Just off Freedom...W. Caribbean 4/5-4/11

[jbroons]

Great first cruise....tired & exhilirated both. I will give extensive details; the mostly good/great and some bad/very bad. Is that a tease or what?? I'll be back with plenty...tomorrow. Must continue to ingest ginger root to maintain stability (hehe)!!

[carzyboutcarnival]

Cant wait to read! I will be on the Freedom July 4th! Are there pictures?!

 

thanks soooo much!

 

cbc

[cruisebie]

Can't wait to read your review. I hope the bad wasn't too bad, especially since it was your first cruise. Guess I'll just have to wait to find out.:p

[crazy cajun]

Jbroons,

Let me first to tell you something you haven't heard in at least a week.

NO!!!!:eek::eek::eek:

[jbroons]

Jbroons,

Let me first to tell you something you haven't heard in at least a week.

NO!!!!:eek::eek::eek:

 

I don't get it:confused:

[crazy cajun]

That is the one thing i remember from all my cruises is that i never heard the word no when i asked for something.

It was a shock when back on shore and i'd be out eating and ask for something special and be told NO!

Waiting for your review???

[jbroons]

That is the one thing i remember from all my cruises is that i never heard the word no when i asked for something.

It was a shock when back on shore and i'd be out eating and ask for something special and be told NO!

Waiting for your review???

 

Oh, I agree...I never heard the word NO either. About the review, sorry, Easter kinda delayed things:rolleyes:

[jbroons]

Day 1 Sunday April 5th, 2009

 

Flew from NY to Fort Lauderdale with my daughters 15 & 17. Plane had delays on the way and all I could think about was all the CCers saying that flying in the day before the cruise is always a great idea. Anyway, plane arrived about 2pm, got a taxi ($15.00) and was at the ship by 2:30. When we all saw Freedom for the first time we just stopped and stared in silence for 30 seconds......then, all at the same time, we said "WHOA"....absolutely amazing, beautiful & awesome!!

 

Everyone who received us before actually boarding the ship were great....smiling with good wishes for our cruise...we were so happy!!

Took the pictures, got the Sail & Sign cards and finally confirmation for our requested 6:00 Early Dinner Seating....YAY!! Hardly any waiting for any of these things, probably because of the time we embarked the vessel. Our suite was ready for us, #7322 Empress level, so we checked it out, went out onto the balcony, and said "WHOA" again:D (I was wondering to myself how I could possibly join the "Balcony Club" while sharing the suite with my daughters....;)) Anyway, we made our way to Lido Deck and enjoyed our first Freedom meal....Taste of the Nations Buffet serving "Italy"....very good!

 

We then went back to our room and our luggage was there. We unpacked, put on the bathing suits and hit the Lido Deck right in front of the "Big Screen".....no problem with Chair Hogs (that day). We stayed for about an hour then went and took showers in preparation for dinner in the Chic Dining Room. Bathroom in suite...Excellent!!! No water problems whatsoever: no funny smells or tastes, great pressure and all the heat you could possibly want....And the toilet----you were all definitely right!! That thing could suck the chrome off of a trailer hitch...it could plummet you right down to Deck 6 (well, at least part of you if you're male;))...it could...alright enough. Ok, dinner.

 

We found the Chic after meandering in wrong directions for a while (this happened the whole cruise...never entered a room from the same entrance twice...so much for all my CC research:p). My daughters' did not want to sit with others, being anti-social (unlike me), so Manuel the Maitre'D sat us at a table for 4......no problem whatsoever, just a little bit out of the way. It was on the lower level near the front entrance and we did have a nice ocean view. Our waiter & his assistant were great the whole cruise and we ate in the MDR every night. That night I had tiger shrimp cocktail (very good), mushrooms in a cream sauce (very good...yes I ordered two appetizers;)), Short Ribs (very very good) &....brace yourselves...get ready....I was still a virgin you know......warm chocolate melting cake!!! Once again, you were all so right!! Unbelievable...the combination of the ice cream and the cake when eaten simultaneously was simply amazing. Needless to say, all three of us ordered it every night of our cruise whether we ordered another dessert or not.....and we ate everything & remained relatively thin. Great meal!!

