Carnival Dream 2/19/11 - My 2nd trip report ever

[Giskard]

Loving the review, we go at the end of June. Can't wait. Unfortunately i think I'm resigning myself to the fact that we may not dock at Roaton which is unfortunate since it played a huge factor in which boat we choose. We could take the Legend instead but we have a long history with Grand Cayman (great island) and wanted new ports. Plus there is supposed to be a launch at Kennedy Space Station before we leave....Oh well I'll keep my fingers crossed and just be ready if things fall through.

[jackdis]

Loving the review, we go at the end of June. Can't wait. Unfortunately i think I'm resigning myself to the fact that we may not dock at Roaton which is unfortunate since it played a huge factor in which boat we choose. We could take the Legend instead but we have a long history with Grand Cayman (great island) and wanted new ports. Plus there is supposed to be a launch at Kennedy Space Station before we leave....Oh well I'll keep my fingers crossed and just be ready if things fall through.

 

Thank you! Will cross my fingers for you as well, for both Roatan and the shuttle launch. Have a great day!

[amethyst08]

This review is great. I can't wait to until November.:D

[jackdis]

This review is great. I can't wait to until November.:D

 

Thank you!!!! I hope you have as great a time as we did!!

[jackdis]

FRIDAY, 2/25 - DAY AT SEA

 

Let me begin by saying the alternate title to this installment could be: FRIDAY, 2/25 - DAY AT SEA with a Legend, a sick wife and daughter, and one healthy kid!!

 

All through the night and into the next day, our older daughter and myself were not feeling too well. All I will say is stomach issues. I did not have it as bad as her, the poor thing, but I immediately began to panic. We can't be quarantined! I have to see my husband up on stage. I can't have the little one catch this. And forget about Frankie, I mean my husband. My Way on stage cannot be performed with bathroom breaks!!!

 

We were pretty much out of commission all day. The little one was fine, thank goodness, and thank goodness for her love, make that, infatuation with Camp Carnival!!! My husband was lucky enough to have his dress rehearsal for tonight's show, along with costume fitting, etc. So he was off the hook. Except for the request for toast or a banana, which resulted in above mentioned burger and pizza, he went to his practice for tonight's show. (In his defense, there were no bananas to be found on the last day of our trip. Someone told us they had not ripened enough to be served. Maybe they just ran out! And now I know, should this unfortunate situation ever occur again, room service might be able to hook me up with some rice and you can still ask for cereal at the buffet! We did eat a few bland pastries that he found though.)

 

The two sick girls slept all day, hoping to feel better soon. Soon took quite awhile to happen. The husband was so excited about his practice. It sounded like it was going to be a great show. I did get out a little later in the afternoon and felt a little bit better. The sick child continued feeling, well, sick, but decided to try to come to dinner with us.

 

That didn't really work out. Maybe it was all the smells in the dining room, but we took her back to our cabin to get some more rest. This poor kid! I felt so bad for her. The plan was for her to sleep, for the little one to go to Camp Carnival after dinner, and for me to pick up the little one in time for the show. (The husband had to be there already to prepare for his performance!! This is the big times, baby!!) I would also check in with the sick one to see if by some chance, the sleep helped her and she would join us.

 

IT DID! She slept some more and this did the trick. She was coming to the show. We had some seats right up front. And on with the show………

 

 

 

 

 

But before the show, I must share a funny story. My husband and I do not like it when people push their way to the front of any line, let alone the Past Guest reception that was held the day before, that we were patiently waiting for. And we really don't like it when the people who push ahead of us have about 12 friends following them. Really??? That makes me mad, but my husband even angrier!

 

So that is what happened. There were two people in front of us, who had two friends join them in line, and then along came their other 29 friends! (OK, not 29 but you get the point!) I think my husband was about to say something when we heard the magic words, "Oh!! Aren't you going to be Frank Sinatra on the Legends show? You were so great at the tryouts. We voted for you!" Well, that's all it took. The husband practically shoved me out of the way (just kidding!) to make room for his newfound fan club!!!

 

While I detoured with that little story, I guess now's as good a time as any to add another little off the beaten path commentary...

