Can you stand another Dream review? (and more pictures)

[summercruisin']

I also am enjoying your review. Do you have any pictures of the pool area on the ship that is for kids?

 

I'm going to look again, but I don't think I do. We got wet when we were there, so I think I put the camera away :o. I do know for sure that mom2girls (who is doing the "dream worth waiting for" review) DOES have some good ones. Also, I remember being a little disappointed, because the kids area doesn't look like it does in some of the advertisements I've seen. There is not much room for very small ones like my DD to walk around and splash and play. And my DS has an anxiety disorder, so he won't do the slides, although it appeared that most kids his age LOVED them!

[summercruisin']

I'm having withdrawals!!! I'm loving your review & can't wait for more!!! Groceries...kids....bills....the job....must all wait!!! Gimmegimmiegimmie!!!;)

 

 

HA! You made me laugh! :D

[summercruisin']

Your children are adorable. Looks like a very nice time.

 

I'm glad you shared. We are booked on DCL for next Christmas, but the Carnival Magic is coming to Galveston so we are considering a switch. Cheaper & easier commute for us. The pic of your stateroom helped a lot - as I was curious if a balcony room would be big enough for us.

 

So for entertainment & selfish trip planning reasons - I have enjoyed your thread.

 

Thank you.

 

Loving your review! Your kids are so cute! Love your daughter's curls.:)

 

Being down to less than 2 months until our Dream cruise reviews like yours make the waiting a little bit easier (well, maybe a tiny bit easier!)

(BTW, your kids are just too darn cute!)

 

 

Thanks for the compliments on the kids. I'm one of those madly-in-love moms whose world revolves around them. :o We travel a lot, and they usually do very well...and much to my DS's frustration, DD's wild curls and joyful demeanor (she is basically happy and outgoing all the time) get her lots of attention. I prayed for those curls and the happiness, though, so I savor it all! :)

[summercruisin']

All right, let's get back to it! :D Where I left off we had just barely caught the ferry back to the ship. We had an easy ride back, and the guy on the microphone pointed out several celebrity homes on the way. I remember him mentioning Tom Cruise and Oprah (who has a huge house AND a huge guest house side-by-side but still paid to stay at Atlantis in THE suite at some point.....hey, Oprah, I can housesit for you anytime!!! :rolleyes:) He also mentioned Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods (well, it's his wife's Bahamas home now), Christina Aguilera, Nicholas Cage, and some other actors, as well as dead people - Elvis, Mary Kay, and Frank Lloyd Wright.

 

DD fell asleep on the way back, and we arrived the lines were long to get back onboard. Here's a tip...when getting back on board, be sure to notice that there are at least 2 gangway entrances. People tend to get in line at the closest one, but if you walk around that line, you will find a shorter line. When we got back on in Nassau, the first line was really really long, the second was about a third as long, and the third was about half as long as the 2nd. We practically walked right on while others were still waiting in the hot sun.

 

We got back on the ship, took quick showers (which my 3 year old despises...if you are taking a LO, the shower heads are detachable, which helps a little), and then took a nap. We do love our sleep! There were some fabulous things going on, such as the popular mixology bar challenge, dodge ball, a blackjack tournament, name that tune, country line dancing class, laser tag, and later the captain's celebration (drinks are now $1 off, no longer free), but we were blissfully unaware. My DS got very upset with me when he realized he may have missed seeing the captain in person, something he very much wanted to do.

 

After a fabulous nap, we decided we wanted a snack but didn't want to venture out of the room just yet, so we ordered room service. First, we noticed that our names were on the tv (welcoming us aboard...how cool!) and that ordering room service by tv was very easy. We got pb&j and hot chocolate for DS, milk for DD (she snacked on something we brought), caesar salads for both DH and me, and a steak sandwich to share...didn't want to overdo it before formal night! For the record, room service takes FOREVER - in this case about an hour, so be prepared!

 

After that, we hung out in the room for a bit, watched tv ("Yes Man" with Jim Carrey was on...pretty amusing), and hung out on the balcony looking for flying fish. Soon enough it was time to get ready for elegant night.

 

First, I will say I did not see anyone dressed inappropriately, which was nice. There was a variety of attire, but everyone looked very nice. I did get my DS to wear a tie...a big accomplishment!

