it. There was a slight aroma of fine cigar smoke. This wasn't the raunchy rolled turd smoke that some cigars put off. Rather, a very faint aroma of good cigars. I guess I always liked the smell of good cigars, so this didn't bother me at all. They have done a good job of ventilating the place and with grouping chairs and tables so that non-smokers can sit at tables without the smoke drifting directly to them. So unless you are really sensitive to cigarette/cigar smoke I don't think you'll by it.(Please don't "flame" me or make this into a smoking discussion. There's plenty of places on the board for that. I'm just reporting and after all, this is a Cigar bar and I chose to go there.)

 

The company at dinner was still good as was the food. It's a good thing we have good table-mates, because the service is still a bit slow and even marginal at times. For instance, we (everyone at the table) needed more butter and had trouble getting some. Finally Ed (our table mate) just grabbed a waiter that passed by, and we finally got some butter. Also, the "Woman to Blame" wanted more iced tea, but never got any. *So as I say, the lively discussions with table-mates almost made us forget the lack of service from the waiters. (I have to remind you that the service isn't really bad... about what you would expect in a run-of-the-mill coffee shop in 'Vegas. So it's just that exceptionally good service is the Carnival standard, and we are not getting that.)*

 

I'm going to look on the bright side. On two of our three past Carnival cruses, we tipped an extra $60 to the waiter/helper when the service is very good. So, this trip I'm likely to save that $60 for something else. (Unless it gets worse, we'll leave the standard daily "gratuity" on the bill.) * **

 

One of the "bones I have to pick" with Carnival is the gauntlet of photographers you have to run through every where you go. It is especially bad on in the back of the boat on the Promenade deck (Deck 5) on "Elegant night". Most of the evening entertainment venues are on the Promenade deck and to make your way from the atrium area to the rear venues, you have to pass by all of the blockades that the photographers present. I know that a lot of people want to have their pictures taken while they are all dressed up... and Carnival makes a fortune from the high priced, marginal quality photos... but... Carnival needs to figure out a better way than blocking the walkways like they do.

 

After dinner, we went to the piano bar. It wasn't as crowded as the night before, but there were still a bunch of people there. Doug was very entertaining again. When the comedy club "let out", the piano bar filled up quite a bit. Some people were just stopping in for a "smoke", while others stayed. The seats around the piano filled up and stayed that way. "The Woman to Blame" wanted was pooped out from a hard day of crusin' so we called it quits about 11:30.

 

Before I close for tonight I need to tell you something that I've noticed in recent years. Tonight was elegant night. There were several men dressed in their military uniforms. I'm glad to see that they are proud to wear their uniform and that our public supports them. I come from an era where our service men and women were fighting an unpopular war... all wars should be unpopular, but during "my war" the military people were made unpopular too. We avoided wearing our uniforms in public places.

 

So it does my heart good to see that the public is supporting our people in uniform and that they can be proud to wear the uniform wherever they go. I made a point to shake their hand and say thank you to everyone I saw in uniform.

 

That's all for today

 

Oh! before I go... I forget to tell you... the big grin is still pasted on my face.

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SMSACE6

SMSACE6

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I am sooooo loving your review! Loving it and laughing my head off! Especially your description of the "oldies". I think, just think I may have recently joined that generation, and yes, I really do still feel 25!:D Sorry your dining room experience waiter/wise was not great. I enjoyed a fun filled 8 days on the Freedom last September and had the best wait crew ever. I guess it can be hit or miss. Looking forward to more of your review!:)

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AryMay

AryMay

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Loving your review...but also feeling guilty that you are spending so much time writing while you are ON the cruise. Thanks for sharing the week with all of us.

 

In 2009 we loved our 8 day western cruise on the Freedom and someday would like to do the eastern route that you are on. Is San Juan still a port for you or has it been dropped. (I guess I could just wait and find out!) I am looking forward to reading about what you do at each port.