 

We then went and changed. The girls were very tired so they wanted to rest and watch a movie. There was a flat screen TV & combo VCR/DVD player...great. Listen to this....guess what they watched....ready.....Titanic!! Are they sick or what?? (It's their favorite movie along with Twilight). Anyway, I had to leave so I went to the casino bar, had a few rum drinks and the night pretty much poofed out from there. Went back to the cabin, propped open the balcony door with the door stop;), took our ginger root pills and went to sleep...slept really well but read the capers first. To all that will ask I don't have a scanner so I cannot send you caper-copies as of yet...I'll try to fix that soon.

 

More to come....

 

Key West tomorrow!

Any questions at any time just let me know!

[tnsunshine]

What a treat to sit down and read day one of your review! Very good writing! I felt as though I was living the day with you!! Looking forward to more when you rest up and have time to write! We sail on the Freedom in August, until then I soak up all that Freedom cruisers will share! THANKS!!!!

[TakeMeAway1001]

Great review so far, cannot wait to read the rest :)

[cruisincarnival]

Love the review so far! Freedom is my fav ship(so far :p) We had the best crew when we sailed in Feb! Keep it coming

[brt49]

Do you have any pictures? I am cruising the Freedom in July. It is also nice to put a face to the review.

[jbroons]

Do you have any pictures? I am cruising the Freedom in July. It is also nice to put a face to the review.

 

No pictures yet....my daughter has them on her memory card....I'll work on that! In the meantime, my public profile has one of me and my daughter Shannon...the now 17 year-old!!

[jbroons]

Day 2 Monday April 6th 2009 Key West

 

Freedom arrived in Key West/Conch Republic about 8am. We woke up walked out on the balcony and smiled:D. We got ready and went to Lido for our first breakfast buffet....very good! The lines moved very quickly (except when one lady HAD to have her breakfast potatos fresh and waited like 5 minutes for a new batch). The omelette station was excellent and quick (made three at a time), the bacon crisp, the sausage links excellent, the bagels hot (my daughter LOVED them with cream cheese) and they had something that surprised me: fresh, hot hard-boiled eggs, each in their own little hot,white bowl. My other daughter was in heaven....had two each morning. There were always plenty of clean utensils wrapped in cloth napkins and warm freshly cleaned cups for water, juice, etc.. The coffee was good as was the hot chocolate & juices. The staff there was superb...they were obviously very busy but were always very pleasant and would have tables/booths cleaned literally seconds after people would leave. Never had to search for a table....excellent!! I asked for tabasco each morning (gotta have it) and they would bring it to the table within a minute.

 

Getting off ship was very efficient and quick given the volume of passengers and security. I booked parasailing for my girls with Sebago Watersports...they did a tandem ride for $74.00 and they loved it. FYI, for those not parasailing while loved ones are, there is a little outdoor bar/restaurant like 10 feet from the boat dock...great place to wait...I hear they have very good rum drinks there;). Anyway, after parasailing, we just walked around to check out shops and bars....there are an incredible number of bars in Key West. Every other door on any street seemed to be a bar and, no, I did not take my daughters to all of them; we had to have drinks (planters punch & shirley temples) at Sloppy Joes, and thank God for them that Hemingway drank there...his image is EVERYWHERE and they obviously really play it up!! Also went to Hogs Breath Saloon...this is where they have the live cameras so your family & friends at home can watch you drinking heavily from their computers...be careful;)!! We then shopped for some neat handbags and peace-sign bracelets......great shops and great time. Key West is so charming and laid-back....it's just wonderful.

 

Getting back on Freedom was very easy. We went to Lido for late lunch....hit the grill for reubens & ham & cheese and my other daughter went to the fish & chips station on Level 10...just upstairs from the buffet. Everything was again very good and we just had water with lunch. The water/ice dispenser was invaluable.....tasted great (we love to drink tons of water)!!

 

Now bathing suits and suntanning. Beautiful day and chairs were plentiful (because of port day I'm sure) and we just relaxed. BTW, the drink servers around Lido were everywhere so getting your DOD was never an issue. The two hot tubs under the "Big Screen" were always crammed with kids and they were having a great time....(Spring Break---A LOT of kids)!! The adult-only aft pool was always an option (kids must be 18) and it was always quiet & peaceful back there.