 

As far as myself and the sick child, we really don't know what happened to us. No one else in the cabin got what we had, so I hate to think that our all time, favorite, I-could-eat-it-every-night-of-the-cruise-dessert of warm chocolate melting cake did it to us, but maybe it was some sort of egg thing. At this point, I should say that our server in the dining room was fantastic. The food was fine. But four of us at the table that night did get some pink chicken, which we promptly sent back. But who knows? When you are on a cruise with so many other people, it could be anything. And even though my husband had the quesadilla with us in Costa Maya the day before, my daughter and I both weren't a fan of the cheese that was on it. Again, who knows? After a rough 24 hours, we were both much, much better, and that's the important thing.

 

So now, back to our regularly scheduled programming and back to the Legends show and our last night on the Dream…….to be continued.....

[Tajma]

Love, love, loving your review! I laughed so hard I'm still crying about your hubby shoving you out of the way for his newfound fan club! Too funny! We are cruising on the Dream this WEEKEND!!!! Same itinerary. Can not wait! And I can't wait for the rest of your review. :D

[jackdis]

Love, love, loving your review! I laughed so hard I'm still crying about your hubby shoving you out of the way for his newfound fan club! Too funny! We are cruising on the Dream this WEEKEND!!!! Same itinerary. Can not wait! And I can't wait for the rest of your review. :D

 

Thank you so much! I'm glad I made you laugh! Have a wonderful time. Enjoy every minute.....it flew by for us!!

[Jdfireman]

Nice Review

[jackdis]

Nice Review

 

Thank you!

[ccbmom]

I'm so sorry to hear you got sick -- a vacation nightmare. Glad it just took 24 hours to recover! Did you take any immodium or pepto to speed recovery along?

[jackdis]

I'm so sorry to hear you got sick -- a vacation nightmare. Glad it just took 24 hours to recover! Did you take any immodium or pepto to speed recovery along?

 

Thank you. Yes, I took some pepto. Don't really know if it helped any. I didn't even bother giving any to the daughter.

 

I always carry it with me, because a few years ago, on a cruise - of course, I realized they don't sell that in the onboard store. Makes sense, because in case it is something contagious, they probably don't want people to try self medicating to stop it, and keep spreading the germs. Just my guess about it though.

[jackdis]

Before the actual show, we watched two other shows. One was an audience participation kind, women vs. men. Always funny stuff when people get on stage! The other was the CD staff and it was a show about real words and who was giving the accurate definition of the word and who was making it up. Funny stuff, but as I'm writing this, it doesn't sound quite as interesting. But remember, we had to be up front, so for Frankie, I would suffer through anything!! I believe there was a not so quick game of Bingo - isn't there always?? We didn't win! What else is new? Our table mates joined us to see the show. We had a few more laughs with these nice people we met on this great vacation.

 

Soon it was time for the show we had been waiting for. We had never seen it before. It really was entertaining. The people all did a great job. Of course, my Frank was on last, but worth the wait. CD Butch had a special appearance in the show, along with two of his entertainment staff. Don't want to ruin it for anyone who might be seeing it in the future, but I must say, Butch was as funny as always, and no matter what clothes or costume he is wearing, I still love that boy!!!!

 

The husband did a great job. We were so proud of him. Yes, I was the one hooting and hollering in the front row. He closed the show and all the "legends" met by the Atrium area for a little meet and greet and photos. People were so kind. One lady told my husband that his singing brought tears to her eyes…her father was a huge Sinatra fan. Another boy asked my husband for an autograph and a picture. How cute! And a little old lady asked to sit in his lap and have a picture taken. Myself and the girls were kind of in the background giving my husband his "moment" and when she found out she apologized to me over and over again. No harm done at all! I was laughing as I told her she could borrow Frank for a few hours!! I must also mention that our new friends were with us at the meet and greet, and they took the role of being Frank's security! Good times were definitely had by all that night!!! And yes, the little one even posed with legend Elton John, since she has a newfound infatuation with Crocodile Rock since recently seeing Gnomeo and Juliet.

 

I think we walked around a bit after Frankie had a group photo taken and returned his beloved costume, tux, tie and hat included. We had a last snack and actually bumped into our table mates one last time. We hope to be seeing them again this summer when they are coming up to NY for a visit. Suitcases packed and out in the hall already, (what a great feeling!!!) we were off to bed. The plan for tomorrow was breakfast in the dining room, getting off the ship and heading to Disney. Our flight wasn't leaving until Sunday so we had planned to stay for a night in Disney and hit up Magic Kingdom. What was I thinking??? This was a great week, but it was also quite an exhausting week!!

