If this was my first cruise i would never want to cruise again. However, I understand things happen. Lesson learned is i would always check on the age and size of the ship. I get what i paid for. I chose this cruise for the ports as they were ports i had never been to. I then chose dates and price. This fit all three of my categories. If I were to do it again, I would look for a newer and larger ship so it would not seem as crowded and chaotic.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
We paid for faster for the fun so we were able to get
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
The staff in the main dining room were great. The food was not good. I have been on other Carnival cruises and food was amazing. I had eggs benedict the first morning and the eggs came out hard boiled. I asked for it to be corrected and when i received the next one it was cooked right but cold. Any good choices you were required to pay extra. In past experiences unless you were getting alcoholic drinks or going to the specialty restaurants the food in the dining room was all inclusive. The Lido deck buffets always had long lines. On larger cruise ships there were multiple of the same lanes and small to nothing lines. Oh and don't forget you had to pay extra if you wanted seafood or sushi. It was more K&W style food.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
The boat is small and crowded. The pools were jammed packed, hard to get at free weights in the gym. The track was nice up top as it was quiet. We also enjoyed the casino on the one day since it was raining out.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The shows were good. I attended several and enjoyed them all. The music was good. The movies were dumb. Nothing new. All old stuff.
Children's Programs
2 out of 5
I had two teenagers (16 & 17). In the past they have loved the kids club. Not so much on this cruise. It may have been due to their age but last year they enjoyed it much more than this year.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Our room steward was fantastic. He always made sure we had enough towels. My one son had a top bunk and was warm so he got us a fan for him. When he first greeted us he asked us if we had a preference on time to clean our room and with us being early risers we were able to provide a estimated window. It was nice having our room cleaned early on and get it out of the way. Our dinner staff was awesome as well. You can tell they felt bad when things were not cooked well. They were entertaining and very friendly and helpful.
Ship Quality
1 out of 5
This boat is old. According to the crew it is a 20-year-old boat. This boat recently had a fire on the smokestack and had to be evacuated. It had not been fixed and still had the burn damage. The boat was small and crowded. It definitely needs a face lift.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Cabin was a decent size for a ship. Room was clean. Due to it being an older ship there is a shortage of outlets. Also the shower drain did not drain properly always leaving water at the bottom of the shower. My sons ended up using the showers in the gym locker room more than our room just to not fill up the bottom of the shower stall.
Ship tip
Pick a different ship. Check to see how old your ship is.
Loved this port. Best part of the trip. The country is beautiful. We enjoyed the sky restaurant that overlooks everything. The port pool area was jammed packed and pools were crowded so we did not go in them but the beach area wasnt too bad.
This port was also beautiful. We did the Catamaran with snorkeling and private beach tour. The tour started late but the snorkeling on the reef was fun. The private beach was pretty but it was not what i expected. It was literally an empty beach. No chairs, no umbrellas. It was pretty much a short area of land that the boat pulled up to. Last cruise i went on the boat took us to an actual island that had chairs, umbrellas, bathrooms, and activities to do. This literally was an empty beach. The water however is clear and beautiful so depending on our expectations this can be good or bad.
Again we had the Fast to the fun which allowed us to disembark early. We had to be downstairs in the theater by 715. People were coming in at all times not following directions. The cruise had one employee trying to coral all the people. She did her best but people were being ugly. A few people were arguing and at one time i thought a fight was going to break out about who would get off the boat first. I would recommend the cruise staff have additional help if disembarkation is going to work like this.
Freedom is probably our favorite Ship. We were sad to see it leave Galveston. I know next dry dock they are replacing the Whale Tail. If you think Freedom is crowded you are going to be shocked when you go on the newest ships.
Appreciate your detailed feedback. Sadly, people forgot about manners during Covid and haven’t gotten them back. Sorry the food was subpar. Hope your next cruise adventure is better.
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