 

Thanks again...

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Kokomo_Man

Kokomo_Man

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I'll try to answer your questions as I go, but first a note about the text and weird things that seem to be happening when I post.

 

The asterisks that are being inserted in the text are not there intentionally. I'm using my new iPad on this cruise and there are weird things that I'm still learning. So, I don't know why the asterisks are getting inserted... I don't see them in my text. (I'm writing everything off line and then copying it to the board after I get on line. At cruise line prices I can't afford to do all the writing on-line.)

 

The second thing is the spelling. I claim to be one of the worlds worst spellers. Without spell checkers I would be in serious trouble. But, I'm using the built in note pad that comes with the iPad and the spell checker is limited. Also, I'm doing very little editing and re-writing which means that a few awkward passages may get in and a few wrong (but correct spelling) words are sure to slip in. So if some misspelt words get in, then just have a giggle (Is that how you spell "misspelt"?) *And I apologize to those of you who these errors makes you grit your teeth.

 

On to the first few questions:

 

The Sail Away Party - On my previous cruises with Carnival (All on the Valor) the sail away party is held on deck by the main pool. It is held about 30 minutes after sail away. The entertainment staff, often led by the assistant "Cruise Director", gets every one up and dancing' out on deck. Young and old... bit and small... lots of folks get up and start dancing. This is just something to get the party started and the folks "fired up". I checked the "daily" and the sail away party was indeed scheduled. (The "daily" is the "Carnival Fun Times" printed each day to give the schedule *of events)

 

The Serenity Deck - This is something new and not all ships have them yet. The Valor for example doesn't have it, but will be upgraded when it goes into dry dock soon. Carnival tried it out to see how the would be received. It seems that people like it a lot. I think the plan is to convert all ships as they go through dry-dock repairs and refurbishment.

 

The Serenity deck is an adult only area. There is a bar up there (of course... $$$ for Carnival) and waiters roaming the area too. It has two hot tubs. * There are a variety of different sizes and shapes of chairs. Some are cozy two people chairs... some two people hammocks, and some round two people round couches. Some of the round couches have sort of a "convertible top" hood that you can put up when you've had enough sun... or as some people I've seen, after you've gotten as red as a lobster.*There are also some giant couches where groups could gather.

 

As I mentioned earlier, there are not any of the standard poolside lounge chairs in the Serenity area. Besides the two people type chairs, they have some "regular upright chairs" with pads to sit on. There are also the recliner types again with padded seating/reclining. I tried these out and they were much more comfortable than the standard stuff down around the pool.

 

While we've been under way, it has been a bit breezy up there. There are some areas that are protected from the wind, but these have been at a premium. There are both shady and sunny areas so you have your choice.*

 

I suspect that "chair hogs" are a problem for the premium seats, but both times I've been up there I could find something in either the shade or the sun. The driving factor seems to be the wind. I'm taking plenty of pictures and I'll post them when I get to a decent internet hook-up.

 

Bob

Memories of Naked Fanny*

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Kokomo_Man

Kokomo_Man

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Live From the Carnival Freedom

 

A few left over tid bits from yesterday that I forgot to write about. I got up on deck in the early afternoon just in time for the hairy chest contest. Usually this is a hoot. Six or eight unabashed men get up and do some dancing... well at least they call it dancing. Things like the harry chest contest are why I never do any "drinking" before at least the late afternoon. The contest is uaually won by someone built about like Chris Farley and dances about like him too. If they have the added benefit of having more hair than a gorilla, then they are a shoe in for a win.*

 

Well, this contest was a disappointment. No matter how much the Carnival staff encouraged this group of men, all they did was take their shirts off and walk around for about 15 seconds... 15 seconds max. In my mind there was no winner.

 

The other little piece of business to take care of is that I keep putting stuff in that says "don't flame me". I won't do that any more. This is all my opinion and as every one knows opinions are like noses... everyone has one. And I won' apologize for telling you what I think. So, flame away.