 

The assistant maitre'd, John, introduced himself that night and we saw him every day for the rest of the week. He was very affable.

 

For appetizers that night, I had the stuffed mushrooms (yum!) and DH had pumpkin soup (which he said was very good). For dinner, we had lobster tails (DH may have had the duck; I can't remember! :rolleyes:). I ordered 2 lobster tails from the start, and the waiter brought them both without a blink. The shrimp were good as well. DD had the spaghetti Carbonera and liked it. She thought it was really cool that it had real bacon in it. For dessert, we had sherbet. It was all very good.

 

We didn't go to the show after dinner, so I can't tell you about it. :( We just walked around the ship a bit and headed back to the room (I tell ya, that sun and salt water wears me out!).

 

We did have a towel animal that night, but we weren't 100% sure what it was...

 

[summercruisin']

After elegant night on Sunday, we enjoyed another great night of sleep. I remember thinking that the reviews I had read before about the noise issues must have been exaggerations, because we had no issues with noise up until now...yeah, so began my curse, apparently. Up until this time, we couldn't even tell we had neighbors...all was quiet. Sure, in the bathroom, we could hear the 70 pounds of pressure suction of other toilets around us, but other than that, so far so good.

 

In the morning, I was the first one up (still on school teacher schedule :rolleyes:), so I went out on the balcony with my new Nook. When the kids woke up soon after, I took them for breakfast at the buffet (DH wanted to sleep in). The breakfast buffet lines were very short, and they had basically the same things as the day before, except the potatoes were sliced differently, the sausages were a little different, and there were waffles and french toast instead of pancakes. Manuevering the buffet on my own with two small children was only a minor challenge. The biggest snafu was I burned by hand on the plate warmer, as it was almost empty and I had to reach down in there to get a plate...be careful...there are no warning signs that I saw.

 

After breakfast, I took the kids to Camp Carnival finally. I had registered them by filling out the form in advance online and dropping it off in CC when we arrived on Saturday -this was very easy. When I took them today, the counselors were very cheerful and welcoming. DD already had a special name tag to indicate she had food allergies, which was comforting. I left her epi-pen in CC, and they had a place near the door to keep it. DS went right in and quickly got 'roped into' a competition that was just starting. The kids were on separate sides, as CC is divided into a 2-5 year old group and a 6-8 year old group. After checking the kids in, I was given a phone in case they needed me, and off I went.

 

My first stop was back on my balcony, where I found out we did indeed have neighbors....very loud and foul-mouthed ones. They were older (old enough to be out of school when JFK died, I discovered), and I got to hear all about their take on legalizing marijuana, their taste in cigars, their assertions that JFK was killed by the government (hence my discovery of their approximate age), their opinion of travel, all about lobster week in the Florida Keys, and other things. All this was accessorized with a curse word coming up every 5 words or so.

 

This got to be a little disturbing, so I decided to check out the Serenity area...aaaahhhhhhhhhhh. Now, this was nice. I wish I had taken some pictures, but at the same time, I would have felt a little intrusive. The Serenity area is an adults-only place with a hammock or two, nice comfy sofas and chairs, clamshells, a bar, and hot tubs. It was so nice. It was windy and crowded but still so nice. If you want to see some pictures, I know mom2girls has some! She went when it was not as crowded and got some great pictures of the area. I hung out here for a little more than an hour reading on the Nook and thinking whoever came up with this is a genius (both the Serenity area and the Nook, actually). About that time, it started pouring down rain...a short-lived shower, but enough to make me realize I was ready to move on and get something to eat anyway.

 

I went to get the kids. DS was ready to go, but DD not so much. She was having a blast. I had to promise to bring her back as soon as possible (thank goodness she has no real sense of time!). There was a photographer who had been there (was finishing up as I arrived) and had taken pictures of the kids. These Carnival people sure know how to get to us parents! I would find out later that she really got some great shots of my kids...(I didn't do a very good job scanning, sorry!)

 

 

 

 

Okay, so here's something to know (that I didn't see posted anywhere)...8x10s are usually $19.99, but if they are the Camp Carnival ones, they are $14.99 PLUS they were running a "special" (probably all the time) where I got 4 free wallets of any Camp Carnival 8x10s I bought. So, it wasn't a terribly bad deal after all.

