Carnival Freedom Review
Rating by category
Additional details
We chose this cruise for the itinerary--three places we wanted to snorkel: Cozumel, Belize and Roatan. We flew to Houston the evening prior, shuttled to Galveston in the morning, checked in. It took from 10:30 to 12:30 to get aboard. The Lido was busy with lunchtime crowds,and we enjoyed the afternoon before changing for dinner. We were seated in a booth with another couple, whose company we enjoyed all week. Our waiters were terrific and the food was tasty with plenty of options. We shared extra appetizers among the four of us throughout the cruise and tried not to eat too many desserts.
We quickly located the basket cabanas on the Serenity Deck (forward) which we had enjoyed on the Miracle in Alaska (Serenity is aft on that ship) and spent part of each sea day reading and watching the ocean from the comfort of a shaded lounger. We also never abandoned our basket until we were ready to leave for the day. We swam a bit in the aft pool and did the waterslide once or twice, which was fun.
The highlight for us was music, primarily in the Red Frog Pub, with friendly bar staff: Aura, Jefferson, and Jean Marc. Daniel and Viviana, solo guitarists, and Abbey and Joe, Canadian duo, were all excellent. The house band played often in the Atrium and was another highlight. We once got to hear the house band play an instrumental set in the Red Frog, as well. The shows in the Victoriana lounge, though talented and lively, were not our cup of IPA although in the past we have liked them. Our real dislike was the comedians. We had looked forward to the comedy shows, both PG and R-rated, as we have relished them on Carnival, Princess, and Holland America voyages. There were four comics and while each had some good material, their primary focus was on obesity (hers) and redneckedness (his).
Cabin Review
Balcony
The shower didn't drain properly and the bathmat was inadequate to manage the rain coming from the shower because the shower curtain wasn't long enough--and we are people who take 3 minute showers. Other than that, our cabin was standard-issue, with almost enough room for two people to move about, and the balcony was too small, but otherwise pleasant. Another area of cutback is that twice-daily cabin service is by request only, as are bathrobes and ice. But the cabin stewards were excellent and very pleasant. Ours were Tris and Michael.
Port Reviews
Galveston
Galveston itself looked fairly attractive from our shuttle from Houston, but we were delivered to the port at check-in time and did not get a chance to visit Galveston. The cruise terminal was large and well-run, but I wish we'd been able to board more quickly than we did. And no, we did not, nor will we ever pay for "Faster to the Fun", although we did exit the ship with self assist, as we always do. And this just in: we've done two air-travel cruises, including one to Alaska, with one airplane-approved size carry on and one personal item apiece, and we dress nicely for formal nights on the ship as well as pack all the shoes, swimsuits and casual outfits we need. Seeing people try to manage two huge suitcases plus backpacks APIECE for the self-assist debarkation was painful. Lighten up, America!