Dream room selection help (new cruisers; celebration cruise) - avoiding balcony smoke

Hi all knowing ones! We are new cruisers on Dream - I've sailed Carnival once on a totally different ship layout. We are coming on the May 3rd out of NOLA as part of an important life celebration so I want to get the cabin right as I can :)

We are 2 mid-40s adults and not huge drinkers but we do like to go out dancing and partying. Since the cabin is a refuge from the fun ship, we are not into a super social balcony experience.

We have a balcony 8C (#7378) on hold but I have 2 concerns after researching it: smoke from below (very sensitive) and also I was surprised to see the balcony doesn't look out on the sea but onto the Promenade. Not quite the privacy we want. Does anyone know exactly where the smoking areas are mid-ship and aft on Promenade to know if we would get smoke drifting up? I can't go anywhere near the casino due to smoke - just not a good fit for my system.

Other options our travel agent has offered are:

a) 8E (#9401) - seems away from smoke but potential for noise from Lido Grande Buffet directly above.

b) spa suite 1200s - love the idea of spa access BUT the balcony not being covered is concerning given the popular and potentially rowdy adults area above. Can anyone tell me if the Panorama level balconies (11xxx) are covered?

c) Cove balcony (2408, 2373) - seem cool and quiet but not sure what these are like

So the questions are

1. where the smoking areas are mid-ship and aft on Promenade to know if we would get smoke drifting up

2. are the spa rooms in the 11's covered balconies and are quiet or noisy for any reason

3. are Cove balconies quiet or noisy?

Any input on these options would help me decide. We have to let the agent know asap. Thanks so much!

Hi all knowing ones! We are new cruisers on Dream - I've sailed Carnival once on a totally different ship layout. We are coming on the May 3rd out of NOLA as part of an important life celebration so I want to get the cabin right as I can :)

 

We are 2 mid-40s adults and not huge drinkers but we do like to go out dancing and partying. Since the cabin is a refuge from the fun ship, we are not into a super social balcony experience.

 

We have a balcony 8C (#7378) on hold but I have 2 concerns after researching it: smoke from below (very sensitive) and also I was surprised to see the balcony doesn't look out on the sea but onto the Promenade. Not quite the privacy we want. Does anyone know exactly where the smoking areas are mid-ship and aft on Promenade to know if we would get smoke drifting up? I can't go anywhere near the casino due to smoke - just not a good fit for my system.

 

Other options our travel agent has offered are:

a) 8E (#9401) - seems away from smoke but potential for noise from Lido Grande Buffet directly above.

b) spa suite 1200s - love the idea of spa access BUT the balcony not being covered is concerning given the popular and potentially rowdy adults area above. Can anyone tell me if the Panorama level balconies (11xxx) are covered?

c) Cove balcony (2408, 2373) - seem cool and quiet but not sure what these are like

 

So the questions are

1. where the smoking areas are mid-ship and aft on Promenade to know if we would get smoke drifting up

2. are the spa rooms in the 11's covered balconies and are quiet or noisy for any reason

3. are Cove balconies quiet or noisy?

 

Any input on these options would help me decide. We have to let the agent know asap. Thanks so much!

Smoking is allowed on Deck 5 portside out of the Lanai. So, book on the starboard side. Don't know question 2. Question 3: Yes, they are pretty quiet and the view is amazing since you are very close to the water. You also don't have to worry about smoke. This would be the best option. I stayed in Cove 2376 and had no problems.

The entire port side deck 5 of Dream is smoking so if you move to starboard (odd number rooms) you can avoid any drift.

We had a deck 7 balcony and did not notice a lack of privacy. When sitting you can see out to the water and don't even know that their is a deck below. Only when standing could we see deck 5.

The deck 11 spa balconies are covered.

While I may not be able to help you with all of your questions, I will certainly try!

Smoking on the Promenade deck (floor 5) on the Carnival Dream is limited to the port side of the ship. Since room 7378 is port side, there is a chance that you may be impacted by the smokers on the promenade deck. I doubt it would be an issue when the ship is moving, but the balcony on the empress deck seems very close to the lanai when you are walking on the lanai. I would be very cautious, as it seems that you have a serious aversion to smoke and I would hate for it to ruin your trip.