[mom2girls]

After elegant night on Sunday' date=' we enjoyed another great night of sleep. I remember thinking that the reviews I had read before about the noise issues must have been exaggerations, because we had no issues with noise up until now...yeah, so began my curse, apparently. Up until this time, we couldn't even tell we had neighbors...all was quiet. Sure, in the bathroom, we could hear the 70 pounds of pressure suction of other toilets around us, but other than that, so far so good.

 

In the morning, I was the first one up (still on school teacher schedule :rolleyes:), so I went out on the balcony with my new Nook. When the kids woke up soon after, I took them for breakfast at the buffet (DH wanted to sleep in). The breakfast buffet lines were very short, and they had basically the same things as the day before, except the potatoes were sliced differently, the sausages were a little different, and there were waffles and french toast instead of pancakes. Manuevering the buffet on my own with two small children was only a minor challenge. The biggest snafu was I burned by hand on the plate warmer, as it was almost empty and I had to reach down in there to get a plate...be careful...there are no warning signs that I saw.

 

After breakfast, I took the kids to Camp Carnival finally. I had registered them by filling out the form in advance online and dropping it off in CC when we arrived on Saturday -this was very easy. When I took them today, the counselors were very cheerful and welcoming. DD already had a special name tag to indicate she had food allergies, which was comforting. I left her epi-pen in CC, and they had a place near the door to keep it. DS went right in and quickly got 'roped into' a competition that was just starting. The kids were on separate sides, as CC is divided into a 2-5 year old group and a 6-8 year old group. After checking the kids in, I was given a phone in case they needed me, and off I went.

 

My first stop was back on my balcony, where I found out we did indeed have neighbors....very loud and foul-mouthed ones. They were older (old enough to be out of school when JFK died, I discovered), and I got to hear all about their take on legalizing marijuana, their taste in cigars, their assertions that JFK was killed by the government (hence my discovery of their approximate age), their opinion of travel, all about lobster week in the Florida Keys, and other things. All this was accessorized with a curse word coming up every 5 words or so.

 

This got to be a little disturbing, so I decided to check out the Serenity area...aaaahhhhhhhhhhh. Now, this was nice. I wish I had taken some pictures, but at the same time, I would have felt a little intrusive. The Serenity area is an adults-only place with a hammock or two, nice comfy sofas and chairs, clamshells, a bar, and hot tubs. It was so nice. It was windy and crowded but still so nice. If you want to see some pictures, I know mom2girls has some! She went when it was not as crowded and got some great pictures of the area. I hung out here for a little more than an hour reading on the Nook and thinking whoever came up with this is a genius (both the Serenity area and the Nook, actually). About that time, it started pouring down rain...a short-lived shower, but enough to make me realize I was ready to move on and get something to eat anyway.

 

I went to get the kids. DS was ready to go, but DD not so much. She was having a blast. I had to promise to bring her back as soon as possible (thank goodness she has no real sense of time!). There was a photographer who had been there (was finishing up as I arrived) and had taken pictures of the kids. These Carnival people sure know how to get to us parents! I would find out later that she really got some great shots of my kids...(I didn't do a very good job scanning, sorry!)

 

[img']http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y148/pmain13/Carnival%20Dream%20June%202010/jadon.jpg[/img]

 

 

 

Okay, so here's something to know (that I didn't see posted anywhere)...8x10s are usually $19.99, but if they are the Camp Carnival ones, they are $14.99 PLUS they were running a "special" (probably all the time) where I got 4 free wallets of any Camp Carnival 8x10s I bought. So, it wasn't a terribly bad deal after all.

I LOVE the picture they took of both your kids! It's wonderful! I'm really enjoying your review. :)

[summercruisin']

The kids and I went back to the room and found DH out on the balcony. He had gone to get some breakfast late and wasn't hungry, but we were. So, off to the dining room we went. I decided to try eating there for lunch with the kids. When we arrived, we were offered a booth seat, but my DS wanted to sit by a window, so we were taken to a table at the very back and seated with two other couples and two ladies. Needless to say, I was just a little nervous that we would ruin everybody's lunch, but our tablemates ended up being very patient (and, I gotta brag, my kids behaved very well). We talked about grandparents, the challenge of losing a mom/grandmother (all of the adults at the table had somewhat recently lost our moms), the right way to sweeten tea (a necessity if you are from the south), and pets. My DS loves to tell anyone who will listen all about his pet rabbit, Hippo (as in "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas"...Hippo showed up in our yard unexpectedly on Christmas morning and was clearly a pet, but we couldn't find the owner).

