A Dream Review Jan 31 Western Caribbean

[tkportersat]

Loving the review! Thanks for writing it :)

[Raxter54]

Our 2nd port was Belize City. Our niece and her hubby scheduled a cave tubing excursion, so they tendered into port fairly early. The rest of us had a leisurely breakfast, and decided to go into port around 10 AM. And the tendering process is one of the few things that I feel that Carnival did not do correctly.

 

Since the tenders dock near the front of the ship, I figured that Carnival would utilize the Encore theater for people waiting for tenders. That way they would only have to walk down 3 flight of stairs to disembark. I figured wrong. Carnival, in all their wisdom, decided to set the operation up in the Burgundy lounge, on deck 5 at the rear of the ship. Because of this, we all had to walk back to the rear of the ship, wait in the lounge, and then be herded back to the front of the ship, thru the smokey casino, and then walk down 5 flights of stair. My wife has some mobility issues, and I didn't appreciate her having to walk all those stairs. Our "shepherds" herded us to the front set of stairs, and seemed to keep us away from the elevators. I was going to insist that they let my wife use the elevators, but she insisted that I not make an issue of it. So I helped her walk down the 5 flights of stairs to the tender.

 

I knew that the ships didn't dock at Belize City, but I didn't know that they anchored so far out. The tender we were on was fairly large, and appeared well maintained:

 

 

After finding our seats, the tender pulled away and started our 20-25 minute trip to the port.

 

 

 

We debarked at dock #2, and proceeded into the shopping area. While not as spacious or as new as the shopping area at Mahogany Bay, it did have a good selection of stores. I picked up a "Dive Belize" hat, and DW bought a nice beaded necklace that was very nice. Walking down the promenade we came to the large Belize letters in the center of the port. There was a man there getting his family to pose behind the letters. I offered to take some pictures if he would like to get in the picture with them. He thanked me and I took several photos for him. He then offered to take some photos for us. It pays to be courteous :

 

 

After shopping for a few hours, we decided it was time to head back to the Dream. I noticed a few of the natives watching us while we waited for our tender back:

 

 

Tendering back went smoothly, and it was nice to see the Dream looming over us:

 

 

We returned soon enough to get in a trivia session, hosted again by the ever energetic Charlie. Niece and hubby told us all about the cave tubing over dinner, and we had a restful evening, getting ready for our coming day at Cozumel.

[Raxter54]

For those of you that are following my review I wish to say thank you for that and for the kind comments. I've really enjoyed doing this since it allows me to relive the cruise while stuck here in the frigid Midwest. And if I didn't say it before, feel free to ask questions, and I will try to the best of my abilities to answer.

 

I am posting this from work, where I have very, very reluctantly agreed to work overtime. Which means no Cozumel post tonight [emoji45] I should have time to post Friday night, so I have that going for me...

 

 

Sent from my iPod touch using Forums mobile app

Edited February 18, 2016 by Raxter54

[flagmom]

Really enjoying your review. We are sailing the same itinerary in two weeks. After looking at your photos, my husband can't wait to try the snorkeling in Roatan.

[Raxter54]

Really enjoying your review. We are sailing the same itinerary in two weeks. After looking at your photos, my husband can't wait to try the snorkeling in Roatan.

 

We chose the Tabyana Beach Break that Carnival offered after I had researched snorkeling at Roatan. Try searching Youtube for "Roatan snorkeling" - you'll only get over 50,000 hits :)

 

I went through Carnival because I like the guarantee that the ship won't sail without you. I'm a very cautious person that way. For non-Carnival excursions, I've heard good things about Little French Key, and Victor Bodden tours. I'm sure you will have a great time...

[Raxter54]

Well, let's get back to the review, shall we?

 

 

We woke up on Friday morning, looking forward to our day at Nachi Cocom. I stepped out on our balcony, only to be greeted by clouds, winds, and cool temperatures. Hmmm, not looking too promosing. We had booked Nachi Cocom last year on our first cruise, and liked the fact that, with 7 cruise ships in port, they limited themselves to 100 customers, thus avoiding crowds. We really enjoy our day there, went snorkeling, and had a delicious lunch that is included in the price. Looking at the weather, I wondered if we should even go, thus saving us having to pay the remainder of the fee. After discussing things, we decided to head out and take our chances.

