B2B on Carnival Dream Western & Carnival Victory Southern Caribbean! Review w/Pics!

I know I'm about a week late on this, but it is finally time for my Back to Back Review! Here is a brief overview of my trip:

September 27-28: Drive from Ohio to Orlando via I-75 with a stop over in Atlanta

September 28-29: Pre-cruise stay in Orlando, FL

September 30: Overnight at Courtyard by Marriott Cocoa Beach

October 1-8: Carnival Dream Exotic Western Caribbean (Balcony Cabin 8248)

October 8-9: Overnight in Orlando, followed by JetBlue flight to San Juan on the morning of the 9th

October 9-16: Carnival Victory Southern Caribbean (Inside Cabin 9227)

October 16: JetBlue flight to Orlando

October 16-18: Visiting friends in Orlando

October 18-19: Orlando to Charlotte with a stop-over in Columbia, SC

October 19-20: Charlotte to Columbus, OH

October 21: Finally home in Ohio!

Nothing says vacation like a 24 day trip to Florida, which includes two 7-night cruises on the Carnival Dream and Carnival Victory.

Stay tuned for a full review with tons of photos! I took over 1,500 on this trip and while I can't post them all on here due to the 6 per post limit, I'll be sure to post a link to all of my albums in my signature as soon as I have them all uploaded.

Hope you enjoy!

Cruise #1: Carnival Dream Exotic Western Caribbean - October 1-8, 2011

Since this is a cruise message board and not a generic "vacation" message board, I'll skip the journey down to Port Canaveral and kick off this review with embarkation day.

Embarkation Day:

We booked the 10:00am TraveLynx Shuttle from the Courtyard by Marriott Cocoa Beach to Port Canaveral. I don't remember the price, but it was very reasonable. Parking at the hotel was $5 per day. The shuttle showed up at the hotel at about 9:55am and started loading guests and luggage. The shuttle itself was a 15 pax van with a luggage trailer. Our shuttle was full for the 10-15 minute ride to Port Canaveral.

Upon arriving, our luggage was unloaded and placed into the luggage bins next to the shuttle drop-off area. I tipped the driver but not the porters since they didn't really do anything but point to which bin the driver should put our luggage in. I came to find out inside the terminal that the porters at Port Canaveral are salaried and there is a big sign saying that "tipping is not required". I guess salaried porters = porters that want to do as little as possible.

Anyway, our luggage was safely in the luggage bins and we were inside and through security by 10:30am. No line at security or check-in. We were given zone 3 and were shown to the waiting area, which was made up of rows upon rows of stackable chairs. They fill every seat and attempt to seat you by zone so that they can just guide one row at a time to the embarkation photo area when it is time to board.

At check-in, they told us that boarding is scheduled to commence at 1:30pm, but they were trying to get us on by noon. At 11:30am, they called zones 1 and 2, and by 11:35, we were heading to the picture area. I guess this is an example of under promising and over delivering, but if they typically allow guests on the ship at 11:30am every week, why say 1:30 at all?

The photo taking at embarkation is getting a little rediculous. First is a group photo with backdrop, then an individual green screen photo (they tell you it is a security photo, but it is really for the facial recognition program that they for the photo gallery photo finder screens), and then you finally get your real security photo taken as you enter the ship on Deck 3 when you "ding" in for the first time. Still fairly painless, but it is a sign of what is to come with all of the photographers asking you for photos.

Once onboard, we proceeded through the lobby (which is quite impressive with the glass platform for the piano player and the singing duo and the lobby bar, complete with ThirstyFrog Red on tap) and to the glass elevators for a quick ride to Lido for lunch. We walked around a little bit, but almost immediately decided to head upstairs to the Pasta Bar for lunch.

The Pasta Bar was great and not at all busy on embarkation day. At the top of the stairs, you are given an ingredient card for each person, along with a pencil and a table number. You then select your seats and fill out your order card. Once everyone has decided what they want in their pasta, you take the cards to the hostess and return to your table to wait for your pasta. Our order only took about 4-5 minutes and looked hot and delicious. I had pasta with pomodoro sauce, garlic shrimp, spinach, and I don't remember what else, but it was delicious. I also ordered a caesar salad (fresh tossed) and bread. My friend had penne with pomodoro, sausage, and some vegetables. She loved it as well. Looking back on the trip, I wish that we would have done the Pasta Bar again, but there are so many options for lunch, I don't think we repeated any dining option twice.

After lunch, we explored the ship while waiting for rooms to be available at 1:30. I took my first picture of the trip on Upper Dream Street (Deck 5 - Promenade). The ceiling of the casino changes color and is quite impressive.

