Reivew of the carnival dream, the good, the bad, and the crazy!

If you ever get to Grand Turk the stingray excursion there is very good. I have read that Isla Passion is where they have filmed those gorgeous Corona Beer commercials...I don’t like Cozumel but I’d consider going there!

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Saturday, Day 7 Sea Day

Don't ya just hate waking up knowing that the next day you have to get off the ship? Once day soon, I'm going to book a back-to-back cruise.

Saturday morning we got up and went to sea day brunch. I'm not sure what I had that day, but whatever it was, it was good. Charmaine actually had a Bloody Mary, which she said was really good. I've never tried one on the ship, but believe me when I tell you, I could smell it across the table and it smelled so good. By the way, the Bloody Mary cost $11.00...ouch! We all walked around the ship after breakfast, and then went to the casino. I actually won $373.00 on the Inca Sun god machine. Charmaine had won $263.00 on the Wonder 4 slot machine that has Buffalo, Wicked Winnings, Ms. Kitty, and another game I can't remember. John actually won over $100.00, but I can't remember what machine he was playing.

We went to lunch later that day and had Blue Iguana tacos, which was really good. I also forgot to mention that earlier in the week we had a breakfast burrito. I feel in love with those burritos and can't wait to have another one. You can choose your flour tortilla, and then add chicken, pork, potaotes, eggs, or cheese. Then after they roll it up for you, there's a little salsa bar on the side where you can choose difference sauces for your burrito. Love it, love it!!! They also serve tacos for lunch, which is really good as well.

We went up to the Serenity deck later and just walked around for a while, and then went back to the room to start the dreaded packing. It was so sad knowing that our vacation was coming to an end. We pulled out the suitcases, and started packing, as I hate waiting until the last minute. We were actually finished before dinner, and was able to go to Cynthia's room and explain to her what needed to be done, and what to expect when leaving the ship the next day.

We went to dinner for the last time, and took pictures with our waiters. Then we went to the finale of the Lip Sync Battle, which was fun to watch. I'm really not a fan, but I went just for Charmaine. I think I had mentioned earlier, I don't care for the shows on the ship, but she had bugged me so much about it that I finally gave in. It was okay, but something I won't do again. We went back to the casino for the last time, and stayed for a while. It was after1:00 am that we finally decided to call it a night, and hit the bed.

Saturday, Day 7 Sea Day

 

Don't ya just hate waking up knowing that the next day you have to get off the ship? Once day soon, I'm going to book a back-to-back cruise.

 

Saturday morning we got up and went to sea day brunch. I'm not sure what I had that day, but whatever it was, it was good. Charmaine actually had a Bloody Mary, which she said was really good. I've never tried one on the ship, but believe me when I tell you, I could smell it across the table and it smelled so good. By the way, the Bloody Mary cost $11.00...ouch! We all walked around the ship after breakfast, and then went to the casino. I actually won $373.00 on the Inca Sun god machine. Charmaine had won $263.00 on the Wonder 4 slot machine that has Buffalo, Wicked Winnings, Ms. Kitty, and another game I can't remember. John actually won over $100.00, but I can't remember what machine he was playing.

 

We went to lunch later that day and had Blue Iguana tacos, which was really good. I also forgot to mention that earlier in the week we had a breakfast burrito. I feel in love with those burritos and can't wait to have another one. You can choose your flour tortilla, and then add chicken, pork, potaotes, eggs, or cheese. Then after they roll it up for you, there's a little salsa bar on the side where you can choose difference sauces for your burrito. Love it, love it!!! They also serve tacos for lunch, which is really good as well.

 

We went up to the Serenity deck later and just walked around for a while, and then went back to the room to start the dreaded packing. It was so sad knowing that our vacation was coming to an end. We pulled out the suitcases, and started packing, as I hate waiting until the last minute. We were actually finished before dinner, and was able to go to Cynthia's room and explain to her what needed to be done, and what to expect when leaving the ship the next day.

 

We went to dinner for the last time, and took pictures with our waiters. Then we went to the finale of the Lip Sync Battle, which was fun to watch. I'm really not a fan, but I went just for Charmaine. I think I had mentioned earlier, I don't care for the shows on the ship, but she had bugged me so much about it that I finally gave in. It was okay, but something I won't do again. We went back to the casino for the last time, and stayed for a while. It was after1:00 am that we finally decided to call it a night, and hit the bed.

