1. How many can drinks will be allowed to take onboard in our suitcases? I dont think we will drink enough to warrant getting to soda card so I was going to bring our own?

2. How many pools are on the Carnival Freedom? Are any of them adults only?

3. We are leaving on Dec 13th..anyone know what the weather is like in Key West, Grand Cayman Islands, and Jamaica this time of year?

4. We have verizon cell phones...will texting still work???

5. For anyone who has been to any of these destinations or on this ship..what are some musts (must do, must eat...etc)

 Hints of what to take on board:

    * Small Flash Lite (it is dark in the room at night)
    * Powerstrip to plug in battery changer and Laptop or other electric items. Only one or two outlets on ships
    * Mini battery run clock -when you wake up in the dark you can see the time
    * Walkie Talkies -good quality ones. . about $79 at Costco or Sam's.  Keep in touch with each other anywhere on the ship or in ports. We used them in on our 15 day cruise from Barcelona - Galveston in Nov 08.  Worked in ports. . .my wife stayed on board in Cartagena, Spain and I could talk to her from port.
    * Couple of 12 packs of your fav soft drink.  Drinks are $4.95 and up on board
    * Soft side fold up cooler -med size.  Steward will fill with ice if you ask.  Tip a little more for this at the end.  I have them fill it in the PM the first night and it lasts.  Keep in in the shower floor.
    * Some folks bring a 18 pack of beer in their check in I have heard and read. .so the ice cooler is helpful.

There are other items. ..just thought of these.

Packing!   Pack your bags.  Then take half out and you'll have about what you need


Key West. . .go to Dirty Harry's on Duval St.  Met the owner on our RCL T/A last Nov coming from Barcelona - Galveston.  Great place.. . .before you go look on the location of the Live City Cams.. .you can stand there and wave at you friends at home watching on the Internet

Grand Cayman . .some good Internet Cafe's to check email.  Shopping is expensive.  GC is the off shore banking money capitol of the world. Still is a fun place visit.  Go to the Seven Mile Beach. . .it is beautiful.  Just minutes away by taxi or you can bus.   
 Montego Bay, (Mobay)Jamaica - We go the beach by Jimmy Buffet's.  Not much for shopping. . .watch your wallet and purses.  We take the $12 All Day Bus pass. . get on and get off where you like.
 

So can we just hook one of our carnival luggage tags to the 12 packs or do they have to fit in our suitcase?

 Just hand carry soft drinks.  We took 2 12 pack of Diet Coke and Diet Dr. Pepper one each on most cruises carried them by hand.. .unopened any thing opened will not go through security.  Leave them in original box or plastic wrap.

herringtonusc:

1. How many can drinks will be allowed to take onboard in our suitcases? I dont think we will drink enough to warrant getting to soda card so I was going to bring our own?

2. How many pools are on the Carnival Freedom? Are any of them adults only?

3. We are leaving on Dec 13th..anyone know what the weather is like in Key West, Grand Cayman Islands, and Jamaica this time of year?

4. We have verizon cell phones...will texting still work???

Verizon - texting is .60 to send, and .10 to receive, cheaper than phone calls, and more convenient than walkie talkies.  Think of this, it will cost 1.40 to tell you spouse to meet me at the casino  and for them to answer, and if you do this less than 57 times, you will save money over walkie talkies.  

 

5. For anyone who has been to any of these destinations or on this ship..what are some musts (must do, must eat...etc)

 

 With all due rerepect to the poster about Verizon texting. . .WalkieTalkies are soooo much more.  Unlimted conversation.  Instant commication and total coverage on board any ship or at port. Never had a problem on board any ship.  CCL Conqeust, CCL Fantasy, CCL Ecstasy, or the huge RCL Voyager Of The Seas.   To tell someone once for $1.40 you can have a whole conversatlion again and again.  If I had used texting on all our cruises. . .I would have spend far more than I paid for the Motorola Walkie Takies.  When I get up and leave the room at 6:30am and am on the Lido Deck drinking coffee my sweetheart can call me and say. . ."Honey, would you bring me a plate of Danish rolls" or "I'm comiing up to join you and let's have some breakfast."   NO charege.  We were in Cartagena, Spain in Nov 2008 and she was not feeling well.  I went off ship into the port. . .we talked ship to shore with no problem. . .15 to 20 minutes.  I brought her a gift from the port. . .what she asked for.  Cost?  Price of the Motorola Walkie Takies. Just $69 after a $10 rebate at Costco. Use them again and again on every cruise.

Also you have to remember that inorder to text to each other you have to leave your phone on.   and that could mean receiving text messages from other people.... and with some carriers you might also have to pay for incoming phone calls that you do not answer once they go to voice mail... since they had to use the tower onboard....to route the call there.