First cruise since COVID, things have changed

Item: Carnival Freedom
Rating: 2.8
Author: cruiseintender

Carnival Freedom Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

cruiseintender

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 17

Overall rating:

2.8 out of 5

Verified Review

5 Night Eastern Caribbean (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)

Sail date: April 15, 2023

Ship: Carnival Freedom

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 6407

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

Had a fun experience, but it's not like it used to be pre-pandemic. Felt like staff was stretched too thin to provide the quality of service as before. Meals in dining room were small portions, lower quality food items. Never felt pampered or special during cruise.

Embarkation

4 out of 5

Streamlined experience, faster onboarding

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

2 out of 5

Smaller portions, less attentive service, longer lines

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Felt dated.

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Comedy Club: Excellent Stage Shows: Dull

Service and Staff

2 out of 5

Room servicing often not completed until after 4pm

Ship Quality

2 out of 5

Difficult to navigate. Often had to go to different floors to access areas. Unclear directions about dining room assignments. Cracks in windows.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

About what was expected. Surprised rooms weren't cleaned until after 4pm.

Ports of call

Nassau, Bahamas

3 out of 5

Princess Cays (Cruise Line Private Island)

1 out of 5

We could never find a seat at the beach. Food was covered with flies. Went right back on the ship.

Thumbs Up 0

Grand Turk Island

4 out of 5

Did island tour. Interesting. Nice shipping area.

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

No issues.

7 Comments

byhisgrace 1 year ago

Appreciate your feedback

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Gwbigdog 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing

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lsbs 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing.

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Sogmoore 1 year ago

I hope cruising gets better

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javawoody 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing your experience

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cruising2004 1 year ago

Unfortunately yes, cruising has definitely changed since covid. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Thumbs Up 1

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AuntPinkie 1 year ago

Appreciate your feedback. Don’t know if things will ever return. Industry wide, the “bean counters” are seeing things getting done with what they’ve got. No incentive to add more crew. Sorry this cruise didn’t meet expected standards for Carnival.

Thumbs Up 2

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