Aquar02's Photo Review of the Carnival Dream 3/29-4/5... My first review!

[aquar02]

I woke up a little before 8 to meet for breakfast. I had an omelet again. We thought we would lie out on Serenity this morning, but we couldn’t find any chairs. I was a little disappointed by the Serenity area on this ship. For it to be such a big ship, Serenity didn’t seem to be any bigger. This was the first ship I have struggled to find a place on Serenity. We found four chairs together on the side of deck 11. We laid there for about all of 5 minutes before deciding it was way too windy. I had read that Lanai always had plenty of spots, so we decided to try there. What I had read was right; there were plenty of spots! We got in the hot tubs first. They were really nice, especially since it was still a little chilly outside. We had to run back to our towels for warmth.

 

 

Once I had dried off, I went inside to the specialty coffee bar. I wanted to try the Chocolate Lover’s Coffee, which is alcoholic. It was really good, but it tasted like it was strong.

 

 

 

My aunt really wanted for everyone to have brunch, so we met for that at 11. It was a lot better than I expected. We didn’t have any wait for a table. My mom bought a round of mimosas for her, me, C1, and C2. I ordered the bagel breakfast and cheddar grits, both of which were really good. After brunch, we went to the casino for a bit. I started the day up $20 but left down $45, so not a great day but still fun.

 

My mom, C2, and I decided to go upstairs and try to find a spot again. As we were looking for spots, I noticed there was a short line for the waterslides. I really wanted to try both slides, so I left my stuff with my mom and got in line. I’m a little bit claustrophobic and have had issues with enclosed slides in the past. I decided to try the Drainpipe first, since the enclosed part was significantly shorter. It was a lot of fun! I really liked spinning around at the end. After I got out of the slide, I found my mom, and she said that C2 had found us 3 chairs right above the main pool. C2 and I ordered Blue Long Islands from the Red Frog waiter and my mom ordered another Mojito. They had a synchronized swimming contest in the pool that we watched. They had two groups compete: a group of girls and a group of guys. The guys were hilarious and did a really good job. Next up was the ice carving demonstration. This is really neat, but after 6 cruises, it kind of loses its appeal; especially since they tend to do the same couple of sculptures over and over again.

 

We went back to our room to get ready. We had the VIFP party to go to this night. We got down to the auditorium and took our seats.

 

 

The waitress came around with a tray of drinks. I decided to try the white wine, which ended up being a chardonnay, which I hate. My mom asked for a mojito. The waitress came back and said she could only give what was on the trays. My mom really didn’t want anything with rum or tequila, because those tend to make her sick. She decided just to take my wine for then, and I broke down and got one of the rum drinks. We still asked every waiter that came by if they could get something else. Finally, a waiter came by that was able to get us something. He said he couldn’t do the mojito, but he could do a screwdriver. Worked for her. He brought it out and we slipped him a couple of bucks. He wanted to get me something and offered a pina colada: sure! They asked people to come up on stage, and it filled up quickly. They ended up doing the Cupid Shuffle. A girl sitting in front of us started doing the dance in the aisle, so my mom and I decided to do it with her. We had so much fun, and pretty soon a couple of others were up there joining us.

 

After the party, we killed time in the casino. I worked my way back up $20…. only to fall back down $80. We went to dinner. I was still working on my pina colada, so we decided to skip the wine this night. I had the vegetable rolls for an appetizer, and the fried eggplant with mushrooms on top of polenta.

 

 

This was much better than I remembered it being! I split the strawberry cheesecake with my mom for dessert. I thought it was pretty good, but C2 said the one from room service was better. We went back to the room for a little bit, and then I met up with my cousins.

 

 

We went to karaoke, but it was terrible again, so we caught the last half of the PG comedy show instead. In the past I haven’t enjoyed the PG shows as much, but this was pretty funny. We hung out in the piano bar in between shows. There is really no reason to wait in that long line for the comedy shows. We never did, and we always got seats. We went back in for the R comedy show and sat front row again. It was Manny Oliveira again, and once again hilarious!

