12/03 Dream cruise review

[ruthie101]

We just got home last night from our 9 day great cruise on the Dream!

Embarkation was a breeze. We got to the ship about 11:30 and were on board by noon. We got to go right to our room because there were no passengers getting off. Our room stewart, chanita was great!! Very friendly and kept me supplied with diet coke!

Our room was on the 12th floor and it was a spa room. It was very nice and very clean! We walked the boat several times the first day to learn where everything was. It was great exercise walking up and down from deck 5 to deck 12. Most of the lounges and the casino is on deck 5.

There was always plenty to do, many activities and many great shows! Do not miss the dance shows they were great!

We enjoyed all the ports, some more than others. We had never been to antigua or tortola before so it was interesting seeing them for the first time. Went swimming with the stingrays on antigua, another first for me. Once I got beyond screaming every time a stingray touched me, I was able to feed and pet them!

We thought the food was very good in the MDR. We did not eat often at the buffet, we did eat at the pasta restaurant quite often! It was excellent and that is why we used the stairs so much!! Our server, Desi(nickname) was the best`!!

We did not get to stop in San Juan as planned which was no big deal to us. I guess some people did get upset but we have been there before and we just enjoyed the seaday! We have missed ports in the past and it has never bothered us because it just gives us an excuse to take another cruise!! Besides we are enjoying ourselves too much to be upset about anything!!

This is our 14th cruise and we have loved them all!! But this one will rate as one of the best!! Everyone of the workers I had contact with had a smile and we really loved how friendly they were.

We did take the behind the scenes tour and it was the best!! we went on the Bridge, the galley, the laundry room, engine control room, and back stage. If any gets the chance to take this tour you won't be sorry it was great!

We loved the Dream and probably will book her again!!

[Illa Zilla]

Glad you had a good time! The Mrs. and I are going on the Dream in March. I've been reading some mixed things about the Dream and are starting to wonder if we should be concerned...

[ruthie101]

Do not be concerned! just go with an open mind and a positive attitude! I have a really hard time understanding how some people can complain so much when on vacation! Of course I have always looked at life with my glass half full not half empty!

[LHP]

Glad you had a good time! The Mrs. and I are going on the Dream in March. I've been reading some mixed things about the Dream and are starting to wonder if we should be concerned...

 

If you have enjoyed your past 3 Carnival cruises...you will enjoy this one.

 

One thing I love about Carnival is their consistancy. I like knowing what to expect.

 

We definately got our money's worth!!!

[oceanblue33]

Do not be concerned! just go with an open mind and a positive attitude! I have a really hard time understanding how some people can complain so much when on vacation! Of course I have always looked at life with my glass half full not half empty!

Hey Ruthie thats great advise. My wife and will be on the Dream Dec 19th and really looking forward to thid cruise. From some of the reviews the say its a good idea to go an hour early to the dance shows is this true?

[DGP1111]

We definately got our money's worth!!!

 

.

Ditto what Linda said. :D :D

[N2DFIRE]

We just got home last night from our 9 day great cruise on the Dream!

Embarkation was a breeze. We got to the ship about 11:30 and were on board by noon. We got to go right to our room because there were no passengers getting off. Our room stewart, chanita was great!! Very friendly and kept me supplied with diet coke!

Our room was on the 12th floor and it was a spa room. It was very nice and very clean! We walked the boat several times the first day to learn where everything was. It was great exercise walking up and down from deck 5 to deck 12. Most of the lounges and the casino is on deck 5.

There was always plenty to do, many activities and many great shows! Do not miss the dance shows they were great!

We enjoyed all the ports, some more than others. We had never been to antigua or tortola before so it was interesting seeing them for the first time. Went swimming with the stingrays on antigua, another first for me. Once I got beyond screaming every time a stingray touched me, I was able to feed and pet them!

We thought the food was very good in the MDR. We did not eat often at the buffet, we did eat at the pasta restaurant quite often! It was excellent and that is why we used the stairs so much!! Our server, Desi(nickname) was the best`!!

We did not get to stop in San Juan as planned which was no big deal to us. I guess some people did get upset but we have been there before and we just enjoyed the seaday! We have missed ports in the past and it has never bothered us because it just gives us an excuse to take another cruise!! Besides we are enjoying ourselves too much to be upset about anything!!

This is our 14th cruise and we have loved them all!! But this one will rate as one of the best!! Everyone of the workers I had contact with had a smile and we really loved how friendly they were.

We did take the behind the scenes tour and it was the best!! we went on the Bridge, the galley, the laundry room, engine control room, and back stage. If any gets the chance to take this tour you won't be sorry it was great!

We loved the Dream and probably will book her again!!

 

 

 

Does this tour cost money? If so, how much?

[matt690]

Thanks so much for the review. My family and I are really looking forward to our New Year's cruise on the Dream. We were a little concerned after hearing all of the complaints and negative reviews from the lines to the crew to the pools. I have a few questions for you after your sailing aboard the Dream.

 

-How is the Lido deck? It appears smaller than the Lido on the Destiny and Freedom class ships, with not a lot of deck chairs in the sun. Did you have to wake up early in order to get chairs by the pool/band/sun?

-How is the Lido Calypso "band." This is something that my family and friends love... laying out listening to the lido calypso band play all day. I was concerned after hearing that the band on the lido is now a duo. How were they in terms of hours and quality? Did they ever rotate bands on deck?

