Photo Review - Carnival Dream Exotic Western Caribbean with FTTF - 12/8/12

[brilliantseas]

The private beach in front of the cabanas. I believe the current going rate is $199 for a cabana for 4-6 people.

 

 

Mangroves along the far end of the beach.

 

 

View of Mahogany Beach from the far end of the dock that you can snorkel off of. The dock is located at the far end of the beach, at the opposite end of the cove from where the ship docks.

 

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Out near the end of the dock and along the rope that marks the edge of the swimming area, the water is maybe 6-10 feet deep and there is a lot of coral and sea life; surprising considering how many swimmers are at the beach every day.

 

Looking back, I wish that I would have gone snorkeling when we first arrived at the beach when the water was crystal clear. As the day goes on, the swimmers from the beach stir up the sand and silt and the water gets a bit cloudy. It is still great compared to the visibility that you'd have in the ocean off the coast of the U.S., but cloudy compared to when we first arrived at the beach.

 

 

 

An eel swimming amongst the sea grass.

 

 

Snorkeling at Mahogany Bay

 

 

 

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It appears as if Carnival attempted to create an artificial reef in one area to attract more sea life to the snorkeling area. There are several large concrete blocks stacked under water that have become home to dozens of different types of fish.

 

 

A lionfish at Mahogany Bay.

 

 

 

 

 

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Two of the excursion boats docked across Mahogany Bay.

 

 

One of two shipwrecks in Mahogany Bay

 

 

Carnival Dream docked at the pier in Mahogany Bay

 

 

Sailboats lined up across the harbor

 

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View of Mahogany Beach from our balcony

 

 

Carnival rents kayaks and pedal boats that can be taken up the little waterway that separates Mahogany Beach from the rest of the cruise port. The journey takes you through the mangrove forest, and I've been told that there are many tropical birds to see along the way.

 

The small dock is where all of the water/boat excursions embark. It is a short walk from the pier.

 

The wooden pens in the waterway just beyond the bridge are currently under construction for a new Carnival-owned swim with the dolphins excursion that will likely replace the current swim with the dolphins excursion at Anthony's Key Resort on the other side of the island. I have mixed feelings about Carnival adding this facility at Mahogany Bay.

 

 

A close-up of the bridge, the new dolphin pens under construction, and the magical flying chairs that carry you from the shopping area to the beach if you don't want to walk. I believe the pass to use the magical flying chairs is $12 per person for unlimited use. Be aware that they are constantly stopping and starting to help mobility-impared guests on and off of the chairs. It is faster to walk to the beach and much of the walk is on a shaded path rather than out in the bright sun as on the chairs.

 

 

A close up of the beach as seen from our balcony

 

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Another close look at the excursion dock

 

Christmas tree at the entrance to the cruise port

 

Map of Roatan and the rental car counters at the entrance of the cruise port facility

 

The popular Clip 'N Zip zipline facility across the street from the port facility has been purchased by Carnival since the last time we were in Roatan, and re-named Zip Line Express. Reservations can now be made through the shore excursion desk, although walk-ups are still allowed on a space-available basis. The price has increased from $45 to $59.99 since Carnival purchased the facility, but it is still a good value as it is one of the longer zipline tours that I have seen in the Caribbean, with 11 lines through the jungle, with the last few coming out into the clearing where you have a nice view of the ship. We did it in October 2011, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to do a zipline excursion on their Western Caribbean cruise.

 

 

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Monkey La-La Trails ATV Tours is located right next to Zip Line Express. I am not sure if Carnival owns this or if they are still independent, but this is where the new Carnival ATV excursion departs. My understanding is that the tours last just under an hour and include a long jungle section with some man-made tunnels, followed by a section that comes out of the jungle for a ride along the ocean before returning to the port area. I had heard good things about them in 2011, but recent reviews on Carnival's website made me steer away from this excursion due to worn/broken down equipment. The excursion is $64.95 and lasts just under an hour. It is located right next to Zip Line Express across the street from the entrance to the port area.

