Carnival Freedom Review

Freedom For Thanksgiving

Review for the Panama Canal & Central America Cruise on Carnival Freedom

Rating by category

Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Fitness & Recreation
Service
Cabin

Additional details

Sail Date: Nov 2008
Traveled with children

Embarkation - landed at airport at 12:15 and had our luggage at baggage claim by 12:30. We bought our tickets through Carnival and we waited 30 minutes inside before they transferred us outside. The first bus was full so we waited 30 minutes for another bus to arrive. The transfer which should have taken 10 minutes took over 30 minutes because we had to wait for other buses to unload. Security was disorganized and took 40 minutes. The part of the building they do security is very small and we were all squeezed in there like sardines. Once we got through security, we went in to the HUGE part of the building and it took less than 15 minutes to check in (hmmm, maybe switch the security and check-in areas around?). We were on the ship shortly after 2:30 and headed to our room 2404. It is below the gallery but in general wasn't too noisy. The room was ready and we dropped off our stuff and headed for lunch. This was probably the most frustrating part of our trip. There were 3,500 people trying to eat all at once. We could not find a place to sit, they ran out of plates and silverware, lemonade, etc. Life boat drill next. Dinner in Posh restaurant was good that night and we did the Camp Carnival session to do the paperwork. They give you a big clunky cell phone you have to carry around for anyone 5 and under and they would ask quite often to see it throughout the week to make sure you had it. Too tired for any entertainment but the comedian that night was Diane Ford.

Day 2 - walked on the track in the morning and laid out. The sky was overcast most of the day. Our kids hung out in Camp Carnival most of the day. Dinner in Posh was good again. We caught the main show which was "Big Easy" which was o.k. We did keep the kids in Camp Carnival late so we could catch Diane Ford's Rated R show @ 10:30 p.m. She was good. We were happy to see Carnival make these shows earlier as they often are not until mid-night.

Day 3 - arrive in Cozumel and beautiful and sunny. Breakfast lines were very long. Hindsight we wished we had done room service this morning. We made our own reservation at Dolphin Discovery prior to sailing. Me and my 9 year-old did the dolphin swim and my husband and 5 year-old son did the dolphin encounter. The reservation was for 11 a.m. and I wasn't even thinking that the ship's time would be one hour later. Good thing we caught that so our reservation was really noon ship time. We took a taxi to Chankanaab Park. The taxi would be free if we had paid for four individuals but since my 5 year-old was free, we had to pay our own taxi which was $10 one way. When we arrived, my 9 year-old and I rented gear and snorkeled first and saw some great fish and also a sting ray. The cost of the dolphin discovery for the four of us was $375 (youngest free). The waves were strong so it was hard for my husband to balance him and my 5 year-old at same time. My older son and I loved swimming with the dolphins. We got to do the dorsal fin and toe push. I was amazed how easy it was to do. There was a large lady in our group and those two dolphins even got her up in the air. You can take cameras with you so be sure to have a waterproof one with you for great shots. We got wrist bands for free drinks at Senior Frogs or Carlos and Charlie's. We took a taxi in to town cost $10 and headed to Senior Frogs. I was at the SF in Playa six months ago and it was pretty tame. After we sat down, we realized this was not going to be very kid friendly. We ate and drank quickly and dashed out to avoid having our kids see too much more drinking. Carlos & Charlie's down stairs would have been the tamer option. We shopped in town and bought tequila that was $5-$10 cheaper a bottle then it was when we had just been in Playa six months earlier. We also bought vanilla and took taxi back to ship, $8 ride back. Dinner in Posh again. That evening we caught the magician Puck. He was good right up until he did the "swallow the razor" act. Thank goodness Camp Carnival kids did not attend that night.

Cabin Review

Back of ship, close to elevators but under gallery so noisy up until 11 p.m.

previous reviewnext review

Find a Carnival Freedom Cruise from $239

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.