 

Up next: Back to Port Canaveral, Sat., 2/26….

[GAcruiser417]

Fantastic review, thanks so much!

[jackdis]

Thank you so much, Rhonda!!

[forwardcabin]

What a great and well-written review! My wife and I read every word. We will be sailiing the 8-day (same itenerary as yours) Magic cruise in December and, because Magic is similar to Dream, we were reading with anticipation all about your experiences. We are taking our entire family (10 in all in 3 cabins midship on Lido). Since we have taken cruises on mostly smaller ships (like Ecstasy), and because we have read so much about how crowded Dream can be (and consequently Magic may be), we have been wanting to hear about others' experiences aboard such a large ship.

Glad you and your family had a great cruise in spite of some setbacks. Thank you for your frank (no pun there, eh?) comments. Hope your next cruise is even greater. Bon Voyage!

[jackdis]

What a great and well-written review! My wife and I read every word. We will be sailiing the 8-day (same itenerary as yours) Magic cruise in December and, because Magic is similar to Dream, we were reading with anticipation all about your experiences. We are taking our entire family (10 in all in 3 cabins midship on Lido). Since we have taken cruises on mostly smaller ships (like Ecstasy), and because we have read so much about how crowded Dream can be (and consequently Magic may be), we have been wanting to hear about others' experiences aboard such a large ship.

Glad you and your family had a great cruise in spite of some setbacks. Thank you for your frank (no pun there, eh?) comments. Hope your next cruise is even greater. Bon Voyage!

 

Thank you so much for your kind words! I appreciate it. I wish you and your family a wonderful time on your upcoming trip!! :)

[gr1634]

We are on Dream in Aug as well. Never heard about Spa Pass - $35 a day -- for what?

GR

[jackdis]

We are on Dream in Aug as well. Never heard about Spa Pass - $35 a day -- for what?

GR

 

The spa pass gives you use of the special saunas, the T-pool, the heated stone chairs and lounges......ahhhh, wish I was there right now, especially since we got more snow today!!!

[jackdis]

We got off the ship without event, and there we were, back in the parking lot at Port Canaveral. It all ended just as quickly as it began. It seemed like we were just booking the trip, planning, planning, planning, and reading anything about the Dream I could get my hands on! (And checking for price drops too many times to mention!) Then, in the midst of a very snowy winter, it was time for our Dream to begin. I'm always so excited on the first day of vacation. As I mentioned, it's a great feeling when you know you have that week ahead of you, or whatever duration the trip will be. And of course, there is always the disappointment of the vacation ending. I felt this sadness as we were leaving, but only briefly.

 

As we pulled away from our Dream, we knew that we had a bit of cruising ahead of us in the not too distant future. The husband and I had agreed on a grownup vacation as our mutual Christmas present to each other. God willing, we will be on the Imagination in twenty something days!!! (And Frankie has already checked….no Legends show on sailings of five days!) We will miss our girls, but we are looking forward to this trip. (We know that they will have a wonderful time with my mom!) And, a Labor Day tradition has become a cruise to Canada right before school begins, so we will all be going on the Glory to end the summer.

 

We made it Disney by about 11. We checked into our room pretty quickly. We had planned on going to Magic Kingdom right away, but made a detour at the resort pool for a few hours for some much needed relaxation, and then headed over to the park later in the day. Being in Disney for such a short time felt like a tease….we wanted more!! It is such a great place, and as on our cruises, we have made so many happy memories for our family on these trips.

 

We arrived home safely the next day, and while we think back to this great trip often, part of me almost immediately felt like it was such a long time ago, especially once we got back in the swing of things at home…work, school, play practice, and yes, some more snow today!!

 

Seems like as good a place as any to end this trip report. Thank you for reading. Thank you for all your kind comments. Thank you to my friend for making me write it! Thank you for letting me relive my vacation with all of you!

 

Bon voyage………can't wait to write another one!!!!