 

 

We disembarked around 9:15'ish, after the initial rush of passengers. We were docked at the Puerta Maya dock, and had to walk down a rather lengthy dock to get to the port. We were actually dockded at the new extension of the Puerta Maya pier that allows 4 ships to be docked at this pier. As usual, the police had their food sniffing dogs out, and were confiscating any fresh fruit or un-packaged food items someone might bring ashore. As we walked thru the shop area, I kept looking for signs pointing to the taxi stand. I never could see any signs, but eventually we arrived there. At the stand there will be a large sign that shows the taxi fare for the different locations on the island, and prices for groups of 1-4 and 5-8 people. For our trip to Nachi Cocom, it cost our group of 6 a total of $34 one way.

 

 

After a 15-20 minute ride, we arrived at our destination. After paying the remainder of our fee, and having our picture taken, we were led out to the beach by our waiter. Unlike last year, when it was clear, calm, and sunny, it was windy, cloudy, and slightly cool, with large waves breaking on the beach. Because of the waves, there was a fair amount of seaweed on the beach. After settling into our loungers, our waiter came over and took our drink orders. With some reservations, we ventured out into the surf – and had a great time!

 

 

 

 

At Nachi Cocom your loungers are located long the beach under natural umbrellas, called palapas, and palm trees:

 

 

I must confess that the day turned out to be more fun than I expected. Never had a chance to play in surf like that. After a few hours, our waiter came by and asked if we wanted to eat. We all place our orders, and the waiter suggested we eat in the restaurant, since there were rain showers around. We thought it was a good idea. Here are pictures of the menu for the place:

 

 

 

The meal was included in the cost, and consisted of salsa and chips to begin, an appetizer, soup/salad, entree, and desert. I had nachos, tortilla soup, bbq ribs (tasty citrusy sauce, very tender), and ice cream.

 

After another drink, we decided to head back out and play in some surf. The waves were a little stronger - here they are breaking over the dock:

 

 

It was nearing 3 PM, so we had our waiter call us a cab. The drive back cost the same as the drive out. When we got back, we took some time ti get some shopping in, and take a few photo ops:

 

 

And then we decided to head back to our home away from home:

 

After returning, we cleaned up for the final Cruise Formal night. The prime rib was excellent, with a little horseradish added to it. We were all very happy with our food in the MDR, and the service was excellent. After our after meal coffee and hot tea, we headed back to our rooms to get some much needed sleep. Tomorrow, our final sea day and final chance to do some things on the Dream...

[josieallen]

Awesome review

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[pansoup81]

Great Review. We are sailing in September on the Dream. Also from IL!

[Club Disney Chandler]

Thanks for posting, your pictures are beautiful and I feel like I'm actually sitting with you while you tell me about your trip. I love your writing style and great balance of giving credit where credit is do and actually explaining the reason on why you thought something wasn't as good as it could have been. Two thumbs up my friend.

[Raxter54]

And now we come to the final sea day. We woke up to find it like it was at Cozumel, cloudy, windy, and cool. There were a couple things left that I wanted to experience, one of them being the water slides. Alas, they were closed in the morning due to the weather. Rats. After breakfast, DW and I started to get things ready for our being licked off the ship on the morrow.

 

About the buffet - did not like the cafeteria style setup of the regular buffet line. Here is the typical way that the morning buffet went: Get in line, wait, wait, shuffle forward, wait, wait, shuffle, get your plate and silverware, wait, shuffle, wait, shuffle, no I don't want fruit, wait, wait, shuffle, no I don't want cereal, wait, wait, shuffle shuffle, grab some milk, wait, wait, shuffle, no don't want yogurt, wait, shuffle, shuffle, baked bean? for breakfast? shuffle, wait, wait, shuffle, maybe some toast, reach back for some butter, wait, shuffle, shuffle, take some scrambled eggs, wait, wait, shuffle, take some sausage, wait, shuffle, shuffle, BACON!!!!! After 10 minutes you finally hit the jackpot. And I have a suggestion. Make friends with your MDR waiters. After shuffeling up to the bacon station, who do I see serving but my waiter Piotr. After greeting him and telling him he must be a hard worker for getting up so early, I scored 5 - countem' - 5 pieces of bacon. Yes, Piotr got a good tip for our final night in the MDR.