 

 

After doing some shopping, we stopped at Fat Tuesday on Monkey Hill at Mahogany Bay for a drink and some entertainment. The crowd was much more subdued at this Fat Tuesday than they were at Fat Tuesday in Cozumel. My guess is that by the third stop, all of the drinking is finally catching up with people and they tend to slow down a bit. Either that or all of the party animals just hang out at the beach until the last possible second. We each had a drink (another yard of 190 Octane for myself) before heading back to the ship.

 

 

The drink menu at Fat Tuesday at Mahogany Bay. Note that Fat Tuesday also provides the drink service on the beach, so the menus, drinks and prices will be the same.

 

 

Menu board at Fat Tuesday

[brilliantseas]

After departing Roatan, we spent some time out on our balcony talking to our next door neighbors. They are more than 40 years older than us, but we still had a great time talking to them in the evenings out on the balcony as they were quite entertaining. On this particular evening, we decided to go to dinner with them.

 

I don't recall the full menu from this evening, other than that I had the vegetarian enchiladas (one of my favorite Carnival dishes, even though I'm not a vegetarian) and the Bitter and Blanc.

 

We had a great time at dinner with our neighbors (we referred to them as our adopted cruise grandparents) and at some point, they decided to start playing pranks on each other. Rich decided to excuse himself, pretending to go to the restroom, but instead went to the hostess stand and informed them that it was his girlfriend's 36th birthday. He returned to the table, and a bit later, after delivering dessert, the waiters all gathered around our table and brought Penny a piece of cake with a candle in it and sang happy birthday to her, even though it was clearly not her birthday. Unfortunately, I was not expecting this, so I did not have my camera ready. At dinner the following night, Penny got her revenge, and it was Rich's turn for a birthday celebration.

 

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There was no comedy show tonight (comedy shows are on Sunday, Monday, Thursday, and Friday on the Dream), so after dinner we decided to see the early seating of the production show Dancing in the Streets. This is my favorite of the three production shows on the Dream, and features amazing acrobatics and break dancing by Fun Force, in addition to the normal singing and dancing seen in the other production shows.

 

We got to the show just before it started and found a packed house! We ended up sitting on the bottom steps in the corner of the balcony level on Deck 4. I've now seen this show twice, and it is still my favorite of all of the Carnival production shows. It was worth the back and leg pain of being crammed on the bottom two steps of the balcony to see it again.

 

I believe this was also the night of the Mexican Deck Party and midnight Mexican buffet (I think it used to be on Thursday, after Costa Maya, but they moved it up a day since my last cruise on the Dream), but with no comedy shows going on and knowing that we had to be up very early for our 7:00AM call in Costa Maya the next morning, we decided to go to bed early and headed back to the cabin before 10:00PM.

 

Up Next: Costa Maya

[rockyman935]

too much of a hassle. Carnival needs to simplify the booking prices and booking process. If carnival is the "walmart" of cruising, it needs to adopt the same pricing (and booking) strategy. Lowest price possible - no changes, tricks, loopholes, or hoops to jump through to get a special price. Just whatever the bottom line price is, for everyone.

amen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Beth]

We were on this cruise also. Had alot of fun and really enjoyed Roatan the most. Spent the day at the beach just relaxing and eating and having a few drinks. Sorrt to read about the death of a passenger while on an excursion. Can't wait to go on the Dream again.

[brilliantseas]

We were on this cruise also. Had alot of fun and really enjoyed Roatan the most. Spent the day at the beach just relaxing and eating and having a few drinks. Sorrt to read about the death of a passenger while on an excursion. Can't wait to go on the Dream again.

 

It must be something about that ship, because I'm currently planning a cruise for sometime in the spring and the Dream has made the short list again, even though I just got off of her!

 

I really wish they would modify the Eastern itinerary and either substitute a different port for Nassau (Grand Turk or Half Moon Cay come to mind...) or add a fourth stop. I would love to do the Eastern run without the expense of flying to Miami, but I really have no interest in Miami and can't bring myself to book a 7-night cruise with only two ports of interest. Looks like I'll just have to go back to Cozumel, Roatan, and Costa Maya again!

