Freedom cruise

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 4

Helpful Votes: 28

Review summary

This was the 4th carnival cruise since the restart and sadly the most disappointing experience of all 4.  I booked this as a last minute 5 day get away knowing the ship was dated and the cruise ports might change because of the growing storm that hit grand turks. Cons/Pros Multiple maintenance issues in cabin: burned out overhead light, door lock inoperable, sewage smell outside door, missing weather stripping around door  that shone a bright light around the entire doorway at night, missing night light bulb, loose electrical sockets that wouldn't hold plugs, empty mini bar etc. And BROWN HOT WATER which cabin steward said was normal "dont worry - just run it for a while".  I had the first two corrected as it was safety issue.  I used only cold water in the sink. Service; Alchemy bar was disappointing.  All the drink were mixed with extra juices, sodas, or tonic water.  Not my experience on other carnival ships Alchemy bar.  After first 2 days we stopped ordering drinks here.  Red Frog Pub had a rude bartender as well and this space was always empty and boring. Other staff was adequate but nobody delivered over the top service including the dining rooms.   Dining: Had My Time dining and the app worked great. Wish all ships had this app. No wait.  Food service was efficient but almost to much so.  If you ordered multiple apps everything was brought to the table at once and crammed onto the surface . One time we were still eating our app when the entrée was sat on the edge of the table. Same with dessert.  Didn't experience this on other dining rooms on previous carnival. The food was tasty but not adventurous.   Princess Cays This is a tender port and the set up to tender is ridiculous.  Guest have to get up at 630 am and go to a specific location to retrieve timed tender tickets for princess cays, then - wait for there tender time to be called in the morning.  This is absurd and was like a leg from The Amazing Race.  With port time limited from 8 am to 3 pm If you had anything after 11 - open tender you hardly had 2 good hours on the princess cays.  It wasn't worth all the work involved. CHEERS PACKAGE With each sailing more brands are disappearing from the bars and I'm talking just mid level brands: crown royal, some bourbons and rums.  Also now (according to bartenders) if you order a specific cocktail with a specific brand your alcohol content will be cut in HALF and substituted with juice or soda etc.  Example if you order a Dirty Mojito you can only have it with 2 shots of barcardi or cheaper rum but if you order it with Kraken or other higher brand you will get one shot of rum and more juice.  It was like this for other drinks I suppose. However I was still satisfied with the package as we used it for all our hydration needs and purchased over 150 drinks over 5 days. Entertainment Fair - 1 comedian for 5 days was not enough variety. Only 2 production shows that were best musical melodies okay to pass the time but if seen once or twice elsewhere that is enough. Ship trios were entertaining.   Casino: I hit the jackpot and a won a couple thousand so Ill put that in the PRO column.   Takeaway: This would be a cruise for someone who is fine with hours to fill laying by the pool and drinking cocktails, gambling, eating and having fun.  I had no advance expectations of luxury, over the top service, food or experience which carnival delivered on.  Its the equivalent of doing a staycation at a low tier resort by the airport.  Some sketchy neighbors but the price was good and you got to where you wanted to go.  

Embarkation

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

Onboard Activities

Entertainment

Service and Staff

Ship Quality

Cabin / Stateroom

Ports of call

Freeport, Grand Bahama Island

Princess Cays (Cruise Line Private Island)

Nassau, Bahamas

Port Canaveral, Florida

Disembarkation