 

We all met for lunch in the buffet. Didn't have to wait so long for the food, just a 10 minute trek around the Lido a couple times to find an empty table. But -we did find out that the weather was better and the water slides were open. Sweet! After my final desert of an ice cream cone, us guys went back to our rooms to suit up. Another thing - when you sit on the beach at Cozumel and play in the heavy surf, your swim suit tends to fill up with sand. My suit not only had sand in the pockets, but also had a large amount of sand between the lining and the suit. I had hung the suit up in the bathroom using the retractable clothes line, and it was mostly dry. And after a little work, I was able to get most of the sand out of it. We then headed up to the water slides. And we appeared to be the only one's interested in trying them this day.There are two slides, the Drainpipe and the Twister, and each one is fun in its own way. Here I am coming out of the longer and fastest of the two, the Twister:

 

 

The Drainpipe starts out slow, but last 1/3 or so you really pick up speed, and are then shot out into a large circular bowl, where you do a fun rendition of circling the drain. I tried to get a video as I was going down the tube, but I was going so fast, and was so disoriented coming out of the pipe, that I lost control of the camera. My wrist strap held, so no damage down. But it was a real hoot!

 

After several trips down the slides, we headed back to dry off and proceed to our next venture, mini-golf. The Dream has a nice 18 hole course, and it wasn't too crowded that afternoon. Located below the funnel, it was high enough that you could get a panoramic view while playing:

 

 

 

Not to bag, but I did turn in a winning score and won bragging rights from my nephew..

 

Another activity we attended that day was the towel animal folding class. Held in the Encore theater, it was hosted by the CD Jase. Not having that much experience with different cruise directors, I must say that I liked Jase. He was energetic without being frantic, and seemed to intereact well with the audience here:

 

 

And here is the end result of DW's first try at an elephant:

 

 

And after the class, we even stayed to watch the Towel Animal Theater :

 

 

Well, with most of the packing done, we all met for our final meal in the Crimson dining room. When we first arrived, Piotr had an accident and cut himself on a broken glass. He had to go to the medical center and never returned during our meal. This meant that Imade had to single-handedly take care of us and several other tables. Understandably, service was slower this night, but we still had a good meal. After the meal we gave Imade both his and Piotr's tips - I picked up two envelopes as Guest Services during the afternoon. They both did and excellent job serving us and making us feel welcomed.

 

Tomorrow I will cover our dis-embarking, which went rather well, along with some observations of what went well, what didn't and some things that I wanted to do but never got the chance.....

Edited February 21, 2016 by Raxter54

[noelbows]

Thanks for what you have posted so far Raxter. I was there on that cruise too, but you did many things I didn't do and captured pictures of things I didn't get pictures of. It's like an additional set of pictures for my cruise memory book, only I don't remember all of them (much like real life after a few days pass). 😄

 

I can't wait to see how your story ends.

[smyliecruising]

Enjoying your review DH and I take our first cruise on the Dream in January 2017. We just cruised on the Elation in December 2015 and had great weather. Interested in knowing how the weather was on in January? Thank You!

 

 

We sailed out of Galveston on the Magic in January 2014 at the same time as an unusual cold front was sweeping the nation from the north. It was in the upper 30s in Galveston by the time the ship left port. I couldn't even get warm in the hot tubs as they were "warm tubs". The first two sea days needed long sleeves on deck. And the front made for rough waters. I was not mentally prepared for cool weather so it wasn't pleasant for me as we couldn't drink pinas in our swimsuits next to the pool which is all I wanted to do. Too cold for waterworks also. If I sail in winter again I will be ready for whatever may be. We had one warm sea day on the return for most of the day until late afternoon. 3 port days were warm. I think the week before was great weather. It is hit and miss in January so pack a sweater so you can enjoy the beautiful view without freezing.

Edited February 21, 2016 by smyliecruising

[Crusin Karen]

I was actually looking to see if Wrigley80/Brianna had written a review of her Dream cruise and stumbled on yours! :p I thoroughly enjoyed it and your pictures are great. I never knew nor cared about ANY of the CD's on any of our cruises, but Jase was on Liberty last January when we sailed her and he and I struck up a very nice friendship. We always seemed to be in the same place at the same time and we did a B2B so I totally enjoyed him. One question: I saw the OX TONGUE (:eek:) on the menu and would never THINK of ordering it, but I read another review and they ordered it and said it was delicious. You said your BIL didn't like it. The taste or just the "idea" of it? I am really thinking of giving it a try when we cruise next month! :eek::eek:

[Raxter54]

I was actually looking to see if Wrigley80/Brianna had written a review of her Dream cruise and stumbled on yours! :p I thoroughly enjoyed it and your pictures are great. I never knew nor cared about ANY of the CD's on any of our cruises, but Jase was on Liberty last January when we sailed her and he and I struck up a very nice friendship. We always seemed to be in the same place at the same time and we did a B2B so I totally enjoyed him. One question: I saw the OX TONGUE (:eek:) on the menu and would never THINK of ordering it, but I read another review and they ordered it and said it was delicious. You said your BIL didn't like it. The taste or just the "idea" of it? I am really thinking of giving it a try when we cruise next month! :eek::eek:

 

It was actually my niece's husband. I just texted him (he's on a mission trip to Hungary) and this was his reply:

 

"Taste wasn't too bad. Pretty chewy. Texture was the biggest thing. Just like eating a tongue."

