Our whole family truly enjoyed the cruise experience. Starting with the faster to the fun pass (that really paid off), to the ship amenities, and awesome shore excursions. Everyone agreed that Freedom ship was much nicer compared to Triumph (our last cruise together). It smelled better, the staff were always smiling and nice, and the adult only places are an amazing add on. We chose Westin hotel day pass in Grand Cayman which was amazing! The beach, hotel, and room were exceptional. We did one excursion directly through the cruise: all inclusive Isla Pasion with twister. This was maybe the worst of our choices. Too overpriced at $100/person for a very rushed and unappealing day. The boat wasn't as exciting as expected and the island was the worst beach I've ever been to in Cozumel. I've cruised a lot but this was my first and will be my last excursion through carnival! We did a private tour in Jamaica to visit Ocho Rios. I can't stop talking about it! This tour was the highlight of our whole cruise. I did a lot of research to find the best excursion in each port, but this one exceeded my expectations. I chose a private tour in Jamaica with KnowJamaica Tours and Javia Shaw, and I didn't imagine I would walk away enchanted by the whole experience...

The whole process of working with Know Jamaica Tours was very pleasant. Marva responded to the tons of emails I sent her, promptly and with a friendly and caring attitude. I immediately felt like family. She offered her personal number so I could reach her at any time, and she answered me even outside her working hours. She even gave me her address when I needed to send a savings card to a local address. We agreed to the tour route and price via email. I was given every detail and she promised she would send Javia himself (her son). They live in Ocho Rios and our cruise docked in Montego Bay. So Javia basically had to drive a total of 6 hours back and forth to make my planned itinerary work (not counting the driving inside Ocho Rios). Several other famous tour guides refused to do the driving before I found Marva Shaw.

I had read tons of awesome reviews about Javia, but "seeing is believing"(quoting Javia's very own wise words...lol). He's everything people say about him and a whole lot more. He's personable, friendly, polite, knowledgeable, patient, always a happy soul, and just plain awesome! From the moment we set foot off the cruise port into his car until we were back safely, our adventure never stopped. I chose to visit Blue Hole, Dolphin Cove, and Scotchies for lunch. I will probably write a separate review for Blue Hole because it was one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen, and I do travel a lot so I was pleasantly surprised. I knew the drive was far and I dreaded being bored, but I never imagined that it would be a living history lesson! I'm not the history type at all and I was so into all the stories and info about Jamaica that I could easily ace a test about Jamaica now! Javia loves his country and job so much that he becomes contagious