HagenDog

Sorry I don't have copies of the fun times. I used the HUB app exclusively and never consulted the paper.

Found it. My review of Mr Sanchos is here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2520817&page=2

Still not sure why it was moved but ok. I'm typing this on my phone so hopefully the link pasted correctly.

We tipped at the end of the day. I think our waiter, Teo, even suggested we wait until the end. I'm sure they've learned that at the end of the day, all those unlimited drinks make for a better tip!!

I just sailed the same itinerary on the Dream. You can find my review of Jamaica on this board. My advice, stay on the ship and enjoy the quiet time as others go on land. The other ports are far better than mo bay. I'll not go back to Jamaica. Just my opinion.

My boss' wife was in Mexico last month. Don't know the resort, but on the mainland. Went to a swim up bar. Ordered a drink, had a few sips. Had to be taken to her room in a wheelchair. Don't remember anything that day. Recovered.

I think the places on Cozumel would watch out for anything like this. One or two reports and all the cruise ships would pull out. The locals have too much at stake to attempt anything that might ruin their living. My opinion.

Noticed my review of Mr. Sanchos has been moved?? So the link above doesn't work. Not sure why it was moved...but i've asked. Sorry for the confusion.

Here are the links to excursions we took:

Link to Review of Capt. Marvin’s in Grand Cayman

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2526163

Link to Review of Mr. Sanchos is Cozumel

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2526219

Link to Review of River Tubing in Jamaica

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2526132

Cozumel Excursion Review: Mr. Sanchos

This was booked through shoreexcursioneer. Paid a small deposit. Asked Mr. Sanchos online if all of our group (18 or so) could be seated together. They said its first come, first seated. Ok. Also asked them if it mattered if we booked directly with them or could go through a third party.Said it didn’t matter, same experience. SE was a tad cheaper I think.

Got off the ship and made our way through the maze of shops and stands to find the area for taxis. My son asked why I was sweating so much!! Many taxis lined up for service. Held my 4 fingers up and immediately ushered to an air conditioned car for the 15 minute ride to Sanchos. $17 one way for 4.

Arrived at Sanchos and was directed to the line for paid reservations.Settled our account. $169 total I think. Couldn’t purchase the armbands for the water park at the desk. Had to purchase them on the beach at a stand. Not a problem. Some of our group were already there and had worked with the staff to get a long set of tables so we could all sit together. Perfect. Escorted to the tables in a nice palm tree lined shady area. Tables are plastic, so are the chairs. Sand and shade. Right next to the beach. Not many people there. Only one other ship in port that day. The Oasis of the Sea I think. Dang that’s a big A ship!!! Made the Dream look like a tug boat.

Teo immediately took our drink orders and explained where everything was: Buffet, pool with swim up bar, hammocks, bathrooms, etc. Shortly Teo arrived back with the first of many trays of drinks and food. Cold draft beer (Sol and Dos Equis). Plenty of fruity concoctions to try. The Bahama Mama is awesome. Anyway, all the beer, drinks and food you could ever want. We ate the coconut shrimp (great), tacos (great), grilled shrimp (great). Heck,everything food related was great.

Service was non-stop. At the table, Teo was there when you needed a drink and sometimes anticipated your need!!! While we were in the ocean, Teo would come to the shoreline, take our order and bring them back pronto. Very hard worker, as were all of the servers I saw. Always moving. You didn’t want for food or drink at all.

The beach is beautiful. Crystal clear water, lounge chairs on the beach and shade right behind them. Its $12 each for an armband for the water park. Kids loved it. Life jackets available. Jet skis nearby. Small rocks and shells could be felt in the water but it kinda was like a pumice stone feeling. Not bad. Water shoes not needed. Snorkeling isn’t all that.

The pool was nice with a cool swim up bar with seats. Plus there are permanent tables and stools in the pool also. Workers walked around with birds and lizards that you could have your picture made with. A simple, “no thanks” and they were gone. A mariachi band provide tunes for a small fee. Daughter got her hair braided. Son got a henna tattoo.

We wanted to have just a nice, relaxing beach day for our last port before sailing home. We found it. You want all the good food and cold drinks you can stand served by outstanding workers? Mr. Sanchos. You want a nice, relaxing day in the shade with a beautiful view of the ocean? Mr.Sanchos. A lounge chair at the water’s edge? Mr. Sanchos. A nice water park for the kids? A swim up bar? A fish to nibble your toes? Yep. Mr. Sanchos. Be sure to tip your waiter. After you see how hard they work, giving a nice tip is easy.

Reluctantly we had to leave this slice of paradise in time to get back to the ship. I think it closes at 5. Taxis were waiting. Another $17. So basically for $225 for 4 people, we left thinking this is a great bargain. Parents had a great time hanging out and enjoying the atmosphere. Kids enjoyed the water park and pool. Everyone in our group agreed this was an outstanding day. Very much recommend a visit to this place.

