Carnival Dream verses Allure

If you have sailed on both can you compare them for me?

Crowds. Kids clubs. Etc?

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Marcie and Jay

Five kiddos ages 2-15

Grand Rapids,

Michigan

Carnival fascination 2001

Disney fantasy 2011

RCCL Allure of the Seas 2013

Nothing carnival has can compare with the Allure or the Oasis. Those are both Top Notch ships.

Nothing carnival has can compare with the Allure or the Oasis. Those are both Top Notch ships.

Been on both the Dream and the Allure.....agree with the above......no comparison.....Allure is in a class all by itself!!!!

I have been on Carnival Magic sister to the Carnival Dream and LOVED every minute of it. I will probably never sail the Allure because it is just way to big!

Nothing carnival has can compare with the Allure or the Oasis. Those are both Top Notch ships.

There's no cruise line that can compare to what RC has in Allure & Oasis

I understand what you mean. But what do you have to say about the crowds and service? I never felt crowded on allure. But I hear people think the dream is busy. so how do they compare?

Thanks

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Marcie and Jay

Five kiddos ages 2-15

Grand Rapids,

Michigan

Carnival fascination 2001

Disney fantasy 2011

RCCL Allure of the Seas 2013

Been on both and the Dream feels more crowded than the Allure. The younger kids would love the aqua park and older the rock climbing wall and zip line and flowrider. Trust me, Allure hands down.:)

I never felt crowded on the Allure. There is so much going on that the passengers are scattered all over the ship.

The shows were beyond great and the parades down the Promenade are so much fun! Plus there is the rock climbing wall, flowrider, zip lining and the ice skating rink just to name a few. The nightlife is non-stop....

I used to say the ship was too big......before i sailed on it....trust me it is NOT too big.....it's just beautiful.

The Dream cannot touch it.........

Price is definitely a lot more for the Oasis of the Seas (Allure of the Seas Sister Ship same size)...it definitely is huge...one of my photos in St Maarten...Oasis with Dream alongside:

...and a link to a better comparison photo

:):):):)

I understand what you mean. But what do you have to say about the crowds and service? I never felt crowded on allure. But I hear people think the dream is busy. so how do they compare?

 

Thanks

 

 

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Marcie and Jay

Five kiddos ages 2-15

Grand Rapids,

Michigan

 

Carnival fascination 2001

Disney fantasy 2011

RCCL Allure of the Seas 2013

Magic could feel crowded at times but not all the time.

We would always want to try a cruise ship we haven't been on first. :):):):)

I have been on the Carnival Dream and Oasis of the Seas which is the sister of Allure. I can tell you that the Carnival Dream felt more crowded that the Oasis. It is something in the design of the Oasis sisters that make them work very well. You actually feel like you are on a ship half the size. In addition you have the Boardwalk with the Aqua Theater and the Central Park with the different speciality restaurants and topical plants. I fell that nothing right now can touch what RCI offers with Oasis and Allure. In addition a third Oasis ship will be sailing in 2016.

You will of course pay more to sail the Oasis sisters but in my opinion it is totally worth the money to experience what these ships offer. As someone stated even the shows, both in the main show lounge and the Aqua Theater put the shows that Carnival has below them.

Remember again this is my opinion, people do have their favorite ship and line. Mine use to be HAL and the Noordam, but it has recently switched to RCI and the Oasis sisters. I have sailed on Oasis 4 times and will be boarding the Allure next week with another cruise on her a few weeks later.

Thanks. I agree Allure was amazing. I do hope to go on her or oasis again but this next trip had some last minute booking issues and I couldn't get two rooms together on any RCCL ship sailing April 4 or 5 from Port Canaveral. LOL. The Dream was the only one. That's what I get for booking last minute. Thanks.

I will keep and open mind about The Dream but it is good to know about the crowding issues.

