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A So-So Cruise by
Eunice G from orlando, florida Sailing date: Jun 2010Cons: Food and Entertainment We remember why we stop cruising Carnival before the ship disembarked. It's a horrible cruise line when it comes to food, entertainment and port of calls. We will never ever visit Jamacia again. We didn't like being harrassed by the locals non-stop. The Cayman Island was a complete waste of time. Ship Quality
Dining/Foodbreakfast was the worse. No variety. Stateroom Quality
Ship Staff QualityWe had a great cabin stewart, but the Maitre d' was aweful. We were told that the early dining was full and I would not be able to dine with my family. I went to the front desk to complain and two seat magically appeared. Entertainment & Activitieswhat entertainment and activities? all they provide were opportunities to purchase their cheap merchandise, over prices shore excursions and over price spa treatments Children's Programsagain, what program? Childeren were every where including in the areas that were off limints to them.  
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Key West, FloridaAs a Florida Resident, Key West is always a great place to visit for food and shopping. However, you might want to just visit without cruising on Carnival
Don't Miss: The Beach and Sloppy Joes George Town, Grand CaymanThe entire trip was a waste of time unless you were there to buy Rum.
Ocho Rios, JamaicaWhen you were not being harrassed by the locals, you were being charged for everything.
1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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  Rocky cruise by
Deidra M from Sarasota, FL Sailing date: Jun 2010Pros: Ship staff Cons: I don't know if it was the cruise captain or rough seas but we were rocking the whole trip. I have been on 5 cruises nd never was any of our other cruises that rocky. If this woud have been my first cruise I would have never taken another. Bad food. Rocky. Cleaning of ship at wrong times. suite had stains on the carpet. Ship Quality
Dining/Food
Stateroom QualitySoiled carpet. Ship Staff QualityIf it wasn't for the staff the cruise wuld have been awful. Entertainment & Activities
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Cozumel, MexicoPlenty of shopping downtown
Don't Miss: Senor Frogs Colon, PanamaPanama canal
Puerto Limon, Costa RicaRiver boat ride
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the best cruise ever! by
Kate M from Chattanooga, TN Sailing date: May 2010Pros: it was SO clean! and everyone was So friendly! Cons: the only con i have was that the dance floor was right under our room... but we were in there several nights so we couldn't complain too much This was the cleanest ship I have ever been on! Our room was cleaned twice a day, the bar by the pool was very clean and the buffet was spotless! there were people cleaning the entire trip. Every worker we encountered was extra friendly. My husband and I had the best time. I would recomend this ship and Carnival Fun Ship cruises to anyone... As a matter of fact I have already reccomened it! We really loved it! Ship QualityTook some time to figure out how to navigate the ship Dining/FoodThe steakhouse was just the icing on the cake! Very pleased! Stateroom QualityMuch larger than we anticipated! And out stewards were amazing! Ship Staff Quality
Entertainment & Activities
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Cozumel, MexicoWe swan with the dalphins! One of the best experiences of my life. This was the most tourist friendly stop. We loved this stop!
Don't Miss: Swimming with the dolphins Colon, Panamayou could only go to a few shops. there was a large gate that we were told not to cross. this was such an industrial city. no beauty or tourist attraction. the only thing that was offered was a tour of the canal. i would never want to return to this port!
Puerto Limon, Costa RicaNasty place! When you get off the ship you get bombarded with tour guides... I didn't trust any of them so we just walked around. Sort of scatchy!
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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A Wonderful Destination Cruise by
Elizabeth Matos from Clermont, Florida Sailing date: Mar 2010Pros: The Ports Cons: The food was not very hot Carnival Freedom was a beautiful ship - Spring Break Sailing. I observe that the ship was not prepare for the excessive amount of passengers which were hungry once they reboarded in San Juan Puerto Rico. The ship dock from 5PM to 11PM many passengers skipping dinner to go to port. When reboarding on the ship I observe that the only place open to eat was the PIZZARIA after 11PM. The passengers were disappointed because they were looking for real food to eat. However I did not have this problem because I boarded earlier and ate dinner. I found that the ship did not prepare themselves for the passengers which were not going to eat at the port. My second observation was that the food was not hot enough in the dinning room and in the buffet. This will not stop me from cruising Carnival again however the food should be hot not warm when served. Improve Ship Activities do not belive that the passengers are not looking forward to it because they are. Once you have cruise a million times, looking forward to new activities on board its a great thing.