 

So, as long as you don't mind eating something with the texture of a tongue, go for it. They always say you should try new things :-)

[Crusin Karen]

It was actually my niece's husband. I just texted him (he's on a mission trip to Hungary) and this was his reply:

 

"Taste wasn't too bad. Pretty chewy. Texture was the biggest thing. Just like eating a tongue."

 

So, as long as you don't mind eating something with the texture of a tongue, go for it. They always say you should try new things :-)

Ummmmm.....okay.....well, thanks so much for going the "extra mile" (or thousand!) to answer my question. I will have to see what mood I'm in!!! I'm not one for "textures." I love the taste of clams, but don't eat them because I don't like the feel in my mouth, so I'm not sure this is going to be a good idea! Appreciate the advice! And thanks to your nephew in law too! :)

[Raxter54]

Well, the end of our cruise finally arrived. Rats! At the disembarking meeting the previous afternoon, the CD covered how the different disembarking would happen. Since we had FTTF, we chose the priority self-disembarking. We were to meet in the Crimson dining room deck 3, at 6:15 AM. We spent the afternoon getting everything packed and ready to go. When we got back from dinner, there was also a letter in our mailbox, with tags for zone 3, in case we wanted to do standard disembarking.

 

We awoke around 5:30, got dressed, and headed to the Crimson dining room around 6 AM along with the rest of our group. There was maybe 100-120 people there, and we got seats near the back since FTTF would be called last:

 

 

At about 6:45, they called the Platinum/Diamond cruisers, and then us lowly FTTF people. We joined the line and proceeded out. We actually left the sip around 7 AM, and were through customs by 7:10. After exiting the terminal, we were directed to where the shuttle bus from the Fulton garage would pick us up. AS we left, i got one final shot of the Dream:

 

 

We were driven to the garage, went up to the rooftop to retrieve our cars, loaded up the luggage, and was on Interstate 10 before 8 AM. Well done, Carnival!

 

From what some fellow cruisers on our roll call said, after the priority disembarking was over, around 2,000 non-priority cruisers tried the self-disembarking. It slowed things down considerably, so that priority standard disembarking didn't get started at 7:45 as planned. So I was very happy that we had FTTF :)

 

As much time as I spent planning this cruise and what I would do, there were several things I didn't get accomplished:

 

- Sea Day Brunch. I checked out the menu and wanted to definitely give this a try. Was looking forward to some steak and eggs for breakfast. But, I wasn't able to get anyone in the group to go with me, so may be next cruise...

 

- Tea Time. Being a tea drinker, I really wanted to do this. After hearing about the new Carnival policy concerning tea (only Lipton and green tea free), I brought my own Twinings Irish Breakfast tea. But, I never seemed to have the time to get there. Rats, looking forward to tea and scones....

 

- Dive In Theater - Wanted to watch some of the movies, but the ones I wanted to watch were not on at convenient times. Wanted to see The Martian, but it was on at 10 PM the night before our early excursion at Tabyana Beach. Oh well, guess I can get it on DVD...

 

All in all, I think we all had a great time on this cruise. I would definitely book another Carnival cruise, maybe on one of the smaller ships. We'll see how things go. Hope you all enjoyed the review, post any questions you might have.

 

If you want to see other reviews and points of view about this cruise, check out these out:

 

Wanman's review:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2314923

 

Indytraveler83's review:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2313584

 

And be on the lookout for Wrigley80's upcoming review. She does an excellent job....

[Club Disney Chandler]

Thanks again and I wish you many happy cruises.

[SmittyCo]

Great review .... you must try the sea day brunch. It's one of my favorite part of the cruise!

[Raxter54]

Great review .... you must try the sea day brunch. It's one of my favorite part of the cruise!

 

I know! I probably should have insisted on going, or just went by myself. Next time....

[BigB0882]

You missed Sea Day Brunch!? This is to never happen again! :p It is seriously the best meal of the entire cruise. I love it. The eggs benedict is awesome, I always get the hollandaise on the side. Also have had the steak and eggs and the huevos rancheros. Yum, all of it!

