Pre-Trip Blog and Review: Carnival Dream 2/15/14 – Western Caribbean

[UTVolsFan4Life]

 

 

A little later, I decided to order up a fish burrito.

 

 

Let me tell you that was the best burrito that I have ever had. It was awesome and I loved the sauce that was in the shell.

 

Paradise Beach has a free WiFi connection. This was good and bad because we brought our tablets and now we were itching to see what was going on in the world. My tablet connected really quickly, but Cynthia’s would not act right, but I finally got it to connect. I made a quick post on the blog and checked facebook a minute. Cynthia decided that she wanted to surprise her sister by saying hey on facebook. Her sister replied back and wanted a picture. We thought at first that neither of the tablets had a camera on it but then Cynthia realized that hers did but it was on the front of the tablet. This is her trying to take a picture.

 

 

After letting our food settle, we decided to check out the awesome pool. We really loved the pool, especially Cynthia. It was not all that deep so, she could stand the entire time if she wanted too. After a while in the pool, it was sadly time to get out and get ready to go back to the ship. We packed up our space at the beach and headed to the changing area. After changing, we met back up with our group. On the way, I took some more pictures.

 

 

[UTVolsFan4Life]

 

 

 

 

 

[UTVolsFan4Life]

Now, that we were all together we went to find a taxi. The process was easy. There were plenty of taxis waiting to take people wherever they were going.

Here is the entrance:

 

 

 

 

 

We are heading back to Cozumel :-(

Before I go further, let me just summarize our Paradise Beach experience. We had a great time! The service was good, however we did notice that later in the day as more people were there the service did slow down. I guess the big question is would I come back here again? Yes, even though we did not like the rockiness once we got in the water. It was a nice clean family place to come and chill out for the day. The food was excellent and provided items that Cynthia could eat. I think it would have been worth it even if we would have never stepped foot in the ocean. Should we ever go back to Cozumel again, I would look to come back.

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

I am not quite sure what the speed limit was but, we were doing some speeding. The picture is not great but we were over 100 a few times.

 

 

We are back to the port. We all decided to get back a little early so that we could do some shopping. Here are a few shots:

 

[UTVolsFan4Life]

 

We walked into a few shops and the prices to me were not all that great. Also, there are signs everywhere saying if you break, you pay (More on that in a bit). However, the second shop we walked into I found the pure vanilla that I was looking for. I picked up a bottle and we headed to the check-out area. Before we made it there Cynthia found a candle that she liked so, she picked it up, looked at it, and set it back down. As we were standing there a lady came up bumped the display and a candle fell off. Of course, the lady left the area quickly without even picking it up. Cynthia did not want anyone to get hurt so she picks up the pieces and begins to move them out of the way when a worker comes over trying to tell her that she broke it so she had to pay for it. We explained to the lady the best that we could that no, she did not break it that another person broke it and we pointed her out. The worker did not look happy, but she did not say anything else to us so we quickly paid and left the store. If push came to shove, we would have just paid the $2.50 but since it was not our fault we were not going to pay as a matter of principle unless they made a bigger deal about it.

 

At this point, I am getting tired and I really ready to go back to the ship but Cynthia wanted to look for some sun glasses. We looked at a few more places then we came around the area where we could see this huge line to get back to the ship. We only had an hour to be back on the ship and I had no clue how long it would take us to get through that line. Cynthia wanted to go into the Ron Jon’s to look for glasses and I was like no, I want to go back to the ship. I was starting to panic a bit as I have a fear of being left by the ship. She got a little upset with me so I let her look but I kept nagging her to leave so she was not happy with me. Here was the line:

 

 

Finally, we are waiting in line so I snapped a few pictures.

 

 

 

 

Going through the port was a challenge. It was almost wall to wall people. Since the line seemed to be moving at a nice pace I let Cynthia look for some sunglasses but she did not see anything that she liked at a price I wanted to pay. LOL

 

Watch out of this guy, this is no statue, he is alive and well.

[UTVolsFan4Life]

We were glad to get through that area. For someone that has an alcohol and perfume sensitivity, it’s a bad area. The bags that we carried had become very heavy and we really did not want to walk the rest of the way back to the boat so, I noticed the guys with bicycle carts. I asked how much to ride and the guy said to just give him a good tip. Awesome! Here are some shots where we rode back to the boat:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[UTVolsFan4Life]

 

 

Here is another cart that was similar to ours.

