We began our adventure by spending Super Bowl night at the Rodeway Inn in Ft. Lauderdale. With shuttles from the airport and to the cruise port, Rodeway provides convenient and economical pre-cruise accommodations.

Embarkation was a breeze (although "priority boarding" was probably helpful). We had a fairly spacious and quiet balcony room on the Veranda deck, conveniently located one floor below the action on the Lido deck. Our luggage arrived shortly after 1:30, and we were greeted by name by our gracious Room Steward. Sail-away was delayed a couple of hours as Carnival, to their credit, made every effort to assist passengers experiencing winter weather-related delays in arriving at the port. This was our fourth cruise on the Freedom, and the first since the ship was refurbished last year. We loved the improvements...less gaudy, more dining options, an all-around fresh look, and Guy's Burger Joint is a big plus.

The two sea days prior to the first port (St. Maarten) were relaxing. Entertainment on the Freedom was a cut above what we've recently experienced on some other cruise ships. The Punchliner Comedy Club was great, especially Michael Macy. Read more