Carnival Freedom Cruise Reviews - Reviews

The overall cruise was very good, but we were very disappointed to not be able to visit Belize due to high winds/rough water for safety reasons. Carnival only refunded the port fees ($16.21/person). We did not get to take the excursion to the Mayan ruins we had planned. On a very positive note, we had an excellent experience and meal doing the Chef's Table special onboard event, which included Wagyu beef in  one of the seven courses. It also included a tour of the galley (where we ate four appetizers) and a magician who performed ~10-15 min. between two of the courses. Would highly recommend it, even though it is relatively expensive ($75/person). On a negative side, we had an incorrect bar charge (~$28) for drinks we did not order. It took ~3 days. 1 trip  to Guest Services, 2 trips  to the bar, and finally insisting that the bar manager meet personally with us to get it removed. 

We booked a cruise first time and where really excited about the organmization of the embarkment procedure, the organization on the ship and for the tours.

Everything went smooth and we enjoyed our time on the ship and the excursion trips. 

We are frequent cruisers on Carnival and loved this one as much or better than the others. The Freedom is a beautiful ship, loved our balcony room and especially the adult's only Serenity space. Treated myself to a massage...doesn't get much better than that! Any Time Dining is wonderful and the musical shows were simply outstanding. Lots of fun comedians on this cruise, too. Food as usual was quite good; we always take advantage of the incredible dining room service (love the menu and amazing wait staff!) and try to fit in some Guy's Burger Joint as well. My only disappointment is that the time you are able to spend in the ports of call is just not nearly enough. With having to tender back and forth to Grand Cayman (along with all of the other cruise ship lines), you just don't have time to really enjoy an excursion. And in Jamaica, the traffic at the end of the day is insane, so we had a rather hair-raising experience trying to get back to the boat on time. Overall AMAZING vacation and we pretty much want to go back every day. Thanks, Carnival!

Got on board, and the party began! Malcom the cruise director had lots of cruisers on Thierry feet dancing! The pool was clean. The staff was sweet, and courtesy was amazing, the shoes were great, comedy was hilarious. The casino was a blast! The jewelry show very informative. The food was incredibly delicious. Our cabin help was ready to please us keep our room spotless. The ship ran so smooth, we never felt it moving. Our pictures that were taken on the ship by the photographersame were so professional. We had an amazing time. We were on our 30th wedding celebration. We will be back

My wife and I really enjoyed our stay on the Carnival Freedom.  We had previously taken a 5 day cruise on the Carnival Elation and had mixed opinions about the cruise line as our point of comparison was a 7 day Royal Caribbean cruise that we had taken several years before.  

We decided to give Carnival another try with this 7 day cruise and this time, they met or exceeded our expectations.  The food in the Posh dining room was excellent, and I also had no problem finding good food in the buffet dining area.  

Our stateroom on deck 8 was also very comfortable.

I would highly recommend this cruise  to anyone looking for a getaway.

The only reason that it rated 4 stars instead of 5 was that I did not like the way that the "Pixels" photographers crowded the Promenade Deck.  I also did not like the smoky smell on that deck as it ran along one side of the casino.  My experience is that Royal Caribbean does a better job of keeping the cigarette smoke in their casinos and out of common areas.  The  RC photographers are also much less intrusive if you don't choose to have your photo taken at every opportunity.  

Day 1 and check-in were smooth.  Dining was enjoyable.

Day-2 contracted stomach problems and vomiting.  Not sure whether it was bad food or bug

Day-3 Cozumel was OK.  Shopping area was clean and clerks polite.  Dining was enjoyable

Day-4 Grand Cayman.  Shopping good and Dining enjoyable

Day-5 Jamaica (Montego Bay) Horrible port (no shops unless we would pay $20 each for a cab.  We returned to the ship and bought a few items at the tent city) Dining enjoyable except we got a hamburger that was under cooked and smelled bad

Day-6  Sea day enjoyable Dining enjoyable

Day-7 Sea Day enjoyable Dining enjoyable  Exit ship process smooth

Service was excellent in every venue.  Furnishings were old looking and the ship had a lot of rust.  Dining was enjoyable and shows were generally good. There were lots of activities.   Sailing was smooth.

The dealers in the casino went above and beyond to help us to have a great experience. They were very professional and put up with endless joking from the players and nick names the players gave them. I usually don't play table games, but I really enjoyed myself.

I had not been on a cruise for 6 years due to a family illness.   I was struck by there being no place to get away from noise on this cruise.  That many people make a lot of noise but the added noise just about everywhere except my room was too much for me.  I found no place to sit and read a book in quiet.  Also the excursion I did in Jamaica was awful.  We did not go any place interesting and the tour guide had no interesting info about the island to share while we were stuck I traffic which was most of the time.  The ever presence of trying to get us to spend money was kind of shocking to me.  Especially the photo deal.  3 or 4 would have been nice but there were at least 10 pushes each day to have a picture taken.  Too much.  And for the first time ever I had to walk out on a show due to the filthy content.  We did discover the non X rated comedy show and enjoyed that very much.  The other was so dirty it made me very uncomfortable as it did others I talked to.    Our room was great, clean and comfortable.  The staff was very good, always friendly and helpful, especially the cleaning folks and food service folks.  I had a great time, it was a worthwhile week.

