We had an AMAZING Dream 12/26 - 1/2

[sylvis]

Thank you so much for your review! I was starting to worry about my choice of ships...but your happiness with her is an obvious sign that I should throw that worry away! I just wish that my families cruise was sooner as we don't sail till October 16th :(

[bookworm82]

Balcony bound, could you tell me what time you got to the port? We're staying at the Radisson and their first shuttle is at 11:30...I want to get on there as early as possible in order to reserve the behind the scenes tour....i'm debating on whether to get a taxi earlier than the shuttle or not...of course, i have 5 months yet to think about it...LOL Thanks for the wonderful review...I'm so excited!!

 

Were you on the Eastern or Western? I'm also wondering about excursions...

[tamstaff]

Hi. We were on the same cruise, and we had a blast! The ship is beautiful, the staff were wonderful, and the other cruisers were really friendly! I was sooo happy about that. You may remember us...we would ride the (beautiful) elevators just to talk w/ others...Destination No Where!

 

I love your enthusiasm about Saturday morning...we stayed @ Ron Jon's in Cape Canaveral --- I couldn't wait to get on the ship, either! Our taxi driver said 11:00 is optimal time to show up for check in. We got there just after 11:30... and check in was a breeze!

 

On the only negative note I have....we came home sick! My 13 yr old daughter was sick (throwing up & fever) on Friday (I kept her in the cabin!). She was better on Saturday. Then Saturday afternoon, I came down w/ flu like symptoms. My husband soon followed, then my daughter again! I certainly do not blame it on the ship! Anytime you get that many people together you are bound to catch a bug (or 3 in our case).

 

I have enjoyed your post and look forward to more.

[chachi]

Great review. It is so nice to hear the positives.

[gaylensgigi]

OOhhh I love this picture, that gold glass with the colored bubbles was so cool..I just kept touching them...dont know why,but I couldnt help myself

 

[iggy's mom]

I am loving your review and can't wait for more.

[ChrissyBTX]

Balcony bound, could you tell me what time you got to the port? We're staying at the Radisson and their first shuttle is at 11:30...I want to get on there as early as possible in order to reserve the behind the scenes tour....i'm debating on whether to get a taxi earlier than the shuttle or not...of course, i have 5 months yet to think about it...LOL Thanks for the wonderful review...I'm so excited!!

 

Were you on the Eastern or Western? I'm also wondering about excursions...

 

Did you reserve your shuttle through Radisson yet? I stayed there and when I tried to reserve, their shuttles were all booked up til 1:30 or 2:00. If you don't take the Radisson shuttle, call Cocoa Beach shuttle. They'll pick you up and take you to the pier for $3.00. That's what we did. We got to the pier shortly after 11:00 and got on the ship quickly. A taxi will cost you more.

[Stolinights]

i am leaving thurs for the dream and staying at ron jons how was the resort

[matt690]

That's strange. Several of our family members came down with flu like symptoms (fever, throat ache, achy body) the night we came home and still feel sick. I wonder if it can be from the ship...?

 

Anyway, we had a great time and will post a review soon.

[balcony bound]

Well, finally, here it is, Cabin 8466. I couldn't wait when we opened the door to see my home for the week.

 

 

 

 

The first glimpse brought a huge smile to my face, as the door opened, all I could see were windows and bright sunshine.

 

I've grouped together all the photos of the cabin to try and put together a good description of this aft-wrap. It's certainly not the largest aft wrap in the fleet, it was plenty roomy enough for the two of us.

 

This is the view when you walk into the cabin - the bed faces two large windows and also the balcony glass door. Wonderful to wake up to sunrise....

 

 

 

Hmmm, or snooze on the balcony as you can see me doing, LOL hubby caught me through the window.

 

Immediately on the left upon walking in are three goodsize closets. I of course, brought extra hangers (my DH really wonders at my needs sometimes) but I could have easily done with the hangers provided.

 

 

 

Just beyond the closet on the left, is a good sized alcove. There is a table in this alcove and you can see the flat screen tv mounted in this area. Directly next to the alcove is the bathroom. Please don't tell DH that you could see him napping in this photo! LOL, he'd not be happy with me, but it's the best photo I have showing that particular area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's another view of the window area. As you can see, the corner of the bed IS close to the wall - there is a lot of curtain fluff as well as bedskirt there, so it's a little more room than the photo shows. Neither of us had any difficulty getting through this area. We agree it's not optimum, but it wasn't anything that bothered us for the week. The balcony door is at the end of the windows, this photo really just shows the curtain there (barely). Next to that you see the bathroom, it's tucked into that particular corner of the room.

