Cruising is one of my favorite vacations, it gives you a chance to see many different cities, eat all the food you want, lounge in the sun and it doesn’t break the bank.We are more than fortunate that Galveston is not too far South that we can drive down in less than a day and be sailing away into the Gulf of Mexico.
Carnival Cruise Lines recently updated their cruise ship, Freedom. This renovation included over $70 million in upgrades! The renovation also included complimentary eateries such as BlueIguana Cantina, and Guy’s Burger Joint, developed in partnership with Food Network personality Guy Fieri, along with exciting new bar concepts BlueIguana Tequila Bar, RedFrog Rum Bar, the cocktail pharmacy-themed Alchemy Bar and the Caribbean-inspired RedFrog Pub. Four new high-tech Playlist Productions shows were added, as well.
I headed South to check out the ship myself along with 1000’s of service members and their families. Carnival Cruise Lines has teamed up with Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit organization that supports military families, so I was lucky enough to be a part of the men and women who make us proud to be an American! To kick off the night on the ship, Carnival presented Operation Homefront with a $100,000 check. I love knowing that Carnival gives back to the community. It couldn’t have been more fitting that we were on their ship called Freedom!
After the check was presented, Carnival had another surprise. Martina McBride performed a private concert for everyone aboard. McBride, a 14-time GRAMMY® nominee, performed on Carnival Freedom’s upper deck in the first Carnival LIVE show staged outdoors. It was her second time participating in the Carnival LIVE concert series that offers guests the best live music at sea from popular acts spanning a variety of musical genres.
Martina McBride ROCKED the stage. She entertained us for over an hour with her hit songs and many cover songs. Everyone on board had an amazing time and loved every minute of it. She ended her concert with a very fitting song, Independence Day. I was able to catch one of my favorite parts of the song.
The night was perfect and I can’t think of a better way to honor our Veterans and heroes. I’m looking forward to sailing with the Carnival Freedom soon. The cruise will launch four- to seven-day cruises calling at ports throughout Mexico, the Caribbean, Bahamas and Florida beginning Feb. 21. Carnival Freedom joins Carnival Triumph and Carnival Magic in Galveston. Together these three ships will carry more than 600,000 passengers annually from Texas — more than any other cruise line.
Have you been on a cruise before?
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