Carnival Dream - October 3, 2009 Trip

[happymycat]

Well had a wonderful trip. I am not a complainer but wanted to voice my views on my trip aboard the Carnival Dream.

Good news:
The rooms are beautiful. I had a spa suite which was big, beautiful and even had a spa shower/tub.
They have terrific movies at the outdoor theater and also in the room. They were actually new first rate movies. The drinks were great. The casino is large and lots of machines. The best dessert was the Apple Hollander, which was absolutely delicious. We had terrific service in the dining room and in our stateroom as well. Great spa but very crowded.

Bad news:
The food is okay but not by far excellent. I have been on many cruises that the food is the thing I remember the most, it being really good. The dining room was the best. But their pizza bar needed work. Their pizza, garlic bread, caesar salads were a hit and miss. Usually they just pulled out a piece, lukewarm. Everytime we would go, we were told they were out of garlic bread and did not make any new. Well for the salad, I didn't see any the whole cruise. The sandwiches at the pannini bar were horrible. I went to the dining room at lunch and was still hungry when I left. Very small portions. The buffet was the usual stir fry which you get easily tired of. Some of the desserts were stale and had either been out for a while or were from another night's dinner. No midnight buffet.

We ate at the Supper Club. The steak was the best I have ever had. Too bad as the broth on the onion soup was too strong, the veggies were not edible and the dessert of the apple tart I did not want to finish. When they saw we did not like the food, they brought out substitutes but they were not much better.

The shows were pretty good, but far between. They were usually so crowded that if you did not get there a half an hour early, you could not find a seat. I saw better shows at my hotel in Cancun. They were actually more talented and creative than the shows on the ship.

Because the ship is so large, getting a chair to lay out in the sun is a problem if you do not get their early.

The tours, which were very expensive, were very crowded. At least 50 people and with most of the tour guides which we could not understand what they said.

We did not get to stop at Monte Carlo because of rough waters. I booked this cruise because it included Monte Carlo. At night the waters were somewhat rough but during the day they were beautiful. They were going to then stop at Genova but it had labor problems. I am wondering what the real problem was that we did not stop at Monte Carlo.

I had always heard of people trying to get your purse. At Barcelona, I was in a crowd and three young girls were trying to unzip my purse and reach in. Luckily someone saw them at a distance and warned me. Another passenger on the ship felt a hand in his pocket and someone was trying to lift is wallet. He apprehended the boy and called the police.

Would I go on the Carnival again, maybe, but not for 12 days.

[sthrnbll]

Here we go again. 1st post.

[happy cruzin]

Originally Posted by sthrnbll

Here we go again. 1st post.

That does not mean their opinion is not valid......

[cruznlobo]

Well, I am certainly glad I ran across this post before we made final payment. We were looking forward to a new 'boat', but if it's that bad we are cancelling. Thanx!

[Cruise Elf]

I thought it a very fair and balanced review. Told us what they liked and what they didn't.
That said... the Dream is still probably working out kinks. I hope!

Thanks OP! I hope you did enjoy your cruise!

[firefly333]

Sounds pretty fair and balanced to me. OP I gather you havent been on a Carnival cruise for a while. I dont think anyone is respresenting the meals to be 5 star. Im glad you loved the steak in the supper club. I did notice the buffet at night had stuff from the previous days dinner, that must have been left over, so I was glad I had eaten in the dining room. I didnt let it bother me ... but I think your points are valid.

[Nunu]

Originally Posted by cruznlobo

well, i am certainly glad i ran across this post before we made final payment. We were looking forward to a new 'boat', but if it's that bad we are cancelling. Thanx!

lol

[firefly333]

Originally Posted by cruznlobo

Well, I am certainly glad I ran across this post before we made final payment. We were looking forward to a new 'boat', but if it's that bad we are cancelling. Thanx!

I dont think the OP said anything was "that bad". Even after a dry dock, there are some times unfiished things.... by the time of your cruise the few things to complain about a new ship will be done.

