Dream v. Reality? A Mom's Review of 5/24/15 Dream

A little bit about our family first. We are a family of four. Me, hubby and two boys 10 and 8. We live in Alabama and are frequent cruisers. This was our sixth cruise as a family and my 13th. My boys (all three of them) are adrenaline junkies and thrill-seekers. I'm more of a good book and a glass of wine kinda girl. We also cruised with my parents and my mother's cousin and her husband.

We picked this cruise mostly because it left out of New Orleans which is only about a two hour drive from our home. (Our last two cruises were out of Tampa and 7 hours before and after of driving just wasn't appealing.) It was the the Western Caribbean itinerary of Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel.

Embarkation Day:

We met the 'rents at Cracker Barrel for breakfast and were on the road to the port by 9 am. Through what could only be divine intervention, my little one didn't need to stop to use the bathroom (this announcement generally occurs seconds after passing the "next rest stop for miles"), we drove directly there and arrived there around 11:15. We have cruised out of New Orleans before and I would caution others that you need directions to the port if you are not familiar with the area. The signage on I-10 is terrible. In fact, I-10 in Louisiana is terrible. We made it to the Port without incident and got in line to park. There is only one lane into the garage and two people accepting payment. We paid, parked and were in the terminal. That was the longest part of embarkation. We lugged our luggage to the terminal and went directly through all the lines. We probably got to teh terminal around 11:50. Everything was moving well.

Here's a little side note. We're not smugglers. I'm a nerd. However, we do take what is allowed. We had two bottles of wine and two 12 packs of sodas. We had these packed in a carry-on roller bag. We ordered an outrageously priced bottle of Crown Royal to have in the room. (Being a nerd can get expensive.) We went through security without incident. Once past the metal detectors, a terminal agent announced that anyone with liquids go through another inspection line. Let me tell you, this was serious business. She cut the middle of our two packs of cokes to inspect the cans in the middle. She unwrapped our beach towel "protected" bottles of wine and scanned the labels, the corks and the foil. She even noted that one of my favorite wines has a new label. Since we were good, she let us through. I will point out a flaw in the system. Since we had no visible liquids, there was nothing to prevent us from passing the liquids line and just going directly to check in. If they're going to be that thorough, you would think they'd have thought of that.

Onward! We went to the check in desk and the only line was for Platinum, etc and FTTF. The regular line had no one in it. This is when little man had to go "right now!!" so we only waited for him. Pleasant experience with the gentleman who checked us in. My son and husband have the same first name. This agent noted it and put a sticker on my sons card so they wouldn't be confused. He's the first in all our cruises to do this without us having to ask (lesson learned.) From the time we set foot in the terminal to boarding was approximately 20 minutes. So easy!!!

We went directly to the Lido deck to eat and discovered the Tandoor grill area. Yummy!! The Lido was crowded which was to be expected. We waited a few more minutes until 1:30 and went to the room. We had room 7386 and was pleasantly surprised by the room. It was bigger than I remember other balcony rooms being and had great storage. Although the balcony seemed quite small.

Mom Tip - I'm an over-packer. I'd rather have too much then two little. ALWAYS UNPACK!! Do not try to live out of suitcases. With four people, it would be chaos. I bring a set of hanging shelves for extra shelving, an over the door shoe rack and two laundry bags with hooks. Evening clothes generally get hung up, everything else on the shelves. This was the first time I did not need the hanging shelves and left them in the suitcase. The shoe rack holds not only shoes, but everything from sunscreen to chargers to iPods and headphones. The stuff that would normally clutter up the vanity gets put away and no one loses a flip flop. I definitely recommend it! While we are on vacation, we keep the room as we would keep our home. For two reasons. 1 - I just can't live like a slob!! and 2 - The cabin stewards have enough to do without trying to clean around smelly boy clothes.

We went back to the Lido until time for the muster drill. Best muster ever!! This one was inside the dining room so no standing on top of each other in the sun trying not keep the hair of the person in front of you from blowing into your mouth. (So gross.) We got our luggage a little later than usual -- around 5, so I unpacked while the boys did pool-type things.

We had anytime dining in the Crimson dining room. I like the freedom of eating when I'm hungry and not being held hostage waiting for table mates to show up. We do not cruise to eat. We're not cruising for gourmet meals. (My kids don't get it at home so they don't know what they're missing anyway.) I'm happy with a decent meal and good service. That was what we got.

