Dream Review 11-12-11

[unc1acc]

So today is my complete day on-shore and boy do I miss the Dream! This was my second cruise and it was fantastic! I want to do a quick review with some common questions/concerns that I personally read on CC prior to my cruise.

 

I stayed in a Cove Balcony #2301 and if you happen to have a Cove Balcony, you will not be disappointed. I really don't know why these aren't more $$$.

 

Ok now on to the questions/concerns...

 

1) SEWAGE SMELL: Never once did I smell anything that closely resembled sewage and I was all over the ship.

2) CROWDS AND LINES: I do think the ship was almost full but never was I overwhelmed and never did I wait long for food. I think folks forget there are two buffet lines at the back of the ship and the pasta bar upstairs. There was NEVER a wait at either. We had anytime dinning for three and we waited 1 night for approx 5 minutes.

3) LAYOUT: I think the layout was perfectly fine and I never had any problems going from one spot to another.

4) STAFF: They were awesome and the room steward knew our names the first night. Jaime was our CD (her last before vacation) and she was a hoot. I overheard someone say she wasn't sure if she'd have a spot when she got back but she definitely deserves one!!!

5) FOOD: The food was great and I never had a problem finding something on the menu to eat.

6) Ports: I was on the Western Caribbean leg. Belize was a little scary outside the port area. Like others, we missed the Roatan Port (and I was not happy because we had the private beach excursion booked). There wasn't anything that could have been done, I guess. The small Celebrity Cruise pulled right into port though. Costa Maya was beautiful and Cozumel was just OK.

 

Other than missing the port and losing way too much in the casino, we had a GREAT time! If you have any particular questions, please let me know and I will check back tomorrow and answer. I'll add a few photos as well.

[crichard312]

We are rather new, why are people missing Roatan? We are booked on the dream in July. Any suggestions are appreciated.

[hckyfan68]

We are rather new, why are people missing Roatan? We are booked on the dream in July. Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

The Dream is a big ship, and for to make port, she has to be backed in. Th path she has to rake very narrow, and if the winds are too high, the captain will skip it.

 

DW and are sailing her next November, and I'm not sure if we should book excursions or not yet.

 

OP, can't wait to see your pics!

[Nik]

Happy to hear a positive review of the Dream. We are booked for NYE and there are way too many negative comments about this ship. I was getting a little worried that we chose the wrong ship. Looking forward to your photo's.

[dhqman]

Also happy to hear positive review. We are also sailing 12-31.

[MikeHem510]

sweet we booked 2298 cove balcony on the eastern in may cant wait......

[unc1acc]

Also happy to hear positive review. We are also sailing 12-31.

 

Yeah, I was worried about the same thing. Lots of negative experiences but generally I've found that only the angry/upset are the ones that make their voices heard. That's why I wanted to give a POSITIVE review on my Dream experience.

[larkz]

I have to agree with the op. Dream is a wonderful ship, and I was quite fond of my Western Caribbean cruise in December of last year. Good food, plenty of enjoyable activities, and great exercise if you avoid the elevators (it is surely a huge ship). I found myself getting a little nervous about some of the reviews before I sailed, but it was needless worry.

 

I do think the buffet was not as well organized as it could have been, so I suggest avoiding the busiest times. Also, I wasn't crazy about the poor quality of the Internet service. Anyone who wants to connect will probably be better off trying an Internet cafe in port. Everything else was just great.

 

We had mild weather, so no problem with the Dream maneuvering into port at Roatan or anywhere else. I'm curious what the overall success rate is on that.

[RuthlessBoss]

I have to agree with the op. Dream is a wonderful ship, and I was quite fond of my Western Caribbean cruise in December of last year. Good food, plenty of enjoyable activities, and great exercise if you avoid the elevators (it is surely a huge ship). I found myself getting a little nervous about some of the reviews before I sailed, but it was needless worry.

 

I do think the buffet was not as well organized as it could have been, so I suggest avoiding the busiest times. Also, I wasn't crazy about the poor quality of the Internet service. Anyone who wants to connect will probably be better off trying an Internet cafe in port. Everything else was just great.

 

We had mild weather, so no problem with the Dream maneuvering into port at Roatan or anywhere else. I'm curious what the overall success rate is on that.

I wish people didn't LOOK for the negative, then report it on here. I don't look for the negative. As for long lines at the buffet, of course they are long if you eat at prime time. Do I complain when I go to Golden Corral buffet here on land? Now, that's a place with lines and confusion. Most slowness occurs when someone must pick the "perfect" item, forget there are people behind them. Or, then there is the parent catering to the child saying "do you want this?" and wait for the kid to make up his mind. Carnival has no control over this type of people.