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Great ship, great cruise!!!!! by
A Traveler from Birmingham, AL Sailing date: Jun 2009Pros: Ports were wonderful, ship had more to do than we had time for. Cons: Drinks were a little expensive. The ship had anything you could want in a vacation. Beautiful dining rooms, tons of entertainment, all the food you could ever eat. We saw 2 broadway style shows, a hypnotist, and a comedian. Rooms were nice. Pool was great. Ship QualityCan't imagine a better ship. Dining/FoodBuffet lines could get long at times, but you could eat 24/7. Posh dining room was excellent. Stateroom QualityNot as large as a hotel room, but plenty of room. King size bed, 2 porthole windows, plenty of storage. Ship Staff Quality
Entertainment & ActivitiesDidn't get to do everything. Too much to do in 1 trip. 
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Key West, FloridaThe Big 3, snorkling, kayaking, and dolphin watch was great.
Don't Miss: Snorkling George Town, Grand CaymanHell is a little over rated.
Don't Miss: Stingray City Ocho Rios, JamaicaStay on the excursion, wouldn't want to venture out by yourself.
Don't Miss: Dunn's River falls  2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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  Vacation of a lifetime by
Kate Croyle from Cicero, NY Sailing date: Apr 2009Pros: We liked everything about this cruise Cons: having to say good bye From the moment we boarded, we felt like royalty. The room, in fact, the entire ship was spotless. The people were so friendly and nice. The food was fantastic. We loved everything about this cruise. It was our first one and we can't wait to plan a second. We have never felt so pampered in our lives. We have never been on a vacation that was as relaxing as a cruise. I can't say enough good about this experience. Even leaving the ship was great. Everything was so organized and well run. We loved this cruise!! Ship QualityI found this ship spotless. The crew was constantly cleaning and picking up. I kind of felt sorry for them because they were constantly working while we were having such a wonderful time. Dining/FoodI am a member of Weight Watchers and was told at a meeting, before going on the cruise, "remember, it is not about the food". Well, yeah it is. I had the best food I have ever had in my life. This ship had the best chefs in the world. Stateroom QualityThis room was spectacular. We had a balcony room and I highly recommend them for everyone. We enjoyed sitting out there early in the morning having our coffee or juice and again in the evening just to unwind. The room was roomy and very clean. Lots of room for all our stuff and we took more things than we needed. Ship Staff QualityThe people on the ship were very friendly and willing to do anything for you. I have never encountered so many friendly people all in one place. It was my honor to meet them and share time with them. Entertainment & ActivitiesThe entertainment on this ship was fantastic!! The comics were so funny I hurt from laughing so much. The shows were fabulous. The costomes, the music, singing, dancing were all top shelf.
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Key West, FloridaWe didn't do anything special. We just walked into town and went into many of the shops.
George Town, Grand CaymanWe didn't do anything special. We went into town and walked around town. We did go into a Margariettaville and the DJ in there was fastastic and put on quite a show. We really enjoyed that.
Ocho Rios, JamaicaThe island and foliage is absolutely beautiful. I was very uncomfortable with the people. They were constantly approaching us and asking if they could take us somewhere or braid our hair. They followed us around in the shops. That is something I am not used to. It made me very uncomfortable. We went to Margariettaville there also because the one in George Town gave us a bracelet for a free drink. Good drink but the DJ was not nearly as entertaining.
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Med cruise experience by
Dina S. from Athens, Greece Sailing date: Aug 2008Pros: Service quality Cons: Food & entertainment My overall impression was an ok ship, I can't say I was thrilled. This was my second cruise. It was the Grand Medditeranean and I had visited the Carribean the first time, so I found Europe to be less exotic and not as fun as the first cruise. Also, my first cruise was with Royal Carribean which I found had more options in entertainment and food and the ship was by far more fun. The Freedom is a nice ship, the decoration is a bit too heavy for my tastes and I would have wanted bigger pools because they were small and crowded. Ship Quality
Dining/FoodThe food wasn't that great nor much variety either. Stateroom QualityOur interior stateroom was convenient and comfortable, the location was close to the elevators and right under Lido deck so we didn't walk much to get to wherever we were going. Ship Staff QualityI must say, the staff was excellent, very friendly, polite and always smiling and willing to serve you. Entertainment & ActivitiesI would have liked to have more options in entertainment. The shows were ok, nothing spectacular and not much variety. Children's ProgramsMy teenage kids were happy with their options and friends they made.
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Barcelona, SpainWe took the double decker open top buses around the city. It took us to all the famous spots and you can get on an off wherever you like. You can also move around with the Metro, it's cheaper and quicker.
