billys5764

Day 4 Part 2

Our favorite place we visited was the Moho Chocolate store. When you walk in the door you are hit with the smell of chocolate. They had free tastings (which we did) and explained the chocolate process. We purchased too much chocolate. It's amazing how many different ways chocolate can be packaged!

Moho Chocolate Store

Chilling in the shade

The Wet Lizard Bar and Husband Day Care Center

We walked back to the tender and headed toward the Dream. We spent about 1.5 hours at the port. I'm sure had we taken an excursion we would have enjoyed Belize better.

But that meant I had more deck time!

Day 4 Belize

6:30am came around, so we got up and went up to Deck 11. DW, of course, had to wait until 7am when the coffee bar opened. When I got up on deck we were coming in to Belize. I was surprised at the color of the water. It had been a beautiful blue in Cozumel and before, but now it was a green color. It was still pretty, but a surprise. We "parked" out in the water pretty far from shore. The "port" is too shallow. I'm surprised Carnival et al don't dredge a port.

Belize the distance with the tenders approaching

Of course, the joke of the day was "How did the chicken get to Belize? It took the chicken tender."

We arranged to meet for breakfast in the Crimson Dining room at 9am. All of the printed materials said that is where breakfast would be. DW and I go there and it is locked up tight. We go over to the Scarlet Dining room and wait for our friends. Don and Diane had already gone in and were seated at another table with "other" people. We waited for Jeff and Linda. We had missed each other somehow in going from the Crimson to the Scarlet. So they had breakfast in the buffet on the Lido deck.

DW and I were seated at a table with 7 others. We had a lovely time. One older couple was from Richmond, one younger (than us) couple was from Orlando, and an even younger couple with their very well-behaved 5 year old son from Canada. We had interesting conversation with them all. Our daughter is 21 and autistic. She is in a school outside of Asheville, NC for autistic kids and young adults. The couple from Orlando told us about a place in the Orlando area that specializes in working with special needs people in job placement, housing, etc. We are so glad we met this folk. We are now in the process of talking with the company for our daughter. Her goal is to work at Disney. We'll see what happens.

For breakfast, I had french toast, sausage, bacon, and hash browns. The french toast was very good. It was "regular," not the fruit loop crusted kind at the brunch.

Since none of our group had excursions planned for Belize, we decided to let those with excursions get off first, thus avoiding long lines. You had to go to the Scarlet Lounge to get a number for your tender. We met around 10:30 and got our number. Our number was 42 and they were calling 34 at the time. We waited in the lounge about 20 minutes before our number was called. We went down to Deck 0 to board the tender. Everything moved pretty smoothly. The waves were up a bit, so the crew was holding everyone's hands as the tranferred from the Dream to the tender.

The tender ride was the best part of Belize for us. It took about 20 minutes to make the journey from ship to shore. It was a bit rocky, but I don't have problems with seasickness, so I enjoyed the ride. It was a nice breeze (wind) blowing.

On the tender

Our ship in the distance

In Belize, our goal was to walk around at the port and maybe do some shopping. Like Cozumel and other ports that we visited, the cruise lines have a walled off shopping area for tourists, free from the outside world. If you want to get a real taste of the countries you visit, venture out past the gates.

The shopping area

We had coupons for some "freebies" so we went into some stores. DS (who stayed on the ship) really was wanting a fake Rolex. I told him I doubt he could find one on this trip. I had gotten one in Ocho Rios 25 years ago. It worked for at least 10 years. I also got one in Chinatown in New York City. I took it to a jeweler who said it was the best fake he had ever seen. It quit after a few years.

Anyway, we went into the Diamonds International store which is at every port. Carnival must own them. Linda got some earrings and a necklace, and Diane made a small purchase. I found a Gucci watch that I HAD TO HAVE. The problem was it was WAY out of my price range. So I had to pass it up.

The Diamond Store

We walked around, got some t shirts and stuff. We found a "drug" store. Here you can purchase all of your favorite prescription drugs without a prescription -- Xanax, Percocet, ******, etc. I hate to think what is in those "drugs."

Day 3 Part 3

Still at Mr. Sanchos

They have a pool. It is not too big. But, it has a swim-up bar with stools and tables and stools in the pool. You don't have to get out to get a drink. Who came up with this idea? They should win some type of award!

