Carnival Freedom Review

First Time Cruiser....good and bad.

Review for the Western Caribbean Cruise on Carnival Freedom
User Avatar
pammd
First Time Cruiser • Age 20s

Rating by category

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

Additional details

Sail Date: Apr 2009
Traveled with children

The main thing I want to draw attention to was the service from the Bar Waiters....rude, rude, rude!!! Do not buy the soda cards!!! Complete rip off unless you plan on having 10 plus soda's a day. They only give you a "glass" of soda filled with ice...they literally split a can of coke 3 ways!!! If you were to buy them on your own they are only $1.85 and you get to keep the can. We spent 98.00 for soda cards (1 adult and 2 kids)....and probably only ordered soda between the three of them 20 times...that wouldn't have even been $40.00....not only that, we were charged 15% gratuity for purchasing the cards....and then we could never get served. As far as the bartenders...wow...have never seen anything like it. The evening bartender on the Lido Deck was so completely out of line I couldn't believe it....he was pissed off if you only wanted a soda...slammed the glass down....was just plain grumpy. The Bar Waiters that walked around weren't much better unless you were planning on drinking all afternoon. They acted like we were loitering if were weren't ordering a drink every 30 minutes.

Bar service in the main restaurants was even more ridiculous.....they only "hopped on it" if you were ordering a drink they they would make a tip on....if you wanted ice tea or water...forget it....wait your turn. It was by the third night that we actually had a beverage with our dinner.

I have to say on the whole the ship was great....ports were pretty .... but watch yourself in Ocho Rios.... The best age to be on this cruise is 12-18....lots of fun! I didn't see my son more than an hour a day if we were on the ship. He had a ball!! Once we stopped looking for him constantly and realized he was in a contained, supervised environment we were able to really relax. I recommend this cruise for sure and we would do it again...I just hope the bar service improves. I guess if I lived on a ship for 8 months straight I'd get grumpy too. I didn't like that the tipping was included...they didn't have to work for it.... I did find out that you can re-move the tipping from your bill....I tipped in cash because they make you feel like a schmuck if you don't...but if you do that be sure to go to guest services and have it removed or reduced....or you'll be paying double!

Cabin Review

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.