 

Dinner in the MDR (table #133, fyi) @ 6:00. The bottle of wine I ordered the night before was waiting for me and the wait staff greeted us by name. (The waiter called my daughters by their wrong names and we never corrected him...we actually had a lot of fun with this each night @ dinner but you "had to be there"!! I think I had the tiger shrimp again and a flat-iron steak...very good!! And, yes, the warm chocolate melting cake was had by all again....and we also tried the creme brulee: also very good. The water glasses were constantly refilled, btw, even when only half empty. This next comment holds true for every night but I will mention it here & now...When the waiters have to sing & dance during dinner each night it seemed very degrading, like they were trained circus monkeys or something. Maybe they enjoy it, I don't know. Selfishly, I know that I didn't have coffee with dessert because they had to perform. I think they should focus on serving dinner and not the performance. Each night all the lights would start flickering before their "show" and we're like "Oh boy, here it comes":eek:. Anyway, just my opinion.

 

Hit the casino and won $100 playing blackjack...I'm not a big gambler so that was it for me!! We then went to the comedian show in Victoriana Lounge....it was JR McCollom and he was very funny. This night it was a PG show but tomorrow night, in the International Lounge, it will be an R-18+ performance (we saw both:D). I must say that the Victoriana Lounge is absolutely stunning...this beautiful theatre has a balcony level & lower level with fantastic lighting everywhere...I couldn't believe that I was on a ship!!

 

Room service, room service, room service.....we had it EVERY night! BLTs...great! Ham/Cheese sandwiches...great!! PB &JS....great! Cheesecake...great! Everything was and it was always delivered at night within 20 minutes...with ice water!! I cannot say enough about the room service...it was somehow comforting just knowing that it was always there;)!!

 

Tomorrow a relaxing & fun day @ sea!!!

[dj127]

I have never been a big Carnival fan. We cruised the Freedom in Europe 9/08. I absolutely fell in love with the ship, service was more than one could expect. We truly enjoyed our cruise and the staff of the Freedom made it so much more pleasant. I look forward to sailing her again in the future.

DJ127

[jbroons]

I have never been a big Carnival fan. We cruised the Freedom in Europe 9/08. I absolutely fell in love with the ship, service was more than one could expect. We truly enjoyed our cruise and the staff of the Freedom made it so much more pleasant. I look forward to sailing her again in the future.

DJ127

 

I agree with you dj...this was our first cruise ever so we didn't know what to expect. It amazed me that the staff was so pleasant and helpful given the tasks/people (some quite nasty) they had to deal with. I was extremely impressed.

[#1BradyFan]

I agree with you dj...this was our first cruise ever so we didn't know what to expect. It amazed me that the staff was so pleasant and helpful given the tasks/people (some quite nasty) they had to deal with. I was extremely impressed.

 

 

So glad to hear it!

Have never been on Carnival.....just booked our 1st for next May:eek:

Hope much doesn't change by then!!!!!!!

[jbroons]

So glad to hear it!

Have never been on Carnival.....just booked our 1st for next May:eek:

Hope much doesn't change by then!!!!!!!

 

Freedom is beautiful....you will love her!!!

Where does your cruise go?

[#1BradyFan]

Freedom is beautiful....you will love her!!!

Where does your cruise go?

 

Key West, Grand Caymen & Jamaica!!

[jbroons]

Key West, Grand Caymen & Jamaica!!

 

Oh good....we loved it! Ask me any questions at all....I did research to a fault;)

 

BTW, I heard that Tom Brady was just traded for Eli Manning (Eli doesn't get Giselle though):p

[#1BradyFan]

Oh good....we loved it! Ask me any questions at all....I did research to a fault;)

 

BTW, I heard that Tom Brady was just traded for Eli Manning (Eli doesn't get Giselle though):p

 

Great- Thanks!

We went to Key West & GC last year- 1st time to Jamaica though!

 

HA! :eek: HA!

[mitchpam]

Enjoying you review... thanks... keep it coming...

[jbroons]

Enjoying you review... thanks... keep it coming...

 

Thanks! I will....tonight will be 4/7/09...Fun Day @ Sea (& no lounge chairs to be had)!!

[floridahog]

We have a snorkling cruise for 9am about a block from the port will we be ablbe to get off the ship quick enough?

[mitchpam]

NO CHAIRS??... what will they do....