Grand Cayman Excursion Review: Captain Marvin’s Stingray Swim. Booked through shoreexcursioner. Cayman is a tender port and when you get off the tender, head out of the port and when you get to the first street, take a left and look for a yellow building on the opposite side of the road. Yeah,there is more than one yellow building. It’s the building past the Diamond Marquise place. Capt. Marvin’s office is next to a souvenir shop on the corner.A Dairy Queen is also in the same building.

Fill out a waiver and settle up your account. Wait on a bus to take you to the boat. We had about 18 in our group and Capt. Marvin’s worked very well with us to insure we were all on the same boat. The souvenir shop sales snacks and it’s a good idea to grab something for the day. No food is offered on the boat.

The ride to the excursion boat takes 20-30 minutes if I remember correctly. The part of Cayman we pasted is just like any upscale beach town.High rise condos, expensive houses and luxury cars are the norm. Huge change from Jamaica which was our first stop. We reach our spot where Capt. Marvin’s boats are docked and ready to go. If you use google maps, find Raleigh Quay in Grand Cayman. The boats are docked in the northwest corner of this subdivision.Take Raleigh Quay off Esterly Tibbetts Highway, then the first left. The boats are docked at the first curve at the gray roofed building across from the mangroves.

On the boat, we make our way out of the inland waterway,passing a number of ‘to die for’ houses along the way. Sit up where the captain steers to get the best view and a nice breeze. When we reach the open water, it’s a straight shot to the reef where the stingrays are. Again, look at google map sand look for Stingray City Cayman Islands. That’s where you’re headed. Its just inside a reef that makes for very calm waters. And crystal clear I might add.We could see the bottom all the way from the dock to the spot of the excursion.

First stop was a chance to snorkel. Cool stuff. Clear water and refreshing. The crew is most helpful with getting the life jackets on correctly and helping you get your mask properly fitted. The masks and snorkels are floating in a garbage can with what I’m guessing is some sort of cleaner\antiseptic solution. They don’t tell you to rinse your mask first, so hopefully this solution is ok for humans. We had brought masks for our kids just to know they had ones that fit. But the boat had plenty so I wouldn’t bother taking our own next time.

Next to the stingray area. Several other boats are out butthe captain positions the boat alongside the others without crowding anyone.Takes a while to get the anchors set and the boat just right. The captain gives you a short briefing on the stringray do’s and don’ts. Very informative and reassuring. Anyway, into the water and wow…those stingrays are huge!!! And they are everywhere!! They swim up to you looking for food which is handed out by the crew. Just hold a piece of squid in your hand, the rays will find it. Erie feeling when they suck it out of your hand. Just stand still and they check you out. No food, they move on. Very, very cool. Spend a good deal of time with the rays. The water is about waist deep and so clear. No life jackets needed. Big sandbar sorta.

Then a short ride to our third and final stop, another snorkel stop. This one is right next to the reef and in deeper water. Able to see a lot of fish and coral. Very interesting. Well worth the trip.

Back on the boat and we head back to base. Felt very good about our day. I did a lot of reading on here about excursions and this one is a winner. Highly recommend. Capt. Marvin’s is the original stingray city vendor. I think our bus driver said he recently died at the age of 97. 95 maybe?

I was somewhat worried about booking an excursion independently and taking a chance of missing the ship due to a late return. No need to worry.Capt. Marvin had several boats out and if anything happened say to one boat,there were others that could take you back to base and the bus. And I bet Capt.Marvin’s and the other boats help each other in times of need while on the water. It would be a benefit to everyone.

Back to the bus and then the port. We were hungry so we headed back to the ship. It was a good day.

So, if you’re able to stop in Grand Cayman and want to swim with the rays, this should be your excursion vendor. Several boats, great crew,fun time.

@jasong38501: I don’t remember exactly the time the Dreampassed the Triumph as we sailed out. But it was late I think. Maybe 10-11??Anyway, it’s fun to stay out on deck during the river trip as there are coolthings to see. You may be able to track the ships through cruisemapper to getan idea of when they pass.

@dmopink: The smell wasn’t bad. Just noticeable. And itstarted in the hallway at exactly the same place all the time. Just in onesection. Could have been something associated with the rooms the washer\dryers,cleaning supplies, etc are located. Like I said, not something bad at all. Yourcabin, being an even number, is on a different hall so I bet there is no smellat all. I can’t remember many of the movies but most were geared toward kids:Lego Batman, Muana. Also showed Passengers and Arrival. The venue for themovies is cool. Outside, lounge chairs, popcorn. You can see the screen fromanywhere around the pool. One thing that surprised me was several of the panelsthat made up the screen didn’t display correctly. Think pixelating on a verylarge screen. Kinda distracting. With the recent dry dock upgrades, I wouldhave thought the screen would be flawless.(Sorry about any formatting issues. I type in Word then cut\paste. Sometimes words run together in the conversion.)

