9 out of 10 hand sanitizers are empty. Cabin is HOT! I have 2 fans that I brought on board and wouldn’t have made it without them. The two cabins next to mine received room credits because their rooms were so hot. Food: it is without a doubt the worst food ever. I’m you like bland carbs that taste less me cardboard then this cruise is for you. Only decent food is Guys Burgers. Nightly dining room meals are horrible. Food arrives cold and has no taste. Even the fried Shrimp was bad! Breakfast is no different.cold pancakes, waffles and lets not forget the hair in the hash brown! If you are planning on gambling know that the casino is full of smokers! It’s horrible just having to pass by it. This is not my first cruise. This is a 7 day cruise and when compared to Princess cruise that I was in for the same amount of time, there’s nothing in common other than they are both floating in water. I’ve been told that Princess and Carnival are owned by the same company and it’s very hard to believe.This Carnival cruise has been like a cruise for the poverty stricken compared to the Princess Cruise that was definitely and huge step up. Oh and let me not forget to mention the sewer smell! It’s terrible! Our cabin is on the second floor and the smell has continually been present in the hallway. They were busy trying to clean wet carpet which that I suspect was toilet overflow! My suggestion is save yourself the money and try a different vacation. Read Less

We really enjoyed our cruse on the Carnival Freedom. The crew was very nice and everything was very clean. The main pool and water slides are also fun. The ship is not huge so the number of people on board is not crazy. So the lines are not to crazy. If you happen to go to their private island, Half Moon Cay the line to get back on the tender will be very long at the end of the day. So either stay on the beach till they tell you to leave or get back to the ship early. I would stay on the beach, it's amazing. Be careful on on the back adult pool though. The smoke stack drops something red and it will get on your cloths. However, if you bring it to guest services they will remove the stains and no charge. The food was good, the shows were awesome but be sure to read my review on our room, cabin 6368. Read Less

Summary. We are a party of 10 cruising – 6 adults, 4 teenage girls. Overall positive experience, found the ship and staterooms to be clean, friendly staff overall. Enjoyed the restaurants over buffet. The crew works very hard and deserve the gratuities. Many pros/ cons and key recommendations to help plan your trip! First the positives: 1) Download and use the carnival app. It’s a great way to communicate (chat plan) with your party and source for the daily activities, restaurant hours, and ability to monitor your daily portfolio spend. $5pp for entire cruise a bargain! 2) Excellent room upkeep and service! Room steward will quickly know your names on day 1. Offer to clean your room 2x a day or 1x a day, your choice (and you note this on form day 1). 1x in the morning was fine for us. Tip them! 3) Cruise director / Emma is great. “Hello lovelies” will stick with your after this cruise. It’s really funny when she laughs at herself with this unique chuckle and then the audience laughs at that. She is really fantastic. Oh yeah, she is from England. 4) Food in restaurants is pretty good! Dinner and breakfast. Now the negatives: 1) Entertainment for most part sub-par compared to other cruises. They do work hard and try, but seems budget is limited. Limited to comedians, lip-sync, customer engaged event shows, and few production dancing shows. The 80s show was fantastic and a must see! Finally some better comedians came onto the ship last few days. Emma cruise director is doing a fantastic job trying! 2) Very noisy areas in main pool area and much of the ship in general. Loud speakers, kids running, etc. This is more of a kids ship and hard to find quiet areas for adults, but there are some hidden areas. See below. 3) Expect long waits for: Restaurants if you do ‘any time dining’ we waited 45min average given our large party of 10. Expect shorter for 4 or less parties. 4) Long lines at: Pizza Pirate near the adult pool. Expect 30 people plus waiting and 1 worker making pizza. Priority goes to the $5 delivery person so expect a wait for 30-45min to pick-up your slice of pizza. Late night pizza lines given limited food options. To management, can you not add another person making fresh pizzas to cut down this line? Tips & Recommendations 1) Install/ use the Carnival app. A bargain for $5 per person for entire cruise. Have everyone in your party do this and you can chat on the ship for meet-ups and know the hours for restaurants and daily activities for entertainment. 2) Bring your own cups (e.g. YETI) to fill with water, lemonade, tea, etc. at the 9th floor deck. The larger the cups the better. Fill them at breakfast and bring to your room. The little green and yellow cups they provide hold about 6 oz. of liquid. Ice is plentiful. Water refill at buffet area, poolside, or bars. Even keeps your beer colder longer! 3) Bring a 3-prong power socket extender. There is ONLY 1 power outlet in your rooms (well, another behind the TV and used for that). You will need to charge multiple phones etc. Or bring a portable charger for your phones. 4) Bring binoculars if you wish to see passing boats, distance, shore excursions, beach, dolphins, etc. 5) Bring a case of water or buy on day 1. You get 2 large bottles day 1 and that will go quick. 6) Wine/ Wine package. Bring your bottle of wine onto ship day 1 only, why not? Else, cost is $35 bottle average. The wine beverage package (3 bottles for $80 with auto-tax) is worth it comes to $26 bottle for standard wines (given auto gratuity) or higher price for premium wines. 7) Best quiet spot for a book or just snooze in the breeze. 3rd floor outside deck under the life boats. There is also the ‘Serenity deck’ for age 21 and up top floor front of ship. Can be crowded there. 8) For large parties eating together at ‘anytime dining’ send someone down to put your name down and get a pager. Will cut your time down for waiting from 45 minutes to 10 minutes. 9) Alcohol in general. Gratuity of 18% auto added to every adult beverage., expect $10 drinks average. The carnival craft brew was great. Value of getting $18 beer pitchers. 10) Teenagers can visit the sports deck for volleyball, basketball and hanging out with others. 11) Auto applied Gratuities for your team members: Vary by cabin, but example $112 pp in cabin allocated to restaurant staff ($55), room service ($35), and group for all others ($22). Posted 2 days before end of cruise, and you can make adjustments at the front desk +/- and allocation % to your preference. 12) Unless you buy/ plan for roaming leave all phones in Airplane mode. Friend charged $3000 prior trip by AT&T and even though I requested all our family to keep in airplane mode, daughter still activated for a few hours and AT&T sent us email for international data of ~$200 for Bahamas temporary use of her social media. Food options 1) Avoid the daily buffet (there is MUCH better options with the restaurant, else Guys Burgers, B-Que). My view is more of poor food quality and lacking taste at buffet and sanitary conditions. Do you really want to touch the tongs that everyone else on the ship is using to server their food including all the kidos! 2) Use the restaurants, they are excellent for breakfast and dinner. From salmon bagels cream cheese capers to steak (filet mignon) and eggs. Yumm. Brunch menu. Dinner options have extensive menu options. 3) Dinner Formal nights. Lobster on the menu for one night and filet mignon the other. Yes, you can get as many lobsters as you can eat! 4) Lunch: Recommend Bque restaurant on 10th floor. Across from steakhouse. Many don’t know about this place given a bit hidden. 5) Lunch. Recommend Guy’s burgers and pizza take out. Pizza is actually very good. 6) Lunch: The sandwich window, excellent meatball sandwich. All are actually great. 7) Breakfast: Eat at the dining room or order room service. 8) Free drinks stations at the buffet areas. Ice, Water, Lemonade, ice tea, coffee. Found the coffee was surprising good and strong. There is a custom coffee shop for $5 coffee, but my view is standard coffee is fine in dining rooms. You can also get coffee delivered room-service! Read Less

