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Holiday Cruise on the Dream

CruisingGiants

By CruisingGiants,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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CruisingGiants

CruisingGiants

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Winter Holiday Dream review

My husband and I just got off the Carnival Dream yesterday morning – so wanted to write this quick(ish) review while it’s all still fresh in my mind. First, I want to thank everyone who has ever contributed to this website – it’s been extremely helpful to me while I was planning/ dreaming of our cruise! After we booked in April, I started making a word document of all of your suggestions/tips. So helpful and greatly appreciated!

 

Let’s see, where to start – a little about us: This was our second cruise, the first one being an 11 night cruise on Celebrity last year for our honeymoon. We are in our late 20’s/early 30s and with all the negative reviews out there, we weren’t 100% sure how we would like Carnival – especially during the busy Christmas season. We decided to give it a shot though because there were also a ton of positive reviews – we were hoping those would win out! Our cruise left Christmas Eve and returned New Year’s Eve, the ports being Cozumel, Belize, Honduras, and Costa Maya.

 

Embarkation: As mentioned in almost everyone else’s posts, this was extremely easy. The boarding passes we printed said we should be at the port between 12-2:30, but I had read they really start taking passengers around 11. We decided to try for this, as it might avoid crowds and get us on the boat a little sooner J That and my husband wanted to catch a 1p.m. football game! Haha, oh to sail during football season! All went well and I highly recommend getting there early if you can.

 

On a side note, we stayed at the Country Inn & Suites the night before and kept our car there while we sailed (their park and cruise rate). The hotel was ok but we were glad we only had to stay one night – the staff was not the best. One thing to keep in mind is they don’t take reservations for shuttles until the day before the cruise. Call ahead of time because by the time we checked in around 6 all the early shuttle times were booked. We put our names on the wait list and happened to be called to an earlier shuttle (otherwise we would have just taken a taxi – it’s not far). Also, upon the recommendation of others on this site, we decided to eat at Fishlips for dinner while were in port – it was excellent! Great view, great food, great service.

 

Now, back to the boat ---

 

Room: We had balcony room 7268 on deck 7, which is considered “port side.” I was a little worried about noise as it looked to be close to the elevators when I booked it. I also heard it was overlooking deck 5, which juts out so you can’t look straight down and see the water. In the end though it was perfect. We loved that it was so close to the stairs and we barely heard any noise…in fact none from the rooms next to us or the elevators, but occasionally you could hear music (very, very softly) from the Atrium. Of course you could also hear people’s conversations as they were walking by, but that would have been a problem anywhere.

 

As for deck 5, we could see the giant chess set if we looked over our balcony, but we were far from the hot tubs on that deck. If you sat down in the chairs you couldn’t even see the deck below, nor could people see you. The room had plenty of storage and the bathroom was much larger than the one we had on Celebrity. We asked our room steward (who was excellent) to take out the refrigerator items on the first day so we could use it to keep the drinks we brought cold. The fridge never got super cold, but it was good enough. One thing we didn’t realize was they charged for the giant water bottles. For some reason we thought this was included and went through a few of them. In the end it wasn’t a big deal price wise, but just wanted to mention it.

 

Food: There were a few items we weren’t crazy about, but overall we were extremely satisfied. We tried to prepare ourselves ahead of time the food probably wouldn’t be as good as what we had on Celebrity, but we were pleasantly surprised. We booked the steakhouse the first night ($30 per person) and received the complimentary bottle of wine. I believe it was a choice between merlot and chardonnay -- we chose merlot and can’t remember for sure what the white option was. Compared to Celebrity, we agreed this steakhouse was actually much better. There were hardly any people there that night and the food was delicious.

 

Everything we had in the main dining room was great. We signed up for My Time Dining, which worked really well for our schedule. We ate breakfast there once as well as a few dinners. My husband and I always ordered two different appetizers each, as well as an entrée. So much food to try! There are a few more options on the breakfast menu than what you’d get in the buffet area, but for the most part the main dishes are the same.

 

BTW – the lines in the breakfast area all have the same items. Some lines were closed when we got there, as they were waiting until late risers woke up, but all the food was the same no matter which line you were in. We usually went to the back because it was less crowded. My husband enjoyed the omelet station. I will say Celebrity outdid Carnival in this area, as there were less options, but the food itself was pretty good.