 

My uncle wanted to go to this 80’s dance party they were having, so we met up for that. It was a live band playing 80’s music and no one was dancing. Lame! We decided just to go on to bed.

 

[cruiseclues]

Very Good for a first...Thanks for the fine Photo Review. :):):):)

[jg51]

Thanks, Ashley. Your review is extremely helpful to us.

We are wondering if you are planning to include photos of your seven "Fun Times" issues. It would mean a lot to us if you could, but we realize that it may not be possible.

 

Also, please tell us what your grandmother said about cabin 1341 -- especially whether it was quiet or noisy. Did it have a normal "mini-bar" (small refrigerator)?

Thanks again.

[wrigley80]

Very nice start to your review. I love your photo of the Hand Grenade. That is my favorite drink in New Orleans. I will be back in New Orleans in 20 days and I will definitely be having a few hand grenades

[flynnsport]

great job so far!

[mabones]

Will be on the Dream in December! Can't wait to read the rest of your review.

[mabones]

Anxiously waiting for your next installment!

[aquar02]

Thanks, Ashley. Your review is extremely helpful to us.

We are wondering if you are planning to include photos of your seven "Fun Times" issues. It would mean a lot to us if you could, but we realize that it may not be possible.

 

Also, please tell us what your grandmother said about cabin 1341 -- especially whether it was quiet or noisy. Did it have a normal "mini-bar" (small refrigerator)?

Thanks again.

 

Thank you so much! I tried to save the Fun Times, but I'm not sure if I made it back with all of them. I'll try to upload what I have soon. My grandmother seemed to like her cabin, and never complained about it being too noisy. It did have the normal mini-bar. In fact, their room was the only one that had one already unlocked when we arrived.

[aquar02]

Anxiously waiting for your next installment!

 

Thanks so much for following! I'm hoping to post very soon. I'm just having some photo bucket issues right now, but hopefully it won't be too much longer. So sorry for the delay!

[aquar02]

Very nice start to your review. I love your photo of the Hand Grenade. That is my favorite drink in New Orleans. I will be back in New Orleans in 20 days and I will definitely be having a few hand grenades

 

Thank you so much! I enjoyed reading your reviews when preparing for this trip. The hand grenades were really good! They just snuck up on me ;)

[wrigley80]

Thank you so much! I enjoyed reading your reviews when preparing for this trip. The hand grenades were really good! They just snuck up on me ;)

 

you're not alone. I may have had some problems the first time I tried the hand grenade. I wasn't quite prepared for how strong it was

[sjn911]

you're not alone. I may have had some problems the first time I tried the hand grenade. I wasn't quite prepared for how strong it was

 

 

OP you have joined the ranks of the dear reviewers..love Wrigley here and so many...take your time...enjoying the heck out of your review.

 

 

I have really gotten weak in the having a drink dept...LOL...three glasses of red...really good ample glasses and a hot mineral spring did me in weekend before last...enjoy with friends and caution..."in my case I was never needing the lean..Love you and that"...but man that night I could not believe it I slept forever...like 14 hrs after that!!! It must have been combination of it.all...and that it was a good time with my dad. Wrigley thanks forever for sharing you and your dad.....mine is so hard to relax and enjoy on a long term basis, a mean old crab I love..Major mean sometimes...LOL...and reading your travel reviews added to my..."Keep at it, pray and never give up on love approach these last few years"...not easy but beginning to see some rewards at 55....and especially after loosing mom and staying strong.....so thanks...xxoo.

 

I say enjoy these drinks, but do it with caution and not alone... when young and old..but it may change, and watch building up too much of a tolerance or intolerance without knowing it. Sorry if tolerance must be more heeded as years go by :):(...but you get over it.....cause you enjoy people so much it makes up for it and have water with you...did not have that weekend before last......and have alternate sips...:):).

