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

[balcony bound]

It was formal night, I was hungry!!! Our tablemates had apparently fixed their seating issues, because we were alone tonight.

 

 

Dinner was wonderful. I love stuffed mushrooms, and wasn’t disappointed.

 

 

 

DH had lobster.

 

 

And I had both the lobster AND the prime rib! Okay, I'll worry about my weight AFTER we get home.

 

 

 

 

We left dinner comfortably full and happy. The atrium and lobby bar were very busy this formal night. Everyone seemed happy, relaxed, and having a good time.

 

 

[balcony bound]

We used the stairs (oh heavens) and found some more artwork in the hall.

 

 

We were torn between the comedy and the show - but when I realized that the comedy show would repeat tomorrow night it was a no brainer - we would go to the show.

 

I have a thing for theater curtains...and I just loved these.

 

 

My pictures of the theater aren’t great. I loved this space and was looking forward to more shows this week, especially the Dancing in the Streets we had read about.

 

 

The show tonight was Get Ready. We enjoy the shows, and this was no exception. If you like the dancing/singing shows, you’ll like this one! I was feeling great and loved being out for the evening with DH. We were relaxed and smiling - we'd had a near perfect day.

 

Afterwards we picked up a quick deli treat and called it a night. I couldn’t believe our first day at sea had gone so quickly! I still had many things I wanted to explore and do. But, there was Cozumel tomorrow - my Capers said so! Ready or not, our day at sea had ended.

 

 

[balcony bound]

On all our other Carnival cruises, we have been able to use some spa facilities for free, such as sauna, showers, hot tub. Is that not allowed on the Dream?

Sally

 

Yes, Sally, you can use the steam in the locker room and shower too for free. There is no hot tub in the spa on the Dream. There are many hot tubs located throughout the ship, though - including the Serenity Deck, which has two. You can access those through a stairway in the spa if you like.

[sallyb]

Thanks for answering and thanks for your review, I am enjoying it so much and it is helping to pass the little time left until MY Carnival Dream!

[kenspen2]

Thanks for taking the time to post such an informative review!!! We are traveling in March, I was beginning to get worried after so many negative reviews have been posted. Can't wait to go NOW!!! Thanks again :)

[balcony bound]

thanks for the great review and helpful info. my wife and i are sailing 2/13/2010, can't wait. if you don't mind a quick qestion, what does the weekly spa pass ($249) entitle you to ? i can't seem to find any info on the carnival website. thanks and stay warm for cryin out loud. jerry

 

We're trying to stay warm... but it was 28 degrees this morning!

 

The spa pass gets you into the VIP Thermal Suite: Private locker room with shower, thallassotherapy pool, aroma sauna, oriental steam room, and two separate rooms with warming loungers. The thalasso pool is heaven - it has mineral water, lots of jets, and is very relaxing. It's all well worth it.

 

You can still do the gym for free, as well as the steam rooms availble in the public locker rooms.

 

I sooooo want to be there right now!

[balcony bound]

i feel like i am cruising the dream reading your review. Thank You.

 

It's always nice to bring friends on a cruise, I'm glad you're having a good time:)

[balcony bound]

Balcony bound - we had the cabin next door to you on the cruise on 12/19/09 the "L" shaped cabin 8462 and we love it as well.

 

We also loved the ship - I just had to chuckle on the last day when Todd is trying to empty the ship at 6:00am - did they pipe in his voice for you guys as well? I have never been up so early on the last day!

 

Hope 2010 is is a great year for you both!

 

You were VERY quiet neighbors!!! We never heard or saw hide nor hair of you! I did peak across the balcony divider the first day and wonder if "our neighbors" were upset that the divider got moved:confused: Sorry if you were!

 

I was surprised at the 6am debarkation - yikes!!! We had too much stuff to self-assist, and we were zone 25. The ship was a ghost town when we disembarked.

 

What a wonderful cruise that was - even with the wind and rain! I'm glad you liked the Dream, too.

[CruisingAmazona]

so, balcony bound, tell me about the casino. Tight machines, tables??? I, like you, frequent this spot on the ship A LOT! Amazing review, BTW!

