Carnival Freedom Concerns

[beachbumforever]

We have been on lots of RCCL, Carnival, and Princess cruises. Lately we have been reading lots of reviews about how the service/food has declined on Carnival. We are scheduled to go on the Freedom in December. Getting concerned that things are getting bad with the cut backs. Is this just a few people grouching or does it seem to be the case? Appreciate people responding that have been on the Freedom in the last 6 months.

[firefly333]

The cutbacks on Carnival are no worse than on RCL, relax and enjoy.

[Chigirlcruzin]

I just got off the Freedom yesterday. I had a fabulous cruise. The CD and his staff were great. The piano bar entertainer was the best I've seen period, let alone on a cruise ship. He had the place going until 2:30 or so every night, and the piano bar is supposed to shut down at 1. Comedians (JR McCollum and Michael Macy) were hilarious. I found the dancers to be average, but I'm pickier than most because I spent much of my life in dance. We had a fantastic wait team that spent a lot of time chatting with us about his life in Honduras, life on the ship, and asking us about our lives. My room steward was average, but I had the best room steward EVER on my B2B on the Inspiration in November, so he was a tough act to follow.

 

We had a couple MINOR issues on this cruise - shower didn't drain the first night, and the safe malfunctioned. In both cases, I called the info desk, and they sent someone IMMEDIATELY. Seriously, I barely hung up the phone and somebody was in the cabin to fix it.

 

They did not server appetizers at the Captain's cocktail party, which was the only noticable cutback. Oh, they also didn't have onion rings at the grill. Not sure if that's a cutback or a demand thing. Either way, not a huge deal.

 

I think reports of cutbacks are WAY overblown. I've been on 3 cruises in the past 6 months, and the service has been great. I think much of it is luck of the draw, and if you get less than stellar service, it's easy to blame it on the rumored cutbacks. Reality is, like anywhere, there are strong, average, and weak team members.

[misguidedangel]

THe only cutbacks I have noticed are no ships on a stick for general trivia games and they are print less Capers so you have to ask for one instead of finding a small pile at guest realtions or on Promenade. However, this could be an environmental reason and not a cutback. It could just be saving paper as they probably toss many out.

 

Everything else is as usual onboard. Free drinks were flowing at the past guest party!!!

[rkacruiser]

Look for my comparison on Cruise Critic of the cruises I enjoyed in March on the Noordam and the Carnival Freedom. Both were good voyages and I was quite impressed with the Freedom.

[cardinalfan]

We were on the Freedom a month ago and loved it. Our waiter was not the best but certainly not the worst. It is a very clean, well-maintained ship with efficient staff. No complaints.

[cruisegal58]

we will sail the freedom in 4 weeks, i will post a review upon returning..i can say this, we sailed the mariner of the seas last yr...the food was not very good at all! in fact, we went to the buffet most nights b/c the mdr food was nasty. a pile of white rice on most dishes, my dh asked the server to pour the lobster butter on his nasty plain rice on formal night. i am happy to return to carnival, will miss the ice rink for sure! and the adults only pools area were very nice on the rccl but u couldnt get a drink if u were thirsty! no kidding, the only time u can go to the buffet area is on the hrs they r open for meals..tea & lemonade with ice all melted was your choice. u couldnt go in with your swimsuit or shoes, (a blessing most of the time) only a small bar that was packed by the pool. i brought my own water or drink from cabin! no 24/7 lido drinks at all..just a small cafe with water or coffee, hot tea.

we have sailed carnival many times and have returned. cruisegal

[richfret]

Sailed the Freedom on March 14 and it was a very good cruise. We had a balcony cabin just under the Lido swimming pool so it was a bit noisey but nothing that I would complain to Carnival. Food was good and I found all the fish dishes excellent. Service was good and so were all the shows. I think some people are getting carried away with cut backs.

 

I just booked our next cruise for 2010 and the pricing is even lower than it was 2 years ago. If small minor cut backs can result in lower pricing then I say "Go with it!".

[AnnieB925]

I just got off the Freedom yesterday. I had a fabulous cruise. The CD and his staff were great. The piano bar entertainer was the best I've seen period, let alone on a cruise ship. He had the place going until 2:30 or so every night, and the piano bar is supposed to shut down at 1. Comedians (JR McCollum and Michael Macy) were hilarious. I found the dancers to be average, but I'm pickier than most because I spent much of my life in dance. We had a fantastic wait team that spent a lot of time chatting with us about his life in Honduras, life on the ship, and asking us about our lives. My room steward was average, but I had the best room steward EVER on my B2B on the Inspiration in November, so he was a tough act to follow.

 

We had a couple MINOR issues on this cruise - shower didn't drain the first night, and the safe malfunctioned. In both cases, I called the info desk, and they sent someone IMMEDIATELY. Seriously, I barely hung up the phone and somebody was in the cabin to fix it.

 

They did not server appetizers at the Captain's cocktail party, which was the only noticable cutback. Oh, they also didn't have onion rings at the grill. Not sure if that's a cutback or a demand thing. Either way, not a huge deal.

 

I think reports of cutbacks are WAY overblown. I've been on 3 cruises in the past 6 months, and the service has been great. I think much of it is luck of the draw, and if you get less than stellar service, it's easy to blame it on the rumored cutbacks. Reality is, like anywhere, there are strong, average, and weak team members.

 

Not to hijack, but I am so very glad to hear that the piano bar on the Feedom is hoppin'. We'll be on the cruise next Sunday and the piano bar has always been somthing we enjoy. Thanks for sharing. I'm not worried about cutbacks.....we paid less than we would have a couple of year ago...it's all relative.

[Chigirlcruzin]

Not to hijack, but I am so very glad to hear that the piano bar on the Feedom is hoppin'. We'll be on the cruise next Sunday and the piano bar has always been somthing we enjoy. Thanks for sharing. I'm not worried about cutbacks.....we paid less than we would have a couple of year ago...it's all relative.

 

If you're on Facebook, join the group "Carnival Freedom Piano Bar Spring 2009."

[lgerrish]

We just returned from a wonderful cruise with our family - ranging in years 3 - 54 and we had a blast!

 

The food, service, and entertainment was excellent. There were no cutbacks, except for no appetizers at the Captain's party - but the drinks were flowing freely, (if anyone missed the appetizers, they could certainly get enough to eat elsewhere on the ship because you can never go hungry!):D

 

You will have a great time - relax and enjoy!

[beachbumforever]

Thanks everyone! Great to hear the cutbacks seem minor. We figured it was a few unhappy campers! Always have those. We are staying in the top suite and the price was so great we figured we couldn't go wrong. When we were on the Valor we thought the food and specialty restaurant were better than on RCCL's Liberty of the Seas. We like the layout better of the RCCL ship but didn't use the surf pool, rock climbing, etc. So for the price the Carnival was a much better option. We always have fun so we will just have a great time! Thanks again for your response!

[Avril]

I just got off the Freedom yesterday. I had a fabulous cruise. The CD and his staff were great. The piano bar entertainer was the best I've seen period, let alone on a cruise ship. He had the place going until 2:30 or so every night, and the piano bar is supposed to shut down at 1. Comedians (JR McCollum and Michael Macy) were hilarious. I found the dancers to be average, but I'm pickier than most because I spent much of my life in dance. We had a fantastic wait team that spent a lot of time chatting with us about his life in Honduras, life on the ship, and asking us about our lives. My room steward was average, but I had the best room steward EVER on my B2B on the Inspiration in November, so he was a tough act to follow.

 

We had a couple MINOR issues on this cruise - shower didn't drain the first night, and the safe malfunctioned. In both cases, I called the info desk, and they sent someone IMMEDIATELY. Seriously, I barely hung up the phone and somebody was in the cabin to fix it.

 

They did not server appetizers at the Captain's cocktail party, which was the only noticable cutback. Oh, they also didn't have onion rings at the grill. Not sure if that's a cutback or a demand thing. Either way, not a huge deal.

 

I think reports of cutbacks are WAY overblown. I've been on 3 cruises in the past 6 months, and the service has been great. I think much of it is luck of the draw, and if you get less than stellar service, it's easy to blame it on the rumored cutbacks. Reality is, like anywhere, there are strong, average, and weak team members.

 

This is all great to hear!! :D I'm sailing on the Freedom in 2 weeks and my Aunt is coming with me on her 1st cruise ever. :D I was worried about all the cutbacks I've been reading about and how the service isn't that great anymore and other things just aren't the same. :( I want her to have a fabulas time (so do I) so it's great to hear everything's ok!! :D I can't wait to visit the Piano Bar, it's always one of my favourite places to hang out!! :D

I have 13 days to go until I sail, I can hardly wait!!!! :D

[letsgocruz1]

I was on the Freedom 2 months ago and the cutbacks I found were:

 

1)no appetizers at Captains party, as already noted. But they are gross anyway so I didnt miss them

 

2)no midnight buffet, again, as discussed, it was a waste

 

3) grill wasnt open late at night as on previous cruises, instead there were "bites" served on the promenade...breads, cheeses, fruit, etc

 

4)There isn't a separate section on the menu for appetizers and salad in the MDR, like they are trying to discourage getting both. But as we all know, its still an option.

 

But a Mongolian grill was added; also, chicken tenders and a Mexican corner were added at the outdoor grill, along with Tandoori food. And i think maybe some different sandwiches were added at the deli

 

The Freedom will NOT disappoint IMO. I loved it; it was probably my favorite cruise out of all.

[letsgocruz1]

we will sail the freedom in 4 weeks, i will post a review upon returning..i can say this, we sailed the mariner of the seas last yr...the food was not very good at all! in fact, we went to the buffet most nights b/c the mdr food was nasty. a pile of white rice on most dishes, my dh asked the server to pour the lobster butter on his nasty plain rice on formal night. i am happy to return to carnival, will miss the ice rink for sure! and the adults only pools area were very nice on the rccl but u couldnt get a drink if u were thirsty! no kidding, the only time u can go to the buffet area is on the hrs they r open for meals..tea & lemonade with ice all melted was your choice. u couldnt go in with your swimsuit or shoes, (a blessing most of the time) only a small bar that was packed by the pool. i brought my own water or drink from cabin! no 24/7 lido drinks at all..just a small cafe with water or coffee, hot tea.

we have sailed carnival many times and have returned. cruisegal

 

I sailed on the Mariner back in Oct and while it was a nice cruise, we had the same issues as you. That's why we came running home and booked again with Carnival. Once we stepped back on to Carnival turf, on the Freedom, my friend looked at me and said "Welcome Home" and it certainly felt like it! Dh has dared me to booked him on another RCCL cruise. (I would go again but it would have to be a heck of a deal to get me back; and that isn't going to happen IMO)

[cruise pup]

I think the cutbacks are more of an issue for past passengers who looked forward to a particular feature that was no longer available (e.g. steak sandwiches at the grill, the Asian window in the Lido Buffet - now a taco bar). This is how I felt but it no way ruined the cruise.

[Chigirlcruzin]

I think the cutbacks are more of an issue for past passengers who looked forward to a particular feature that was no longer available (e.g. steak sandwiches at the grill, the Asian window in the Lido Buffet - now a taco bar). This is how I felt but it no way ruined the cruise.

 

Many people did not know the steak sandwiches were available, so there was probably a lot of waste. It is cheaper to buy more of fewer items, so this could be considered a cutback. However, I don't perceive the conversion of the Asian window to a Mexican station as a cutback. I can't imagine there's much of a cost savings on the ingredients. I believe this change was made due to demand. I saw few people at the Asian station when it was there, but the line at the Mexican station was always long. IMO, the Tandoor was a waste of space too. Same items every day, and very few people eating them. Space would be better utilized with another grill.

[cruise pup]

Many people did not know the steak sandwiches were available, so there was probably a lot of waste. It is cheaper to buy more of fewer items, so this could be considered a cutback. However, I don't perceive the conversion of the Asian window to a Mexican station as a cutback. I can't imagine there's much of a cost savings on the ingredients. I believe this change was made due to demand. I saw few people at the Asian station when it was there, but the line at the Mexican station was always long. IMO, the Tandoor was a waste of space too. Same items every day, and very few people eating them. Space would be better utilized with another grill.

 

1. There was always a line at the Asian station on my cruises and I've been on over 12 Carnival cruises. 2. The Asian station was more labor intensive. It involved having staff for cooking and serving and since one of the issues with cutbacks is the decrease in manpower I think that's more of an issue. The taco station is self-service, as I recall, just requires to be re-filled every now and then. 3. The steaks were cooked to order so I'm sure there wasn't any waste. Besides they know precisely how much they need for a cruise. I attended a galley tour that specifically mentioned this.