Episode 99: I'm Back from a Carnival Cruise

30Mar 2024 by EJtheTravelDiva

This was a short 4-day cruise to the Bahamas, and I know I said I was never going to take another short Bahamas cruise, but my cousin, who has never been out of the country, was taking a cruise with his girlfriend, and I could not pass up the opportunity to be there for his first cruise.

Let’s get into it:

[04:16] Port Canavaral

Our cruise left out of Port Canavaral, which isn’t the most convenient since it’s about an hour away from the nearest airport.

If you’re flying into Orlando on the day, preferably take the first flight, so that you can get to Port Canavaral in time. I recommend flying into Orlando the day before, so that you have less to worry about.

I booked a travel package that included airport pickup, a hotel with free breakfast, drop-off at the cruise, pickup after the cruise, and airport drop-off.

We had a mini vacation in Port Canavaral before our cruise vacation.

[08:03] Carnival Freedom

The Carnival Freedom ship is fairly old, having been built in 2006.

It doesn’t have all the wild amenities of the modern ships, but if it’s your first time on a cruise, this is a great ship.

I didn’t really have high expectations of the ship itself.

The cruise check-in process changed a lot since the last time I took a cruise.

Usually, you’d stand in a long line, waiting to check in. This one was fast, which I appreciated.

[10:51] Food

My top priority on this ship was being at Guy Fieri’s Burger Bar. If that’s not your scene, there was also a seafood restaurant, an Italian restaurant, a pizza bar, buffets, a steakhouse, and a sports bar. Food is usually included in your ticket, except at the specialty restaurants, so if you want to save on expenses, plan where you’re going to eat accordingly.

My recommendation is to pack your team jersey, because the sports bar will be packed for game nights.

[13:20] The Room

On my first cruise, I booked an interior room, which is basically just a room with beds and no windows. I’ve since experienced balconies, and now I simply can’t take a cruise without a balcony.

For this cruise, I booked a balcony stateroom.

Here, you can order room service, or your morning coffee after a shower, and enjoy your coffee on your balcony while you airdry your body.

It’s also great to get a portside balcony so that you can sit in the comfort of your room watching all the latecomers running to catch the ship before it leaves.

[17:03] Destinations

During the cruise, our destinations were Nassau and Bimini.

Since my last visit to Nassau, it has changed completely. It’s been renovated and you no longer have to deal with the chaos that it used to be.

I’d recommend booking an excursion to experience Nassau, get some day passes to Margaritaville, or spend the day at Atlantis.

We spent our time at the public beach, spent $20 for our seats and an umbrella, had drinks and food, and just chilled.

Try to ignore all the people trying to sell you things. They’re trying to make a living, but it can be overwhelming.

In Bimini, we got a day pass to one of the resorts with all-you-can-drink liquor at the bar after 11am – although, they only served a drink every 15 minutes. So, we were hanging out with our drinks at the pool, there was a DJ, and got some food in the restaurants.

After hanging out at the resort for a few hours, we took a taxi to downtown Bimini, which was a street with bars and restaurants on the beach, found some good seafood, ate our food at a table on the beach looking out over the bluest ocean water I have ever seen.

[24:08] Entertainment

There is anything you could think of on a cruise ship.

I spent time in the casino, there were Broadway shows, live music bars, comedy shows, trivia nights, food and drink tasting, pools, hot tubs, and shopping.

[31:38] Get Out There

What made me the happiest about this cruise was that my cousin now wants to get out there and see the world.

Try taking a short cruise as your introduction to travel. You don’t have to take a big trip to Europe or Africa to start travelling.

Book a cruise package. Everything is included. I recommend checking which package you’ve booked, because often there is an extra package for those who want unlimited drinks.

The most important thing to remember is to start somewhere. If you’re new to cruises, I recommend a short cruise with Royal Caribbean, Carnival, or Norwegian. If you’re on a tight budget, start with an interior room if you can’t book a balcony. If you haven’t been on a cruise in a while, take a short cruise to get yourself back into the swing of things, because cruising is back, baby.

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