 

 

 

 

[UTVolsFan4Life]

I loved that they had cold towels and water available.

 

 

Now, it’s back to the room for a rest before dinner. We enjoyed our balcony and some of the scenes from sail away.

 

 

 

[UTVolsFan4Life]

 

We were hungry so we decided to head down to dinner. We specifically asked to sit in Sam’s section and we were seated at a table for 4 but they did not add any additional guests at our table.

A little view:

 

 

Our Dinner Menu for tonight:

 

 

 

Cynthia started off with a version of the black bean soup that she could have and she thought it was really good. Also, she tried the chilled cucumber soup with dill and she did not like it. I tried it as well for my starter and found it to be quite nasty. Thank goodness, I also ordered a study in sushi which was great even though it was a little hot/spicy for my taste, but probably fine for others.

 

[UTVolsFan4Life]

 

Our friend Marketa came to assist Cynthia for the next day’s meals. We were happy to learn that she would be on the Lido deck for breakfast since we were not going to eat in the main dining since we needed to be ready early for our tender that morning. Now, for a little fun between courses.

 

 

 

 

The night before Cynthia did not really see anything that she wanted to eat so she put in a special order and she was excited to see how it turned out. I believe it was one of her favorite meals all week. This is an eggplant, tomato, and cheese dish. Also, they brought her the baked herb polenta (for Southern folks, it means grits) just in case she did not like one or the other. She thought that the polenta was good but not as good as the eggplant.

 

 

[UTVolsFan4Life]

I did not really see anything on the menu that was sounding good so, I decided to get the broiled filet of atlantic salmon with a side of mashed potatoes from the everyday menu. Sam hooked me up with an extra vegetable side.

 

 

For desert, we did not do anything fancy, just some ice cream.

 

After dinner we wanted to catch the comedy show, but we decided to hang with our old faithful routine of heading to the spa and then to bed.

 

 

That's all for tonight. Up next is an un-Belize-able experience in Belize and the "Mayan StairMaster".

[UTVolsFan4Life]

Kenyon, just stumbled on this review. FANTASTIC!! You have put so much work into this and so much detail. It is as if we were right back on the Dream again. Thanks so much and again Excellent review! Can't wait to read the rest of the review. BTW, we booked the Pride, just after her 2.0 upgrades, for 11/16/14 out of Tampa (same basic itinerary, with Caymans instead of Costa Maya), but this time without the g-son. This is our cruise to relax! LOL The Dream was a blast, but that 9 yr old about wore us "old folks" out. I don't think we stopped for hardly a minute the whole cruise. He had to be doing something constantly! It was truly a joy to be able to take him though and give him that experience, but now we need a vacation from our vacation!

 

Hey Kay, how are things up in East Tennessee? I am so glad that you found this review. I love writing a review because it helps me remember the trip. I am sure you do need a vacation after having the g-son on the Dream. :D He looked like he was having a blast and I am sure that's all that mattered to ya'll. I hope y'all have a great time on the Pride.

 

We don't have any future plans as of yet. We have started our knock out the debt mode so, I don't see us cruising again in 2014 unless something big happens. You never know, since I did not think we would be cruising at all this year.

[vetgirl]

Sooo glad you're back! :) We sail in 11 days!

 

 

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[LUV CRUSIN]

Thank you so much for your wonderful review! Great job!

 

Our sail date is April 20 on the Dream. (Less than five weeks from now).:D So excited since reading your review and seeing all the pictures.

 

Do you mind telling me the price for Paradise Beach?

 

Keep up the good work with the review, enjoying it very much. :)

[UTVolsFan4Life]

Thanks for all welcoming me back. I am so excited to see the number of people that are enjoying this blog/review. Thanks so much for your feedback.

 

Thank you so much for your wonderful review! Great job!

 

Our sail date is April 20 on the Dream. (Less than five weeks from now).:D So excited since reading your review and seeing all the pictures.

 

Do you mind telling me the price for Paradise Beach?

 

Keep up the good work with the review, enjoying it very much. :)

 

Thanks for asking about the price of Paradise Beach. I totally missed that in the review. :D It's $3/person which includes: Lounge chairs, Beach umbrellas, Pool, Hammocks, and Wi-Fi Internet. All the water toys are an additional fee of $15/person. Not all people in the group have to purchase that package, just the people who want to use the toys. All they require is that you spend a minimum of $10/person on food and/or drink. Trust me, that's not hard to do at all. With the food and drink we had, it was about $50 with tip. We could have gone some cheaper if we did not get the souvenir cups but since it was Cynthia first one, we splurged a bit.