That night we wandered the ship a bit and turned in. Next up, first of two sea days.

Following. We're doing the same cruise in December

We are doing this same one in Feb.....looking forward to more reviews.

To be fair....I10 in LA is muuuuuuch better than it used to be. There are only a couple really bad spots these days. (the area around I10,12 and 59 interchange is one of them sadly).

Following! I was on this same sailing, so it will be fun to relive it through someone else's experiences! Great start!

We have booked the Dream in Jan from NO to San Juan and back to NO. Please tell me that they have a Guys Burgers! Was on Freedom in Feb and could come back from an excursion and they were open at 4 or 5 o"clock when buffet was closed. Thanks

Thanks! I'm glad to hear the muster drill has improved! Thta's how they do it on Disney and it was the best one ever. lol.

I was not wanting to have my kid outside in the heat thisclose to people waiting and bored after a long drive. (our drive is much longer).

I also over pack, since we're not flying, if it fits, it goes! I'd rather everyone have enough clothes. I typically have the small suitecase with clean clothes.

Do you by chance have any pictures of the waterworks area? I've tried googling, but it's hard to find a certain ship, and be sure.

Following!

To be fair....I10 in LA is muuuuuuch better than it used to be. There are only a couple really bad spots these days. (the area around I10,12 and 59 interchange is one of them sadly).

It is better. But it is still bad. You can literally feel when you cross the Mississippi-Louisiana line.

We have booked the Dream in Jan from NO to San Juan and back to NO. Please tell me that they have a Guys Burgers! Was on Freedom in Feb and could come back from an excursion and they were open at 4 or 5 o"clock when buffet was closed. Thanks

Sorry! There's no Guy's Burgers on the Dream. There is a grill which is open with burgers, hot dogs and fries, etc. It's an outside grill by the main pool.

Do you by chance have any pictures of the waterworks area? I've tried googling, but it's hard to find a certain ship, and be sure.

I don't have a picture (I'm a total fail at taking pics) but this one from google is from the Dream.

http://www.beyondships.com/images/2_water_works_2-2.jpg

I don't have a picture (I'm a total fail at taking pics) but this one from google is from the Dream.

 

 

http://www.beyondships.com/images/2_water_works_2-2.jpg

Thanks. Carnival has it listed as fun for all ages, but that doesn't look very three year fun or friendly. One of the pictures looked like it had an area for littles.

Here is a pic of the other side with the splash zone. It's perfect for a 3 year old. But I always get nervous with the little ones going up and down wet stairs.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7104/6873621424_aa9c256c77_b.jpg

Here is a pic of the other side with the splash zone. It's perfect for a 3 year old. But I always get nervous with the little ones going up and down wet stairs.

 

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7104/6873621424_aa9c256c77_b.jpg

you rock! thanks! oddly she didn't slip at all last time, she had a blast. The big slide, she just wanted to climb the 'tall tall tower' didn't want to go down it (with daddy).

One of the things that attracted me to this cruise is that it had three sea days. Since the itinerary was not terribly exciting, we liked the idea of having three days to relax.

We spent most of these days at the main pool. Sea days are when the ship usually feels crowded. This cruise was no exception. Chairs were at a premium, but I did not notice any chair hogs. What I really liked about this ship is that there are some umbrellas on the main deck shading some of the loungers. We set up camp there and the boys played mini-golf and went to the water slides. They absolutely loved the water slide area. I think they spent 20 minutes total in the pool, but were up and down the slides all day. We make them check in with us any time they change locations, so we can keep up with them.

The pool entertainment was good. I wish there had been more music. They kept showing some Who tribute-type concert video. We saw that a lot. The entertainment staff did some pool games which were adults only. While I am no prude, twerking contests with a pool full of kids is not something I was thrilled about. They did an announcement that they "weren't responsible for anyone's therapy." The entertainment staff was enthusiastic and the DJ was great. I just would have liked to have had the DJ spend more time at the pool. They did have a guitar player do a couple sets at the Red Frog and that was nice. Brandon Whittenhouse (?) played there on the last sea day. We thought that he was the best entertainer on the ship.

