Carnival Dream

[robindina]

We are booked in August for this ship 😄 out of Galveston!
 

How was the check in process?

Does the ship have a Sauna?

Do they still have the Chef Demo on the first Sea Day?

 

What is on your must pack list?
 

Any other tidbits about this ship would be appreciated 😉

 

 

[mondello]

Hah, your first two questions are pretty much related. Galveston in Aug. would probably be a sauna. We dropped our bags on 3/26 for Vista, same port, only to join a long line in the mid-day crush along the side of the terminal. You may want to choose a later check-in time in the hope that the crowd will thin out. Line moves pretty quick but it'd probably be a PITA in the summer heat.

[1kaper]

2 hours ago, robindina said:

We are booked in August for this ship 😄 out of Galveston!
 

How was the check in process?

Does the ship have a Sauna?

Do they still have the Chef Demo on the first Sea Day?

 

What is on your must pack list?
 

Any other tidbits about this ship would be appreciated 😉

 

 

 

We sailed the end of March and check in was terrible. We ended up with the latest check in time you could get so I’m not sure if other points of the day were better.  We were there right in time. So if it was 1-1:30 check in, we were there at 1 (I can’t remember now what it was). Traffic was insane to get there. They were lined up out the door. We zig zagged back and forth a bit before getting in and then it was a HUGE line insisted that also zigzagged all the way through. 
The upside was it moved consistently.  We were constantly taking a couple steps. But it was a long time to get through. 
 

Once you got to the first stop it was pretty smooth sailing after. We got to the front of the line and was directed to a person who check our verify (vaccine and testing) only. She asked if we had verifly and was happy with did because she said it was quicker. Now others on my same ship had different experiences.  Some had to show paperwork too. 
 

Then we went through security. Again. Pretty quick. Almost no waiting. And then to the desk where they checked our passports. We might have had 2-3 people ahead of us when we got there. 
 

i can’t answer the test of your questions. Sorry. Enjoy your trip though. 

[grantbob]

They have a regular dry sauna in the locker rooms by the gym. For an additional fee for a day pass or week long pass or booking a spa cabin you get access to the thermal suite that has different saunas and steam rooms.

 

On the two cruises I have been on post covid (last one was first of this month) they did not have the chef demo. Hopefully it comes back soon.

[LHARTWICK]

Was on the 4/9 sailing - we were in the 10:00-10:30 AM boarding group.  Boarding began around 10:45 - we were on the ship in just a few minutes.  We literally only sat down in the waiting area for maybe 5 minutes before the boarding process began.  Super smooth!  We came prepared with all of our docs loaded on the VeriFLY app, as well as paper docs.  The agent we had didn't ask for the VeriFLY info.  While she was looking at our paper copies, I mentioned the app to her. She would have never looked at it had I not done so.  Just depends on the agent you get.  I don't recall seeing the Chef's demo on the activities list.  All of the production shows ran during our cruise, which apparently they had not been doing so previously.  MDR is super slow - I think that's solely because they are really understaffed.  But our wait staff busted their tails to get us served!  They're just doing the best they can.  The ship was definitely 100% full - pre-COVID levels for sure.  Much different than our DEC 2021 cruise as far as the crowds go. Guys Burgers no longer serves the same fries - that's a bummer.  Really enjoyed this cruise - no masks!  Let me know if I can answer anything else.  This was our 4th cruise on the Dream.

[JerseyGirlJen]

Sailed her in 2018, loved her!  The spa is excellent.  Consider getting a spa pass so you can use the thermal suites and thalassotherapy pool.  I felt like I got my moneys worth on an 8 day, with 4 sea days.  

[MagnoliaBlossom]

We checked in for the Dream at 11:00, although we were assigned at noon.  No problem.   The Check-in area was extremely crowded but there were twice the usual number of stations.  It was incredibly fast and we were done in five minutes.  No need to do a photo since they captured it from the passports.

 

yes, there is a sauna in the shower area in the spa, use is free.

 

don’t ever attend the chef demos, so don’t know the answer to that.

[figmentdj]

With 100% capacity, are rooms ready when you check in or at 1:30 like before covid?

[firefly333]

19 minutes ago, figmentdj said:

With 100% capacity, are rooms ready when you check in or at 1:30 like before covid?

Even at lower capacity cabins were not ready early even for diamond and platinum. They have been dropping off suitcases early and leaving them in the closet out of the way.

 

With higher capacity I wouldnt expect that cabins are now ready early, though I haven't done full capacity on carnival. No posts that cabins are ready early. Between extra cleaning, shortage of crew, higher capacity, doesnt equal early cabin access. 

[LHARTWICK]

59 minutes ago, figmentdj said:

With 100% capacity, are rooms ready when you check in or at 1:30 like before covid?

For both our DEC 2021 and APR 2022 cruises, we were allowed to drop off our luggage quickly then head to our muster station check-in.  We are Platinum.  

[Naomi John]

20 hours ago, LHARTWICK said:

For both our DEC 2021 and APR 2022 cruises, we were allowed to drop off our luggage quickly then head to our muster station check-in.  We are Platinum.  

So you were not able to go to the rooms before 1:30 PM?

[LHARTWICK]

21 hours ago, Naomi John said:

So you were not able to go to the rooms before 1:30 PM?

Only to drop off luggage so that the stewards could finish getting the rooms ready.

[JustaCoupleCruisers]

On 4/24/2022 at 10:21 AM, robindina said:

We are booked in August for this ship 😄 out of Galveston!
 

How was the check in process?

Does the ship have a Sauna?

Do they still have the Chef Demo on the first Sea Day?

 

What is on your must pack list?
 

Any other tidbits about this ship would be appreciated 😉

 

 

We are book out of Galveston on the Dream too. This will be our first time on the Dream and our first time out of Galveston. We are on the sailing for the end of Aug into the beginning of Sept.

[gibsgal]

Robindina: The onboarding is pretty easy even without the Faster to the Fun option. Keep your covid shot record, boarding passes etc in hand until told to put away and then once you get past the steps (It took us a total from arriving to on ship about 45 minutes in March) you will find your sail and sign card next to your room. Yes there are saunas. There is a no-cost wet sauna near the fitness area, and if you want access to all steam rooms and the thelossotherapy pool you can buy a one day access, all trip access or even a two day pass. They are very relaxing- dry and wet rooms available.    Must pack list includes magnetic wall hooks to free up closet space and let wet suits dry and air out!!

Be forewarned- two CCL trips in 2021, and on both the sail and sign card lost its adhesion and started to fail. If you choose to partake in the paid sauna version make sure if your card is replaced you take the access sticker off the back of the original and put it on the new card. It is a quick verification for team members that you have access. 

If they haven't changed it up too much expect an 80s dance party (bring glow in the dark and neon) and a silent dance party (everyone in headphones.) I recall a Margarita pitchers special one day and I think Red Frog had a half price pitchers special one day. 
MUST TRY The BBQ available lunchtime only on deck 5, I think, outside area near where they do the bingo etc. YUM YUM

Gym is a bit smaller on this ship but most machines could be gotten to if you're patient. 

THEY HAVE TAKEN ALL OTC MEDS ETC OUT OF THE GIFT SHOP! Take antacids, etc or you'll end up going to the medical center for them.

Also here is something I learned recently: If you have unused OBC at the end of the week, go to Cherry on Top and use it to buy a Carnival Gift Card (min $100 ) so it doesn't go to waste.