 

Day 3 - Morning

 

Day 3 is almost another sea day for this cruise. We are going to stop in San Juan, but we don't get there until 5:00 P.M. So I "slept in" again. I't will be hard go get back into the work routine next week. (I know... most of you have absolutely no sympathy.)

 

I had a lite breakfast up on the Lido deck this morning... out by the pool. The "chair hogs" had already been out in force again, but were nowhere in sight. Since I know that "chair hogs" will be a routine thing, I'm going to name this "pet peeve #1"... PP1. I won't mention it again except to list the pet peeves as they bug me each day..

 

I suppose I should figure out something for the good stuff. For now the one I can think of is the big grin I still have. So that will be "BG".

 

Just a passing note... I'm suprised the holiday decorations are still up. *We sailed on New Years day, so I expected some decorations to still be up, but with Carnival's normal clean-up efficiency I figured that they would be done by now. It's ok with me, 'cause I wanted to extend the holidays with this cruise any way.

 

BG -*BG -*BG - BG

 

Afternoon

 

It's in the early afternoon... about 1:30. I just came back from spending a little bit of time up on the Lido deck in the pool area and in the serenity area. It's a nice bright sunny day. The sky is that pretty caribbean blue with puffy white clouds scattered around. The air temperature is around 82 degrees F. (~28C). I only mention the weather because I know that most who are reading this are in North America and freezing their buns off. OK... for this... for me rubbin' it in; "flame on"

 

I have to say there are a lot of "talented" women up there today. Now by "talented" I mean that I don't know for sure that they are talented. I'm only observing from a distance. And of course, they are not performing any of their talents. But I can certainly tell that they are talented just by looking. And after all, they do have some of their talents on display.

 

Least I forget the women reading this... besides me, there are quite a few buff guys out there too. No... I'm not a guy watcher, but I thought that as your on ship reporter I should take note of the sight-seeing for every one. And there's no doubt that the women are watching out for the buff guys.

 

But I do have a bit of bad news. The "sight-seeing" up on deck is not all good. Before I tell you more, I first have to put out the disclaimer that I to am beginning to fight the battle of the middle myself. I know you're saying, "naw... we can't tell", but I know that the battle of the bulge has begun. So with that said... I can continue.

 

Not everyone up on deck is a pretty sight to see.*To steal the punch like from the very funny Jeff Foxworthy... if your stomach obscures your view of your feet, "COVER IT UP". Don't start flamin' me... large people are great people. The majority of people are large people. And that's far more healthy than the anorexics or the bulimics. But... I don't know what some of these folks are thinking. A 300 pound woman with "cottage cheese" thighs and buttocks has no business wearing a string bikini that is little more than a thong... and a 275 pound 5 ft, 6 in man who hasn't ever been to a gym has no business wearing a Speedo is ugly. To repeat Jeff Foxworthy, COVER IT UP.

 

I saw the bright-orange hair woman again by the pool. The first day I thought that maybe this was just some of that "wash-out hair color" that was left over from the New Years eve celebrations. I figured it would have been washed out by now. But no... it's still there. I guess all I can say is she is probably having a wonderful time with it... and to each their own... being a non-conformist is in itself sometimes a virtue... and... in the words of Garth, "Party on".

 

That's all for now. More Later - BG-BG-BG

 

Afternoon and Evening

 

LAND HO!!!!! After two days at sea, we finally spotted land. It's a great big ocean. You don't realize just how vast it is until you spend two days without being able to see anything but water horizon-to-horizon for about 48 hours... and they you realize that we've just barely seen a tiny piece of the ocean.

 

We pulled into San Juan a tad early. We were at the dock and free to go ashore by 4:30 P.M. The "Woman to Blame" and I didn't have any tours planned, so we decided to wait for the hoards to go ashore before we went.

