Quick Review of Dream out of NOLA 4/27

[prescea]

My husband and I just returned from the 7-Day Western Caribbean itinerary on the Dream. Since everyone else's reviews were so helpful, I thought I would post a quick review of everything (which was wonderful). I will try not to bore you with too much detail, but if you have any questions, I will be happy to answer! As a side note, we had Faster to the Fun

 

Embarkation - The longest line we waited in the entire cruise was to park our car in the parking garage, which only took about 20 minutes. We arrived around 11:30, handed our bags to the porters, and made our way up to security. I was very impressed with how quickly they moved that many people through. We carried on 12 bottled cokes, 12 waters, and 2 bottles of champagne. They checked or shook every single bottle. The people next to us had tried putting bud light into a coke box, and were immediately discovered, as security was opening every box. I will note that security was very nice, and taped those boxes back up when they were done. It wasn't until this point that we were able to use FTTF, and were quickly checked-in and on board. Our luggage made it to the room around 2:00, and everything we packed ;) was intact.

 

Room - We were in cove balcony room 2250. Plenty of space, very convenient location, and no noise issues. My husband now feels he can no longer cruise without a balcony. For anyone interested, we were port side at every port, and had a great view for pier runners, and to watch the tenders coming in and out, which was quiet the show.

 

Roatan - A beautiful island! We did a private excursion zipline with Pirates of the Caribbean Canopy (booked before hand). I would HIGHLY recommend them to anyone. They were waiting exactly where they said, took us in an air-conditioned bus, and were very professional. Several guides were with us the entire time, and were very funny. I was very nervous at first, but felt incredibly safe. The zipline was so much fun, and looked much better than Carnival's, and less work. We did not have to brake ourselves like other ziplines I read about. We were back to the ship by 11:15, and headed to the Mahogany Bay Beach. It was a nice afternoon, and very convenient if you are wanting easy access to a beach. Next time we will probably check out the West End beach.

 

Belize - We rarely book excursions through Carnival, but this time we did the Land Rover and Cave Expedition, and it may have been the highlight of the trip. I was nervous as it was receiving bad reviews on Carnival's site, but my husband really wanted to do it. We saw so much of Belize and had a blast! If anyone would like more information, let me know and I will give a detailed review.

 

Cozumel - We have been to Cozumel multiple times. This time (as usual for us) we rented a jeep ($100 through Alamo at the pier). Alamo has seriously upgraded their fleet. We had a VERY nice jeep with less than 8,000 miles on it. We first headed to Punta Sur to see the light house and check out that part of the island. It was amazing! Absolutely gorgeous and lots to do for your $12 admission. If you go, head to the beach and purchase a coco loco. You will not regret it. We plan on skipping our next cruise and spending an entire week in Cozumel. We love it that much!

 

Debarkation - We did self-assist, and had made it through customs and were loading our car at 7:20 a.m.

 

I apologize if this sounds like rambling, I was trying to remember everything, but not bore with too much detail. Overall, we had a great cruise and would go on this ship/itinerary in a heart beat!

[RevConwell]

Thank you for sharing this! We've been looking at this one (since we just got back from the Elation out of NOLA last week) and an Alaska one for our next cruise. This was very helpful! :)

[maldenmusic]

Thanks for the review. NOLA is my favorite port and I will be taking my 8th cruise there this June on the Elation.

[christmas]

Thanks for the review. I am glad you enjoyed Belize because I HATE it. We are sailing the Dream in November on the Eastern itinerary.

Edited May 6, 2014 by christmas

[stl_figment]

I'll ask for the longer review of the Land Rover and Cave Expedition in Belize. My husband and I are looking at this for our trip in September and can't find a ton of recent information. Any insight would be extremely helpful. Thanks!

[WLHyatt]

Prefect timing. We are in 2248 this Sunday. Did you room stay cool all week?

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

[prescea]

I'll ask for the longer review of the Land Rover and Cave Expedition in Belize. My husband and I are looking at this for our trip in September and can't find a ton of recent information. Any insight would be extremely helpful. Thanks!

 

This excursion was a blast! I will start with this, if you have back problems or can not bend or climb for short periods this is not for you. Here is the very detailed review :).

 

Since this was a tender port, we met with in the theater with the other excursions, and were one of the first off the ship. Immediately upon arrival at the pier the entire group met with the guides. Once there they divided everyone into two groups. Each group did the tour opposite of one another, in order to allow everyone the opportunity to drive the land rovers, and to allow more room for the boat ride. We were in the group that did the bus ride first.

