This particular cruise was chosen based on its itinerary. Traveling through the Panama Canal has been on my husbands "bucket list" since before we were married. After hearing that the canal is in process of being expanded we knew our time frame was short to have an opportunity to experience the original canal.

We flew in to Ft. Lauderdale and were met by Carnival at the baggage area for transport to the ship. We have made this trip before and took a taxi from the airport to the port. The price was slightly higher to use the transfer but the transition was smooth and, as our flight was pushing the time boundaries, it was nice to have it all taken care of. Once at the port we were through the embarkation process and walking on board in about an hour.

Once aboard we had a quick meal on the Lido deck and then walked around to get familiar with the ship and find our room. Carnival Freedom is part of the Conquest Class. The ship is nice but the layout leaves much to be desired. We previously sailed on the Carnival Conquest and had the same frustration. The ship feels "choppy" based on how difficult it is to get from one end to the other. Unless you want to walk down stateroom hallways the only floor that actually is open from bow to stern is Deck 5. The galley cuts off access on Deck 3 and The Chic Restaurant blocks a portion of Decks 3 and 4. At times you could walk though The Chic but this is awkward and not an option (obviously) at meal times. To get to our dining area in The Posh Restaurant (Aft, Deck 3) we had to go up to 5, cross to the back of the ship, then back down to 3. My parents were with us previously (on the Conquest) and this was a major issue for my father who has difficulty walking. Also, there is not outside access around the full perimeter of the ship and that was disappointing. These seem like obvious issues and it is surprising to me that ship designers wouldn't recognize how these things impact flow. Read more