Finally my DREAM Review w/photos!! Feb 12-19th

[jdcml]

Great review so far! Actually this review and the picture of your kids on the balcony on your way to St Thomas just cemented our upgrade. We were way up on the Lido in a 4J but for the little extra we thought your pictures made it look worthwhile :).

 

I see one picture of the 4th bed down, do you have any others? How did you feel about the size overall? I see on the deck plans that the outside wall appears to be in closer because of the balcony, but others have said they are the same size as the other rooms.

 

Great pictures of the kids - gives us even more to look forward to!

[cuted126]

WOW! Beautiful pics especially the sunset and the one with Oasis leaving!! I can tell how much your kids are enjoying themselves,you can see all over there smiling faces!

[sunkey1]

Really enjoying your review - we leave on the Dream in 8 days! I love the pictures of your kids - they are both adorable and obviously get along great! Mine did as well until they hit their teens and now I guess the hormones are raging and I relish the few moments when they truly seem to like each other ;). I keep telling myself that once they grow up they'll be back to that great relationship they used to have (fingers crossed :D).

[Joaljoe]

dangerousfem, 5waldos and trvlexprt - Have an awesome awesome time on your cruise!! Is it wrong for me to be a little jealous? LOL

 

Thanks to everyone else! :)

 

mebecindi - Yes, the kiddies get along really well. They have their moments of course but they sure do love each other. Much better than my sister and I when we were kids. LOL I don't really have much with the cove balcony. I'm a little disappointed with myself, I usually make sure to take a lot of the cabins, washrooms, balconies. I think the kids threw me off this time! haha I'll look through my photos once more and see if there's anything at all though. :) P.S. I'm in LOVE with the Magic! We're hoping to sail her as well. Can't make up our minds between 3 different ones. Decisions, decisions!!

 

tmurph7 - Tammy, how did you post the photos? Did you insert them into your posts or attach them? I've never attached but I think that's when they come out as thumbnails. Instead, try using that yellow insert button. I just learned how to do this myself in the last couple of weeks. Here's a great thread that helped me out a lot. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1234944 I also resize my photos to either 640x426 pixels or 800x533 pixels. I hope this helps you out. :)

 

 

Cruzface - She told us that the government makes them charge that much and they can't go lower than $8 usually. But she had no problem dropping down to $6 really fast! If you think about it, even at $8pp that's not too bad. $32 to get over that mountain for a 15-20 min drive is cheaper than I would pay back home for that distance. We went to Magen's Bay later in the afternoon, it was already after 3pm. Most of the ships there were leaving early so pretty much everyone had left already. Our ship was there till 8pm so the few people that were still there were all from the Dream. Not too many of us though, the cabbies were arguing who to take in whos cab on the way back. We had a nice show between 2 drivers.

 

jdcml - Thanks! :) I think the Cove is so worth it. Glad we inspired you!! The size of the room was perfect for us. We didn't feel cramped at all. I'm sure I have more shots of the room. I took more on the last couple of days. So as soon as I'm done with St. Maarten, I'll post them up for you.

 

sunkey1 - I really hope they stay close forever. I'm kind of dreading the teenage years though. LOL I'll whip them back into shape in no time, I keep telling DS that he'll have to look over his sis in highschool!! haha

 

Hope I didn't miss anyone, sorry if I did!

[Joaljoe]

Still loving your review and your pictures! You've gotta post at least 1 of you. :)

 

Glad you're enjoying it. :) This post is just for you...just a couple, for now anyway. LOL Both are from St. Thomas night.

 

[mississauga]

Loving your review! You are doing an amazing job!

 

We have been on the Dream twice and love the ship. The 2nd time was even better as we had Butch as our CD. We love him too. Wonderful person...very genuine and a fine young man.

 

Thanks for sharing your beautiful photos..very cute kids!