 

[balcony bound]

Here you can see how the tv is mounted, and a the bathroom door ajar with our robes hanging on the back of the door.

 

 

 

Here is a view standing at the bathroom door, and looking toward the refrigerator/mini bar (which you can see in the photo) and the dressing/vanity area is just beyond that.

 

 

You can see the early morning sun streaming into the room.

 

There is plenty of room in this area...

 

 

 

Just behind where DH is standing is the dressing/vanity area.

 

There's a very comfy stool you can see a bit of at the bottom of the photo.

 

This was also the only place in the room with an accessible electrical outlet. So, it became quite the station - hair equipment, camera charging, etc. I definitely suggest one of those multiplex outlet converters if you have multiple needs.

 

Here is some info on the mini-bar for those that are interested.

 

 

 

Ummm, the chocolate milk doesn't come standard in the fridge, your DH has to go upstairs to get his own, LOL.

 

Next up and currently uploading, outside to the balcony!

[balcony bound]

Balcony bound, could you tell me what time you got to the port? We're staying at the Radisson and their first shuttle is at 11:30...I want to get on there as early as possible in order to reserve the behind the scenes tour....i'm debating on whether to get a taxi earlier than the shuttle or not...of course, i have 5 months yet to think about it...LOL Thanks for the wonderful review...I'm so excited!!

 

Were you on the Eastern or Western? I'm also wondering about excursions...

 

We live about 15 minutes from the port, and arrived almost too early (I just couldn't wait). We got there a couple minutes after 10:00 and checked our bags with the porter. We were one of the first four folks inside, a quick health form to fill out, had our sail and sign cards within moments. There were few platinum/VIPs at this hour, and boarding went really quickly shortly before 11:00. At 11:05 we were enjoying our lunch and DODs.

 

We were on the Western itinerary.

[the dame]

Thanks so much for posting the pictures and your review. My DH and i are looking forward to this so much I am not only counting days - but now hours. We are flying into Orlando (from Austin TX) where it is 28 degrees as I am writing. I am hoping that once we are south of "the border" things will heat up and be comfy for snorkeling. This is our first cruise, his 65th birthday, our 25th anniversary and a celebration of life. I was diagnosed with Parkinson's this past September. We were lucky to get a spa balcony room, so I cant wait to enjoy some spa time!! Thanks again for the great pic's

[balcony bound]

Thank you so much for your review! I was starting to worry about my choice of ships...but your happiness with her is an obvious sign that I should throw that worry away! I just wish that my families cruise was sooner as we don't sail till October 16th :(

 

I know how you are feeling, some of those reviews are just plain weird. Don't worry about your choice, the Dream is a wonderful ship. It's going to take me several sailings to get to everything I want to do!

[balcony bound]

Hi. We were on the same cruise, and we had a blast! The ship is beautiful, the staff were wonderful, and the other cruisers were really friendly! I was sooo happy about that. You may remember us...we would ride the (beautiful) elevators just to talk w/ others...Destination No Where!

 

I love your enthusiasm about Saturday morning...we stayed @ Ron Jon's in Cape Canaveral --- I couldn't wait to get on the ship, either! Our taxi driver said 11:00 is optimal time to show up for check in. We got there just after 11:30... and check in was a breeze!

 

On the only negative note I have....we came home sick! My 13 yr old daughter was sick (throwing up & fever) on Friday (I kept her in the cabin!). She was better on Saturday. Then Saturday afternoon, I came down w/ flu like symptoms. My husband soon followed, then my daughter again! I certainly do not blame it on the ship! Anytime you get that many people together you are bound to catch a bug (or 3 in our case).

 

I have enjoyed your post and look forward to more.

 

Aye, she is yar:D Sorry, couldn't help that. The Dream is gorgeous and filled with experiences around every corner.

 

I'm sorry you got sick! One evening we were sitting in the Encore Theater waiting for one of the shows. We'd been there 15 minutes or so when a couple sat next to us. She was obviously ill - we got up and moved.

 

We both had flu shots in November (both seasonal flu and H1N1). Neither of us felt the slightest of illness, but we did make use of all the hand sanitizing stations. Well, DH might have felt not so good New Years day, but that's another story!

