I(Mom) planned this family cruise. Two of us had never cruised before and none of us on Carnival. I had heard and read so many different opinions about Carnival that either said it was horrible, or it was wonderful.Being unsure, I booked anyway as we really wanted a "fun-ship". We were most certainly not disappointed from the minute we stepped off the plane. We sailed from Fort Lauderdale, and would gladly always sail from there. The 20 minute cab ride that my daughter and I took, including a quick stop at Publix, was fantastic. The guys took another cab with the luggage and by the time we arrived at the pier we were ready to check in. Check in went very quickly and soon we were boarding. We were told that our cabins were ready so we went right up to them and met Pichet(sp) our steward. He was wonderful the whole trip. Took great care of all of us and even helped me keep track of the rest of the family. Never being on the Freedom before it was a little difficult finding our way around, but we soon figured it out. My husband has some mobility issues, so for the first day or so we thought the boat was enormous, but soon got used to where everything was.

Day 2 Key West. This is one of our favorite ports as we don't really need an excursion. We rented bikes and rode around the island. Went to Higg's Beach, Southernmost Point, the lighthouse, Saw Hemingway's cats, Hit Duval Street, Mallory Square and some shopping, then finished up with a couple of drinks with the fam at Kelly's on Whitehead Street followed by Key Lime Pie on a stick. What a perfect day. Back on the boat we had dinner and then found our way around the boat again for a while until we found Scott's Piano Bar. Marty was the piano player, and he was fantastic. I would give him a 12 out of 5. What a talented guy, and could really get the audience going. He mostly played requests and lots of sing alongs. You definitely need to do this at least one night. We met lots of people there and we all returned a couple of times.

Day 3 was a day at sea, and we spent most of it sitting by the pool. and on the serenity deck. The large round lounge chairs on the serenity deck are sooo comfortable. We were either sitting there, or on the small deck on the bow of deck 10. That was beautiful. Our cabins were right there on Deck 10 and we found the door leading to this wonderful hideaway where we could just watch the ocean pass by. This was elegant night, so we did dress. I didn't feel overdressed, but did not need formal wear. The guys had shirts and ties, but no jackets. I really enjoyed that the atmosphere was more casual than I expected. The food was good, not over the top, but still good. Read more