Montego Bay Excursion Review: Jungle River Tubing Experience. Booked through Carnival. This excursion, as well as many more that are offered in Montego Bay is ran by Chukka. But cruise passengers can’t book through them directly, we had to book through Carnival. Ok, our first excursion ever so that wasn’t a big deal.

Arrived in Mo Bay and fairly quickly was seated in a van\bus and headed to the middle of nowhere for the start of the excursion. Its about a 30 minute ride from port to where the river tubing and the zip line take place.Bus driver was very informative and entertaining. Google “Chukka Cove Adventure Ziplines and Tubing Tour” on google maps to see where the excursions take place. Let’s just say this right here: If you can survive the bus ride to the place, the river tubing will be tame in comparison. They drive on the wrong side of the road, way too fast, the streets are narrow and it isn’t uncommon for oncoming traffic to be in your lane for apparently no reason. And what’s worse, your driver doesn’t seem to care either. No problem mon…

Anyway, after reaching the compound in the jungle, you can rent lockers to put your stuff in. Hot tip: Be one of the first ones off the bus and get in line for the lockers. $5 gets you a locker. Take bug spray. Or,just walk through the bug spray that is being sprayed by everyone else as most seem to think one can per person is minimal!! I can still taste Deep Woods Off.

You get a life jacket and picture made. Maybe to help identify the body later? Stand in line abit and flop in a tube. Tube is nice and has a bottom. You’re then tied to several other tubers and assigned a guide. We had “Shrek” who was a great guide.Yep, looks just like the animation character. Behind us with another group was a guy they call “Donkey”. Lots of banter between the two as we floated downriver.

It had rained considerably the night before and the river was muddy. Wasn’t a problem though. Think lazy river. Shrek pointed out some of the nature around us. Stopped at one point to use a rope swing. Floated on down and reached the landing. Got out and was herded into an army type 6-wheeled truck for the ride back to base. Sit towards the front. That’s all I’m saying!!!!

Back at base we bought jerk chicken which was good. A small store sold trinkets and tourist stuff. Back on the bus for yet another ride through the countryside to the port. This time I rode in the very front seat across from the driver. Big mistake. I would be one of the first to witness any head on wreck we surely were going to be in. Luckily, somehow, we made it back to the port. My stomach gets queasy just thinking about it.

Had some time to kill and I needed some tranquilizers so we headed to Margaritaville. Bargained with a bus driver to reduce his fare for around trip to and from. About $30 for 4. Margaritaville wasn’t crowded and we were seated outside overlooking the water immediately. Ordered drinks and over-priced food. There were inflatables available in the water and I swam outwith the kids so they could use them. Water trampoline was very rusted and the skirt that covers the springs was missing in most places. I know picky right?After a short stay, we dried off, bought a tee shirt and headed back to the ship.

I won’t go back. The excursion was decent, but not worth the ride to the camp. And Jamaica is a poor country. Saw lots of poverty and situations that I didn’t want my kids to see. Pot is smoked and readily available. That doesn’t bother me though. It just isn’t, to me, a happy place. I’ve read on here a few folks say they just stay on ship when porting here. I see why. I want to see ‘happy’ and overall, I didn’t.

Others in our group did the zip line and one couple paid a driver to take them around the island to sight see. Everyone agreed that the different activities were just ‘ok’ and nothing really to get excited about.After visiting Grand Cayman and then Cozumel, Jamaica seems like such a waste of ship fuel. Our experience is just a tiny view of what the island offers. So maybe there are other good reasons to leave the ship. Red Stripe seems to be the highlight of our island adventure.

(Sorry about the formatting. I type this in Word and cut\paste to here. Sometimes the conversion causes words to run together.)

@Kathyds: In our circumstance, my wife doesn't drink so buying the Cheers for 2 @ $100 a day wasn't a deal. At most, i had 9-10 beers maybe 2 days at the beginning of the cruise. Port days probably 3-4. For some it works, for us it didn't. Wasn't a problem.

Let me wrap up my review with a few quick hits:

CD: Matt I think was his name. Very energetic. Did a greatjob I thought. Kept the fun rolling.

Getting around the ship: The stairs are your friend. Don’teven look in the direction of the elevators. If going to one end of the shipfrom your cabin, walk as far as you can in your hall and then go up\down.

Tendering at Grand Cayman: Tender boats come out like antsonce the ship is cleared for tendering. Big boats, hold lots of people. Doesn’ttake long at all to get from ship to dock. Sign and Sail cards are a must. Never was asked for apassport or ID. And you can bring a conch shell back on board the ship. Don’task me how I know.