[brilliantseas]

For those of you who are anxiously awaiting the rest of my review and plenty of pictures from Costa Maya, our last sea day, and the public areas of the ship, I haven't forgotten about you. I'll be back to continue this thread over the next few days. Work has taken away my free time, and I'm also starting to plan my next cruise for March or April, but I promise I'll be back over the next few days to finish my review.

 

In the meantime, feel free to post your suggestions as to where I should go next. I'm contemplating either Dream Eastern, Valor Southern, Royal Caribbean Independence of the Seas Eastern, Emerald Princess Southern, or Legend Western. I'd really like to try Allure or Oasis, but I think they are out of my price range right now. Any recommendations?

[C Cruise Dude]

It appears as if Carnival attempted to create an artificial reef in one area to attract more sea life to the snorkeling area. There are several large concrete blocks stacked under water that have become home to dozens of different types of fish.

 

 

A lionfish at Mahogany Bay.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking at your photos, I regret that I did not snorkel when I was there a year ago. How far out did you have to swim to get these shots?

[LWiening]

wonderful review. There are 12 of us going to Roaton, Belize and Cozumel in February on the conquest. You have made my day with your suggestions.

 

Great pictures.

 

Roaton has always been my favorite port...

 

Thank you for sharing,

[brilliantseas]

Looking at your photos, I regret that I did not snorkel when I was there a year ago. How far out did you have to swim to get these shots?

 

Most were taken out by the ropes that mark the swimming area. The water is no more than 5-10 feet deep depending on where you are. It is maybe 75 yards off the beach, but you don't have to swim it all. There is a ladder at the end of the wooden dock at the far end of the beach. Should be safe for novices; we didn't even have fins or vests and we were fine. Carnival has a lifeguard on a jet ski in case of an emergency, but you are still close to shore and the water is very calm. Hope you get to try it on your next visit, just remember that they don't rent equipment at the beach, so you'll have to bring your own mask and snorkel.

[LizaMM]

Great review! Looking forward to the rest

[meengla]

I made my post new topic and posts today about our 10th anniversary trip in 2013 on the Carnival Dream from Port Canaveral. This topic is timely and re-assuring. Not to mention fun to read. Thanks!

[C Cruise Dude]

Most were taken out by the ropes that mark the swimming area. The water is no more than 5-10 feet deep depending on where you are. It is maybe 75 yards off the beach, but you don't have to swim it all. There is a ladder at the end of the wooden dock at the far end of the beach. Should be safe for novices; we didn't even have fins or vests and we were fine. Carnival has a lifeguard on a jet ski in case of an emergency, but you are still close to shore and the water is very calm. Hope you get to try it on your next visit, just remember that they don't rent equipment at the beach, so you'll have to bring your own mask and snorkel.

 

Thanks. I always bring my mask with me, it's to the prescription of my glasses. I'm certified open water so the conditions would be fine. :cool:

Edited December 25, 2012 by C Cruise Dude

[brilliantseas]

December 13, 2012 - Costa Maya, Mexico - 7:00AM to 2:00PM

 

Costa Maya is a very early stop; so early, in fact, that we docked before the sun came up. It was kind of cool seeing the port area in the early morning light, but getting up that early on vacation is just rough on me.

 

We had originally planned on doing the Boat Blast, Snorkel, and Beach Break through Carnival. The excursion takes place at Uvero Beach Club, about 45 minutes from the port. I did the excursion last year on the Dream and had a great time, but given the incident that occurred two days prior on a Carnival snorkeling excursion in Belize, my friend really wasn't looking forward to another big snorkeling excursion out in the open water, so we went down to the shore excursion desk to see if we could cancel.

 

The guy working the desk on this particular morning was not nearly as nice or helpful as the woman that was working the desk the last time I was down there. Even though we booked the excursion prior to our stop in Belize, and given that my friend was on the excursion where the woman died snorkeling just two days earlier and clearly did not want to go out in the open ocean again on a snorkeling excursion, he was not very sympathetic and said that he could not refund our excursion because they are non-refundable once purchased. He said it was because the excursion operator was waiting for us and if he refunded us, the people that came to work to day just for us would not get paid. In reality, the excursion carries at least four full bus loads of people to the beach and they probably have no idea whether or not we booked or not until Carnival sends them a check for their cut long after our cruise.

