Reivew of the carnival dream, the good, the bad, and the crazy!

When we went to Jamaica a few years back a guy came up to me and started rubbing aloe all on my shoulders with my husband right there. I was like GET THE HECK OFF OF ME...I was very upset... We are going back there and thinking we are probably not getting off the ship. Nothing to see.. like you said very aggressive and expensive. I'd rather eat on the ship then pay to eat overpriced restaurants in Jamaica. Loving your thorough review. Thanks so much!!!!

Yeah too many people that like to touch, and I'm not use to that at all. Glad you spoke up and told the guy to get off you!

Thanks for reading and following along.

That was really sleazy of the shuttle driver to do the switcheroo after you are in the bus....good for Michelle speaking up and demanding to be let off in the Hip Strip.

It's such a shame that Jamaica has to be the way they are....it's a beautiful island. They have some real issues in that country. We have been to two ports and the one time we leave the cruise port area, there were issues with not delivering what was promised. I'm sure there are wonderful people that live there, but the land sharks are out in full force when a cruise ship arrives.

Thursday, Day #5 Grand Cayman

We woke up to a beautiful sunny day as we pulled into Grand Cayman. Charmaine and I got up to do our walking, but only went around the ship one time. We had our coffee, and then went to breakfast with John. Every day when we were in port, we always grabbed some fruit, yogurt, and other snacks for John as he stayed in the cabin. I felt really bad that he was in the cabin, but he knew (as well as I knew) that trying to walk with the walker in some of the ports just was not easy. He was happy to stay in the cabin, watch TV, and take a nap.

Everyone had seperate plans that day to do different things. Both Michelle and Cynthia had seperate tours that they went on, and me and Charmaine were going to the beach. Charmaine was a little disappointed because she had purchased an excursion to swim with the stingrays, something that she had been waiting to do, and had been planning this since we booked this cruise. She had gotten her tickets the night before, and I was just going to go to the beach on my own. When we met upstairs to walk, she told me that she had gotten a note on the hub to go to the Excursion Desk, and they told her that her excursion had been cancelled. No explanation why, and there were other stingray excursions that had been cancelled as well. What was a little confusing was a few people we talked to said they went on their stingray excursion and had a great time. I felt really bad for her because it was something she had been wanting to do for quite a while.

We left the ship and walked into the port area looking for information on beaches in the area. We decided on Royal Palms Beach because the entrance fee of $2.00 each included the lounge chair, umbrella, and internet, but we would pay for food and drinks. We found a cab and told the lady (here we go again) we wanted to go to Royal Palms Beach, and she said no problem, get in. We waited for about five minutes for the cab to fill up, and we were on our way. The lady, who was also the driver started trying to talk us out of going to Royal Palms Beach. She was telling us that there was massive construction going on, and that we wouldn't like it. She also told us that we would have wifi at the public beach as well. We told her that we wanted to go to Royal Palms beach to see it ourselves, and she got quiet, and had an attitude. She did take us to Royal Palms, and we did see the construction, so we told her to go ahead and drop us at the public beach. I don't have a problem with the locals suggesting places for us to go, but what we found out was going on pissed us both off. Apparently the cab driver was working along with some guys at the public beach. The cab driver would bring tourists to the guys at the beach, and then she would get a cut for bringing us to them. Everyone is trying to earn a buck, and I can appreciate that, but what we found out later on was that the construction at Royal Palms was just one side, and the beach area was fine. Cynthia mentioned this to us later that evening that after her tour, they had taken her group to the Royal Palms beach and it was beautiful. Yes, she saw construction, but it was just on the one side.

When we finally got to the public beach, we paid $10.00 for the umbrella, and $5.00 each for a lounge chair. There was no wifi, and the food prices were high. I didn't want that to put a damper on our day, so we got settled and tried to enjoy our day.

The Carnival Conquest in Grand Cayman

You can see from one side of the island, to the other side. I didn't realize that the island of Grand Cayman isn't that big.

