A Winter Escape: Dream 2.0

Hey everyone! Just got off of the newly refurbished Dream and will be writing my annual installment of "Winter Escape." So stay tuned for my day to day breakdowns. However I know everyone wants to hear about the updates, so let me get that out of the way first:

* All of the new stuff was installed and looking great. Guys Burgers, Pig and Anchor, Blue Iguana Cantina, the Alchemy Bar, the sushi place and the new pizza place were all running from day 1. American Table is now standard in the dining room, and to be honest the Dream needed the change. Last year the food was subpar for most of our trip, but this year it was dramatically better.

* The Tandoor is still located on the aft and operating as normal.

* Playlist productions have replaced the old shows. It wasn't bad, but they did have a few issue with display and sound.

* The only issues they seemed to have involved the hot tubs and water slides. Only 1 slide opened intermittently through the cruise and they didn't get any hot tubs up and going until after our first port day. When we left we still saw them fighting with the lanai hot tubs.

* The amount of decking and flooring replaced was massive, and the ship badly needed the updates. Aside from the new venues she doesn't look much different, but if you've sailed her recently you'd notice how much crisper the ship appears.

* Whatever engine issues she had appear to be fixed. The vibration in the aft is gone and the ship runs extremely smooth. We cruised at or near top speed much of the cruise.

Any questions before I get going on the actual review?

I'm really looking forward to reading more. We sail on the Dream March 5th, and I hope they get the hot tubs going!

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* Playlist productions have replaced the old shows. It wasn't bad, but they did have a few issue with display and sound.

Were the large LED screens installed; or do they use props only?

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Were the large LED screens installed; or do they use props only?

The large screens were installed and seemed pretty nifty. The screens and the massive light show that went with the production was impressive if not completely in sync quite yet.

Thank you for taking the time to post. We're also sailing on the Dream later this year and the updates are something we are very interested in.

Which playlist productions are being done?

Blessings,

SiraJoy

Thank you for taking the time to post. We're also sailing on the Dream later this year and the updates are something we are very interested in.

 

Which playlist productions are being done?

 

Blessings,

 

SiraJoy

On our trip only "Motor City" was being done. But I got the impression that they had just learned the show/routine so I wouldnt be surprised to see it expand once they get used to the new stuff.

Was the main dining room open on embarkation day? If so, what were the hours? We will board from 12:30 to 1.

Also, how was embarkation process? Did staggered boarding work well?

Thanks so much for your report!

Was the main dining room open on embarkation day? If so, what were the hours? We will board from 12:30 to 1.

 

Also, how was embarkation process? Did staggered boarding work well?

 

Thanks so much for your report!

MDR was not open on embarkation day for lunch, just normal dinner hours. Buffet and burgers/tacos/pasta/pizza etc was all open for lunch.

I'll go into more detail when I start my review but staggered check in went much smoother than last year. I think both passengers and the port have it figured out by now. The Dream rarely clears for boarding very early, so I wouldnt recommend very early check in. Between 11 and 1 seems to be when they start boarding. We choose the 11-11:30 time and it seems to beat the crowd while also not waiting in the terminal for long.

Background info:

Ok feel free to keep asking questions, but I'll take this opportunity to get my first post out:

Cruisers:

Myself and Jake (we are boyfriends). This is our 3rd Carnival cruise out of NOLA, having sailed once on the Elation and Dream previously. We like Carnival a lot for its relaxed atmosphere and fun entertainment, but can be turned off by the lido crowds and obnoxious drunks.

My Mom and Dad: Loyal Princess cruisers who tried hard to make this trip on the Regal Princess but lost out when price and logistics made this much more problematic. My dad wasn't too worried but my Mom was skeptical that she would enjoy Carnival.

Jake's Mom and Stepfather: Married for a half dozen years they've never traveled together and have rarely traveled through their lives Both were virgin cruisers. His mom was very excited but his stepdad was uncertain whether he wanted to go, all the way up to the cruise terminal. His Stepdad also has two replacement knees and some mobility issues.

Our Staterooms: In an effort to combat some skepticism about amenities and the lido we selected Spa balconies, cabins 12206, 12208 and 12210. These rooms weren't cheap, but surprisingly cheaper than lido balconies.

The trip: We all arrived on Friday to stay 2 nights in Hotel St. Pierre in the French Quarter before cruising on Sunday. This is the Dream's Jamaica/Grand Caymen/Cozumel run, and while Jake and I have been to Cozumel twice before, no one had been to any of the ports otherwise.