 

We also ate at the Pasta bar the first day – it was good, but we didn’t feel we needed to go back with so many other options. The Tandoor Grill in the back of the boat was awesome, as well as the deli where you could get panini’s. The Sushi bar was fun to try – it was more of a place you could get a few pieces of sushi for an appetizer before you went somewhere else for dinner. Everyone gets the same three pieces on a plate, so it’s not a place you can order from a menu or anything. Still worth grabbing a plate of though – we usually stopped by as we were boarding and on our way back to our room. The BBQ on deck 5 on the sea days was good too. Like I said, if you don’t like something, there are plenty of options!

The Chef’s Table was a great as well. I highly recommend this if you don’t mind paying the $75 per person. We really enjoyed being in the kitchen and watching everything going on around us. We reserved this in advance, but there were several people who just signed up the first day.

 

Staff: I can not say enough about the friendliness of the staff. So many people took the time to remember our names – absolutely the best service. After reading so many negative reviews in this area, I must admit I was shocked by how nice everyone was. The only person we found to be rude was the bartender in the Burgundy Lounge the last night we were there. We went for the comedy show and I actually regret talking to this person instead of ordering from a server because of the impression he made on us. There’s always one in every crowd though, right?

 

Activities: The best purchase we made was a VIP pass to the spa area. Keep in mind my husband is not a spa person (or so he thought) but in the end he loved it just as much as I did. We went nearly every day and spent a good portion of our sea days there. What a great way to relax after the ports! The heated lounge chairs were the best (I admit I almost always fell asleep while laying in them), followed closely by the Thelassotherapy pool. My husband also loved the Aroma Therapy steam room. We opted to pay a little extra for the “mud bath” option, which is $95 by itself or $50 with the VIP pass. I’ll be honest we had no idea what a mud bath was, but I we decided to give it a shot. I think we were both thinking a big pool of mud (not the case)! It was fun to try though – my husband says it’s the weirdest thing we’ve ever done together, but it was worth it J

 

The comedy shows were pretty good – I have to be honest I didn’t think Jeff the “Fun Dude” was very funny. He’s the host and the opener to all of the other comedians – he insults himself a lot, as well as the international staff members and guests on the ship – I’ve just never been crazy about that kind of humor. The comedians they fly onto the boat were good though. There are two the first two days and two different comedians the last two days. They offer both family friendly shows and Adults only. I read that people used to camp out in the Burgundy Lounge to get seats for later shows, but they make everyone leave in between shows so new people have a chance to get seats. It created a little chaos one night, but in general it went pretty smoothly.

 

We enjoyed the Dancing in the Streets show – it was the only main show we saw all week. It didn’t follow a story or anything, but was all singing and dancing. I thought it was pretty creative.

The best show we saw all week was the Love & Marriage show the last sea day. They call the oldest couple, the youngest couple, and a couple somewhere in the middle to the stage and ask the girls to write down their responses to 10 different questions. They then ask their husbands to answer to see how closely the answers match.

 

There were a ton of other activities (trivia games, corn hole tournaments, volleyball), but those were the highlights. Also, the Fun Farewell Party is a good way to spend an hour – free drinks (anything you want) from 5-6 on the last sea day, and good music to enjoy. It’s barely advertised in the Fun Times, so look out for it!

 

A few negatives – we went to the art auction on the first sea day, but the auctioneer didn’t seem to know his crowd very well. He made people almost feel bad about not paying thousands of dollars for what he thought were “must haves.” A lot of people left before it ended because it seemed to drag on and on. Also, my husband tried to sign up for the Texas Hold’em tournaments in the Casino, but never got to play because there wasn’t enough interest.

 

Ports:

 

Cozumel –We signed up for Carnival’s Amazing Secret River tour, which actually went to Playa del Carmen on the main land. The caves themselves were truly amazing. We went with groups of no more than 10 – you get a wetsuit, helmet, and water shoes and make your way through underground caves for about an hour and a half. It was beautiful! They really seemed to be trying to protect the caves as much as possible – they even have people take a quick shower to get all the grime and makeup off of them before allowing them to go into the caves. They don’t allow you to bring your own cameras but they do take pictures of you that of course you can purchase if you want at the end. The pictures were really cool, but we decided not to buy any. They also gave us a pretty delicious lunch buffet before we headed back to the ship. I really recommend this excursion for anyone who’s a little more adventurous, or looking to do something out of the ordinary. The only downside is that you have to take a ½ hour ferry and a ½ hour van ride to get to the caves – and then of course back again – and you don’t really have any time to spend in Cozumel itself. We did get to shop for a little in Playa del Carmen (or some went to the beach).

