Our amazing Dream cruise--photo and trivia review!

[EMc&DrS]

 

 

Near the Water Taxi, West Bay, Roatan?

 

I don't know about a water taxi--but you are correct--West Bay Beach, Roatan. I'm going to have to make these harder!!

[Crusin Karen]

Wonderful review! We were on one of the lst sailings of the Dream when she finished her TA, had a CTN and then a NY-Caribbean sailing before going to her home port in FL.

[EMc&DrS]

MONDAY, COZUMEL: When we woke up on Monday morning, we could see some tall buildings passing by outside our window. We were pulling into the port of Cozumel.

 

 

 

The guide boat following along behind looked more like the Mexican navy:

 

 

One of the cool things about our cabin was that we docked on our side of the ship in every port, so we always had something to watch. In Cozumel, some of the men were working hard:

 

 

 

While some were hardly working:

 

[EMc&DrS]

Because Cozumel was the one port we had visited on a previous cruise, we planned ahead to stay on the ship while in this port. What a great decision! We had the entire Serenity deck to ourselves. (If you look really closely, you can see me alone in the hot tub).

 

 

 

 

Everyone always comments that the water is especially beautiful in Cozumel. This was surely the case on this trip as well.

 

 

 

While my wife settled in for some more reading, I had to try out the water slides—at least once. The drain pipe was definitely my favorite.

 

After a few hours of relaxation, we decided to wander off the ship to walk around the cruise port. It hadn’t changed much since our last visit (except this time the shops had electricity—we were there two days after a cat-4 hurricane the last time and the entire island was without power).

 

 

 

 

Since it was so hot, we retreated to the “beach” area near the pier. This gave us a chance to text back and forth with our kids at home for a few minutes.

 

[EMc&DrS]

After about 90 minutes, we were ready to get back on board. The day had started out cloudy, but it had gotten sunnier and hotter as the day progressed. You can probably guess, we retreated to our deck for some cocktails—and to watch all the activity in the harbor as the various afternoon excursions were returning.

 

 

 

This larger Trans Caribe boat made trips back and forth to the mainland throughout the day. We were amazed when it docked to see how many semi-trucks, cement mixers, cargo trucks, and passenger cars were off-loaded. It was like watching the clowns at the circus coming out of the VW bug!! How the thing could hold so many vehicles and still float was amazing.

 

 

 

Earlier that afternoon, my wife found out about her first surprise of the trip when we received a letter from the Steakhouse about our reservation at the Chef’s Table that evening. She had never heard of the Chef’s Table, but I had been excited for her to experience this evening for 5 months!!!

 

Details on that event will be in my next series of posts.

[EMc&DrS]

I can't seem to make these hard enough!

 

Where are we today???

[jetsfan]

Your review is fabulous. You are setting the bar so high our reviews will pale in comparison. Lol I agree, Cozumel has the most beautiful color water out of all the places I have been. We are sailing in January, can't wait.

[NavarreCruiser]

I can't seem to make these hard enough!

 

Where are we today???

 

 

Roatan?

[nanuak]

I'm loving your review :), great photo's!

[cruisinlawn]

I can't seem to make these hard enough!

 

Where are we today???

 

 

Belize? Nice review, we sail her this Fall and can't wait...but guess we'll have to

[TakeMeAway1001]

West Bay is my guess. Great review, can't wait to read more!

 

I can't seem to make these hard enough!

 

Where are we today???

[Snorkel2Much]

I can't seem to make these hard enough!

 

Where are we today???

 

Goff's Caye, Belize?

[w1008]

Love your review its very helpful. We are planning to take a cruise on the deam next year.

[EMc&DrS]

Goff's Caye, Belize?

 

Correct!! I see by your screen name that you enjoy the same type of excursion that we do!

[EMc&DrS]

CHEF’S TABLE: I booked the Chef’s Table back in January. There had been a lot of discussions on the CC boards about how to do this—namely that you needed to go through John Heald’s blog and wait for him to get back to you. Instead of this option, I e-mailed the Chef’s Art Steakhouse on the Dream directly. I had a response within a few hours, and our reservation for the Chef’s Table was confirmed the next morning. I also went ahead and booked the Steakhouse for the last night of the cruise while I was communicating back and forth with them.

 

On Monday afternoon we received the letter from the Steakhouse giving us the details for the evening’s dinner. We were to meet in the Song Lounge (which was practically underneath our room) at 6:15.

 

 

 

(A quick photo on our deck with Cozumel in the background before leaving for our big night in the galley).

 

Because we had a short walk down the stairs, we were the first to arrive and were immediately handed our first glass of champagne. The other 9 guests arrived and the chef joined us at about 6:30. For the next 20-30 minutes, different canopies were brought to us and the chef would explain each one. All of these were delicious—and more champagne was served. The chef also told us his “story” about how he came to be the head chef on Dream. He’s very young and very entertaining. Over the course of the evening, he told us that it had been his idea to begin Carnival’s first Chef’s Table on Dream, and that it had eventually been adopted by the entire fleet. Of course, with that adoption came corporate standardization, so it sounded like all ships use the same menu, but the location of the meal varies depending on the size of the ship. The chef really seemed to enjoy this event, and he remained with us for all but about 10 minutes of the 3 ½ hours we spent in his kitchen.