Don't Miss: Sagrada Familia and if you're a man and into soccer, then you must see Camp Nou Dubrovnik, CroatiaGreat place. We walked the city walls and took some great pictures of the city inside. We swam right next to the city walls, the waters are beautiful. I regretted not taking the tour on board "The best of Dubrovnik" because from what I saw, the country side must be great and with this tour you get to see a lot in one day.
Don't Miss: Walking the old city walls Livorno (Florence & Pisa), ItalyWe rented a car and drove to Florence. I was told that it would be difficult to park there but Avis gave me maps and it was very easy for me to find parking right in the city (market place) and we walked around and did our shopping and site seeing. Then we drove to Barberino shopping outlet which is about 1/2 an hour drive from Florence and you really need a day there as they have some great outlets of all the brands in cheap prices. We only stayed for an hour and a half and then drove to Lucca, a medieval city in a castle and strolled around there for a while and then drove to Pisa and saw the leaning tower etc. We had a a full day with many activities and we just made it back to the ship about 15 minutes before it left, so I was really stressed out. The port is not located near anything, there is nothing to do in Livorno, so you must go on a tour or get out of there by car as I did. I've been to these places before so i didn't need a guide to explain the history etc.
Don't Miss: Florence and Pisa Monte Carlo, MonacoThe ship docked in Cannes and we took the train to Monte Carlo, it was only 7 Euro both ways and only 1 hour with great scenery along the way. It stops in Eze, Nice, Villefranche, so you can go there also. In Monte Carlo, we walked up to the Palace and had a nice stroll around. We saw the guards change at 12 pm which was interesting, then we took the small tourist train which takes you around the city and we jumped off in front of the Casino (you can't get on and off in this train but we didn't want to go back to the Palace, so we jumped off at a red traffic light), then we walked down to the port and had lunch there while watching the Ferraris zoom past us. You can have a Ferrari drive around a few blocks for 85 Euro. This is located right outside the swimming pool in the port. We caught the train back to Cannes and had plenty of time in the afternoon to do some shopping and strolling in Cannes.
Don't Miss: Monte Carlo of course Naples, ItalyWe visited Capri on our own and it was a great place. I loved it. It's a small island but with many options to pass your day. It's a bit crowded but we were there on a Sunday in August, so it was logic. It is very easy to move around on your own and much much cheaper, so before you leave home, do some Internet research on the ports of call. They also give you train and bus itenaries on board the ship if you ask. We caught the hydrofoil which leaves right outside from were the ship docks and then we took the funicular up to Capri town but you can also go by bus.
Don't Miss: Don't miss the Faraglioni rocks best seen from the Augustus gardens. Messina, SicilyWe took the bus to Taormina and returned with the train. Taormina was fabulous! The bus takes you up to old city of Taormina were you have some great views of the beach down and the city is full of narrow streets with shops and plenty of gelato. You can swim down at the beach if you like (there is a Funicular) which can take you down (or up). I recommend you use the train because the bus took us there in 2 hours (too much traffic and many stops) whereas the train took us there in an hour. From the train station, you have to take a bus up to the old city.
Don't Miss: The old city itself Venice, ItalyThis was my fifth time in Venice, so I kew my way around and we got to Piacalle Roma with the ships shuttle and then walked to St Marcus square, which is about an hour but if you don't walk and get lost in Venice's narrow streets, then it's not worth it ! We took a gondola ride at sunset, had some great gelato and ofcourse shopped. The second day, we took a water taxi to Murano (offered for free by one of the Murano factories, they found us) and then we returned back to Venice with a vaporetto.
Don't Miss: Gondola ride 4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Appropriate guests for this type of crui by
Suzann W. from Salt Lake City, UT Sailing date: Jun 2008Pros: Stage productions / purser desk employees / organization / room steward "Jury" Cons: desserts (except at dinner) / some aspects of excursions This cruise is best suited for couples and for people who enjoy eating and drinking. ( I'm from Salt Lake City though not Mormon. I do enjoy the occasional cocktail.) Ship Quality
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Stateroom QualityIt was really a treat to have the towel animals to great us when we returned to our room! Also, having a steward who calls you by name is wonderful. Ship Staff QualityI only found the breakfast/lunch dining staff and the bartender in the piano bar to to be not very friendly. They never smile ! Entertainment & ActivitiesThis is the first cruise I've ever been on, and I was with my daughter so I'm sure I would have found many great things to do had I been with a partner, but I felt like all people did all day was eat, drink, lay out in the sun: non of which I particularly enjoy.
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Civitavecchia (Rome), ItalyDon't Miss: Tomb of the unknown soldier was something to see Istanbul, TurkeyDon't Miss: Bazaar Izmir, Turkey
Katakolon (Olympia), GreeceWhen we stopped for a small bite in the outside restaurant we were such a large group that many of us couldn't see the dancing. The food was NOT good. I was thinking they should learn to cook Greek food like we have back here in Salt Lake City! It's FABULOUS!