 

For the taxi rides, facility fee, and food/drinks I would say that we paid between $75-$80 for the day. We did not use the water toys.

 

In case I missed it in my pre-trip blog, here is a link to there site:

 

http://www.paradise-beach-cozumel.com/

 

You can see all the fees and restaurant menu with prices.

[wrigley80]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks so much for these great photos from Paradise Beach....that is where my dad and I are going next month when we are in Cozumel. We were going back and forth between Paradise Beach and Mr. Sanchos.

 

After seeing your photos I believe I made the right choice in choosing to go to Paradise Beach

[wrigley80]

Another question for ya......when you went to Paradise Beach how far of a walk is it from where the taxis drop you off to the pool and beach area. I will walk down to the beach to swim for a while but I am sure that my dad will enjoy just lounging around by the pool area. That is the primary reason why we chose Paradise Beach over Mr. Sanchos is the Pool Area

[tigereye]

Wrigley, we have been to Paradise Beach several times as we really enjoy it. It is a short walk through the building to the pool area. The pool is next to the big palapa. If you leave your taxi and look at the front entrance, it is to the left.

[dnj1]

Loving your review. Great pictures. We cruise the Dream in August.

[UTVolsFan4Life]

Thanks so much for these great photos from Paradise Beach....that is where my dad and I are going next month when we are in Cozumel. We were going back and forth between Paradise Beach and Mr. Sanchos.

 

After seeing your photos I believe I made the right choice in choosing to go to Paradise Beach

 

I did the same back and forth between the two. I was actually leaning towards Mr. Sanchos when a couple if new threads were created talking about them not being as family friendly as they appear. Once I checked that out, I decided Paradise Beach and I am so glad that I did. We would have spent more money over there and then not know if Cynthia could eat anything. I like not having to have a reservation and just going and paying cash when we got there. It was a nice experience.

[UTVolsFan4Life]

Another question for ya......when you went to Paradise Beach how far of a walk is it from where the taxis drop you off to the pool and beach area. I will walk down to the beach to swim for a while but I am sure that my dad will enjoy just lounging around by the pool area. That is the primary reason why we chose Paradise Beach over Mr. Sanchos is the Pool Area

 

Wrigley, we have been to Paradise Beach several times as we really enjoy it. It is a short walk through the building to the pool area. The pool is next to the big palapa. If you leave your taxi and look at the front entrance, it is to the left.

 

tigereye is correct, it's a short walk to the pool and then the beach is directly behind the pool.

[wrigley80]

I did the same back and forth between the two. I was actually leaning towards Mr. Sanchos when a couple if new threads were created talking about them not being as family friendly as they appear. Once I checked that out, I decided Paradise Beach and I am so glad that I did. We would have spent more money over there and then not know if Cynthia could eat anything. I like not having to have a reservation and just going and paying cash when we got there. It was a nice experience.

 

 

That's another reason why we have decided on Paradise Beach. My dad and I don't drink alcohol so we definitely wouldn't have gotten our money's worth on the all-inclusive side at Mr. Sanchos. Thanks again

 

 

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[wrigley80]

Thank you tigereye and VolsFan for explaining the distance from the parking lot to the pool area. Where do they collect your money for the facility fee??

 

 

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[monakayk]

I am sooooooooo enjoying your continued review of your cruise and photos. I have been to Paradise Beach twice and will be going again on both my upcoming cruises. That place is indeed beautiful and relaxing.

 

Thanks again for sharing!:D

[2 cruzen]

Watch out of this guy, this is no statue, he is alive and well.

 

LOL...I knew about this guy, but my daughter didn't. When she wasn't looking, I dropped a dollar in his tip bucket and when I had her stand next to "the statue" to get a picture, he swooped down and hugged her. Good thing she is young and has a good heart!

[wrigley80]

Watch out of this guy, this is no statue, he is alive and well.

 

LOL...I knew about this guy, but my daughter didn't. When she wasn't looking, I dropped a dollar in his tip bucket and when I had her stand next to "the statue" to get a picture, he swooped down and hugged her. Good thing she is young and has a good heart!

 

This guy creeps me out :eek: