New Year's Dream!

[Cruzin4aBruzin]

Hello all! My family and I have just returned from the Dream and I felt I needed to address the issue, or should I say stigma, behind this ship. I apologize if my thoughts are jumbled, but I want to try and do this review before I forget something.

 

Firstly, I want to say that we all had an amazing time! Dream is a very very beautiful ship. It doesn't have the royal promenade of RCI (which I love), but shines in other areas. The children say that this was their "favorite cruise yet," and when I asked them why, they said "because we did so much stuff." They were right. I'm not sure if it was the ship or just us being more fun this time, but this truly was one of my favorite cruises. Anyhow, about us...we are very seasoned cruisers with 25+ cruises on lines such as Celebrity, RCI, Carnival, NCL, HAL, and Costa. Our last cruises were on the Carnival Liberty in May and the Liberty of the Seas this same time last year.

 

Embarkation: we had spent Christmas in Disney World and drove over from there on the 26th and got the first glimpse of the dream at about 1pm. We were a bit later arriving than I would have liked, but it's hard to get 10 people up and ready. The whole process was very smooth and we were on the ship in about 15 minutes. The nice part about being late was that the rooms were ready! We had a few balcony cabins on deck 8 midship. I found the rooms very spacious and extremely clean the whole cruise. Because we had 3 different rooms, we had 2 stewards amongst us, both of which were very attentive and visible the whole cruise (even showing us how to make the towel animals). One thing I'm slightly disappointed in is that carnival is still stubborn to switch over to the glass sliding doors in the showers that RCI and NCL have on their newer ships. There were no issues with this, but I think the glass doors allow less steam and keep the bathroom more dry. Oh well...minor gripe.

 

Food: So, this sort of is a segway right into the food aboard dream. I don't know if it's because of our later boarding or not, but I thought the lines were very manageable. And this is what I want to say about the whole line "issue"...I wish I had never read any of the reviews of this ship before I went on it! I feel as though it tainted me. Had no one ever said anything to me about lines/crowds, I never would have thought anything about it in comparison to past cruises. In other words, the lines do not seem any worse than the last two aforementioned cruises I had been on. One side-note though: while the Mongolian is VERY good, this does have a crazy long line most days...but here's the thing...people go in line and one person will grab 4 bowls of food for the chef to make. I believe that's what slows the line down. I wrote in my comment card that they need to limit it to one bowl per person. Additionally, I found the food in the gathering much more plentiful with many more choices than the last RCI ship I was on. Be sure to try the indian food and pasta bar! They are great. And the burritos are very similar to chipotle, which I love. The deli freshly slices their meat, just like jersey mikes. I was fairly impressed with the food in the gathering. Ok...so now onto the Scarlet dining room. We had I Made (that was his name) and he was the nicest and hardest worker ever. I felt very badly for him though because the table across from us was giving him a very hard time. Apparently they wanted served before all of the other tables in our waiter's section. They even went so far as to complain to the Maitre'D. Well, when I saw that I waited until they left and set the Maitre'D straight. There is no reason to make a waiter cry! And yes, I saw this. I could understand if he was a poor server, but this was not the case! Anyhow, I don't know if they have improved compared to someone else's reviews, but I was again very impressed with the food quality, presentation, and taste. Carnival uses great meat cuts and I felt they took the time to put the meals together nicely. I was very happy with this. Maybe I'm too easy to please, but I know it was better than the food on Liberty of the Seas (which seemed hit or miss). Oh and another nice surprise was the brunch in the main dining room. You MUST do this. The food was fabulous. I got the cheesesteak with gruyere cheese and everyone seemed to like the chicken french toast. It's a nice touch that they give you champagne too. Additionally, the Lanai BBQ was good with hamburger sliders and quesadillas. These two options seemed to only be offered on sea days. Let me know if there is anything else you want me to comment on as far as food goes, because I feel like I'm rambling now haha.

 

Entertainment: I'll be honest with you here, the only dance show I truly thought was amazing was the one called "dancing in the streets." Don't miss the break-dancers. The others weren't anything to write home about. I really really liked the ventriloquist...maybe since I had never encountered one on a ship before. Either way, he was very funny. The last show, called Carnival Legends, is kind of lame as far as finale shows go. It's just a bunch of guests acting like a certain celebrity vocalist. It was fun, but I would try and come up with a better finale show. On thing this ship didn't lack was comedy. Every night they seemed to have about 2 different comedians (either in the comedy club or the encore). Of course, some were funnier than others. I highly recommend Al Ernst if he's on board. Hilarious. Again, I didn't find any trouble obtaining a seat in any of the shows, be it comedy or theatre production. But, I do like to get there 15-20 minutes early. This is something I believe you need to do on any cruise in all honesty. I will say though that "Dancing in the streets" was very crowded, but I assume that's because people have heard how good of a show it is? Oh and one more thing, they have this guy that introduces the comedy acts. His name is Jeff the "fun-guy." Well, let me tell you, he's about as funny as I would be up there. He told the same jokes at EVERY show. One show, a kid sitting near the front said something about how we already heard that one and he said, "I don't tell you how to run your lemonade stand kid, don't tell me how to do my job." I thought that was a little rude. I think he needs to just introduce the *real* funny people and get off the stage.

 

Pool/slides/other stuff: Maybe I'm just a big kid, but I found the slides very fun. The drainpipe slide is VERY fast and sort of surprised me my first time. Even the twister slide is great, as were the racer slides (which really aren't as lame as they look). The pools really weren't that crowded, so I didn't see any problem there. There does seem to be a shortage of deck chairs however. It was hard to get a chair around noon and the chair-savers were out in full force on this ship. I wish they would enforce their 30 minute rule better, but unless they have someone watching each chair, there is no real way to do this. And another thing I believe I read was that there were not enough hot tubs on this ship. Are you kidding me? They seem to be everywhere. There are 4 on promenade deck and on lido there are 2 aft, 2 midship (under the golf course), and 2 in serenity. Seems like quite enough to me. Speaking of golf, the mini golf course was very nice...although I can't understand how parts are already falling apart on this 2 month old vessel. I hope they can maintain it in the long-term. I also wish they would have had a plaque telling you how many laps were a mile on the jogging track, but there was none to be found. One last thing: I know people say this ship smells of toilet, but I truly didn't smell it anyplace EXCEPT in line for the slides. Yes, here, it is awful. Other than that, no worries.

 

Ports: Cozumel was very nice and HOT. We went to Chaankanab park and swam with the dolphins. I recommend that. Roatan is surprisingly nice! I don't know where the ship (Carnival Liberty) dropped us off in May, but this was not it. Mahogany Beach is right as you get off the ship so it's good for someone that worries about making it back in time (aka: me). Unfortunately, we got rained out mid-afternoon. Belize rained the whole day, so we didn't debark the ship. And costa maya is a favorite of mine...I love going downtown and getting mexican food, laying by the beach, etc. They have messages on the beach for 20 dollars. It's 3 dollars to get to downtown via bus, but you must pay 2 dollars to get back via taxi (all per person).

 

New Years: Anyone that was on-board knows that the title of this thread is actually the name of the master mixologist drink that was made by a fellow guest. Appropriate. The ship was very nicely decorated for the holidays with greenery around the atrium balconies and many trees interspersed throughout the ship. I just read a snippet from someone's Triumph review saying they thought their ship was lacking holiday decor. I don't know anything about that, but dream was not. They even had a little mini tree at the spa front desk. The new years party on lido was very very nice, however, I think RCI did this better last year on the royal promenade. There were no balloons or confetti (although they did a pre-new years confetti drop in the atrium at 11pm). But it was definitely fun watching all of the people out there under the blue moon when the ship's horn blasted at midnight.

 

Overall: I highly enjoyed this cruise. I think for the money Carnival offers a very competitive product. It seems to me like Carnival puts a lot more time/money into food while RCI puts more into the "wow" factor of the ship's decor. That is not to say that dream is not a looker, but I think I just miss the royal promenade like I stated previously. That's my take anyhow. Will I cruise Carnival again? Yes. Will I cruise Dream again? Most definitely. I feel that most of the stigma behind the Dream is falsity. The food is great, help is friendly, the ship really doesn't smell, and the lines seem similar to the other ships I've been on. The Dream is not one of the Yachts of Seabourn and if you expect that, Dream is not for you. But, what Dream does offer is very nice. Please don't hesitate to ask me any questions, but right now I can't think of anything else to say. Sorry it was kind of a long review! Happy sailing everyone and happy new year!