HUB\Chat: Wait until about a week before your cruise todownload the app. Or at least update it before you get on board. Useful app.Easy to keep tabs on your expenses. Daily Fun Times plus you can scroll toupcoming days to see what’s happening. Someone said the app and the paper funtimes are not always in sync. I didn’t notice. Order the internet plan via theHUB app. We used the social plan and it worked fine. The chat feature workedgood although I had an older version that didn’t have some of the search featuresthe newer version has. Heads up on the Chat: We bought the chat plan for mydaughter, she’s 11. By default – and I guess it’s a good thing – for a minor,the chat feature is limited to the guests assigned to your cabin. For us, thatwas a bummer since she wanted to chat with friends in other cabins. After 3trips to guest services and 3 totally different answers, they were able tochange daughter’s age to 23 which allowed her full access to the chat feature. Herfriends did the same. So there is a work around. Looks like Carnival could allowlinking of cabins that contain minor friends for the chat app if both parentsagree to it.

Debarkation: Mostly easy. If you can manage your own bags,you have the option of getting off early in the process. Same for Diamond\Platinumguests. Those with early flights too. We checked 2 big suitcases (again,overpacked) in the hall the night before we reached NOLA. They give you a newset of luggage tags that have a number for order of leaving. Ours was 7. Theykept changing the estimated times for debarkation, later every time. Lots ofannouncements to keep the guests informed of the progress being made. Judgingby the time it was taking initially, we went to the Scarlett (I think) to eatbreakfast. About half way through breakfast, I got a text from someone in ourgroup saying they were off the ship. WTH? I didn’t hear any announcement forour number!!! Then I realized that once we stepped into the restaurant, I hadn’theard ANY announcement. Apparently the speakers in the Scarlett were turned offor the announcements weren’t being broadcast in the room. We finished breakfastto find out they had called numbers 1-15 for debarkation. So we made our way tothe lobby. That by itself was a journey since the main stairs in the lobby weblocked off and we had to find a different way down. Carnival could do a muchbetter job with little signs that point the way off the ship. Oh well. Off theship. Lines again. But, they scanned our sign and sail card, took our custom’sdeclaration, we found our luggage and stepped out the door. Shuttle bus rightthere back to the garage.

The River: A very enjoyable part of the trip was the journeyfrom NOLA down the Mississippi River to the Gulf. Stay on deck and watch the sceneryand sites. Lots of ships to see. Late Sunday night we passed the Triumph as itsailed up river towards NOLA. Seems like you could throw a baseball between the2 ships they were that close. On our return trip upriver, we again passed theTriumph as it sailed downriver for another cruise. Kinda neat.

Walmart of the Seas: There was a thread somewhere discussingsome guests that choose Carnival and how they might be compared to the Walmartpeople. Ok, I get it. Carnival is apparently a good value that allows peoplefrom different economic situations to enjoy the world of cruising. Having thatin mind, I noticed folks as they walked around and did their thing. Yes, therewere people there who I imagine frequent Walmart quite often. There were peoplewho didn’t dress as nice as some, didn’t follow the bathing suit cover-up suggestionin certain areas, did or didn’t do things that might cause some to wonder abouttheir own choice of cruise lines.

But you know what? What I did see just about all the timewere people having a good time and not worrying about how they were dressed ornot dressed. Kids were running around laughing and yes, doing cannon balls inthe pools!! I saw smiles from kids with ice cream cones. I heard the laughs. Isaw families sitting at tables playing board games, cards and enjoying timewith each other. I saw more than one grandmother dancing with the waiters inthe dining room. My wife told me that our son said, unprompted, he’s glad tohave parents like us who take them on trips like this. He’s 9. Is Carnival theWalmart of the Seas? Don’t know, don’t care. Our family had fun. So did manyother families. And when they swipe your sign and sail card that last time,having had fun is all that really matters.

Favorites

1st- 80's Pop to the Max & Flick (Movie stuff} are not to miss great singing to movies and videos

A close 2nd is America Rocks get there early for the pre-show

 

Motor City (think Motown) was okay they were having technical difficulties so we didn't get the whole show

 

We didn't see the other shows, all shows have improved 100% and the crew is great and love to interact with the guest

I'll second the comments above. Was disappointed with the Motor City Show. The 80's was very good as was the Flick show. Although not technically a 'show', the HASBRO game show is worth a view.

The Food\Cheers

Guy’s Burgers: First thing you do when you get on the shipis head straight here for the best burger you’ll ever have. Get it with thedonkey sauce (I think it’s a mayo based sauce with a little kick). Comes withfries and there is a condiment stand with some toppings. Mine? Just cheese anddonkey sauce. The line might be long but it moves very quickly. Hot tip: Thereare 2 lines. The most common one is obvious as it builds towards the right to the doorway to the elevators. There is asecond serving area on the opposite side of the venue, left side as you’relooking at the place from the pool area. Go ahead and get 2. You’ll eat both.

Blue Iguana Cantina: Your first stop for breakfast. Burritoswith eggs, Mexican eggs, ham, sausage, hash browns and an assortment of otherfillers. Made your way. Wheat or jalapeno tortilla. Big enough for 2 people.Very nice. A great place for lunch also. Regular Mexican type food. Reallygood. Next to the Cantina is a drink station. Water, ice, tea, coffee, lemonade.Sweeteners and such.