 

Pulling in to port this late in the afternoon/evening is a "dirty trick". If you go ashore and do any of the tours, then you are likely to miss dinner on board ship. The ship doesn't have traditional dining in the two main dining rooms. Rather, one of the main dining rooms is closed and the other one is on "any time dining" only from 6:00 P.M until 9:30 P.M. About 50% of the buffet area is closed and it to is only open until 9:30 P.M. *So you can tell that the ship is not planning on food for a majority of the passengers.

 

The "Woman to Blame" and I decided that we would get something to eat before we got off the boat... that way we wouldn't go hungry later on. (No one can possibly go hungry... there's always some place to eat on the boat 24/7, but you know what I mean.) Well... when we *went to get something to eat (about 4:45 P.M.) there were only a few places on the ship where anyone could get food... one of the grills by the pool, the deli and the pizza place. The only problem was that I think half the ship had the same strategy as we did. There were literally hundreds of people in line.

 

When we went ashore we only made it as far as Senior Frogs. They have good food, and of course the "yardas". In our case, the yardas were full of frozen Margaritas. We ate a little bit... drank a little bit... bought the obligatory t-shirts and made it back to the ship.*

 

I'm of the opinion that while San Juan might be a great place to visit, it isn't much to visit at night. There are some "night life" tours by Carnival, and once you get off the ship there are tour bus operators offering tours of the city for $10 per person. So if that's something you would like to do, then it might have been interesting.*

 

The port area in San Juan is not much to see. It's not like most of the other cruise ship ports I've been to. Rather than a bunch of colorful tourist traps to look around at, it is mostly just a downtown area with tall buildings... i.e. 35 stories. There are a few sidewalk vendors, but not very many. There are also a couple of other bars and restaurants, but that's about it. The ship's "shopping guide" does show about 10 or 12 of the "recommended" shops, but they are sprinkled around the downtown like area and we didn't want to do that much walking.

 

Don't mis-understand this. It was a nice little stop over on what would otherwise have been a sea day. But we're coming back to San Juan in the day time on the Glory the first of March, and we're saving our main visit here for that trip. *

 

We got back on board early... It's about 9:45 P.M. as I write this part... so it's off to the Piano bar for a bit of sing-a-long entertainment.

 

Late nite

 

So ends another day.... and what a difference a day can be. I spent the last hour wandering the empty halls of the ship. All of the venues that were crowded with people singing, dancin' and having a good time were all empty. I don't mean just a few people... they were empty at 10:00 P.M. The 70's Disco, and the piano bar had no one. Poor Doug Ross was in the piano bar just chatting with the three waters who also had nothing to do. (Notice that I finally got Doug's last name.)

 

The most "happening" thing going on was a hot game of charades going on among 6 people in the chairs by the windows along the Promenade walk-way... and a highly contested bridge game in the cigar bar.*

 

Oh yea... the "big action" was the "karaoke party" going on in the International Lounge in the back-end of the boat. There were about 20 or 30 people in there listening to people "singing" their hearts out. I think I'll go do that tomorrow night... I can't carry a tune in a bucket either.

 

By 10:45 P.M. a few people had trickled in. The piano bar had the most with 6 or 7, but the disco was empty. There was a spattering of other folks around the venues, but you wouldn't know this was the same ship. Perhaps there is "night life" in San Juan that i missed out on... or the kiddies are all tuckered out and have gone to bed.

 

A little information to correct. (I could go back and fix it above, but it's late and I'm too lazy to do the editing.) There is a bit more late nite food than I told you above. The above was the information in the "daily". However as I was heading back to my cabin I went by way of the buffet area on the Lido deck. It turns out that 1/4 of the buffet area is still serving (10:45 P.M.). The deli and the pizzeria are also still open, So I don't know what time they are actually going to close.

 

Tomorrow... Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

 

Oh yea... the grin is still there.