 

Before leaving they allowed us to take a bathroom break, and then we boarded the bus for the caves. It was an older school bus, but had a/c that worked VERY well. From there it was about an hour ride to the rainforest/ cave area. The ride was very interesting. The guides were all awesome, and this particular one told us tons of interesting facts about Belize during the ride. We also got to see two monkeys in the jungle on the way.

 

Once we arrived at the "base" area there was another opportunity to use the restrooms, and then we were split in half again to go to the caves. They provided unsecured lockers for anyone who would like to leave their things, as the caves can be a workout with tight spaces. We crossed a suspension bridge which was very neat, and during the 15 or 20 minute walk our guide told us all about the rainforest and different plants and animals.

 

At the caves, we were each given flashlights, and made our way through with the guide. There were points where we had to climb over a large rock (they assisted) and two other points where we had to squat and walk through the cave (maybe 100 yards the first time, and 50 yards the second time). Some of the men joked that they felt like they were at high school football practice. Again, I can't say enough good things about all the guides. They took their time, and no one ever felt rushed, but I don't think the cave tour took more than about 30 minutes, which was plenty of time. There were also small bats throughout, which was very neat to see. We then made the 15 minute walk back to the base.

 

At the base, we had about a 30 minute break while we waited on the other half of the group to get there with the land rovers. They had water and the restrooms available, and the scenery was very pretty. You were literally in the middle of a jungle right on the river. There were two ladies selling lunch plates with chicken, rice and beans, and fried papaya for $5. My husband and I split one since we knew we still had a while until we would be able to eat again. I was a little concerned, but it was very good and we never got sick!

 

When it was time to go they we divided up amongst the land rovers, and anyone who wanted to drive could. Now, these were older, British land rovers with right side drive, that had seen the world a time or two. For us, it just added to the experience. We then took a 45 minute ride to the boat. The ride was VERY rough and bumpy, and went down lots of trails and dirt roads. We are both 27 and live in the South, so this was right up our ally, but could definitely aggravate someone with a bad back. Also, on portions of the dirt road dust was flying everywhere, so be prepared to be a little dirty.

 

After arriving at the river for the next portion, we were given another 20 minute break. There were restrooms available, and they provided water, soft drinks, rum punch, and a large fruit platter. We then took the boat ride (about an hour long) down the river. The guide pointed out lots of things, and you see the tallest palm trees I have ever seen before. It felt like you were in the movie Jurassic Park, and they even filmed part of one of the Indiana Jones movies on the river. A short portion of the ride was back in the Caribbean Sea where they dropped us back at the pier that we had tendered to.

 

We started that morning around 8:20 and got back right around 3:00, with the last tender to the ship being at 4:30. Once back, we had enough time to check out the flea market outside "the gates," do some shopping inside "the gates," grab a few drinks, and still caught a tender around 4:10 or so.

 

It was an awesome experience, but you need to be the outdoorsy type to really enjoy it. It felt like we saw so much of Belize, and learned so much. I hope this was helpful!

[prescea]

Prefect timing. We are in 2248 this Sunday. Did you room stay cool all week?

 

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Sadly, no. It was never uncomfortably hot, but never got truly cool. I am very cold natured and was fine, but my husband got warm at times, particularly when we were getting ready for dinner and I was blow drying my hair. We had the temperature all the way down, and tried to keep the curtains closed when we weren't in the room. The breeze on the balcony was very nice though!

[JaneyLynn]

Thanks for the review!! My BF and I will be on the Dream at the end of November.

 

Did you go to the outdoor movie? Honestly that is the one reason I chose the Dream..... I've read about it and wanted the experience.

 

If you went what movies were playing? I know they'll change them before November but any info adds to my excitement of going.

 

I have a hearing problem so I'm also interested in knowing if they turn the sound up or keep it low.

[prescea]

Thanks for the review!! My BF and I will be on the Dream at the end of November.

 

Did you go to the outdoor movie? Honestly that is the one reason I chose the Dream..... I've read about it and wanted the experience.

 

If you went what movies were playing? I know they'll change them before November but any info adds to my excitement of going.

 

I have a hearing problem so I'm also interested in knowing if they turn the sound up or keep it low.

 

I went to one of the movies and it was a neat experience. The choice of movies really wasn't very good, and they repeated most of them. I watched the movie Pacific Rim, and I know they showed The Hunger Games, but I cannot remember what else. They served popcorn, and the screen was in good condition. The volume was fairly loud, but I know there were parts of Pacific Rim that I could not understand if the actor had an accent (Australian, British, etc.), but I believe it was because of the wind. Enjoy your cruise!

[stl_figment]

Thanks so much for the longer review of the tour.

[dottyparka]

Thanks for posting the review! Did you do Chef's Table? If so, which night was it?

