This was my second Carnival Cruise. We cruised to Key West, Grand Cayman, and Ocho Rios (1/23/2010 - 1/30/2010). We went down a day early and stayed in the Days Inn in Oak Park. DO NOT STAY IN THIS HOTEL!!! The price was cheap for a reason. It seemed very unsafe. The hotel was filthy and the cleaning staff stood in the hallway hollering back and forth to each other.

We rented a car and drove to the port on Sunday. It was great. We got the car from Thrifty rental at the Ft. Lauderdale airport and returned it to their facility just outside the gate to the Port. Thrifty then shuttled us right to our ship.

The Carnival Freedom was a larger ship than the Sensation which was my first Carnival experience. Despite there being many more people than on the Sensation, I didn't see any difference in the amount of wait time for meals, embarkation or debarkation. The crew did an excellent job handling the crowds. I was very impressed with how smoothly the debarkation went. Read more