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Tallinn

There were so many wrong things about this cruise...where to begin? Let me start with the positive. Our cabin steward, Wejaya and his assistant Anna were great! They kept the room sparkling clean, with fresh ice and a new towel animal every day. Our room was on Lido deck, close to the buffet areas and pools. Anna and Wejaya worked hard from dawn to dark but were always pleasant and greeted us personally. Our cruise was 14 days from Galveston and honestly, it took that long to learn the layout of the ship. A map in the room would have helped, but there were only the maps at the elevators to guide us through the maze. All floors do not connect. For instance, to get to the Posh Dining Room on level 3 or 4, you must cut through another floor such as the casino floor (deck 5) and then take stairs or elevator. After this experience, I will not cruise on another ship with disconnecting floors! Speaking of the casino, the slots were fairly loose the first night. After that, slot hits were few and far between. At the disembarkation talk near the end of our trip, the Cruise Director asked “anyone have a big win in the casino?” Dead silence overtook the room and Not a single hand went up! Also, be sure to check your folio frequently as we had drinks charged to us which we did not purchase!

Food Service: The Lido buffet was always busy. Food choices were so-so. After one breakfast of floppy undercooked bacon and runny scrambled eggs, we usually ate breakfast in the dining room. Breakfast in the MDR is good but service is terribly slow. Some days we waited nearly an hour to receive our food. The BBQ restaurant just above the Lido deck is ver6 good and the line moves quickly.  Dinner in the MDR (Posh) was usually a disaster. Even though we had an assigned dining time, the wait staff repeatedly requested our names. Drinks were not usually refilled unless we asked. One evening husband and I both ordered steaks, both medium well. One was cooked correctly but the other was extremely undercooked. We asked the waiter to take it back and that was the last we saw of it! Guess we didn’t make it clear that we wanted it back after it was put back on the grill!  Two nights later, husband ordered steak tacos for dinner. Most of the meat was inedible gristle with a bone! Again, we returned it to our waiter who said she would show it to the chef. The maitre’d came to our table with a plate of muffins and an apology. Gee, thanks!  My entree on our last night was shrimp with penne pasta. The shrimp  was fine but the pasta was severely undercooked, tough, starchy and inedible. If you are lactose sensitive, good luck finding a dessert without a lot of cream. Although the cakes are delicious, all are heavily decorated with whipping cream type frosting. Fruit pies were only offered on the two last cruise dinners! Almost every single dinner ended with the announcement of “It’s Showtime!” at which time the wait staff would sing and dance around the room. Once a cruise is definitely enough entertainment and many of the guests felt the same way we did, bolting  for the exit at this announcement! 

Carnival, please update your inroom phone system! The shore excursion desk does not answer their phone after 7 pm and the phone system directs you to reserve your excursions through the interactive TV.  There is no interactive TV! The phone option to check port times was totally incorrect and had the itinerary for a prior cruise, not the current cruise!

Speaking to our fellow cruisers, many were of the same opinion, and had experienced the same issues as we did. We are not “foodies” and don’t expect 5-star meals, just something 

Tasty and edible. On the bright side I did lose 2 pounds on this cruise, thanks to the awful food! We are “Gold” Carnival members, this being our fourth cruise and second “Journey” cruise. Our Cruise Critic Meet and Mingle meeting was not scheduled until Day #12 of this 14 day cruise. Hey, Carnival: The purpose of Meet and Mingle is to get to know your fellow cruisers. We do not plan to cruise with Carnival again. As many of our fellow cruisers stated: “Enough is enough!”

Panama Canal 10/27 - 11/10/19

My husband and I have cruise with Carnival many many  times never a bad cruise. All though there are things that can be done defiantly our vacation was amazing. 

Embarkation was easy with no issues got right on the ship we were early for our embarkation there was no problems. Disembarkation was a slap in the face that our vacation was over ( not Carnivals fault) we were in line for 2 and half hours going through customs not sure why it took so long but it was tuff.

Ship was what we excepted we have been on this class of ship many times. I was keep very clean.

We had an extended Balcony as we wanted to get the whole experience of the Panama Canal, it was great, two chairs,two lounge chairs, and a table.

The best part of the experience on the ship was the Alchemy Bar, our bartenders Jakub, Katia and Illan were the best we have come across in all of our 14 cruises. They made you feel like you were walking into their home and welcomed you that way every time you sat down. Their acknowledgment when you came to the bar and their way of making each drink their own was what made this experience unique. Cant say enough about them!!!

Entertainment was very good some better than others but for the most part enjoyable.

Food on the other hand was not great, we did go to the steak house not what we were use to on other ships (service felt like they were short handed) so when my side of potato's were cold I didn't want to bother them.

MD was not great either some nights ok some night not good, service was good though.

Buffett food about what we are use to not bad not great

Deli was really good, the paid Sea Food Shack was very good ( price very reasonable)

also the Sushi was worth the price .

Blue Iguana was good.