[boaterette]

Thank you for the review. Glad to hear that you had a great time. Did you go to the casino by any chance?

[tracy b]

thanks for taking the time to tell us about your great trip

[Cruzin4aBruzin]

Oh, yes, I did go to the casino. I'm not really into the card games or anything though. I mostly do the slots. I made out pretty well. I liked that late night they have people that came around with finger foods like pizza or empanatas.

[iluvcruises]

I am so excited and happy to read your review...we leave on Jan. 9th to sail on the Dream! Thanks for your review!

[ChrissyBTX]

Thank you for the review. I enjoyed reading it. It seems like we're seeing more positive reviews of the Dream lately. That's good!

 

You mentioned a Royal Promenade on RCCL ships. What is the Royal Promenade?

[gillespieda]

Thank you for posting positive comments! I sail on her at the end of Feb, and really wanted to hear some good!

[Cruzin4aBruzin]

Royal Promenade on RCI ships is the central mall that connects the two atria of the ship. It's about 3 stories high and has shops/bars along the way. They have parades there and it's generally just an impressive space.

[sandyj55]

Thanks for the review of the Dream!! We are leaving Jan 30 and I have been worried by some of the reviews on her. I know when a new ship sails there are problems to be worked out and maybe she is starting to get her bugs worked out now. I can't wait to enjoy her.....

[ChrissyBTX]

Royal Promenade on RCI ships is the central mall that connects the two atria of the ship. It's about 3 stories high and has shops/bars along the way. They have parades there and it's generally just an impressive space.

 

Thanks! I understand now. I've seen that on the Travel Channel. The only RCCL cruise I went on was a small ship and it didn't have that.

[mrpayroll]

Thank you for taking the time to write your review...I am counting down to Jan 23 to go DREAMING..Sounds like you had a GREAT time...:rolleyes:

[js]

Hi. Welcome back!

So glad to hear your review and comparision to RCCL, which my family has cruised over 10+ times, and haven't sailed yet as a family on CCL.

I'll have 2 - 16 year old girls and my ds-12.

 

Can I ask you if you used the Serenity Area? If so, was there a lot of chair hogging in this area? Did the crew members inforce the no chair hog rule or was it hard to get chairs/loungers in this area?

 

We have a balcony and an inside 4 cabins from the very back of the ship on Deck 8 and don't think that the promanade extends far out at the very back, I think it goes in closer to the ship towards the back.

 

Were you able to have yoru fridge cleared out by your room stewards? On RCCL, we usually ask our cabin steward when we arrive to clear out the fridge and we have it for our carryone wine, bottled water (yes, I know about not smuggling LOL). Can I do this on Dream?

 

Was there a bar on the Dream somewhat like the Schooner Bar? Is that the piano bar on Dream?

 

Were you able to see the balcony and ocean from your bed when laying down?

 

Are you able to keep your balcony door open when sleeping? If so, how were you able to do it. I think the balcony doors are different than RCCL.

 

Sorry, didn't realize I had so many questions LOL

 

Welcome home and happy new year!

[ChrissyBTX]

Hi. Welcome back!

 

 

Were you able to have yoru fridge cleared out by your room stewards? On RCCL, we usually ask our cabin steward when we arrive to clear out the fridge and we have it for our carryone wine, bottled water (yes, I know about not smuggling LOL). Can I do this on Dream?

 

Was there a bar on the Dream somewhat like the Schooner Bar? Is that the piano bar on Dream?

 

Are you able to keep your balcony door open when sleeping? If so, how were you able to do it. I think the balcony doors are different than RCCL.

 

quote]

 

I know your post wasn't directed to me, but I can answer 3 of your questions.

 

Yes, there is a Piano Bar. Most of the area is smoking tho. Part of it, including the bar at the piano, is non-smoking.

 

We asked our steward to clear out our frig and he did, no problem.

 

Yes, you can keep your balcony door open. You'll have to prop it open with something tho. I love to do this so I can hear the ocean. The cabin seemed to get warmer in the middle of the night tho. I don't know if the cool air was escaping the cabin or if there is some sensor that turns off your a/c. But, it was nice for a while. If it got too warm, I'd get up and shut the door.