The Gathering: Has a buffet line for breakfast. Typical foodfare. Plus there is an omelet station. Cooked to order with about 6 differentfillers. Line moves quickly. Didn’t eat anything in here but several omelets.

At least 2 locations for 24 hour self-serve ice cream. Mightbe 4.

Pizza place at rear of ship: Ok pizza. Only 5 choices withonly one with any meat (pepperoni). Open 24 hours but line can get long if lateat night. Bar right next door. Cool pool back there and 2 hot tubs.

The Carving: Buffet type food with some of the sameofferings as the MDR. Not a bad option.

We had “Your Time Dining” but only ate in the Scarlett (Ithink) Room only 3 times; Monday, Tuesday (Elegant night) and Saturday.Wednesday, Thursday and Friday we did shore excursions and when we got back onship, we grabbed a bite to eat and ended up not being hungry when the realdining times came around. Plus we didn’t want to get dressed for the MDR. Foodwas decent in the Scarlett Room. Not much on the menu for smaller kids althoughboth of mine liked the flat iron steak. Chocolate Melting Cake is fantastic.Service was good but time to get our food was a bit lengthy. The dining timeopened at 5:45 and pushing it to get to a show around 7-7:15. The dance routineperformed by the waiters was cute.

We got to the dining room around 545-630 each night and wereseated immediately. No waiting. No way I would have the early dining time,especially if booking excursions. I want to relax on vacation, not try to hurryand eat at a certain time. Sometimes you just want to grab a ‘whatever’ andrelax on one of the decks. Having the late dining time may be suitable forsome, but not sure why.

Attire for the casual nights was just that, casual. Anythingfrom button down shirts and pants\jeans to a suit to a pair of shorts, flipflops and a tee shirt. Believe me, on casual night, do not worry about what you’rewearing. No one else will either except those who feed off that kind of worry.

Elegant nights….slightly better dress. Mostly. Suits, ties,sport coats, linen shirts\pants, polo shirts with jeans. Only saw one teeshirt. Didn’t notice any shorts, but there may have been some. For girls, anice sundress is fine. Guys, linen shirts\pants are fine as well as khakis and adecent shirt. Don’t sweat it. There will be someone dressed better – and worse –than you are.

Cheers package: We didn’t buy it since my wife doesn’t drinkand the numbers wouldn’t work out for us. But if we had, I would have aseriously hard time trying to reach the ‘goal’ of 15 drinks. Each day. Or evenone day. I know there are other drinks you can get via the Cheers package, but I’mcommenting strictly on the alcohol drinks. On the days you’re off ship,reaching the 15 drink limit would have to be done in a shorten time frame. Youmight be able to do it one day but if you had to get up and off the ship earlythe next day for another excursion, I bet you’d re-think your purchase. Forsome folks, maybe more than will admit it, the Cheers package isn’t a good dealin hindsight. You are able to share your Cheers drinks with others. Happened allcruise long. Buy a drink at the bar via Cheers. Take it to someone. Wait the 5minutes, go get another one. The bartenders don’t care. Not condoning thepractice, but it happens. Best I can remember, American beers are $7.47including ‘gratuity’ for a 16oz beer. I think that’s right. I drank MichelobUltra and they were twist tops. Came to me un-opened every time. Saw some Budproducts that had to be opened with a bottle opener. So when people debate ifbeers come opened or not, both can be right. Buy a bucket of beers to splitwith someone if outside. Ice melts very quickly and trying to drink 4 beers byyourself before they get warm is difficult. Every beer I bought was ice cold tostart with. Funny…my son had a larger arcade tab than I did a bar tab. I’ll tryharder next time!!

Dr. Seuss breakfast is well worth the extra $5 per person.Sign up as soon as you get there. Lido deck just as you get off the elevators.Bring some Dr. Seuss shirts for the family!!! A few of the characters show upand, believe it or not, they take pictures that you can purchase. You can bringyour own camera too.

Room Service: Limited free menu but open 24 hours. Hadcoffee\muffins delivered to room each morning along with cereal for the kids. Ontime every morning.

Bottom Line: Several good places to eat. Iguana and Guy’s byfar the best I tried. Smaller product offerings but the quality and taste werebetter than mass produced food in the MDR. Was not a problem at all. We havekids so our dining choices includes their likes and dislikes. There’s plenty ofplaces to eat and you’ll find decent food. Cheers package? Not for me even if Icould get it. Think about how much you really think you’ll drink before you getit. Believe me…you’ll not want to start your day off with a hangover…to muchfun to be had.

Just got off the Dream. I had downloaded the HUB app back in March when we booked the cruise. Once i got on the ship and out to sea, i found out the app had been updated. So my app didn't have all the features that the more recent version has. No internet plan so i couldn't update the app. So i suggest that you wait until the day before your cruise to download the app so you'll have the latest version.

Answers to questions thus far:

We didn’t try the hooks in the shower, just the bathroomdoor and walls. There is a small clothesline actually in the shower for hangingwet clothes.

