Enjoying "Freedom" on the Caribbean

The Freedom was beautiful.  Nicely appointed, adequately-sized cabins, excellent food in the Posh Dining Room, and the staff and service were excellent.  We pretty much lost the first day due to fog in Galveston.  We didn't board the ship until early evening, and we didn't sail until after dinnertime - not Carnival's fault.  Captain reversed Cozumel's stop from first to last.  Mahogany Bay, Roatan - so-so.  I took the "Top 10 of Roatan" and it was the worst excursion I've ever been on.  Hot small van, cramped, boring, and relentless requests to purchase items at every stop but two.  Belize was magnificent.  Crystal clear water, and nice beaches.  The tender to shore wasn't my favorite.  The seas were choppy and it was very windy, and the tender boat rocked badly.  I took the Eco Bacab Park Horseback Ride with Lunch.  One of my favorite excursions ever.  The Park itself was well appointed with two swimming pools, waterslide, hammocks, gift shop, restaurant and bar.  The lunch and service were good.  The horseback riding was awesome, except that the trail was very muddy due to the storm which blew in on Thursday of the prior week!  I had a blast.  Our tour guide on the 45-minute ride to the Park, Lizette, was amazing.  She had expert knowledge of the island, having been born and raised in Belize.  In Cozumel, just went ashore to buy Cream Tequila, which I can't seem to find anywhere else.  Had a margarita at Fat Tuesday's.  I didn't purchase an excursion here because I've been to Cozumel numerous times.

My server in the Posh Restaurant, Octakiri, was without question the best server I've had on 9 cruises - including those on RCCL and NCL.  I cried the last night.  Entertainment was fair.  20-something kids who were amazing singers and dancers; however, it was basically the same show each night - they just changed the themes.  Had a good room steward, and all staff were helpful. The Cruise Director, Malcolm "Whoo Hoo" Burn was awesome.  He really relates well to people of all ages.  Had a great time with him and even got a pic together!

Getting off the ship was a nightmare. Even though we docked at 7 AM, I needed special assistance and was never called out of the theater for help.  I ended up disembarking myself, spending more than an hour standing in line, in Customs, then got herded onto a bus.  I had a 2:20 PM flight!  We didn't leave the Port until 10:40 AM - I was really nervous.  What they DIDN'T tell us was that the bus they put us on (after sitting and waiting for 45 minutes) would be stopping at Hobby Airport before Houston!  Needless to say, I missed my flight. Missing a flight after being in port for 8 hours is inexcusable.  The only other "mishap" was that the Freedom was extremely hot!  Every corridor and lounge area were stifling hot.  I asked my room steward and Guest Services repeatedly, but nothing was ever done.  And the second-hand smoke being emitted from the Casino was absolutely unbearable!  They really need to find a way to block all that smoke from getting to us non-smokers! You couldn't get within 300 feet of the Casino entrances without being assailed with smoke.  It truly was a big problem for me, being asthmatic.

All in all, this was a terrific cruise.  I won't sail any cruise line than Carnival.  They do a great job in providing entertainment - there's always something to do on the ship - regardless of whether you're in Port or a "Fun Day at Sea".  I highly recommend this cruise - even with the few hiccups I experienced!