 

Have a great cruise!

[mississauga]

Excellent review! Thanks for pointing out all your positive experiences that were seen as negatives in some other reviews.

 

We were on the Dec.3 sailing and had the same positive experience that you had. The only thing I didn't do was go on the twister and slides so didn't smell anything there. No smells for me anywhere I went.:D

 

Unfortunately, we didn't have the brunch or BBQ on the Lanai options. Guess we'll have to book another cruise on the Dream.:p

 

Thanks for taking the time out to do such a quick review for those waiting to go on the Dream. :):):)

[meluvtogocruise]

Thank you for taking the time to write such a good review!:)

[afcj1]

Hi. Welcome back!

So glad to hear your review and comparision to RCCL, which my family has cruised over 10+ times, and haven't sailed yet as a family on CCL.

I'll have 2 - 16 year old girls and my ds-12.

 

Can I ask you if you used the Serenity Area? If so, was there a lot of chair hogging in this area? Did the crew members inforce the no chair hog rule or was it hard to get chairs/loungers in this area?

 

We have a balcony and an inside 4 cabins from the very back of the ship on Deck 8 and don't think that the promanade extends far out at the very back, I think it goes in closer to the ship towards the back.

 

Were you able to have yoru fridge cleared out by your room stewards? On RCCL, we usually ask our cabin steward when we arrive to clear out the fridge and we have it for our carryone wine, bottled water (yes, I know about not smuggling LOL). Can I do this on Dream?

 

Was there a bar on the Dream somewhat like the Schooner Bar? Is that the piano bar on Dream?

 

Were you able to see the balcony and ocean from your bed when laying down?

 

Are you able to keep your balcony door open when sleeping? If so, how were you able to do it. I think the balcony doors are different than RCCL.

 

Sorry, didn't realize I had so many questions LOL

 

Welcome home and happy new year!

 

Hi, I'm not the OP either, but hope that I can help out. I was on this same cruise and it was wonderful. I'll also attempt a review, but won't promise:o

 

Serenity and chair hogs in general - YES, YES, YES the hogs were all on board EVERYWHERE and nobody is there to enforce the 30 minute rule, unless you want to do it on your own. We did once...it was about 2 hrs before anyone came back. Not only that, it was overheard after the deck party for NYE that someone mentioned that they were going to save their chair then...at 1AM:rolleyes: I was also told that there was a fight on Serenity, Friday, due to the chair situation. Beware tho, that there's no pool there, just a couple hotubs.

 

We used the fridge and cleaned out the bar ourselves. It wasn't the best and the door rarely closed tightly, so I'm not sure if they're just crummy fridges or that our was funky.

 

There were several bar areas, but I don't know the RCI ships to make the comparison. The piano bar was nice and I was probably lucky not being in there when it was smokey. Vince is the piano player and I enjoyed him.

 

In our room you wouldn't have been able to see the ocean when lying down, tho that's why I'd use the balcony. I'll go out on a limb and give you a "no" on that one.

 

The balcony doors are VERY heavy and were SLAMMING constantly. I don't think anyone meant to do it on purpose, but sometimes the wind grabbed it or it slipped *slammed* closed. We used the door stop to keep the door open. Only did it once, when it wasn't as humid.

 

Hope this helps.

[PRgal]

Carnival Dream - Western Caribbean: 12/26/09-1/02/10

Embarkation

As always, we booked a suite room so that we can breeze through the VIP embarkation process. It’s well worth the money both at embarkation and the comfort you enjoy throughout the cruise. Any time I’m in the room, I have the balcony door open to hear the water.

One small problem with the Dream’s layout, however, is that they have placed 4 hot tubs (2 on each of the ship’s side) two levels down; so many times the oceanic sounds are replaced by adult voices and children’s shrieks and laughter from the hot tub. It wasn’t a deal breaker, but I would recommend a suite at either far 1/4th end, and not in the middle 2/4ths of the boat.