We were in cabin 7391, standard balcony, starboard side. Theroom was warm to begin with but we turned the air conditioner way down immediately.The room did cool off. Keep the curtains closed as much as possible and closethe balcony door as quickly as you can to keep the cool air in the room. I’mgenerally hot natured.

Excursions: River Tubing in Jamaica, Captain Marvin’sStingray Swim in Grand Cayman, Mr. Sanchos in Cozumel. I’m going to write areview of each one in the ports of call section. When I do, I’ll provide thelink in this thread.

Over packing: Forget trying to have an outfit for each timeof the day. Mix and match. No one cares nor notices what you have on. When you’repacking and you say, “I might need this.” Then leave whatever it is at home.

You’ll see a wide variety of outfits while on the cruise.Some people like to dress up even during the day. Go for simple and minimal. Beforethe cruise, we bought 2 of the really large suitcases from TJ Maxx. The bigones. We have 2 kids. Both suitcases were packed to the max. Looking back, wecould have packed all the clothes we needed for all of us for the week in oneof the big suitcases. What I’ve read on here many times is so true: Take halfthe clothes and twice the money you think you’ll need.

Women: Bathing suit with cover-up will work from morning tolate afternoon. But bring two so one can be drying (to some extent) while youwear the other. One pair of khaki shorts to pair with four tops will get youthrough the week during the evenings. But bring another pair of shorts thatwill also work with the four tops. If you go to “elegant night”, bring only oneoutfit and use both nights. One sun dress. About 3 tee shirts. No heels.

Guys: Two pairs of quick drying shorts that can double as a swimsuit. Columbia type shorts. About 4 tee shirts. One outfit for “elegant night”.Keen type shoes will work all week. About 3 collared shirts for night time. Maybeone Tommy Bahama type shirt.

You don’t need a fresh outfit for each dinner. The samecasual shorts can be used for every night, just swap out a shirt. Keep itsimple and very casual. Run out of clean clothes? Wash them and start over.

I’ll comment on “elegant night” attire when I address thefood and dining options later.

Note: I saw several people slip while walking down thestairs around the pool areas. Regular flip flops can be super slick on thesteps. Just be careful. Don’t take towels. Take a small backpack for excursionsand stuff for the pool area. We took snorkel gear for the kids to enjoy at thebeaches. Take cheap wire hangers, pop up hamper for dirties. Water-proof casefor your phone to take pictures while on excursions. Wife took one long sleevedtee shirt which she did wear once.

No iron in the room that I saw. Might be a fire hazard.

Room: 7391, standard balcony room. Starboard side. King bed,couch bed and pull down bed. The room met our needs. Not exactly roomy, but wedidn’t care nor did we spend much time in there either. Once the couch was madeinto a bed and pull down bed was actually pulled down, the cabin steward wouldjust straighten up the covers each morning and leave them ‘out’. Which, reallywasn’t a big deal. I’m sure we could have asked her to fix the beds back, butlike I said, we weren’t in the room much. We picked morning service which wassometime between 10 and 2 usually. But she (Tina) seemed to never sleep sinceshe was always around.

Beds were comfy, pillows were small and thin. Extra pillowshelped. Only one electrical outlet but thanks to CC, we knew to bring anextension cord. Actually ours was a small triple outlet plug that worked well.Three closets. One with shelves, two with rods for hanging. The providedhangers were a little awkward to use but we had brought about 20 cheap wirehangers with us. Have I mentioned the over-packing part yet?? I think there are3 drawers in the desk\vanity for storage. Maybe 4.

Air conditioner stayed turned down the entire trip. Room startedout a little warm but slowly got cooler. Keeping the curtains closed during theday is an absolute must. At night the room was comfortable but as the sunburnheat built, the room – and everywhere – was warm. We took a small fan that weused at night to help circulate the air and for white noise.

Speaking of noise, the only noise we had was from next door.They would come in late and be rather loud. Late like 2am. And they had no ideaapparently how to ease closed the balcony door. I’m all for having a good time,but they were not considerate of their neighbors. I actually penned in my heada note that I was going to leave on their door about respecting theirneighbors. But I didn’t write it.

Hot tip: The safe comes with no instructions. That I couldfind anyway. But the way to lock it is type in a 4 digit code and hit the #sign. To unlock, type in the same 4 digit code.

The bathroom served its purpose. There are shelves on eachside of the mirror that, unless you way overpack even more than we did, shouldhold all your stuff. Plus you have the actual counter space as well. I didn’tsee a need for any over-the-door hanging thing. We did take 6 magnetic hooks (thanksCC) that were life savers for holding wet bathing suits and such. Now granted,nothing ever really dries but being able to hang up wet stuff did help. Atleast it was only damp when you put it back on and not soaked. Water pressurewas decent. Shower gel and shampoo are provided but take your own. Soap is providedand decent. The toilet is loud. Prepare yourself. It makes you appreciate alwaysclosing the lid. Hair dryer is in the room in the top drawer.