The first sea night is also the first "cruise elegant night." The wait was a little bit longer to get into the dining room that night, but that was also expected. The food was good and the service was fine.

ONE NOTE -- My cousin who cruised with us has a gluten allergy. There is no gluten-free options on the menu. She had to pre-order her dinner the night before and then the chef would prepare it gluten-free. The wait staff did a good job keeping up with her.

We usually give the boys the option of going to dinner with us or having dinner with the kids camp. They always pick the camp. The camp has dinner in the Lido dining area - the Gathering. I did not know until I had to bring them up there, that there is more seating on the 11th floor. If you go to the back of the Lido and go up the stairs, there is the pasta bar and a whole large seating area. Wish we knew that on embarkation day!!

Our biggest criticism of the cruise was the evening entertainment. For us, the Welcome Aboard Show, the Love and Marriage Show, etc. are the same jokes every year. On our last cruise we really enjoyed the piano bar. We headed back there are lasted about 5 minutes. The man could not sing. At all. At first, we thought that he was mocking the song. Nope. He was just that bad. I know there were people on the ship that loved him. We didn't. In fact, that limited our evening options.

Next up, Jamaica mon!

following! We cruise this same itinerary in february, also.

It is better. But it is still bad. You can literally feel when you cross the Mississippi-Louisiana line.

We felt it when our 2 1/2 hour ride turned into a 4 1/2 hour ride on the Saturday before our Sunday cruise. I would hate to see what it is like on a weekday.

Following. We are on this itinerary in October. I also believe we are from the same area!:)

Following & enjoying the review

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Great review so far! We were on this same cruise in March with our 2 girls. I also do the shoe holder and the collapsible laundry bags. You can never be too organized in a cruise cabin with kids!!

Following. We are on this itinerary in October. I also believe we are from the same area!:)

We live in Daphne. Love living in south Alabama!

I can not tell you how many people have mentioned how awful the guy is at the piano bar. I love the piano bar but the Dream puts it in a horrible location and use the bar to line up for the comedy shows AND now has someone running it who can't sing. Not a good combination. Guess I wont be there during my cruise.

Confession time. Jamaica is my least favorite port of any cruise port I've been to. Nassau is a close second. We did a week at an all-inclusive in Montego Bay (you can see the resort from the cruise terminal) and that is all the time I want to spend there. HOWEVER, my boys had never been and they wanted to go zip lining. They did the Extreme Zip Line adventure and absolutely loved it. I was nervous that my little man would climb to the top and chicken out, but they said that he was totally without hesitation. He is the one that keeps us on our toes. There's no telling what is going to come out of his mouth. Each tour group had two guides. One would zip ahead and and wait on the platform to assist anyone is stopping or if they got stuck. There was also a woman who would stay back and hook everyone up and send them across. On the second platform, my son looks at her and say "oh, I get it! He's the catcher and you're the hooker!!" After a painful and awkward silence, she was cool about it. The only thing they didn't like was the bus ride over there. You could sell tickets to driving in Jamaica as its own thrill ride. They would definitely recommend this excursion.

You might have noticed a lot of "they's" and "them's." Well..... Mommy took a me day and stayed on the ship in Jamaica along with my mother and cousin. We took advantage of the sea day spa specials. For $129 we got a 50 minute massage, mini-facial, exfoliating brush treatment, scalp massage and foot and ankle pressure point massage. It was a 75 minute treatment. It was $129 if you book your appointment before noon. Mine was at 11:45. After 12 pm it was $139. There was no high pressure sales pitch although there was a bunch of junk science in the beginning. The spa is absolutely beautiful. You can purchase a spa pass for (I think) $160 pp or $299 per couple. There's a thala-somthing-or-other pool which is essentially a big hot tub with added magnesium as well as assorted steam and relaxation rooms. They looked lovely, but I would never get the value out of using it so I didn't buy the pass.

After the spa we had a leisurely lunch at the Lido and enjoyed having the ship to ourselves. We still couldn't get shaded loungers in the Serenity area but did get chairs. I read four books on this cruise. It was awesome!!! Serenity was nice however the group seated behind me was not terribly serene. It's amazing how much you can learn about a person solely as a result of their own volume control. TMI was the theme of that experience.

