Carnival Freedom Cruise Reviews - Reviews

We had a very enjoyable and relaxing cruise on the Freedom. All of the ships crew (housekeeping,waiters,etc) were all exceptional well train. Polite ,very friendly and attentive to our needs.We would not hestiate to cruise with Canival again. The Dining as well as the buffet foods were great also. And lets not forget the entertainment--Great shows every night.

Having been on multiple Carnival cruises, as far as the ports of call, this was one of the best! Gand Turk, Curacao and Aruba were awesome!! La Romana, D.R. was as expected, a very poor place, with not much to see. We toured downtown and the Indian caves, which were interesting. The driver dropped us downtown in the middle of a park with vendors to shop while they returned a sick passenger back to the ship. This was a little uncomfortable because of the many street people begging for money. I'm not sure if this would've been part of the tour or not. Aboard ship, almost everything was as expected. Good food, good fun and great service. We did not have any issues with the crew. All were extremely helpful and considerate. Our room and dining staff especially!!! We were a party of 17 and they were able to sit us all together in the dining room, and we asked the day we got on the ship! Great job! We were disappointed about two things though. The after dinner shows were a bit lackluster, compared to our past cruises. We were used to "vegas" style shows, which there were only 2 on the 7 night trip. Also, in the piano bar, the "entertainer" sang a song with several "F" bombs and sexual content, AT HIS MOTHERS REQUEST!!! Go figure. Carnival is better than this. We'd definately do it again, with a different La Romana tour and we'd stay out of the piano bar.

I was surprised at how many times I was told no by the staff on the ship. I also was surprised that you couldn't get things from the buffet in the dining room. The staff in the dining room was not accommodating and did not like when you ask for something different than what was on the menu. Meaning like we asked for a vegetable that was on a different dish to be put on the dish we ordered. The dining room staff gave attitude everytime we asked for a simple request. The hostess in the dining room would not sit us in the places that we would like to sit. We had any time sitting and we could not sit in a booth because there were two of us. The dining room during this time was never full. The buffet seem to have the same food everyday or did not seem to have a lot of choices on the buffet. The late night buffet had the same food every night. I did not enjoy most of the food because it either lacked flavor or it had a sauce on it that I I was told was already made and you could not have the item without the sauce. It seems that nothing was me to order and everything was already pre made. I ordered a grilled ham and cheese sandwich from room service. I noticed on the menu there was a cold ham and cheese sandwich and a grilled cheese sandwich. I was delivered a grilled cheese sandwich. Overall I was very disappointed with the food in the dining room and on the buffet. I was also disappointed by the lack of entertainment on the boat. I have been on many other cruises that were not Carnival. On the other ships everybody smiled and was very accommodating. Other ships also had more choicess of entertainment and activities to do. I did enjoy the comedians and the music during the day.

Took my 8 year old daughter on this with me as a mother-daughter vacation. She loved the pool. Only bad things I can point out are: 1. Location on room made it hard to sleep because staff were out side banging dishes and would sit and talk loud while we were trying to sleep ( even hung the sleeping sign on door). 2. The unlimited bubbles program was good but the bar tenders took their time and would serve people who err getting mixed drinks so had to wait in line a long time. 

My husband and I were celebrating our 30th anniversary....What an awesome time we had!! We had never been to any of the ports we sailed to...Key West was very quaint and historic...Grand Cayman Beaches were breathtaking and the dolphin encounter and Dunn's River Falls climb in Jamaica were unbelieveable!! We also enjoyed the ship time too! So much to do and taste!! The only thing we would do different next time is to book earlier to get our choice of dinner seating. It all worked out and we were VERY satisfied with our whole experience!!

Had a great time with great friends. Ports of call were nice except of Dominican Republic. My only complaint was the buffet on the lido deck. We eat there all meals as we prefer the relaxed atmosphere up there. No one was around to clear the table after we ate so we cleared our own table every time, breakfast, lunch and dinner. On previous cruises, this was number 31 for us, the staff was always very attentive at the buffet. 

Our cabin steward was wonderful, entertainment was good, wish they would do comedy every night.

We really enjoyed our cruise, but Carnival is probably not our choice for future cruises.  There are so many good lines and we found the other two we had been on, NCL and Celebrity, to be much more the atmosphere we would want.

Carnival did do some things very well, and we would like to see other lines follow their suit.  Their boarding the ship at the beginning of the cruise was so well done.  We were on the ship in about 15 minutes from the time we got to the port terminal.  This was amazing and pleasant.  They suggested we get lunch when getting on the ship.  They put us at ease.

Carnival also had a wonderful disembarking procedure.  I was impressed.  Anyone who wanted to just carry everything off could do so, and were invited to disembark first thing.  Hundreds of people were able to just leave and not wait around for their zones to be called.  This procedure is one thing that bugged us on NCL and Celebrity.  We had to wait around for hours to be called.  In fact in our Celebrity cruise, upon being ready to disembark at San Diego, we had to wait for hours for the first people to even be called.  It turns out they had two ships to empty at the same time.  Hour after hour went by  before our zone was called.  We nearly missed our plane, which was scheduled for early afternoon.

