Quick Dream Review - 8/30/15

[baikels]

We just returned from an amazing trip onboard the Dream out of NOLA and I wanted to give a quick review. I cruised with my husband and two kids (boy, 13 & girl, 10). This was my 5th cruise with Carnival and their 3rd.

 

We arrived on Saturday, the 29th and stayed at the Drury Inn. It was a great place to stay--free breakfast and dinner (plus 3 cocktails each day), rooftop pool and spa, and a short walk to Bourbon St. It was also right at the St. Charles Streetcar stop so it was easy to get to the Garden District.

 

When we woke up Sunday morning, we could see the Dream from our hotel window! Instead of getting a cab to take us to the port, my husband convinced us to walk. That was not the best idea. It was about a mile to the port and HOT. After we returned and got to know the city better, we realized we could have taken the streetcar to the port for $1.50 each.

 

We had FTTF and arrived at the port by 10:40 and were on the ship by 11:30. We had our first meal at the pasta restaurant above and behind the lido deck. They give you a sheet of paper where you can list which pasta/sauce/toppings you would like and they prepare it for you. Our room was ready as soon as we boarded so we were unpacked by sail away and were able to relax before dinner.

 

Our table location in the Main Dining room is one of my two minor complaints of this trip (the other is Circle C). It was in the back of the Scarlett Dining room. The center of the room is raised up and all of the "shows" are performed there. We couldn't see any of the performances because they were all raised out of our view. My son went to Circle C the first night and had a good time meeting the other kids.

 

The next two days were sea days. My daughter LOVED Camp Carnival and asked to be there every waking second of the cruise. My son had fun at Circle C but felt like it needed a little more supervision as there were fist fights amongst the children and lots of use of profanity (I saw some video of his time with his new "friends" and couldn't believe the language--and I work at a middle school so I am aware of what is "normal" for this age group). He said the Circle C plans changed a lot and sometimes he couldn't find the group. Whenever I saw the "leader" she was hanging out with the Club 02 leader and not with any of the kids in Circle C. I would have hoped that she would have built a bond with the kids but NOPE. While my children were having fun with their new groups, my husband and I hung out in the Serenity area (nice but BORING), and the lido pool (FUN). My favorite place to spend time was on floor 12 overlooking the Lido Deck.

 

We love going to shows and went to all of the shows onboard. They were fantastic. We also went to comedy shows and my daughter loved going to karaoke.

 

Our first port was Montego Bay. We booked our excursion through Carnival--the Horseback Ride and Swim. It was a beautiful route and we enjoyed our time. It was interesting to ride a horse while it was SWIMMING and was kind of scary. I wish I had also realized that horses poop in the same water in which they swim. I saw huge pieces of horse droppings floating in the water as my horse walked in and brought me chest high in water and it totally grossed me out for the duration of the swim portion. Our guides on that trip were great.

 

Our second port was Grand Cayman. It was beautiful and actually reminded us of Southern California (where we are from). We booked Stingray City through Captain Marvin's and it was FANTASTIC. Our boat wasn't crowded, our guides were friendly, and along with holding stingrays we went snorkeling in a gorgeous reef.

 

Our last port was our favorite--Cozumel. We went to Mr. Sanchos and had the best time ever. We stayed on the Pay as You Go side and had great service. We snorkeled in the clear water (brought our own equipment), my daughter and husband went on the water toys, my daughter and I got the fish pedicure ($20/pp), and we ate delicious food and drank lots of tequila (2 free shots per person if you post on social media from Mr. Sanchos!) We were sad when it was time to leave.

 

Our last sea day was similar to the first two. Debarkation was EASY with FTTF--we were in the lounge at 7:45 and were off the ship by 8:20. We walked back to the hotel in the heat again (still a big mistake :)).

 

The next day, we went on an airboat tour through the bayou with Airboat Adventures. We saw SO MANY alligators and even got to hold a small one. If you have kids, definitely try to do this trip before leaving Louisiana.

 

All in all, we had a wonderful time. Some tips: bring a shoe organizer that goes over the door--ours held all of our smaller items that would normally clutter the sink area. Also, bring lanyards from home--the Sail and Sign cards have holes punched in them already. Bring some magnetic clips--all the walls are magnetic and our clips held our hats, sail and sign cards, etc. Bring a wipe board so that you can communicate with teens when they go to your room to check in if you are not there. Find the secret door on deck 11 (front of ship past the Serenity area). The view is awesome from there, especially at night. If you don't like any desserts on the menu, you can order a banana split from the kids menu. If you go to the art auction for the free champagne, they don't serve it 'til the end. Don't expect to get it until you sit through an hour of art talk :). GET A COVE BALCONY. We LOVED our cove (room 2262). It was quiet and private (except for the big camera right in front of it--2264 or 2260 were probably hidden from the camera more).

 

I hope this review helps you and if you have any questions, feel free to ask!

[vacationingcouple]

Thanks for the review. We are considering the Dream in March 2016. I am curious for your opinion on how crowded the ship was and how were the lines for buffet, comedy shows, etc.

[baikels]

The only time the ship felt crowded was in the buffet during breakfast on port days. All other times, it felt like any other Carnival ship (I've been on Elation, Splendor, Sensation, etc.).

[Viesczy]

Thankya for the review!

 

The only time the ship felt crowded was in the buffet during breakfast on port days. All other times, it felt like any other Carnival ship (I've been on Elation, Splendor, Sensation, etc.).

 

I don't get the "crowded" complaint we often get. How BORING is it to see just the few same people? INCREDIBLY if you as me. Now a ship w a good 2k+, that's when there is some variety of interactions and such. Sure seating might be a little tight in a buffet, but I'll take that w its variety vs. the other option.

[jennifer1t]

We'll be staying in 2262 on 93 days! Yall faced the ports at every stop right?

[jennifer1t]

How was the noise levels?

[baikels]

Noise was nonexistent. We did NOT face the port at every spot. The only port that we faced was Cozumel. :(

[jennifer1t]

Thanks for the quick response. I suppose one is better than none [emoji53]