 

For lunch, I had the clam chowder (very good) and the fish sandwich (excellent). The kids had cheeseburgers. Lunch was very good and fairly quick.

 

After lunch we headed back to the room for a nap (of course), and I once again discovered the noise curse was on. Apparently, while we were gone, Carnival shut up an elephant in the room above ours...and he was pi$$ed. :cool: Just kidding, of course...but whoever was above us (and I'm guessing they had kids) was stomping and banging and slamming doors and just making all kinds of raquet. If the ceiling had had plaster, I would have expected it to fall in chunks. No nap for me. :(

 

After the kids got up, we headed to the pool for a little bit. The pool area is definitely where you understand the whole travelling-with-3600-of-your-newest-friends thing. There, of course, were no chairs available by the pool, but as I wandered around looking for a somewhat dry place to put our bag near the pool while DS whined about not being able to take off his shoes and get it, some nice lady right by the pool said we could use the chairs beside her as she didn't think those people were coming back. Ah, thanks! I turned around to put my stuff down, and DD headed for the water! I'm glad the pool was crowded, as a really patient and kind lady in the pool intercepted DD as she was trying to climb down the ladder.

 

I caught up and got in with DS and DD. I had forgotten DD's float, and there was no way I was going to walk through that crowd again to go back to the room and get it, so I held her. For the record, the ship was rocking, which meant we had waves in the pool! It claimed to be 3.5 feet deep, but it was a little deeper and when the waves hit DS and he realized it was salt water, he quickly became uncomfortable (thanks to the anxiety issues, along with a sensory integration disorder). Minutes later a really cute 4 year old started jumping in right beside us to try to impress DD, but she managed to frustrate DS even more as 1. she didn't seem to see him to talk to him too and 2. she didn't seem to see him to avoid jumping on him. :rolleyes: So after a whopping 7 minutes (maybe) we were done with the pool.

 

We decided to go to the "kid" area to see that. As I mentioned in one of my posts before, this was a little disappointing compared to some of the advertisement pictures I had seen. The slides were all crammed in together and there wasn't much room for little ones to maneuver around them. DD wanted to play in the "landing zone" on the little slides, but she didn't want to climb up the little steps because of the sprayers coming up from the floor of the slide launch (they were spraying up right about her head level, so she got hit by water right in the face when she tried it). This area was way too much for my overly-sensitive and already-aggravated one, so we decided to walk around a little. After a while we headed back to the room to get the kids ready to eat. DH and I had plans for the steak house with some cruisecritic friends, so the kids were going to eat and go back to camp.

[Maple_Girl]

Loving your review. It's so nice to read one from a fellow family of sleepers!

[summercruisin']

Oh, almost forgot...Monday night was the night for the past guest party, and we had received our invitations in the room the night before. DS wanted to go in hopes of seeing the captain in person (still angry at us for making him miss that before). So, before the kids' dinner, we headed to the Encore lounge - all the way at the front of the ship - for the party. As usual, this was really nice. There WERE free drinks this time, and the waiters were walking around with trays of drinks. A lot of times at the past guest party, I have found it difficult to get a drink, only because there never seem to be enough servers or they don't get far enough in the crowd to get to everybody. This time, though, that was not the case. I got one of my favorites - a blue margarita - and sat back to enjoy. The server with hors d'oeuvres came quickly as well. He told me what they had, but I couldn't hear him over the singing :rolleyes: (the singer was fun, though. She went out in the audience to encourage participation). I know one thing was chicken salad on a tiny piece of toast and another was sliced tomato and mozzarella. Can't remember the third thing.