Congrats on the casino winnings....yea!!:D

It is really amazing how quick a week goes by when you are on a cruise. And I too would love to do a back to back one of these days.

I love the ships that have the Blue Iguana and Guy's Burgers. I don't eat them the entire cruise, but they are that added extra that keeps meals interesting.

 

Saturday morning we got up and went to sea day brunch. I'm not sure what I had that day, but whatever it was, it was good. Charmaine actually had a Bloody Mary, which she said was really good. I've never tried one on the ship, but believe me when I tell you, I could smell it across the table and it smelled so good. By the way, the Bloody Mary cost $11.00...ouch!

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I get two Bloody Marys every sea day. Depends on the bartender but usually good. I’m on Cheers so it doesn’t matter but I don’t think I’ve had one ring up over 8.95. Sometimes they’re on special a buck or two cheaper and one time they had a free double shots till noon.

I get two Bloody Marys every sea day. Depends on the bartender but usually good. I’m on Cheers so it doesn’t matter but I don’t think I’ve had one ring up over 8.95. Sometimes they’re on special a buck or two cheaper and one time they had a free double shots till noon.

thinking these were the dining room build your own bloody - very good :) loved them

thinking these were the dining room build your own bloody - very good :) loved them

That would make sense. I can’t drink them with meals. Mine are usually from the atrium or casino bar sometime between breakfast and lunch.

Great review! Passion Island looks amazing -- and I need something to do in Cozumel when we go in January! Now if only it wasn't a 45 boat ride to get there...

Sorry everyone, but I've been sick since I've been back, and it got worse. I will be picking up where I left off this evening or tomorrow. More pictures and review to come.

Hope you get to feeling better soon. Have loved reading your review, thank you for doing so. We are sailing on the Dream in April and can't wait.

Thanks for the review.

Thanks so much for your review. You were really able to capture the experience. I appreciate that. Congrats on your wins in the casino.

I've really enjoyed your review. Thanks so much for sharing the great time you had!

Feel better, enjoying the reveiw!

Saturday, Day 7 Sea Day continued

Hey everyone, sorry this is so late, but I was really sick. I ended up with bronchitis, and it just really had me so tired. I would still go to work, but all the coughing just wore me out. I'm feeling so much better, so let me hurry and finish this review up.

I believe I left off with us on the last sea day, which was Saturday. We attended the Lip Sync Battle contest, which was okay. Don't get me wrong, I think both people did a good job, but I'm just not into the shows, and contests on the cruise. Okay, here's my honest opinion, first of all the times to attend the shows are crazy. There's an early show around 7:00 pm, and then a late show at 9:00 pm. If we tried to go to the early show at 7:00 before dinner, then we to rush to leave during the show for dinner at 8:15. If we go to the 9:00 show, then we are rushing to finish up dinner (at 8:15) to get to the show on time. It's just too much rushing around for me. Besides, they are just a little cheesy for me (again my opinion).

Here are a few pictures we took before the show:

Here's John giving a once in a while smile before the show:

Me and the hubby:

The show itself was okay, but I was ready to leave. I did stay for Charmaine as she really wanted me to stay and watch it with everyone. You see the seats that John is sitting on. I have to commend Carvial for having seats available for those that have walkers or wheel chairs. I will say that you really need to get to the theatre early so that you can get the seats, because they are taken quickly. The majority of the people that actually sat in the seats were people that didn't use walkers or wheel chairs. Some people were pretty nice about moving and letting us sit there when they saw John with the walker. Other's didn't care and I ended up having to carry the walker up the stairs, and then finding a place to park it. Once I got his walker situated, I would have to go back and get John, and walk him to a seat. Folks if you see someone who is disabled, or a senior with a walker/cane, give up your seat please (or a woman who is expecting). Just the right thing to do.

Sunday, Final Day on Board

We got up that Sunday, the very last day of being on the Dream, and I was really upset that we had to leave, I mean come on...people waiting on you, and bringing you drinks. You sit at the dinner table, and someone places your napkin on your lap and then ask what you would like for dinner (sigh), I'm pretty upset about having to leave.

