B2B Carnival Dream March 12-26 Review

[meatloafsfan]

So I had taken the 12 hour extra strength gravol to make sure I didn’t get seasick. Did I mention I made Jenna take it as well??

It worked, neither of us got seasick……

But we were both exhausted much of this day.

After lunch and checking out the room we decided – to nap! Jenna was so tired she fell right asleep and slept from about 2 to 3pm when I got her up for the muster drill. I lay down but didn’t fall asleep. I checked out the features on the TV (they post menus, you can order room service, review your bill, book shore excursions, rent movies, and probably a bunch of other stuff I’m forgetting). And then I took some pictures of stuff in the room.

I had ordered a bottle of champagne for myself and some drink coupons for sodas (instead of buying Jenna a soda card). The bottle was there and there was a note about the drink coupons and that they would be delivered at dinner. There was also a note about Alcoholic drink coupons that my team at work had given me for Christmas (again to be delivered at dinner). As well, they have bought something else for me but kept it a surprise….

Jenna napping:

My bottle of Champagne (which I had pre ordered):

My other surprise - Strawberries and treats:

The strawberries were very good, the truffles (the two white balls) were nice but the little cookie things were yacky - dry and tasteless. I think they were there more for show than taste. It was a nice surprise and it was great to have this treat waiting in the room.

[meatloafsfan]

I cant wait for more I loveeeeeeeee it

 

Awesome review! Can't wait for more, it makes me so excited even though I don't sail for 7 more months!!

 

Glad to have you reading along.

 

You'll love the Dream - it's a beautiful ship.

[ssatterly]

Awsome so far. I got on the Dream the day you got off.. I miss her so much already....

[brickhousesm]

Love your review so far. Wondered how the porthole cabin was and if now you wished you had the balcony? Do you have more pictures of the room?

[meatloafsfan]

So the cabin – was it a good choice?

I was concerned about two things booking the porthole cabin:

• No balcony. I was worried that without that extra outdoor space that the cabin would feel very cramped and it would cause Jenna and me to get on each others nerves because we’d be constantly tripping over each other.
  

• It would be too far from everything. With the cabin being right at the very front of the ship on the Riviera deck (1) I was concerned that it would feel like we were really far from all the action and inconvenient to get to most of the ship activities.
  

Neither was true. The cabin was spacious and well set up. There was tons of storage space, a large desk (to toss our junk onto), and a couch and coffee table. The beds were set up in two twins when we arrived (what we wanted) and the light that came from the portholes made it feel like a “regular” hotel room because there were windows you could see out of and let natural light in.

Being at the front of the ship was actually very convenient for most things. We had anytime dining so it was just a quick elevator ride up the forward elevators to the Upper level of the Crimson dining room. The shops and the main theatre were right by the forward elevators. The casino and club O2 were mid ship so just a short scoot – even the Lido buffet didn’t seem that far away.

The only time I felt like we were far away was going to the steakhouse. We left the cabin 5 mins before our reservation time (later than I would have liked) and had to walk the entire length of the ship on deck 1 to get to the aft elevators (usually we took the forward or at most the mid ship elevators) and then go all the way to the top of the ship (stopping on what felt like every floor).

There was some noise and motion being at the front of the ship. The motion though was more rocking (like a lullaby) than shaking and we got very used to it. If anything, I found myself sleeping better on the ship than at home (or any hotel room I’ve ever been in). The beds were so super comfortable and after the first night, I didn’t even notice the noises (which did indeed sound like we were running over large mammals).

At the end of the day, I can whole heartedly recommend a Porthole room on the Dream. Spacious, convenient and comfortable.

Port holes:

Set of drawers:

 

Fridge, safe and desk. Funny thing - our "wet bar" was locked when we arrived. I called the room steward to unlock it and he said it had been locked because I had a minor in the room and he thought I would prefer that she not have access to the contents of the fridge. ?? I have no idea why. Anyways, he came quickly and unlocked it and there were no further issues - he even told me I could remove the contents of the wet bar and replace it with my own. I only had a couple of bottles (at least the first week of the B2B) so I didn't bother to remove anything, I just shifted the contents around.