More of an issue to me, however, is the second problem you have: the fact that the lanai on the promenade deck may obstruct your view. We cruised on the Dream last year for the first time and our balcony room was on the Lido deck (floor 10). Even that much higher, the lanai impacted our views straight down. Not to the point we wouldn't book a balcony again on the Dream, but the view is definitely different. I think it is fair trade off for the utility the lanai offers, but I would do my best to avoid any balcony cabins on the Upper or Empress decks. The Upper deck balconies have very little privacy and the Empress decks are also very close to where people are walking.

I don't think you will have any problems with lido noise in room 9401. There may be noise if they are moving chairs, but it looks like you'll be more under the tables. I would think they wouldn't move the table and chairs very often, but I don't have any experience with that area.

I'm not sure about the spa balcony being covered, but when we sailed the Serenity area was definitely not rowdy. If I were to be located next to any outdoor deck (other than Lido), that would be my choice.

We've yet to try a cove balcony, but I've heard a lot of praise about them. However, the most widespread complaint is that there are loud noises from the galley in the cove balcony rooms. Of the two room options, I would probably choose 2408 as it is on the edge of the galley above. I would do a quick google search of those rooms to see if there are any specific complaints from those cabins.

Hope this helps!

While I may not be able to help you with all of your questions, I will certainly try!

 

Smoking on the Promenade deck (floor 5) on the Carnival Dream is limited to the port side of the ship. Since room 7378 is port side, there is a chance that you may be impacted by the smokers on the promenade deck. I doubt it would be an issue when the ship is moving, but the balcony on the empress deck seems very close to the lanai when you are walking on the lanai. I would be very cautious, as it seems that you have a serious aversion to smoke and I would hate for it to ruin your trip.

 

More of an issue to me, however, is the second problem you have: the fact that the lanai on the promenade deck may obstruct your view. We cruised on the Dream last year for the first time and our balcony room was on the Lido deck (floor 10). Even that much higher, the lanai impacted our views straight down. Not to the point we wouldn't book a balcony again on the Dream, but the view is definitely different. I think it is fair trade off for the utility the lanai offers, but I would do my best to avoid any balcony cabins on the Upper or Empress decks. The Upper deck balconies have very little privacy and the Empress decks are also very close to where people are walking.

 

I don't think you will have any problems with lido noise in room 9401. There may be noise if they are moving chairs, but it looks like you'll be more under the tables. I would think they wouldn't move the table and chairs very often, but I don't have any experience with that area.

 

I'm not sure about the spa balcony being covered, but when we sailed the Serenity area was definitely not rowdy. If I were to be located next to any outdoor deck (other than Lido), that would be my choice.

 

We've yet to try a cove balcony, but I've heard a lot of praise about them. However, the most widespread complaint is that there are loud noises from the galley in the cove balcony rooms. Of the two room options, I would probably choose 2408 as it is on the edge of the galley above. I would do a quick google search of those rooms to see if there are any specific complaints from those cabins.

 

Hope this helps!

I did not hear any noise in my Cove Balcony in rooms 2276 and 2376.

We would always pick a cove balcony if I had the choice. We stayed in one on the Breeze last year and it was very private and quiet. And we were never bothered by smoke. We used to stay in the regular balconies but now on the newer ships since they do not look directly over the water but over deck 5 they do not seem to be that private. When we were one the Breeze and sitting at the tables out on deck 5 the people in the balconies right above us could here everything we were talking about and vice versa. They did not seem to be private at all as people could walk out on deck 5 at all hours of the night and if you were on your balcony you could see and hear them.

