Carnival Freedom Cruise Service Review; Post Vacation

 Laura, Naidu, Kim, Zainuddun

      Spring break is officially over and we all had an amazing time on the cruise. Based off of the reviews that I read before leaving, everything seemed to be pretty much on point. For the most part the service team was excellent, some better then others, but very good. We got lucky and got a great head waiter that cared about us, our needs, and made sure we always had a good experience with him. 

Night 1

      The first night in the dining room is always a fun experience. Although you are able to sit in a big table with strangers to help people make some new friends, we sat at a table just the four of us. This makes the dining experience a little more personable and romantic. 

- Head Waiter: Naidu from India 

- Helper: Zainuddun from Indonesia. 

      After introducing themselves both waiters seemed to be very friendly, personable, funny, very well trained. Just like most cruises, they staff was very international making some a little hard to understand. However, they seemed to make up with it through their personality. The service was fast, very good, and the food and drinks tasted excellent.

Night 2

      Tonight just so happened to be the BEST night of my life because the man I love asked me to spend the rest of my life with him and marry him! We were sailing away from Key West into the beautiful sunset on the top of the boat, just sitting there talking. All of a sudden he asks me if I love him, gets down on one knee, and asked me to marry him. Of course I said YES!! There was nothing that could run this day, or this vacation anymore. 

      - After getting engaged we went to the main dining room to celebrate. Having the same waiters every night, they already knew he was going to propose, so the staff was full of smiles and congratulations. 

      - Tonight was the first night of entertainment done by the entire wait staff. They sang and danced to the song "My Girl." Although it was not planned, perfect song for a newly engaged couple. 

Night 3                                                                             

      After a fun and long day at see with lots of sun, dancing, and drinking it's time to get all dressed up for elegant night. Everyone on the boat looked great with their fresh tans and beautiful dresses. 

      - Tonight they had lobster tail, Filet Mignon, and much more upscale food to create a once in a lifetime dining experience. 

      - The entire wait staff did some more entertainment tonight by singing a traditional Italian Song "That's Amore."

                                                                                                                                           

Night 4

      Tonight we ran into a little problem. Although nothing major, being a waiter myself as well as two other at the 

table, this kind of bothered us a little bit.

      - To our best knowledge, Naidu seemed to have about four or five tables that he had to wait on which could get a little confusing. When bringing us our first course (soup and/or salad) he put our order on the table next to us. When he realized what he did all he did was take it off their table and put it on ours. We felt as though he should have brought us a new bowl instead of giving us the one touched by other people. 

      - Another great night of entertainment by the wait staff! Tonight the did a wonderfully choreographed dance to Flo-Rida's "Apple Bottom Jeans." They got many of the guests involved teaching them the steps and letting us dance with them. 

                                                                                            

Night 5

      Tonight we chose to go all out and go to the Sun King Steakhouse on board. I have always wanted to try one of the specialty restaurants because I have heard nothing but good things about it. They had a great menu with food I will probably never be able to try again as well as over the top service. This was by far the best service and food we had the whole week. 

            - They charge $35 a person and you are able to choose up to three starters, one main course, as many side dishes as you would like, and one dessert. In total we spend $70 for two people; well worth the money for the amount of food they give you.  

      - The food tasted AMAZING! I was able to try escargot (something I will probably never be able to have again). I also ordered salad, soup, a wonderful Filet Mignon, (cooked perfectly) with a baked potato, steamed broccoli, and very tasty dessert platter. 

      - Service was superb. The waiter's had a big smiles on their face helping us navigate the menus, explaining what the have to offer, and what we are able to order. They showed us the different types of meats they had that night going over every detail. They even let us take the left over steak back to the room for a midnight snack! 

Night 6    
      It's the last night which means saying goodbye to this unforgettable vacation. Naidu knew all of our names by the second night making us feel very welcomed, loved, and cared for. Saying goodbye to the waiters is always a sad time, but they were sure to make it a happy occasion.

      - I was looking forward to this night all week because I have been wanting frog legs again since my last Carnival Cruise, and my luck they had them! They were just as yummy as I remembered.

      - For their final entertainment they sung us all a goodbye song. The head of the dining room had a very nice speech hoping we all had a great vacation and wishing everybody safe travels.

      Besides the main dining room, there are many other options for food that we took advantage of. Some good, some bad, but I have our personal reviews for all!

Breakfast/Lunch Buffet:

      - We went to the breakfast buffet only once (the morning of the second day). The food wasn't the best and there wasn't really much service since it is a buffet. However, there was staff going around asking if we would like anything to drink and if we needed refills

      - Each day there was a different theme such as Mexican, Caribbean, Italian. There was a good variety of food to choose from and my favorite, chips and salsa! I made sure to get them every day because they were so good! Just like breakfast, since it was a buffet there was not much service involved but they were going around making sure our drinks were full. 

      - Although the main food changed daily The Mongolian Wok and Deli was open for lunch every day with great food and great service. 

Breakfast in Main Dining Hall:

      - After not really enjoying the food in the breakfast buffet we decided to give the sit down breakfast a try. The food was much better; hot, fresh, and cooked to order. They even had a "sea day brunch" which included things like Eggs Benedict and french tat covered in your choice of cereal. 
      - The first time we went, day 5, the service was actually horrible. The waiter seemed like he did not want to be there shaking his had at us while we ordered and not one smile on his face. By far the worst service experience throughout the whole week.
      - However, we went back the next two days and asked for Nadiu who was amazing once again. He was happy, gladly took our order, and catered to my picky needs. He was wonderful at all times of the day!

Coffee Bar:

      - We didn't get a chance to try the coffee bar until day 5, but the service and drinks were amazing. We went back again on day 6 and the Batista remembered us, what we liked, and make or drinks just as amazing. She was very friendly, energetic, and helpful. She even held our chocolate covered strawberries in the back for about an hour while we went t go buy some pictures. She was such a delight! 




Room Service: 

      - My fiance and I ordered room service once; for breakfast on day 4. It came on time and it was fresh and tasty. No complaints there. 
      - The other couple we were traveling with, Kim and Andrew, ordered room service at least once a day at all different times. They said the food was great, sometimes better then what the buffet was offering. Room service is available 24 hours a day with no charge which is great. However, their only complaint was that it took a very long time for the food to arrive. It always came hot and fresh, but with 2,000 or more hungry people on board the food would sometimes take an hour or more to get there.