TV on the wall. It was just to the side of the beds and was easily viewable lying down (super convenient cause I admit that after a few days, I wanted to watch some news. Especially about the events happening in Japan - funny story about that - I talked to Jenna's mom the morning before we boarded the cruise - she told me not to say anything out loud but she had to talk to me about something really serious - she then proceeded to ask me if we were going anywhere near where the Tsunami had hit - :rolling eyes: - I assured her that we were not going anywhere near Japan or even Asia and we'd be perfectly safe).

3 big closets - two with hangers (lots of them) and 1 with shelves where we stored our "non hanging" clothes. Lots and lots of space for 2 and I'd even say there was enough storage space for 3 and maybe even 4.

[alreadypacked]

Great start!!:) Can't wait to read the rest. What an awesome gift you gave to Jenna!! Hey, at least you got on the plane! My mom will not fly at all, and takes the train from New Jersey to Florida to visit us!

[rae.holmes]

So the cabin – was it a good choice?

I was concerned about two things booking the porthole cabin:

• No balcony. I was worried that without that extra outdoor space that the cabin would feel very cramped and it would cause Jenna and me to get on each others nerves because we’d be constantly tripping over each other.
  

• It would be too far from everything. With the cabin being right at the very front of the ship on the Riviera deck (1) I was concerned that it would feel like we were really far from all the action and inconvenient to get to most of the ship activities.
  

Neither was true. The cabin was spacious and well set up. There was tons of storage space, a large desk (to toss our junk onto), and a couch and coffee table. The beds were set up in two twins when we arrived (what we wanted) and the light that came from the portholes made it feel like a “regular” hotel room because there were windows you could see out of and let natural light in.

Being at the front of the ship was actually very convenient for most things. We had anytime dining so it was just a quick elevator ride up the forward elevators to the Upper level of the Crimson dining room. The shops and the main theatre were right by the forward elevators. The casino and club O2 were mid ship so just a short scoot – even the Lido buffet didn’t seem that far away.

The only time I felt like we were far away was going to the steakhouse. We left the cabin 5 mins before our reservation time (later than I would have liked) and had to walk the entire length of the ship on deck 1 to get to the aft elevators (usually we took the forward or at most the mid ship elevators) and then go all the way to the top of the ship (stopping on what felt like every floor).

There was some noise and motion being at the front of the ship. The motion though was more rocking (like a lullaby) than shaking and we got very used to it. If anything, I found myself sleeping better on the ship than at home (or any hotel room I’ve ever been in). The beds were so super comfortable and after the first night, I didn’t even notice the noises (which did indeed sound like we were running over large mammals).

At the end of the day, I can whole heartedly recommend a Porthole room on the Dream. Spacious, convenient and comfortable.

Port holes:

Set of drawers:

 

Fridge, safe and desk. Funny thing - our "wet bar" was locked when we arrived. I called the room steward to unlock it and he said it had been locked because I had a minor in the room and he thought I would prefer that she not have access to the contents of the fridge. ?? I have no idea why. Anyways, he came quickly and unlocked it and there were no further issues - he even told me I could remove the contents of the wet bar and replace it with my own. I only had a couple of bottles (at least the first week of the B2B) so I didn't bother to remove anything, I just shifted the contents around.

TV on the wall. It was just to the side of the beds and was easily viewable lying down (super convenient cause I admit that after a few days, I wanted to watch some news. Especially about the events happening in Japan - funny story about that - I talked to Jenna's mom the morning before we boarded the cruise - she told me not to say anything out loud but she had to talk to me about something really serious - she then proceeded to ask me if we were going anywhere near where the Tsunami had hit - :rolling eyes: - I assured her that we were not going anywhere near Japan or even Asia and we'd be perfectly safe).

3 big closets - two with hangers (lots of them) and 1 with shelves where we stored our "non hanging" clothes. Lots and lots of space for 2 and I'd even say there was enough storage space for 3 and maybe even 4.

 

 

 

i soo missed in the first post where you're her god mom. i was so confused when i read this!!! lol

[meatloafsfan]

Awsome so far. I got on the Dream the day you got off.. I miss her so much already....

 

me too - she's a great ship.

 

Love your review so far. Wondered how the porthole cabin was and if now you wished you had the balcony? Do you have more pictures of the room?