Dinner/Breakfast/Lunch

Not sure how it happened, but my confirmed “early seating” dinner reservation in the Crimson dining room, ended up changing to “Your Time Dining” when we checked in – meaning open dining anytime between 5:45 pm – 9:30 pm in the dining room’s upstairs level. I didn’t think I’d like it, and it turned out, I didn’t. We got there at 7:30 PM, and were given a typical restaurant beeper-type notifier and told to wait in the adjoining lounge for a table. Once at our table, the service was just so-so, the server was stretched between tables and seemed overwhelmed. We asked the maitre de on the way out, if he could switch us back to early seating assigned dining, and we were thrilled to get a note under our cabin door by lunch the next day telling us we had been assigned to the Scarlett dining room. WOW! What a treat…the Scarlett dining room is located in the back of the boat and has a whole back wall of windows looking out to the water. It was lovely being able to watch the boat leave ports at dinner time.

One note about the Scarlet dining room’s location at the back of the ship: when the ship goes in reverse /moves sideways to get close to the pier -- the noise and vibration are strongest there! One breakfast, as we were pulling in to Roatan, the view was beautiful from our table, but the shaking/vibration and noise was deafening – even some of the glasses set near each other on tables had to be moved because they were rattling into each other. The same thing happened on a smaller scale, that night at dinner.

Eating on the Lido deck was crowded, but not as bad as I had expected/read about on this board. The Burrito Bar was my favorite, and while there was a 10-15 minute wait, it was worth it because every burrito was made to order. My travel partner loved the pasta bar – because of the food and the great staff that worked up there. We found the hamburger grill and the 24-hour pizza bar both had long lines during peak dining hours, but was never too long to wait in it.

That Dream “Smell”

Before leaving, I read many comments here about a sewage smell on the ship, and yes indeed, there is an odd, garbage-type smell, but not all the time. I smelled it every day in our Empress level hall, only around a mealtime, leaving us to think it might have something to do with food disposal? I asked at Guest Services and they acted surprised to hear about it, as if I was the first to mention it. When I noted it had been written about at length on CruiseCritic.com, she acted as if she had no idea. I asked stewards in the hall, and other miscellaneous Carnival personnel, and never got an answer to what the smell was. No one mentions it; and no one you ask about, acknowledges that it’s there. Strange!

Cruise Director Todd Whitmer

I didn’t read anything about the CD before I left, and was open to my own experience. Unfortunately, I was not impressed. While he does the job, he appeared to me to be aloof, standoffish, and disingenuous than others I’ve had on previous cruises. For example, WeeJimmy was sometimes a bit too much nonsense to take, but you at least felt like he was WITH you on the cruise. Not so with Todd – he had more of a ‘teacher’ talking to his ‘students’ type approach. He doesn’t feel like he's part of the cruise. He’s more of an administrator who guides/advises; he doesn’t create excitement.

Little Things That Bugged Me

These are minor things…but in my mind, should be noticed/taken care of if the crew is really paying attention to detail:

 

• The bingo screen on the left-side of the auditorium is out of focus.
  
• The dance/singing entertainment shows feature fabulous talent, beautiful sets and costumes, and are highly produced. However, I didn’t care for the show’s content. The first night was a tribute to the “working class” (Todd’s words) and the second show was all about street life at night – featuring two/song dance numbers about street walkers/hookers – and other night/street groups such as break dancers, motorcyclists, lost/no purpose individuals looking for a better life, etc. Both shows were well produced and performed, but didn’t leave me feeling “fun” on the funship. Third night’s show is all country – I chose to miss it
  
• The deck chairs in the all-adult Serenity area are behind a short glass partition/wall – instead of open bars that allow you to hear the water and feel the breeze.
  
• Cruise Director Todd over uses cliché descriptor phrases “very special” and “it means so much to me” and “amazing” re: every activity and/or feature he’s talking about. And almost all of the time, they are neither “very special” nor “amazing.”
  
  
• There are TOO many photographers. You literally go thru 3-4 of them begging you to pose for a picture when leaving the ship for an excursion, and up to 5-6 on the Ocean Plaza area during dinner hours.
  
• The weather (no fault of CCL, of course)...it was just too darn cold!
  
  

Décor: Boat & Room

The ship’s décor is a nice combination of artistic elegance and the usual Carnival glitz. A colorful, glass bubbles (dots?) theme is in the atrium, on the elevator walls/floors, etc. It’s both pretty and interesting, especially in the atrium where the dots subtly glow/blink. The large artwork located on each floor’s landing in the main stairwells is fun and entertaining…although not always clear what they “mean”.