-Are there any must do's or must eats... from shows, to places to relax and hang out, to places to eat?

 

Thanks so much for the review and information.

[ruthie101]

Hey Ruthie thats great advise. My wife and will be on the Dream Dec 19th and really looking forward to thid cruise. From some of the reviews the say its a good idea to go an hour early to the dance shows is this true?[/qu

 

we were at the late seating for dinner so our shows probably were not as crowded as the earlier one. If the show was at 10:30 we usually went at about 10:00 and got great seats usually about in the third row.

[ruthie101]

Does this tour cost money? If so, how much?

 

Yes! it is $95 per person and worth every penny!!!

[ruthie101]

Thanks so much for the review. My family and I are really looking forward to our New Year's cruise on the Dream. We were a little concerned after hearing all of the complaints and negative reviews from the lines to the crew to the pools. I have a few questions for you after your sailing aboard the Dream.

 

-How is the Lido deck? It appears smaller than the Lido on the Destiny and Freedom class ships, with not a lot of deck chairs in the sun. Did you have to wake up early in order to get chairs by the pool/band/sun?

-How is the Lido Calypso "band." This is something that my family and friends love... laying out listening to the lido calypso band play all day. I was concerned after hearing that the band on the lido is now a duo. How were they in terms of hours and quality? Did they ever rotate bands on deck?

-Are there any must do's or must eats... from shows, to places to relax and hang out, to places to eat?

 

Thanks so much for the review and information.

 

We were so busy we didn't spend a lot of time on the lido deck but I did notice there seemed to be lots of lounges available. there are many areas on different decks to relax on. We preferred the serenity area on the top deck. In my opinion the calypso music was very good. There was always some music going on in many different areas of the ship. My dh and I spent lots of time roaming the ship to get our exercise in and enjoy a variety of entertainment at the same time. We figured it was a good way to work off the food. We enjoyed the pasta with the bolognese sauce. also the bitter and blanc bread pudding in the mdr. We like to try many different starters at dinner. Do not miss the shows with the dancers!!

also the comedy shows!!

[mississauga]

Our server, Desi(nickname) was the best

 

You got one of the best. We had her on the Splendor and knowing she was on the Dream, we visited with her several times last week. She had gotten a promotion since coming on the Dream and it was well deserved. We teased her that the next time we saw her, she would be an assistant maitre'd. Hope you mentioned her in your comment card. I hope our comments from the Splendor contributed to her getting her promotion as a senior team head waitress. Did you know she was in a supervisory postion up in The Gathering at lunch and after dinner whenever there was a late night buffet?

[Lilmatcat]

I see a few questions on this thread pertaining to the Dream so I thought I would chime in since I was also on the 12/3 sailing. We had no problem finding lounge chairs at all -- ever. When I went to the aft pool, on multiple occasions, I immediately found a lounger. In the serenity area there were multiple open spaces, as well as some wonderful quieter areas in other deck areas. Even by the main pool I often saw open loungers which was quite refreshing. And by the way, the slides were a blast!! We were kids at heart (even though we're much older... lol!).

 

The crew was fantastic!! I mean -- absolutely fabulous!!! I was greeted with smiles, hugs, and nothing but top-notch service. My only complaint in regard to staff was that Security was a little over the top. On our evening in the supper club they came in and began looking around, then huddled together, and it was a very uncomfortable experience rather than the serene dining experience it should have been (the food was spectacular -- just waaaay too much of it).

 

I know people complain about buffet lines on the ships. For that reason, I never go right at "prime time", but rather choose to eat a little earlier or later. As a result, I had only very small lines or none at all to deal with and ample seating space available. I ate at the pasta bar on the first day and it was wonderful!

 

I did notice a large number of people on board this particular sailing who were constantly grumbling and complaining. It was as though they were looking for things to complain about in an effort to try to get a free cruise. One person was furious at the Purser's Desk while complaining that they couldn't cash a personal check on board and were extremely rude to the staff. It amazes me (actually sickens me) how rude and condescending some people are to staff members. I have found if you treat them with a smile and respect they will embrace you in return and do anything they can to help make your cruise a wonderful experience. I know they treated me like a queen. I wish I could have brought them home with me because they feel like family. :)

[cruising_kelly]

We also had Desi on the Dream's Christmas Cruise and you are right... she is simply THE BEST!!!! I've sailed on Carnival 5 other times and she is hands down the best! She is professional yet personable and I loved hearing her stories every night!!! Does anyone know how long she will be on the Dream for? It's always nice to run into a familiar face while you are cruising!

 

You got one of the best. We had her on the Splendor and knowing she was on the Dream, we visited with her several times last week. She had gotten a promotion since coming on the Dream and it was well deserved. We teased her that the next time we saw her, she would be an assistant maitre'd. Hope you mentioned her in your comment card. I hope our comments from the Splendor contributed to her getting her promotion as a senior team head waitress. Did you know she was in a supervisory postion up in The Gathering at lunch and after dinner whenever there was a late night buffet?

[chloelocks]

Do not be concerned! just go with an open mind and a positive attitude! I have a really hard time understanding how some people can complain so much when on vacation! Of course I have always looked at life with my glass half full not half empty!

 

That's great advice! When we go on a cruise, there may be a few things we encounter that are less than perfect. Still, we're on a cruise! It's best to go with the flow instead of getting upset over the small things.