[Cruising Sparty]

One of the better reviews I have read. We were on the 10-day Dream Journeys cruise from January 14-24 and had an excellent time. We are taking our daughters on a 7 day on the Dream next January (unfortunately a week before it goes into dry dock instead of a week after)

[opensaysme]

Well, let's get back to the review, shall we?

 

 

We woke up on Friday morning, looking forward to our day at Nachi Cocom. I stepped out on our balcony, only to be greeted by clouds, winds, and cool temperatures. Hmmm, not looking too promosing. We had booked Nachi Cocom last year on our first cruise, and liked the fact that, with 7 cruise ships in port, they limited themselves to 100 customers, thus avoiding crowds. We really enjoy our day there, went snorkeling, and had a delicious lunch that is included in the price. Looking at the weather, I wondered if we should even go, thus saving us having to pay the remainder of the fee. After discussing things, we decided to head out and take our chances.

 

 

We disembarked around 9:15'ish, after the initial rush of passengers. We were docked at the Puerta Maya dock, and had to walk down a rather lengthy dock to get to the port. We were actually dockded at the new extension of the Puerta Maya pier that allows 4 ships to be docked at this pier. As usual, the police had their food sniffing dogs out, and were confiscating any fresh fruit or un-packaged food items someone might bring ashore. As we walked thru the shop area, I kept looking for signs pointing to the taxi stand. I never could see any signs, but eventually we arrived there. At the stand there will be a large sign that shows the taxi fare for the different locations on the island, and prices for groups of 1-4 and 5-8 people. For our trip to Nachi Cocom, it cost our group of 6 a total of $34 one way.

 

 

After a 15-20 minute ride, we arrived at our destination. After paying the remainder of our fee, and having our picture taken, we were led out to the beach by our waiter. Unlike last year, when it was clear, calm, and sunny, it was windy, cloudy, and slightly cool, with large waves breaking on the beach. Because of the waves, there was a fair amount of seaweed on the beach. After settling into our loungers, our waiter came over and took our drink orders. With some reservations, we ventured out into the surf – and had a great time!

 

 

 

 

At Nachi Cocom your loungers are located long the beach under natural umbrellas, called palapas, and palm trees:

 

 

I must confess that the day turned out to be more fun than I expected. Never had a chance to play in surf like that. After a few hours, our waiter came by and asked if we wanted to eat. We all place our orders, and the waiter suggested we eat in the restaurant, since there were rain showers around. We thought it was a good idea. Here are pictures of the menu for the place:

 

 

 

The meal was included in the cost, and consisted of salsa and chips to begin, an appetizer, soup/salad, entree, and desert. I had nachos, tortilla soup, bbq ribs (tasty citrusy sauce, very tender), and ice cream.

 

After another drink, we decided to head back out and play in some surf. The waves were a little stronger - here they are breaking over the dock:

 

 

It was nearing 3 PM, so we had our waiter call us a cab. The drive back cost the same as the drive out. When we got back, we took some time ti get some shopping in, and take a few photo ops:

 

 

And then we decided to head back to our home away from home:

 

After returning, we cleaned up for the final Cruise Formal night. The prime rib was excellent, with a little horseradish added to it. We were all very happy with our food in the MDR, and the service was excellent. After our after meal coffee and hot tea, we headed back to our rooms to get some much needed sleep. Tomorrow, our final sea day and final chance to do some things on the Dream...

 

$22.00 for French fries?! I understand that the meal was included in you tour but for others are those really the prices??

[Fenfur]

$22.00 for French fries?! I understand that the meal was included in you tour but for others are those really the prices??

 

 

If those were the prices, they are in Mexican dollars (pesos), 0.055 pesos to 1 U.S. Dollar.

 

Be a informed traveler, know your exchange rate.

[sdschwrt]

If those were the prices, they are in Mexican dollars (pesos), 0.055 pesos to 1 U.S. Dollar.

 

Be a informed traveler, know your exchange rate.

 

 

Current exchange rate is 18 pesos to a dollar and continuing to increase. Be an informed traveler, know your exchange rate.

[Raxter54]

Current exchange rate is 18 pesos to a dollar and continuing to increase. Be an informed traveler, know your exchange rate.

 

That 22 peso order of fries would cost $1.21 American. Cheaper than McDonalds, and the view is nicer :-)

Edited February 23, 2016 by Raxter54