 

I got another blue margarita pretty quickly, and then DD realized there were people dancing on stage...oh, boy...it was on. Okay, let me tell you, this child is not afraid to be the center of attention, and she LOVES to dance. So, up to the stage she went, got right in the middle, and started shakin' her groove thing. She danced and she danced. She waved at people, did ballerina twirls, tried break dancing, shook her bootie at the crowd and just generally hammed it up. Typical me...I forgot the camera, so I didn't get to capture it. Lucky for me, though, my new friend mom2girls did have hers, so she took a few pictures for me.

 

 

DD finally got off stage to take a picture with Funship Freddy

 

 

DS got his picture with FF too, but that was not who he really wanted to see!

 

After this, DD went back on stage for just a bit and then the cruise director cleared the stage to do his thing. This, for the record, was the first I even knew of our cruise director. I had heard him talking on the intercom, of course, but we hadn't seen him out and about yet - this could be that we had spent so much time sleeping and "hiding out." The cruise director was Todd Wittmer, and he seemed very cheerful and outgoing. He didn't tell any of the really annoying old jokes or have an annoying voice like some of them do, so I liked him. And, here is what made me REALLY like him...he introduced....you guessed it.......the captain! Wooo, thank God, 'cause I don't know how I would have lived with DS's extensive guilt trip if he had not. The captain went on stage to thank everyone and to give away a free dinner in the steak house (not to me :(). After that, they showed the video with all the Carnival ships and had people cheer for the ones they had been on. It was neat to see all the different ships and the shape changes over the years. It was a good little show...then again, maybe that was the (by now) 4? 5? blue margaritas talking! :D

[AMaria1288]

Great review!! Your kids are adorable:)

Do you happen to remember what time the past guest party was held?

[summercruisin']

DD didn't want to leave the Encore theatre, because she wanted to dance some more (and she said some people wouldn't wave at her when she waved at them so she wanted to try again), but with promises of Camp Carnival on the horizon, she agreed to go. We stopped by the cabin to change clothes for the steak house. I'm not much of a girly-girl, so it does not take me long to get ready!

 

Dinner for the kids was pizza and fruit (probably apples, as they were readily available all week, which is good for us) in the buffet area. I had to ask for milk (not available in the buffet at lunch or dinner), and happened upon a guy walking around who looked like a supervisor of some sort. He went back into the kitchen, got milk for the kids, and brought it to our table...gotta love the ask-and-you-shall-receive service on the ships!

 

DH and I dropped the kids off at Camp Carnival and then headed up to deck 12 for our 7 p.m. dinner reservations at the steak house. Now, I have to interject that we have done the steak house on the Miracle, and it was good and all, but honestly I was not overly-impressed like some people. We have a restaurant in our town that easily outshines the Carnival steak houses in food, drinks, and service, so we are a little spoiled, I guess. I will say, though, that for a $30 pp surcharge, it is certainly worth it, and if you want a special dinner, it is a nice way to go. So, we went with open minds knowing that we would have good company, good food and good service. We were a little put off when we arrived because DH had worn dress shorts (we were told the attire was cruise casual) and was made to change. Now this wasn't so much the issue as how it was handled. When we arrived (as part of a group of 8), the hostess didn't address DH in person asking him to change. Instead she said to the "leader" of our group (the one who had secured the reservations, I think), "the guy in shorts has to change." That was it. To me, that just didn't seem to be the right way to address that...but whatever. Off slow-moving DH goes to change, and the rest of us were seated. The servers did wait for him, which was nice but a little awkward for me...and DH came back more handsome than before, so it was a nice change! (not that he looked bad or anything :cool:).

 

Dinner began, and we were brought tasty compliments of the chef - a shrimp souffle type thing that was good and a mushroom soup that was outstanding! Next we had appetizers...I had onion soup, and it was okay but not very onion-y...mostly a heavy broth. We had caesar salads, and then the main course...surf and turf for me (a yummy large lobster tail and a just okay piece of filet mignon...I say just okay because it was significantly charred on the outside and that burnt taste overpowered the meat entirely). DH had the rack of lamb, and he thought it was very good. For dessert, I ordered baked apples (okay....I am not a fan of fruit usually, but at dinner the night before, one of our tablemates had ordered this wonderful looking baked apple dessert and said it was very good so I ordered this hoping to enjoy an even more fabulous version of what she had....not so much. It was just okay). DH ordered cheesecake for dessert, and goodness it was a HUGE piece! It had to be like eating an entire small cheesecake...seriously...huge.