[crusin4funtimes]

AWESOME review! Thank you for taking the time to write it! You have a great writing style, I loved how your husband/ Frank "pushed" you out of the way for his new found fans...too funny! I also love your go with the flow attuide when things don't go the way as planned.:)

 

Hopefully you will write another review for your upcomming trip with your husband...fingers crossed;)

[jackdis]

AWESOME review! Thank you for taking the time to write it! You have a great writing style, I loved how your husband/ Frank "pushed" you out of the way for his new found fans...too funny! I also love your go with the flow attuide when things don't go the way as planned.:)

 

Hopefully you will write another review for your upcomming trip with your husband...fingers crossed;)

 

Thank you so much! That was so nice of you. I really enjoyed writing this trip report, so there very well might be another one on the horizon! Thanks again!

:)

[whynotcruise]

Great Review!! Thanks for writing and sharing your Dream cruise with us :-)

 

We are also arriving at Tampa Airport (cheaper than Orlando). Should we "set aside" 3 hours of driving time to Port Canaveral to make sure we don't get to the ship too late? We plan to stay in Tampa the night before as our flight arrives late, and we'll drive to the cruise terminal the next day.

 

We're also interested in the cave tubing excursion through Carnival. It notes that the age limit is 8 yrs. (My son is 8) Did you see a lot of kids in the tour? I'm scared that the 30 min hike will not be too fun for him (and me or his Dad who may have to carry his tube) ;-) Did it ever feel "closed in" in the caves?

 

Sorry that you had to cancel your Bodden Tour. In a case like that, did you get a refund or did you have to contact him that day?

 

Thanks again for your review! :-)

[whynotcruise]

Great Review!! Thanks for writing and sharing your Dream cruise with us :-)

 

We are also arriving at Tampa Airport (cheaper than Orlando). Should we "set aside" 3 hours of driving time to Port Canaveral to make sure we don't get to the ship too late? We plan to stay in Tampa the night before as our flight arrives late, and we'll drive to the cruise terminal the next day.

 

We're also interested in the cave tubing excursion through Carnival. It notes that the age limit is 8 yrs. (My son is 8) Did you see a lot of kids in the tour? I'm scared that the 30 min hike will not be too fun for him (and me or his Dad who may have to carry his tube) ;-) Did it ever feel "closed in" in the caves?

 

Sorry that you had to cancel your Bodden Tour. In a case like that, did you get a refund or did you have to contact him that day?

 

Thanks again for your review! :-)

[jackdis]

Great Review!! Thanks for writing and sharing your Dream cruise with us :-)

 

We are also arriving at Tampa Airport (cheaper than Orlando). Should we "set aside" 3 hours of driving time to Port Canaveral to make sure we don't get to the ship too late? We plan to stay in Tampa the night before as our flight arrives late, and we'll drive to the cruise terminal the next day.

 

We're also interested in the cave tubing excursion through Carnival. It notes that the age limit is 8 yrs. (My son is 8) Did you see a lot of kids in the tour? I'm scared that the 30 min hike will not be too fun for him (and me or his Dad who may have to carry his tube) ;-) Did it ever feel "closed in" in the caves?

 

Sorry that you had to cancel your Bodden Tour. In a case like that, did you get a refund or did you have to contact him that day?

 

Thanks again for your review! :-)

 

Thank you so much!

 

I think 3 hours should be ok from Tampa airport, but we did get stuck in quite a bit of traffic on 1-4, so I always try to leave more than enough time. I like to be on the ship as early as possible. Feels like the vacation is that much longer!! I would get up and go as early as possible the next morning!

 

There were quite a few kids and families on our cave tubing tour. There was a little guy in our group who seemed young, and he did ok. The hike is not that bad, and the tubes aren't very heavy. More awkward than heavy, but not terrible at all. I did not feel closed in during the tour. The caves are quite large, and even when it was dark, you could still see the area near you from everyone's "headlights" on their helmets.

 

We were disappointed about the ship not making it to Roatan that day. Victor (Bodden) sent an email about two weeks beforehand confirming everything, and told us not to worry about changes in ship itinerary...he follows that info. and told us not to use our expensive cell phone minutes to try to let him know. Payment was to be made on the day of the tour. That even showed us what a true professional he was!!!

 

I hope you have a great time. Thanks again so much for you compliment. I appreciate it! :)

[dotheyes]

we will be cruising the Dream in September and I have really enjoyed your review.

You had breakfast almost every morning in the dining room; I am wondering which dining room they serve breakfast in

 

 

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