Up next: Sail Away on the Carnival Dream

I am really looking forward to this review.

How did you like the courtyard, we will be staying there.

Thanks

I am really looking forward to this review.

How did you like the courtyard, we will be staying there.

Thanks

The Courtyard was nice enough. It has the remodeled lobby, and the rooms are typical Marriott/Courtyard. There was a little mix up with our room, but they solved it in a few minutes. We were staying on rewards points, but when we arrived, we were told that someone had already checked in to our room. This was basically impossible as we both arrived at the same time and were the only two staying in the room. The front desk supervisor went in back for a few minutes, came out, asked if we were absolutely sure that no one else arrived before us, and then apologized for the mix up and checked us in.

The room itself was clean and had a balcony with a view of the pool and the Hampton Inn, which shares the same parking lot with Courtyard.

The only downside to Courtyard vs. other hotels in the same class (Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Country Inn & Suites, Hyatt Place) is that Courtyard does not provide any type of free breakfast. Instead they have a Starbucks and a little food kiosk in the center of the lobby.

Wow... what an amazing itinerary!!!

Carnival Dream Exotic Western Caribbean - October 1-8, 2011

First Impressions - Cabin 8248 Balcony - Port Side

A few minutes before 1:30, we headed up to Deck 8 to see if our cabins were ready. We were greeted by about 20-30 people sitting on the floor, stairs, and leaning against the walls waiting for the doors to be opened. Right at 1:30, one of the stewards opened the door and it was a mad dash down the hall for most. We had cabin 8248, a balcony cabin on the port side, about two cabins forward from the forward stairwell/elevators. We were a little concerned about noise and the infamous "Dream smell", but never had issues with either. The cabin was actually very convenient as we never had to walk far down the hall to get to our room.

The cabin itself was the largest/nicest cabin I've ever had on a cruise ship. I've always sailed in oceanview cabins up until this point. The balcony cabin on the Dream had a few new features that I wasn't expecting, including a couch and table (inside and oceanview rooms only have a chair), a mini bar/fridge, and of course a balcony. The balcony had two chairs and a small table, perfect for room service breakfast every morning as we were pulling into port.

Another nice feature was the new location of the hair dryer. On the Dream, the hair dryer is wired in the top drawer of the dresser, right below the mirror. This allows the females to blow dry their hair while someone else is in the bathroom showering or getting ready, thus cutting down on the time it takes to get ready for dinner.

We absolutely loved the balcony cabin and the location. No noise issues, convenient to the elevators and stairwells, etc. One thing to remember when selecting a cabin is that Deck 0 forward is the embarkation/debarkation point for all of the ports, so this cabin is very convenient on port days.

Sail Away

After checking out our room and exploring the ship, it was time for muster drill. Our cabin was assigned muster station A3 (Deck 3 - lower level of the main show lounge). At 3:30, they called us to muster stations, where they demonstrated how to put on a life jacket and handed out muster station wrist bands to those under the age of 12. After the life jacket demonstration, they showed a video explaining the location of the life boats and how to get to them from the muster station. They no longer make you actually go to the life boats on the Dream, I'm guessing because the life boat embarkation area is too small for 4,200+ passengers to cram in all at once. Anyway, it was much easier than the old style life boat drill that we had to go through the following week of the Victory. I wish Carnival could do this fleet-wide. After the video, they dismiss the outside sections of seating first, followed by the center of the theater. A little secret to know if you want to get out early.

After the muster drill, we hurried back to the room to grab our cameras and then headed to the "secret" deck, deck 7 forward. To get to the secret decks on the Dream, go all the way forward in the cabin hallways on deck 6 or 7. Decks 4 and 5 also have a secret deck, but those are strictly "Crew Only" as they are accessed from the front of the show lounge. We were joined by maybe 20 people out there, not nearly as crowded as the lido deck sail away. A very peaceful way to watch sail away from the best view on the ship.

Pictures of sail away coming right up...

Disney Magic embarkation at the Disney Cruise Line Terminal next door

Disney Magic was still loading supplies when we sailed

Carnival Cruise Lines Terminal at Port Canaveral

Carnival Dream does a 180 and heads for open water

Fishlips Bar & Grill is the place to watch ships sail from Port Canaveral

The view of Cocoa Beach as we sailed to open water from Port Canaveral

This is going to be a great review! Can't wait for the rest.

I'll be back after the weekend with the first sea day and Cozumel, but for now, here are a few more photos of sunset and the first movie on the Carnival Seaside Theater - a movie that we would see parts of at least 3-4 times during our sailing - Gnomeo and Juliet.