 

Finally, after going back and forth with him for about three or four minutes, he agreed to refund the excursion, but with a 25% penalty. Of course the $24 per person went straight into Carnival's pockets and not to the poor people that came into work today at Uvero Beach "just to take care of us".

 

The whole situation upsets me a little bit, because I know perfectly well that he had the power to refund the excursion, but he chose not to. Had his female colleague been working the desk that morning, I'm sure she would have done it in an instant, but he wasn't having any of it. Normally, I would have had no issue with a "policy is policy" type interaction when making that request, but given the circumstances where my friend literally watched someone die on an open water snorkeling excursion not even 48 hours prior, and knowing that he had the full power to refund it but chose not to, just feels like poor guest relations to me. I'm just thankful that he was the exception amongst Carnival's wonderful staff, whom are normally willing to bend over backwards to make sure that you have a wonderful vacation.

 

In any case, we canceled with the $24 cancellation penalty, and decided to head out on our own for the day. Our plan was to do some shopping in the port area and then come back to the ship to drop off our purchases before heading to downtown Mahahual for some relaxation on the beach and maybe some jet ski rentals since we were missing out on the Boat Blast activity that we had been looking forward to all week at Uvero Beach.

 

On my last visit to Costa Maya, I did not know that there were any big beaches nearby. Carnival made it sound like everything had been wiped out during Hurricane Wilma in 2006 (you can still see what used to be a beach right next to the pier, with buildings that were destroyed by the hurricane) and that the sandy beaches where you could swim were all at least 30 minutes away at the private resorts or beach clubs (like Uvero). They presented Mahahual as the area right outside of the port, with the almost completely empty concrete shells of former stores and the lone Hard Rock Cafe maybe 1/2 mile down the road. This is what we saw during our last visit and it is, indeed, very depressing (and very sketchy looking).

 

Thanks to reviews here on CC, I heard a lot about a beach and the malecon in downtown Mahahual, and it sounded a lot different than what I had seen, and what had been represented as Mahahual by the excursion operator on my last visit to Costa Maya in October 2011. We decided that we would check it out since it was only a $2 cab ride from the port and the description that many of you here on CC provided was much different than the Mahahual that I knew from 2011. We are glad that we did.

 

The area outside of the port facility is still basically in ruins, and I don't see it ever really coming back. The street is lined with several concrete buildings that used to be large stores, restaurants, and smaller market style shops, but virtually all are empty and many are missing not only the doors and windows, but the entire store fronts. I wish I had taken pictures as words do not easily describe it. A few of the shopping centers look like they were construction projects that were abandoned after the concrete shells were put up, but upon a closer look, you can tell that this was not the case. They were simply destroyed by the hurricane, and then salvaged by the locals, who removed anything that could be re-used or recycled, leaving empty concrete shells lining the street. There are two or three stores that are still struggling to get by (one was having a huge going out of business sale), and, of course, the infamous Hard Rock Cafe that sits alone near the end of the street, drawing only a few stragglers who dared to explore the empty streets of a virtually abandoned tourist area.

 

Fortunately, the real Mahahual is about two miles down the road from this abandoned tourist village. Along the way, you pass through a large housing project that was built after the hurricane by the Mexican government. Basically, the government sponsors a development of identical concrete cube homes (about 400 sq. ft. from what I'm told), that they sell to the local population for around $28,000. The owners then slowly add on additional rooms or a second story as they save money and can afford it, since credit for buying homes is almost unheard of in Mexico. It was interesting learning about how the area has come back from the hurricane and how many lives are impacted by the cruise industry's presence in Costa Maya/Mahahual. Without the cruise ships, the town may have never been rebuilt after it was completely wiped out by Hurricane Wilma.