 

See above. I loved the port hole cabin and didn't miss the balcony. It would have been nice to have a Cove - without a doubt - but the second week on the ship was a great trade off.

[JennLuvs2Cruise]

What cabin # were you in? I was in 1207 on my last cruise on the Dream, which was a PT cabin - I loved that cabin. I agree - very spacious! Love the decorations. Makes me want to order the anniversary decorations for my upcoming cruise!! I'll be sailing the Dream for a second time but all the PT cabins were booked so we have a deluxe OV cabin this time around.

[meatloafsfan]

Great start!!:) Can't wait to read the rest. What an awesome gift you gave to Jenna!! Hey, at least you got on the plane! My mom will not fly at all, and takes the train from New Jersey to Florida to visit us!

 

I'm not sure when I'll fly again I really did hate it. I had many offers to "adopt" on this trip when people found out that I gave a two week cruise to my god daughter for her birthday(s).

 

i soo missed in the first post where you're her god mom. i was so confused when i read this!!! lol

 

You're not alone. Most people just assumed I was her mom. One of our taxi drivers asked us "Are you Family or Friends?" My answer was "Somewhere inbetween". :p

[meatloafsfan]

What cabin # were you in? I was in 1207 on my last cruise on the Dream, which was a PT cabin - I loved that cabin. I agree - very spacious! Love the decorations. Makes me want to order the anniversary decorations for my upcoming cruise!! I'll be sailing the Dream for a second time but all the PT cabins were booked so we have a deluxe OV cabin this time around.

 

We were in 1206.

[Meyer2]

Wonderful review & pictures so far. I look forward to reading more. How exciting & cool for your God daughter too. Thanks for sharing.

[SweetpeaOne]

Wonderful pictures and review. Cant wait to read/see more...

[Sunnyday2010]

Thank you for writting this review ! Jenna is a lucky Girl !! :) I can't wait to read more !

[cruisinJenF]

Enjoying your review!! Can't wait for more!

[2Zornot2Z]

Wonderful and funny review review. By the way my birthday is coming up. hint-hint

[steelerjen]

Great Review!!! Looking forward to the rest!!!:D

[mitchpam]

Just booked the Dream for November, enjoying your review~ :) thanks!

[oncruisecontrol]

Very nice review. Can't wait to read the rest.

[kellbellscruise]

Love your sense of humor and writing style. Thanks for posting pics too...... SCORE!!!

[baymadsus]

awww are you going to make us wait another day for more??? LOL!! Thanks for the review. Loving the pictures! :)

[mama_2_boys]

Great review! Can't wait for the rest!

[meatloafsfan]

Muster Drill? We don't need no sticking Muster Drill!

 

Well, actually, according to Maritime law, we do :D.

 

I dragged Jenna out of bed and headed down to our muster station around 3:15pm. I wanted to be early because I wanted a comfortable seat close to the exit. Our station was the main theatre on Deck 3.

 

When we arrived at the theatre there were a few people scattered around but not many. Even after the announcements, it seemed to take FOREVER for everyone to come in and find seats.

 

They showed us how to properly put on the life jackets in case of emergency and then showed a little film about what would happen in a real case of emergency and where our life boats were located.

 

Carnival employees were walking around putting green wrists bands on the kids 11 and younger. I was kidding around with Jenna that I should get her one and she was like, "okay". She went to put up her hand but then chickened out at the last minute....

 

The drill was very painless cause we were able to sit in comfy seats in an airconditioned theatre. The only thing that ticked me off was the waiting on other people - people who wandered in late, drinks in hand, talking noisily, and then expecting prime seats at the back of the theatre on the end of rows for their entire group.

 

One tip - if this is your muster station, sit on either side of the theatre (not in the centre section) because the sides are dismissed first and they ask those sitting in the centre section to wait for the rest of the theatre to clear.

 

We were one of the first up and out (after they had let the people who would require assistance in a real emergency go) and headed up to Deck 10 and the Aft Sunset Bar.

 

Theatre stage:

 

 

To the left and above:

 

 

To the right of where we sat:

 

 

Straight ahead (there was originally a group of 3 or 4 women sitting in front of us but before the muster drill began they decided to leave the theatre to see if they could get a drink before it began):

 

 

Every single seat was taken during the muster drill. It was definitely a full boat. And can I just say that for a new boat, the theatre was butt ugly and looked like it was designed in the 70's? The seats were super comfortable and the tables were great but really - it looked like my grandmothers living room when I was a little kid (born in 74).

[JennLuvs2Cruise]

Aw yay, more review & pictures. Keep up the great work, OP! :)

[meatloafsfan]

A tale of two Cruise Critic Meets.....

 

Right after the muster drill we headed up to Deck 10 and the Sunset bar for our Cruise Critic Meet.

 

We had agreed to wear beads so we'd recognize each other.

 

 

 

It didn't work.

 

 

There was three of us (myself, flalady and Cindysikld) who meet up. I thought the meet was a bust but apparently, we just missed the "main" meet. There was another whole group of people wearing beads who we didn't see!

 

A tip if you have a cruise critic meet and greet in a big public area like "Aft Sunset Bar", either a) have a sign or b) make it more specific - like at the tables, or at the loungers or something! I can't believe that we didn't all find each other but it happened.

 

Anyways.

 

Whoo hoo - we're starting to move!

 

 

Umm, yeah. Not the greatest picture I guess.

 

Anyways.

 

The one person I did manage to meet at the the "mini cruise critic meet" was Carla and her daugther who I had planned on doing a tour together in St Maarten so that worked out well.

 

I got a Miami Vice and I got Jenna a virgin Kiss on the Lips:

 

 

The good thing about being outside is that she didn't even notice that I was taking pictures (no flash):

 

 

 

No really - she wasn't drunk. It was the gravol. :p

 

Carla and I chatted for a bit and then realized that we needed to head down to register the girls in their respective clubs - Jenna in O2 and Carla's daughter Jessica in Circle C.

 

So back to the main theatre we went.

 

I had register Jenna online so they just checked off her name and handed us a packet and we found seats at the back.

 

They go through all the events for the week for all of the kids clubs and then they have trivia at the end and give away a few prizes.

 

Tip: if you want to even try for a prize, make sure you sit up front. They gave away some nice stuff but it was very limited.

 

After we left there Jenna and I went back to the cabin to see if our suitcases had been delivered. I had this insane fear that at some point I would be missing a suitcase so I had taken care to divide up all of our things into the various suitcases. Some of my stuff and some of Jenna's in each suitcase; bathing suits and back up bathing suits in different bags, a little here and a little there. Of course, nothing went missing. All of our suitcases were sitting outside of our door when we arrived after the kids club registration.

 

So we unpacked our stuff. Well, actually I unpacked most of my stuff and hung up our formal dresses. Jenna's stuff mainly stayed in the suitcase or on the couch or on her bed or in just floated around the room. Halfway through our two week cruise I asked her to put some of her stuff in the closet and most of it made it there.

 

I'm not exactly "neat as a pin" so it didn't bother me but I know that the mess would have driven her mother insane and would have caused several fights between them throughout the week. For me - Meh, whatever.

 

There were several little shelves in the bathroom so I put all of our toiletries away. There was so much storage space in there I was glad I hadn't bothered with an over the door multi pocket hanging thing. We had room to spare - though I think that I stored my curlers, hair dryer and straightening iron in the garbage can - it was a silver drawer looking thing in the bathroom. By the time I figured out that it was probably the garbage, I was packing up to go home. I thought it was odd that I couldn't find a garbage recepticle in the bathroom but I just chocked it up to one of those "great mysteries of life".

 

I had brought a whole bunch of the individual shampoos and conditioners that you get from hotels to use. Every time I go anywhere I collect them up and bring them home. I figured this was a good time to raid my stash. I put them all (well, not all but a good number of them), into a ziploc bag and packed them in my suitcase. I did the same with a bunch of mini lotion bottles. I liked this because I got to have a different scent of shampoo and conditioner each wash.

 

The body wash Carnival suplied was fine but I didn't like the shampoo.

 

The soap (round and green and flat) was actually pretty good. It had a nice scent and seemed to last quite a while. We only had to open one the entire two weeks and it latest that long despite multiple, multiple, multiple uses.

 

While I was unpacking and putting stuff in the bathroom, Jenna was napping again.