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Marcie and Jay

Five kiddos ages 2-15

Grand Rapids,

Michigan

Carnival fascination 2001

Disney fantasy 2011

RCCL Allure of the Seas 2013

Price is definitely a lot more for the Oasis of the Seas (Allure of the Seas Sister Ship same size)...it definitely is huge...one of my photos in St Maarten...Oasis with Dream alongside:

 

 

...and a link to a better comparison photo

 

:):):):)

In the linked comparison photo the Dream looks like a tug boat next to the Oasis......

In the linked comparison photo the Dream looks like a tug boat next to the Oasis......

I know. We sailed Allure and couldn't believe how big it was compared to the other ships.

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Marcie and Jay

Five kiddos ages 2-15

Grand Rapids,

Michigan

Carnival fascination 2001

Disney fantasy 2011

RCCL Allure of the Seas 2013

I'd choose Dream over Allure. Oasis class ships don't look inviting to me. They're too big and boxy, and the missing aft end just looks weird. Wow factor, yes; but not inviting. I get it: it's unreasonable to expect it to look like the Queen Mary (gorgeous ship), or even the Festivale (retains some classic elements). But I still like something with a more old-school look, and the Dream seems like a halfway decent compromise.

I'd choose Dream over Allure. Oasis class ships don't look inviting to me. They're too big and boxy, and the missing aft end just looks weird. Wow factor, yes; but not inviting. I get it: it's unreasonable to expect it to look like the Queen Mary (gorgeous ship), or even the Festivale (retains some classic elements). But I still like something with a more old-school look, and the Dream seems like a halfway decent compromise.

I can understand what you are saying but you can look at the outside of a ship and judge what is on the inside. It is just like looking at a books cover you don't know how good the book would be. Taking a walk in the Central Park Area on either Oasis or Allure might change you mind.

I can understand what you are saying but you can look at the outside of a ship and judge what is on the inside. It is just like looking at a books cover you don't know how good the book would be. Taking a walk in the Central Park Area on either Oasis or Allure might change you mind.

I've looked at photos of the Central Park area, enough to make a somewhat informed decision. It looks awesome, which is what makes them popular, but... I'm still not a fan of ships that deny that they're ships. The area looks more like a hotel courtyard or a high-end shopping mall. Those are nice places, but not an experience I'm looking for when I go on a cruise. And I said before, I like an inviting-looking ship; I want the warm fuzzies when I arrive to the embarkation port or return from shore excursions. I'm sure I'll be more comfortable on RCI's Radiance class or Vision class ships; they have a lot of outside windows and nautical decor, and the classic look that I enjoy.

If you have sailed on both can you compare them for me?

 

Crowds. Kids clubs. Etc?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Marcie and Jay

Five kiddos ages 2-15

Grand Rapids,

Michigan

 

Carnival fascination 2001

Disney fantasy 2011

RCCL Allure of the Seas 2013

There is no comparisons, Allure wins in all categories

We sailed on the Allure and the Dream within months of each other. We had an enjoyable time on both, but the Dream was more like a "that was nice" kind of cruise while the Allure was more like a "Wow! That was absolutely amazing!" Kind of cruise. NO COMPARISON!

Even though Dream is a good 100,000 tons smaller than the Allure, it did feel much more crowded. Bad passenger flow, and much worse space to passenger ratio.

If you're on a budget, the Dream will be a good option. It's NOT the Allure, but it still delivers a very enjoyable cruise experience, specially considering that it's usually much cheaper (in our case about half the price of the Allure!)

Feel free to read my Allure and Dream cruise reviews (links below in my signature). I wrote about the good and bad from each cruise. Hope they are helpful! :)

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I have sailed both. Allure by far is the better ship. Dream was more crowded with less to do. Price was higher too. No real comparison.

Sailed both - RM 11327 on Allure, 2nd to last balcony over the Aqua Theater on deck 11, and a mid ship port side cove balcony on Dream - about 4 months apart from one another. Here are my opinions/observations.