As it turns out, we didn't use this fast "disembarking" process from Carnival, because we decided to take in an excursion to the everglades.  So we left early for that.  The excursion was well done and we would do that again.  We had booked our excursions through Avator and wondered up to the time we went on them what was going on.  Next time we will go through the ship line to be better taken care of.

So, for Carnival, I have listed 3 big pluses.  Because of these I give them high marks.  They do not get our best marks because we simply prefer a different atmosphere.  We realize that Carnival cannot be all things to all people, and we do believe they did what they do best in a very effective way.  The ship is permeated with loud and mostly raucous music.  This is obviously music to suit a younger jet-set.  We don't mind the party atmosphere, but so many of these young adults carried it to their cabin, as well.  Some of them would be so loud in the hall or room with their offensive language and inconsiderate behaviors.  This happened more than once.  We also appreciated other ship lines for having the choice for some quiet and peaceful places to rest or read or visit if you wanted.  That was hard on Carnival.

The ship also was very limited in its library and card-playing rooms---something we appreciated on other ship lines.  The ship was also set up so you couldn't go from one end to the other on many of the floors.  One of the main choices led you right through a cigar bar/area.  People with respiratory problems definitelhy don't need all that second-hand smoke.  With eating/restaurants basically on one end and the theatre on the other, people like to be able to get from one to the other without going up or down on other floors to do so.  The cleanliness of the ship in our opinions, did not receive as much attention as we would like to have seen.  Hand sanitizer was not always readily available.  Public restrooms did not appear to be as sanitized as we saw in our other cruise experiences.

Overall, we really enjoyed our trip.  We appreciated the helpful and polite assistance when we needed it.  We particularly liked the scheduled dining experience each night.  They did things to make that fun and enjoyable.  Once again Carnival can't be everything to everyone.  Perhaps if things were the way we desire, the majority would not go for it.  Carnival also has a lower price than many lines and that is a strong persuader.  We, however, would rather pay a little more for a more disirable atomosphere.

We had a lovely time on the Carnival Freedom.  We have taken about 5 other cruises with various cruise lines and didn't expect Carnival to meet our standards.  Much to our surprise, it was very nice, however, needed some improvements.  On the positive side, the rooms were much bigger than the other 2 cruise lines we patroned.  It was a clean ship and everyone was extremely friendly.  The staff was fabulous and treated everyone like their friends.  The comedy shows in the evening were terrific, but there needed to be tickets sold in advance so that everyone gets a seat and it is not over crowded, as we experienced.  The comedians were top notch, but we the room was way too crowded to fully enjoy the show.  Your bar staff was exceptional, especially Irina and Rowena at the  bar close to the comedy show theatre4 (don't remember the name of the bar).  the food was okay, but not quite as good as the other 2 cruise lines that we have experienced. The pools AND loungers were all taken exceptionally early in the morning, as people rushed out of bed and ran down to throw their towels on recliners, and then went back to bed for another 3 hours or more.  The towels were left there for hours and many people couldn't relax in the sun because of the selfish bastards that left their towels.  There is supposed to be a rule enforced that if you are NOT on the lounger for 45 mins., your towel and any other belongings will be taken away.  This was never enforced.  What a shame!  Also, there were way too many kids on this boat for my taste.  My vacation is supposed to be quiet without kids or lots of screaming.  This was awful.  There should be a boat with ONLY adults allowed.  No one under the age of 18.  All in all, we had a somewhat pleasant stay, but the best part was all the wonderful stops were had:  Key West, Grand Cayman and Jamaica. Those were fabulous and we thoroughly enjoyed it.  We will consider going on Carnival again, however, a different ship around a time when kids are back in school. UGH!

We had an awsome time as usual. There were a few things we did not enjoy. We felt the some crew members were not as informed as they should have been. We were missing a piece of luggage. We went to guest services, which in turn sent us to a small room by the main dining room. Once at the dining room the hostess ask if she could help. We told her we were looking for the luggage and she tried to send us back to guest services. We took it upon ourselves to look for the small room and found the luggage there. Not ours, but several lost bags. We found our luggage about 30 rooms down the hall from ours. 

    The food was not up to par on this ship. We always enjoyed the food, but not this time. Nothing really wowed us. Not even the desserts. 

I was disappointed that they offered no sweets after the dinner buffet line. Even when they opened the line from 11:30 to 1:00 there was no cookies or desserts. On the last day, I decided to save some from lunch to have with a cup of tea at night. When we came back to the room after bed turn down, they were gone. Our cabin person removed them. I could have order room service, but that's not the point. I found this odd not to have anything out later then dinner. ( Not that I really needed anymore to eat) 

We would highly recommend the steak house. It was worth the extra money. We were celebrating our 40th anniversary and wanted to do something special. This was definitly the right move. Kudos to the chef and severs.

