Carnival Freedom Review

4.5 / 5.0
1,367 reviews

Pretty good vacation; not really kid friendly

Review for the Eastern Caribbean Cruise on Carnival Freedom
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bluenoser9
First Time Cruiser • Age 40s

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Additional details

Sail Date: Jun 2017
Cabin: Interior
Traveled with children

We had never taken a cruise before, and had excellent vacation experiences the past few years, so expectations were set pretty high. There were a total of five of us, 2 parents, 2 kids (10 & 8) and a grandmother. We stayed in cabins 2464 & 2460. Jean-Claude was our steward and did a terrific job; he even knew all of our names the first day! The boat in general was always clean and well kept, kuddos to the crew; and the mattresses were surprisingly comfortable. The decor of the boat was older it seemed, so it appeared older than it really was. The pools were very small and did not have any additional play things for kids like you may see in community pools. There were more adults drinking and some swearing and such when kids could hear; this was not cool. My kids did not enjoy Camp Ocean at all. The punchliner comedy club was good for adults, but even the PG shows were not fun for the kids. The Hasbro family games in the theater were great; Malcolm was very funny.

The food was like pretty good cafeteria food, except Guy's burgers was awesome and the Sun King Steakhouse was phenomenal (thanks Kristina!); we actually went back again as the food was great and it is a much quieter atmosphere - it costs extra though! $35 per adult & $20 per child + drinks. The spa was nice (expensive though) and the fitness center was fantastic.

For the excursions, Key West was okay, good shops for tourists and restaurants; we ate at Sloppy Joe's. Freeport was well below average; the port is not within a 20 min drive of anything and scenery is poor. We went snorkeling, and it was just ok. If I were to do it again I would not spend any time in Freeport I think. Nassau was first class, very organized and fun. I would strongly recommend shelling out cash for the VIP swim with the dolphins and beach day with lunch. Everyone loved it, you get to actually interact with a dolphin, hug it, kiss it, hold it while swimming, experience the 'footpush', etc...highlight of the trip! Every other cruise line uses this facility too I believe for good reason. Getting on and off the boat was pretty quick and organized. Overall, average trip. The Dolphin excursion made it decent. I would likely do an all inclusive type resort instead of a cruise again; I would need to do a lot more research on the boat and make sure it is more kid and family friendly if we ever do another cruise.

Cabin Review

Interior

Cabin 4B

clean, comfortable.

Port Reviews

Freeport

Freeport is not very nice to look at, excursion did not seem organized.

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