A better picture of the Carnival Conquest

The required "vacation" picture.

Charmaine

Thursday, Day #5 Grand Cayman continued

Me relaxing at the beach in Grand Cayman

Sorry the fence is in the way, they wouldn't let us on the other side to take a picture.

One of my favorite pictures. Charmaine with the Carnival Dream, and Carnival Conquest in the background.

Once we were done at the beach, we caught another cab back to the port, and did a little shopping at the store. I got a magnet, and a collector spoon, and Charmaine got a shot glass.

Pros:

The beaches we went to in Grand Cayman was beautiful. The water was so crysal clear that you could see your feet under water. We did go swimming, and the water was just a little cold when you first got in, but then you warmed up. It was a perfect day as far as weather was concerend, with no rain at all. I would love to go back to Grand Cayman and spend more time at the beach.

Cons:

I don't like people trying to tell us where we should go. If I ask for recommendations, that let me do that. The shops at the port were okay, nothing to really get excited over, but they all sold the same thing.

Once we got back on the ship, we got cleaned up and we took John to the Lido Deck to get something to eat. We then went to deck 11, and got a few lounge chairs to lay out on. I fell asleep for a bit, Charmaine laid out enjoying the warmth of the sun, and John enjoyed people watching.

A quick bit of something sweet when we got back on the ship.

John enjoying himself people watching, and soaking up some sunshine.

John and Charmaine

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love your swimsuits - super cute

Thursday, Day #5 Grand Cayman continued

Just a few more pictures

Me enjoying the sun laying out.

Another one of my favorite pictures. Cruise ships leaving Grand Cayman.

After laying out for a while, we decided to go to our cabins to get cleaned up for dinner. It was the last formal night, and we wanted to dress up and have pictures taken.

Here's a picture of the table setting. It was simple yet elegant.

One thing I did notice on this cruise, there were quite a few ladies that dressed up in formal gowns. The other cruises I had been on, there was only about a handful of ladies that wore formal gowns. Like I said, this time there were quite a few. I don't know what they did to keep their dresses from wrinkling, but more power to them. Personally I don't want to dress up in a formal. I actually wore a few maxi dresses, and a maxi skirt, but to deal with glitter, sparkels, jewels, and fringe for 2-1/2 hours at dinner, not me. Just my personal opinion that's all. I don't knock anyone for doing that. We actually saw some beautiful gowns that night.

John had shrimp cocktail for his appetizer. I think he had shimp cocktail each night they offered it while on the cruise.

I had the stuffed mushrooms for my appetizer, something I really enjoy.

Thursday, Day #5 Grand Cayman continued

My drink for the evening, the pineapple spicy choptle martini

Let me tell you a little about this drink. I do a lot of reading of reviews here on Cruise Critic. I saw this while reading a review, and said that I will be drinking this on our upcoming cruise. When we got on the ship and saw the price, I almost died, but said "hey, I'm on vacation", $10.95 for the drink. I ordered it at dinner and I was disappointed because it was not spicy. Michelle took a sip and said that it had a kick to it, but I didn't taste it. It was a decent drinl,m and I might try it just once more, but I did finish it that's for sure.

Two of the three waiters we had. The one on the left is Romeo, and on the right is Singh. The other waiter was Kitty, and they all did a wonderful job serving us and keeping us laughing during dinner.

Another picture of our waiters dancing

I don't know if you read John Heald's posts or not but he had posted a while ago a letter from a passenger that had complained because she didn't like the waiters dancing and singing during dinner. To me, it's the experience of having dinner on the ship. She even went as far to say that the waiters really don't like dancing as well. Well I saw things just a bit different then she did. Our waiters were laughing, singing, and trying to get us up to dance with them. I hope Carnival never takes that away, as I really enjoy what they do.

I love that picture of the 2 ships with you (?) looking toward them. Your pink and orange look so pretty with the blue ocean!

Great review!

I am sorry you missed the stingrays in Grand Cayman. Grand Cayman is one of my favorite places, I even had the privilege once to stay for 5 days. It was great, a bit expensive but still super nice. If you ever go back you can to the stingrays without a ship excursion. Also, if you go to Antigua they have a wonderful stingray experience too.

Day #6, Friday (Cozumel, Mexico)

Charmaine and I got up and walked one lap around the ship. We met everyone for breakfast in the Lido Deck, and we grabbed John some fruit and snacks for the room. Michelle had booked an excursion where she would learn how to make salsa, margaritas, and also learn to salsa. Sounded like fun, but we wanted to do another beach trip. So Charmaine, Cynthia, and myself booked an excursion called Isla Pasion. We would take a motorized boat to the island and stay for 3 - 4 hours. It was an all inclusive drinks and food, so it sounded fun to me. The cost was $69.95 per person through Carnival.

Charmaine and Michelle at breakfast

We went to the meeting place where there were several other people waiting as well. We waited for about 15 minutes, and then we lined up to get on the boat. You could take a boat like the tenders that have the upstairs and downstair seating, or others ride in the speed boat that they had. The ride to the island took about 45 minutes, and it was a bumpy ride as the water was a little choppy. Poor Charmaine got sick during the boat ride to the island as the boat ride was rough, along with the smell of the boat (diesel) fumes. The fumes were getting to me as well, but I wasn't getting sick, yet! We made it to the dock at Isla Pasion, and got out. The guides gave us instructions as what was available for us, and then we were on our own. The beach was beautiful, pure white sand, not too many people on the beach at one time, and the weather was perfect.

The beach at Isla Pasion (Passion Island)

Isn't that the perfect beach setting. I like how they don't have too many people on the beach at one time.

Look at the bar, there are swings where you can sit and swing while sipping on your drink!

I love that picture of the 2 ships with you (?) looking toward them. Your pink and orange look so pretty with the blue ocean!

Thank you. It's actually my daughter Charmaine, but I love that picture as well. I'm thinking about printing it out and having it framed.

Thanks reading and following.

I am sorry you missed the stingrays in Grand Cayman. Grand Cayman is one of my favorite places, I even had the privilege once to stay for 5 days. It was great, a bit expensive but still super nice. If you ever go back you can to the stingrays without a ship excursion. Also, if you go to Antigua they have a wonderful stingray experience too.

Thanks for the information. Charmaine was really bummed, but on our next cruise, I want to suprise her and book an excursion for her to feed the stingrays. I think she would love it.

Thanks for reading and following.

Day #6, Friday (Cozumel, Mexico) continued

Cynthia walking back from a dip in the water.

Me and Cynthia. we met while stationed at Plattsburgh AFB in New York. We haven't seen each other since 1997.

Once we found a place to lay our stuff, we found lounge chairs and an umbrella. Charmaine and I left Cynthia to watch our things while we went to check out the buffet and get some drinks. The food looked okay, it was chicken fajitas, chips and salsa, different salads, rice and beans, plus an open bar. I got a watermelon margarita, my food, and went back to where Cynthia was watching our stuff and proceeded to eat lunch. The food wasn't too bad, and I really enjoyed the chips and salsa. I had about five margaritas and although it was a little watered down, I still enjoyed them. After relaxing for a while, Charmaine and I decided to go for a walk and check outo the gift shop. I found a guy that made bracelets from string and decided to have one made with my name. I also saw some cute earrings, but left because they wanted too much.

We made our way back to our lounge chairs, and sat down to soak up some sun. Cynthia then decided to go for a walk while we sat and watched our things. To me, this was a perfect day, which we all said that we enjoyed. Two hours later, we lined up and made our way back to the boat. Going back Charmaine didn't feel as sicl, so it was a nice ride back.

We are passing two of the Royal Caribbean ships as we head back to the dock in Cozumel.

Pros:

I actually enjoyed our time on Isla Pasion and would go back there again. I loved the white sand, and how peaceful it was there. The locals take really good care of the beach by keeping it clean, and they are working hard to make sure no trash or garbage is left out. The food was good for buffet food, as were the drinks.

Cons:

The ride to the island was 45 minutes. It's a long ride, and I feel it takes away from our time on the island, but it can't be helped. I just wish we had more time on the island.

We got back to the port and decided to do some quick gift shopping before having to back back on board. I got a few trinkets to give to coworkers, and also something for my sister, since she was watching our house. I wish we had more time because I wanted to check out the purses (Michael Kors, and Coach).

Once we were back on board, I took a shower, and then took John up on deck to sit out in the sun again. He enjoys listening as I tell him what we did while in port.

love your swimsuits - super cute

Thank you. Actually my swimsuit I got on clearance from Walmart, and wouldn't you know, someone else in Grand Cayman had on the same suit. I through on my cover up so no one else could see (lol).

Thank you. Actually my swimsuit I got on clearance from Walmart, and wouldn't you know, someone else in Grand Cayman had on the same suit. I through on my cover up so no one else could see (lol).

that is hilarious - I have several suits and the one I get the most compliments on - you guessed it - Walmart Clearance - truly enjoying your review

I do so love Grand Cayman and Cozumel. You all have really cute suits...who knew they were from Wal-Mart?? Well maybe the other lady that had one just like it!?!

If you get a chance to go back to Grand Cayman, try the jet skis....no really....they are a blast! My DH and I are in our 60's and if we could do it, so could you!

Loving your review and all of your fabulous pictures....Thank You So Much!

Day #6, Friday (Cozumel, Mexico) continued

Before I end Friday, I forgot to tell you that when we got up that morning and came out on the Lido deck, there was an explosion of towel animals all over the deck. I've never been on the ship where there were towel animals every where. Take a look at the pictures below:

The crew does such a wonderful job with the towel animal explosion, and everyone seemed to enjoy it.

Great review ... I saw a Drugs Inc one ae that focused on Jamaica ... it's not the ganja anymore much harder drugs rule ... in all parts of Jamaica except Montego Bay the neighborhoods are split up and have cartel like leaders ... the citizens in this neighborhood support this as when someone is in need of help they do it ... the cartel leaders send underlings to MB to make $$$ and they have quotas to make. This makes them very aggressive.

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Day #6, Friday (Cozumel, Mexico) continued

When we got back on the ship, I was wiped out. I took a shower, and then layed down for a bit. Later on we got ready for dinner, and I was ready to have this: one of my favorite drinks, a Miami Vice.

For my appetizer, I had the vegetable spring rolls, which were pretty good. I think John had the shrimp cocktail again.

For the main course, I had the steak tacos, which were really good. So good that if I remember correctly, we all had them for dinner.

AFter dinner, we went to the 3rd floor where they were having the Michael Jackson showdown witht the Flying Scotsman, who was our cruise director. It was pretty nice, and something to do. We all had a lot of fun. I never had a chance to go to the Punchliner Comedy Club, but even if I did, I don't think I would attend. I am just not into a lot of the shows. Charmaine and Michelle went, and enjoyed the "adult" comedy show. The family show was a little boring they said.

Day #6, Friday (Cozumel, Mexico) continued

Here's our towel animal for the night.

Here's a couple of pictures I took at night. Hope you can see them okay.

Of course it looks better at night when you're viewing it, but to see the reflection of the moon on the water was just beautiful.

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Really enjoying the review so far - thanks for taking the time and effort to share. The pictures with the reflection of the moon on the water are beautiful!

My husband and I will be on the Dream in January. Enjoying this thread, thanks for posting!

Great review! We have done Passion island twice in Cozumel and wouldn't hesitate to do it again. I love that it's a peaceful beach. We enjoy the ride over, much more enjoyable than a bus. Glad you had a great time!

Thanks for the information. Charmaine was really bummed, but on our next cruise, I want to suprise her and book an excursion for her to feed the stingrays. I think she would love it.

 

Thanks for reading and following.

We have booked Stingray City thru Moby Dick tours online and had a great time.