 

Dinner being over, DH left the table first to go get the kids. It was approaching 10, and we didn't want to have to pay for babysitting knowing that we were too stuffed and tired to enjoy it. I stayed to chat a few more minutes and then met them in the room. Once again, DS said it was just okay (but better this time than the last, since he got to play Playstation and Wii games), and DD was delighted with the whole experience. In the 2-5 room, they had done some bunny thing, and DD had her face painted, which she just loved.

 

 

We had another towel animal, which did not clear up what the one from the night before really was (it looked like the same thing only stretched out)...

 

 

We washed up, double checked our plans for the next day in St. Thomas, and headed to bed...another good night of sleep. :)

[summercruisin']

Great review!! Your kids are adorable:)

Do you happen to remember what time the past guest party was held?

 

Thanks! The past guest party we went to was at 5. There was one held earlier for early-seating guests...I think it was at 3 or 3:30.

[summercruisin']

I LOVE the picture they took of both your kids! It's wonderful! I'm really enjoying your review. :)

 

Thanks! That is the one that "got me." I wonder what they bribed Jadon with to get it! :p;) Just kidding....usually he is very lovey with his sister, believe it or not...just not so much this cruise thanks to the rampant jealousy. :rolleyes:

[summercruisin']

Loving your review. It's so nice to read one from a fellow family of sleepers!

 

Ha!!! Thanks. We are indeed a sleepy family...but one of the best things about cruising is we can choose to do that (and there is time to) without feeling bad at all. We leave feeling relaxed and happy...it is all good. :D

Now, we did Disney over spring break...NOT a vacation, but an adventure! :cool: We left there exhausted!

[summercruisin']

Well, I'm going to take a break. I have some delicious citrus and cilantro pork tacos on the menu tonight at my house...yum! That and a margarita is enough to get me off this computer for a while! :D

[mom2girls]

Thanks! That is the one that "got me." I wonder what they bribed Jadon with to get it! :p;) Just kidding....usually he is very lovey with his sister' date=' believe it or not...just not so much this cruise thanks to the rampant jealousy. :rolleyes:[/quote']

I tried to e-mail you some pictures today, but it wouldn't go through. I'll try again with less pictures. I didn't want you to think I forgot. :p

[mom2girls]

Well' date=' I'm going to take a break. I have some delicious citrus and cilantro pork tacos on the menu tonight at my house...yum! That and a margarita is enough to get me off this computer for a while! :D[/quote']

Yummy! We're having wings and homemade potato salad. The potato salad took me a long time. That's why I haven't gotten much more done with my review.:rolleyes:

[summercruisin']

Well, I ended up making Rachel Ray's inside out sausage chops instead, based on the "expiration date" for my cuts of pork. If you like Italian sausages with peppers and onions, this is an awesome recipe, by the way! (and it is easy too!)

 

Okay...back to the cruise...

 

After yet another good night of sleep (seeing a trend here?), I got up first (of course) to see we were in St. Thomas. If, by chance, you have not been here, I have to tell you this is one of those picture-perfect ports...gorgeous blue water, sailboats anchored all around, beautiful white houses on the mountainside...

 

\\\

 

and nice boats at the pier...

 

I sat on the balcony soaking it all in...until the neighbors came out. Then I was blessed with this wonderful conversation trying to figure out where we were. It went something like this...

 

rude neighbor one:"where are we docked today?"

 

rude neighbor two: "I'm not sure...I think it is St. Thomas's or St. Mary's or something"

 

RN1: "I don't think I've been here before"

 

RN2 then went on to tell RN1 why it didn't really matter where we were. I will not repeat his explanation, but I will tell you it included the use of the curse word people consider most offensive, used as an adjective, and followed by the extremely offensive term that should never have been used and certainly should have died out shortly after the assassination of JFK scandal these particular neighbors spoke of before. RN2 said that that was all the islands were "full of" anyway, so it didn't matter where we were. Wonderful. About that time, my DS came out on the balcony, and I spoke very loudly to him hoping the neighbors would hear us and realize there was a kid out there...there is no way they could not have known, yet the foul language continued. Ugh. So, after DS said quietly, "mom, those people said an ugly word" back in we went.

