Carnival DREAM Oct 13-20 Review

Hi All! I'm going to take a crack at posting an in-depth review for our most recent cruise. I have read so many on the boards that have helped us, warned us, and excited us as we looked forward to our vacation for almost a year and a half (not used to waiting that long!) so I'd like to return the favor. I will tell you that there are many great things about the Dream to report, but also some things that truly fell short in our opinion. This review will be a positive reflection on a great vacation, but also I want to make sure that those interested get the facts. So please understand that negative items aren't to trash Carnival or the Dream, but rather to give the reader the most definitive picture of what we experience, good and not so good. The not so good things may be things that dont even phase others, and that's okay. My intentions aren't to persuade anyone one way or the other but just to report.

I wont get very far tonight as I have just gotten home from a 16 hour drive from Cocoa Beach and have to be at work at 6:30 in the morning, and I have over 1500 pictures to sort and edit (I'm a camera junky, which is different from a photographer because I don't take GOOD pictures, I just take ALOT :cool: ), a few of which I will post here along the way.

We shopped cruises from late June 2011 and finally booked the Dream in Jan. We booked early saver and paid 2,106.00 before taxes for four people in a aft balcony cabin (I would really consider it a mid ship cabin but was just inside the aft category). My wife and I are 28, My son is 4, and my sister went along on what was her very first cruise, and she is 24. I had read all the negative comments regarding the Dream which caused me some concern from the very beginning, but I had also read many great positive reviews, and knowing that knowledge is power, and opinions differ, I was excited to be on such a new and huge ship. Until this cruise I had sailed only twice, both times on the Pride, and she is getting some age on her, having been built in 2001. So The Dream was a big step up for us and we were very excited.

With a job change back in the spring, and other financial speed bumps over the last year, we decided to drive this year rather than pay the nearly thousand dollars to fly from Baltimore. We left Thursday night after work, and my wife and I drove until around 3 am, where we met my sister in South Carolina where she lives. We slept for four hours in a hotel and continued on Friday morning. We arrived at Cocoa Beach right at 3 pm on Friday, just moments after we were allowed to check into our hotel.

We booked the La Quinta Inn Cocoa Beach for the night (we booked this back in April) , and we did the Park and cruise package. This was an AWESOME Deal. For one price you get a night's stay, continental breakfast which includes many hot items like sausage and make-it-yourself waffles, parking for the week on the hotel property, and shuttle service for two to the port and back. Additional Riders are only 4 dollars one way each. My total for the room came out to 110.00 after taxes and I had to pay 16.00 extra for the additional shuttle riders to port. There were several other cruise passengers checking in at the same time and we met some fellow Baltimore cruisers, along with a very nice family from Toronto who had driven down to sail on the Elation. This deal got even better because on the return shuttle ride, we debarked early so we could catch the first shuttle back (7:40) and didn't have time to visit Lido deck for breakfast. I asked the front desk if they would mind if we grabbed a bite before hitting the road, and they appeared shocked that someone was actually asked before just diving in. They happily obliged and we enjoyed a relaxing hot breakfast without having to worry about our zone being called in the middle of it. More on the Cocoa Beach stay and Embarkation coming up so be sure and subscribe!

Looking forward to reading your review.

This sign is by the pool at the hotel

Taken from the lobby the morning of our cruise, looking toward the ocean

My son in the lobby the morning of the cruise

Welcome Back!:)

Welcome Back!:)

Thanks! Back to work today :mad: Looking forward to continuing the review tonight!

We got settled into our room at the La Quinta Inn around 3:30 pm. We had a ground level room with a quick walk around the corner to our car. We are able to unload and park our car just across the lot for the week with a pass in the window. This seemed like a very nice and safe area to leave my vehicle.

The room was very nice. There was some normal wear on the walls and in the grout on the tile in the bathroom, but for the price we paid it was a GREAT deal and we would certainly stay here again for a cruise (and we plan to!). i didnt' take any pictures of the room. Just didn't think about it. The Pool was very large and clean. This is a great place to rest up for your cruise!

Friday evening we went to Ron Jon's Surf Shop. An awesome store. We've been there before but always worth a stop. We went and had dinner at Fishlip's over at Port Canaveral. We ate outside on the deck right under the PC webcam. The food and service was awesome. I would highly recommend this place! We were able to watch the sunset from the deck as well.

