Carnival Freedom Review

Fun on a rolling ship

Review for the Panama Canal & Central America Cruise on Carnival Freedom
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2fortravel
First Time Cruiser • Age 70s

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Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
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Service
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Sail Date: Jan 2009

The cruise port at Ft. Lauderdale was easy to get to and getting on board was simple and took all of 45 minutes. We got to the cruise port at noon the day of sailing. Our room was more than adequate for our needs and we were able to get into our room by 1:45. Our cabin was very adequate and comfortable. While you could always use a little more room in the bathroom area it was still fine. Empty space under the sofa would have been better than drawers as our suit cases did not quite fit under the bed. Our cabin was too close to the steward's closet and we heard them opening it to get supplies a lot, this was not good so we will try to find one not so close next time. I was surprised how often the steward's carts were in the hallways and often times with no cabin steward around.

What this ship could use more than dressing up the cabins is just a face lift in many areas. Drop the old heavy styles and motifs. Victorian is not in for Carnival. Brighten it up! Live a little! The best of the cruise were the people on board who helped us at our table for dinner, the staff at the service deck, and our cabin stewards. The less than best of the cruise was the ship itself. We experienced a great deal of motion and sway for the first three days. More so that any other cruise we had been on, including one during the hurricane season that required we bypass several of our original ports. Don't know if this ship simply does not have side stabilizers or they were not working for our trip, but we often saw people reach for handrails as they walked along the hallways or on the stairs. Enough about the not so good, once again the staff especially our table waiter Jonathan was really great and made our dining experience fun. The shopping director on the cruise was knowledgeable and her advice paid off as we were able to make a nice deal on a watch. The evening shows were a lot of fun and the performers were great. If there was a downside to the shows it was that they were geared a little too much to an older crowd. The Beatles review was nice but the other musical were also a little to heavy on old music and old entertainers. Despite the themes the performers themselves did a great job and wee Jimmie was a good host. The older couple that took part in the newly-wed show was a hit.

If there was a real dissapointment on this trip it was the ports of Costa Rica and Panama. The shore excursions were really over priced and offered little value. Only the chance to see the Panama Canal made it worthwhile. The train trip we took to see the Canal took so long waiting to go back we would have missed the boat if it were not for the fact that this was a Carnival excursion.

Cabin Review

Our cabin was very adequate and comfortable. While you could always use a little more room in the bathroom area it was still fine. Empty space under the sofa would have been better than drawers as our suit cases did not quite fit under the bed. Our cabin was too close to the steward's closet and we heard them opening it to get supplies a lot, this was not good so we will try to find one not so close next time. I was surprised how often the steward's carts were in the hallways and often times with no cabin steward around.

What this ship could use more than dressing up the cabins is just a face lift in many areas. Drop the old heavy styles and motifs. Victorian is not in for Carnival. Brighten it up! Live a little!

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