[steelerjen]

The photos are amazing and your two kids are adorable!!! Can't wait for the rest :p

[Joaljoe]

Loving your review! You are doing an amazing job!

 

We have been on the Dream twice and love the ship. The 2nd time was even better as we had Butch as our CD. We love him too. Wonderful person...very genuine and a fine young man.

 

Thanks for sharing your beautiful photos..very cute kids!

 

 

Thanks Mississauga! Did you enjoy your snow yesterday?? LOL My mom and sis live there, finally you got more than us for once. haha

 

We had heard some bad things about Butch, some people didn't like him. But like I said, we sure enjoyed him. I can't even remember the one off Fantasy from 2006. What does that say? ;)

[Joaljoe]

Thank you Steerlerjen!! =)

 

Sorry for the delay everyone, house cleaning was calling my name! LOL

 

So after enjoying our wonderful dinner we were on a hunt to find the Fun Patrol. They had a secret location that you had to figure out by going on their computers. Didn't take us long to find them, once there they had us try to figure out some puzzles with little pencils and if you did you got a Carnival medal. Funny thing is, we were the only ones who showed up. Two members from the crew were just sitting there and as soon as we left, they left. lol Oh yeah, and I figured out the puzzle... YAY! We add a medal to our collection.

 

We then headed to the Encore Lounge for tonights show with Bob Brizendine, the Magic Cat. We showed up a bit late so had to find seats at the top. Not the same I tell you. We had a few good laughs. He brought 3 children up on stage. Oh, those poor kids!! I thought one of the little girls was going to cry. Everyone just kept laughing, and to a 5 year old that could be a bad thing sometimes. But all was good, he made them balloon animals and everyone was happy.

 

Once the show was over we took our son to Camp Carnival. Tonight they had a "Kids just wanna stay up" party for the 6-8 age group from 10pm - 1am. He had a lot of fun at this. They played hide and seek in the dark, watched a movie, did some dancing and a bunch of activities. Oh and guess who won a medal for doing the twist?? LOL Another medal for our collection! Freddy was the judge of the Twist contest. All the kids also got a certificate of participation with a ribbon. That was nice.

 

Our view from the top, it wasn't bad, we had front row at least. lol

 

[Joaljoe]

Now that my son is off having fun we went to the Ocean Plaza where the Red Team was meeting. Not sure if they ever change this but if you're on decks 1 & 2 - you're red, decks 6 & 7 are white and decks 8 -12 is blue. Each team colour meets in a different spot. First they had us do some dancing, they taught their usual sprinkler, shopping cart, lawn mower, disco etc etc moves. After they taught all the moves they had the girls go against the guys. This is when my daughter chickened out. lol We spent about half an hour here and then made our way over as a group to the Caliente Club, chanting our team chant as we passed the white team and they were chanting theirs. It got pretty loud but everyone was having tons of fun!

 

Butch was in charge of the activites in the Caliente Club. We spent the same amount of time in here. He had everyone dance The Twist! LOL Hmm.... wonder who got picked! They chose the top 3 people and DD was one of them. She worked hard hard hard!

 

 

Top 3 have a dance off!

 

 

And the winner is....ALISON!!! I love how the other 2 people are cheering for her... put tears in my eyes! LOL

 

 

Butch presents DD with another medal! LOL And a photo of himself which is now hanging on our fridge.

 

 

 

He then split up the guys and girls and had them karaoke to each other. Was quite the show.

 

 

We then made our way over to the Burgundy Lounge where we met Melody for more dancing and fun.

[SandyCay]

I'm loving your review!!!! I am leaving on the dream on Saturday (one and a half days!) so I have been eagerly reading reviews!!! :D

[Joaljoe]

Around 11:30pm all 3 teams met up on the Lido Deck. Everyone was chanting, crew members had them all dancing, the camera's were walking around and airing people on the big screen. DD made it up but I was too late with the camera. They had the teams do the Conga Line to see who can make the longest one. And this is the night were I enjoyed the laser show. It still looks better on the photos but this one was the best. They also had the dancers come out in costumes to perform. The crew tossed out glow sticks, they were loud, had everyone joining in... it was an awesome night! We wish our son was there with us, next time I think he'll pick this party over the camp carnival one.

