Border Granny

 Very  interested:). I’ll be on her sister ship the Dream soon, and while there are some differences in the names of venues, etc, it’s basically the same ship. I love to be able to better familiarize myself with the layout by reading all the great reviews I’ve seen.

On 5/9/2019 at 2:46 PM, jayscore said:

Last April, on the Dream, I ran into problems with scheduling for Trivia and such at the wrong time. Also, the Dinner menus were missing the entre page every day.

So, keep that paper copy of the Fun Times handy!

 

Did you have ATD and could you use the Hub to check in on the Dream?  Also did you use the text? We are on the Dream this summer and my husband and I always seem to get separated in the casino, being able to text each other would be nice instead of wandering around looking for each other:).

42 minutes ago, alleghator said:

I just used cards to pay off one of our two cabins. I've ordered enough cards to pay off the second cabin as well, but they may not arrive in time. If they don't, I'll just use them for the Cheers package and to put onto our S&S accounts. Every little bit of savings counts!

If it helps any, I ordered a card on the 8tth and received it yesterday, the 15th.

50 minutes ago, Athankfulheart said:

That is correct, not in February anyway. 

I’ll be on the Dream in June and have YTD so I’ll report back in:)

On 5/10/2019 at 4:36 PM, Athankfulheart said:

-You definitely cannot check into ATD from the HUB on all ships (yet)

-Pizza is easy to order and worked out really nicely for us on the Dream in Feb ( will report back on Valor in a couple weeks). After you do the order, you can also add a photo of yourself which can be helpful.

- I loved being able to download photos without going to Pixels

- I love the feature where you can mark your favorite activities and then the app reminds you when they are coming up.

 

It sounds like you weren’t able to check in to YTD on the Dream?

Thanks everyone for your responses. I’m leaning toward a real desert, maybe someone around us will get it so we can see the show but order a more traditional one:).

Has anyone gotten this in the Steakhouse, and is it any good?  It looks beautiful and would be cool to watch the Chef create it at the table, but I’m afraid it might be all show and no taste. I haven’t really seen a great picture of it yet to even know what it is, a lot of melted chocolate it looks like made into abstract art.  I’m a chocolateholic so I want to love it, but wondering if anyone here on CC has “experienced” the art:).

9 hours ago, deladane said:

 

haha I am having withdrawal too... It was so fun to spend every evening writing up the next post, and then taking a few minutes each morning to post it on Cruise Critic.  Now that I'm done, it's official that this cruise is over 😞

 

The safe in our cabin had a keypad where you can create your own code.  Just a warning though, that safe was TINY!  Don't plan to stuff too much stuff in there... my iPad barely fit!

Thanks Dana, that’s great information to know!  May have to rethink what I planned to put in there, but glad it has a keypad:)

Dana, I forgot to ask earlier if the safe used a card swipe or does it have a keypad?  And I’m having withdrawal symptoms now that your review is over, lol.  I am hoping to be cured next month when we are on the Dream:).

So sad to see one of the funniest and most enjoyable reviews I have ever read come to an end! Thank you for writing it, and I can hardly wait for the girls cruise, if this cruise is any indication that one should be epic, lol. Love your new little boy, he’s adorable and will keep you busy til your next cruise:).

8 minutes ago, Nic6318 said:

 

Hi

 

They have elevators in every terminal that I can recall. That is how they transport people using wheelchairs.

 

hope this helps

have a great cruise

8 minutes ago, Nic6318 said:

 

Thank you, I knew they had to have one for the wheelchairs, wasn’t sure how that worked...for instance when they see us will they peel us off from the herd heading for the stairs or do I need to make arrangements at guest services before hand. It’s always been such a cattle call, even when we’ve had FTTF, that I’ve never paid that much attention. I’m just always trying to not walk into the back of someone in front of me or trip going down the stairs,  I have been known to be quite the klutz, lol!

We have FTTF so will have priority debarkation after the diamonds/plats and suites have been called, but my husband will be using a walker and will not be able to use the stairs. Does anyone have any experience with this since we won’t be able to use the stairs?  This will be the first time for the walker so never had to worry about it on our previous cruises.

Loving your funny, laugh out loud review! We are on the Dream in June and love seeing what we can expect to see and do:). You seriously should consider writing a screenplay of the adventures of your family, especially the Crazy Uncle....I’m sure there’s a movie to made here!

Thanks so much Dana for taking us along on the Dream, and for answering my questions! I would definitely love to follow you to Europe, so I’ll be watching for the link...safe travels!

I’m so glad you posted pics and narrative about the floats....I’ve been to NOLA several times and wanted to tour it but never did, looks like fun!

16 hours ago, deladane said:

 

I always travel with a very thin light weight cardigan to wear over my sundresses at night.  The ship is air conditioned, but it's not very cold and I probably would have been fine without the cardigan most of the time.  You should be fine with just the pashmina 🙂

Thanks, I thought so but thought I’d check. I don’t have a thin sweater and the pashmina doesn’t take as much space in the suitcase as the ones I have:)

Still reading and have a question.  Did you find any of the indoor areas particularly cool, especially at night?  I plan on bringing a pashmina to throw around my shoulders if I need it, just wanted to make sure I didn’t need a sweater, lol.

32 minutes ago, deladane said:

 

It’s been a few weeks so the details are a little fuzzy. It is very possible that I wasn’t using free WiFi in Cozumel bc DH has data in Mexico on his cell phone and he has a hotspot.  In Costa Maya he shared it with me so I could check my email while we were in the van driving to the ruins, so he may have done the same thing in Cozumel and I was just thinking it was the port WiFi by mistake. Sorry about that!!