 

Belize – this is the port where you have to get a tender to go to Belize City on the mainland. Carnival doesn’t actually dock near land, so you either have to get a tender or book an excursion directly from the boat. We heard the city was not that great and since Belize is home to the second largest barrier reef in the world, we decided to make this our snorkel and beach day. We went to the Encore theater to wait for our excursion to be called – this seemed to take forever – and when they finally called the Barrier Island Snorkel and Beach break it seemed like half the room got up. Needless to say this was the first time all trip we felt overcrowded. The boat seemed to be packed with people and it was difficult to snorkel without bumping into someone. Don’t get me wrong, several people who were on the boat said they really enjoyed it, however we tend to like a little more organization when we’re snorkeling – i.e. smaller groups, a guide showing us what’s what, etc. The reef was cool, but there were just too many people to fully enjoy it. On the flip side, we had a great time on Bannister Island (the second stop). My husband and I played volleyball for the most part which was a lot of fun. It was also nice to get back to the ship early and eat lunch, do the pool slides, and hang out in the spa. If you do this excursion you still have plenty of time to go to the mainland if you want, but we decided to just hang out on the boat.

 

Roatan, Honduras – we booked our first private tour ever here with Victor Bodden tours. The guide was good, he showed us around the island and pretty much did whatever we asked. I highly recommend doing the monkey farm for only $5 per person. The animals looked happy, well cared for and they seemed very willing to jump onto people who’d like to get a little closer. We also booked a horseback riding tour that went through West Bay Beach town as well as on the water. What a great way to see the island! Last but not least, we originally had a parasailing excursion booked come to find out the boat was broken. We debated staying at West End beach (which was super crowded) or go back to the ship. In the end we headed back to the ship and went to the beach right at the port, Mahogany Bay beach. We heard from other guests that during the earlier part of the day the beach was jam packed, but by the time we got there at 3:30 there were a lot less people and it was very relaxing. It was also pretty cool seeing the boat in the distance and knowing everyone around us were Carnival passengers. We felt better about leaving our things on a chair while we were there, as opposed to the other beach. Victor Bodden was a great tour company overall and it was nice to have the same driver all day.

 

Costa Maya – we booked another private excursion here based on the recommendation of the people on cruise critic. We booked the Maya Chan beach resort, which is all inclusive – drinks, food, activities if you want – and they only allow a very minimum number of people to come in each day. The nice thing is they reserve your spot when you book, so even if you show up late your place is waiting for you. Unfortunately we only got about an hour of sun before the clouds and wind picked up, but it was still a pretty good day overall. The food was absolutely fantastic – great chips and salsa and buffet lunch. My husband really liked the glass bottom kayak, which you can take out for free, because he could see straight down into the coral. I heard a few people complaining about one of the staff members – Zack – for being a bit abrasive, but we never had any problems with him. Overall it was a nice, but entirely too short of a day. We were only at the resort from about 9:30-1:30, due to the boat leaving early.

 

Another thing to note about the port are the shops – my husband found a really cool Giants poncho that was a must buy (we’re big fans). The first guy tried to sell it to us for $75, and then kept dropping the price until he reached $40. We actually probably would have bought it for $75 if we didn’t know we could get it from another guy for $40. Don’t be afraid to haggle! The vendors will. J We also bought a really cool spray paint beach picture. There’s a guy at the port who creates these amazing works of art in a matter of minutes using only spray paint. It was awesome to watch…even if you decide not to buy anything try to look for him while you’re there. Each picture was only $20, and well worth it. We almost run back to the boat because after I saw the ones he created for other customers, I just had to wait and get one myself.

 

Odds and Ends:

- We only smelled “the smell” a few times when we were boarding and coming back on the boat on the lower decks. Never from our room.

- The boat was easy to navigate after the first day and really nicely decorated.

- The children on this boat seemed extremely well behaved for the most part. We were worried there would be kids running everywhere, but even when we saw groups of them, they were too busy getting to where they were going to be of any problem. Carnival seems to do a great job entertaining the kids.

- Random thing – we saw a small sinking fishing boat off the coast of Cuba on our last sea day. Carnival stopped to investigate and see if anyone was on board, but it seemed to be empty. Not sure what else went on here, but I know that the Coast Guard was called.