 

Bob

Memories of Naked Fanny

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mississauga

mississauga

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Thanks for taking the time out on your vacation to do a "Live" and especially the expense of doing one. Wish Carnival would have some free internet as part of their Platinum program. Princess does and after 5 cruises, get free internet minutes and there are a lot of "Lives" on the Princess board. Lives are good advertising for the cruise line. You are doing just that for the Freedom.

 

You are so right about flaming. This is your Live so your opinions.

 

Continue with the Big Grin.

 

Looking forward to more of your Live from the Freedom!

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Kokomo_Man

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A Rant

 

It's time for a bit of a rant. I know Carnival reads these boards and it's time to speak up and let you know that in one area the "King wears no clothes".

 

I'm a pretty reasonable person. I don't expect miracles from the cruise lines. But there is no excuse for the miserable excuse for an internet service they provide. I tried to post my report on Day 3 this morning. The first attempt it took me 5 minutes for nothing to happen and then for the network to completely crash out... and I didn't get to log out so the clock was still ticking.

 

I recycled my wireless connection off then back on and after another couple of minutes got connected again. After a couple more drop offs I got my stuff posted. The bottom line is that it took 17 minutes for me to log in, copy and paste the text into Cruise Critic and then to log off.*

 

The rate plan I'm on is $89 for 240 minutes... that's 37 cents per minute. That in and of itself is outrageous. Add to that the exceptionally slow and grossly unreliable function, this internet service is an unacceptable way for Carnival to rip off their customers. It cost $6.29 for less than one minute of actual access to put up my post this morning. *

 

I understand that a moving ship at sea may having problems getting high speed internet... so I accept that it might be slower. But all of my problems I've described here have been while we're stationary... docked in St. Thomas. It is now 2011. The technology has gone way beyond what is Carnival is providing and there is simply no excuse for it.*

 

I'm going to post this on the John Heald blog too. I know the Carnival "beards" see and respond to that.*

 

Sorry for the rant... Now if it doesn't take too much time and aggravation to post this, it's time to go ashore and get my smile back.

 

Bob

Memories of Naked Fanny

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Kokomo_Man

Kokomo_Man

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Live From the Carnival Freedom - Day 4 Morning

 

I can't believe we are already starting day 4. It seems like we have just gotten started.

 

First, a little bit of "business".

 

I need to say a few words about my sponsor... "The Woman to Blame". First, she knows that I often refer to her as "the woman to blame" and that I'm calling her that on this board. Moreover, she agrees that she is the "Woman to Blame"... she is proud of it and even wears the hat that says so. Besides clearly being the Woman to Blame", she is also the love of my life. *We've been together since we were babes in diapers. *She was my sweetheart back in high school and still is. I know that she'll be reading this, so with all that said, maybe I'll get lucky tonight.

 

Someone posted that they were sorry that I was spending all this time writing. I'm not really taking time away from anything for this. I just carry my iPad with me wherever I go. The iPad is really a neat device, and it is truly portable. I have a case for it and the case has a built in keyboard. It's sort of a baby keyboard, but I got used to it in short order. So, I just write a bit while I'm sitting out by the pool or sipping coffee after breakfast.*

 

Its really easy while I'm sitting there in the serenity area checking out the err... I mean... looking at the... err... describing the... err... seating in the area... It's easy to write a paragraph here and there *while I'm getting a bit of sun.

 

On to the cruise info:

 

This morning we ordered room service. I really never eat much for breakfast... just a bowl of cereal or some such. So we left the tag hanging last night when we went to bed. This morning breakfast showed up almost right on the dot for when we requested.*

 

It was sure nice to not have to get dressed to have breakfast this morning. And the person who delivered breakfast hardly noticed that I was still in my normal bedtime garb... naked.*

 

Ok... I was still under the covers. But hummm... this could be a good title for my next book; "Naked in the Caribbean".