32 minutes ago, deladane said:

 

It’s been a few weeks so the details are a little fuzzy. It is very possible that I wasn’t using free WiFi in Cozumel bc DH has data in Mexico on his cell phone and he has a hotspot.  In Costa Maya he shared it with me so I could check my email while we were in the van driving to the ruins, so he may have done the same thing in Cozumel and I was just thinking it was the port WiFi by mistake. Sorry about that!!

That’s perfectly ok, and unstandable!  I just thought you knew something I didn’t, but like I said it’s been a while since I was there:)

I am really enjoying your review since we’ll be on the Dream this summer. You mentioned the free wi fi at the port in Coz.....was that at a particular place? Last time I was there, and that has been almost 4 yrs ago, the bars all had free wi fi but you had to buy at least one drink for them to give you the password.  

25 minutes ago, phoneman69 said:

Have not done a behind the scene tour on any cruise i have taken. Looking for feed back on the tours. I am sailing the Magic in Sept and really thinking for doing the tour this trip. Were you happy with the value and did you find it interesting / worthwhile ?

I have done the tour on the Triumph, which of course is smaller, but I loved it!  You must wear sensible closed toe shoes and you will do a LOT of walking, and stairs. It was very interesting and you get to meet the captain on the bridge and they take a picture. You will get some swag at the end, and if I remember correctly they deliver the picture in a folder to your room. We thought it was worth it.

4 hours ago, deladane said:

 

You and your husband have absolutely nothing to worry about!  We had several people on our cruise who used wheelchairs and they were at the shows and ate in the MDR, so you should have no problems at all 🙂  For the theater, the balcony level is only accessed by stairs, so that won't work for him.  On the lower level, there is a gradual slope leading down both aisles towards the stage, but I do not think there are any stairs to access the main middle 3 sections.  I'm not sure if there were stairs to access the seats along the outside of the lower section (the seats directly below the balcony), but the main middle 3 sections were definitely wheelchair accessible and your husband should be good to go with his cane.  Just something to think about... I'm pretty sure those little pedestal tables are anchored to the floor and cannot move so he probably would not fit through with his walker (but he can definitely sit on one of the aisle seats without a problem!)

 

For the Crimson MDR (and the Scarlet MDR too, for anyone wondering...), they have an entrance on both the third and forth deck.  Once inside the MDR, there is a staircase, but you would never need to use it because if your table is on deck 4, then you can take the elevator directly there and just walk right in.  I recommend that you email the maitre'd on the Monday prior to sailing (assuming your cruise leaves on Sunday... do it one day after embarkation for the prior sailing so he has time to straighten out all the issues for that cruise before thinking about our cruise!).  Tell him that your husband cannot manage stairs because the middle section of deck 3 is accessed by stairs (and I don't remember seeing a ramp, although there may be one that I just didn't see).  The outer perimeter of deck 3 is all flat on one level (no stairs), as is most of deck 4 (I think!).  The email address is: drmaitred@carnival.com

 

Based on your signature, I know this is not your first cruise, so I assume you thought about this, but just in case...  Did you book an accessible cabin?  There is a step to get up into the bathroom in the regular cabins.

 

Hope that helps!  Let me know if you have any other question (I am a physical therapist so I can't help but notice details like that around the ship!)

Thanks so much Dana, all that info really helps.  We have YTD so I figured they will seat us at a table on the lower, just didn’t know if we could enter from the third floor so that will work out fine. We’re in a regular balcony cabin, and he can manage the small step into the bathroom as long as he just grabs the door jam. He manages the step up on our porch and threshold just fine. It is mostly walking longer distances that he needs either his cane or walker, and we’ll have both with us. He just can’t manage many steps, of course especially if he is using his walker.

thanks so much for your help, and you mentioning my signature reminds me I need to update it!

Dana, love the pics since our turn on the Dream is a little more than two months away:). I have a couple of questions about the theater and the MDR. My husband has some mobility issues, and will be either using his cane or walker around the ship, so most of these questions are more about accessibility.

What floor do you enter the Crimson on? We would not be able to do the stairs, I assume the main entrance would be on the lower level. I was surprised to see tablecloths, I thought Carnival had done away with them, or were they already set up for elegant night?  I’m not a picky person at all, but am sort of partial to the tablecloths on the ships.

My other question is about the theater.  Is there a ramp on the lower level? We used to sit in the balcony on other ships but my husband is not able to do stairs anymore so I’m assuming we would have to do lower level, but still couldn’t do those stairs, and I know we’re not the only ones in the predicament!

Again, thanks for the wonderful review!

Thanks so much for your replies....I figured they would but it’s been a while since I’ve cruised and so much has changed!

Dana, love your review and the pictures, I will already know my way around with all the pics and directions by the time we cruise in June:). Was the wine good? I’ve read in a couple of other reviews that people went with the half off  bottle instead of the free bottle because it wasn’t any good. My husband and I are not great wine connoisseurs so I’m pretty sure it will be fine with us!  Our reservation happens to be on the cruise elegant night but that’s actually our anniversary, so we will get the complimentary wine also.

Has anyone ordered wine spritzers onboard? We’ll be on the Dream in June, and I was wondering if you can choose the kind of wine and if they put anything else in it besides wine and spritzer of some kind.  I have never ordered any while I have cruised before but the older I get the less I drink:).