Carnival Dream or Carnival Freedom??

[TACMS]

Trying to decide which to take - we usually cruise on RCCL, but have done a few on Carnival and the prices seem much better on Carnival for August.

 

Itineraries aside, can anyone give me input on which ship (Carnival Dream or Carnival Freedom) they liked/disliked and why?

[CharmedMom]

I'll be interested to see what people have to say here. Our first two cruises were on the Dream (we did the Eastern in May 2010, and we did the Western in December 2011). Our upcoming cruise this June is the Southern on the Freedom.

[rbcruisin]

Never been on the Freedom but Loved the Dream, Had a Cove balcony for the 16 day transatlantic, it was the best vacation I ever had,

[navybaby1113]

Loved both them. The Dream is a lot bigger ship and they have the waterworks. I really loved the staff on the Freedom. I would pick based on itinerary between those two ships.

 

I have reviews on both of them in my siggy if you're interested.

[Jman1118]

Loved the Dream, one of Carnival's biggest ships. I would not mind going on it again! The only thing bad about the ship is how hot the pool deck is.

[queenofIT]

We have cruised on both and liked The Freedom better. The Dream is a wonderful ship but the common areas are too small for the number of passengers on board. The pool and hot tubs were always full and finding deck chairs was very difficult. The main show area was always full also. We had a cove balcony which we enjoyed but would think twice about cruising The Dream again. Just to note this was a cruise during spring break last year and the boat was full.

[PROCRUISE]

Been on both ships. Would probably only pick The Dream over The Freedom if you have an interest in a cove balcony-they are an interesting place to be on a ship in terms of cabins.

[AmberTeka]

Freedom. We have been on both..The Dream ..twice. the Freedom..three times. I LOVE the Freedom It may be a little less pricey. The food is really good. Staff is very fine. Lots of games..activities..good shows..very clean...

 

IT IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE SHIPS .........................PERIOD.

[AmberTeka]

The Dream. Not enough elevators. Crowded. Nice ship. Clean. Good food. Great Staff....

 

Like St. Martins and St. Thomas..and 3 sea days.

 

The Freedom..loved the old Panama Route. Did it three times.

 

The ships.are very much alike.

[gone_cruisin]

If you're doing the Freedom 8 day - definitely go Freedom. If not, go Dream Eastern.

[cmountainman]

I would avoid the Dream like the plague. Just did a family cruise in Jan for our 8th cruise. There were problems beyond what has already mentioned by others.

 

Our problems:

The Lanai deck, where you can walk around the entire boat, you can also see into any room on deck 6 (the deck I was on) especially if you are using the Lanai jacuzzis which was right outside our balcony. Our PVP said people can't see in but he was definitely wrong.

 

If you're a cigar smoker, there is exactly one place to have a cigar and it's outside on deck 5 midship which might not be so good in summer months and was very inconvenient as it was right outside the mexican music bar. Hardly a relaxing area.

 

It didn't take much weather for the captain to cancel our call in Roatan. Slight wind and slight waves yet 2 other ships did port that day including another carnival ship.

 

The staff attitude, though not bad, was very impersonal. There were very few casual "have a nice day" or "good morning" type comments. People seemed to just do thier job and move on.

 

The photo department moved our family picures and apparently moved them somewhere unique. There was only one background and we left them for the second to last night so the whole family can look at them together. One of the photo staff actually said "well you obviously put them in the wrong spot". There were 3 of us who all went to the same area to find them so I hardly think we were all wrong.

 

Due to our group of 8, we chose anytime dining and dinner took as long as 3 hours. 2 nights service was as good as expected. 3 nights service was slow but we were in no hurry. 1 night service was horrible. It took them 20 minutes to bring the bottle of wine I ordered and then they brought the wrong one. And the last night, the service was confused, like they didn't know who had what table or what plates went where.

 

This isn't to say there wasn't a few terrific staff people, a different photo staff member spent 2 hours reprinting all our family pics, a hostess at ATD sent cookies to all our rooms because she had a table for us and the other host gave it away. The casino staff was fantastic to my wife (though there weren't any other real gamblers in the group). The coffee bar woman remembered the names and drinks of the 6 of us who regularly drank coffee in the morning.

 

Sorry if this sounds like a bash, but Carnival is the only line I've cruised so I'm only measuring against a bar thay have set. We like the 101,000 ton and the 110,000 ton ships. Big enough and still small enough. Happy sailing.