 

I ended up not going to bed until midnight last night. I wasn't really very tired, so I took one more tour around the after I "closed" last night. I wanted to see if things had ever picked up... they hadn't. By the time I laid down the ship was underway. Even though I wasn't tired, when I laid down I went right off to sleep. The seas were calm so the boat was just gently rocking... and there's something about a gently rocking boat that puts me right to sleep (Rock-a-by-baby).*

 

Today is another really nice day. The sun is shining, and the TV says that it's 83 degrees F. (~29 C) and it's only 9:00 A.M. (More rubbin' it in for those of you who are frezin' your butts off... but more to look forward to for those who are getting on soon.)

 

That's all for this morning. We're already docked in Saint Thomas and there's a bit of explorin' to be done. And then at 11:30 I'm off to SCUBA diving.

 

More after I visit the fishies

 

Bob

Memories of Naked Fanny

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SMSACE6

SMSACE6

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A Rant

 

It's time for a bit of a rant. I know Carnival reads these boards and it's time to speak up and let you know that in one area the "King wears no clothes".

 

I'm a pretty reasonable person. I don't expect miracles from the cruise lines. But there is no excuse for the miserable excuse for an internet service they provide. I tried to post my report on Day 3 this morning. The first attempt it took me 5 minutes for nothing to happen and then for the network to completely crash out... and I didn't get to log out so the clock was still ticking.

 

I recycled my wireless connection off then back on and after another couple of minutes got connected again. After a couple more drop offs I got my stuff posted. The bottom line is that it took 17 minutes for me to log in, copy and paste the text into Cruise Critic and then to log off.*

 

The rate plan I'm on is $89 for 240 minutes... that's 37 cents per minute. That in and of itself is outrageous. Add to that the exceptionally slow and grossly unreliable function, this internet service is an unacceptable way for Carnival to rip off their customers. It cost $6.29 for less than one minute of actual access to put up my post this morning. *

 

I understand that a moving ship at sea may having problems getting high speed internet... so I accept that it might be slower. But all of my problems I've described here have been while we're stationary... docked in St. Thomas. It is now 2011. The technology has gone way beyond what is Carnival is providing and there is simply no excuse for it.*

 

I'm going to post this on the John Heald blog too. I know the Carnival "beards" see and respond to that.*

 

Sorry for the rant... Now if it doesn't take too much time and aggravation to post this, it's time to go ashore and get my smile back.

 

Bob

Memories of Naked Fanny

 

I agree with you 100pc on this! Way back in 2004, on the Triumph, I had my first experience with internet service on Carnival ships. It was fine! I basically use it only to keep in touch with family at home, rather than use my cell phone or seek out places to communicate when Im in port. So that time it worked fine.

 

Next time on the Valor in 2007, it was ok, but slightly less successful. In 2009 on the Liberty it was hopeless and useless. Not to be daunted, I once again tried on the Freedom in September last year. It just gets worse and worse. I thought things were supposed to get better with technology...! From now on on Carnival, I will not even venture down to their internet cafe. It is an annoyance I dont need to deal with while on vacation!

 

still enjoying your review of course, and we all have the right to rant about something on our cruise, there will always be something that doesnt please, but doesnt mean it ruins our cruise. Looking forward to more of your review.:)

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Kokomo_Man

Kokomo_Man

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I'm back from a day at St. Thomas... and I've got my smile back.*

 

This is my second visit to St. Thomas. It's a bit different than a lot of the Caribbean islands that cruise ships go to. Two tourist trips here do not make me a St. Thomas expert, but my impression is that this is not your poor Caribbean island. The houses and the streets... even the cars and people seem to indicate that the people here are comparatively well off.

 

All of the houses, even off the main drags where the tourists go, are "high end" houses. (Again I'm comparing to other Caribbean places like *Cozumel, Antigua, Roatan, and even Aruba. *There are a lot of the typical caribbean pastel color buildings but more often as not, the houses are large white structures with large arching windows; large porches and wrap around balconies; and first rate cars parked outside.