There was a smell in our room and in parts of the hallway. I’mnot saying it was a sewer smell but I don’t know what it was. In the room, itwasn’t very noticeable. But every time we walked to our room, we hit the smellat exactly the same point. Each time we would comment that we were close to ourroom because of the smell. Might be something related to the laundry stations.Don’t know. Wasn’t unpleasant, but noticeable.

Balcony is small but enjoyable. Two chairs and a smalltable. We had room service deliver coffee each morning and we welcomed the dayoutside. The Danishes and muffins are good. They give you a little menu eachday for morning room service delivery that you fill out and hang on your door.Order 4 coffees to get enough for 2 adults. Looking straight down off thebalcony, there were some tables used bythe Pig and Anchor place on deck 5. No one used them much as the Pig was onlyopen certain days. No hot tub noise to worry about. Being higher up, you couldsee forever. Balconies aren’t very private as the partitions are thin and thepeople next to you are…right next to you. Luckily neither of our neighbors usedtheirs much or at least may have at times other than we did. I kept thecurtains opened at night so when the sun came up, I knew it was time for me toget up.

Room steward was great. Remembered all our names after thefirst day. Didn't pre-tip but tipped well at the end.

And here’s something you might want to consider. Whenpicking your room, I found out that picking the port side or the starboard sidedoes make quite a difference. We didn’t pick our room so we just got lucky I guess.As we sailed from NOLA to Jamaica which is south, our room ended up being onthe west side of the ship opposite the east side which is the side of thesunrise. You may think you want to see the sunrise until the sun gets up alittle and the heat makes it unbearable to sit on your balcony. We were on the ‘shady’side of the ship and could enjoy the balcony every morning on the way toJamaica. Although you’re outside, there isn’t much of a breeze on the balconyunless you hang over the rail.

From Montego Bay to Georgetown, the morning sun is mostlybehind you as you sail west. Plus, being on the starboard side, you get to seethe coastline of Grand Cayman as you sail along the southern coast of the islandto the port which is on the west side.

From Georgetown to Cozumel, the morning sun hits thestarboard side a little more until you get close to Cozumel. The ship then sailsaround the northern side of the island and you see the mainland of Yucatan asyou sail to the port on Cozumel. In the shade.

Sailing from Cozumel to NOLA, the ship backtracks a bit and yourparting view is the coast of Cozumel as you head north. The next full sea day,Saturday, the morning sun is finally on the starboard side and yes, its intenseearly in the morning.

Now none of this port\starboard side stuff may matter toyou, but it will to me the next cruise I take. Knowing the route of the shipcan help you decide which side to pick so to make best use of yourbalcony. We are first time cruisers so I have nothing to compare, but I reallylike the balcony. Its like a different world out there. Many people like theinterior rooms. Some like the cove balconies. Some don’t care as long as theyare on the ship. I get it.

We had pre-ordered bottled water from the Fun Shops as well as 4 beers to be there the first day. For some reason, i was expecting the beers to be cold. They weren't. Wrapped in cellophane like a gift. Which i guess they really were. Put the beers in the fridge. Took till Wednesday for them to get cold enough to drink. Fridge is useless.

Saw door decorations. Not all were flame retardant. Stayed up all week. Since we have kids i wished we had decorated our door.

Embarkation: Our time was 11-1130. Cattle lines. Plain andsimple. But most kept moving and there was little waiting time at any station. Lotsof workers to assist with questions and give directions. I don’t recall the exact process, but I rememberit wasn’t bad. Got your picture taken several times. We were given our sign andsail cards.

We carried on a suitcase with wine and soft drinks. The softdrinks cartons were opened slightly by the checker and then she shone (or is itshined?) an ultraviolet light (I’m guessing) through the wine to check thecontents.

After all the checking, we were told to sit in a certainsection of the terminal (picture an airport terminal with crowded seating) andwait for our embarkation number to be called. I think we were like number 9maybe? Anyway, only took a few minutes for them to get to our number. Rememberto scream as loud as you can when your number is called. Apparently it’s the thingto do. Another set of lines, some morepictures, then on the gangway to the boat.

We watched as huge wire cages filled with suitcase werefork-lifted into the boat. Do not put anything breakable in your checked bag!!!Anything that might leak needs to be in a zip lock bag. We had a shampoo bottleopen but thankfully the mess was contained within the zip lock. Amazing howmuch ‘stuff’ takes place that you don’t really think about. Lines of 18wheelers ready to be un-loaded with the week’s supply of whatever. As far as I know,the ship doesn’t re-supply at any port except NOLA so everything they need hasto be loaded at the start.

Once on the ship, we were immediately lost!! We knew fromthis site to make our way to Lido and Guy’s Burgers. But no one told us wherethe elevators were. In a minute we found them and were way back in line. Hottip: That first line you see for the elevators is most likely the line for theglass ones that overlook the lobby area. Walk past those lines and in front of –or behind, depending on your reference point – the glass elevators. There youwill find 8 more elevators and chances are very few folks will be waiting onthem since many, like us, didn’t know they existing.