[RWolver672]

We personally didn't like the Dream. Too many people and the gathering areas (theater, comedy club, Lido Deck pool area) were way undersized for the amount of people trying to use them. As the above poster mentioned, we too missed Roatan. Funny thing was that we were only a few feet away from the pier when the Captain pulled away and said it was too windy to dock.

[gobucks_43228]

We have not sailed the Dream but we did the 8 day eastern Caribbean on the Freedom last summer. We had our first aft extended balcony and LOVED IT.

 

Our dinners were a bit long but the head waiter than explained that one of his female helpers was new and not as efficient. by the end of the cruise she was no longer on his team. We were thankful he explained but honestly didn't make or break our vacation as we enjoyed our time dining.

 

The ship was clean, staff friendly and the serenity deck was awesome!

 

Good Luck deciding :)

[kcparrothead]

We've been on both ships & prefer the Freedom. The only thing I give bonus points to the Dream is the Promenade area. More people on the Dream, but not more space (only cabins, I guess)

[Brendarudd28]

I've cruised both of these ships and they both have good things and bad things about them.

Dream - Loved the Serenity area, the lania deck, comedy club and the Pasta Bar. It did seem a little more crowded at the elevators and I really noticed more movement on this ship.

Freedom - Loved the crew and the fact that the ship didn't seem overcrowded. I also loved the 8-day itinerary. I thought the Serenity area was too small.

Either way, you're on a cruise. You're going to love some things and dislike some things no matter what. You could make the decision easier for yourself and book both! LOL Happy cruising! :)

[terri&roy]

Just got off the FREEDOM.......LOVED IT! Staff were A+! FREEDOM is now my favorite Carnival Ship.

[TACMS]

Thanks, we went with the Dream (easier port for us). Now my question, we booked an inside room (7457). Can anyone tell me about it? I know it has a chair, no couch/loveseat :(...

 

Believe it has a safe. Possible mini fridge??

 

Was $300 cheaper so went with it for this cruise. Any suggestions/comments?

 

Thanks

[k2excursion]

Thanks, we went with the Dream (easier port for us). Now my question, we booked an inside room (7457). Can anyone tell me about it? I know it has a chair, no couch/loveseat :(...

 

Believe it has a safe. Possible mini fridge??

 

Was $300 cheaper so went with it for this cruise. Any suggestions/comments?

 

Thanks

 

Excellent choice! I was going to recommend Dream. I've sailed her twice, and she's still my favorite ship and my best 2 cruises out of 11. The first time, we did an interior, on deck 8. Decks 7 & 8 are nice, central locations, right between the promenade/dining rooms and the buffet/pool/slides. Your room will have a safe, and they have the locked fridge. We never bother with it, since it doesn't keep things cold, and I'd be worried about being charged for the things the steward would remove from the fridge. We bring a collapsible cooler, and ask the steward to keep it filled with ice.

 

The port is a great one. The La Quinta offers a nice hotel + parking + shuttle deal at one of their hotels there. It's not in a great location, but it's much cheaper than the other hotels' park and cruise deals.

 

Here are a couple pics of Dream interiors I've found. The rooms are about 150-160 sq.ft. (not the listed size, but it's the actual size)

 

 

[angel2wyld2]

Freedom

[TACMS]

Excellent choice! I was going to recommend Dream. I've sailed her twice, and she's still my favorite ship and my best 2 cruises out of 11. The first time, we did an interior, on deck 8. Decks 7 & 8 are nice, central locations, right between the promenade/dining rooms and the buffet/pool/slides. Your room will have a safe, and they have the locked fridge. We never bother with it, since it doesn't keep things cold, and I'd be worried about being charged for the things the steward would remove from the fridge. We bring a collapsible cooler, and ask the steward to keep it filled with ice.

 

The port is a great one. The La Quinta offers a nice hotel + parking + shuttle deal at one of their hotels there. It's not in a great location, but it's much cheaper than the other hotels' park and cruise deals.

 

Here are a couple pics of Dream interiors I've found. The rooms are about 150-160 sq.ft. (not the listed size, but it's the actual size)

 

 

 

Thank you so much. I see that the 'chair' is really a vanity bench... Is that the only chiar in the room?

[TACMS]

aanyone???

an

[k2excursion]

Thank you so much. I see that the 'chair' is really a vanity bench... Is that the only chiar in the room?

 

Yes, that's the only chair in the room. I agree that it's not what someone would think of as a chair. Your chair is your bed. But I'm not in the room very much anyway. It's basically just for sleeping, showering, and changing clothes.