Dream detailed trip report w/ Menus, Fun Times

[luckybecky]

Saturday May 20 Debarkation

 

We got up around 7am. We had set out clothes the night before and were pretty much completely packed so it didn’t take us long to get ready to go. We didn’t try to fight the crowd in the buffet, just waited in our cabin until 8am when debarkation began.

 

We (almost) always do self debarkation. Our one time using the cruise line (NCL in that case) having them handle our luggage was a disaster.

 

So they started calling self-assist first, by muster station and ours happened to be the first one called. We didn’t even attempt to get an elevator. Clearly that was not going to happen. The stairwells were jam packed with lots of people grumbling about how “they need to have a better system” and “I guarantee you that lots of people in this line are not in the first group that was called!”

 

Eventually we shuffled off the ship amongst the crowd. The process in the terminal was easy peasy. Facial recognition check. Then someone asking us if we had any alcohol or tobacco (No.). And we were out the door about 40 minutes from the moment we left our stateroom. We had nearby parking and were on the road in no time.

 

A couple of other thoughts: there are things I like, and don’t like about every ship. On this one, I didn’t like that there is no observation lounge. We have been on a couple of ships that have lovely lounges on the upper decks with huge floor to ceiling windows. But this ship does have the Serenity deck which is nice, and also has the forward areas on decks 6 and 7 that I mentioned, which few people seem to know about where you can view sail in, sail away, or pier runners.

 

Another thing is the miserly bartenders. Not their fault, I’m sure they are just doing what they are trained and required to do. But every glass of wine I ordered (and there were many LOL) was carefully measured in a carafe – and not a drop more! One bartender even gave me a homemade “red blend” by combining the last ounce or two of one wine with a new, different wine. Late one night, a bartender told us both exactly how many drinks we had remaining. Also you cannot order a double (at least, not under Cheers. You have to pay extra for a double), or two glasses of wine at a time. You only have to wait five minutes but this was enforced.

 

I know Carnival is sort of a party line, and they have to take measures to control excessive drinking. But we have not had this kind of penny pinching on other lines. On our last cruise, one bartender would give us what he called the “friends and family pour,” meaning a large wine glass filled almost to the rim, when he knew we were heading back to our balcony for the night. On other cruises, friendly bartenders would happily top us off or not bother to run our card every single time, once they knew us. This is not happening on Carnival. Every single drink is measured and counted.

 

Overall we had a wonderful time. The ship was nice and we enjoyed our beach time. I can’t say that this was my most amazing cruise experience ever but it was a lot of fun – especially since it was so last minute and unexpected. The crew were great, food was good and we enjoyed the entertainment. The casino was a bust but you can’t have everything.

 

Lastly, important to note that this “free” cruise was far from free. It was a great deal –yes. But nothing is ever really free. Of course you can’t avoid the taxes and port fees. And then there are the gratuities. On top of that we always want the drink package – when we are on vacation we want to be able to enjoy ourselves and not worry about the cost of every single soda, bottle of water, or glass of wine. So we always do Cheers which is very expensive. Add to that the casino losses and cost of excursions.

 

But still, with all of that said, we felt that we got a good deal and would do it again. But we just can’t afford to do it every single time one of these “free” offers lands in my mailbox. We are going to have to be more selective if we continue to receive these offers.

 

If you are still here, thanks for following along! Please let me know how your experience on the Dream compares to ours or if you have any other comments about the cruise.

[#55worktoplay]

9 hours ago, luckybecky said:

Saturday May 20 Debarkation

 

We got up around 7am. We had set out clothes the night before and were pretty much completely packed so it didn’t take us long to get ready to go. We didn’t try to fight the crowd in the buffet, just waited in our cabin until 8am when debarkation began.

 

We (almost) always do self debarkation. Our one time using the cruise line (NCL in that case) having them handle our luggage was a disaster.

 

So they started calling self-assist first, by muster station and ours happened to be the first one called. We didn’t even attempt to get an elevator. Clearly that was not going to happen. The stairwells were jam packed with lots of people grumbling about how “they need to have a better system” and “I guarantee you that lots of people in this line are not in the first group that was called!”

 

Eventually we shuffled off the ship amongst the crowd. The process in the terminal was easy peasy. Facial recognition check. Then someone asking us if we had any alcohol or tobacco (No.). And we were out the door about 40 minutes from the moment we left our stateroom. We had nearby parking and were on the road in no time.