You can tell this was a few drinks later in the day!

Another bar with swings instead of stools.

This shows the tables in the pool

They also had free wifi. I was able to use my phone (for internet, not telephone) to post on Facebook. After many libations and other things (what happens at Mr. Sanchos stays at Mr. Sanchos) we left to return to the port. We did a bit of shopping in the port village (those that could still stand). I went to Los Cinco Soles and bought a liter of vanilla. I love Mexican vanilla (the good kind). It really adds to the flavor of things, especially DW's brownies. We also went to Del Sol and got t shirts and I bought a pair of sunglasses that the frames turn blue in the sun.

It was time to head back to the ship -- didn't want to be a pier runner.

Isn't she beautiful?

We got back in time to deck for a little bit. At the appropriate time, I went to the spa to shower for dinner. At dinner, I had the French Onion Soup and Ceasar salad. I had the meatloaf for my entree. It was good, but it was meatloaf. What can you say about meatloaf? DW had the salmon, and DS had the flatiron steak. For dessert I had the cheesecake. It was OK. It tasted a bit like the Jello no bake cheesecake. This was my least favorite dinner of all. Linda had the short ribs. She said they were very good. Diane had the chicken. She said it was dry. Don had 2 entrees. He got the vegetarian polenta and the the short ribs. The dessert that the others had was the warm fig, date cinnamon cake. They loved it. I don't do figs or dates. DS had the chocolate melting cake (again) with the obligatory two ice creams.

The evening was typical -- casino for me and decking for DW. DS came in at some point during the wee hours.

Don and Diane went to the comedy show and also the adult comedy show. They said it was funny. They thought the adult show was risqué but not vulgar.

Day 3 Part 2

Mr. Sanchos

I booked Mr. Sanchos for all 7 of us online at least a month before the cruise. I got $5 off each by doing this. We all fit into a taxi van. The taxi cost $40 (total, not each) each way including tip.

We arrived at Mr. Sanchos, checked in, and got our wrist bands showing that we were on the all-inclusive package. OMG was it all-inclusive. Our "beach boy" showed us to our table on the beach. We had a table that seated us all with a thatched umbrella. There were chaise lounges right there. We were only steps from the ocean. It was absolutely beautiful. He took our drink order (by now it was 11am -- that made it at least 5pm in London so it was OK to order drinks). I ordered my usual screwdriver, DW and several friends had margaritas and 1 friend (Don) had a stinky monkey.

Our waiter brought our drinks to us. I took mine with me into the water. What fun lounging in the beautiful Caribbean and sipping a cool drink. Now, these drinks are not the strongest I've ever had. But it was unlimited so one could get their alcohol quota in.

You can go to the buffet and/or order off the menu. We did both! On the buffet they had wonderful tortilla chips with salsa, jalepenos, chili, refried beans, and nacho cheese (like you get at a ball game). There were tortillas to make fajitas, burgers, etc. On the menu, you could order coconut shrimp (we did), grilled garlic shrimp (we did), fried shrimp (we did), and all sorts of other foods.

Was this the greatest Mexican food I've ever had? No. But it was good and unlimited!

Jeff and Linda under the umbrella

The view from our umbrella

More view

They had kayaks and other things you could take into the water. I'm pretty sure they were included in the price. Jet skis and parasailing cost extra.

Eating

Ocean toys

You did have to pay extra to use the big blowup ocean toys (we didn't)

The pictures do not give justice to the beautiful colors of the water. I WANT TO GO BACK NOW!!!!!!!

Day 3 -- Cozumel

We awoke at our usual 6am. I skipped room service. Instead we headed up to Deck 11 for "our" spot. I got coffee from the Lido deck and DW had her coffee from the coffee bar. The Lido coffee is really better than last year.

I LOVE deck sitting early in the morning and especially when we are coming into a port.

Sunrise

The other direction from "our" spot. You can tell it rained during the night.

Looking onto the aft pool area. It is usually full during the day.

A closer view of the aft pool.

DW drinking her morning coffee.

Cozumel on the horizon

We all had breakfast on our own. DW, DS, and I ate in the Lido buffet. It was really good. I had my eggs fried over medium at the omelet station. No wait! Our head waiter was the bacon ****. He recognized me and gave me PLENTY of bacon. After all, it is nature's perfect food.