I am a former cancer patient. I entered remission just a few months ago and had my leg amputated. This was my first cruise. I want to start off with the musicians. There was music for everybody’s taste. But I enjoyed ALL of them. Luisa, Juliana and Juan in the Accidental String Trio were just...the only word to describe it was beautiful. Neil was singing and Jammin’ the reggae hits on the steel drums. And Rob was rocking it on the guitar. DJ JD with the hits. The Brassaholics with the amazing Maroon 5 medley. And the Latin Band covering latin hits. Emma, Layla and Francois brought so much energy throughout the whole ship. Vargus Mason with the jokes! T.A. Williams at the Piano Bar. Diana and other bartenders tending the bar at the Lobby very well, including the bartenders on Lido who also bring their energy to the ship. I tipped what I could. Next I want to say how much I really appreciate how kind, thoughtful, and caring the staff was. They always offered help. I don’t usually accept help but I made some exceptions. I also made some friends on the cruise. The whole experience is one to remember. They always had smiles on their faces, and always greeted as we cross paths. And as you’re reading this to all of the staff, I just want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart. I hope I get to meet you all again. Cheers "Let your smile change the world, don't let the world change your smile..." - unknown "My cup is full to the brim, I could go on and on, the full has never been told" - Buju Banton Side Note: Im looking for a job also (galvancromeo@gmail.com) all photos are unedited Read Less

