Thinking of Sailing on Carnival Dream - Have Questions

[SGriff1317]

I am thinking about sailing on Carnival Dream out of New York this upcoming November and had a few questions.

 

The Bahamas ports don't thrill me. Will there be a lot to do on the ship? I know it is not the Oasis of the Seas in terms of entertainment but is there enough to keep me entertained during the entire 8 days? The reason I am debating is the first two and last two days will be quite cold and may keep me from the pool.

 

Has anyone ever sailed from the north east? Will the ride be rougher than the typical Caribbean cruise?

 

Why is the price higher on the Carnival website from travel sites like vacationtogo or travelocity? Does Carnival match the price ($499 opposed to $529)? Also, is there often price drops as the cruise approached? Coupons? Do they honor price drops up to sail date?

 

 

Any answers to any questions will be greatly appreciated, thank you!

[sylvasta]

I don't have answers, but I am marking my spot since your questions are questions I have had too. :)

[SGriff1317]

anybody? :D

[valancy1]

Carnival has this new rate called Early Saver. What this is is basically a price guarantee. If you book ES rate, you are guaranteed a discount if your cruise price goes down. You can still choose your room and class of cabin and all that.

 

The catch is that the deposit is non-refundable. So if you are SURE you are going or are willing to gamble with it considering there may be a discount, then go for it. We used this rate on our upcoming cruise.

 

However, if your price drops and you book with an on-line company, lots of luck getting anything adjusted. They simply don't do it as a practice. Sure, you'll probably hear from several who DID get the price adjusted, but I tried on both cruises booked from on-line companies and had no luck (and I'm pretty persuasive).

 

If you book with Carnival (or a GOOD travel agent), you can get some of these changes reflected in a non Early Saver fare, but you have to do the "watching". They won't do it automatically for you unless you have an ES fare... make sense?

 

I've read over and over on here that a GOOD travel agent is even better than Carnival direct. That might be another avenue you wish to explore. I don't have that option here where I live.

 

V2G and others may charge a different rate than the Carnival site. I like more personalized service than a website can offer, so I use a Personal Vacation Planner from Carnival. You'll hear pro's and con's from all different angles, but a) I don't have a travel agency in town; and b) I booked with 2 different on-line companies and while I would do it again with the one that does "cruises only", I wouldn't do it again with V2G.

 

Mainly because anytime you suspect the fare has dropped there is no OBC with them because it affects their bottom line. Anything else, they have to put you on hold and contact Carnival to arrange it anyway.

 

I just recently read that ONE particular sailing had rougher seas, but that doesn't mean YOUR sailing would. It is all dependent upon the weather.

 

As far as things to do, I'll post a link to John Heald's blog. It's lengthy but very entertaining and gives great info about the ship as well as PHOTOS.

 

http://johnhealdsblog.com/2009/09/22/your-carnival-dream/

 

I can't wait to sail on her. Hopefully next year while she has that "new ship smell" :D

 

Here is a link to some fun and shenanigans onboard the Dream:

 

http://www.carnival.com/cms/fun/ships/carnival_dream/default.aspx?shipCode=DR&cid=So_Facebook_1108

 

Hope this helps a bit.

[chachi]

Carnival does not advertise the 1A cabin price when you go to book a cruise. That is the cheapest cabin. If you pick an inside cabin, you can edit the room assignment and find the cheaper, 1A price. On the Dream this cabin will have an upper and lower bunk. It is for 2 people maximum. On sites like Travelocity, when they tell you the cheapest cabin price, they are giving you the price for the 1A. If you are going with a significant other, you probably are not going to want this room.