The OP said service great, just didnt like all the food. If you like the shows or not is subjective.

[family cruisers]

I have not been on this ship or any carnival ship but this sunday we sail on the pride and I'm so looking forward to it.
I'm glad to hear you had a wonderful trip and it didn't ruin anything for you. I will say for ME that being on a brand new ship I'd probably expect pretty close to perfection or close to it anyway and doesn't sound like thats what it was for you. Maybe their still working out the kinks?
It's good that you did post what you like and also what YOU didn't like.
You are entitled to your opinion and you stated it well without bashing carnival or the dream.
Thanks for your review.

Originally Posted by happymycat

Well had a wonderful trip. I am not a complainer but wanted to voice my views on my trip aboard the Carnival Dream.

Good news:
The rooms are beautiful. I had a spa suite which was big, beautiful and even had a spa shower/tub.
They have terrific movies at the outdoor theater and also in the room. They were actually new first rate movies. The drinks were great. The casino is large and lots of machines. The best dessert was the Apple Hollander, which was absolutely delicious. We had terrific service in the dining room and in our stateroom as well. Great spa but very crowded.

Bad news:
The food is okay but not by far excellent. I have been on many cruises that the food is the thing I remember the most, it being really good. The dining room was the best. But their pizza bar needed work. Their pizza, garlic bread, caesar salads were a hit and miss. Usually they just pulled out a piece, lukewarm. Everytime we would go, we were told they were out of garlic bread and did not make any new. Well for the salad, I didn't see any the whole cruise. The sandwiches at the pannini bar were horrible. I went to the dining room at lunch and was still hungry when I left. Very small portions. The buffet was the usual stir fry which you get easily tired of. Some of the desserts were stale and had either been out for a while or were from another night's dinner. No midnight buffet.

We ate at the Supper Club. The steak was the best I have ever had. Too bad as the broth on the onion soup was too strong, the veggies were not edible and the dessert of the apple tart I did not want to finish. When they saw we did not like the food, they brought out substitutes but they were not much better.

The shows were pretty good, but far between. They were usually so crowded that if you did not get there a half an hour early, you could not find a seat. I saw better shows at my hotel in Cancun. They were actually more talented and creative than the shows on the ship.

Because the ship is so large, getting a chair to lay out in the sun is a problem if you do not get their early.

The tours, which were very expensive, were very crowded. At least 50 people and with most of the tour guides which we could not understand what they said.

We did not get to stop at Monte Carlo because of rough waters. I booked this cruise because it included Monte Carlo. At night the waters were somewhat rough but during the day they were beautiful. They were going to then stop at Genova but it had labor problems. I am wondering what the real problem was that we did not stop at Monte Carlo.

I had always heard of people trying to get your purse. At Barcelona, I was in a crowd and three young girls were trying to unzip my purse and reach in. Luckily someone saw them at a distance and warned me. Another passenger on the ship felt a hand in his pocket and someone was trying to lift is wallet. He apprehended the boy and called the police.

Would I go on the Carnival again, maybe, but not for 12 days.

[mom2tcdx2]

I don't mind the review, food is subjective and I don't pay any attention to someone's thoughts on the food as their opinion and mine may not be the same.

As for the stops, Carnival has the right to change those as necessary. Obviously something was necessary or they would have stopped in Monte Carlo.

Totally looking forward to my Dream trip in December.

[scperk]

Well you have to remember they are getting the food out of Europe and I'm sure it's not the best quality.....I'm sure they will have the bugs worked out by the time it gets to Port Canaveral.........Dennis

[shipty2]

If the OP has been on "many cruises" then they should understand that rough waters are not always obvious to the average sailing passenger. Sometimes the water is not rough enough to rock the boat but would make tendering in or sailing close to the pier a hazard especially after the recent Legend mishap.

[sthrnbll]

Originally Posted by happy cruzin

That does not mean their opinion is not valid......

I'm just saying a first post that is a not so good review is normally a troll

[cruzenagain]

Thanks for the review!! It is nice to know that the rooms are beautiful and that the service was good. These are important things to me.