 

After passing through the housing project, we made a stop off at Senor Frogs Beach Club to drop off anyone who was interested in spending the day here. You can tell that the company that owns the big safari truck taxis gets a kickback from Senor Frogs because they make it sound like this is "the place" to stop if you want to spend time at the beach. They offer a $45 all-inclusive package for both food and drink if you choose to stop here. Of the 20 or so people on our truck, 4 decided to get out at Senor Frogs, while the rest of us continued to downtown Mahahual.

[brilliantseas]

The downtown area is maybe 1/4 mile further down the road from Senor Frogs Beach Club. The safari trucks drop you off at an alley area that goes between a souvenir shop and a restaurant, providing access to the malecon, or beachfront boardwalk.

 

From this point, there is at least half a mile of beachfront, with souvenir shops and restaurants lining one side of the malecon, and a beautiful white sand beach along the other. The beach is lined with tables and beach chairs, set up by the dozens of restaurants and bars across the boardwalk. Each has their own section of beach, but unlike in many other ports (St. Maarten and Cozumel come to mind), none of them charge for use of their lounge chairs or tables. They simply want you to order drinks and/or food from their establishment.

 

As you walk along the malecon, there will be a representative from each restaurant or bar trying to convince you to sit on their lounge chairs on the beach. As I said, these are all free with the expectation that you order something (even a Coke or a bottle of water) from them. They will tell you about their specials, some of which are quite good. The beach in Mahahual has to be the cheapest beach in the Caribbean for full service drinks at your lounge chair.

 

We walked all the way down to the end of the malecon and back, listening to at least 10 different pitches for the various restaurants and bars and beach areas, before returning almost to where we started and stopping at a section of beach set up by a place called the Krazy Lobster. Their representative seemed much more pleasant and less pushy than the other men lining the beachfront and they had new lounge chairs and tables that appeared to be in much better shape than those on some other sections of the beach.

 

They offered a free frozen margarita as a "welcome" to their beach, and a bucket of ten 7 oz. Corona miniature bottles for $10. No, they aren't 12 oz. bottles, but for $1 a piece, you can't beat them. The free margaritas were also some of the best I've had in my six visits to Mexico, and if you want a full size one to follow up the free welcome drink, I think they are about $6 each.

 

In addition to the free chairs, they also had free ocean kayaks and free vests if you wanted to snorkel. If you were interested in going out to the reef, which sits just off the beach, they would call a small boat to take you out snorkeling on the reef for an additional charge.

 

When we arrived at the beach and were walking toward the waterfront to select our chairs, we just happened to run into the same couple that we spent much of our time with on the bar hop, and they invited us to join them at their table. We spent a bit of time catching up on the events of the past few days before deciding that it was time to rent some jet skis.

 

We saw about three or four places along the beach renting jet skis, but one of them was right at the Krazy Lobster, so we decided to talk to them first. The beach next door (called Corona Beach or something similar) also had jet skis, and they appeared to be slightly newer than the ones at Krazy Lobster, but the ones at KL seemed just fine for us. When we inquired about the price, they normally charge $45 for 30 minutes for either one or two people, but since we were sitting on their beach and ordering drinks from them, they offered us two jet skis for 30 minutes for $30 each. This is the best deal that I have seen in six years of traveling to Mexico, both on cruises and at land-based resorts. After we returned, another group of people came walking down the beach to go jet skiing, and they were charged the full $45, so the better price seemed to be only for those who were sitting on their section of beach and buying food and drinks from them.

 

Jet skiing was a blast. I had not done it since my visit to Cabo San Lucas in March 2007, mainly because it is normally so expensive. I think I paid $40 in Cabo, but in many places, such as Cozumel, they go for $55-60 or more for 30 minutes.

 

When you rent jet skis at the Krazy Lobster, the rental person will come out with you on a separate jet ski for safety purposes. He carries a radio to communicate with the shore should you need any assistance. One of the primary reasons why they go out with you is because of the giant reef that sits just off shore. They will guide you single file around the reef and out into the open water about 1/4 to 1/2 mile from shore before letting you take off on your jet skis. They will sit out on their jet ski, watching you, and acting as a marker so you don't get too close to the reef.