We headed down to get off the ship. We had to go to Deck 0 to exit. We got to Deck 3 and waited in line. We had to wait until Mexican officials cleared us. We waited at least 30 minutes on the stairs. Once they cleared us, the line moved pretty quickly.

We all met on the dock and walked to the taxi stand to go to Mr. Sanchos.

Hi ALl1

 

 

billys5764 ~ loving your review so far!:D I was on the Dream, my 1st Carnival cruise in April & really liked it. I stayed at DB & SIL's condo at

Sunglow Resort & had breakfast at Crabby Joes. Have to hang on to your money or CC there as they sometimes blow into the ocean!!:eek:

That is a beautiful beach to walk along.

 

Love DW's dress & necklace, very nice!

 

~ Jo ~ :)

DW's dress came from Ross. I think she said it was $8. The necklace is not real diamonds:(

Hi ALl1

 

 

billys5764 ~ loving your review so far!:D I was on the Dream, my 1st Carnival cruise in April & really liked it. I stayed at DB & SIL's condo at

Sunglow Resort & had breakfast at Crabby Joes. Have to hang on to your money or CC there as they sometimes blow into the ocean!!:eek:

That is a beautiful beach to walk along.

 

Love DW's dress & necklace, very nice!

 

~ Jo ~ :)

We love Daytona. I've been going there since before I can remember. When we married, I told DW that would be our primary vacation spot. I was not giving that up for love!

We've never done breakfast at Crabb Joes. I've heard it is very good. If you are ever in Daytona on a Sunday you MUST go to brunch at Aunt Catfish. It is on the Halifax (mainland side) at the Dunlawton Bridge. It is a buffet and is SO good.

Day 2 Part 3

After dinner we went to our room and changed clothes for the casino. This time I won $200! I usually play until midnight then go to bed. So, I went back to the room, sat out on the balcony for a while and read, and then went to bed. Tomorrow is Cozumel!

DS came in at 4 am. I don't know how he does it. Yes, I do, he's only 17.

I forgot to mention that DW went to a meet and greet in the afternoon. I had seen on the Carnival website forums roll call for our cruise a facebook page for this cruise. I "liked" it and so did DW. DW really got into it. The person getting this going was Stacy from Savannah. She was a very nice lady who really loves doing this. They had at least 25-30 show up for the meet and greet at the aft pool bar. They did a gift exchange and the whole nine yards. I just followed them on facebook. I was not about to give up my deck time!

Day 2 Part 2

Our NC friends

Our FL friends

So much for our good looks. Now on to dinner! For my appetizer(s) I had ceasar salad and shrimp cocktail. DW, DS, and I each ordered surf and turf -- Prime rib and lobster. I assumed that they would throw a lobster tail on the plate with the prime rib, but they brought out the full lobster dinner and then the full prime rib dinner. Whew! The lobster was one of the best I've ever had. It was tender and not overcooked. The prime rib was so-so. It was a bit bland. I like a spicy rub on the outside of mine when I cook one. But I ate it anyway.

For dessert I ordered the apple in puff pastry. I had had this last year on the Valor and loved it. It was still very good. Of course, I had to have ice cream with it -- 2 flavors, chocolate and vanilla.

Apple in puff pastry

Ice cream!

My goal was to photograph every meal but I got so involved with conversation and eating that it didn't happen!

Our wait staff put on a show for us. Our head waiter was Dedi. Our Maitre D' was Shane. He was really great. He was known as "Mr. Helllllooooo." He came by our table nearly every night and talked to us (we were close to the entrance).

Entertainment

Day 2 Sea Day

I love sea days!!!!!!!

I put out room service breakfast card for delivery at 6:30am. I'm not a morning person except when cruising. I love to get up before things get crowded. I feel like it is my personal ship. DW and I got up around 6:15 and sat on the balcony. I told her at 6:25 I should go in so I can hear when room service knocks. at 6:27 the phone rings. Room service is calling saying they could not deliver our order because no one answered the knock. Well, they were early! They promptly came and delivered. I tipped the guy a couple of bucks.

I had ordered coffee, OJ, and croissants. I was hoping the coffee would be the coffee served in the dining room, but, alas, it was the Lido deck coffee, and not very hot either. We had our pre-breakfast on the balcony and then went up to deck 11 to enjoy hotter coffee. DW always gets her morning coffee from the coffee bar. She says it's closer to Starbucks.