This was our second cruise with Carnival and this one was longer. We enjoyed Roatan and Belize and the excursions. The service was great on the cruise. The food was not very good and we were very disappointed. We like eating when we want and at the buffet and there were very few cooked vegetables, the desserts were awful and there were way too many starches. The first cruise we took the food was good. This time around, it was not.

This was our third cruise and second on Carnival. It was a very relaxing and enjoyable trip and once again, feel like a balcony room is the best option for our kind of travel. My wife and I are in our late 50s and are not drinkers, and Carnival is a more party cruise than some of the others I have noticed. My wife and I can sit out on our balcony for most of the entire trip and be as happy as can be and not have to fight the crowds for the chairs on the Lido Deck or the loud noise and music. But again, we are more settled down with having a quiet and relaxing trip than most that cruise.

The ship was very nice and had plenty to do for most anyone if wanted. I thought the food was good, however, I feel like it was a better choice of food only two years ago than what is now available. The Guy's Hamburgers are still as wonderful as I remembered.

They did change how the ship loads in Galveston with time slots which I thought would be great, however we had a 11-11:30am time slot to check in and after checking in, we were required to wait until closer to 1pm to be allowed to board the ship by waiting in a large room with a large crowd. Last time, we checked in and was allowed to board when early if checked in, but they now make you wait, so early check in time, doesn't help you board sooner. Still, it went smoothly and wasn't a big problem.

I will be back again.

overall, we enjoyed the cruise.  While the ship did not seem as nice as the one on our only other cruise (Royal Carabean), it was still very good.  Everything was pretty clean and the staff attentive.

Food:  We thought the food in the main dining room ( Posh) was not very good.  Most entrees were so-so, although one or two were pretty good.  By the end of the trip we were enjoying the buffet more so we skipped the formal dining.  Guy's burgers were very good.  The deli sandwiches were very good.  Drinks were overpriced and they charged a gratuity even though an automatic gratuity was already being charged for the whole cruise.  The general perception was that they cut corners at every opportunity and charged as much for extras as they could.  Part of keeping the cruise costs competitive I guess.

Entertainment:  it seems that a cruise out of Galveston should include some country music offerings.  We enjoyed the guitarist Jon quite a bit, but a country band would have had a bunch of folks up two-stepping! All shows in the main theatre were performed by the same small group.  They were pretty good but by the 4th or 5th night you knew pretty much what you were going to get. There was no name-brand entertainment. For instance, RC ( our previous cruise) had the Texas Tenors who were sensational.  The cruise director (Malcolm) was very personable and added a lot of fun to all the activities.

Port stops:  we did not do any excursions so can't comment on them.  The Mahogany Bay stop in Roitan Honduras was very nice.  In addition to all the normal venders, etc., the beach is very close and is easily walkable.  We enjoyed swimming.  Snorkeling is available without a paid excursion and lots of fish were visible on the reefs.  Other stops mainly offered t- shirts and jewelry ( same stuff as everywhere).

On our only other cruise, we had the opportunity to decide to tip and how much.  Here it was automatically added to our bill.  No questions asked?  Did not expect that.

We mainly wanted a relatively inexpensive vacation to just relax and we got it.  Would recommend.

At the crusie, they would offer you things without saying if it is complementary or not. And I not talking about fancy stuff, stupid things like a welcome drink, coupon booklet etc for which they charged me for.

On top of everything, they make you pay $84/person service gratuity.

This is our 2nd cruise with Carnival Cruise Line.  We have also cruised on other Cruise Lines, but prefer Carnival.

We booked an Ocean View Suite (with a balcony)  The room was better than great, it was awesome.  Plenty of room to walk around,  a King size SUPER COMFORTABLE bed, a sofa and chair, a writing desk,  2  hanging clothes closest, a double sink bathroom with a deep jetted soaking tub and a separate dressing table and chair in-between the main cabin and the bathroom.  Everything was clean and our Steward left nothing to chance.  We had fresh ice delivered twice a day,  Our bed was made in the morning and turned down before we went to bed.

The food  was great. We sailed over Valentines day and had a reservation for that special day in the Steak House.  It is NOT  included in the free food found on the rest of the ship, but OH SO worth it.  I had Surf and Turf and my Husband had Lamb chops.  Both meals were prepared and served with precision and the chef even came over to talk with us personally.  The rest of the cruise we utilizedt numerous Lido deck food sources,  Guys burgers,  the Pizza (avail 24 hours a day).  The deli had excellent Reubins, and more.  We had free soft serve  and the Comfort food station had all of Mom's favorites like meatloaf, chicken pot pie, etc.  Cant forget the Carving board, the breakfast burritos, the Tacos, or the Salad bar.  We dined 3 nights of the 7 in the Chico dining room.  What a fun ship!  In addition the wonderful choices on the menu, the wait staff  put on costumes, lighted finger gloves and did a dance for all the guests on top of special platforms found all across the dining room.  They did this all while providing top notch service.