[*Mach*]

It's always nice to bring friends on a cruise, I'm glad you're having a good time:)

 

 

You're doing a great job.

I put a link to this thread and one other on John Heald's blog. Several folks have commented about how much they've enjoyed the reviews.

Keep up the great work.

I'm LOVIN' it!!

:)

[balcony bound]

so, balcony bound, tell me about the casino. Tight machines, tables??? I, like you, frequent this spot on the ship A LOT! Amazing review, BTW!

 

I thought so the first day or two, but they were just the same as any other ship. I got up from a slot machine that I had been sitting at while watching DH play craps (I was playing the slot). When I went to the restroom and came back, DH said - I wasn't going to tell you this, but someone just hit $1500 on that while you were gone. Ugh!!!!

 

DH plays craps. He was up pretty good one night, but overall he lost. Sometimes ya win, sometimes not. It's all about taking the chance!

 

I also overheard a woman while I was in the gift shop - she came in all excited to find her friends and said she had just hit $2000 on the slots...

[balcony bound]

You're doing a great job.

 

I put a link to this thread and one other on John Heald's blog. Several folks have commented about how much they've enjoyed the reviews.

 

Keep up the great work.

 

I'm LOVIN' it!!

 

:)

 

Aww, thanks Mach:o

[balcony bound]

Sunrise through our open wall of windows woke me smiling. I knew I had to grab my camera and take way too many shots of the sun coming up. Lucky me, I had hung my room service breakfast choices out the night before - the nice young man from Room Service arrived exactly on time. Now, I had coffee to go with that sunrise!

 

You can see the sky starting to lighten

 

 

Soon it would be daylight

 

 

 

And finally, daylight had arrived. Not that I was rushing it, by any means.

 

 

There is nothing more wonderful than sitting on a balcony on a gorgeous ship, watching a sunrise. The day is open to everything and anything, and soon I would be enjoying the day's surprises.

 

It was time for paradise, our morning trip to the spa. I am sure if I could visit this spa each day in my ordinary life, my stress level would be much less and I would smile more often. I do believe I need to retire to a cruise ship.

 

After the spa, hunger took over. Breakfast was AMAZINGLY good! DH especially liked the breakfast quasadillas. Everything was hot, there were no to minimal lines, and clean tables were ours for the choosing. I’m still scratching my head about some of those reviews...

 

 

 

 

Oh geez, I could go for some of that breakfast right about now...

[balcony bound]

Since we have now arrived in Cozumel, I need to tell you we have sailed this itinerary before, and we did not choose this cruise for the ports. We are eastern/southern Caribbean folks - much more our style and flavor. We chose this itinerary #1 for the date (both our offices were closed for the week); #2 for the price; #3 the Dream sails out of our home port. Since our plans for this cruise were to relax and explore the Dream, the ports really didn’t play into our plans that much.

 

I’ve never had a good hair day in the western Caribbean, and probably never will. From this point forward I avoided all attempts to photograph me! Nothing I did tamed my hair. I would be embarrassed, but since I was cruising with strangers, it really didn’t bother me. Hey, what happens on the ship stays on the ship - and that includes bad hair days.

 

Today is a windy day. We had rain overnight, but it was clear and breezy now - warm, too. The 37 k winds didn’t seem to effect anyone’s plans for the day. Many folks had already disembarked by the time we finished breakfast.

 

Since we had visited Cozumel before, we were just planning to play it by ear. I knew we could take a cab to the beach if we felt like it and the weather held (i.e., no rain). First off though, hubby had to "replenish" his wardrobe, and that meant picking him up a few shirts.

 

But first, I had to have my first glimpse of BLUE water... my favorite addiction. If I could match paint to this gorgeous water, my entire house would feel like living underwater. There just isn't anything to compare.

 

 

 

And, I had to look back at the ship... the Dream looms in port...and she overshadowed the Ecstasy easily.

 

 

 

And I couldn’t resist this shot of the double funnels.

 

 

 

 

And the Ecstasy lowering a lifeboat - perhaps a drill or some maintenance?

 

[micro yaya]

thanks so much for the info...we made our reservation for the earliest shuttle they said they had at 11:30...so i may call cocoa beach shuttle and have them take us to the port...did you have to call ahead of time or just that morning?