I got a cup from the Lido deck. It was much better than last year on the Valor. It was hot. Of course, it's not as good as the dining room coffee, but it will do. We sat in what was to become our usual spot on Deck 11 aft until time to go get ready to meet our friends for the comedy brunch.

After a rainy night this is what greeted us this morning.

Another view

We got ready for the brunch. We woke up DS (no small feat). However, before we went to the dining room at 9am, I went to Deck 11 and staked out 4 chairs for us. Yes, I know some of you will scream at me for saving seats. This part of the ship really never filled up. When we came up after brunch there were still empty chairs.

We all met at the Scarlet Dining Room for the Comedy brunch. I had OJ, good coffee, eggs benedict, bacon, sausage, and perhaps the best ceasar salad I've ever had. It had bacon in it. Bacon is nature's perfect food you know. We al enjoyed our food and service. As we were leaving the comedy was starting so I can't comment on how it was.

DW and I quickly ran to our cabin, brushed our teeth, and changed clothes. We headed up to Deck 11 for the day (at least me).

Our friends came by for visits during the day. They don't tolerate the sun like DW and me. DW had a snack later in the afternoon. I didn't want to leave the sun.

Around 4pm DW went downstairs to our cabin to start getting ready for dinner and elegant night. You saw the pix of the bathroom in our cabin? I really don't like it. Everyday, when I would leave deck 11 I would go to the spa and shower there. I can only speak for the men's side, but there is a steam room and 2 HUGE showers. Each shower is bigger than the entire bathroom in our cabin. I "chilled" in the steam room for a while where I met a band member. We talked about some mutual friends/students/colleagues that work or have worked for Carnival. He told me some interesting things. Carnival is really downsizing their live entertainment. Most ships will not have a live band in the theatre anymore. It will all be tracks. He has a few more weeks on his contract then he is leaving. He's been with them 8 years.

I showered and went back to the room to get dressed. DW and DS were getting ready when I arrived. DS got dressed and then took off to meet his friends. (We told him before the cruise, the only rule was he had to eat dinner with us.) DW and I got ready and went up to the bar behind the casino.

Me

DW (I definately married "up')

We met up with the others at dinner. Everyone looked nice in their elegant clothes.

DW and DS

Day 1 Part 5

Dinner was great. I couldn't decide so I had the spring rolls and the chicken tenders for my appetizer. DW had gazpacho, DS had shrimp cocktail and ceasar salad.

Gazpacho

Chicken Tenders

We all loved our appetizers. For the entree, I had the beef brisket. It was very tender and tasty. For dessert, DW and I had creme brulée. Mine was a bit watery. DW's was perfect. Oh well. It was the least favorite dessert of mine on the trip.

After dinner I changed clothes and went to the casino. I always change because of the smoke. I wear the same shirt each night in the casino for that reason. That, and I did it last year and won a ton of money. I play blackjack, never slots. I ended the evening down $200. I'll try and make it up tomorrow night!

A word to my readers -- we are pretty boring cruisers by some standards. We don't go to shows, or karaoke, or hairy chest contests. I'm a university professor. I teach music and music theatre. I'm pretty critical when it comes to the entertainment, so I just stay away. Besides I do it for a living, I don't want to spend my vacation doing the same thing!

DW went up on deck for a while until the rain started. We both love feeling the ocean breeze (wind) and the warm air as we sit (and snooze) in a deck chair.

We assumed DS had a good time in the Club O2. He didn't come in until 4:30am. I have no problem with this. They won't let him drink alcohol, gamble, or go to the adult shows. What trouble can he get into? He had a great time meeting new kids. He's still facebooking and texting them 2 weeks later.

We crawl into bed lulled to sleep by the gentle motion of the ship.

Great review so far! And I laughed at your changing numbers of bags ;)

Everytime I had to schlep them the number seemed to grow!

Day 1 Part 4

DS texting until the last possible moment.

A Casino ship in port. Love it!

Out in the ocean. Lots of rain back on shore.

We went back to our room to get ready for dinner. We early seating in the Scarlet Dining Room. While I would prefer to dine later so I could enjoy the outdoors longer, it is nice to be finished with dinner before 10pm. I don't think we would like ATD because we loved our table and our wait staff.

Friends from Tallahassee.

Friends from back home in NC.

DW and DS

Day 1 Part 3

The Disney Magic was in port. Looks huge! Way too much Mickey Mouse for me.

Port Canaveral

The Ecstacy was also in port.

Looking toward NASA

This is where we spent all of our deck time. Deck 11 aft. Clouds are rolling in.

DW with her chardonnay as we leave!

Day 1 (part 2)

I did manage to get a few pix of the cabin before we trashed it too badly.

DS on the sofa that turned into his bed.

Our bed with the luggage protector still on. You can see the Disney Magic off our balcony.

The toilet

The shower

The sink

If you are looking for spaciousness, go somewhere else! You won't find it in this bathroom!

We headed up on deck for the sail away.

DAY 1!!!!!!!!!!

Finally, it has arrived. I was up by 6:30 and wandered down to the free breakfast. They had eggs, sausage, make-your-own waffles, cereal, etc. Not bad, not great, but free!

It was finally time to leave to board the shuttle! Now, Carnival had sent this email saying not to arrive at the port until 1:30. Yea, right! We booked the 10:30 shuttle. Because our room was not close to the shuttle pick up point, we loaded all 98 bags back into the car and I drove to the pick up point and unloaded all 142 bags there and drove the car back to the parking area.

We are excited!

The hotel had booked us on Road Runner Shuttle. 10:30 came and went, 10:45 came and went, 11:00 came and went. Finally they got there, loaded us up and we were on our way.

We had a contest to see who would see the whale tail first. DS won. He's younger and has better eyes!

The Dream in port.

We loaded our 218 bags and watched as the porters loaded them on the wagons. We got to security around 11:25 and were on the ship at 11:45. It would have been sooner if we didn't have to stop to get our picture made so many times.

Lines were non-existant. I guess everyone paid attention to the "don't arrive before 1:30" email. Our friends from NC had faster to the fun but we actually got on the ship 2 people ahead of them.

After we got on we all took our carry ons to the room with FTTF. We went to the bar to pay for the unlimited soft drinks for DS. After that we headed up to the Lido deck for lunch. It was not too crowded but, of course, all the window tables were taken. No big deal. We ate lunch and then started exploring the ship.

The decor is typical Carnival glitzy. We've been on Carnival before and knew it was not going to look like the Waldorf-Astoria. We found where all the necessary things were -- casino, bars, restaurants, coffee bar, Club O2, etc.

At 1:30 we went to our friend's room to collect our carryons. We went to our room, 9401 (balcony), and all 638 bags were there waiting for us. We went in and unpacked everything. Fortunately, there is room under the bed for empty luggage.

3:30 was muster time. Our meeting place was in Club O2. There was lots of room there with chairs. They explained the process and did the typical "this is how you put on a life vest" thing and explained what to do in case of hitting an iceberg.

After this we hit the deck to enjoy our sail away!

Day -1, Friday

It's cruise eve!!!!!!

We awoke to a beautiful morning in Daytona. DW went for a morning walk (she ended up walking 7 miles). I sat in a chaise lounge looking at the beach and watching the sun rise and watching people.

Around 11am we checked out and headed south toward Port Canaveral. We had reservations at La Quinta Cocoa Beach. We got really excited when we passed the port and saw a cruise ship. It was an RCI Something of the Seas.

We arrived at the La Quinta. The front desk staff was very friendly and allowed us to check in and go to our room. We unloaded all 48 bags we had in the car and took them to the room. Now that there was room in the car we went to Ron Jon for some pre-cruise shopping.

Around 3pm a couple from back home joined us. They couldn't leave until after work on Thursday -- how sad! We drove to the beach (it was a long 2 blocks) and took a walk on the beach. As we were walking back we saw the RCI "Something of the Seas" sailing out into the ocean. How exciting it was knowing that would be us the next day.

Around 5pm another couple joined us. They are from Tallahassee. I knew them when I lived there and we travel together 3-4 times a year. Fortunately, the couple from Tally and the couple from home hit it off and got along spendidly.

We all went to dinner in Cocoa Beach. We were intending to go to Fat Kahunas. The reviews looked really good. When we got there it didn't look so hot. So we went to Coconuts. It is right on the ocean with lots of table space outside. It was pretty crowded but still nice. We didn't have to wait very long for a table.

