A little background information on me. I am 51, DH is 55 and this was our 14th cruise together, and my 15th cruise overall. Previous cruises have been on Princess (9), Carnival (2), and one each on HAL, RCCL, and NCL.

Probably the number one reason for booking this cruise was the exceptionally low price I paid (Got a Pack and Go rate about 4 months out), and about 3-weeks before the cruise I was able to upgrade to a window for an additional $50 (For the both of us), and feel that the value we received far exceeded what we paid. Now when I pay Motel 6 prices I do not expect a Ritz Carlton experience, so my expectations were rather low. For the most part I was pleased.

We flew in the same day we sailed from BWI and experienced no delays. On landing I went to the ground transportation desk, and after much discussion decided to get ground transfers from Carnival. Yes, you can get them last minute, and they just charge it to your Sail & Sign account. Embarkation was quick and painless, and by noon we were on board. Cabins were not yet ready, so we went to the Lido Buffet, which was not busy and got lunch. I really like the buffet on the Freedom, as it was quite large, and never felt crowded. After we ate we checked out the Serenity area, and I found it quite different then what I had experienced on The Ecstasy and Fantasy. On those ships the Serenity was aft with lovely views, and was mostly quiet. On the Freedom it's located near the bow of the ship, on the Sun Deck and takes up half the area (On the Starboard side), and one level up on the Sky Deck it takes up about 1/3 of the total deck area towards the bow. It was okay, with plenty of seating in the shade. It also had round loungers with and without clamshells (Half coverings over the lounger that provided some shade). There were also hammocks on the Sky Deck. However, I feel that the location is poor for an area called "Serenity" as Camp Carnival is on the other side on the Sun Deck, and the noise from the children was audible no matter where you were. Also, there was a lot of foot traffic from all age groups; Kids with their parents looking for Camp Carnival, people looking for a hot tub that wasn't full, or people just wandering. It was also the one area that surprised me in a negative way-It looked run down. About half of the round tanning beds and clamshells were missing the cushions, and a number of regular chaises were missing cushions as well. Still others had rips in the seams long enough to see the foam stuffing! Really tacky looking. I still liked it enough that I spent both sea days there, as well as the afternoons on port days. Also, it's free. Read more