All and All a great trip

Great 14 days

People from the freedom treated us like family.   our server ricky at the  chic restaurant has been perfect.  we didn't miss a show.   we dance a lot and we can tell that the cast on the ship were outstanding.  jade and matthew  the dancers are  beautiful to see  and pleasant to speak,     there is a violin trio called  accidental strings trio.   we did many cruises and never we saw  violin players like that.  these guys are amazing.  they can adjust their music with  the kind of audience.   this is unusual.   most of the bands are in their routine and doesn't change . We had so much fun hearing them and dancing on their music thye are  the best of the seven seas!  finally all your personnel are warm and friendly.  a very good mention to jennilyn the hostess at the chic restaurant, always kind and smiling.

29 days on the freedom was too short.  WE WILL NEVER FORGET THIS EXPERIENCE 

THANK YOU

WE SPEND 29 DAYS ON THE FREEDOM 2 BACK TO BACK FROM  OCT 12 TO NOV THE10

My hubs and I typically cruise with RCI but, because we have exhausted all of the Royal Caribbean itineraries out of Galveston, we chose this cruise to the Bahamas on Carnival.  We had only cruised with Carnival once before on a quick 4-night trip so we did not know exactly what to expect.

We had heard that the Freedom was scheduled for dry dock shortly after our return so we expected a ship that was a bit outdated and worse for the wear -- not so at all!  We really enjoyed our Ocean Suite and will probably never go back to a regular balcony room.  The extra space, storage room including a second closet, and tub/shower combo are well worth the extra money.

The food was fantastic, although at times the buffet can be unbearably crowded, and our cruise director, Emma, is amazing.  However, all of the shows in the theater are of the sing-along type -- good dancing and singing but no storyline. Also, disembarkation was a hot mess from beginning to end.  Security at the port were horrible -- angry, screaming at passengers including my 70-year-old parents.  I realize the port staff are not Carnival employees but it is worth mentioning because they are atrocious.  

Overall, a fantastic cruise.  More affordable than Royal Caribbean with incredibly friendly staff and great excursions.

Enjoyed this cruise immensely

Panama Canal cruise was awesome.  Emma Nixon was the best cruise director ever. she is a bundle of energy. Awesome energy. Anoma and her wait crew were awesome in anytime dining. Room steward was awesome also. Food was very hot and good. Chefs table was a very interesting experience. Panama Canal was very interesting to watch. Carnival was awesome as always. The Freedom is one of our favorite ships. Galveston does need some new ports for us all. we were a group of 5 and always found something to eat. Food .

Dora the Explorer in Cartegena was an awesome tour guide. We recommend her to anyone wanting to go to Cartegena Columbia. Rickys tours in Costa Rica was awesome also. Erie tours in Curacao was also a good tour.

Do not use Octopus in Aruba. He cancelled our sunset sail and booked a private tour with only two people on his ship.

Good cruise

This cruise was so great in many ways, but a few bad things made it rough here and there.

Personnel:  I've never really cared one way or another about Cruise Directors, but Ms. Emma Nixon was spectacular.  I wish I could have her on every cruise!  She was everywhere at once, and I'm not kidding.  We would talk to her one minute and then go somewhere else and she would have beat us there, always smiling and laughing.  The rest of the crew aboard the ship were good too, no complaints.

Boarding was a breeze.  We got there at our appointed time, the line moved smoothly, no trouble.  We are Gold VIFP and had no trouble, but because the ship had soooo many Platinum and Diamond guests we were told that NO rooms would be available until 1:30.  We heard a lot of griping about that but it didn't bother us.

Entertainment was mostly good.  There is one singer in the group who hurts my ears, but maybe not her fault.  We stayed pretty well entertained.  And the activities were great fun and mostly well organized.

Food...ugh.  So disappointing this time.  I don't think there was a tender piece of meat anywhere on the ship.  Oh wait, my husbands lobster was a mushy, gooey blob and the shrimp was always good.  But pork, beef and chicken, we could hardly cut them.  I did ask to exchange for other dishes, but I shouldn't have had to at so many meals.  And if I didn't have trouble someone else at our table did.  

Ports...great!  I loved every one of them.  No tenders on this itinerary and every single stop made us happy.  We went to Jamaica, Aruba, Curacao, Cartagena, Panama Canal partial transit, Costa Rica and Cozumel.

Excursions:  We took ship's excursions in Cartagena and Cozumel.  In Curaco we got a van tour from one of the port vendors and enjoyed it.  The Party Bus in Cartagena gave us rum/coke and beer and drove us around to see the city.  It was nice.  The Mayan Indian Ball game, lunch and dancing was a a lot of fun entertainment. The ride to the Mayan village was only 15 minutes or so.  In Aruba we went on a private Tour with Sunny Binn. He was really good.

Debarkation:  The worst we've ever had.  Starting from the way they gave out luggage tags this time clear until we got out of the terminal it was all a disorganized mess.  One old guy started feeling faint in the terminal and was told there were no wheelchairs left so he'd have to just stand there. I thought he'd hit the floor.  And who's idea was it to hand out luggage tags to a pushy mob of people in a public area.  That was a huge mistake.  People were actually shoving each other and calling each other names while they clawed for the lower numbers.  We heard that self assist went well though.