 

At about 7 PM, we were led down to the galley. In many ways it looked like a giant school cafeteria kitchen. I thought there would be lots of noise and chaos, but in fact it was quite the opposite. Even when the 8:15 seating had gotten underway up above, the kitchen remained calm and quiet. Of course, who was one of the first people we saw once we entered the galley? Our assistant waiter from the Crimson DR. He waved with great excitement to see some familiar faces in the kitchen. One of the guests eating with us was a young chef from Washington DC. He couldn’t believe how clean everything was! You could have told us that the kitchen had just opened for business that week. Everything looked brand new and immaculate.

 

After a tour, we were led to a long table in the galley. Each of our names was displayed on place cards, and the women were seated facing out towards the kitchen while their male family member sat across. Each of us had our personalized menu rolled in a scroll at our place. One young girl didn’t eat beef, so she had her own special menu planned. The dinner included 7 courses, and the wine kept flowing. I believe there was one server for every two people, and each course came with a detailed description from the chef. After 3 or 4 courses, we were taken on a tour of the pastry area where we met the head pastry chef. Together, the two chefs started one giant chocolate melting cake for our group, which was later added to our plates as we enjoyed the final dessert course.

 

This was by far the best food we have ever eaten on a cruise ship. At one point we were served pumpkin butter with our rolls and my wife inquired if the butter was available in the MDR. The chef said no, it’s only served at the Chef’s Table. That was the feeling we had all night—we were being treated to special dishes by a chef who enjoys getting to cater to 11 people instead of the usual 4000. It was truly worth the $75 (plus tip) per person. (That’s less money than most Carnival excursions.) This was a unique experience that most passengers will never get to try. Go for it! We were not supposed to bring cameras, so I left mine in the room. When I saw one of the other guests snapping pictures of her meal, I finally broke out my cell phone and took one quick photo during dessert.

 

 

 

You can see the menu scrolls on the table.

 

At the end of the meal, we were each given a photo of our group seated at the table with the chef standing at the opposite end. Each couple was also given a Carnival cookbook.

 

I have to admit, I ate every bite!

[EMc&DrS]

Where are we today???

 

[IsenPedOT]

Can you please let me know where you found the email address to check on the Chef's Table? I couldn't find it on Carnival web site but I am not good with a computer. Thanks! We will be on the Dream on the (th of July.

[EMc&DrS]

Can you please let me know where you found the email address to check on the Chef's Table? I couldn't find it on Carnival web site but I am not good with a computer. Thanks! We will be on the Dream on the (th of July.

 

I think I read about the email address in a CC post. Try DRSteakhouse (at) carnival (dot) com or DRHotel (at) carnival (dot) com. I see both of those addresses included in old emails still in my box.

[Snorkel2Much]

Where are we today???

 

Barefoot Cay Resort, Roatan ?

[Rick_F1]

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You! Great Review! I have been on 9 cruises and have never been on the same ship twice. We are sailing on the Dream in January and this will be our first repeat as we sailed her in April 2010.

 

You are getting me excited as if I have never seen this ship before :-) I did not realize there were so many things we never did or saw the last time we sailed the Dream. It is going to be like almost sailing her for the first time.

 

Thanks again and I am really enjoying the review!

 

Ricky

[Rena921]

Great Review! We are sailing on the Dream in less than 2 weeks and will be in cabin 6479 - opposite corner from yours. I love the pictures of the balcony and cabin. July 9th can't get here fast enough!

[EMc&DrS]

Great Review! We are sailing on the Dream in less than 2 weeks and will be in cabin 6479 - opposite corner from yours. I love the pictures of the balcony and cabin. July 9th can't get here fast enough!

 

You are gonna love it! Have a great trip. I'd go back tomorrow!

[stargate fan]

Hello...where did you go? More, please!! I am loving this.

 

We'll be on Dream in April 2012. We are bringing our "boys" with us. (They will be 24 and 21.5 at cruise time. How much longer can I call them boys? :confused:) It will be our first family vacation in four years and we can't wait.

[CruisinFamily_3]

I can't wait to read more! We are in the "window shopping" stage of our 2012 cruise and can't decide between a few cruises- the Dream is one of our options.

 

I am worried about the size/crowds since our last (and only) cruise was on the Miracle. Also, can the aft wraps only be booked for 2 people? It looks like you could sleep a third in it.

 

Great review so far!! :D

[rtw68]

WOW! Great review!! :D

 

Enjoying your writing style and highlighting the important points.

 

Its helping us get more excited for our upcoming Dream cruise. :)