Activities on the ship are too numerous to mention, but we loved them all. There were comedy shows, dancing on the Lido deck,  Movies on the big screen, fitness classes and a gym,  We  couldn't possibly mention them all.

Excursions- We chose 3 excursions on our 7 day cruise.  In Belize we took a river boat ride and explored some Mayan Ruins.  What a fantastic 7 hours that was.  Our tour guide kept us informed and laughing all day.  Next in Honduras, we did the Boss Underwater Adventure. You ride underwater on a scooter with a diving helmet that is filed with air.  Awesome sauce!!!!  I would do this again in a microsecond.  And finally in Cozumel, we swam, kissed, danced, and had the ride of our life with the Dolphins.  The only bad thing is that they don't allow you to take your own waterproof camera for this event and the pictures are very very pricey.  This included lunch and al the alcoholic drinks in the price.  Loved it.

Shopping-  Well all I can say is......we overspent and  loved the jewelry, the kiosks, the candy store, the clothing boutique and the in-port shops available.  Everything on the ship is charged to your room, so be careful and check your balances on the TV daily.  One note  no matter what the shops say, each person is allowed only $800 for duty free purchases.  Everything you buy must be declared and you will owe custom and tax when you get off the ship.  They will flag you if you spend over that limit and you will be sent to the customs to pay  IN CASH OR CHECK ONLY  whatever you owe  <----- we learned this the hard way.  Also  note   NO Cuban cigars can be brought back!

We booked 2 more cruises for next year  (one of them on this same ship)  We also found out that if you shares of the company (min 100)  You earned shipboard credits for your next cruise.  We got double  credits for signing up and using the carnival credit card (MasterCard) for purchases during the cruise.  It has a fairly high interest rate, but if you can pay it off when the bill comes, it is a good deal.

We are not young people.  We are retired, but we saw families, young couples, met single cruisers and all kinds of nationalities.  I think this cruise has something for everyone.

We had a fantastic adventure!  We were a family group of 13 of all ages!!  All of the staff was so nice to us and always so accommodating and enjoyable. 

The weather was perfect! 

An all around pleasant experience and vacation!

The Carnival Freedom is a beautiful Ship! 

Good cruise but I will had gotten a better price just by booking straight with carnival all the specials they promised where all lies if you want to book just use carnival and you will save some money 

My husband and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary by stealing away for a full week with no kids and no responsibilities.  This was our 2nd cruise, but our 1st just the two of us and with Carnival.  Our experience was wonderful.  The customer service was impeccable, the shows and activities were entertaining, and our days at ports were amazing.  The food was pretty good - not the best we've had, but we didn't have to cook it or clean up afterward so mission accomplished.  The desserts left much to be desired.  I got the melting cake most nights because every time I tried something different, I didn't really enjoy it.  We also enjoyed services at the spa.  We both got a couples massage and I got a pedicure.  Both were phenomenal, but the one thing that I didn't like was the sales pitch after the massage.  I didn't really appreciate paying over $300 for both massages only to be pressured afterward to spend hundreds more on stuff we "need".  Had it been a cheap or promotional massage, that would've been one thing, but it wasn't.  So if you take advantage of the spa services, you might just tell them straight up that you'd prefer not to get sold anything afterward unless you're cool with that.

That was literally the only thing that left a bad taste in my mouth (well, that and the serving of warm cheesecake one night - haha).  So yes, we would definitely go on another Carnival cruise in the future.  The price point was fantastic for everything we got and it was a perfect week for the two of us.

Cruising aboard the Carnival Freedom again met all of our expectations. Very clean ship with an awesome friendly staff aboard. The food was exceptional. We love cruising with Carnival.

We had a blast on our 7 day cruise, wish we would of gotten some OBC. I found out I don't like rooms without a window. ...lol  have to have a window next time. But overall it was good. The rooms were alot smaller than on the magic. 

The Freedom is a lovely ship.  Everyone, including the crew and guests, was friendly and in good spirits.  The cruise director, Mr. Malcolm, was outstanding.  We truly enjoyed all of the shows and activities.  Late-night (after 9pm) dining options were quite limited, however, this is a minor issue.

We loved the Freedom.

I just would like to start this with a Thank You! to Faith Easter our travel advisor, with out her this trip would have been a loss. We had complications with our travel partners and had to make last minute changes. Faith made it seem so easy, thank you Faith. As for the cruise on the Carnival Freedom it was amazing everyone so friendly and accommodating. Had the best time in the casino we were treated like VIP's even though we weren't. My mother cruised for the first time with us and loved it. Thank you Everyone