- Take the stairs – we made this our plan from day one and it work for us. It also helped us burn off a few of those extra calories we were putting on.

- Remember you don’t have to do everything J Make your trip as relaxing or as jam packed as you want!

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shpilkus

shpilkus

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- Random thing – we saw a small sinking fishing boat off the coast of Cuba on our last sea day. Carnival stopped to investigate and see if anyone was on board, but it seemed to be empty. Not sure what else went on here, but I know that the Coast Guard was called.

I was on the same cruise, actually on the "Behind the Fun" tour when we made the U-turn to go investigate. One of the people on our tour was sure it must be Cuban refugees. The truth was far less exciting, as I found some details later that day:

Boat sinks off Key West, rescued boaters brought to Fort Myers Beach

 

The boat was called the "Lucky Dog". Guess that dog wasn't so "lucky" after all... :)

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nm lobos

nm lobos

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Thanks for your review. We're looking forward to the Dream and Maya Chan in March. I was wondering why you got to Maya Chan at 9:30? Was the ship late? or did you just sleep in a bit?

 

Our itinerary says we get there at 7:00 am to 3:00 pm. Wish it was longer!

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NeuroQueen

NeuroQueen

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Great review! We were on the Dream over Thanksgiving and loved it. We had just sailed on the Oasis in May and were worried about how it would compare. The Steakhouse on the Dream absolutely blew the Oasis steakhouse out of the water. I wish we had gone a second time. I thought the food overall was better than Oasis. I'd like to do the Western next time just to see the monkeys and Maya Chan. Happy new year!

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CruisingGiants

CruisingGiants

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Nice review, thanks for sharing! So, I'm curious, what is the verdict? Did you enjoy Carnival compared to Celebrity?

 

Tough one! I don't think I could choose. They both have their ups and downs -- Celebrity seemed to cater more towards an older crowd, which was nice since we don't have kids, but we weren't at all bothered by the amount of children on Carnival. I had heard Carnival felt/looked "cheaper" then other cruise lines, but we did not find that to be the case at all. I would even say the Dream looked nicer than our Celebrity ship did. It just depends on what you're looking for. I honestly wouldn't rule out either of them for a future cruise. :)

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CruisingGiants

CruisingGiants

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I was on the same cruise, actually on the "Behind the Fun" tour when we made the U-turn to go investigate. One of the people on our tour was sure it must be Cuban refugees. The truth was far less exciting, as I found some details later that day:

Boat sinks off Key West, rescued boaters brought to Fort Myers Beach

 

The boat was called the "Lucky Dog". Guess that dog wasn't so "lucky" after all... :)

 

Thanks for the update! We had no idea what was going on. We were at a late breakfast on lido when we saw the boat sinking...now that's something you don't see every day! Everyone on deck made a beeline for the front of the boat. It was odd to see a sinking boat but no people -- glad everyone was ok!

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CruisingGiants

CruisingGiants

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Thanks for your review. We're looking forward to the Dream and Maya Chan in March. I was wondering why you got to Maya Chan at 9:30? Was the ship late? or did you just sleep in a bit?

 

Our itinerary says we get there at 7:00 am to 3:00 pm. Wish it was longer!

 

Good question! We did dock at 7 a.m. but the email from Maya Chan said they wouldn't be picking us up until 8:30 (the resort itself doesn't actually open until 9:30). We got to the pickup location a couple minutes early and they kept telling us to wait "a few more minutes" until it was almost 9 before a van came to pick us up. It took about 20-25 minutes to get to the resort from the port. I wish we had been able to go earlier!

 

Around 12:45 someone came by to let us know there would be two vans to take us back - one was at 1 and one was at 1:30. We opted to take the 1:30 van...but I wish we could have stayed until at least 2. They don't want to risk not getting passengers back in time though.

 

If you get back a little early don't forget to look for the guy doing the spray paint art...like I mentioned before, it was really cool ;)

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readytotravel44

readytotravel44

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Hi! We were with you on the Dream that week. Great review! I started mine tonight. Only on Cozumel right now!

 

I bought an NFL poncho too. I haggled to $40 also! Thought it was a great deal, then my husband heard about someone who got his for $25! I'm still good with $40. I thought it was a fair price.

 

Glad to get the update on the sinking boat. That was incredible! I've never seen anything like it!

 

i like your answer to the Celebrity vs. Carnival question. There seem to be +'s and -'s with every line.

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