 

All 3 teams...

 

Red and Blue team...there is DD, front and center! lol

 

 

 

 

 

[Joaljoe]

Have a great time sandycay!! :)

[Joaljoe]

Out of approx. 5000 people, that's not a big crowd. lol

 

 

You can see some of the dancers in costumes in the crowd.

 

 

 

DD asking Butch for a clue to the Murder Mystery.

 

What an awesome night, actually DAY!! We were exhausted but still made it to the Mexican Buffet! I think we were all crashed by 1:30am!

The Mexican Buffet was just okay. I don't know if it was because it was so late, or the big dinner we already had or if it was them. But we didn't really care for it. Not bad, but not great!

 

Thanks goodness tomorrow is a sea day... let's sleep in!! LOL

[mississauga]

Thanks Mississauga! Did you enjoy your snow yesterday?? LOL My mom and sis live there, finally you got more than us for once. haha

 

 

We sure got our share...lol. For once this winter we got more than was forecasted but we can't complain as the big ones have missed us all winter. It's a beautiful day today....very sunny but cold.

 

You mentioned that you are looking at the Magic next. When you do, check to see if John Heald is the CD. He is hilarious! He mentored Butch and even though their personalities are very different and they each have their own style, the joy that each of them have for the job is very comparable. John will be on the Magic from May 2011 to mid Nov. 2011. He may return after his break so if you are looking at Feb. 2012, check it out.....or maybe Butch will take over....lol. The best CD's usually go on the new ships and he is considered one of the best along with John H.:):):)

[Joaljoe]

We sure got our share...lol. For once this winter we got more than was forecasted but we can't complain as the big ones have missed us all winter. It's a beautiful day today....very sunny but cold.

 

You mentioned that you are looking at the Magic next. When you do, check to see if John Heald is the CD. He is hilarious! He mentored Butch and even though their personalities are very different and they each have their own style, the joy that each of them have for the job is very comparable. John will be on the Magic from May 2011 to mid Nov. 2011. He may return after his break so if you are looking at Feb. 2012, check it out.....or maybe Butch will take over....lol. The best CD's usually go on the new ships and he is considered one of the best along with John H.:):):)

 

 

Great info! I actually follow John on Facebook. I like to see his posts, especially when he keeps pooping instead of popping downstairs to answer questions. LOL

 

We are actually looking for next April. Hopefully!! Originally we wanted to drive to Baltimore, really want the kids to experience HMC. But then we thought it would be nice to go on the Splendor. We've always wanted to go to CA. And now, the Magic came into the mix....especially last night after viewing their video's on line. What to do...what to do??? :o

 

DS & DD would scream if Butch was the CD on Magic and we go! Of course my DD will expect him to remember her. haha

[deetrayn]

This review is awesome! Thanks for sharing!!!

[Joaljoe]

You're Welcome! :)

 

jdcml - Here are a few photos from the room with the upper bed showing. When we arrived the bed was still in the ceiling but on that first night when we came back to our room for the night, he had it all set up for us and it was kept down all week. The ladder unhooks and you can hang it over the railing so it doesn't stick out all day.

 

They're not the greatest, but I do have a few more which I'll post shortly.

 

 

 

They took turns sleeping at the top.

[SandyCay]

Have a great time sandycay!! :)

 

 

Thank you! :) I'm sure I will! It is going to be quite interesting with a 2 year old! LOL

[LaurieHoffman]

can't wait to read more about your cruise. We are booked in a cove on the Dream in July.. I am worried mostly about the large amounts of people as some of your photos looked like the deck space was packed...

 

Any more thoughts on your cove?