We choose this cruise because it was stoping at the Bahamas and Keywest. First lets start by saying that this is one of Carnival older ships. The decor is outdated and the colors are dark. However, the ship was clean, the staff was friendly, and there was plenty to do. Out of all of the cruises Ive taken this one has had the best food so far I really enjoyed Guy's Burgers, deli, BBQ, and the 24 hour ice cream. The dining hall food was really great as well. Every drink I had was great! They keep the entertainment live on this ship. Emma the cruise director kept the energy alive the whole 7 days. She is awesome. The first stop was Keywest. There is really nothing to do here in my opinion. All we did was walk Duval St. We ended up renting a golf cart to get around the island but that was a waste of money. We only did it to make it easir on my parents so they wouldn't have to walk around. The second stop was Freeport Bahamas. We booked an excursion off the boat. Which is much cheaper than booking with Carnival. I suggest booking with tour guide Brice. He was very informative while taking us around Freeport. Then he took us to a really nice beach where the water was beautiful and not too crowded. The weather was hot but beautiful. We visited a candle factory and also sampled rum cake. Brice took us to a local market where you can buy homemade souvenirs that the local made themselves. Our last stop was Nassau Bahamas. It was cloudy and scattered showers. We booked tour around the city once we got off the boat. We visited the Queens staircase which is beautiful and historic. It was also a marketplace there where you can buy souvenirs that the locals made themselves. We also visited hotel Atlantis. Which all we did there was walk around the lobby and they have an aquarium along the perimeter off thr lobby. If you want to visit the aquarium you will have to pay an additional cost for that. We didnt bother to go to the beach this day due to the weather conditions. We also went to a rum cake factory and tasted samples of rum cake. And we went to a tea factory and sampled tea, which was really tasty. The shows were okay. The comedians at the comedy club was really funny. Everything was a blast and smooth sailing up until the last day and half of the cruise. We got caught up in Hurricane Barry. And the boat was rocking so bad you could hardly walk. People were getting sick everywhere due to the motion. It was not a fun day or night. Most of my family were 1st time cruisers and that pretty much ruined any chance of them getting on a ship again. Overall we had a blast. It would have been perfect if it was not for the hurricane. I would definitely cruise with Carnival again. Read Less

I went on this cruise as part of a large group (50+ people). It was my first cruise and will also be my last. I was always told your are treated like something special on a cruise. I did not experience this. I was also told that the food was fabulous on cruises. Not the case on the Freedom. Getting on to the ship was absolute chaos. Luggage is turned in at one end of the port and you have to walked back through the massive crowds to get to the entry doorway to go through security and board the ship. What a mess that was. When you walk onto the ship and finally get inside the oppressive three story atrium makes you feel depressed. It is dark and underwhelming. No excitement. No light and airy feel. The first thought is "what did I get myself in to?" We had to wait two hours before we could get to our rooms. Once we hit Deck 2 we smelled the never ending smell of light sewage in the air. In all the elevator lobbies and general populations areas there was always something to be wiped down and/or picked up. Food was more miss than hit especially the Lido deck buffet. Yuck! Guy's Burgers were about the only think edible on the ship - everything else made us nauseous. Staff would sometimes smile but most of the time not. I really did not like to see my 77 year old mother harassed on debarkation. >:{ Ship windows were cracked. Cabin couch cushions had mold, spots, rips and tears. Beds were more comfortable than they look but still too short - my feet hung over the edge the entire trip - I'm six feet tall. The nail tech in the spa was great but that's about where it ended. AC in cabin never cooled things down below 78. Called maintenance but they never showed. Fitness center did not open until 5PM - no morning workouts unless they entailed walking circles around Deck 10 through the smoking areas. Saw drunken fights every night on the ship. Had to call security on one woman who beat her husband which was right across from my 14 year old daughter's cabin. Another incident happened in the casino where a guy accused a woman across the roulette table of racism and she never said a word to him. Another night a guy on the Lido deck suck punched another guy walking by with no provocation. I hid in my cabin the last night just to stay away from the drunkenness. If I ever cruise again it will not be on Carnival. I had to come home and schedule a true relaxing vacation from this mistake on the sea. Read Less

The freedom is a very confusing ship. It takes days to learn how to properly navigate through the ship. You can’t just walk from one area on a floor to the other you often have to take a elevator to an upper floor, walk over then come back down. Who designed this ship must have been half sleep at the time. Also the basketball court is very small and there’s a skylight from the dining room taking up so much space preventing the guest from playing basketball. Also the basketball court is only open when the dining room is closed due to noise from the basketball bouncing over their heads...hmmm so why would they put a court there in the first place. Makes no sense! This cruise was my 2nd cruise, first with carnival and most likely my last. The food was horrible when I say horrible I mean horrible. My friend said it reminded him of prison food. The wings you can order from room service for 5.00 are really good though but the quality of food you get from anywhere on this ship that is included is terrible, bland or taste so bad it doesn’t even seem like food. Read Less