We had arrived during happy hour so drinks were half price! DW had her usual chardonnay and I had my usual screwdriver. DS had coke. For dinner I had shrimp tacos -- my first. They were quite delicious. DW had crab legs. She said they were great. They are too much work for me! DS had fried srimp.

After dinner we went back to the hotel and sat around the pool for a couple of hours while FL and NC couples got to know each other better.

Bedtime! But who can sleep?

Day -2 Thursday

We woke up to a downpour (thanks TS Andrea). DW and I spent the day on the balcony (again) reading. DS complained he was bored. I reminded him that a rainy day at the beach is better than a sunny day at school. He hushed.

TS Andrea finally wore out her welcome and left around 3pm. The sky cleared so DW and I took a stroll on the beach. DS stayed in the room and texted.

We went to dinner at another of our favorite places, Crabby Joe's. Crabby Joe's sits on the Sunglow pier literally out over the ocean. You can see the waves below you through the cracks in the floor. The food is great and the drinks are cheap (are you picking up on the pattern?). I had fried shrimp and fried basa, DS had a shrimp po-boy, and DW had steamed garlice peel and eat shrimp.

DS at Crabby Joe's

After Crabby Joe's we had to make an ice cream stop so we stopped at Dairy Queen. I know it's not real ice cream but I do love a peanut buster parfait. Of course, I spent the night sleeping facing away from DW (she had the garlic steamed shrimp!)

Let the review begin!

This was my 5th cruise, DW's 4th cruise, and DS's 2nd cruise. Last summer we took DS on a cruise for his 16th birthday. He was hooked.

We chose the Dream because of Port Canaveral and itenerary.

Our sail date was Saturday, June 8. We left NC Tuesday, June 5 at noon! The idea was to spend a couple of days at Daytona Beach (our favorite) to get work on our pre-cruise tan. We drove as far as Jacksonville. It rained off and on most of the day (thank you TS Andrea).

We arrived at the hotel around 9pm. We stayed at the Best Western Airport, Exit 363. I booked it through Priceline (name your own price) while having dinner in GA. I paid $40. It was fine for one night and breakfast was included the next morning. I saw signs for cruise and park at the hotel so if anyone is ever cruising out of JAX this might be an option.

By 11 am we were in Daytona! I knew it would be too early to check in but we went to the hotel anyway. We stayed at the Lexington Inn and Suites on the beach. We couldn't check in but they did let us use the pool area while we waited. It was overcast (thank you TS Andrea).

A cloudy day at the beach is better than a sunny day at work!

Around 1pm it started raining. We sat under an umbrella at the pool until it started raining sideways! We were able to check in around 2pm. We had an oceanfront. DW and I spent the afternoon on the balcony reading while DS texted and did other things that 17 year olds to with their phones.

We went to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants in Daytona, Boondocks. This place sits on the Halifax River. It is very unpretentious. It is open air with plastic "walls" they can let down in case of rain. It is a favorite locals hangout. Wine is $3.50/glass and cocktails are $4.00. Can't beat that! I had fried shrimp, DW had blackened basa, DS had blackened shrimp alfredo. After a stop at Cow Lick's Ice Cream we rolled back into our hotel for the evening.

I first upload the pics to photobucket. There are other sites that will work as well. On photobucket, when a single picture is pulled up, there are boxes to the side of the pic, which are links. One of them says "Direct". Clicking it should copy the URL. Then come back to CC. In the reply toolbar, there is a box with a mountain, sun, & yellow sky. It's the "Insert Image" box. After clicking it, the pop-up asks for the URL. Since it's already copied, you can paste it in there with a Ctrl-V. Hit OK, and the image should show up full size in your reply even before posting.

Thanks. Here goes!

How do I make the pix big?

I'm going to write my review of our cruise (with pix) if I can get the pix uploaded properly. Any assistance is appreciated.

Test pix.

Is the steam room and sauna free or do you have to pay to use it?

Actually there is a steam room in the locker room (at least in the men's) that is free to use. I had some great conversations with crew members in there.

My first cruise was on the Mardi Gras in 1988. I went with a girl that was my future wife's roommate. The future wife and I went on the Holiday the next year. The roommate ended up being in our wedding!