Crowd - Dream was much more crowded - almost agonizingly overcrowded on the pool decks. Chairs on the Allure were everywhere, even right by the pools. Crowd was much more relaxed on the Dream (Carnival crowd) and in less of a hurry. Allure, seemed to rush to get to the next thing, into shows, etc.

Entertainment - one or two okay shows on Dream, huge comedy club area you need to get to early to get a good seat. Little entertainment on deck but this is changing according to John H. blog; Allure - to much entertainment you almost feel compelled to see it all! Every turn was a new show, production, adventure.

Things to do - water slides were great, but closed often (high winds, rain, etc). No ropes course like the sister ships have. Pools are terrible - both over crowded. Allure, floriders are great (though now limiting what you can do on them), zip line, and a crap load of other things. Advantage Allure... Especially concerning pools. Dream jacuzzis are hard to come by, weird areas.

Adult Area - Dream had a nice one, but closed on a few occasions due to winds. Allures was awesome, but inside. I did like this area a lot though.

Spa / Fitness - Dream wins on this one. Buy a 1 week spa package and you will love it. multiple steam rooms, relaxation rooms, thelosal pools - we used this 2 hrs a day, 7 days, and loved every minute of it. Not available on the allure.

Food - main dining room goes to the Dream, as does all desserts.. I am allergic to nuts and RCCL puts nuts on EVERYTHING! Carnival does not put them on and I could actually eat them. Main dining room food was better on Dream. Buffet on dream, including the Italian place upstairs, was really good and conveniently located. Ice cream was better on dream too, 24/hr where Allure it was only during the day. We did 4 special restaurants on the Allure, and they were all spectacular. They also have better breakfasts on the Allure (Johnny Rockets).

Alcohol - Allure had frozen mojitos, Dream did not. You can bring your own wine on board Carnival, I forget if Royal let you then or not. We also had 4 bottles of booze in our room from the Bon Voyage - and made all our own drinks with the case of soda and case of water we brought on with us - something Royal would never allow. Room tab on Dream because of this was less than $50 (about $185 in bottles delivered, pd for months in advance. poor into water bottles, own soda cans, etc.)... Wine options go to the Allure, with the wine bar (and tapas are great, too.)

Allure is so different from anything else, you have to experience it one time - and enjoy the differences. Try, if at all possible, to get one of the last rooms over the aqua theater - that was a great thing and made a huge difference for us. if not, get as far back as possible, deck 11,12,14 have public balconies in the way back that no one is ever on. Beware of the very back of deck 12, 14 though, as you may be under the bridge.

Loading, unloading, lines, etc. were quick on both. We never saw kids on the Allure, and at times, felt the ship was empty, but the statistics tell differently.

We'll let you know....been on the midget ships Dream and Breeze from Carnival and NCL's Smaller Sun, as well as Carnival's Miracle....can't wait until later this year to cruise on the Allure. We got a great price for a balcony cabin.

Apples and Oranges. Two different ships. Been on the Oasis of the Seas as well as the Dream. The Dream felt very crowded as the Oasis crowd flowed better since it has what the call neighborhoods (central park, boardwalk, etc). Shows - no comparison the Oasis has the best I have seen. Everyone talked about how big the Oasis is but I found it not to be big at all. We had the very last balcony on deck 11 and enjoyed watching shows at the aqua theater from our balcony. Loved our Oasis cruise and also liked the Dream. On the Dream never got to get those hamburgers that they grill on the side of the ship because of the crowd. Don't need to be bumped and pushed just for a burger and whatever else they have grilling. As far as food goes on either ship always found something I liked. Will be on the Dream this coming Saturday, but have not yet booked another Oasis since the Dream is our free cruise from Carnival. :)

They're too big and boxy, and the missing aft end just looks weird.

I find this amusing as Carnival was pretty much the inventor of the big and boxy ship back in the 80's....LOL.....Happy Cruising!