But in spite of the bad food and terrible debarkation I loved this cruise.  I won't do it again though....too chaotic, but I'm glad we went this time.

Mostly good, but some problems

While we love the Freedom and Carnival, this was the best cruise ever. It was our honeymoon, and not only were the staff great, the passengers were very friendly and helped make the cruise even better. Aruba, Curacoa, and Cartegena all wowed us more than expected - and our expectations were high. The shore excursions were great, but we would definitely take a cab to a specific beach next time in Curacoa and get a private tour to the old and new parts of Cartegena. 

Carnivals new embarkation procedure was amazingly fast and simple. The shows were great, though we did not get to see many due to an injury (not too serious) of one of the performers. The shows we did see were great and as always, the comedians were great.

An inside cabin was great as always, but my wife would prefer some outside light for a 14 day cruise.

Magical Cruise

After taking a similar cruise a couple of years ago, I wanted to see the NEW Panama Canal. And I did, at least 3 locks and the lake in the middle. Other than that, this was not a good cruise.

Check-in has been streamlined at Galveston, but it is still somewhat confusing and some people who were scheduled to check in much later that we were actually got through faster than we did - although we supposedly had "priority" check-in. Guess Carnival didn't know they had so many Platinum and Diamond cruiser?

HOWEVER, the Canal passage itself was handled very strangely. We were watching the forward camera on TV, while watching the actual passage from the back on the balcony. ALL the Aft balconies were filled with people, but the "management" couldn't decide whether to have the Panama Canal "expert" piped into the rooms or not, so we had to prop the door open into the hall to hear anything - and then the forward camera went out. Technology is NOT a strong point on this ship.

Dining was good. There have obviously been complaints about the slow service and it was much better than before. The cafeteria on the Lido also had much better service, with people actually coming around with drink refills. The food was good, it always is, so no complaints there. Room Service was good and arrived when requested.

Entertainment? WHAT entertainment? This was a 14-day "Legends" cruise out of Galveston, TEXAS. Average age, according to Carnival, was 63. So NO ONE on board knew any Country music or any pop music before 1990. The Houson Astros were in the World Series. The best place to watch the game was on the Fox Channel in the cabin, so that is where we mostly watched. The Sports Bar was completely full, but the TVs in the casino were often on some random other game or sport, so we just went to the cabin, as did a LOT of passengers. FINALLY, for the 7th game, the game was put on the big screen outside and the place was PACKED. Guess the World Series is too American for Carnival to be aware of.

Service was good overall. Our cabin steward had the entire port side of deck 7 to cover, so he was overworked, but he did a good job. We had few requests, but they were all honored quickly. The only real glitch was laundry. With so many cruisers with free laundry, it was not as fast as usual. We usually got it back the same day, but the second-to-last day it took 2 days, so we got it back just in time to put it into the suitcases.

Ports were OK. We had been to all but one before. We didn't book any excursions through Carnival, but did have luck with the two we booked elsewhere.

Just OFF somehow

Another Halloween cruise with friends, plus another Journey cruise. Ship went thru new locks, entered lake and turned around and waited it's turn to exit. Visited several ports along the 14 day cruise. Dutch West Indies are our favorite. We have tranversed the canal before, but not the new canal. The ship is showing it's age and the workers are tired. Looks to me the staff has been reduced at the cost of the workers. They still smile, but have a zombie look on their face. Hot food was a hit and miss in all dining rooms during breakfast, lunch and diner.There's just not enough waiters to get the food to the guests. Also the famous Cholate Melting Cake was a flop. Always runny.  We gave up and tried the food courts on the Lido. The Ballroom dance instructors were great. Learned a lot. We sang with crew one night, which was fun. John Heald, the big cheese was onboard. We joined a big group and did many activities on the ship. Purchased lots of cigars and coffee and some stuff for the grand children. Did some excursions from ship. Limon was a new port for us.

Partial Panama Canal

The low rating is entirely due to the issue described.  Except for the issue described below the  cruise would have been fantastic from the service to the food to the excursions.  As a ballroom dancer we found the music for dancing was great from Waltz to East Coast Swing.  There was a two piece violinists who played music from Mission Impossible - Tango to Michael Jacksons Billy Jean - Hustle to Adel's Rolling in the Deep - West Coast Swing to Cake on the Ocean - Cha Cha.  The floor was too small for the Two Step and Foxtrots played.

The main issue which spoiled the cruise was the one small child (around 5) who wandered the dance floor EVERY night which made dancing impossible.  I took a video which shows the danger this child was placed in.  It is amazing she wasn't stepped on and injured due to Carnival's negligence. The band found this cute and even encouraged it.   I have tried to contact Carnival about this safety issue to no avail.  

We are booked on the February 10 2018 Freedom cruise and plan on discussing this with Malcolm.

Children on the Dance Floor - Dangerous  - Safety Issue

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