Our suite cabin was identical to our suite on the Glory..including nice wood and granite/marble décor, flat screen tv, dressing room, built-in desk/shelves/closets are a nice touch. Loved the good sized bathroom, and the shower head/water pressure was great.

Ports

Being a person that loves the leisure life on the boat and would probably be fine with no stops at all…found that 4 ports was nice, but a bit too much maybe? Cozumel and Belize are great stops, but Roatan and Costa Maya and really nothing more than a beach/shopping plaza made for the cruise ship passengers.

Recommended Excursions

 

• Altun Ha Mayan Site & River Wallace (Belize): A nice double treat…a bus ride through the island to a great Mayan site, with expert commentary/tour guide, and a long, leisurely open boat ride down the River Wallace spotting and birds and wildlife.
  
• Catamaran Sail & Snorkel (Costa Maya): from the first contact with Mario, the tour guide, on the pier – you know this is going to be a real treat. You ride in a luxury coach bus through the town and countryside, ending up at Fisherman’s Pier. Once on the catamaran, Mario and his superior staff, take great care of you. Beginners, intermediate and expert snorkelers are all accommodated and there is a lot of attention paid to safety. Can’t say enough about the great experience both in and out of the water.
   
  
  

I Wish I Brought:

· A lightweight rain poncho…we had rain a several times this week, and a poncho would have been ideal.

Cloud 9 Spa

Soon after we set sail, my travel partner and I both got facials in the spa. The next day we got a mani/pedi. The staff was pleasant, personable, and talented/well-trained. However, they are so hell-bent on selling you products and more services, that it became unbearable to be there. We would have gone back to the spa for more pampering, but the push to sell services was annoying and uncomfortable and made us stay away.

Past Guest Party

The past guest party was held mid-week and included a jazz band playing music, free drinks distributed by waiters and light appetizers. It was wonderful to invited...however, there didn't seem a formal. planned program such as a video, introduction of the guest/s with most past cruises, etc.

Comedy Club

Loved the opportunity to see live comedians doing stand up...but someone needs to take the poor Fun Guy out of his misery. He's a nice guy, but is NOT a good stand up comic.

[PRgal]

Embarkation

As always, we booked a suite room so that we can breeze through the VIP embarkation process. It’s well worth the money both at embarkation and the comfort you enjoy throughout the cruise. Any time I’m in the room, I have the balcony door open to hear the water.

One small problem with the Dream’s layout, however, is that they have placed 4 hot tubs (2 on each of the ship’s side) two levels down; so many times the oceanic sounds are replaced by adult voices and children’s shrieks and laughter from the hot tub. It wasn’t a deal breaker, but I would recommend a suite at either far 1/4th end, and not in the middle 2/4ths of the boat.

Dinner/Breakfast/Lunch

Not sure how it happened, but my confirmed “early seating” dinner reservation in the Crimson dining room, ended up changing to “Your Time Dining” when we checked in – meaning open dining anytime between 5:45 pm – 9:30 pm in the dining room’s upstairs level. I didn’t think I’d like it, and it turned out, I didn’t. We got there at 7:30 PM, and were given a typical restaurant beeper-type notifier and told to wait in the adjoining lounge for a table. Once at our table, the service was just so-so, the server was stretched between tables and seemed overwhelmed. We asked the Maitre'D on the way out, if he could switch us back to early seating assigned dining, and we were thrilled to get a note under our cabin door by lunch the next day telling us we had been assigned to the Scarlett dining room.

 

WOW! What a treat…the Scarlett dining room is located in the back of the boat and has a whole back wall of windows looking out to the water. It was lovely being able to watch the boat leave ports at dinner time.

 

One note about the Scarlet dining room’s location at the back of the ship: when the ship goes in reverse /moves sideways to get close to the pier -- the noise and vibration are strongest there! One breakfast, as we were pulling in to Roatan, the view was beautiful from our table, but the shaking/vibration and noise was deafening – even some of the glasses set near each other on tables had to be moved because they were rattling into each other. The same thing happened on a smaller scale, that night at dinner.

 

Eating on the Lido deck was crowded, but not as bad as I had expected/read about on this board. The Burrito Bar was my favorite, and while there was a 10-15 minute wait, it was worth it because every burrito was made to order. My travel partner loved the pasta bar – because of the food and the great staff that worked up there. We found the hamburger grill and the 24-hour pizza bar both had long lines during peak dining hours, but was never too long to wait in it.