 

After about 5 minutes, my jet ski stalled and I could not get it restarted. Our guide came over and made a few attempts at starting it, with no luck. He ended up giving me his jet ski, which appeared to be newer and in better condition than the rental units, while he climbed onto the one I was using to work on getting it started again. He appeared to get it working again after a few minutes, but let me keep his for the remainder of our time. When it was time to head back, he waived us over and then led us around the reef in single file and back to the beach. It is a good thing that we had an experienced guide with us because you can see huge pieces of coral just inches below the water all around you while he is guiding you back to the beach. He kept us safe and we got back just as it started to rain. I tipped him an extra $5 for taking such great care of us and we took cover under a palapa for the quick 5-minute tropical downpour that quickly gave way to more sunshine.

 

When we got back to the beach, I noticed that the inside of my thumb was bleeding on one hand. We were having fun with the 2-4 foot waves on the ocean and jumping each other's wakes while we were out jet skiing, but apparently I was holding on a little tighter than I thought I was and managed to wear the skin off of the inside of my thumb while gripping the handle of my jet ski. I cleaned it out when we got back to the ship, but it ended up taking a full five days to completely stop bleeding and scab over. Now, two weeks later, it looks like I will have a nice little scar to remember this trip by, which is funny, because I did not even feel or notice it until after we returned to the beach. I guess I was having too much fun to worry about a little pain out on the jet ski.

 

After returning to the beach, my friend had another margarita and I ordered a bottle of water while we relaxed and talked to our new friends for a while before packing up and heading back to the ship. We didn't see any of the big safari trucks near the alley where we were dropped off (they could have been coming, but there were none waiting), but we were able to easily get a regular taxi cab back to the port for the same $2 per person fare as the big trucks. Just a little side note; the taxis are not allowed inside the port area, so they will drop you off at the souvenir store that is going out of business just outside of the port facility gates. You have to walk the last block and then present your Sail & Sign card and photo ID to get back into the secure port area.

 

For those who find themselves in need after returning to the port area from Mahahual, the closest restrooms are located just inside of the shopping area, in the corner across from the pool. This information was very handy for my friend by the time we made it back ;).

 

After a quick pit stop, we took some pictures of the beautiful pool at Senor Frogs in the middle of the port area, and then headed back to the ship for lunch. We were tempted by the pool, but after four days of drinking in each port, we decided to forgo Senor Frogs and head straight for the ship for some sandwiches at the Carnival Deli on Lido deck instead.

[brilliantseas]

Docked next to NCL Dawn at Costa Maya. She arrived a few hours after us, but was staying until I believe 5:00PM before proceeding to her last port of call at Cozumel on Friday. The Carnival Dream departed at 2:00PM to head back to Port Canaveral.

 

 

 

The pool that is shared by Senor Frogs and Carlos 'N Charlies at Costa Maya. It sits right in the middle of the port shopping area and is free of charge. It was empty in the morning, but there were many people enjoying it when we returned from Mahahual later in the day.

 

 

Puerto Costa Maya

 

 

Satellite bar at the far end of the pool. The restrooms that I referred to earlier are in the corner, to the left of the bar.

 

[brilliantseas]

Another picture of the pool at Costa Maya.

 

 

Ships docked in the background. If you are still in the pool when you hear the first horn, you'd better start running, because the pier at Costa Maya is LONG and you wouldn't want to get left behind. Thankfully, there is a free tram that runs down the pier if you don't feel like walking.

 

 

This is the old beach next to the port area that was eroded by Hurricane Wilma in 2006. There are still frames from destroyed buildings further back on the beach, but the entire area is now walled off from the port and only visible from the pier.

 

[brilliantseas]

Krazy Lobster Beach in Mahahual

 

 

Coconuts on the tree. I don't want to be sitting under it when one of those falls!

 

 

Krazy Lobster Beach

 

 

Looking over to CoCo Corona Beach. Less crowded, but their drink specials were not nearly as good. I believe they were 4 12oz bottles for $10 vs. 10 7oz bottles for $10 at Krazy Lobster.

 

 

Krazy Lobster Beach is much less crowded if you don't want to sit right up by the water.