We had a good time on the ship. Our waiting staff  and house keeper were fantastic!! I have had better food in other ships. The customer service was not very good. 

The length of time was great.  I almost didn't want it to be over.  Would definitely do it again.  Only complaint is the Ocho Rios stop was not a pleasant visit.  Armed security chasing locals away from the port area?  This was a first for me in any port.  The locals are extremely pushy and seemed to be only interested in taking your money.  The Key West and Grand Cayman stops were a great time.  The locals are friendly and there are many things to do and see.  Grand Cayman is a beautiful island worthy of a tour.  Most enjoyable trip overall.

BAD EMBARKATION RUDE TREATED BADLY FOR SOMEONE WHO HAS CRUISED WITH CARNIVAL OVER 20 TIMES. BAD SERVICE ON LIDO DECK HAS HUSBAND IS HDCP. ASKED SOMEONE TO GET US SOME COFFEE SAID HE WAS BUSY

HAD A WONDERFUL TIME.  THE STAFF ARE AMAZING.  ALWAYS AVAILABLE AND HELPFUL.  MY 3rd CRUISE WITH CARNIVAL AND SURLY NOT MY LAST.  THANKS SO MUCH FOR A MEMORABLE TIME.

EVELYN BARBOSA

Had priority boarding and it could not have gone more smoothly. Stayed in a Grand Suite (7298). Cabin was large with incredible storage and lots of room including a whirlpool tub and shower. However, few amenities like on other ships such as free laundry, upgraded bath amenities, evening appetizers, etc. Housekeeping was a ten. Crew was very friendly and helpful. Entertainment was OK. A couple of good shows with others average. A fair amount of entertainment depended of karaoke from passengers. Some comedy shows good, others just OK. Overall, would have to say other lines are better. Food was good.  but not great. Buffet lines moved quickly. No long waits. Dining room food was good some nights and just OK on others. Service was very good though. Ate in Steak House twice. Service was superb and food very good but not great given the extra fee paid. Disembarkation was self assist and was very quick and easy. Overall, a good cruise with good value but few extras to make it special. 

excellant experience! the staff was fun, warm and accomidating. I sailed with a first time cruiser and they cant wait to cruise on Carnival cruise line again.

Grand Cayman is an excellant port of call. the people are friendly, the island is beautiful. Lots to do and see. we swam with the stingrays and went snorkeling. The fish were not as plentiful as in the fall when ive been there before, but still an amazing experience.

Jamicia, well..... Im not a huge fan of the people of Jamicia. I find them to be pushy and aggressive. The island is absolutly amazing, lush, tropical, and beautiful. a perfect contrast to grand Cyaman.

About as expected. Food choices not as good as I have had on other cruises. Service and cleanliness however was excellent. Entertainment was just okay. Excursions not explanined in detail enough to make good decision on where to go or what to do. One was very disappointing.

"Smooth Sailing" from embarkation to dis-embarkation.  Ship was very clean, but is showing a little wear and tear, Food was abundant and there was something to satisfy the most finicky eater.  Staff and Crew were always upbeat, smiling and eager to make your vacation most memorable.  Cabin steward Dedy ensured my stateroom was clean, Posh dining room staff, Miguel, Juan and Budi were very attentive and did an amazing job of serving dinner and entertaining; Laura, Lobby Bar, was a great conversationalist and very proficient at her duties. Ports of call  were a sight to behold. 

The itinerary was very good.  We were not impressed with the quality of the food.  The meats were tough on the buffets.  Desserts were usually good.  We did not like the layout of Freedom. It was very chopped up and some decks required that you go up 2 or 3 decks in order to go from the front to the rear of the ship.

The staff & crew workers were all fine as expected. The problems that I saw is this fun ship wants nothing but your money. Their casino was a joke, I mean a BIGTIME joke. It wasn't fun, it was torture! I actually saw them working on a machine & rigging it so you can't win, they should be ashamed of themselves. The dinner dining was good, & the waiters were great. The food selections could of been better, but not terrible. To top the whole thing off, my wife & her mother both got sick shortly after boarding the ship. I got really sick the 5th day in, & stayed in bed just about all day the last day. As I observed everything throughout the cruise, all I saw is the cruise line luring people to spend for virtually everything. The cruises are so much different these days than before. They price the cruise low, then soak you for as much as they can. This is most likely our last cruise, at least with Carnival.

I had a good time..  The shows were very good, especially the comedy shows . I had anytime dining which was nice.  I enjoyed the dinners, good food and entertainment..  The waitstaff danced and sang..  Our waiters were excellent.  We had quick service, and they were fun..

Wayan and JayJay were their names.