I'm going to love this review,awesome pictures.

I'm going to love this review,awesome pictures.

Thanks. It might take me a week or two to finish as I am also in graduate school and just started a new full-time job (restaurant management) so my free time is limited, but I always enjoy sharing as I know how much fun it is to read others' reviews when I'm getting ready for my next vacation. Hope you enjoy and please be patient with me if I don't post for a day or two.

Love the full size pictures.

I love your pictures!!!!!!!!!! Can't wait for the rest of the review :)

Nice review so far.

Enjoying your review so far. My Fun Group was on the Dream in August and you are being back some good memories. Looking forward to your Victory review because my group will be sailing that ship in August 2012.

We stayed at the Courtyard this past April when we sailed on the Dream. We were told at that time that the Courtyard and Hampton Inn had the same management and that the Courtyard guests were allowed to enjoy the free breakfast at the Hampton Inn. We just walked right over and enjoyed a nice breakfast,

WOW! 24 days of vacation, must be wonderful!:eek: Naaah...lucky you.:p I'm loving your review definitely subscribing. Looking forward to the rest.

Kristy:)

Your so lucky to do a vacation for 24 days... Im Jealous...LOL

SO excited to read your review and see your pictures.

Kathy

NICE !! Keep it coming!

Great review so far! Looking forward to more!

We've been on the Dream and are boarding the Victory in TWO weeks!

Looking forward to the rest!

We stayed at the Courtyard this past April when we sailed on the Dream. We were told at that time that the Courtyard and Hampton Inn had the same management and that the Courtyard guests were allowed to enjoy the free breakfast at the Hampton Inn. We just walked right over and enjoyed a nice breakfast,

Both hotels are owned and managed by the same company, but I was not aware that we could go to the Hampton Inn for breakfast. We were just told about the offerings at the Starbucks and the cook-to-order cart in the lobby.

Being that we headed to the port so early, we just skipped breakfast and headed to the ship. We were on Lido by 11:45 and had a great lunch at the Pasta Bar instead of a mediocre hotel continental breakfast, so it was definitely a better trade off.

Carnival Dream Exotic Western Caribbean - October 1-8, 2011

Embarkation Day Dinner & Evening

After Sail Away, we explored the ship a little more and then got ready for dinner. We had 8:15 seating in the Lower Crimson Dining Room. Our Team Head Waiter was Alexander and our Assistant Waiter was Norman. They were both excellent, among the best dining room teams that I have ever seen on Carnival. They went above and beyond to make sure that not only were our basic needs taken care of, but that we were entertained as well (and I'm not just referring to the song and dance either). Our table of 4 was shared with a couple from Detroit with whom we got along with very well.

I'm not a huge fan of Carnival's new menus (I miss my Shrimp Cocktail and am not a fan of the "Denny's Dishes" as one person put it), but we found things that suited our taste buds almost every night. I apologize for not taking pictures of most of the food, I just never thought of it. Night one consisted of:

Caesar Salad - 3/5

Love the fresh dressing, but it wasn't super cold as salads should be. Instead it was just slightly below room temperature, which I understand given that they take a long journey from the cooler to the serving line to the dining room. Just wasn't as good as the fresh tossed salad I had at the Pasta Bar at lunch.

Sweet & Sour Shrimps - 4/5

One of my favorite dishes. Four extra large shrimp, breaded and fried, served with sweet and sour sauce and some sort of rice noodle/vegetable stir fry on the side. This was new to me, as last time I had this I remember it being served with fried rice. The rice noodles were a bit tough, but the shrimp was excellent.

Vanilla Creme Brulee - 5/5

Served with fresh berries on top, this is my favorite Carnival dessert. It is only served on the first night of the cruise, so don't miss it!

After dinner, we went to the Welcome Aboard Show, which is basically the same throughout the fleet. If you've seen one, you've seen them all. A little singing and dancing by the Carnival Dancers, some talking/sales pitch about the Fun Aboard/Fun Ashore presentation by the Cruise Director, followed by one of the variety acts onboard and a 10-minute comedy set by one of the fly on comedians, with some CD speils in between. Entertaining, but the pacing could be better with less talking/sales pitches by the Cruise Director. That being said, Butch Begovich was the best Cruise Director I've seen in my four cruises, and he deserves credit for that.

Up Next: First Fun Day at Sea and Hairy Chests!

Looking forward to your review.

Looking forward to the rest of your review. Especially the Victory as we will be sailing her in March of 2013.....