We went up to the Lido Deck for the last time for breakfast. Now I understand that the staff are trying their best to get food out for us, plus take everything down and get ready for the new passengers, but there was really not too many choices for us that morning for breakfast. The fruit was gone, no pastries or danishes were out. There was scrambled eggs, bacon, no turkey sausage, boxed cereal was also available, and really that was about it. Not complaining, just be prepared if you eat on the Lido Deck, that you might want to get there early.

By the way, I forgot to mention that while we were in our cabin doing a last minute check, our cabin steward actually went up and down the hall knocking on doors, to remind us to leave (hahaha). I actually thought it was pretty funny, because I have never had that happen before. It wasn't late, and we could tell that other people were still in their cabins trying to get themselves dressed and ready. She wanted us out, so she could start cleaning the rooms for the next guests.

Speaking of our cabin steward, she was really great. She had a very long name, which I couldn't pronounce, so she told us to call her "Pie". Very nice lady, that remembered our names from the very first day. She was really kind and very attentive to John, which I appreciated. On the first day we boarded, I asked for an extra blanket, as I like to the weight of the covers on me at night. Not only did she bring an extra blanket, she gave me an extra one, and asked if that was good, or did I need more. She kept our room cleaned, and was always asking if there was anything we needed during the week. I've read some reviews where people have said their cabin stewards were not good. Since we've been cruising, each person we've had was great!

Once they called our number to disembark, we got our bags together, and went to the elevators to go down to deck 3. Now, this is the only real problem I found with getting off the ship. The elevators were crowded, and they had closed off the four glass elevators, which for the life of me, I didn't understand. 20 minutes later, we are still waiting on a elevator to go downstairs. Michelle gave up and walked down, and said she would meet us downstairs. We ended up waiting another 15 minutes when Cynthia said for us to get on the elevator, and her and Charmaine would meet us with Michelle downstairs. For the life of me, I just don't get it. You have over 3,000 passengers that need to get off the ship, and you close down four of the elevators...not good. Once we finally got down to deck 3 we were in line waiting to get off the ship. One of the staff members that work with the cruise director saw John with his walker, and told us to go on ahead, which was nice. We waited another 15 minutes in line to get off the ship, and then we had to wait in a very slow line to go to baggage area. Once we got our luggage, we were in another line waiting to go through customs. Now one thing different I did notice, we didn't get the custom forms that they would leave in our rooms the last night on the ship. Apparently this is something they started doing, which I'm so glad they did. I don't think I should have to declare t-shirts, collector spoons, hats, and other trinkets. Now if I had a large amount of alcohol, like some passengers did, or cigarettes, then yes, that is something that should be declared. Glad they decided to rethink that process. When we got to customs, he looked at our passports, and then we were on our way out of the building for the last time.

Once we were outside, I called Brian for transporation to the hotel. We actually met up with the folks from the train, that rode with us as well, and he said that his driver was in the area, and would there shortly. Now this is where it got crazy. The driver shows up, and I remember the shuttle from the previous week. However, it was another driver (so I thought). He is up in the van, and actually handing out luggage, so I ask him "are you taking us to La Quinta on Camp St.", and he says "no". Now, I just spoke with Brian, who said his driver was coming to get us and take us to our hotel, so why did this guy tell us no. I asked him again, aren't you taking us to our hotel, and he said, "no". Now everyone in our group is looking at me like I'm crazy, and didn't get things arranged right. So I called Brian, and I ask him what the hell is going on. Now before Brian can say anything I happen to look back at (whom I thought was the driver), as he jumps down, loads the luggage on the cart, and he is now taking the luggage into the terminal. Okay, he wasn't the driver, he was the baggage carrier for the port. However, he should have told me who he was. I told Brian, all is okay, and then I walk over to the guy pulling the luggage cart, and told him very nicely..."you could have told me that you were the luggage carrier, and not the driver". He just looks at me and says, "I thought you knew". The driver was in the shuttle, the whole time on the phone, so we are ready to get on board. The driver and some of the other guys load the shuttle with our bags, and we are on the way to the hotel. Now that was a hot mess. I still feel that New Orleans Port Authority, and Carnival did an excellent job getting the port organzied. It wasn't really anyone's fault about the mix up with the luggage guy either, just some random mix up that can happen any time.

Although Brian was a nice guy, and I appreciated him keeping in touch with me once I booked him, but his shuttle was very scary. The way it sounded, and the heavy smelling fumes that was coming out of the shuttle, I don;'t think I would use him again. I found him by calling the Holiday Inn and asking if they had a shuttle to the port. The hotel told me that they did not have a shuttle that would take passengers to the port, but could refer me to someone that had a shuttle, so that's who we used. Next time I would call a limo service, or find another shuttle that we could take. Don't get me wrong, he's a nice guy, but he has got to fix his shuttle.

Sunday, Final Day on Board

The hotel we had the shuttle driver drop us off at was the La Quinta on Camp St. I have been trying to make reservations at this hotel since the last cruise we went on in 2014. Each time, the price was over $300, and I didn't want to spend that much for one night. It was the same this time around as well, but I wanted to stay close to the French Quarter, so we could look around and see the sights of New Orleans. Well, I made the reservation for the La Quinta back in May of this year, and the price was estimated at $307 (including tax and fees). It was high, but I said let's do it. Michelle had called the week before leaving to confirm hotels and other information, and she said that she had made a reservation at the same hotel with the price of $159. Okay, wait a flipping minute. How am I paying $300 plus, and Michelle is paying $159 plus. We confirmed with each other that we had the same type of room, same type of discount, same everything, and her room was cheaper. Charmaine got on the phone, and called the hotel directly, made a new reservation, in her name and got the price of $159, the same price as Michelle. I still had enough time to cancel my reservation, and that's exactly what I did. $159 compared to $300, yeah that's a big difference to me.

Here's a few pictures of the hotel:

The door on the right is the room door, and the door on the left is the closet. Look at the amount of space in the entrance way for a hotel room.

Bathroom (sorry it's messy). I just love the sink area.

Would you believe that these doors are for the bathroom. The doors are cute, but there is no lock on the bathroom door for privacy.

Coffe bar area in the entrace way

Again, sorry I'm showing you a picture of a messy room, but I forgot to take pictures as soon as we got in.

This was the morning we were leaving.

Lobby area of the hotel

Sorry for the double picture above. You know you have a certain amount of time to edit your post.

Monday, November 6th

The picture above were taken on Monday morning around 5:15 am. By the time we got down to the lobby area, the staff was setting up the breakfast area, which opened at 6:00 am. They told us that we could go in and grab some food if we wanted, while we waited on the taxi. I took two bananas for John, so that he could have something to eat before we got on the train. The front lobby staff called us a cab, and we were soon on our way to the Amtrak station.

We arrived at the station, and there were several people already waiting. I got John settled in a chair and left him with our carry on's, while Charmaine and I checked our large bags. We waited for about 15 minutes, and they made the call for us to line up to get on the train. I took John over to the area where they would put him on an electric cart, and ride him to where we would get on the train. Charmaine and I had our boarding passes checked, and we were also on our way to board the train. They got us all loaded and seated together on the train, and it left right on time at 7:00 am.

We were told that we should arrive in Birmingham around 2:00 pm that afternoon hence no delays! They opened up the dining car for breakfast, and also the lounge car for coffee and other snacks. I purchased coffee and a danish for John and I, and went back to our seats to eat, and then sit back and relax.

The train ride to Birmingham was uneventful. I slept, read, and played a game on my Kindle. When we got to the Amtrak station (right on time), they took John down the freight elevator, and Charmaine and I walked down the stairs to the terminal, and here's where it started going downhill... We again got John settled in a chair so that we could go and get our checked bags. We get there to find out that Charmaine's luggage was on the way to Atlanta. Now it's not like there were a lot of us that got off in Birmingham, and it was marked with the right baggage claim tag that clearly states Birmingham. So what's the deal Amtrak. The lady doing all the work, while the man sat behind the desk reading apologized and said to fill out a claim. Charmaine was told that she would probably have her luggage by Tuesday afternoon or early Wednesday. They would try and pull it in Atlanta and send it back to Birmingham, and then ship it Fed Ex to us in Huntsville.

