It was a rainy start to February 10th when we headed to Galveston for a weeklong date with the Carnival Freedom and prayed as we drove through Houston and Galveston passing several accidents and water stranded motorists on I-45. When we got to the terminal we decided to forgo dropping off the luggage at the ship (which is the best way in most ports) and park first. The port transportation folks got us in a good mood to start, there are always a lot of confused travelers to the start of any cruise and they were very humorous and professional as they tended to us. Embarkation was awesome, 2nd only to our experiences in Puerto Rico (of course we didn’t leave port until 10pm but that’s a whole ‘nother story!) We waited a minimal amount of time compared to other ports so if you get there early I don’t recommend the FTTF if you mainly want it for embarkation. Once we got onboard you couldn’t dampen the spirits with the fog and rain everyone was ready for vacation. We rambled around the open areas of the ship sampling cuisine and looking around getting to know our new home for the next week. When 1:30 came around, POOF! The doors were open, and our staterooms were ready. We booked an interior room on lido to save money and still be closer to the fun but to our surprise my wife was called by the “upgrade fairy” 2 days before the start of the cruise and offered a port balcony on Lido, even better and what a surprise! Eduardo our steward was awesome in making sure we had everything we needed including a fresh new towel animal every day!

The first two days were at sea (never had that many sea days!) so we really got to know the ship. The ship is the most beautifully decorated “Conquest Class” ship I’ve been on other than the Piano Bar and the Atrium of the Carnival Liberty This is the first cruise I’ve been on that the gym was one of the most popular spots on the boat too, still plenty of space, modern equipment, sauna, steam room and a nice whirlpool to therapize