Ship QualityThe ship was clean, easily accessible, decorations were beautiful. Dining/Foodfood needs to be hot not cold. The food would have tasted better if it was served hot. Entertainment & ActivitiesGREAT, however more activities are required onboard to entertain all passengers 4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Great cruise by
Roger H from Denver, CO Sailing date: Feb 2010Pros: Food, entertainment, service Cons: Smokey casino, only 1 deck party, constant vibration We had heard many things about Carnival Cruises and most were not flattering. However, the Freedom dispelled all of those negatives. The food, entertainment, service and ship maintanance were incredible. We weren't bugged to order drinks. We had heard Carnival ships were flashy like Vegas, but this one is simply beautiful.
Ship QualityThis ship had a very nice layout. Would have been nice to have a promenade deck all the way around the ship for walking and running. Common areas were effective and efficient Dining/FoodWe dined late in the Posh dining room in the aft. Unfortunately, the vibration from the props was quite annoying. It was almost like one of those vibrating beds. The water glasses had ripples on them. On the other hand, food and service were incredible.
Buffets were excellent and offered good variety. I fell in love with the Mongolian BBQ and ate there 4-5 times for lunch. Stateroom QualityDecent size and comfortable. Adequate storage room. Only 1 electrical outlet in the entire room was a bit inconvenient. Ship Staff QualityMaybe the best and funniest cruise director we have ever had. Everyone was friendly and willing to help. Entertainment & ActivitiesExcellent variety and quality. Comedians were very entertaining. 7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
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New Year's Eve Cruise by
Pat M. from Virginia Sailing date: Dec 2009Pros: New Year's Eve Celebration Cons: food The ship is awesome! It is very large, impressive, yet comfortable. All in all, it is a very wonderful ship. Ship QualityThis ship was kept exceptionally well. The cleanliness was outstanding in all areas. Public areas were clean at all times, no matter what events had just taken place. Dining/FoodThis was a disappointment for me. I have been on other cruised where the buffet food was of an extremely high gormet quality. However, on this ship the food was average at best and simply mundane. Cheese selections were swiss and cheddar, olives were black or green grocery store variety. I would expect gormet selections on the buffet. Stateroom QualityGreat in all areas - roomy, clean, and comfortable. Ship Staff Quality
Entertainment & Activities
2 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Great ship, great cruise!!!!! by
A Traveler from Birmingham, AL Sailing date: Jun 2009Pros: Ports were wonderful, ship had more to do than we had time for. Cons: Drinks were a little expensive. The ship had anything you could want in a vacation. Beautiful dining rooms, tons of entertainment, all the food you could ever eat. We saw 2 broadway style shows, a hypnotist, and a comedian. Rooms were nice. Pool was great. Ship QualityCan't imagine a better ship. Dining/FoodBuffet lines could get long at times, but you could eat 24/7. Posh dining room was excellent. Stateroom QualityNot as large as a hotel room, but plenty of room. King size bed, 2 porthole windows, plenty of storage. Ship Staff Quality
Entertainment & ActivitiesDidn't get to do everything. Too much to do in 1 trip.
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Key West, FloridaThe Big 3, snorkling, kayaking, and dolphin watch was great.
Don't Miss: Snorkling George Town, Grand CaymanHell is a little over rated.
Don't Miss: Stingray City Ocho Rios, JamaicaStay on the excursion, wouldn't want to venture out by yourself.