 

A couple of other thoughts: there are things I like, and don’t like about every ship. On this one, I didn’t like that there is no observation lounge. We have been on a couple of ships that have lovely lounges on the upper decks with huge floor to ceiling windows. But this ship does have the Serenity deck which is nice, and also has the forward areas on decks 6 and 7 that I mentioned, which few people seem to know about where you can view sail in, sail away, or pier runners.

 

Another thing is the miserly bartenders. Not their fault, I’m sure they are just doing what they are trained and required to do. But every glass of wine I ordered (and there were many LOL) was carefully measured in a carafe – and not a drop more! One bartender even gave me a homemade “red blend” by combining the last ounce or two of one wine with a new, different wine. Late one night, a bartender told us both exactly how many drinks we had remaining. Also you cannot order a double (at least, not under Cheers. You have to pay extra for a double), or two glasses of wine at a time. You only have to wait five minutes but this was enforced.

 

I know Carnival is sort of a party line, and they have to take measures to control excessive drinking. But we have not had this kind of penny pinching on other lines. On our last cruise, one bartender would give us what he called the “friends and family pour,” meaning a large wine glass filled almost to the rim, when he knew we were heading back to our balcony for the night. On other cruises, friendly bartenders would happily top us off or not bother to run our card every single time, once they knew us. This is not happening on Carnival. Every single drink is measured and counted.

 

Overall we had a wonderful time. The ship was nice and we enjoyed our beach time. I can’t say that this was my most amazing cruise experience ever but it was a lot of fun – especially since it was so last minute and unexpected. The crew were great, food was good and we enjoyed the entertainment. The casino was a bust but you can’t have everything.

 

Lastly, important to note that this “free” cruise was far from free. It was a great deal –yes. But nothing is ever really free. Of course you can’t avoid the taxes and port fees. And then there are the gratuities. On top of that we always want the drink package – when we are on vacation we want to be able to enjoy ourselves and not worry about the cost of every single soda, bottle of water, or glass of wine. So we always do Cheers which is very expensive. Add to that the casino losses and cost of excursions.

 

But still, with all of that said, we felt that we got a good deal and would do it again. But we just can’t afford to do it every single time one of these “free” offers lands in my mailbox. We are going to have to be more selective if we continue to receive these offers.

 

If you are still here, thanks for following along! Please let me know how your experience on the Dream compares to ours or if you have any other comments about the cruise.

It sounds like overall you had a good trip. Thanks for sharing.

 

 

[atticusthegreat]

Thanks for the great report! 

[NewCruiser09/09]

17 hours ago, luckybecky said:

Later we went to dinner. We didn’t realize it was another cruise elegant night. Paul was wearing shorts and the hostess politely told him shorts aren’t allowed. It only took him a few minutes to run up and change. Another guy nearby was grumbling about being told to change. But the guy seated right next to us once we finally were seated was wearing cargo shorts. So I guess the policy is inconsistently enforced. Doesn’t matter to us. We are fine with following the policy and Paul had no problem at all with changing his pants to comply, but it doesn’t bother us if someone nearby is wearing shorts.

 

By the way, the Carnival Hub app works great for mealtimes. It is easy to check in, and the app notifies you when your table is ready. It always showed us “less than a 10 minute wait” when we checked in. Once it notifies you that your table is ready, you show up and are seated immediately. No more long lines at the dining room.

 

 

 

 

Mushroom soup

 

 

 

Sicilian meatball soup

 

 

Fried oysters

 

 

 

Baby spinach salad

 

 

 

Prime rib

 

 

 

Neither of us got the lobster, so no pics of that, sorry.

 

The guy who got away with shorts probably wasn't anytime or wasn't seen--having anytime you had to check in.  That is really the only time I have seen people turned away is when they are checking in for dinner

[ninjacat123]

Great review and pics!!  I haven't been on Dream but I think we were on a sister ship, Magic.  I just posted a review of my cruise on Sunshine for my Mom's birthday.  Check it out!😄

[DanvilleCruiser]

Thanks for the detailed review.  It was very informative.

[Crusin Karen]

This was a great trip report!  Thanks for  sharing.  What does the alligator taste like!

[honeywell]

Very nice report and love the photos.  I will be on the Dream next year and you gave me some great info. 

[silvercrikhix]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience!