Freedom review 1/11-1/19

[tejmar]

8 day cruise 1/11-1/19 –St. Thomas, Antigua, Tortola, and Nasau. This was my family’s second Carnival cruise. The first was on the Sensation in 2000. For my wife and I this was our 12th cruise. We’ve sailed all the major lines. We usually choose cruises based on price and itinerary.

 

Embarkation: We arrived at Fll at 11:10AM and were eating lunch in the Lido at 12:20PM. We didn’t have FTTF and when we arrived there were no lines at all, in fact there were many agents waiting for cruisers to sign in. There was a line at Priority boarding. I was glad I didn’t spend the money for FTTF. Our cabins were ready at 1:15PM shortly after we finished lunch.

 

Cabins: My wife, youngest daughter and myself had a balcony (7396) and my oldest daughter, son-in-law and 3 year old granddaughter were in an inside (7394). Both cabins were in good shape. You could tell they weren’t new looking but were in good shape and clean. I’ve read of people saying that the upper cabins were hot, but that wasn’t the case with these cabins. Both were overly cool. I had to keep raising the thermostat because it was cold. BTW, my wife usually is hot most of the time. That wasn’t the case in our cabin. There was some noticeable creaking when traveling at a fast speed.

 

Steward: He was very good. He always kept the cabin tidy and we never saw him cleaning our cabin. He kind of snuck in and out. The only problem I had with him was that he always seemed to be pushing us right before dinner. We had the early seating so I couldn’t understand why he would knock on our door at 5:55PM. He should have known to wait until after 6 PM.

 

Main Dining: We were in the Posh. It looked nice but we were seated in an area without a window in view. We had some type of weird fake window with a huge frame around it which angled inward. Everyone of us that took a turn sitting next to it would but our heads on it. The dining staff was excellent from the assistants to the Maitre De. We had Wilbur, Supanee, and Ace. All provided excellent service and were enamored with our granddaughter. Supanee took a special liking to her and would always come over to get a kiss and hug from her. Our dinners never exceeded 1.5 hours. The food was very good. We would rank it at the top for any of our cruises right up there with our previous Carnival cruise. I only had two entrees that I didn’t like. The Jerk pork was tough, and the red snapper was a bit dry and tasteless. Of course Wilbur made sure to bring me something else immediately.

 

We tried the Brunch one day for breakfast and found it to be OK, but not as good as other lines food and the selection on the menu was small.

 

Lido Dining: We weren’t as impressed with the food here. I would rank it near the bottom for all of our cruises. It wasn’t bad, we always found something that we liked, but unlike other cruises where we wanted to try just about everything. Tried the Mongolian Wok and found it was tasty but spicy and the pork was tough. The chicken and mussels were good though. I tried what they called a pizza and was not impressed at all. It was more of a thin cracker with a thin layer of cheese and toppings on it. We tried the deli the first day and like it but like the Wok there was always a line there so we nevertried it again. Even though we really weren’t that impressed with the food we ate all but one breakfast there and all of our lunches so it wasn’t too bad. We all gained weight. We liked the soft serve ice cream that was always available.

 

Entertainment: We went to all but two shows. Some were very good. We didn’t like the hypnotist show at all and didn’t think that the one comedian was very funny. We tried to get into the Punchliner just about every night but were always turned away. We were able to get in the last night but didn’t care for the comedy at the family friendly show.

 

Ship: Yes Freedom could use some freshening up. There is obvious wear in high traffic areas, but this didn’t bother us at all because we go a great price on this cruise. As for the ship itself we really didn’t care for the layout and I would rank it near the bottom for us. We didn’t like that there were very little shady spots and the volume of the music was deafening. As for the pools and surrounding areas, note to Carnival, time to move out of the 80’s cruise ship design. The gym was well equipped, but it was irritating that you had to get to it by going through the spa and locker rooms. When we went to look at it the first day all the women in our group had to go their separate way and we all met up in the gym. Pretty inconvenient layout as was the case for other areas of the ship. It seemed like not much thought for traffic flow was put into the design of this ship. We also didn’t like that there was no place to walk around the ship other than the top deck. No real promenade deck where you could walk in the evening. We went to the Serenity area which wasn’t very serene since it was located near huge air vents that were very loud. We didn’t spend much time there at all since most of the time it was in the sun and blazing hot.

 

Although this would never be our favorite there was nothing that would keep us from sailing her again if the price and itinerary were right.

 

Ports: St. Thomas, my wife and I have been there and done that too many times. My daughter and her husband snorkeled at St. Johns and had a great time. The rest of us walked into town and shopped for a couple hours.

 

Antigua: We toured with Gordon’s privately. We had Valentine as the driver and he took good care of us. We did the budget Long Bay Beach tour which was very nice and Valentine gave us much latitude during the tour. The only thing we didn’t care for was the market tour. Nothing but beat up buildings and unsanitary food conditions.

 

Tortola: We did the Land and Sea tour through Carnival because we weren’t there very long. It was very nice but somewhat expensive.

 

Nassau: My daughter and her family took the glass bottomed boat tour and the rest of us went into town to shop a little. It was a bit cool there that day.

 

Despite some nit picking gripes above, we had another great cruise. We’ve always had great vacations on cruises and this was no exception. We’ve always had some gripe about various cruise lines and there were always things that we liked and disliked on all of our cruises, but nothing ever kept us from enjoying ourselves as we did on this cruise. We’ve always had a special time for different reasons on all of our 12 cruises and will always be looking forward to our next one.

[Engineerstar]

Thank you for the review. How was the noise level around your cabin? Was it quiet?

[Jimmy Geegitz]

Thanks, Looking forward to our turn in 3 weeks.

[CRJ700]

Thank you for the review. How was the noise level around your cabin? Was it quiet?

 

I was on the same cruise and agree with the OP assessment. Word of caution, we were in cabin 1028. That room creaked like a wooden sailing ship when the ship was in motion. Maintenance was called twice but it never go any better.

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[Gingee]

We are in 7336 so I am hoping it doesn't creak on us. Was your creaking during bad weather?

[michelle1836]

thanks for the review. maybe the dry dock will take care of some issues

[CRJ700]

We are in 7336 so I am hoping it doesn't creak on us. Was your creaking during bad weather?

 

Anytime the ship was in motion. It made for a really long two sea days.

[hancogran]

We were on this sailing too and like you said, it wasn't the best cruise we've ever been on but we certainly can't complain and had a great time. I think we lucked out with the weather that week.. a few sprinkles in St. Thomas and that was it.

 

Did you try the fish and chips restaurant which was on deck 10 above the Lido buffet? The fish and chips were great and we ate lunch there a few times.

 

We went to the show one night and realized it was the same show we saw on the Legend transatlantic this past April so we skipped the shows the rest of the week. When the next show advertised "Ticket to Ride", I knew we'd seen that too.

 

We normally sail in a balcony cabin but decided to try a 4J on Deck 6. This is an interior cabin with a window which looks out onto the "secret" deck right at the front of the ship. It was a bit smaller than what we're used to but we'd definitely book it again. The price was definitely right especially when they were offering a resident Canadian discount. Never ever had a cruise so cheap. ;)

[beansatw]

We are in 7336 so I am hoping it doesn't creak on us. Was your creaking during bad weather?

 

Gingee -- we're in cabin 7336 next Saturday the 8th. I'll be sure to let you know how the room is. :)

[Engineerstar]

hancogran

Do you remember your cabin # and was it quiet around that area?

[jreichow1972]

We were on this sailing too cabin 9293. That cabin was great! My daughter, her husband and my son shared 2422 and it was awful, all kinds of noise coming from the galley at night waking them up.

 

We are Posh table 518. I was crammed in the corner near some beam. I didn't like that table one bit. Being in the corner it seemed like we at times were forgotten.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[Butterbean1000]

We are going to be in 1026 next week on the Freedom. I hope there isn't a creaking noise in that cabin.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

[CRJ700]

We are going to be in 1026 next week on the Freedom. I hope there isn't a creaking noise in that cabin.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

 

 

It's across the hall so it probably wont be a problem. "Bam", the room steward for that section was the best steward we have encountered in 17 cruises. He was the reason we didn't seek a different cabin.

Edited January 31, 2014 by CRJ700

[Gingee]

Will be glad to hear from 7336 next week. Enjoy my future room and let me know how it goes, okay?