[crewsweeper]

Balconey bound...great review, wonderful pics. We're on the ship next week along with stolinights and the Dame. DW is already packed :D. We're in one of the spa cabins so really glad to hear you enjoyed the spa.

 

BTW, everyone, it was 38 with a wind chill of 28 this AM in Cape Canaveral. Brrrr... Friday is suppose to get up to 56, but Saturday morning it'll be near freezing with highs of 54 just before sail away. Sunny though:).

[Jeafl]

balconybound--I have no plans to sail on the Dream anytime soon, but I like to read about all the different ships anyway. I just wanted to say that your review is such a breath of fresh air. I have a feeling that you would enjoy yourself no matter what ship you were on! Thank you for a much needed dose of positivity! :)

 

I can't wait to read the rest!

[balcony bound]

This aft-wrap balcony isn't as wide or large as on other ships. But, it was perfect for us, and we enjoyed the heck out of it. You can see the light spot in the decking on this photo where they relocated the original balcony partition that some of us were upset about. Kudos to Carnival for fixing the issue!

 

I'd also like to mention that we talked with the gentlemen in the wrap above us on deck 9. They were really unhappy with the full overhang on their balcony, they never got any sun at all. So, if you prefer shade, you might want to check out that one.

 

We had 3 chairs (with adjustable backs), one table, and one lounger. I had a tendancy to move the lounger around depending on where the sun was, or how much I wanted. Wonderful views and lots of privacy.

 

It's easy for me to recognize this photo, it was embarkation day, and I couldn't wait to get myself into that lounger! DH was my personal beverage manager...

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know that there are some on this board that would not find this Cat 9 to thier liking, but honestly, it was perfectly fine and wonderful. We'd book the same cabin again without hesitation.

 

 

We even enjoyed after a nice rain (we had a bit of rain on this cruise).

 

 

[balcony bound]

Balconey bound...great review, wonderful pics. We're on the ship next week along with stolinights and the Dame. DW is already packed :D. We're in one of the spa cabins so really glad to hear you enjoyed the spa.

 

BTW, everyone, it was 38 with a wind chill of 28 this AM in Cape Canaveral. Brrrr... Friday is suppose to get up to 56, but Saturday morning it'll be near freezing with highs of 54 just before sail away. Sunny though:).

 

You'll love the spa!!! I would love to have another week using the thermal suite. And yes, it is very cold here, you will have a very chilly sailaway - sorry about that!

 

Our temps when we got to our ports ran between 80 and 85, so it was comfortably warm.

[balcony bound]

balconybound--I have no plans to sail on the Dream anytime soon, but I like to read about all the different ships anyway. I just wanted to say that your review is such a breath of fresh air. I have a feeling that you would enjoy yourself no matter what ship you were on! Thank you for a much needed dose of positivity! :)

 

I can't wait to read the rest!

 

Yes, yes, yes -- I'd like to prove that I can have a good time on any ship! Now, if I could just get someone to finance that for me, and babysit my house rabbits :eek:

[templed]

Love the positive vibe!

 

Great pics. Great attitude.

 

My thoughts are with you and your husband as you take on his illness. With that kind of an attitude, you're sure to beat it together.

[balcony bound]

Love the positive vibe!

 

Great pics. Great attitude.

 

My thoughts are with you and your husband as you take on his illness. With that kind of an attitude, you're sure to beat it together.

 

Thank you for your kind thoughts, they are very appreciated. And, LOL, my attitude is always much better when cruising. Kinda hard to get the smile off my face...

[forwardcabin]

We were on Ecstasy docked next to you in Coz. We were in awe of the size and magnificent look of the ship. Congrats on your great cruise.

[w8ing2cruz]

Thank you so much for the detail on cabin 8466. I honestly thought that the bathroom was behind the bed :D I think we will have a fine time there!!

 

I will reiterate what everyone else is saying - your attitude is absolutely refreshing especially in light of the journey you are facing soon. What goes around comes around - you'll be in my thoughts and prayers!!

 

Can't wait to hear 'the rest of the story'. Great job on the review!!

[balcony bound]

We were on Ecstasy docked next to you in Coz. We were in awe of the size and magnificent look of the ship. Congrats on your great cruise.

 

Yes, I have some pictures of you coming up:) I also had a nice conversation with some Ecstasy guests while we were in port, we were commenting on the Celebrity ship that pulled in. Nice family that I met and I have some good photos of your serenity area, too.