On the elevator to the Lido, Guy’s Burgers and the first useof my sign and sail card. That Ultra was cold and good. I had another just tobe sure. I sat there, looked and my wife and kids on the boat and could finallyrelax. I felt like Clark Griswold when he finally got his Christmas lights towork.

Some friends of ours did get bladders of alcohol on board intheir checked luggage. Not endorsing nor condoning, just saying its possible todo.

After lunch, we wanted to go see where our room was. I wantto say this was about 1245 or 100. We found our room and it was still gettingmade ready. No problem. We stood in the hall and greeted the steward who was inour room and she asked us if we wanted to drop our carry-ons in the closet.Well yeah we did. I’ve read on this site where it may be rude or inconsiderateto the stewards to drop off luggage while they were still in the process ofcleaning. And I agree. But she asked us and we thanked her for it. So don’tjudge us!!

Note: As I re-read my typing I notice and correct someerrors. But honestly, I think I’m still swaying just a little. So if you see anerror, please overlook it as my keyboard is not on the same wave as I am.

Parking: Parked at Fulton Garage on the top floor. About $8a day cheaper than parking in the port garage. As soon as you enter, theyattendant takes your pre-paid receipt and lets you go park. Keep in mind, theclearance between your car and the ceiling is minimal. We have a full sized SUVand I was thinking we would hit the roof a few times. Having a car-top carrier onan SUV or a lifted truck and you probably won’t make it.

Takes a while to get to the top as there are 9 floors in thegarage. Parked, then found out the elevator only reaches the 8th floor.No biggie really. Just had to roll our suitcases down one level to theelevator. Next time – or if its raining, I’ll stop on the 8th floorand drop off the luggage then park on the 9th. The garage wasn’tcrowded at all.

Load your bags on the elevator and go to the bottom floor. Onthe bottom level, the workers load your bags onto the awaiting shuttle bus. There’sa coffee shop and a convenience store for snacks. Quick trip around the blockand we’re at the port terminal. Driver gets your bags off, then a short walk withyour bags to the terminal porter who loads them onto a cart. Then walk to thestart of the embarkation process. We checked two big suitcases and had 2 carry-ons.One carry-on with wine and one with extra change of clothes and all theimportant documents. First time cruisers who packed too much!!

When we debarked, the shuttle was waiting in the same spotas when we left. Driver loads the bags, trip around the block to the garage.The shuttle driver says one person from each group can go get the vehicle. Healso tells us where to drive our car to so we can load the bags. Workers allaround to help. I get the SUV, drive to the spot as directed, load thesuitcases and pull away. Make a left turn, a right turn and we’re on I-10.

Easy. I guess some people like the convenience of parking inthe port garage. But there were long lines to get in. And its an extra $8 aday. At first, I was a little nervous about parking in the Fulton Garage, butnow, I’ll do it every time.

Had a great time. I've learned so much from this site over the past several months while getting ready for our cruise (first time cruiser), that i want to provide a review of our journey so others can possibly learn also. I'll have to do it in sections as apparently i still have a job and the bosses expect some productivity!!! Topics I hope to cover include parking in NOLA, embarkation, river journey, room (balcony), food\dress attire, shows, excursions\ports, cruise director, getting around the ship, HUB app\chat, Internet, of interest to kids, general observations, debarkation. Probably a few more as i work my way through the review. If you have any specific questions, let me know and i'll answer them if i can.

Thank you teknoge3k. Exactly what I was searching for.

i understand that each person can carry up to 12 cans of coke type products in their carry on. I also understand that each person over 21 can carry a bottle of wine.

1. Can a person over 21 take the 12 cokes AND a bottle of wine in their carry on?

2. If 4 people are together and each has one 12 pack of cokes, can the packs be combined into one suitcase and then carried on by one of the group? Or does each 12 pack have to be carried on by one individual? Does that make sense?

3. I'm guessing that a person can carry a 12 pack of cokes as their carry on or does it have to be in some sort of bag?

On the Dream in a week...

Just ordered our group shirts from http://www.customcruisewear.com Last minute order that I'm actually picking up in their town on my way to NOLA next week. Great customer service. Don't know how to attach a pic, but it's the resting flamingo design on their website.

I don't follow the logic, if there is any, for group shirts being cheesy. For us, it adds a level of fun to our trip. And isn't that one reason we all are taking a cruise...to have fun?? I'll just add this tee shirt to my growing collection of shirts representing happy times: daughter's dance competition shirts, son's baseball allstar shirts, Native Sons and Daughters campout shirts, Alabama National Championship shirts. All good times.

Noticed this. We're on the Dream July 16th out of NOLA. Not the best news but hoping the disturbance turns north at some point and the Gulf stays sunny and calm.

Can't wait to hear more as we are sailing on the Dream July 16th. Enjoy your time and report back as often as you can.