The boys were back on the ship by 2 and we moved to shaded loungers at the main pool. It was a great time to use the water slides and other amenities. This was the first time I have stayed on the ship while in port. I would definitely do it again. Having the ship to yourself is a wonderful experience. You get to really appreciate the ship without the crowds.

I cannot remember if that night was a deck party night or a movie night. We did both and enjoyed both. Movies under the stars is great. They lend out blankets and give popcorn and you can watch a movie in the fresh air. I made my annual contribution to casinos-at-sea, listened to some live music in the casino and got the boys and went to bed. PARENT TIP - Not all the movies are appropriate for all ages. Pay attention to the ratings. Not only will they hear curse words, they can learn to spell them as the movies are closed-captioned. Just another education opportunity for our family. ;)

A note on the casino. I do not remember being in a casino as smokey as this one. It could just be that our cruise had more smokers. Who knows? They had some live music in there, which I enjoyed, but couldn't stand the smoke. Also, I like to play roulette for a couple of reasons. 1 - It's easy. 2 - Its not a team sport and I can't mess it up for anyone else. 3. - It's easy. 4 - It doesn't involve a lot of math. (See a theme?) The roulette tables were $2 chips with a $10 min. That's twice what I am used to on the ships. Thus, I lost my money twice as quickly and only played once.

On a previous cruise we loved the Red Frog Pub and the live music, shuffleboard etc in there. When we weren't in the piano bar, we were in the Red Frog. Here, the Red Frog is just a poolside bar - though there was little platform and some live music there during the day on sea days. We really missed the pub.

Random note that I should have included earlier but did not. A little research would have saved me some trouble and its totally my own fault. Our room was balcony 7386. The way this ship is laid out, those balconies are not over the water, they are over the 5th deck. The problem was that we were on the port side of the ship. This is the smoking area. There were two very nice-looking seating areas right below our balcony. People would sit there (where they were supposed to) and smoke and I could definitely smell it from our balcony. I would not do this again. It didn't ruin our experience, but I would definitely book starboard side in the future. Also, anyone standing on that deck can see you sitting on your balcony. You know, in case you wanted to know that. Zero privacy. We might have to try a cove balcony next time.

Let me know if you have any questions, and I'll do my best to answer them. Next up Grand Cayman.

Wonderful!!! We are on this exact cruise in August. Thank you for the review!

Our plan was to just get off the ship and get a taxi to Seven Mile Beach. We had been to GC a bunch of times and had done the stingrays, turtles, dolphins and snorkeling so we just wanted a relaxing day on the beach. We had no problem getting a tender. FTTF was sold out six months in advance of this cruise. I checked every day and never was able to get it. Turns out we did not need it. The "priority" check in line was long and there was no one on the regular line. I think we were on the second or third tender off the ship.

Unfortunately, the weather had other ideas. It was slightly raining on the tender and pouring by the time we hit the island. We hovered around the shops a bit to see what the weather would do. If you've never been to GC, it is one of the more expensive islands, significantly so. This is not the place to buy cheap t-shirts for the in-laws. We opted not to stick around and got on a tender after the ship. We tried checking the radar on our phones, but nothing would work. Rather than get stuck on a beach in the rain (there was thunder and lightening) we just went back to the ship. As our last name should probably be Murphy, about thirty minutes after returning to the ship, the rain let up and stopped altogether about an hour after that. By that time, one boy checked himself into camp and the other was on round 914 of mini-golf. Again, we really enjoyed the whole having the ship to ourselves thing.

We ended up skipping the dining room. The boys ate with the camp and we had a very low-key dinner in the Lido. That night we watched the movie.

About Camp Carnival -- As I think I said, our boys are 10 and 8, that would put them in 2 different Camp Groups. I think the groups are divided as follows: 2-5, 6-8, 9-11, 12-14, 15-17. We were also travelling with a family whose little boy is 9 and friends with both my boys. If the grouping stayed true, our little man would be in a group by himself. There are those on this board that will swear this NEVER EVER NEVER happens for "insurance reasons" but they allowed my little mine to be in the 9-11 group with absolutely no problems at all. All we did was ask.

The counselors were great and they really had a lot of organized activities for the kids. The facilities are some of the nicest we have seen.

Up next - Cozumel! Hope you're still reading!