My wife and I are going on our first cruise in Nov. 09, for our 1 year anniversary. We are going to be doing the 8 Day Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Carnival Freedom. I just have a couple of questions, that I am hoping someone might be able to give me some enlightenment on.

First off, I know there will be formal dinner nights. I have looked all over Carnivals website and I cannot find how many formal nights there are for this cruise. Does anyone know how many there might be, so we know what all we need to pack. Second, is it worth the extra money to get an oceanview room? We don't plan on being in the room much except to change, shower, sleep, and etc...

I appreciate any advice/info that I can get.

There will be 2 formal nights. If you like to wake up with light coming into your room or look out and see the ocean,then get an oceanview room,if not,get an inside room.Also,it is a good idea to pack a small power strip to use in your room,it may come in handy with battery chargers.
Have Fun !!!
Mike

2 formal nights is correct.. now on the room..we get a inside so we save there and spend on excursions and other things.. you are NEVER in your room so its just a thing to get more revenue. 13 cruises 1 oceanview.. now usually the rooms are bigger on oceanview

CTyson, Welcome to Cruise-Chat and congratulations on choosing a cruise to celebrate your anniversary. No one can really tell you how much time you will spend in your cabin. It's your vacation and you should enjoy it the way you want to. You may find your cabin a nice retreat to get out of the hot sun on a sea day, and watch a movie in the quietness of your room. You may just want to go back to the cabin and take a nap. You may want to order room service and enjoy coffee and rolls in the morning or tea in the afternoon. Or you may just want to enjoy the quietness of your cabin reading a book. Then again you may want to get involved with everything on the ship. The inside cabins are dark and when you wake up you won't know if it's still night or morning. You also won't know whether it's sunny or raining until you go up on deck. The inside cabins are 185 Sq ft. Outside cabins are 220 sq ft with unobstructed view. 185sq ft obstructed view on the Freedom.

Hi CTyson, and Welcome to Cruise-Chat!

Congratulations on your first cruise and anniversary! If there is not a big price difference I would go with the Oceanview cabin since it is your first cruise and a special occasion. Of course, the price difference is subjective for everyone. I personally don't spend a lot of time in the cabin, other than the reasons you noted. It is nice to look out of the window and see the weather and know if it is light or dark outside. Looking out to see the Port you just arrived in is another great thing. I'm not going to pay a big per person price difference for the privilege though.

Welcome aboard,

Dwayne

dwayne is right,if the oceanview is not that much higher go for it. on our first cruise we had a window.and yes we liked it,but the price diffrence was about $180.00 ppr and back then i did not know better..we had a port side window and the morning we were leaving nassau about 7am i got up and watch us leaving port.as we did i notices that a couple was running tward the ship and i believe we were leaving them lol.. your first cruise you do what you want,but to me we all are going to the same place no matter what room you have.and the staff treats evetyone great no matter what room you have. I just like to save money so i can go on the next one ASAP!!

It is a personal choice, but I would get the OV.

Since you are going on an 8 day cruise, the interior cabins are just to small for my taste.

If it were a 4 or 5 day....perhaps....

I like the OV on Main because you have guest cabins below and the dining room above (which is closed after 10pm).

We did the Freedom 8 day in November and loved it.

Check out the balcony prices as well, this for us is the way to go. As many have mentioned, it is a personal choice but if you can afford the balcony or the OV,I think you will enjoy it. We enjoy our balcony, especially if we are travelling without friends.

Balcony rooms are awesome, we love the fresh morning air sitting out on the balcony, we order coffee and fresh fruit in the morning and relax on the deck for at least an hour every morning, and it is awesome, especially when you are pulling into or exiting the ports of call

I really do not like inside cabins. It just messes with my mind to wake up and not be able to see outside. I love the balcony cabins the best. There is nothing like sitting on your balcony, sippin coffee in the morning or late at night just listening to the ocean. I would definately take an oceanview over an inside anyday if you can swing it. You will probably spend more time in your cabin than you may expect. Whatever you decide, enjoy your first cruise..I am sure it won't be your last.

quote:

I really do not like inside cabins. It just messes with my mind to wake up and not be able to see outside.

I have to admit that I've had a few of those "What time is it?" moments when waking up in inside cabins. On the cruise before last, I rushed up stairs to get some tea at 6:45AM thinking the ship was anchoring at Grand Cayman. Nope! We were no where near land, the stop had been canceled because conditions were too bad to tender. For the most part though it is a monetary consideration with me to get inside cabins. I get to cruise more often that way. If I can get Oceanview for a small amount more though, I usually do.

Dwayne

yes.. for the price of 1 balcony i can get 2 or more cruises in a inside cabin.. more bang for the buck especially in this economic mess we are in.. it comes to go on 1 cruise or 3..hmmmm,i'll take the 3

Hi Ctyson, welcome to Cruise-Chat. Congratulations on your upcoming cruise and anniversary.

If the price difference isn't too much, I'd do an OV and some are offering free upgrades, too. A balcony is fantastic, but I'm with timc, more cruises are better. With that being said, we're booked in balconies on our next two. It is so wonderful to be able to go outside while you're at sea without being in the crowd. It is fantastic watching the sunrise/sunset from your own balcony. Leaving and entering ports are my favorite. You can wave to the people on board the ships next to you. You can do this by booking an inside and going up on deck, but it's really nice to be able to do it from your own balcony. For a short cruise, an inside is fine. It's really a personal choice, and one of price, too. You can book low and use the extra money for shopping or excursions. Best wishes!

First off, thank you for the greetings. And thanks for all of the advise/info. It made the decisions easier. We decided to book the interior room and use the extra money for another excursion.

good job!!! i know that was tough.. just remenber everyone has a fun time and for you to,get involved in as many things as you can.. HAPPY SAILING!!!

Congrats, CTyson on booking your first cruise!

We are all here to help with any questions. Also, keep an eye on your cruise price. You never know, you might can be upgraded later, and it never hurts to ask.

Dwayne

Thank you Tim and IslandCruz.


Yea, I have been reading alot about how people check for upgrades and stuff like that. I will give it like a weeks or so and start calling to see what kind of info I can get.

CTyson, just keep an eye on the website if you didn't book through a travel agent. If you did book through a travel agent, they'll do the watching for you. You'd be surprised, sometimes they do bump you up. Congratulations! November will be here before you know it.