The food I can deal with as I am never overly impressed with all of the food all of the time. As a matter of fact there are very few desserts I like on the ship but I am sure my hiney thanks me for that.

We really enjoy the shows as our daughter has danced since she was 4 so it has been a big part of our lives as she grew up. She did a talent show one time and danced (before they went to the Legend show) she said the movement made a difference. Some of the dance moves are left out on purpose as they have to consider the movement of the ship not just on the day you travel but on any given day. It is easy to be injured. With that in mind we never expect a Broadway production but most of the shows have been good overall on the ships we have been on. OK, off my soap box. We are excited to hear that they have some new shows on the dream!!

Glad you enjoyed your trip overall.

[Traveler353]

OP you are entitled to your opinion, It was your cruise to enjoy or not. Stand by to be torn to ribbons for daring to say anything negative. I do believe that most of your complaints have a lot to do with false expectations. Any new ship is going to have teething pains and it will get better with age. The weather is something that frankley you are not qualified on. The Captain made his decision based on the safety of the ship, passangers and crew. The Med is not a placid little pond. It can and does get very nasty quickley. Having done four six month deployments in the Med on Navel vessels I know that for a fact. So sorry that you did not enjoy your cruise, better luck next time.

[happymycat]

I didn't mean to distract anyone from going on the cruise. I see people on the board asking for reviews for the Carnival Dream. It was just my opinion. As I said, the ship is new and beautiful. I guess my hopes and expectations on everything were just a little too high. The rooms far exceeded my expectations. The food is a matter of preference. I had never been on a ship quite this big so some things have to be traded. I also wasn't advised that you could even select the Dine Whenever You Want to.

Before I went on this cruise, I read all the boards hoping to know what to expect. Please, if you have already scheduled your trip, please go. Every ship has some pros and cons. This was my first post because I haven't been on a cruise in about three years and first found this board after seeing the Carnival boards. Just my opinions....

[GlendaleCruiser]

Having seen the webcams for the current cruise that had to skip Barcelona and hide behind Sardinia because of weather, I totally agree that those decisions are best left to the Captain (Skipping ports).

I will also say that I agree on the tour issues. There were 11 buses in Monaco from our ship on one day (11X55 passengers), and it really got kind of hectic making sure you found the right bus.

Along those same lines, the tour operator in Venice for the panoramic tour was English as a third language and was really having a hard time communicating (FRENCH was her first). When she couldn't find the words she was looking for she merely stopped talking for awhile, leaving us to look at each other and try to guess. We took seven tours in 12 days, however, and those are pretty minor issues overall.

[zstell]

Thanks for the review, I'm glad you thought highly of the ship and the service. We are excited about seeing the Dream after the long wait. Hopefully, the food leaving from a U.S. port will be better, but I am really trying to take the focus of our cruises off of the food. It takes me a month to lose the weight I gain every cruise Although I must admit that I am looking forward to at least one night at the "Steakhouse".

Anyway, I appreciate you taking the time to share YOUR experience!

[sunlover5]

Good review!! But I wouldn't let it stop you from going on the Dream. I remember when the Liberty first sailed and I read the review thinking oh no, but by March they must have worked out the bugs. We even sailed on her again, and so glad we did. 2 of the best cruises we have been on!!

[DocJohnB]

Originally Posted by Traveler353

The weather is something that frankley you are not qualified on. The Captain made his decision based on the safety of the ship, passangers and crew. The Med is not a placid little pond. It can and does get very nasty quickley. Having done four six month deployments in the Med on Navel vessels I know that for a fact.

Have to completely agree with Traveler, the Med can produce some rather nasty seas and do so quickly. During one of my deployements (11/71) about 6 of our liberty launches (tenders) got ashore before these operations were shut down because of increasing seas (I was on the last launch ashore). We were stuck ashore for 3 days and then had to be helicoptered back onboard.

Apparently bad weather did it again to the Dream and the Brilliance of the Seas just a couple of weeks later.