 

Not wanting rain on any parade..just be careful cause love you guys...OK.......and I am an auntie and big sis who has had alcohol losses and issues in family....ok BACK TO FUN..I WRITE CAUTION once in awhile for all in a kind way...no way am I a tee totaller though..especially on vacation.

 

OP you have joined the ranks of the dear reviewers..love Wrigley here and so many...take your time...enjoying the heck out of your review.

Edited May 12, 2015 by sjn911

[aquar02]

 

Today was finally our first port day! I woke up around 5:30 in the morning (damn that internal alarm lol!). I went out to the open deck, but it was really too cloudy to see the sunrise. Since I was up, I decided to hit the gym. I figured I could get a treadmill in front of the windows and watch us get close to Jamaica as I got in a workout. I didn’t realize until I actually got on the treadmill that they are on the side of the ship instead of the front, and the windows are too short to really look out. I moved to the elliptical, which is actually facing front, and in front of bigger windows. I was pleasantly surprised to see how busy the gym was, especially that early in the morning.

 

After my workout, I went down for breakfast. I had my normal veggie omelet and decided to get some chocolate milk too. After breakfast, my mom and I went back to the open deck and watched us dock in Montego Bay.

 

 

 

 

The two yellowish buildings in the distance is the Sunset Beach Resort, where we would be going.

 

 

We went back to the room to get ready, so we could be off the ship as soon as possible.

 

We cleared customs a little after 9, and we headed down to get off the boat. The line was crazy and was backed up several flights of stairs. They made an announcement about an exit at midship as well, so we decided to see if that was any better. To our surprise there was absolutely no line there!

 

 

 

The pier was a little hectic, but we were easily able to locate the person waiting to take us to the Sunset Beach Resort. It was just my mom and I going on this excursion. Everyone else was just planning on going out and shopping. We piled in the van and soon realized that everyone else in the van was from our roll call. My mom briefly chatted with everyone while I kept my head down and tried my best to not get carsick. Luckily, it was a really quick drive and we were at the resort by 9:40.

 

[aquar02]

Once we were at the resort, we were directed to a building that was setup to check in everyone with a day pass. This is where everything slowed down drastically. There was two lines once we entered the building: one was for cash and one was for credit. We were prepared for either option, so we just picked the line that was shorter, which was credit. This ended up being a big mistake. There credit machine kept breaking, so they had to walk several people, one at a time, up to the front desk to process their payments. The cash line moved through significantly faster.

 

We finally finished checking in at 10:15.

 

 

We headed straight to the pool with a swim up bar and found chairs. There are two pools in this area, separated by the swim up bar: one side is adults only and the other side is for everyone. We started out on the adults only side. I decided to check out the beach.

 

 

It was very pretty, but the crystal clear water that I’m used to in the Caribbean was noticeably absent. The water was still a little cold, so I decided I would just come back later. I went back and joined my mom by the pool. Unfortunately, I would never make it back to the beach here.

 

Since this was an all-inclusive, I decided to start drinking. I walked to the bar and got a Bloody Mary.

 

 

It was pretty good. After I finished it, I wanted to get my next drink by swimming up to the bar. The water was so cold! It took me awhile to get in. I finally just went for it. I swam up to the bar, but couldn’t decide what to get next. The bartender offered to just give me what she had made the previous lady, since she had enough for another one in her blender. I said sure.

 

 

I have no idea what it was, but it was good. I convinced my mom to walk around the resort with me and see if we could find a spot near the pool with the water slides and the lazy river.

 

 

We found a spot, put our stuff down, and got in the lazy river. We weren’t in there too long before it started to rain. We made sure our stuff was under an umbrella, and then ran for cover.

 

[pghsteelerfan]

I just doing some procrastinating today and spending some time on Cruise Critic and found your review! :) I am really enjoying it and your pictures. We've never been to Jamaica while on a cruise but were there for a week's vacation several years ago. The pink colored drink in the picture in your last post that you didn't know the name of...did it kind of have a banana flavor to it? If so, it might be a Hummingbird. We had those while we were in Jamaica and they are a favorite of mine. I'd never heard of a Hummingbird before that. Our bartender there told us what was in them so now we can make them at home.

