Great Ship, Not-so-great food

Carnival Freedom Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

sarahstein

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 41

Overall rating:

3 out of 5

Verified Review

Western Caribbean

Sail date: November 28, 2015

Ship: Carnival Freedom

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 2208

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

My honey and I had an amazing time on our Carnival Cruise! We were on the Carnival Freedom, which had amazing designs and the MOST AMAZING STAFF! Shout out to John, our Cabin Stewart, for being truly outstanding.

Our only, and biggest complaint, was the food. We were under the assumption (from friends and family telling us) that the buffet was open 24 hours a day, everyday. The buffet opened around 6:30-7 ( I wasn't ever up that early) and closed by 11. Took an hour to set up for lunch, so that was noon-3:30ish. Sit down dinner/dinner buffet opened up around 5:30 and ended around 10 PM. The sit down dinner was the best part, though if you get sea sick I recommend taking it easy as it's really easy too eat too much, as the food is very rich!

Would recommend this cruise to anyone who doesn't want 5 star dining throughout. Amazing staff and amazing ship!

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Sit down dinner = amazing Buffet = meh

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

The room was find but next time I would rather have a window.

Ports of call

Galveston, Texas

3 out of 5

Montego Bay, Jamaica

5 out of 5

George Town, Grand Cayman

3 out of 5

Cozumel, Mexico

5 out of 5

13 Comments

texasd 8 years ago

re Borntocruise.. how far in advance do you have to book Chef's Table? I have heard excellent reviews on it, but also heard it is limited to a small group.

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

born2cruise 8 years ago

We decided to forego the steakhouse on our Freedom cruise in April. Wewere gonna do steakhouse one night of the 7 nights just to break the monotony. I requested Chefs Table for one night, just got my approval email!!

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

dgeorge 8 years ago

thanks!

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

cruisecwtx 8 years ago

dgeorge, there will be two formal nights on a seven night cruise. You won't see many tuxedos on a Carnival cruise.

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

dgeorge 8 years ago

Will I need formal wear for any of the "included" dining restaurants

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

TeresaC1963 8 years ago

Sushi restaurant is also extra as well as the Italian restaurant. Main dining rooms, Lido deck buffet, Guys Burger are included

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

cruisecwtx 8 years ago

dgeorge, there's a steakhouse restaurant that costs extra and you can order some items for extra charge from there in the MDR.

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

dgeorge 8 years ago

are all of the restaurants included in the price of the cruise or do I have to pay for some restaurants?

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

rebco 8 years ago

Jeep freak we are going on that same cruise.

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

jldhawk1 8 years ago

Like others have said the buffet is NOT 24/7 but I have been able to go down and find something to eat.
I and 3 others will be on the Freedom Jan 9th also jeepfreak. Jump on the facebook page that is set up for that cruise date.
The person complaining about the music, is a concern....but one that can be avoided when you book your next cruise. Choose your room wisely, there is a reason why some rooms are cheaper than others.

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

TeresaC1963 8 years ago

I'm sorry your friends and family misinformed you. Carnivals website gives the hours of all food service and anyone on here could have told you the only thing 24/7 is pizza and ice cream. So if everything was so amazing except the misinformation your family and friends gave you, why only 3 stars?

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

jeepfreak 8 years ago

like the review, we are taking this same cruise on Jan 9th. we have been on many Royal Caribbean cruises but this will be our first Carnival Cruise. Looking fwd to something new.

Thumbs Up 2

Flag

cruisecwtx 8 years ago

I've never known any cruise ship buffet to be open 24 hours. You can usually get food at any hour though from room service or various other venues. Check the daily schedule for opening hours. Every time I went into an elevator on Freedom I felt like I had been transported back to the 60's/70's!

Thumbs Up 2

Flag

Other reviews of this sailing

Had a great time

Carnival cruise to Jamaica, Grand Cayman & Cozumel