Don't Miss: Dunn's River falls 7 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Vacation of a lifetime by
Kate Croyle from Cicero, NY Sailing date: Apr 2009Pros: We liked everything about this cruise Cons: having to say good bye From the moment we boarded, we felt like royalty. The room, in fact, the entire ship was spotless. The people were so friendly and nice. The food was fantastic. We loved everything about this cruise. It was our first one and we can't wait to plan a second. We have never felt so pampered in our lives. We have never been on a vacation that was as relaxing as a cruise. I can't say enough good about this experience. Even leaving the ship was great. Everything was so organized and well run. We loved this cruise!! Ship QualityI found this ship spotless. The crew was constantly cleaning and picking up. I kind of felt sorry for them because they were constantly working while we were having such a wonderful time. Dining/FoodI am a member of Weight Watchers and was told at a meeting, before going on the cruise, "remember, it is not about the food". Well, yeah it is. I had the best food I have ever had in my life. This ship had the best chefs in the world. Stateroom QualityThis room was spectacular. We had a balcony room and I highly recommend them for everyone. We enjoyed sitting out there early in the morning having our coffee or juice and again in the evening just to unwind. The room was roomy and very clean. Lots of room for all our stuff and we took more things than we needed. Ship Staff QualityThe people on the ship were very friendly and willing to do anything for you. I have never encountered so many friendly people all in one place. It was my honor to meet them and share time with them. Entertainment & ActivitiesThe entertainment on this ship was fantastic!! The comics were so funny I hurt from laughing so much. The shows were fabulous. The costomes, the music, singing, dancing were all top shelf.
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Key West, FloridaWe didn't do anything special. We just walked into town and went into many of the shops.
George Town, Grand CaymanWe didn't do anything special. We went into town and walked around town. We did go into a Margariettaville and the DJ in there was fastastic and put on quite a show. We really enjoyed that.
Ocho Rios, JamaicaThe island and foliage is absolutely beautiful. I was very uncomfortable with the people. They were constantly approaching us and asking if they could take us somewhere or braid our hair. They followed us around in the shops. That is something I am not used to. It made me very uncomfortable. We went to Margariettaville there also because the one in George Town gave us a bracelet for a free drink. Good drink but the DJ was not nearly as entertaining.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Med cruise experience by
Dina S. from Athens, Greece Sailing date: Aug 2008Pros: Service quality Cons: Food & entertainment My overall impression was an ok ship, I can't say I was thrilled. This was my second cruise. It was the Grand Medditeranean and I had visited the Carribean the first time, so I found Europe to be less exotic and not as fun as the first cruise. Also, my first cruise was with Royal Carribean which I found had more options in entertainment and food and the ship was by far more fun. The Freedom is a nice ship, the decoration is a bit too heavy for my tastes and I would have wanted bigger pools because they were small and crowded. Ship Quality
Dining/FoodThe food wasn't that great nor much variety either. Stateroom QualityOur interior stateroom was convenient and comfortable, the location was close to the elevators and right under Lido deck so we didn't walk much to get to wherever we were going. Ship Staff QualityI must say, the staff was excellent, very friendly, polite and always smiling and willing to serve you. Entertainment & ActivitiesI would have liked to have more options in entertainment. The shows were ok, nothing spectacular and not much variety. Children's ProgramsMy teenage kids were happy with their options and friends they made.
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Barcelona, SpainWe took the double decker open top buses around the city. It took us to all the famous spots and you can get on an off wherever you like. You can also move around with the Metro, it's cheaper and quicker.
Don't Miss: Sagrada Familia and if you're a man and into soccer, then you must see Camp Nou Dubrovnik, CroatiaGreat place. We walked the city walls and took some great pictures of the city inside. We swam right next to the city walls, the waters are beautiful. I regretted not taking the tour on board "The best of Dubrovnik" because from what I saw, the country side must be great and with this tour you get to see a lot in one day.
Don't Miss: Walking the old city walls Livorno (Florence & Pisa), ItalyWe rented a car and drove to Florence. I was told that it would be difficult to park there but Avis gave me maps and it was very easy for me to find parking right in the city (market place) and we walked around and did our shopping and site seeing. Then we drove to Barberino shopping outlet which is about 1/2 an hour drive from Florence and you really need a day there as they have some great outlets of all the brands in cheap prices. We only stayed for an hour and a half and then drove to Lucca, a medieval city in a castle and strolled around there for a while and then drove to Pisa and saw the leaning tower etc. We had a a full day with many activities and we just made it back to the ship about 15 minutes before it left, so I was really stressed out. The port is not located near anything, there is nothing to do in Livorno, so you must go on a tour or get out of there by car as I did. I've been to these places before so i didn't need a guide to explain the history etc.