Sailed on the Freedom out of Galveston. First time in 10 years sailing on Carnival. Have sailed once with RC and 6 times with Disney. Embarkation was easy (we did have FTTF). We flew in the night before and stayed at a Holiday Inn Express on points. Took a Lyft to port which was easy. We sat for maybe 30 minutes before boarding. No line for security and our bags were at our door when we boarded about 11:45. It was also nice to have a shorter line at guest services. We had an oceanview room on deck 2 forward (2288) The room was a good size, bed was comfy and there was plenty of storage. Liked the shelves in one of the closets for clothing and shoes, and suitcases fit under bed easily. Shower was ok but the water seemed to come out of the shower way too easily. Not enough water pressure for me either but the temp was ok. The main problem with the room was the noise. It was right across from where the stewards loaded their carts which was pretty noisy. It also really creaked a lot - there was a noise that sounded like a marble rolling above our heads a lot of the time. Kind of annoying! Room steward was awesome though. Always kept the room clean with ice etc... and was very friendly. The TV remote didn't work correctly. Food - the main dining room food was pretty good. IMO it was significantly better than RCL and about the same as DCL. Breakfast buffet was ok but it was the same exact thing every morning. Tried the Sea Day brunch one day and it was ok (pancakes were tough) but eggs were good. Loved the Guy's burgers. Really enjoyed the sushi (extra cost but got quite a big serving for the price). Also tried the crab sliders at the seafood shack - they were ok but the buns were hard. The burritos at Blue Iguana were also very good. We did try the steakhouse selection in the main dining room and thought the filets were very good. Not a noticeable difference (other than maybe 3 ounces) in quality of the included filet on the MDR menu though. Room service was quick but didn't enjoy the food all that much for the price. We did have the bubbles package for soda. Really didn't enjoy having to stand at a bar for a soft drink. Wish Carnival would do what RCL does with the freestyle machines. It seemed like such a waste to have canned sodas (not chilled at all) on the ship. You would have to pour it over a whole glass of ice which immediately watered it down! Now to the shows. Enjoyed the Hasbro game shows and Bingo. I also really liked the 80s pop show. Probably not fair to compare to DCL but the shows were not even in the same category as Disney. I knew that going in. The cruise director Emma was great and the singers/dancers were also very nice. We did get bored in the afternoon sometimes as there didn't seem to be much to do. Loved the comedians in the evening a couple of nights. Service. The MDR servers were very nice but after sailing on DCL really missed the interactions we are used to there. Service was usually pretty good but a couple of nights seemed really slow. We had the early assigned dining time ( 6 PM). The bartenders were all nice but sometimes really busy which meant waiting for 10 minutes for a drink. The room staff were great. I asked for a fan for our room the first night but it never showed up. I was able to use an app on my phone for white noise but still. The biggest difference we noticed was the décor and layout of the ship. It was very dark and IMO really ugly (very dated). I should have taken a picture of the pink snakeskin wallpaper in the dining room - so didn't match anything! The atrium area just felt dark and closed in and it took us a couple days to figure our way around. There are a couple of decks that you cannot walk all the way through as a dining room is in the middle. The pool deck had several levels but also felt really small and closed in. The adult pool at the far back of the ship was nice and more open though. I also didn't enjoy the smoke in the casino. I would have gambled a little bit but couldn't breathe in that area! It would be nice if they would consider maybe a time or two throughout the week where non smokers could enjoy the casino. Also, all week several of the elevators were not working (or just turned off). We visited Key West, Nassau and Freeport. In all three we just walked around the shopping areas. Freeport was not very nice - would really recommend an excursion there as the beaches looked nice. My daughter had a cast on her leg so we couldn't do our normal beachy excursions this trip. We had purchased the trolley tickets through Carnival but the line to get on was so long we ended up not using them. There was no shade while waiting. Also thought Carnival was a lot less organized with shore excursions. In Key West anyone with any excursion was supposed to meet in the dining room but there wasn't a Carnival staff member there to direct or ask questions. Overall we did enjoy the trip. It was about 1/2 the cost of DCL by the time you pay for all the extras. If we do another Carnival, we will try a newer ship and hope the layout and décor is better. I have another RCL and DCL booked so we shall see. Read Less

This was an experimental cruise for us. We have taken 10 cruises and normally book a Jr Suite, or a balcony. This time we decided to go with an outside cabin with an eye toward saving some money. Right up front, I must admit I really really enjoyed this cruise. First of all, the boarding in Galveston was fantastic!! We normally have priority boarding because we usually book a Jr Suite, but this cruise was an Outside room, which would have meant long lines and slow processing. I can honestly say we boarded just as quickly on this cruise as any other cruise we have ever taken. We showed up at noon, walked right in and was promptly processed. No lines at all, no Disney World serpentine shuffle!!! The hardest part was just walking up the gang plank! Galveston and Carnival have figured it out!!! As a military veteran, I was overwhelmed by the attention Carnival has given to Armed Forces Veterans. Not only did we have daily teas and gatherings, but there was an awesome Veterans Salute in the Victoriana Theater. It was truly the highlight of our cruise. Every serviceman and woman should experience this. We decided not to take any organized tours of Key West, Freeport or Nassau, but rather, to walk around and shop. No one we talked to really like the hop on-hop off trolley, because of long lines and long wait times. Walking was easy for us, as everything we wanted to see was close at hand. We had no complaints about the food, entertainment or service. We were told we had 3330 passengers on board, but never felt crowded or uncomfortable. I will say that if you are not a smoker, stay clear of the casino, as the smoke is so thick in there, I found it hard to breathe, even as I walked by. We were very pleased with all aspects of the cruise and will do it again. Read Less

We chose this cruise as if fit perfectly into the time frame we both could get for our vacation. We had never cruised before and decided on this one as we had always wanted to go on one and we thought it would be a fun way to celebrate our 20th anniversary. We flew into Houston on Southwest a day early. We used and recommend Galveston Limo service for transfers from the airport as they were fairly priced, friendly and can offer some great tips. We got a room in Galveston through Southwest and just relaxed. Embarkation/Disembarkation: Both of these went fairly quickly. The ship: well even after the recent drydock it is showing its age, The public areas overall look acceptable but around the edges where the masses don't congregate wear is taking its toll. In the steam room the glass facing out had a big crack in it. My wife and I noticed many areas along the outside walls where it was dusty, scuffed, dented, broken or just needed repainted. The Cabin: We had an 8C balcony #7365. This falls in line with more of the same we saw all over the ship. It was ok but again it is showing its age. Little things stood out ( burned out light bulb in the room, small dim tv, chips in the woodwork, lampshade fell apart if bumped and the glass on the balcony needed proper cleaning ). The Dining : this is a mixed bag! Some venues really stood out. The Sun King steakhouse was by far the best meal we had on the ship, It was tasty and well prepared and served professionally! The Chic MDR: reminded us of chain restaurant fare. The breakfasts here we had arrived cold. Guy's Burgers: Yum! Blue iguana cantina: Yummy breakfast burritos! The deli: ok ( seriously though using the bitter part of the lettuce on a sandwich? ) The Old Fashioned bbq; Sorry but if it is not smoked its not bbq. The Buffet: bland, tasteless food for the most part and the desserts lacked flavor as well, A few items were good but very few. The Coffee was horrid and the juices ( juice cocktails to be exact ). were sickeningly sweet! We did find a hidden gem in the coffee shop the desserts there were tasty but once again an extra charge ( a couple dollars ). The model Carnival has here seems to be " yeah we will give you something, but if you want something really good you will pay extra! " Entertainment and Activities: The shows in the Victoriana Theatre were ok. The comedy club was overpacked and since they do not clear the theatre between shows its nearly impossible to get a seat! The Dive in Movies: This is a neat concept. We decided on two movies and on both of them the screen went blank and the movie started over, One was at the 3/4 mark and the other was at the 10 minute mark and again at very close at the end of the movie where it never did finish. A waste of our vacation time. At bingo the screen projections were very choppy. Carnival doesn't have a good A/V tech on the ship? The Trivia parties in the Atrium area were quite entertaining. The "fun squad" and cruise director did a great job there. Pool areas were crowded and deck chairs hard to get. The water slides however were fast and fun! Service: Our room stewards on deck 7 did a great job they were efficient and friendly. The bar staff was another mixed bag. The bars in busy areas were understaffed and seemed to give priority to those who were buying beer and mixed drinks. Not all of us drink alcohol. Too many times we just felt ignored. The Fun shop staff were friendly and helpful. Ports and excursions: Cozumel, we did the shopping and beach break tour. Olivia, our guide did a great job and took us to shopping areas downtown that had better prices than the port shops. The beach club was ok with mediocre overpriced food options. Grand Cayman: its a tender port and that went amazingly smoothly. We did the land and sea tour. First stop was a semi submersible ship where we got to see some shipwrecks and many fish. Second stop was at a shop that sold rum cakes etc. Third stop was at a rock formation called "Hell". Strange looking formations with a gift shop that sold funny T-shirts Forth stop was at the Cayman turtle center where we got to see many adult sea turtles and hold a baby turtle. All in all a fun tour. Ocho Rios: got off the ship, shopped a little and then right back on and enjoyed all the amenities that were too crowded on sea days. Summary: For our first cruise it was ok as it gave us an idea what cruising might be like. If you just want to get away its fine but do not expect a 1st class experience with this ship without paying extra and that is what bothered us. Good tasty food should be the norm and not the exception. Too much nickel and diming on what is already a pricey vacation. . Read Less

This was a family cruise that we now take once a year. I took my daughter with me this year.We stayed the night in Galveston before our cruise.This was my first time on the Freedom.The entertainment and activities were very good. Didn't care for some of the buffet food this year.But over all it was very good.All the service people was great, And very helpful..The ports and excursions I loved. Stingray Island I loved. We will be going again next year!!!! We had shirts made the same for our cruise with our names on them. Jayson was our cabin steward and he kept our room very clean. I left him with a tip of a 10 dollar bill ring and a bag of candy. Loved the ocean in Jamaica even though it was hard for me to get out of it.It had a high sandy beach. Water was awesome and so clear. Read Less

The cruise ship itself is not aesthetically pleasing, very dark decor...also not very organized as it took us days to figure out the floor plan The temperature in our room was the main issue! After the second day, it started becoming warm in our room and we began reporting it. Staff came down, checked the temp which was about 74 and gave us some fans. On this seven day cruise, we complained and called at least 7-8 times. Staff would simply come in and check the temp which continued to hover around 74. At one time, the thermostat was changed out. On the 5th day, I got tired of sweating in my own room. I called Guest Services who stated someone would be down to the room shortly. After an hour, I marched down there not too happy. Luckily,management was there and took me seriously. By this time, I was livid. The temp in the room was 78.1. We were finally moved from the room and given a balcony room so I can at least say for 2 days, we were comfortable. The food was primarily mediocre. I love a good breakfast buffet but it was basically the same everyday. Guy's Burgers I guess was my favorite along with Blue Iguana. All in all, I will probably try to avoid this ship because of our uncomfortable experiences. Several more cabin members also discussed the temperature on the facebook page We did experience the quickest check in ever! Read Less

We picked this cruise for spring break and we picked this ship based on ports, dates, reviews, etc. There were six of us total, two families. We had a great time. Our rooms were nice and clean and our room steward (Ferry) was awesome! If we needed something, he got it, he respected our privacy if needed and he was very friendly...he knew our names right away! The food was very good and our waiters were amazing - Imade, John and Iwayan. I would want to sit in their section if they were on our next cruise. The variety of foods was great and I enjoyed trying different things. The gym was nice and had a great variety of equipment - my only complaint there is that I wish there were more free class options. Not a big deal though. The spa area was very nice and the employees were polite, friendly and knowledgeable. There were many things to do on the ship - shows, games, etc. The cruise director, Simon London, did a great job and was very energetic. The excursions were a lot of fun and my favorite was the Snorkel and Starfish Island Getaway. The guides were fabulous! The snorkeling was a lot of fun and the guides were very helpful and monitored everyone very well. The island was so lovely and I would have loved to spend more time doing all of it. The trip was a great experience for all of us! Read Less

Jeez... I’m not even sure where to start. Perhaps I should start from the beginning... we arrived in Galveston. Embarking was as painful as could be. The luggage handoff was confusing, the baggage handlers rude, and the process took too long... The cabins were ok. We had 2 of them. My wife and I was in a nice cabin with a balcony. No issues there. Next, we experienced the “all included except...” treatment. I was told that this was because of local vs. international rules, but it just felt silly. Our “all inclusive” drinks did not work until second day of the cruise, internet did not work until day 2, my all inclusive dinner did not include whatever I ordered for dinner, etc. Although some of these problems disappeared as we got far enough away from Galveston, the whole nickel & dime continued throughout the cruise. There are more exceptions to what’s included than what is included. The food was ok, but far from exceptional. The buffet food was horrible but the food in the posh restaurant was better than average. The service in the bars... jeez, I saw faster service while visiting Russia during the Cold War. I timed it. From getting to the bar, until I had a drink in my hand, averaged 15 min. The places were understaffed and the process unbelievably inefficient. Now for the excursions... to say they were underwhelming would be too positive. Most of the time, you’ll be standing in line. The food/drinks served, terrible. Just appalling compared to the price paid. The entertainment was for the most part good, but the daytime spectacle around the pools, just obnoxious. Speaking of pool, the pools are so small they remind me more of bath tubs. Also, good luck finding a deck chair. I talked to a few “veteran cruisers”, and they say Carnival used to be better... this is not an excuse for me... if this is a cruise line in a downward spiral, I’d hate to be among the ones coming after us... Read Less

I have been on two carnival cruises in past eight months/spent around 15k on tickets and onboard services. The service and organization on cruise to Alaska in August outweighed high pressure sales at spa/jewelry store/art gallery. The mediocre service/lack of organization on cruise out of Galveston over spring break, 2019, along with the high pressure sales that bordered on deceptive trade practices make it highly unlikely I’ll cruise with Carnival again. At an appointment at spa for massage I inquired about a facial. They reported an opening at 8:00 a.m. the following day. I said I’d think about it and let them know, and the girl said “We’ll keep it open for you!” When I called later that day to let them know I did not want the facial because my young daughter was seriously sea sick and throwing up, they reported that they would still charge my credit card due to failure to cancel (I never “booked”) w/i 24 hrs. At the art gallery I expressed interest in a piece. They were very insistent that I purchase right then and there. I left saying I’d think about. I got a call two days later asking about the art I “purchased.” When I said I never purchased, they preceded to tell me I had “reserved” the piece and was obligated to buy. Only when I asked them to show me what I had signed indicating I was reserving or buying, did they relent. Also, they were very unaccomofating fir my 80 yr old family member I had with me. They refused to allow me to take the elevator with her when boarding, and it took me an hour to find her after. Upon disembarking, they said she had to wait in the same line with everyone else, which took 45 minutes (she can barely stand with a walker. Carnival, I’m very disappointed and encourage all reading to reconsider cruising with them! Read Less

My family and I went on a carnival cruise. (freedom) We didn't like the high pressure sales, the fact that how whenever you would buy a drink the tip would already be added on (I noticed on the 3rd day of the cruise), we had tons of money charged to my moms credit card. There was already a tip of 70 plus dollars for our "team" on the cruise. There was ONE person who made my experience on the Carnival Freedom amazing. She is a playlist performer on the carnival freedom and other carnival ships. Her name is Victoria and she always said "hey" and would wave at me whenever she would see me. If you go on the Carnival Freedom be aware it is a party ship. Not made for older couples or family with newborns. If you go on a cruise from Galveston be prepared for long waits and being split up from your family. My aunt is disabled and they split us up when getting on the ship. On the way back we made sure we didn't get split up. The only reason we didn't get split up on the way back was because my mom made sure they knew we would not be split up. We told the lady we would not have it any other way. They also had LGBTQ mixers almost every night along with singles mixers. Read Less

