We did not book an excursion in Key West--just got off the trolley (we had to dock at Navy Base). Walked to Southern-most point, Hemmingway's House, etc and worked our way up and down Duval St. We had wonderful mojotios and conch fritters and enjoyed the shops. It was a tad bit hot that day, but a cool drink helped.Shopping is plentiful with some wonderful art galleries and tons of restaurants/bars to please almost anyone! 


Key West

Grand Cayman was our next stop--when we pulled into port that morning, it was raining. Since we did not book an excursion that day, we waited to get off the ship until the rain stopped. We had planned to take a taxi or bus to the Royal Palms to hit the beach, but just shopped and had lunch instead. Recommend the Breezes restaurant--much less noisy than Margaritaville around the corner with cheaper 23 oz drinks!Shops were quite nice without high pressure from salespeople. Could have easily paid 4 bucks to hop in a van to see the beaches, but my daughter was just there in Feb and gave us the highlights--ie Hell is just a tourist trap and that the turtle farm was fun. Our tablemates did the stingray swim and enjoyed it however they got back as ship ready to sail--no worry as it was a Carnival excursion though!No wait to tender when we left the ship and came back. 


Grand Cayman (Georgetown)

Ocho Rios was next--since we booked a local tour with Peat Taylor, we had to be off the ship between 7:30-8:00. This worked to our advantage, as we were the third group to do the Dunns River Falls that morning. Peat and his family took good care of us and we felt safe traveling with them. We booked the falls and island highlights--unfortunately we were supposed to go thru Fern Gully rainforest, but they were doing road construction and we could not go on that road.We were then dropped off near the port for shopping--grabbed some Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee and some rum before stopping at Margaritaville. The vendors all over the island were very aggressive--especially in the "craft village" when you finish the falls and before you return to the ship. We also went on the beach at Margaritaville and were also approached by several vendors to braid our hair, give us "free necklaces", sell us CD's etc. We just kept firmly saying no to everyone--a few vendors would follow you a bit trying to talk you into their service, but did get the message. The falls were a blast but they will pressure you to but the $40 video once you are done--we just used our waterproof camera to remember our trip--your guide will take multiple pix if you want. 


Ocho Rios

Our cabin was just right and the balcony was small but a great place to read and enjoy a glass of wine while watching the sunset. The only negative is that we were near the lobby elevators and could hear the salsa music on our 2nd night--couldn't hear music any other evenings

I was good and did not gamble this cruise, but the casino was hopping every day and I believe 2 folks hit for large cash payouts.Food was consistantly great each evening and Oliver was accomodating if we wanted to try additional dishes or wanted a double appetizer,etc.

Carnival Freedom Review

Great vacation

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