There were 12 of us on this cruise, most have cruised before and there were two new cruisers. We all had balcony cabins on Upper deck (deck 6). Our ages ranged from 17 to 51. I hadn't realized the Carnival Freedom was refurbished this past spring until we came back. The ship was well-maintained and the crew were very accommodating. The only cons were the long lines for breakfast and lunch on the lido deck, so whenever we could, we dined in the dining room.

This itinerary had three stops: Nassau, Half Moon Cay and Grand Turks. Having never gone to these places before, we didn't have any expectations. In Nassau, some of us snorkeled, some went shopping and some just hung out at Paradise beach. No one purchased excursions from the ship. We did purchase a snorkel package fro $40 per person from a vendor at the port, but later discovered we could have just taken a taxi to Paradise beach and negotiated a better price there. Also, we were supposed to go on a 3 hour snorkel trip to two locations, but only did one for about an hour. We could not find the boat person for over an hour! Everyone on the beach kept saying he wasn't there yet! Plus, later we found out that some of the guys on the beach would just say that to get your business.

Half Moon Cay is a private island owned by Holland America, I believe. This was strictly a beach day with water activities and horse back riding. We just layed out at the beach. The food is provided by Carnival; drinks are extra just like on the ship. We had to tender to this island, so that took some time, especially on the way back...long lines. The beach was probably the prettiest out of all three stops, but no indigenous people or culture here. Read more