[helene109]

Hi!! so excited we are staying in the same room for our August cruise.

 

Did it have just a pull out couch or an upper too?

 

We are a family of 4 daughter 18 and son 14 I wanted them to experience a balcony.

 

portside so you were able to see NO as you were leaving

 

Can you please explain self assist as I am trying to book air going home and the best price is 11:45 do you think we would make it?

 

sorry for so many questions!

[prescea]

Thanks for posting the review! Did you do Chef's Table? If so, which night was it?

 

We did not. Sorry! I have read if you go on the first night they give you a bottle of wine with dinner.

[prescea]

Hi!! so excited we are staying in the same room for our August cruise.

 

Did it have just a pull out couch or an upper too?

 

We are a family of 4 daughter 18 and son 14 I wanted them to experience a balcony.

 

portside so you were able to see NO as you were leaving

 

Can you please explain self assist as I am trying to book air going home and the best price is 11:45 do you think we would make it?

 

sorry for so many questions!

 

It did have an upper as well. You will love the balcony!

 

Yes, we could see New Orleans when we left. When the ship is docked, you are looking out at the bridge and water, but the boat does a complete 180 when it is pulling out, and you can see New Orleans. We got some great pictures!

 

With self-assist you are in the first group to leave, but you have to carry your own luggage. It is very easy, especially if you don't have a ton of bags. My husband and I each had a rolling suitcase, with a toiletry bag on top of one and a tri-fold hanging bag on the other, plus he was wearing a book bag. You will need at least one free hand for getting off the ship and customs. I would say an 11:45 flight would be very doable, as long as there isn't an unforeseen event that might delay the ships return. They started self-assist debarkation right before 7:00, and we were in our car by 7:20. Also, I would recommend leaving your room around 6:45 and heading up one flight to the Encore Theater. They tell you they will call self-assist by floor, but they allow people to come to the theater, and they started letting us off earlier. We were in the middle of a very long line getting off, and I heard them making the announcement for the 1st floor as I was walking off the ship!

 

I hope that helps! You will love the location of the room!

[tandemcruzr]

We did not. Sorry! I have read if you go on the first night they give you a bottle of wine with dinner.

 

That's for the Steakhouse. The Chef's Table is different.

[prescea]

That's for the Steakhouse. The Chef's Table is different.

 

Sorry!

[tandemcruzr]

Sorry!

 

No apology needed. :)

 

The Chef's Table is a multi course meal with wine served with each course. Takes about 3 hours and costs $75 pp.

 

First night at the Steakhouse, they give you a bottle of white or red wine. Not top of the shelf, but the red is very drinkable. Cost for the Steakhouse is $35 pp.

[helene109]

Was the sofa a single or double?

thanks!

Do you remember was it close to the laundry?

[cccer]

Thanks for the great review. We will be on the Dream in 60 days. We have never been to Belize and have not decided on what to do.

I think your review of the tubing and land rovers may have swayed us. Sounds like lots of fun.

[Cajun Sailor]

Thanks so much for your review!! Sounds like y'all had a blast!! Can't wait for our upcoming cruise on the Dream in July. Just wondering, did you look into taking a zip line tour with anyone else other than the Pirates of the Caribbean? Also, was the beach included with the zip line tour? We are booked on a zip-n-dip with Bodden tours but I have been reading some mixed reviews such as safety and such. Def want to to a zip line tour but want to make sure we pick the best company.

[prescea]

Was the sofa a single or double?

thanks!

Do you remember was it close to the laundry?

 

There were only two of us, so we never saw the couch pulled out, but I imagine it would be a single.

 

The laundry was not close at all :(. It was on the opposite hallway (odd number rooms) across from room 2375.

[prescea]

Thanks so much for your review!! Sounds like y'all had a blast!! Can't wait for our upcoming cruise on the Dream in July. Just wondering, did you look into taking a zip line tour with anyone else other than the Pirates of the Caribbean? Also, was the beach included with the zip line tour? We are booked on a zip-n-dip with Bodden tours but I have been reading some mixed reviews such as safety and such. Def want to to a zip line tour but want to make sure we pick the best company.

 

I did research all of them, and decided that pirates was the best fit for us! They do offer a zip and dip option (for I believe $20 more per person), but we did not do it. We did ride with the group that went to the beach, and it was a nice resort that looked fairly quiet. You would not regret going with them at all!

[prescea]

Thanks for the great review. We will be on the Dream in 60 days. We have never been to Belize and have not decided on what to do.

I think your review of the tubing and land rovers may have swayed us. Sounds like lots of fun.

 

It was a ton of fun! Just to clarify, we did not do cave tubing, we went through a cave on foot. I highly recommend it!