Carnival Freedom Review

4.5 / 5.0
1,367 reviews

Carnival Freedom - Western Caribbean

Review for the Western Caribbean Cruise on Carnival Freedom
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TomTheBomb
First Time Cruiser • Age 60s

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Sail Date: Nov 2007
Traveled with children

My family enjoyed the USA debut of the Carnival Freedom. This was a 4 night cruise, leaving from Miami and going to Key West and Cozumel. I understand that the itinerary will change so this was a one of kind cruise. . In fact, it was one of a kind in more ways than one. All of the winners for the year were on this cruise. That means if you won a slot tournament, blackjack tournament, raffle, or bingo, this was your cruise. My daughter won a raffle cruise so two family members of 4 went free. In addition, hundreds of Carnival sales staff and travel agents were on board this debut so they could see what the Freedom was all about. . Back to the Winners, the casino was packed with grand finales to all of tournaments. Prizes were as high as $10,000 and the place was as lively as I have seen. In some cases, the line to play at the crap table was 3 deep. The huge crowd did test the air conditioning system with some guests complaining. The staff did a great job and interacted well with customers. Our family was not among the winners but my daughter's (newly met)friend won the Texas Hold'em tournament and a seat in the WSOP, Las Vegas. . The ship is much like the Liberty we sailed on in June. Sister ship to the Conquest, if you know one, you know them all. Embarkation was as quick as I can remember but the new debarkation system was slower than prior methods from memory. Those that can carry (or roll) their luggage off the ship leave first. We had two cabins, inside and out on the Main deck. Outside rooms are far more spacious and are much more comfortable than inside. Inside cabins are okay for the budget minded. . Activities are what you expect from Carnival. They always do a great job and I like the move of Karaoke from a lounge to the huge Lido movie screen. Camp Carnival for kids is always a plus, especially for those couples looking for late night entertainment and need a babysitter (free during the day - $6.00 per hour, 10 PM to 3 AM). One of the shows we saw was Beatle-mania, don't miss it. . Excursions were OK and again what you expect from Carnival. My kids enjoyed the Dolphins at Cozumel while I tried deep sea fishing. About deep sea fishing, Bill-fish are popular April and May. We found out afterwards that November is not a good time. I landed a tuna, and another tuna and barracuda was caught by others. 3 fish on the boat, that's it. Warning, the seas were rough, don't eat a full lunch before going out and enjoy beverages on the way back, as your stomach will be tossed like a washing machine. Ouch. . Dining was again as expected. I travel Carnival so often that when I say expected, that is a compliment. Good meat dishes including Prime Rib, NY strip and baby back ribs. Lobster night as always and several fish and pasta dishes were available. The pasta and sausage appetizer was excellent. . As in an earlier review, one option for parents of young kids who will be camp carnival, you may want to book the Spa deck, just one floor below camp carnival. . Unfortunately, I missed meet and greet with other cruise critics I wanted to meet. In part we had a little family confusion with two rooms, luggage, etc. The other reason was the timing of after the muster drill. If you sail at 4:30 and have 5:45 dinner, need to unpack, shower, change, mind kids, etc, you can see that there is only about a 30 second window of opportunity to meet. I would recommend the piano bar at about 12:00 midnight. I did meet two cruise critics, G.C and Ron the Piano Man. G.C and I became immediate friends and Ron entertained many with a great sense of humor, sprinkled in with some R rated lyrics. . Your questions and comments are welcome via my email. I will reply to all. Happy cruising.

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