Background and Booking Info

The 4th cruise for DH and me, first time for teens aged 16 and 18. Our previous cruises have been on the CCL Destiny, then on the NCL Jewel and Spirit. We were looking for a good deal in the beginning of January and were leaning towards the NCL Jewel, but the price of Montreal-Miami return flights was astronomical. What finally swayed us in favor of Carnival was their great deal on flights and the Freedom being a new ship. We contacted an online agency then checked out the Carnival website. Since the prices were similar, we booked through Carnival and I'm glad we did, as the consultant was extremely helpful. We requested a balcony room for 4, but this was unavailable since we were booking in late October. The consultant suggested that with teens we book two rooms (two bathrooms!), a balcony and an inside. A terrific idea, it really made a big difference having two rooms, both for our privacy and their independence. They were across the hall and down a few doors. My husband and I were split into different rooms for booking purposes (obtaining terrific past guest rates), but we obtained extra key cards at the purser's desk. The consultant inquired about any health concerns; my DD has mild asthma and I was asked which medication she used as they would arrange to have some on board in case she needed it. They later called back to confirm the medication - I was impressed with their thoroughness.

As I mentioned, we booked air through Carnival's Fly Aweigh program because we were saving about $850 on flights. I was a little nervous because of the cruise air horror stories posted on the boards, but we decided it was worth it. This was the first time we'd booked air through a cruise line; we'd either booked our own or driven to the port (NYC). In mid-November, we received a phone call from Carnival asking us if we minded to fly in the day before, landing in FLL instead of MIA. They would put us up in a hotel free of charge and all transfers were included. Being from Canada and wary of snowstorms, we jumped at the opportunity to fly in a day ahead. We were also very happy to learn that we were booked on direct flights coming and going on Air Canada. Read more