Horrible 1st Experience

Item: Carnival Freedom
Rating: 2.3
Author: rdominguez1984

Carnival Freedom Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

rdominguez1984

Contributor Level: Deck Hand

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 21

Overall rating:

2.3 out of 5

4 Night Western Caribbean (Galveston Roundtrip)

Sail date: February 09, 2019

Ship: Carnival Freedom

Cabin type: Oceanview

Cabin number: 2309

Traveled as: Large Group

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

This was my 1st time experiencing a cruise. I was so disappointed and probably will never do one again. From the food, to our cabin smelling like a porter potty, to not having much help from the staff, staff was super rude, the people on board was super drunk most of the time, from the super overcrowdness to the long waits for the Buffett breakfast,lunch dinner. From my sons experience with the kids center was just pure horrible.

Embarkation

2 out of 5

Super slow process

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

2 out of 5

Buffet had a huge line all the time, long wait, very hectic and food was not good.

Onboard Activities

2 out of 5

Pools were to overcrowded and so was the fitness center

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Shows were great. Especially with Simon

Children's Programs

1 out of 5

My son hated going. He said the one and only time we took him he said they made him sit and be quite. He was traumatized everytime we mentioned he was going.

Service and Staff

1 out of 5

Our room steward was very hard to get a hold of. I called and called the number he provided on his card and never answered. At times I was wondering the hallways just trying to locate someone to get me towels.

Ship Quality

2 out of 5

The ship looked very old and rusty. My restroom smelled like a pure porter potty.

Cabin / Stateroom

1 out of 5

The size was good. The window was so filmy that we could not see out most the time. Our restroom smelled like pure piss. It was disgusting.

Ship tip

Not to ride! It was a horrible 1st experience

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Galveston, Texas

4 out of 5

Port in Cozumel was simple and fun.

Thumbs Up 0

Cozumel, Mexico

4 out of 5

Disembarkation

1 out of 5

Super long! I have a baby and it made things just get worse and worse.

8 Comments

Cruiser10159 5 years ago

You know there is something called “Room Service” right?

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cgriffis3150 5 years ago

"super"

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JN79 5 years ago

While I am a newby cruiser, I know that the freedom is dry docking for routine maintenance. Some of your complaints may be resolved on the ship during this dry dock. Sea conditions are not ideal for keeping things smelling/looking fresh... think how you feel after coming out of the ocean at the beach... filmy and gritty😱 That is what the boat is exposed to 24/7. My cruise is not until August, but I will be going prepared with cedar balls and air fresheners! I am sorry your family had a bad experience😔 I hope your port visits were better!

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Spaceball1 5 years ago

I had a similar experience!

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Summerholiday 5 years ago

Keep in mind if you chose to cruise again that the short cruises are noted for being for party people ... we took a short one to mexico and it was the same but since then have had 23 great cruises and a few long ones ... going to great places meeting great people and would not change a thing .. Amy issues with the cabin need to be reported at that time while you are on the cruise not when you return ....that's why they have customer service and shift supervisors for everything from your cabin to your food ..all you had to do was report the issue and you will find they go out of there way to fix the issue ... Hope this doesn't put you off cruising as not all cruises are just for party animals they are great for families and couples alike we have 65 more sleeps till our 24th cruise to the Pacific islands 🌴... Happy cruising or if it's not for you happy vacation it's yours to choose how you would like to take it but if I was you would book a 7 day cruise not in the school holidays and enjoy ....

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buckeyegirl 5 years ago

Sorry you had a bad experience, definitely worth another try. You should always call guest services if you have an issue. If your room ain't clean enough the steward will clean it again. Guest services will help with any complaints. Try a different ship and see if things are better. We go on many cruises and all are different but, thankfully, we never had those issues. Our grandchildren loved the kids club. Good luck.

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dbsu58 5 years ago

First off, I hope you dont let this experience stop you from cruising. Cruising is a lot of fun. There were a couple of things you could have done to make it better. At anytime did you contact guests services and tell them you couldnt get ahold of room Steward? You could have also told them about your bathroom and had maintenance come. The main dining room is way better food than the buffet. No long lines. Guys burgers and the Blue Iguana are good too. Debarkation is never fun.With several thousand people there will be lines. You just have to wait your turn an make the best of it. I know it's hard with a child. Everyone wants to get off at once. I have learned to just relax and wait my turn. Call Carnival after cruise guest services and talk with them I cant say anything about the kids club. Dont know what happened but, cant imagine it was horrific. FYI the Freedom is in drydock feb 13 March3.

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aharbison66 5 years ago

The main dining room, BlueIguana and Guy's have good food. I don't eat the buffet at lunch or dinner. I enjoy cruising. The Freedom is now in dry dock getting a make over.

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Other reviews of this sailing

Nice Cruise for first timers