That Dream “Smell”

Before leaving, I read many comments here about a sewage smell on the ship, and yes indeed, there is an odd, garbage-type smell, but not all the time. I smelled it every day in our Empress level hall, only around a mealtime, leaving us to think it might have something to do with food disposal? I asked at Guest Services and they acted surprised to hear about it, as if I was the first to mention it. When I noted it had been written about at length on CruiseCritic.com, she acted as if she had no idea. I asked stewards in the hall, and other miscellaneous Carnival personnel, and never got an answer to what the smell was. No one mentions it; and no one you ask about, acknowledges that it’s there. Strange!

Cruise Director Todd Whitmer

I didn’t read anything about the CD before I left, and was open to my own experience. Unfortunately, I was not impressed. While he does the job, he appeared to me to be aloof, standoffish, and disingenuous than others I’ve had on previous cruises. For example, WeeJimmy was sometimes a bit too much nonsense to take, but you at least felt like he was WITH you on the cruise. Not so with Todd – he had more of a ‘teacher’ talking to his ‘students’ type approach. He doesn’t feel like he's part of the cruise. He’s more of an administrator who guides/advises; he doesn’t create excitement.

Little Things That Bugged Me

These are minor things…but in my mind, should be noticed/taken care of if the crew is really paying attention to detail:

• The bingo screen on the left-side of the auditorium is out of focus.
  
• The dance/singing entertainment shows feature fabulous talent, beautiful sets and costumes, and are highly produced. However, I didn’t care for the show’s content. The first night was a tribute to the “working class” (Todd’s words) and the second show was all about street life at night – featuring two/song dance numbers about street walkers/hookers – and other night/street groups such as break dancers, motorcyclists, lost/no purpose individuals looking for a better life, etc. Both shows were well produced and performed, but didn’t leave me feeling “fun” on the funship. Third night’s show is all country – I chose to miss it
  
• The deck chairs in the all-adult Serenity area are behind a short glass partition/wall – instead of open bars that allow you to hear the water and feel the breeze.
  
• Cruise Director Todd over uses cliché descriptor phrases “very special” and “it means so much to me” and “amazing” re: every activity and/or feature he’s talking about. And almost all of the time, they are neither “very special” nor “amazing.”
  
• There are TOO many photographers. You literally go thru 3-4 of them begging you to pose for a picture when leaving the ship for an excursion, and up to 5-6 on the Ocean Plaza area during dinner hours.
  
• The weather (no fault of CCL, of course)...it was just too darn cold!
  

Décor: Boat & Room

The ship’s décor is a nice combination of artistic elegance and the usual Carnival glitz. A colorful, glass bubbles (dots?) theme is in the atrium, on the elevator walls/floors, etc. It’s both pretty and interesting, especially in the atrium where the dots subtly glow/blink. The large artwork located on each floor’s landing in the main stairwells is fun and entertaining…although not always clear what they “mean”.

Our suite cabin was identical to our suite on the Glory..including nice wood and granite/marble décor, flat screen tv, dressing room, built-in desk/shelves/closets are a nice touch. Loved the good sized bathroom, and the shower head/water pressure was great.

Ports

Being a person that loves the leisure life on the boat and would probably be fine with no stops at all…found that 4 ports was nice, but a bit too much maybe? Cozumel and Belize are great stops, but Roatan and Costa Maya and really nothing more than a beach/shopping plaza made for the cruise ship passengers.

Recommended Excursions

• Altun Ha Mayan Site & River Wallace (Belize): A nice double treat…a bus ride through the island to a great Mayan site, with expert commentary/tour guide, and a long, leisurely open boat ride down the River Wallace spotting and birds and wildlife.
  
• Catamaran Sail & Snorkel (Costa Maya): from the first contact with Mario, the tour guide, on the pier – you know this is going to be a real treat. You ride in a luxury coach bus through the town and countryside, ending up at Fisherman’s Pier. Once on the catamaran, Mario and his superior staff, take great care of you. Beginners, intermediate and expert snorkelers are all accommodated and there is a lot of attention paid to safety. Can’t say enough about the great experience both in and out of the water.
  