Disclaimer- Before I get started I like to always say this: We consider ourselves reasonable level-headed people who do decent research into our trip and have sensible expectations. I will tell you what was great and above expectations and what did not meet expectations or was not acceptable to us. I will tell you from the start that there were problems on this cruise that were meaningless to us but we know upset some folks. There were also some things we didn't like, but we were clearly in the minority. This is from our perspective and I claim no more or no less than that.

Up next:

Pre-Cruise in New Orleans (2 days in the heart of the French Quarter)

Thanks for posting. We have been looking forward to hearing about new upgrades.

We are looking forward to your review we will be on the Dream in May! Thank you for all the information.

Disclaimer- Before I get started I like to always say this: We consider ourselves reasonable level-headed people who do decent research into our trip and have sensible expectations. I will tell you what was great and above expectations and what did not meet expectations or was not acceptable to us. I will tell you from the start that there were problems on this cruise that were meaningless to us but we know upset some folks. There were also some things we didn't like, but we were clearly in the minority. This is from our perspective and I claim no more or no less than that.

Love the disclaimer! in other words, you're both reasonable human beings! Some things tick you off, some things you let slide! Like I said, I love the attitude!

Thanks for posting! Can't wait to read the full review!

We were on her last voyage before dry dock.,,she was being torn apart as we disembarked.

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Thank you so much for starting this so soon! I can't wait to hear it all.

btw, do you recommend not having a 10:30 check in time, or simply not arriving before 11:30? I chose the earlier check in for maximum flexibility, but if that is not the case, I'll change the time.

Thank you so much for starting this so soon! I can't wait to hear it all.

btw, do you recommend not having a 10:30 check in time, or simply not arriving before 11:30? I chose the earlier check in for maximum flexibility, but if that is not the case, I'll change the time.

All depends on how long you want to wait and where. 10:30 is only 30 minutes earlier than I was there so it shouldn't be a problem. I just wouldn't go with the super early times because the ship won't start boarding till around noon no matter how early you get there.

Love the disclaimer! in other words, you're both reasonable human beings! Some things tick you off, some things you let slide! Like I said, I love the attitude!

I like to put it there so people know how I am going to write. I won't tell you "my cruise was ruined because there were no tableclothes" and I won't tell you "everyone on the ship agreed that...". But I'm also not a cheerleader and my loyalty is only as good as my experiences. Hopefully I can deliver a pretty straight shooting (if not a little humorous) review, as I have in the past.

All depends on how long you want to wait and where. 10:30 is only 30 minutes earlier than I was there so it shouldn't be a problem. I just wouldn't go with the super early times because the ship won't start boarding till around noon no matter how early you get there.

Ok, thank you! First time using staggered check-in, so not sure what to think :)

Do u know if the sushi place is free or do u have to pay extra for it? Thx

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Did they change the water slide? We have been on the Magic and Breeze, but this will be our first time on the Dream in April. I am curious if the Dream has the waterworks and slides like the other two.

Do u know if the sushi place is free or do u have to pay extra for it? Thx

The sushi is extra, but very reasonable and very good. I actually saw quite a lot of crew eating there too.

Did they change the water slide? We have been on the Magic and Breeze, but this will be our first time on the Dream in April. I am curious if the Dream has the waterworks and slides like the other two.

No visible changes were made. It's always had the 2 big slides, adult racers, kids racers and small waterworks area. It was too bad they struggled to get any of it running most of our trip.

I am very excited that you started this thread and I will be following along. I am booked in spa cabin 12210 for my upcoming cruise in July. How was the balcony on that cabin? Was there any problem with people on deck 14 looking down on you.

I am very excited that you started this thread and I will be following along. I am booked in spa cabin 12210 for my upcoming cruise in July. How was the balcony on that cabin? Was there any problem with people on deck 14 looking down on you.

People can definitely see down on you, but most didn't pay attention to us. The angle is kind of awkward to look down, so we often ended up overhearing conversations without people having any clue we were just below them.

The cabins are very quiet at night, but during the day you can occasionally hear deck chairs being moved on serenity.

During the day the sun blazes down into the windows, so keep curtains pulled shut if you want the AC to keep up.

And my last post seemed sort of negative, so let me balance that out a bit, because I loved the cabins:

*You can definitely work on a tan on your balcony. Great for sunbathers.

*Sunset/Sunrise views and views of ports are spectacular. I took tons of panorama shots.

*If you like the spa, you couldn't be closer. Very very easy to get to Cloud 9 and Serenity.