 

Thank you for taking the time to do a review and I'll be following along and looking forward to the rest.

[txponycruiser]

FINALLY! A review on our next cruise. How much was the Tervis cup?

[jg51]

Thank you so much! I tried to save the Fun Times, but I'm not sure if I made it back with all of them. I'll try to upload what I have soon. My grandmother seemed to like her cabin, and never complained about it being too noisy. It did have the normal mini-bar. In fact, their room was the only one that had one already unlocked when we arrived.

Thanks, "aquar02," for letting us know about your grandmother's reaction -- and about the presence of the mini-bar. We look forward to seeing the "Fun Times."

[MooseyMoo]

Good times! I'm in!

[mabones]

Anxiously waiting for your next installment! Will be doing same Itinerary this December.

[Foxycourt95]

This is a great first review, looking forward to reading more.

[abubbles77]

Can't wait to read the rest. We are taking our 1st Carnival cruise on the Dream in February

[clayb]

The Thalassotherapy pool and the heated loungers look great. Do you have any idea what a day pass or a week pass costs? Can't seem to find that information on the Carnival website.

 

Really appreciate you doing this review. We are learning alot about the Dream. Thanks!

 

If you book a spa cabin: Category 4S(Inside) or 8S (Balcony)

the spa pass is included, along with 2 free selected sessions,

upgraded toiletries, slippers and robes.

And the cabin décor is a more relaxing, neutral color.

 

daily package cost (1-day pass) $40

 

weekly packages cost

cruise length price per guest price per couple

 

2-day sailing $50 $80

6-day sailing $139 $239

7-day sailing $149 $249

8-day sailing $159 $268

[mlipreston]

Loving your review. Waiting for more. :)

[aquar02]

I just doing some procrastinating today and spending some time on Cruise Critic and found your review! :) I am really enjoying it and your pictures. We've never been to Jamaica while on a cruise but were there for a week's vacation several years ago. The pink colored drink in the picture in your last post that you didn't know the name of...did it kind of have a banana flavor to it? If so, it might be a Hummingbird. We had those while we were in Jamaica and they are a favorite of mine. I'd never heard of a Hummingbird before that. Our bartender there told us what was in them so now we can make them at home.

 

Thank you for taking the time to do a review and I'll be following along and looking forward to the rest.

 

It might have been a Hummingbird! If that's what it was, it was really good.

[aquar02]

We went under the pavilion, which had a snack stand and a bar. We decided to get snacks, since it was raining. We couldn’t decide between cheese nachos and a veggie burger, so we got one of each and spit them. While waiting for the food, I went up to the bar and got a dirty banana for me and a Bloody Mary for my mom. By the time we got our food and drinks, the rain had stopped.

 

We wanted to take our food back to our chairs, but there were signs asking people to keep food in the pavilion. So we sat at a table and ate our food. The nachos were pretty standard concession nachos, but the veggie burger was pretty good. My mom wasn’t crazy about her bloody mary, so I tried it; I had to agree that it wasn’t nearly as good as the one I had earlier. I went back up to the bar and got another dirty banana for me and a red stripe for my mom.

 

We took our drinks and sat them by our chairs by the pool, and went to try out the water slides. We tried out each slide once, and they were both really fun!

 

 

 

 

I went down them each another time while my mom went around the lazy river. I joined her for another time around the river. The resort had photographers taking pictures, so we posed for a couple in our inner tubes.

 

 

When we got back to our chairs, our drinks were gone. We decided to move back to the pool with a swim up bar. I got a Miami Vice and a beer for mom. A Miami Vice has always been my go to drink on a cruise, but surprisingly enough, this would be the only one I ordered the whole cruise. While I was at the bar, another girl had ordered a pretty neon green drink. I knew I had to have one. My mom got the next round, and she found out what the drink was for me. It was an island breeze, and it was delicious, but pretty strong. We got another round, and this time it tasted even stronger!