I Wish I Brought:

A lightweight rain poncho…we had rain a several times this week, and a poncho would have been ideal.

Cloud 9 Spa

Soon after we set sail, my travel partner and I both got facials in the spa. The next day we got a mani/pedi. The staff was pleasant, personable, and talented/well-trained. However, they are so hell-bent on selling you products and more services, that it became unbearable to be there. We would have gone back to the spa for more pampering, but the push to sell services was annoying and uncomfortable and made us stay away.

Past Guest Party

The past guest party was held mid-week and included a jazz band playing music, free drinks distributed by waiters and light appetizers. It was wonderful to invited...however, there didn't seem a formal. planned program such as a video, introduction of the guest/s with most past cruises, etc.

Comedy Club

Loved the opportunity to see live comedians doing stand up...but someone needs to take the poor Fun Dude out of his misery. He's a nice guy, but is NOT a good standup comic.

[PRgal]

Hi. Welcome back!

 

Were you able to see the balcony and ocean from your bed when laying down?

 

Are you able to keep your balcony door open when sleeping? If so, how were you able to do it. I think the balcony doors are different than RCCL.

 

 

Yes, and yes! Every day I had the curtains drawn opened on the two balcony windows/door to see the ocean view...and slept with the door open every night to hear the sounds of the sea, by propping it open with one of the deck chairs.

[Firefighterhoop]

Thank you for your review... refreshing to hear two positive ones in one day!:cool:

[angelkisses]

Oh, yes, I did go to the casino. I'm not really into the card games or anything though. I mostly do the slots. I made out pretty well. I liked that late night they have people that came around with finger foods like pizza or empanatas.

 

Thats something I have not seen them do before but then again I don't spend alot of time in casino. Its the extras like this that help makes things special.

 

 

How was the Lasar show? I've not seen any comments about the Lasar show and perhaps its the inner teen in me thats really looking forward to this.

[*Mach*]

Hello all! My family and I have just returned from the Dream and I felt I needed to address the issue, or should I say stigma, behind this ship. I apologize if my thoughts are jumbled, but I want to try and do this review before I forget something.

 

 

 

Cruzin...

Thanks so much for a very balanced review.

Could you please do me the favor of allowing me to forward your thoughts to a friend of mine at Carnival?

Mostly, I'd like to make sure that Ken, the Maitre d', again hears your praise for I Made.

Feel free to let me know here or email me. My address is in my signature...

:)

[floatingaway2525]

Hello all! My family and I have just returned from the Dream and I felt I needed to address the issue, or should I say stigma, behind this ship. I apologize if my thoughts are jumbled, but I want to try and do this review before I forget something.

 

Ok...so now onto the Scarlet dining room. We had I Made (that was his name) and he was the nicest and hardest worker ever. I felt very badly for him though because the table across from us was giving him a very hard time. Apparently they wanted served before all of the other tables in our waiter's section. They even went so far as to complain to the Maitre'D. Well, when I saw that I waited until they left and set the Maitre'D straight. There is no reason to make a waiter cry! And yes, I saw this. I could understand if he was a poor server, but this was not the case! !

 

ACK, they made I Made cry???:mad::mad::mad:

God BLESS you for taking the time to speak with the maitre'd to counteract twits!!! We had I Made on our Glory cruise in Jan 2008, and I was SO happy to see this sweet guy on the Dream, he totally ROCKS!!!

Honestly, some people just need a serious boppin'!!!:mad:

Bless you!!!:)

[floatingaway2525]

Cruzin...

 

Thanks so much for a very balanced review.

 

Could you please do me the favor of allowing me to forward your thoughts to a friend of mine at Carnival?

 

Mostly, I'd like to make sure that Ken, the Maitre d', again hears your praise for I Made.

 

Feel free to let me know here or email me. My address is in my signature...

 

:)

 

Bless you too Mach!!!:)

I Made is in my letter to Carnival, he is one of the happiest and best servers ever!!! AND, on our Dream week he was serving in the PB too!!!

[PRgal]

How was the Lasar show? I've not seen any comments about the Lasar show and perhaps its the inner teen in me thats really looking forward to this.

 

The laser show is worth seeing, but it wasn't something I made a point of returning to see. It's synchronized with music and was fun to see the first night and on New Year's Eve.