Carnival Freedom Cruise Ship

 

“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.”

Jacques Cousteau

My husband, Joe and I recently came back from a five day cruise to Grand Turk and Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic on the lovely cruise ship, Carnival Freedom. This is one of Carnivals smaller ships and left from Port Canaveral. It is a conquest class ship and was the last one built in this class by Carnival. It is a grand total of 952 feet long with 13 decks but they skipped the 13th floor and made it the 14th. It was built by Fincantieri’s at Marghera Shipyard in Venice, Italy.  We drove down to Cocoa Beach the night before and stayed at the Days Inn by Wyndham.  That worked out great as they have a shuttle to the cruise and cruise parking right there.  It worked out perfectly. 

Now many people go for the much larger ships full of glitz and glamour, which are fine and we do enjoy them as well. But what we really liked about this smaller ship was it was easy to get around, we ran into the same people over and over so we made fast friends, and we got to know where everything was much faster.  We took the shuttle to the boat from our hotel and started the process of getting on the ship.  Carnival has it all together.  It was a super easy boarding process and in less than a half an hour, we were on the ship.  

When we first got on the ship, we entered on Deck three which is where the Atrium is located. During the cruise this was one of the places that was the center of it all. There were trivia games throughout the cruise as well as music being played throughout the day, dance classes, and various games for families. We happened upon three beautiful Ukrainian ladies playing their violins called the Shining Strings. They were fabulous and their performances were so great that it brought us back every time they played. They played flawlessly. The Freedom Band was amazing and they put on a great show. Tag, was a fantastic guitar player who gave it his all while playing, and we enjoyed Felipe on bass, Zack on drums, Louis, on keyboard, and Anna and Jordan were great singers. Once again, we were there at all their shows. So much talent.

We were directed up the fourth floor for our safety briefing and then released to enjoy the rest of our cruise. We headed up the Lido deck which is where the pools, hot tubs, and buffet are located. We found a seat in the very back of the ship with a nice view of the port. We got some food and a nice drink to start off the vacation. As we sat there, a nice older man and his daughter Andrea asked if they could join us. They were from Ontario, Canada and were lovely people. We were lucky enough to see them many times throughout the cruise.

When the rooms were ready, they announced it over the loud speakers and we headed to our room to check it out and drop off our carry on bags. We had reserved an inside room on this cruise since the price was too good to turn down. It was on the 9th floor which was the Lido floor so it was easy to get to without taking an elevator. We were very satisfied with our room and met our stateroom attendant, Jiwan. He did a great job throughout the cruise keeping our cabin clean and leaving us cute towel creatures. We had a king size bed, television, desk with mirror, safe, refrigerator, plenty of closet space, and small but nice bathroom with a cord in the shower to hang wet items. I am slightly claustrophobic so I was a little nervous about having an interior room but found it was a good size and I was fine.

Our other luggage came to our room later and there was no problem with any of it. This cruise, you had to download the app to see what was happening on the ship at different times. They no longer put a sheet in your room. If you can not download the app, you can still get a daily schedule at the Guest Services area on Deck 3 each day to keep informed.

On the first day of cruising, we usually walk around the ship to see where things are. That day was no different. We found that on decks 1, 2, 6, 7, 8 are only staterooms. This ship can have up to 2980 guests along with 1150 crew members. That is a lot of people but surprisingly, it didn’t seem too crowded. Another thing we were very pleased with is we were always able to get an elevator and usually they were empty. On some ships, that can be a problem.

On Deck 3 was the Atrium with the Millennium Lobby and Bar, Guest services, the Excursion Desk, the main level for the Victoriana Theater which is on three floors with the balcony's, Posh Main Dining hall first floor, and a nice walking area outside that was always a quiet place to get away and enjoy the ocean views. 

We loved watching the Love and Marriage Show in the Victoriana Theater. Gabe, the cruise director was terrific and so were the three couples. I also listened to a question and answer session with Gabe and one of the singers from the theater. That was very informative and funny hearing about ship life.

Deck 4 was the level where we ate at the Posh Dining Hall. It was very pretty and the staff was great. Paul was our server and took good care of us while at dinner along with his helpers. The only thing was our seat was in a hallway with booths on either side of us and it was very busy there with servers going back and forth with trays of food. We found the food okay but not great. Deck four also had another level of the Victoriana Theater.

There was also the art gallery. They offer an art auction while on the cruise to give you a chance to purchase one of these beautiful prints. Many were done by Thomas Kinkade, the artist of light, one of my favorites.

Circle C is a kids club for teens from age 12 -14 and Club O2 is for teenagers from 15-17 years old is on that level. They offer dance parties, games, movies, and a great place for teens to hang our and meet new friends. Havana Bar is located near the back of the ship on that level offering the most comfortable seats on the ship and is where they did Karaoke. It was quiet most of the time when we visited. Monticello Library is also located on this level, if you are looking for a quiet place to read.

Deck 5 was a very happening place to be. The Centuries Promenade is on that level and yes, it was small and not grand, but that was okay with us. They offered a store to buy souvenirs, another where you could buy duty free liquors and other items, a general store that sells things you may need like sunscreen or toothpaste, Carnival Adventure shops offered items like snorkels and beach shoes, a jewelry shop, and a sweet shop called Cherry on Top. You can also buy photos that they take of you on the ship throughout your cruise on that level. At the International Lounge is a huge lounge where they have their comedy shows. We went to a veterans gathering there held by Gabe that was beautiful. We met some nice people there.