We got the rest of the luggage, and then tried to decide how to get over to the Enterprise location to rent the car. I really didn't want to leave John alone, but we were going to have to leave him there, and then come back once we got the rental, no biggie right? Well this guy that is not an employee of Amtrak actually hangs around helping people with luggage, and giving them direction to where they need to go, plus he's a taxi driver as well. He heard us talking about going to Enterprise, and said he would take us for $5. I said fine, let's go. I told John the plan, and told him to sit tight, we would be back within the hour, and off we go. We get in his truck, and the first thing I noticed is two large circular cracks in his windshield (I quickly put on my seat belt), and then his driver side window is smashed as well. Oh well, at least we didn't have to wait for a taxi. We get to Enterprise, and I tell the guy thanks and give him $5 plus a $2 tip, and off he goes. We get in, and give the clerk behind the desk our rental information, and she says "sorry, but your car is out". Apparently, one of the employee's had the SUV we ordered, and we had to wait, and wait, and wait, and wait. It finally got to the point that I'm getting pissed. How do you tell a customer that we have to wait on an employee that has the car. Plus, they were all sold out of other cars, so we had no other choice but to wait. We waited so long that the guy that took us to Enterprise came back to check on us, when he saw that John was still sitting at the train station (which I thought was nice). I finally got up and told them if the car wasn't ready for us, then they would have to give us something because we had waited long enough. Finally the SUV arrives, is not clean, had some scratches on it, and less than a half of tank of gas, which I made sure was noted on the contract. By the time we got back to the station, got John, and got on our way home it was after 5:00 pm!!! The drive home really didn't take that long, and we stopped once to get gas, and also took some time to stop and eat as we were hungry. We made it home safely around 7:00 - 7:30 pm. We ran into a bit of traffic, but nothing really bad.

In summary, the cruise was excellent, one of the best cruises I've ever taken. The cruise itself was fun, great ports, the staff was excellent, and the weather was perfect. We only had the one hiccup in Jamaica, but that's not Carnival's fault at all. The major problem we had was with Enterprise, and I plan on addressing that with their corporate office.

The embarkation in New Orleans was the best I've ever seen, and so much so that I actually wrote a note to John Heald congratulating them on a job well done. People are always complaining about stuff that goes wrong, so I thought it would be nice to tell him how great the embarkation was. He sent me a thank you, and said he would let the staff at the port know.

The only other issue was the train derailment going to New Orleans. That wasn't the fault of Amtrak, or anyone else it happened. However, it does remind me that if you are going to travel to the port, I would always go a day in advance, always. You never know what could happen, and a train derailment was something we never expected.

We are already planning our next big cruise probably in 2019. We are going to have to fly to the port, which will be in Florida, so we will need to leave the day before and get a hotel in Miami.

I'll be posting a few more random picture taken during the cruise. Hope you enjoyed this review, and I hope that you will read my next one, which I promise will be more in order.

Enjoyed the photos...thanks.

Thanks so much for your review! It was great! Glad to hear that you are feeling better....just in time for Thanksgiving! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Let us know how Enterprise Corporate handles your complaint. I would go on Trip Advisor and Face Book and anywhere else online and blast that rental car company. Shame on them! No one should have to deal with that kind of treatment. The manager and employees should all be fired!

I just love reading your review, so detailed! Did you write this all from memory, or did you take notes every day? Your memory is a lot better than mine :)

Also, I just realized that you were on the same cruise that my mom and stepdad were on. They dressed up as Gomez and Morticia for the Halloween event on the ship.

This should be an interesting review with your husband being 26 years older than you. Amazing! :)

My husband is 25 years older, and unless there are health or mobility issues, I'm not sure how his age would impact the review. Perhaps this has already been addressed - I didn't read the entire thread.

This should be an interesting review with your husband being 26 years older than you. Amazing! :)

My husband is 25 years older, and unless there are health or mobility issues, I'm not sure how his age would impact the review. Perhaps this has already been addressed - I didn't read the entire thread.

Well....25 years is no big deal...26 years would’ve been interesting.

I just have to say...you’re great! You are a trooper with all that life has thrown at you, and I’m so happy you could get away with your family and friends for some sun, fun, and relaxation! [emoji3] P.S. I can relate to your OCD ways. [emoji5]

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What a GREAT review!! Thank you so much for taking the time to write and share your experience with us - I like your writing style and wit. I'll be on the Dream in 16 days to celebrate my 50th (slightly different itinerary though).

PS. THANK YOU for your service.

Toni

Thx 4 the review! I cruise her in 70 days!!! YEAH ME!

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