Not what I expected at all

Item: Carnival Freedom
Rating: 2
Author: thickpinkmandy

Carnival Freedom Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

thickpinkmandy

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 57

Overall rating:

2 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Western Caribbean (Galveston Roundtrip)

Sail date: June 03, 2017

Ship: Carnival Freedom

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 2291

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 7 years ago

Review summary

We booked this cruise for our honeymoon and there wasn't much romantic about it at all. Timing may have been an issue because there were a lot of kids in all of the pools and even in the adult area. We couldn't find a good time of the day to get in at all. My husband asked if there was anything special they had that we could do for our honeymoon, they didnt have a complimentary anything for us. We were over charged on several things that had to be removed from our bill but it was like we didn't have an issue removing them because they were not supposed to be there at all. We did not attend the captains dinner not even once because my husbands pants were considered jeans so we couldn't go. Most of the food on the buffet was cold so you couldn't enjoy that, children were running through the lines and tables where you eat. We couldn't even get flamless candles for our room to make it more romantic. There was a guy urinating on the hammock in the adult area because he was so drunk. There should be staff around to remove the people that drink to much because there were so many that could barley walk and bumped into you as they walked by. There was a group of guys that were on the 2nd floor and they kept up commotion every single night and they were drunk beyond limits most of the time. It just is not a cruise for newly weds, the night time movies were accommodating to some but not most. It was horrible and the only thing I enjoyed was going to the islands because it was a break away from the ship and what was going on on it.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

1 out of 5

The food was cold every time. The only thing that was good was the taco and hamburger bar.

Onboard Activities

1 out of 5

Entertainment

1 out of 5

Children's Programs

1 out of 5

They should have designated areas for children

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

Ship tip

Be more accommodating to people that book for a reason like honeymoon, birthday, graduation, etc.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Galveston, Texas

5 out of 5

Cozumel, Mexico

5 out of 5

Belize City, Belize

5 out of 5

Mahogany Bay, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras

5 out of 5

15 Comments

heatmiser 7 years ago

This sounds like this was their first cruise, and had a "Love Boat" expectations and not the cruise line of 2017. They made a lot of Rooky mistakes. Not sure about the pants thing and dinner. I wear jeans and t-shirt or polo to the main dining room on regular nights and kahki pants and Hawaiian shirt on elegant nights, never a problem. Steak House I dressed as I would elegant night. If they would have dined in the MDR it would have been the experience they where expecting. A little research prior to their cruise would have given them more realistic expectations of the Honeymoon. With all the stress of planning a wedding, this was probably the last thing on their minds to have to "plan". If OP likes the islands over the ship and is willing to do another cruise vacation in the future, Carnival has an itinerary out of San Juan that is a 7 day cruise with 7 ports.

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twangster 7 years ago

I think some folks who book honeymoon cruises have this expectation that the ship will treat them like prince and princess when in reality they get 20-40 honeymoon couples on every cruise. If all you had to do was tell them honeymoon for free perks everyone would be claiming honeymoon. I sense a bit of bridezilla in this review.

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Pinkie60 7 years ago

That's what I was going to say. There is definitely a Serenity deck on that ship and you could have dined at the upcharge steakhouse. You just wanted to find the negatives.

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jethrobodene1003 7 years ago

Also if you book on the serenity deck rooms they are adult only

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jethrobodene1003 7 years ago

Me week after school let's out to 2 weeks before school starts is a bad time to book a cruise if you don't want kids. We went at the end of September last year on the freedom and it was a hugely different demographic on the ship even times when the kid pool was empty

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mason2x 7 years ago

I'll be going on my first summer cruise ib 2 weeks. I have no intentions of letting anyone bother or annoy me. I'm just grateful and happy to be healthy and alive to take this cruise with my husband.

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heatmiser 7 years ago

We cruise when school is in session and there is hardly any kids, and the ones that are there have been well behaved in our experience. Our fellow passengers seen more laid back and chill than the stories you hear about on the summer cruises.

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mason2x 7 years ago

Seems you focused more on finding negative things to complain about then enjoying your new husband. I feel sorry for him as this is not a good sign ti start a marriage.

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Dutch3901 7 years ago

Not sure if you made arrangements ahead of time on the website, but we typically cruise over our anniversary or a birthday, and let the cruise line know what we are celebrating. The waitstaff have always made a little celebration about it. Sorry that didn't happen for you...

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lenew67 7 years ago

When we sail when it is break time and there are more kids in board, we just do more people watching. The kids are great. They do things that only kids will do. Push every button on the elevator or try every weird thing listed on the menu. Have fun, relax and just don't worry about the people. Obviously stay away from the hammock with urine on it

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lenew67 7 years ago

Sorry you didn't have a good time. We found that if you go during non-peak times there are less kids. However, the ship will still have a lot of people. If you like the experience, you should try again in non-peak times. The steak house is very romantic, and also if you have a balcony room, it can be very romantic. You can bring a bottle of wine per person and have wine on your balcony while watching the ocean waves.

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davidnlisa 7 years ago

Pretty sure you need to stick with an all adult inclusive resort.

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Hopalong25 7 years ago

Don't go on most cruise ships in the summer if you want a romantic cruise, we went on Freedom in summer and we found that the problem was because of all the kids that are on vacation also

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twangster 7 years ago

Carnival has great value for budget minded cruisers. Royal is a step above it but you pay more. Disney and Celebrity are steps above both. It's unfortunate you found this out on your honeymoon, but if you enjoyed the concept of cruising research the ships and cruise lines in advance of your next booking.

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Orlando81 7 years ago

That's the problem if you want something romantic you need To go on a cruise where they do such things ... which you should have done your homework Carnival is known to be a family / party ship same goes with royal ... Disney is known for family as well ... maybe you should have gone on queen Elizabeth ... We did freedom and me and my family had a blast ... everyone is there for the same reason is to HAVE FUN AND GET AWAY ... including the kids

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Other reviews of this sailing

Very disappointing

An Incredible Experience

OK family vacation just to take a break from work, but not outstanding in anyway.