There is Swing Time Jazz Club on level 5 which was across from Scott’s Piano Bar. We never made it the Jazz club but we did get to Scott’s Piano Bar on our last night of the cruise and it was fun sitting around the piano singing songs. Alchemy Bar is just down the hall and then our favorite place, the Red Frog Pub. Lloyd was a wonderful bartender who made me lovely special drinks and we had lovely conversations with this man. What a joy and Carnival is lucky to have him. This bar besides having great drinks, show sports games, had sports trivia, and had a shuffleboard table and Foosball table. We heard they even held a corn hole competition there.

The Babylon Casino is located on that floor as well and stayed busy whenever it was open. Viennese Cafe offered specialty coffees and fancy sweet desserts for an up charge. The 70’s nightclub was hopping most nights with loud music and lots of dancing for those who wanted to stay up late. The Sky Box Sports Bar is located on this level for those to watch that special sports event. It is small but seems to be a popular place during game time. And not but least, there is the Warehouse video arcade which is a great stop for both kids and adults alike who enjoy games.

Deck 9 is the Lido Deck. This is the other happening place on this ship. There are a couple of pools, four hot tubs, a large screen where they show dive in movies under the stars, two bars in the main pool area and another back in the adult only section called Serenity. This is also where they had big parties, like the sail away party, and other dance parties through the cruise. One day, they had a man near the pool who did a large fish ice sculpture. It was amazing watching that block of ice come to life right in front of us. There are two big water slides for all to try as well as a splash bucket that is near the pool.

The buffet is located on this level and offers many different kinds of food. There is always some kind of meat that they carve as well as a large salad bar. They offer different foods on different days. We loved the Deli as they offered great hot or cold sandwiches. There was a pizza place that was open late for the late night snacker. There was also Guys Burger Joint which was a big hit where you could get a nice burger and take it to the topping bar right there and get your fill of whatever toppings you would like. That place always stayed busy. The Bluelgavana Cantina served great tacos and burritos. They even served breakfast burritos in the mornings. Mongolian Wok stayed busy as well where you picked what noodles and vegetables you wanted stir fried with a meat of your choice. Very good. For an extra up charge, they even had a sushi bar and a specialty coffee bar in the buffet area. You could get free frozen yogurt or soft serve ice cream throughout the day. There was even a BBQ place. The stairs were in the back of the buffet area to the 10th floor where they served brisket, chicken, and port butt. There are some staterooms on this level which was where our room was located.

Deck 10. I just mentioned the BBQ place and that is a great place to go and because it is hidden stays pretty quiet most of the time and you can always get a table. It is only open for a limited time so you will have to check their schedule. The Waterworks slides start from this deck. You can also sit in the lawn chairs on this level to watch the movies.

Deck 11. There is a running trail on that deck as well as Miniature Golf, volley ball court, soccer court, and basketball court. We saw many people get together for a friendly game. There are some staterooms on this level as well. I just loved how the track looked going around the miniature golf course. So pretty.

Deck 12 is where Camp Ocean is located. That is a kids club. It is divided by age groups. Penguins are 2 – 5 years old. The Stingrays are from age 6 to 8 years old and the Sharks are from ages 9 – 11. They offer crafts, songs, games, toys, dancing movies, and video games for the kids to enjoy while mom and dad get some me time for themselves.  They even have a small playground.   They even offer Night Owls which is a pay service if the adults want to go out for the evening.

I loved that Freedom was honoring Dr. Seuss and had a Green Egg and Ham breakfast for the kids as well as a Dr. Seuss character parade. They had a library with a comfortable sitting area loaded with Dr. Seuss books. Many of the characters wandered around the ship where your little one could get a picture taken with them. I unfortunately didn’t get any pictures of them.

There are some outside games like pool, ping pong, and Foosball which are under cover and protected by the sun. The Serenity area is located on this level and level 14. This area is only for adults. They have the nicest lounge chairs and there is a bar for your convenience. There is a nice hot tub right at the front of the boat offering great views. What a way to spend your day.

This ship will soon be going into dry dock to get refurbished. I heard some time in October they are doing a transatlantic cruise to take her to be worked on. At that time they will replace the whale tail that is no longer on the ship. The funnel caught on fire when it was docked in Grand Turk on May 26, 2022. It had to immediately be put in emergency dry dock in Grand Bahamas. No one was injured and it was contained. Carnival treated all passengers wonderfully by flying them home, giving them some money back, cruise credits, and paid their parking at the port. Way to go Carnival. So come October 2023, it will even be more beautiful when the renovations are complete.

We had a great time on this ship. Here is just a small shout out to those who worked on the ship who made our vacation one to put in the books. We got to meet Thelma, the hotel manager on our first night. She is from South Africa and was such a joy. She always greeted us with a smile and a hug even when she was busy. Lloyd, from St. Vincent, at the Red Frog Pub was another person who made our vacation special. He would see me coming and know I was coming in for his special Caribbean chocolate rum drink. That was the best. Momo, was from Africa and did a great job making things fun. She helped to get everyone involved and danced the night away. She has a wonderful spirit about herself and will do well. I see a cruise director position in her future. Last and definitely not least was Gabe, the cruise director. He was wonderful. He had so much energy and his personality was amazing. He was perfect for the job and a joy to be around. Everyone loved him. We wish him well and I’m sure Carnival loves him as much as we did.

Till next time. Bye for now.