 

We got DD and DH up and headed to the buffet for breakfast. I had scheduled a tour with Sunny Liston ahead of time, and I picked the latest pick-up time because we don't really care about shopping and I knew the fam would want to take their time getting moving...again, we are not morning people! So we took the elevator (get used to this sight if you plan to use the elevator often...it is incredibly slow and at least one is out of service at all times!)

 

 

We ate breakfast in the buffet (same thing...pancakes again). This time DH got an omelette. DH loves the omelettes...it is one of the things he really looks forward to. The GOOD news about the Dream is that the omelette line is NOT just tacked on to the end of the buffet line (like it is, or at least was, on some ships). It is a separate line in the middle of the two sides of the buffet. This is a good thing. To make it even better, the omelette line was never exceptionally long. DH moved through very quickly and had his special-ordered omelette in hand! The kids enjoyed the yogurt and the pancakes, as always! The buffet and restaurant wasn't crowded at all, as you can tell from these pics (look in the background, not at my cute kids :D)...

 

 

[summercruisin']

After breakfast, we took a few minutes to walk around, as DH had complained that he hadn't seen much of the ship yet (in his defense, he works as a retail manager - i.e. he works ALL the time- so when he is on vacation, he sleeps more than the rest of us!). Here are a few pics of our walk...

 

the whale tail

 

and a very uncrowded deck!

 

 

 

 

 

Pretty soon it was time to get ready to get off the ship for our pickup for the tour. We went back to the room to brush teeth and grab our bags...and off the ship we go. Once again, we took the elevator to deck 0 and practically walked right off the ship.

 

We were a little confused at first, as our directions told us that there would be someone waiting for us at the port with a Sunny Liston tour sign. We asked a guy arranging a different tour where we should go, and he directed us to Sunny's wife, GieGie, right away. It was clear that the people at the port knew about Sunny. GieGie met us with a cheerful "you are the ones I was looking for" and led us to a tour bus as she introduced herself formally. We were the only ones on the bus for a short ride to the shopping area.

 

Here is a picture of the Dream in port in St. Thomas...

 

and the rest of the fam riding the bus...

 

It was a beautiful day...sunny but just a little bit overcast at times...no ominous threat of poor weather!

 

A view of our ship from near the shopping area...

 

I can't remember which ship was in port with us...maybe the Freedom?? (Sorry!) but some people from that ship were on our tour as well.

 

We were taken to an area near some roadside tables set up for sales as well as some of the shops Carnival usually recommends and told to meet Sunny or Elvis there at noon. This was only about 35 minutes away (and, again, we are not big on shopping), so we just hung out.

[summercruisin']

We did go in the jewelry/watch shop at the pick-up location and walked around the corner just to see what there was to see...

 

 

Then we walked across the street to the trailer that had bathrooms in it (that was interesting), as DS's nerves were getting to him already. After that we went back to the pickup place and waited. Took a few pics of the kids...

 

 

 

and the scenery...

 

 

DD was ready to go and getting a little impatient...

 

 

but as the time to go got closer, she got more cheerful...

[Bunkie103]

OMG reading about your rude neighbors reminded me of another review of the Dream I read but the incident happened at Paradise Beach in Cozumel. Sounds like the same foul-mouthed group. What is wrong with people who talk like that? Our kids told me, when they became adults, that they thought their DD didn't know any of those words because they had never heard him say any of them. How unfortunate your young son had to witness that. I am not a prude, but that is just way out of line.

 

Keep the good stuff coming. We're reading and enjoying your pics.

[summercruisin']

Now, I have to tell you I really struggled with booking the tour for this port. DH, DS and I had been to St. Thomas before. Four years ago, my dad took the whole family (including me, DH, DS, my sister and her hubby, my brother, and dad himself) on the southern Caribbean route because he had some life insurance money left after taking care of my mom's final arrangements, and this was the kind of thing she would have loved. When we went to St. Thomas before, we had just caught a taxi to Sapphire Beach, and we all enjoyed it tremendously...but we felt like we didn't really see St. Thomas. So, I thought a tour would be good this time.