Saturday morning we had breakfast at the hotel before the shuttle arrived. We were given the option of a 10:00, 11:00 or 12:00 pickup. We chose the early pickup and had our bags in the lobby by 9:15. The shuttle was operated by Road Runner and arrived early. The lady (I forget her name) was very friendly and helpful. She helped load our bags and off we went to Port Canaveral! We arrived at the port in just over 10 minutes and the driver assisted us in finding a porter for our bags. the porter was extremely efficient. We tipped both the driver and the porter. We walked through the parking lot and to the Terminal entrance. There were no lines. We walked right in and up to a security guard and Xray Machines. We handed over our documents and got Xrayed and the very next stop was the check in counter. We walked right up to a nice lady who printed our Sign and Sail cards and applied our cash deposits on them. In no time we were seated and waiting for our zone to be called. We were only seated 3 to 5 minutes when it was our turn to get our picture taken and ride the escalator upstairs to prepare to board. The new terminal is EXTREMELY efficient! We were seated until 11:00 on the dot when they started boarding the ship. By 11:15 we were on Lido deck having Mongolian Wok! It was really awesome how quickly we went from the shuttle bus to Lido Deck. 45 minutes total, and much of that was just sitting in que waiting for the ship to clear for boarding. I cannot praise Port Canaveral enough for the smooth embarkation process. After ten months of waiting we are finally onboard the beautiful Carnival Dream.

Can't wait to read more. We are counting down the minutes until we board the Dream!

Thanks for posting your review:) we sail in a few weeks...also hope we get to eat at fishlips:D

Thanks for posting. Look forward to reading your review

Great start to the review - we are looking forward to sailing the Dream in January!

Please give lots of info :)

Thanks Again

Looking forward to your review! Thanks for posting. We have just over a month to go and the wait is driving me crazy!! :eek:

Pictures are rather small, do you have any of the ship ?

Great so far. Looking forward to more. Will be on the dream in 40 days!

Pictures are rather small, do you have any of the ship ?

Those three pics came off my phone and the app has an upload feature but they show up tiny I see. I started sorting through the ones I took on my camera and will start posting some here. I some really pretty ones of the ship. She's so big! Stay tuned...

Can't wait for more. Thanks for doing a review.

Really looking forward to reading your review. We sailed Dream the week before you did - our 2nd cruise on Dream.

Excited to read more about MY Carnival Dream!

We will be sailing on the Dream in just 2 1/2 weeks so I appreciate your report. Could you answer a question for me please....we are also booked at the LaQuinta for the night prior and purchased the park and sail package.

You didn't have a long wait from shuttle to boarding, but could you tell me approximately what time you were able to go in your cabin?

We will have carry-on's and I really don't want to lug them longer than we have too, so I was planning on taking the later shuttle from the hotel.

Thoughts??

Thanks again!

Looking fwd to reading the rest. Thanks for taking the time to post!

Sounds like you were off to a great start for your cruise. I may have to check out a cruise from Port Canaveral.

We will be sailing on the Dream in just 2 1/2 weeks so I appreciate your report. Could you answer a question for me please....we are also booked at the LaQuinta for the night prior and purchased the park and sail package.

You didn't have a long wait from shuttle to boarding, but could you tell me approximately what time you were able to go in your cabin?

 

We will have carry-on's and I really don't want to lug them longer than we have too, so I was planning on taking the later shuttle from the hotel.

 

Thoughts??

 

Thanks again!

We were told that we could go to our cabins at 1:30. I sat with all the carry ons until 20 after and then made an attempt. I turned the corner and saw the room steward there in another cabin and I said can I go ahead to my cabin and he said sure. Never heard an official announcement but that may have been Bc I was already in the cabin when it was made.

Just a warning that the elevators will be off limits for quite some time on account of the luggage coming up so don't go down unless you're willing to climb the stairs back up or walk to the lobby elevators which are very busy at that particular time.

Thank you!! Can't wait for the rest of your report, as we're doing the same itinerary!

Did you stay at the LaQuinta on Atlantic Ave? We are looking for a park and cruise hotel for our Feb and this is one of the hotels we are looking at.