Cruise2011

Caribbean Cruise Sept 22-Oct 4, 2011: (190 Photos)

190. After an absolutely awesome vacation aboard the Carnival Valour last year, Sandra and I were super excited to book our honeymoon vacation this year aboard the Carnival Freedom! Yes, that's right, just a couple weeks ago Sandra and I tied the knot and officially became husband and wife! This cruise was an 8 day Western Caribbean Cruise that would take us South as far as Panama.

189. This year we allowed more time before and after the cruise flying into our cruise port Fort Lauderdale a few days ahead of time. Instead of flying home the same day we got off the ship we stayed in town for an extra three days. We also had some company on this trip, my Father & Iris, and longtime family friends Clarence & Marg who all flew in a day later.

188. On day one Sandra and I hit up the local outlet malls, Cabela's, Bass Pro and and found some terrific sales.

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186. Saturday morning we took advantage of the complimentary hotel shuttle to the Cruise Terminal in Fort Lauderdale an boarded the beautiful Carnival Freedom. This is a sister (identical) ship to the Valor and has the same layout but has a different theme, different restaurants, different stage shows, etc.

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177. Florida is definitely the land of boats and Yachts! It is an awesome location for motor boat enthusiasts.

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172. Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas was in port and was set to sail shortly after we departed, it's a monster of a Ship!

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163. Sailing down the Florida coast as the sun sets on the sunshine state.

162. There are many free (included) dining options on the ship, however on the first night of our cruise Sandra and I booked the ship's legendary steakhouse. This is a paid dining option and was a wedding gift from Clarence and Marg. We had a fantastic meal with a choice of prime cuts of steak cooked to perfection.

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159. Even desert was fabulous!

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157. Day two of the cruise was a sea day as we past north of Cuba on our way to our first port the following morning.

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155. Fancy dress night was on the evening of Day 2 where all guests in the dining room were dressed to kill!

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152. There is entertainment literally around every corner of the ship!

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150. Seats fill up fast for both the early and late shows in the main theatre.

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147. After the main show Dad, Clarence and I hit up the Punch Line Comedy club for another excellent show!

146. Towel Creature Day 2

145. Our first port of call was back to Cozumel Mexico. When we looked at cruises we decided on another Western Caribbean Cruise, especially when we found ports that really interested us, Cozumel was the only duplicate from last year, and was one of our favorite ports.

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143. The port was super busy this time as the Carnival Liberty was in port on the same pier.

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140. We didn't book an excursion in Cozumel but took a look around the shops and spent a quiet afternoon on the half deserted and quiet ship.

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138. This year we also opted for a room with a balcony as opposed to the standard window only outside room we had last year, and I highly recommend this as I really enjoyed the balcony when we went back to our room, plus Sandra could smoke outside on the balcony.