 

I couldn't decide between the highly-recommended Godfrey or Sunny. A few of the people in our group chose Godfrey (I didn't know this when I chose Sunny). I chose Sunny mostly because the reviews talked about his party atmosphere thanks to the music he plays...and they were right! Sunny makes his tour a big party! He cranks up the reggae (I am a HUGE fan-other than kids' cds and Jimmy Buffett, that is all I keep in my car!) and "dances" his passengers right on up the mountain! It was a blast! I had hoped that the party atmosphere would help DS relax, but it was not to be. DS is not a great car passenger as it is, and with Sunny's wild driving combined with the crowded narrow curvy roads and the "open sided" bus, DS was not happy.

 

 

our bus

 

 

But he survived (and I, and everyone else with us, had a great time!).

 

On Sunny's tour, we went higher up the mountain...

 

and higher for great views...

[summercruisin']

OMG reading about your rude neighbors reminded me of another review of the Dream I read but the incident happened at Paradise Beach in Cozumel. Sounds like the same foul-mouthed group. What is wrong with people who talk like that? Our kids told me, when they became adults, that they thought their DD didn't know any of those words because they had never heard him say any of them. How unfortunate your young son had to witness that. I am not a prude, but that is just way out of line.

 

Keep the good stuff coming. We're reading and enjoying your pics.

 

 

You know, I don't understand why people with that kind of attitude even want to travel. When he said what he did, I couldn't help but wonder why he paid to visit any of the islands if that was his opinion.

 

And here is the funny (I guess) thing...my DS doesn't hear foul language either (that I know of) and didn't recognize the REALLY ugly words (thank God!). The one that made him say something was "da-n." The neighbor had paired that word with the Lord's name numerous times, which really made me angry, but DS didn't notice that at least.

 

I just don't get people like that. :(

[summercruisin']

OMG reading about your rude neighbors reminded me of another review of the Dream I read but the incident happened at Paradise Beach in Cozumel. Sounds like the same foul-mouthed group. What is wrong with people who talk like that? Our kids told me, when they became adults, that they thought their DD didn't know any of those words because they had never heard him say any of them. How unfortunate your young son had to witness that. I am not a prude, but that is just way out of line.

 

Keep the good stuff coming. We're reading and enjoying your pics.

 

AH!!!! And I just realized you are from Greenville!!! :D We are in Winterville! Hello, neighbor!!!

[summercruisin']

At each stop, Sunny gathered our group and told us about the island, pointing out interesting things.

 

 

I didn't get to hear most of it, because DS was unhappy and a nervous wreck, but it was obvious that Sunny loves "his" island and enjoys his job! At the highest point, we were looking over Magen's Bay, ranked as one of the world's most beautiful beaches...

 

 

We also looked at some of the residential areas.

 

This was interesting, as I THINK I heard Sunny say the cost of houses depended to some degree on how much money you made. I say this is interesting because last year a friend sent me some info about becoming a teacher in St. Thomas. I couldn't seriously contemplate it, but for some time it was fun pretending that was a possibility...and looking at the housing possibilities.

 

The tour ended with a stop at Beacon point, where there is a gift shop and bar (with restrooms). If you order one of the "famous" banana daquiris at the bar, they let you pour your own rum. Now, DH thought that was fabulous, but I am not such a rum fan (I don't know why...I do love a margarita - with tequila - but rum kicks my butt...can't explain). DH got a banana daquiri (and it ended up being somewhat brown due to all the rum)...I got a cup of the kool-aid, but ended up giving it to DH - too much rum. :o

 

After the tour, we had a choice of being dropped off at Magen's Bay (at a cost of $4 per adult - free for kids), Sapphire Beach, or Coki Beach. I had my mind all made up that we were going to Coki, until Sunny told me it would probably be extra crowded today. Then I thought Sapphire -where we had been before- but we had heard that the bar/restaurant (and bathrooms - and God knows my DS needed that!) were closed...but someone on our tour said she heard they were not...oh the confusion! :confused: Sunny's first stop was at Magen's Bay, and DS was at the brink of falling apart if he did not get off that bus, so we decided to just get off there. We paid our $8 and were dropped off near the beach. It was crowded! Magen's Bay beach is a small beach (and it appears to be man-made). There is a restaurant and a bar, several picnic tables, some water sports available, and a fairly (but not terribly so) small swimming area.