We chose this cruise because we were celebrating my birthday on the first day of the cruise and it had an itinerary we were interested in. It so happened to be on the Freedom. The layout was the same as our last ship, the Valor, so it wasn't confusing for us but I could see how it would be for others. The layout is confusing on some decks, as you are unable to walk the length of the ship on certain decks. Overall the ship was fine. Definitely had some wear and tear but going into dry dock should improve that. Great restaurants, shows, and activities. The cruise director, Simon London, was wonderful. There were plenty of activities to keep us busy even with the 3 hour delay due to fog during embarkation. The crew was very informative and helpful during the delay. Sea days were great and weren't dull unless you let it be. The Sun King Steakhouse was absolutely amazing. Worth the $38 pp. The Chic dining room's staff was also attentive each night we dined there. We did run into two issues while aboard but both were handled promptly. Given the opportunity to sail the Freedom again in the future, I would do it in an heartbeat. Read Less

We have cruised 8 times previously and on multiple lines including past Carnival, Princess, NCL, and Celebrity cruises. This is close to the bottom of all the cruises I have taken. However, let me through out a few compliments: 1. Lucky, our cabin steward was exceptional. Even more impressive is her recall of mine and my spouses name by face the second day of our cruise. 2. Simon the cruise director of the Carnival Freedom who self effacive comedy kept things light on the cruise. Now onto the bad: 1. We had cabin 1026 on the 10th floor. The cabin is dated and worn. The sofa is a combination of faded and frayed leather seat and cloth pillows. There was also a constant sewer smell from the airline quality toilets. 2. The food was an atrocious mix of gelatinous chocolate mousse, hard as a brick cakes, dried out pasta dished, and burned apple pie in the Chic Dining room. 3. Tired and worn infrastructure including deep paint chipping on the "whale tail" exhaust and a rusting track for what I assume was a once functioning roof over the adult swimming area in the aft section of the ship. 4. We ran late departing Galveston but no effort was really made to make up the time. Some Cozumel excursions were canceled and refunded but no attempt made to help us reschedule a new excursion at the last minute. 5. The ship continued on a delayed schedule up and through Ochos Rios, Jamaica. Checking in to the tubing excursion some before us were told there were two boarding times and to come buck at 11:00am. As our group moved forward for our 10:00a.m. booking we were told ours was the only group going. Those who were told to come back at 11:00 probably had a rude awakening. 6. As with most cruise ships internet service remains an expensive joke. Having chose the most expensive package I got very slow service. The idea of the HUB app is not well executed. I was never able to connect or find other parties in my group in the texting portion. Then some text messages to people I was connected with were never received after being sent by me. Cruise Critic!! You professional review is a woeful representation of the realities of this ship. Time to send your professional critic back for a reassessment. Read Less

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. Read Less

The staff was nice most of the time, the balcony room was fair. We only got a few channels on the TV, not that we were there to be watching TV but come on. The food was terrible!!!!! I was told that cruise line food was amazing, even the fine dining was not very good. Im sure I dropped some weight. The bar tenders are inconsistent my wife and I had the cheers package and some of them would not let me get my wife a drink even if I had her card with me. The casino bar tenders were top notch they know how to treat people. The shows were hit and miss, lip sync was good and the bands were good especially the violinist. It really seems like you get nickel and dimed to death and they don’t tell you about the extra costs, they are sneaky about that. I won’t cruise again for awhile, we are looking for all inclusive destinations from now on. If I do cruise again it won’t be with Carnival. Read Less

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. Read Less

We took this cruise as part of a specialty group, which had to get permission for onboard activities, thus we were limited to this particular itinerary. Both my partner and I have traveled on Carnival for some time... I turned Gold on this trip, and she turned Platinum. We had a balcony room on the 8th deck, and it was certainly a nice room, with a great view. The ship is still in great shape, and was very enjoyable, however there were a few things that I didn't like. First... the NFL football playoffs were not available unless you went to the casino, or to the sports bar. The casino was filled with cigarette smoke, and the sports bar was just filled beyond capacity. Because Dallas was playing in the Saturday night game, there was a LOT of interest in the game. Carnival no longer has local channels on their shipboard TV (speaking of which.. the choices for in-room entertainment are very slim). Unfortunately, in todays world, its almost impossible to get totally out of touch, therefore internet is a necessity, not a luxury. However, the shipboard internet is woefully lacking. Download speeds were as bad as a 1200 baud modem at times, and never got any better than decent dialup (for those old enough to remember that). This was a nice itinerary, although The Bahamas was not as much fun as it could have been, due to cruising in winter. Although the outside temperature was nice (70s), the chill on board ship was not fun. And water activities were uncomfortable at best. I would not consider cruising in winter again, unless it were a special activity. Read Less