I would advise against cabin 9401 if you spend a lot of time on your balcony. I stayed in Cabin 9395 last month, which is close to 9401, and it was the worst cabin I've ever had. It's hard to believe but I could hear the people in the hot tub right below us on deck 5. On the days when the BBQ place on deck 5 was open the sound of them scraping plates seemed like it was right next door. I'm not sure if the overhang above us amplified the noise or what. Also the storage area for the cleaning carts was right across from our cabin and they would wake us up every morning taking out the carts. The noise from the Lido deck was minimal. I would definitely choose the cove balcony next time.

Thanks so much for the quick input. We are pretty into the spa amenities (various steam rooms and thalasso pool) so I am trying to book a cabin on 11 (Panorama) for the more private balconies. The only available cabins are even numbers (11210, 11214, 11218, 11222) which means under the gym so I'm a little scared of noise from the treadmills or weights. Hopefully we won't hear those on the lovely balcony lol.

I also found these diagrams for any future readers wondering about the smoking areas http://www.cruisedeckplans.com/Carnival/carnival-ship-approved-smoking-areas-pdf.pdf

Why oh why are there such huge smoking areas on this ship?! It looks like half the outdoor common area :confused:

I would suggest a cove balcony as they are very private, close to the water and only 3 ships have them. The Breeze, Magic & Dream

Are there any on deck 12 ? The Spa Cabins are smoke free and so nice 11210 looks like it may be under the Thalassalo pool. The cove are nice. It is just very nice down there. The ship creaks.

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I did not hear any noise in my Cove Balcony in rooms 2276 and 2376.

That's good to hear because we are booked in 2376 on the Dream for Oct 25th!

To the original poster: I've never sailed before so I can't offer any advice, but I can share the reasons why I picked a cove.

1) I like the idea of having a deck that's private. There are so many areas on the ship that will be crowded I'm sure, so having a place to escape the crowds is a plus.

2) The fact that the balconies are shaded by the lifeboats is appealing to me. There will be plenty of places on the ship for me to lay out in the sun, so it will be nice to have a place to get out of the sun and enjoy the view.

3) Lastly, the view is the real selling point for me. I get that the view of the sky is going to be obstructed. But honestly, I'm not going on a cruise to the Caribbean to look at the sky. I can see that anywhere and it will look the same. I want to see the water. Being that close is going to be amazing!

Anyway, good luck with whatever you decide, and have a wonderful cruise!

Hi, there are rooms on 12 but I was concerned about noise and lack of privacy from above because there is no "ceiling". From what I've read, folks from the Serenity deck above may hang out over the railing and people even said they had beer spilled on their heads!

BUT I woke up today full of angst that I just signed us up for a noisy awakening every morning from the gym. There is no review of the rooms right where I chose but it's pretty clear they are under the gym and others further down complained about the noise from treadmills and dropping weights.

The only Cove rooms are below the galley. Basically it's pretty late to be signing up.

I'm thinking I'll stalk the rooms and see if one opens on the other side between now and the time of sailing. Does anyone know if you work with the ship to switch/upgrade or are you stuck working with your travel agent? Ours is less than enthusiastic about all my questions and I sure can't expect her to check every day like I would (nor act immediately). We are sailing with a specialty group of swing dancers and that's why we are using that TA.

If you booked with a travel agent, then you won't be able to make cabin changes yourself. They (Carnival) won't even talk to you. I know this because I tried. You'll need to tell your travel agent exactly what room you want to switch to and he or she will have to do it. That's what I had to do when I wanted to be switched out of a room with an adjoining cabin to one that wasn't connected to any rooms (I was worried about noise and the fact that it feels less private if there is a door to the next room right there).

OK thanks - good to know about the TA needing to handle it. I assume once on board everything is pretty set (or we'd be downgrading to an interior cabin).

Apparently the gym hours are 6am - 10pm. So going to sleep won't be an issue (we probably won't go to bed until between midnight-2am). And I've seen reference to people asking for the machines above their rooms to be blocked off until 8am, which would be acceptable. Even if we stay up late, I can rarely sleep past 8. So I'll pursue that as soon as we get there.

I do like to nap in the afternoon. If the noise is bad and there are no loungers in Serenity, I suppose we can just nap out on the balcony. Are they at least 6 feet long lol?