Livorno (Florence & Pisa), Italy
Marmaris, TurkeyI was disappointed in the Turkish bath (which was one of the excursions we most looked forward to) because it was rushed. We watched one man get a wonderful, lengthy massage, but when we were called up it was very short and unmemorable.
Naples, Italy
Piraeus (Athens), Greece
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Amazing Trip by
ME - N.Y. from New York Sailing date: Feb 2008Pros: Loved everything - can't wait to go back Feb. '09!!! Cons: Large screen TV on deck was very loud in the a.m. (6:00am) Amazing, Amazing, Amazing. Yes this was our first cruise, however, we traveled with about 4 other families that have been on at least 5-6 other cruises and they all said we had experienced the best. We have already booked our trip for Feb. '09!! Ship QualityTip Top Shape...New Boat...Everything looked just as it should Dining/FoodFood and service were equivelant of a 5 restaurant. Servers were attentive, friendly and went above and beyond for our 8 travelling children. Stateroom QualityRoom was bigger than I anticipated. There were 2 adults and 2 children (early teens). A little cramped, but we were never there so it was no big deal! Our cabin steward was extremely attentive and our room was always clean and stocked with fresh towels! Ship Staff QualityWould have rated staff quality an excellent, however, my children did have some difficulty trying to get beverages at the bars around the pool areas. Us adults didn't have a problem, but the kids did. Otherwise, the rest of the staff on the entire boat was willing to do just about anything to make us happy. Entertainment & ActivitiesGreat selection of shows for adults and families. Theater was very large and very comfy. The Beatles Revival Light Show was great and the Entertainment Director was histerical. Looked forward to seeing him daily. Children's ProgramsCan't rate the camps, our children didn't use them. However, there was plenty for them to do on our days at sea. (Our children are 13 and 11) They actually entertained themselves all week. Only time we saw them was at dinner. Then they did their own thing. Karaoke, Ballroom Dancing, Game Room, Taking Photos with Each Other, Watching Movies on the Big Screen and even more...they were totally occupied and safe. They can't wait to get back on; what they call, "the most amazing boat ever". 12 out of 12 people found this review helpful.
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First Cruise - Impressed by
Bob & Cathy B from Gulfport, Ms Sailing date: Jan 2008Pros: The lead staff and all personnel involved with customer contact were impressive. We felt that all our needs were met as soon as we addressed a need for something. Cons: Difficulties in finding public restrooms on main floors (Casino, resturants, etc) This being our first cruise, I can not compare it against other ships. However, the Freedom is a newer ship and it is in perfect shape. I was very happy with the stateroom and the cleanliness of it. Rating it against a high value hotel room, we would rate it amongst the highest. The room staff were attentive to all our needs and once you asked for something, you never had to ask again. The entertainment was great, the food in both the buffets and the dining rooms was excellent and you could get food 24 hours a day if you wanted too.
We would not heitate to travel on the Freedom again, except next time will get a balcony room. Why? Because We deserve it. :-) Ship Quality
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7 out of 12 people found this review helpful.
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Some pros, some cons. by
A Traveler from Las Vegas Sailing date: May 2007Pros: Ports of call, itinerary. Cons: Food We selected this ship based on the very favorable impression we had of Carnival based on a previous cruise on the Carnival Pride.
The ships were fairly comparable in many respects with a few exceptions.
The Cruise Director on the Freedom was extraordinarily entertaining. The majority of the passengers were seasoned and all felt this Cruise Director was better than they had ever had on any previous cruises. The big screen on the Lido deck was a nice plus providing entertainment while sitting out by the pool or relaxing in the hot tub. Blankets were available for those watching movies on the big screen at night.
The itinerary (we took the Grand Mediterranean cruise) had a nice variety of ports and interspersed the sea days. We found the port of Dubrovnik particularly interesting.
Initial embarkation and final debarkation were amazingly speedy and the staff showed great finesse in getting the passengers off and on the ship at each of the ports. (Tendering at Cannes took a bit longer.)
Our disappointment was the quality of the food. Breakfast in the dining room included 'hard boiled' poached eggs, undercooked bacon, muffins which seemed like they had been sitting out for hours. The buffet food was far inferior to food on the Pride and it was difficult to find anything we wanted to eat (a rarity). Their 24 hr pizza and ice cream were, however, very good.
If the food had been better, we could recommend this ship, however, we found the food disappointing and we consider dining to be a major part of the cruise experience. Ship Quality
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145 out of 167 people found this review helpful.
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