Don't Miss: Florence and Pisa Monte Carlo, MonacoThe ship docked in Cannes and we took the train to Monte Carlo, it was only 7 Euro both ways and only 1 hour with great scenery along the way. It stops in Eze, Nice, Villefranche, so you can go there also. In Monte Carlo, we walked up to the Palace and had a nice stroll around. We saw the guards change at 12 pm which was interesting, then we took the small tourist train which takes you around the city and we jumped off in front of the Casino (you can't get on and off in this train but we didn't want to go back to the Palace, so we jumped off at a red traffic light), then we walked down to the port and had lunch there while watching the Ferraris zoom past us. You can have a Ferrari drive around a few blocks for 85 Euro. This is located right outside the swimming pool in the port. We caught the train back to Cannes and had plenty of time in the afternoon to do some shopping and strolling in Cannes.
Don't Miss: Monte Carlo of course Naples, ItalyWe visited Capri on our own and it was a great place. I loved it. It's a small island but with many options to pass your day. It's a bit crowded but we were there on a Sunday in August, so it was logic. It is very easy to move around on your own and much much cheaper, so before you leave home, do some Internet research on the ports of call. They also give you train and bus itenaries on board the ship if you ask. We caught the hydrofoil which leaves right outside from were the ship docks and then we took the funicular up to Capri town but you can also go by bus.
Don't Miss: Don't miss the Faraglioni rocks best seen from the Augustus gardens. Messina, SicilyWe took the bus to Taormina and returned with the train. Taormina was fabulous! The bus takes you up to old city of Taormina were you have some great views of the beach down and the city is full of narrow streets with shops and plenty of gelato. You can swim down at the beach if you like (there is a Funicular) which can take you down (or up). I recommend you use the train because the bus took us there in 2 hours (too much traffic and many stops) whereas the train took us there in an hour. From the train station, you have to take a bus up to the old city.
Don't Miss: The old city itself Venice, ItalyThis was my fifth time in Venice, so I kew my way around and we got to Piacalle Roma with the ships shuttle and then walked to St Marcus square, which is about an hour but if you don't walk and get lost in Venice's narrow streets, then it's not worth it ! We took a gondola ride at sunset, had some great gelato and ofcourse shopped. The second day, we took a water taxi to Murano (offered for free by one of the Murano factories, they found us) and then we returned back to Venice with a vaporetto.
Don't Miss: Gondola ride 4 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Appropriate guests for this type of crui by
Suzann W. from Salt Lake City, UT Sailing date: Jun 2008Pros: Stage productions / purser desk employees / organization / room steward "Jury" Cons: desserts (except at dinner) / some aspects of excursions This cruise is best suited for couples and for people who enjoy eating and drinking. ( I'm from Salt Lake City though not Mormon. I do enjoy the occasional cocktail.) Ship Quality
Dining/Food
Stateroom QualityIt was really a treat to have the towel animals to great us when we returned to our room! Also, having a steward who calls you by name is wonderful. Ship Staff QualityI only found the breakfast/lunch dining staff and the bartender in the piano bar to to be not very friendly. They never smile ! Entertainment & ActivitiesThis is the first cruise I've ever been on, and I was with my daughter so I'm sure I would have found many great things to do had I been with a partner, but I felt like all people did all day was eat, drink, lay out in the sun: non of which I particularly enjoy.
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Civitavecchia (Rome), ItalyDon't Miss: Tomb of the unknown soldier was something to see Istanbul, TurkeyDon't Miss: Bazaar Izmir, Turkey
Katakolon (Olympia), GreeceWhen we stopped for a small bite in the outside restaurant we were such a large group that many of us couldn't see the dancing. The food was NOT good. I was thinking they should learn to cook Greek food like we have back here in Salt Lake City! It's FABULOUS!
Livorno (Florence & Pisa), Italy
Marmaris, TurkeyI was disappointed in the Turkish bath (which was one of the excursions we most looked forward to) because it was rushed. We watched one man get a wonderful, lengthy massage, but when we were called up it was very short and unmemorable.
Naples, Italy
Piraeus (Athens), Greece
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