March 2022: Carnival Freedom

 March 12, 2022 

We disembarked the Ruby Princess and headed to the testing Guest Services told us would be there. We were denied because the testing was only for foreign passports. We scrambled. We figured out there was free COVID testing at the Port of Miami. We registered and hopped in a taxi. Luckily, we got the nicest taxi driver in Miami because it turned out it was drive thru only testing. We got our test done and headed to the port to wait for the results. The results came quickly and we started the boarding process. When we checked in at the counter, we were flagged for secondary screening. At first, no one would tell us what was going on. Then, a woman explained we had to see the doctor because there was an issue with our health questionnaire. We waited about 45 minutes for the doctor. He asks, "What seems to be problem?" We answer, "We have no idea why we are here." He redid our health questionnaire and we were allowed to board. 

We were very happy to get on board. We headed to our ocean view cabin 2312. We were pleasantly surprised by the size. I forgot how big the ocean view cabins are on these older ships. 

We have a couch, a chair, and a vanity. We headed up to the Blue Iguana for burritos for lunch. Then, we explored the ship. We stumbled upon the Red Frog Pub half price happy hour so we enjoyed the Parched Pig IPA and a Ting and Gin drink called the Ting-A-Ling. We headed down to the cabin to unpack. Then, we headed up on deck for the Sailaway deck party. It was a little rainy and windy, but it was still a lot of fun. We had dinner in the dining room since it was vegetable lasagna night.  We enjoyed the Poblano and Corn Soup, fried calamari, and lasagan. After dinner, we headed back to the cabin. 

March 13, 2022 - Half Moon Cay 

Yesterday was Half Moon Cay - Carnival's private island in the Bahamas. We had a leisurely start and headed over to the island around 10:30 am. It's a tender port. We walked around the island and had lunch at the BBQ buffet. The jerk chicken was pretty good. We had a beer at the pirate ship bar and swam. It was cool and windy. After we got back, we took a nap. It was formal night. We went to the buffet for dinner. It was nice to have a big salad. We headed down to the Red Frog Pub to try two of the new beers - an Imperial Red Ale and a Golden Ale for Carnival's 50th birthday. The guitar player was great. He played a harmonica while he played guitar. Glenn sang a little. We also went to the Atrium bar to hear the band. They are also good. 

March 14, 2022 - Grand Turk 

We had a lovely day in Grand Turk. It was warm and slightly windy. We docked later - 11:35 am so I worked in the morning. We walked down to Jack's Shack for jerk chicken and conch fritters. Then, we paid $20 for 2 chairs and an umbrella and enjoyed the beautiful water. 

We came back to happy hour at Red Frog Pub and lost st sports trivia. Dinner was the buffet and we called it an early night after Glenn sang kaoreke. 

March 15, 2022 - Sea Day 

Easy Sea Day yesterday. I worked most of the morning. The big excitement was the ship rocked and the pool overflowed sending a wave about an inch deep across the pool deck. Glenn and I spent the day on the pool deck playing cribbage. They had a DJ and the steel drum guy play. It was fun. 

We had dinner at the buffet. The fried chicken was pretty good. We quickly spent our $25 of free play. We tried to listen to the band, but it was too loud so we headed to bed early. 

March 16, 2022 - Aruba 

We headed out to visit RIU Palace Antillas, RIU Palace Aruba, Divi Aruba, and Tamarijn all inclusive resorts. The driver was great and all the appointments went well. They are good moderate resorts who updated the rooms over COVID. It was great to get a peek.

 We got back onboard and headed to Red Frog Pub. We love the guitar player. We ended the night peering out our cabin window at the crew and passengers running back to the ship. 

We came back to the ship for lunch at the buffet. Then, we headed down to trivia. We won US trivia and Slogans. Since all aboard wasn't until 9:30 pm, we headed back out. Glenn found a sushi restaurant not too far from the airport. Glenn blogged about it.

We got back onboard and headed to Red Frog Pub. We love the guitar player. We ended the night peering out our cabin window at the crew and passengers running back to the ship with our new parrot friend. 

March 17, 2022 - Bonaire 

We had a great day in Bonaire. At the last minute, we decided to switch our excursion. Carnival was so accommodating. We switched from a larger snorkel tour to one on a sailing boat with only 12 people. It was great. We sailed to a great area with so many fish. It was some of the best snorkeling I've done. A huge angel fish swam right towards my face and turned at the last minute. I saw large parrot fish, trumpet fish, and so many different colors. It was great. Then, we sailed back. I really enjoyed it. Glenn had fun hanging out on the boat with the Captain. We had lunch at Guy's burgers and then lost at trivia. We had a good time sitting outside watching everyone return to port. One lady's hat blew off into the water and a water rescue was executed. The Cruise Director and two Fun Squad staff set up a speaker and waved Welcome back signs. It was fun. We watched sail away and then headed to the Red Frog pub. We had a nice chat with a couple from New York - Tony and Michelle. We lost at Sports trivia. We headed to the buffet for dinner. The ribs were good. We ended the night at Red Frog with our favorite guitar player. 

March 18, 2022 - Sea Day

I worked in the morning. We lost at classic TV Shows theme trivia because we missed Starsky and Hutch. We went to Sea Day brunch and then played cribbage on deck. Another couple asked if we wanted to play with them so we learned partners trivia. It was really fun. We had dinner at the buffet. They had turkey which was really good. We hung out at Red Frog Pub. 

March 19, 2022 Sea Day 

Our last Sea Day was relaxing. We played Mind Games trivia and went to the Platinum Party. James Love is a very fun cruise director. He had live music and made up some awards like Spring Chicken for the youngest platinum cruiser and Most Spontaneous for the person who booked closest to sailing.  We tried the deli sandwiches and played  games in the Red Frog Pub. Dinner was the buffet and then we went to the deck party. A fun end to the cruise. 

March 20, 2022 Heading Home 

We had an easy disembarkation - a little line, but they were using facial recognition so it went fast. We headed to the airport to catch the RedCoach and off we went. We hit some traffic on the way home, but make it home safely.