[jamisong]

Thanks! well written review - love you Point of view and how you defined it for us all to understand your critique! :) we will be on the freedom in less than two weeks and it is nice to know what top expect.

[Engineerstar]

Here's to hoping you get a great report on your future room Gingee!!! Thank you beansatw for being so thoughtful!

[LKYGSR]

We were on this sailing too cabin 9293. That cabin was great! My daughter, her husband and my son shared 2422 and it was awful, all kinds of noise coming from the galley at night waking them up.

 

We are Posh table 518. I was crammed in the corner near some beam. I didn't like that table one bit. Being in the corner it seemed like we at times were forgotten.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

We just booked 9293, please tell me what you felt was GREAT about the cabin :)

[jreichow1972]

We just booked 9293, please tell me what you felt was GREAT about the cabin :)

 

We really liked being close to everything on Lido. A quick walk in the morning to get coffee and drinking it on the balcony and enjoying the ocean view and sounds. There is only one neighbor and the other side is like a service balcony for staff.

 

The off the beaten path hallway made for little traffic. If you like to watch movies on Lido it's a quick walk back to the room for something in the room like something to cover up with if it's cold.

 

I never heard a peep of sound from the deck parties at night but when I'm tired I'm out as soon as I hit the pillow. My husband said he was suppressed at how quiet it was being so close to the main pool.

 

The steward was Ian (I think) and we didn't see him too much. He didn't leave us towel animals night 2 & 3 but I don't really care about that. He did keep the room clean and we were happy.

 

There was a sofa that coverts to a bed too. They had some linens in the drawer underneath so when my 17yo son got tired of sleeping in a pull down he shared in his sisters and her husbands interior we just made that up so he could stay with us.

 

It's a great cabin! Absolutely no cons. I will book that cabin on other future sailing.

 

Have a awesome cruise!

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[LKYGSR]

We really liked being close to everything on Lido. A quick walk in the morning to get coffee and drinking it on the balcony and enjoying the ocean view and sounds. There is only one neighbor and the other side is like a service balcony for staff.

 

The off the beaten path hallway made for little traffic. If you like to watch movies on Lido it's a quick walk back to the room for something in the room like something to cover up with if it's cold.

 

I never heard a peep of sound from the deck parties at night but when I'm tired I'm out as soon as I hit the pillow. My husband said he was suppressed at how quiet it was being so close to the main pool.

 

The steward was Ian (I think) and we didn't see him too much. He didn't leave us towel animals night 2 & 3 but I don't really care about that. He did keep the room clean and we were happy.

 

There was a sofa that coverts to a bed too. They had some linens in the drawer underneath so when my 17yo son got tired of sleeping in a pull down he shared in his sisters and her husbands interior we just made that up so he could stay with us.

 

It's a great cabin! Absolutely no cons. I will book that cabin on other future sailing.

 

Have a awesome cruise!

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

Thanks for the great info !!! Really looking forward to our 14 day B2B Southern/Western in Jan; just hoping whatever changes are about to be announced with Freedom Iten for 2015 don't impact the reservation we already have.

[hancogran]

hancogran

Do you remember your cabin # and was it quiet around that area?

 

Our cabin was 6203 and it was very quiet in that area. I was concerned since I'd read about the door to the secret deck slamming but not once did we hear it. The cabin was a bit smaller than what we're used to but we loved it and would definitely book that type of cabin again. :D

[5Hawkeyes]

Nice review, thanks!!!

[tejmar]

Thanks everyone for the positive comments on my review, I always try to be objective when I write reviews for anything. Sorry for not replying I haven't been monitoring this thread for a while. I wrote it shortly after we arrived home and monitored it for a couple weeks but it seemed as if there wasn't much interest in it since there were no replies. As I got busier I just forgot to go back to look at it.

 

Our cabin creaked all the time ship the ship was in motion of course it was much worse the faster we went. It bothered my wife and daughter more than me. The location of the cabin was good for us a couple decks up to the lido and 3 decks down to the main areas including the restaurant. Even with the creaking all of us thought we slept much better on the ship than we have since we got back home.

 

We never actually ate at fish and chips however we sometimes went up there to get away from the crowds and the noise. It was very nice place to be for quiet conversations with family as the main area of the lido restaurant was very noisy.