[JaniceB]

Joaljoe,

 

Looking for sharks from the cove balcony definetly sounds like something that a boy would want to do. Were you able to see any fish at all being that close to the water?

[mississauga]

DS & DD would scream if Butch was the CD on Magic and we go! Of course my DD will expect him to remember her. haha

 

 

He will you know. :) We first had him on the Liberty in October 2009 and then Nov/Dec 2010. After 13 months he remembered us by name. Amazing! First he saw my DH on the 1st night with his 2 brothers. I was with my 2 SIL's when he saw me later and came running to give me a hug as DH had told him the next day was my birthday.

 

It's seems to me that he had more interaction with your DD than he had with us and he still remembered us. We had a couple of short conversations with him on the Liberty and that was it...lol

 

Do you read JH's blog also? There is a schedule for the CD's on the homepage so when you decide which ship you're going on, you can see if Butch will be the CD. We're doing the Magic TA and are looking forward to having John as our CD. Had him as a CD on the Triumph way back in 1999. That's when we realized how important a good CD was. Before that, never gave it a thought.

[Joaljoe]

He will you know. :) We first had him on the Liberty in October 2009 and then Nov/Dec 2010. After 13 months he remembered us by name. Amazing! First he saw my DH on the 1st night with his 2 brothers. I was with my 2 SIL's when he saw me later and came running to give me a hug as DH had told him the next day was my birthday.

gave it a thought.

 

That's awesome that he remembered you! He would definitely make her day if he remembered her. When we picked them up from school today we told them about your post and they were really excited at the possibility. We're getting more and more hooked on the Magic. You'll have to come and let me know how you liked it. :)

 

 

Looking for sharks from the cove balcony definetly sounds like something that a boy would want to do. Were you able to see any fish at all being that close to the water?

 

No, no luck unfortunately! When we did the Fantasy in 2006, we were lucky to see Dolphins when leaving FL. But not this time.

 

can't wait to read more about your cruise. We are booked in a cove on the Dream in July.. I am worried mostly about the large amounts of people as some of your photos looked like the deck space was packed...

Any more thoughts on your cove?.

 

For us it didn't feel too busy. Sure it was hard to get a chair but that's to be expected. I never felt that we couldn't move around though. There were times of the day when it was less busier, that's when we'd take advantage of the pool. As for the Cove balcony, there's not one negative thing in our books. Sure the boats above us could be gone but at the same time it gives nice privacy! The view is still great and being so close to the water was just amazing. If we actually do the Magic, we'll be taking the Cove again for sure.

[cruisinskier]

Hi Joaljoe, hope all is well in Barrie. Great review and especially enjoying the pics!! We will be on the inaugural Magic cruise May 1 (37 days :D) so your pics give us a rough idea what to expect onboard. Thanks for taking the time to post and in regards to the snow, I am looking forward to one final trip to the ski hills this weekend before we call an end to winter!!

[Joaljoe]

Today we slept in. Not too late but we were rushing down for breakfast. Actually, DH and DD went downstairs and brought back breakfast for all of us. It was nice to eat in bed. We woke up to not so great weather so that didn't help. You know, I barely remember what we did this day. It was a pretty lazy day. I barely even have any photos from today. Oh yes, we made the kids nap this afternoon. Camp Carnival was having another party tonight but this time for the 9-11 year old from 10pm - 3:30am. They charged $26 for this. We didn't really want to stay that late, we knew we couldn't stay up. LOL But they got walked back to their cabins and most of her friends were going that she had met so we caved in but surprised her with it the day of. It was hard to get them to fall asleep but they did after 20 mins.... I told them we'd only nap for 30-45 mins but we woke up almost 2 hours later and it was time to get ready for dinner. Kind of a waste but we were so tired!!

 

Not so nice today....

 

 

 

The waves went up pretty high. The water was scary! lol They didn't have to close off our balconies though, good thing... we enjoyed sitting out there.