They managed to get over 2800 guests along with their almost 1200 employees onboard and mobilized, and it set us up well for a smoothly run resort on the water. The three destinations to Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Jamaica were short, and involved a lot of process and security checks getting on and off the ship, and reminded us that the point of the cruise was less about seeing and experiencing these destinations than enjoying the ship. Carnival Cruise offered very little in the way of educating us about the locations we were visiting and we had to figure much of it out on our own. Carnival spent considerable time trying to sell us expensive excursions offering us North American versions of these countries. We avoided them and explored these places on our own and were left with little time to do so. However, we made the best of it breaking through the tourist facade of these port of calls, and found some pretty places to see and learn about. If you like alcohol, 18 hours a day of loud rock or Latin music, gambling, smoking in the casinos and on some decks, eating a lot of amazing food, plugging in to online cable or internet or shopping, swimming and hot pools, cruises are for you. The pop culture is alive and well here. It is a perpetual party. The cruising culture is set up well to captivate people with all of these options with a quick up-sell on almost every opportunity. Alcohol could not be brought on board and we were held captive by some steep alcohol prices or all-inclusive charges. With this being said, there were some real gems in the cruise experience for us granola Canadians. The gym was five star and we appreciated the peace and quiet of this relatively unused space along with the sauna and steam rooms. Once we got used to lining up for everything, the food was good. The dining hall offered us terrific food, but we had to wait. I can not speak highly enough about the amazing staff. This cruise line has employees well-trained to serve in a service industry with a relatively demanding North American clientele. They got things done and made us feel very welcome on board. The cruise director was high energy the entire trip. We could hear her cheerful voice making announcements and participating in high-energy activities that might wear the average person out. The commitment of this Carnival Freedom Team was impressive, and we were amazed at how they entertained everybody right to the very last minute. There truly was something for everyone and my husband and I were continually finding new places on the ship to explore. We managed to come away from the cruise with a very conservative bill at the end. We chose not to buy internet, cable or all/inclusive drinks and soda pop deals. We also did not pay for expensive excursions because we have an aversion to line-ups and being herded through experiences. We appreciate the security of choosing this option, but we chose to explore places on our own. We gambled very little as our thirty minutes of gambling glory cost us 50 dollars. We shopped only at the end a bit when the shops were offering clearance specials. In a nutshell, we viewed the ship as a way to see the ocean and three ports of call with some wonderful food in a spacious state room that was always sparkling clean. We enjoyed our cruise and feel very happy to have been blessed with such a great experience. We feel well-rested, well-fed and amply entertained, but with this being said, we will not be cruising again until we are much older, and will likely do so on smaller cruise lines geared for a more mindful crowd. We are glad to have crossed it off our bucket list. We enjoyed the journey. Read Less

We tried the Chef's Table (at $75.00 per person plus 18% gratuity) and found that it was nice to be part of a small group of 14 guests, but there were too many courses and too much food for the 3 hour ordeal. Yes, the food and wine were good, but after course #7 or so, we were ready to go. If you are a gourmet foodie or if you want to be, then try to get an invite to this while on your cruise. You will love it! It's just not for everyone. If you don't want to be around a lot of noise and kids, try the Serenity areas on Decks 11 and 12. Truly an oasis on the ship! The kids have their Camp Ocean and the larger pools to have fun anyway. We were in Balcony Cabin 6319, and we had plenty of storage space for all of our stuff, and there was cabinet space we didn't use. Our room steward was Semadi and he worked hard to provide us with clean towels, clean cabin and a cheerful response to each request. He helped make our voyage more pleasant with his positive attitude and assistance. The carpet was showing its age, but it was clean. The rest of the cabin was clean too. We tried the Steakhouse on our last night aboard, and it was just OK. The steaks were good, but the sides and appetizers were sad and not up to expectations. I had the iced and smoked oysters, and they arrived with pink foam on top. I actually choked on the smoke foa when I tried an oyster. The chocolate dessert was not as good as the Carnival Melting Cake with vanilla ice cream served in the main dining room. At the 3rd deck bar in the Atrium, Putu is a great bartender - as are the bartenders we met at other places on the ship, but he was really great to us and we gave him a nice tip at the end of the cruise. I'm going to miss his friendly helpful service. Read Less

We chose this cruise for New Years getaway. The service and food was not as good as in the past on other ships. The dining staff messed up orders in main dining, some food had no flavor or dry and some things ordered were never served. The staff was not as friendly as on other ships. The dining staff took a couple days to warm up and really get into the fun. Even with some bumps along the way we still enjoyed our vacation. We enjoyed the New Years balloon drop and deck party. The cruise director Emma was very energetic and seemed to really enjoy herself and all the guests. We also enjoyed all the art work and art auctions on board. We learned albeit several new artists . We will be back on Carnival in the future. We will not let 1 not as good cruise stop us from sailing again soon. Read Less