 

In the harbor there are hundreds of sail boats anchored all over the place. At the docks are thirty or forty luxury yachts. These are not just yachts, they are like the boats owned by the *"Statens" (Played by Goldie Hawn) in the movie "Overboard". These boats have crews manning them for their owners... definitely not for paupers. (But of course I came to the island in a billion dollar yacht.)

 

The dive master that took out my scuba group told me everything is expensive here except fish, jewelry and tobacco (no taxes). He explained that are no cattle of any kind on the island, so milk and beef have to be brought in by boat... 73% hamburger goes for about $8.00 per pound... milk for $6.00 per gallon.... and gasoline about $5.75 per gallon. He also said the cost of a low end home is about 800K... and that he rents a 1600 square foot house (with two others) for $2400 per month.*

 

Right off the boat there is an area with all of the typical cruise ship shops... Diamonds International (of course), and several jewelry stores... 10,001 t-shirts and at least that many hats... colorful skirts and blouses. All of the things any self respecting tourist has to have.

 

There's also a CVS pharmacy type drug store there that is much more than a drug store. You can get cheap booze, and five cartons of American made cigarettes for $100. (I'm told that's a very good price... god I'm glad I don't smoke any more.) A lot of people are in there buying sodas and water to take back to the boat... they've figured out that $2.24 per soda really starts adding up... especially when a case costs about six bucks (or less) at a Walmart at home.

 

Speaking of Walmart reminds me... there is a K-Mart here. A lot of the ships workers get off the ship and go to K-Mart. I noticed that as they were all getting back on the boat, almost everyone had a K-Mart bag. There's also a Radio shack that you can see from the boat while it's docked in case you need to pick up some electronic support stuff. Right next to Radio Shack there's a Subway.

 

I went SCUBA diving with the tour set up by Carnival. The dives were very good. This was a "boat dive" and the boat took us to a *tiny island about 25 minutes away from the port. This is also the same place the "Castaway Girl" catamaran sailboat takes snorkelers, so there's stuff there for everyone. (I took the Castaway Girl tour the last time I was here and it was a lot of fun.) The water there is the standard beautiful deep turquoise blue mandatory of all caribbean waters. Visibility was 60-70 feet.

 

Today's first dive was on a reef with lots of interesting stuff. The second dive was on the wreck of the Catanza Seniora... a drug smuggling ship that was abandoned when they were about to be seized. *It is now sunk in about 45 feet of water. It was a very large boat that has been broken up into three pieces by hurricanes.*

 

The water temperature was 79 degrees. We were told that it has just dropped down from the 80's so winter is officially here. It clouded up a little bit, so the air temp stayed below.

 

The crew of the dive boat were very good. They were reasonably safety conscious and had lots of head counts/roll calls. There was no fear of being left behind with these folks. It was a little bit of a "cattle boat" with about 22 on board, but that never bothers me. I usually think the more the merrier and the were enough dive masters to break us up into groups of 6 or 7. *Some of the people were on the Discover Scuba tour and everyone I talked to said they loved it. ("Discover Scuba" is a beginners opportunity to try out SCUBA diving without being required to get full certification.)*

 

All in all, if your a certified diver, or want to try out SCUBA diving, then I can recommend going with the folks Carnival uses. If you just want to go snorkeling, then I still recommend the Castaway Girl also through Carnival.*Everyone should note that the little island that these tours go does not have beaches. So if you're looking for beaches, then these tours are not for you.

 

It's gotten dark and we're back underway now. One disadvantage of cruisin' this time of year is the short days.*

 

I'm going to stop here for now and see if I can get this posted... (%^$#$^ ships internet). If I can get it posted it will be almost really "live" from the Freedom...*

 

I'll post more on the rest of the evening if the "Woman to Blame" doesn't force too many Margaritas into me.

 

BG-BG-BG

 

Bob

Memories of Naked Fanny

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