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Carnival Dream Questions


Sailfish

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I will be going on the Carnival Dream this summer in early July. Though I am a Carnival Platinum level past guest, I am from California and not used to cruising in the Caribbean in the summer. I have a few ship specific questions I am hoping those of you who have been on the Dream can help me with; I am also looking for some general feedback on summer cruising in the Caribbean.

 

We are doing a Western Caribbean Itinerary; as certified divers, we are excited to be given a chance to dive in these ports in the summer, as the visibility tends to be better than any other time, according to divers who have been there in the summer months. But there will be more to this trip than diving. What kind of weather can I expect to encounter in early July? Rain and lots of it is what I am expecting - is this accurate?

 

We are looking forward to enjoying the ship when we are not diving. We have not yet decided on the ports where we plan to dive, but as we have been to ALL of them many times (though not in the summer), we probably won't be getting off the ship unless it is to go diving. What can you tell me about a ship's entertainment & activity schedule with a port intensive itinerary (one day at sea at the start and end of the cruise)? I don't like to simply sit around doing nothing, and prefer to be active. Just curious how "active" a ship like the Dream is when it's in port?

 

We were on the Spirit over Christmas and New Years on a California based cruise to Mexico. Not sure why, but there wasn't much to do during the day when the ship was in port - vast majority of people who remained on the ship relaxed by the pool or in a bar. There was nothing going on at all. Had the weather been bad, people probably would have been inside lot. How does a ship like the Dream plan activities when it is raining?

 

If I know nothing much happens, I can plan for this and simply get off the ship and go shopping, but that's not much fun in the pouring rain either. I know many people who prefer to relax and not do too much on vacation - I can get into that mode as well. It's just nice to know in advance what to expect.

 

Thanks.

 

Suzi

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I will be going on the Carnival Dream this summer in early July. Though I am a Carnival Platinum level past guest, I am from California and not used to cruising in the Caribbean in the summer. I have a few ship specific questions I am hoping those of you who have been on the Dream can help me with; I am also looking for some general feedback on summer cruising in the Caribbean.

 

We are doing a Western Caribbean Itinerary; as certified divers, we are excited to be given a chance to dive in these ports in the summer, as the visibility tends to be better than any other time, according to divers who have been there in the summer months. But there will be more to this trip than diving. What kind of weather can I expect to encounter in early July? Rain and lots of it is what I am expecting - is this accurate? Varies every year...so you won't know until the day you are there.

 

We are looking forward to enjoying the ship when we are not diving. We have not yet decided on the ports where we plan to dive, but as we have been to ALL of them many times (though not in the summer), we probably won't be getting off the ship unless it is to go diving. What can you tell me about a ship's entertainment & activity schedule with a port intensive itinerary (one day at sea at the start and end of the cruise)? I don't like to simply sit around doing nothing, and prefer to be active. Just curious how "active" a ship like the Dream is when it's in port? Obviously on port days there are less activities going on. I really can't tell you what they are because we always get off the ship but I am sure it is the typical trivia and bean bag toss and things of that nature.

 

We were on the Spirit over Christmas and New Years on a California based cruise to Mexico. Not sure why, but there wasn't much to do during the day when the ship was in port - vast majority of people who remained on the ship relaxed by the pool or in a bar. There was nothing going on at all. Had the weather been bad, people probably would have been inside lot. How does a ship like the Dream plan activities when it is raining? If the weather is bad they will change the activities and come up with a bunch of stuff to do inside...not always the most exciting things but to keep people occupied anyway.

 

If I know nothing much happens, I can plan for this and simply get off the ship and go shopping, but that's not much fun in the pouring rain either. I know many people who prefer to relax and not do too much on vacation - I can get into that mode as well. It's just nice to know in advance what to expect.

 

Thanks.

 

Suzi

 

I don't really think the Dream has much more going on than any other ship, so if you have sailed CCL before you kind of know what to expect...just newer and bigger with a nice waterslide area...

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I don't really think the Dream has much more going on than any other ship, so if you have sailed CCL before you kind of know what to expect...just newer and bigger with a nice waterslide area...

 

Thanks.

 

I was hoping that this larger ship would have more going on. I am a bit concerned with all the negative reviews; I was hoping for more, I guess. Appreciate you taking the time to respond.

 

Suzi

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Suzi, my answers are similar to the previous poster...it is a larger ship, but I didn't notice that there were any more activities and entertainment options than on the somewhat smaller ships, like the Triumph or Glory. We had 4 ports of call on a 7-day cruise, so that was pretty port-intensive...however, I did stay on board for most of one of the port days, and I must admit that I was somewhat bored...if you like solitude, though, and more open loungers and such, then it's nice to be on board a big ship when most of the passengers are ashore for the day...it is a beautiful ship, and I wish you a fun cruise :)

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As far as weather, you can't predict. We sailed the Western itinerary on Dream in mid-June last summer and had beautiful, sunny weather every single day. We stayed on the ship when it docked in Cozumel. It was very quiet on board, but we loved having Serenity all to ourselves:

 

Me in the hot tub:

 

5853302417_ca5b6e137b_z.jpg

 

You can see our towel in the 2nd clamshell from the bottom:

 

5853289467_235f745d93_z.jpg

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