 

we have cruised for about 28 times, and most of those aare from the cape. We always stay at the radisson, and love it. We use their shuttle, go on the 11:30 bus. We go right in, check in and on the ship in probable from beginning to end about 30 min. When we return the shuttle is waiting for us. No hurry, they are the very best..... Go with then..........but that's just my opinion

[Cruiser_SG77]

Awesome pics and review! Thanks for posting! :)

[cjkumbaya]

I'm really enjoying your review - it is nice to have a positive Dream review. Thanks so much for taking the time and for the photos. Looking forward to more!

[dcmarianne]

I will happily add to the positive remarks! Our family of four (DH, me, DS19 and DS13) had a fabulous New Years cruise on the Dream. I can't think of anything worthy of warning future cruisers about.

 

The debarking in Cozumel was a head-ache, but the next day in Roatan was a breeze.

 

The first night we waited quite a while for anytime seating, but every other night was quick and we had a superb team for three of the seven nights (Kenroy, et al).

 

The brunch on sea days was incredible!! Do not miss it!

 

The Lido was crowded when you would expect it to be, but quite manageable at the beginning or end of b'fast/lunch times. Our friends RAVED about Tandoori (and they are very knowledgeable about Indian cuisine). I'm still a big fan of the Mongolian Wok. My boys' fave was the Burrito Bar. Oh, the tables were cleaned immediately and we never had a problem finding one available.

 

The stage shows were as good as reported, and I didn't think the female singer was screaming -- maybe she has toned it down.

 

Serenity is beautiful and well worth staying on the ship to enjoy while others are in port!!

 

There is so much to do that we weren't able to fit everything in (sushi bar, mini golf, deli, bingo, trivia) but we loved the meals, the stage shows, sunning on the deck, the casino (look for Vernadette and Hanspaul at the tables), the laser shows, etc.

 

Also, a stellar recommendation for zip-lining in Roatan. We went with Island Marketing (roatancruiseexcursions dot com). This is a 5+star zip-lining experience (safety, thrills, number of zips, etc). One thing though: skip the beach add-on. It doesn't cost extra, but it's just not worth the time away from the ship. The beach is tiny and crowded.

 

The Dream is awesome!!

[w8ing2cruz]

dcmarianne - quick question about your Roatan excursion. You said the beach was small and not worth the time away from the ship. Do you know which beach it was? I was under the impression that any beach near/on West End was awesome. We're interested in trying a zip line (never been) and your description sounds great but we'd love to follow up with snorkeling near Taybana.

 

Thanks again balcony bound - great review!! So much valuable info for future sailors!!

[forwardcabin]

And the Ecstasy lowering a lifeboat - perhaps a drill or some maintenance?

Yes, We were on Ecstasy docked next to you. It was a drill for crew only. They had the same drill about this time last year as well...must have had to get one done before the end of the month/year.

[balcony bound]

We made our way into the port shops for a couple of shirts and some vanilla. We also had to visit the pharmacia - DH had managed to bring most of his meds, but did forget something important we needed to pick up. I have a strict policy when shopping in port - bring nothing home that will need dusting in the future!

 

 

 

Along the way we met your typical scary tourists

 

 

 

 

And we noted that Cozumel had decorated for the holidays.

 

 

So, as you all know, shopping and scary tourists make a person mighty thirsty, so we had to stop for a beverage.

 

[balcony bound]

The scenery was beautiful and the spot was relaxing. There was some nice live music, too.

 

 

 

But, I feel I should to warn you against this spot for tasty beverages. As kind as I can possibly be, these were the most foul tasting drinks we’ve ever gotten anywhere. For the $20/pair, DH was determined to drink them - but we really couldn’t. Just in case you want to note the area -

 

 

Didn't there used to be a Senior Frogs here?

 

We continued to sit with our drinks in front of us and relax (figured we’d wait till we returned to the ship to work on the thirst). Another ship pulled in, and it was a little while before I could figure out who she was. I’d never seen a Celebrity ship before - and she didn’t look like "much" to me. I’ll stick with the Dream, thank you very much.

 

 

 

 

The folks I was chatting with agreed, they'd be happy to stay on the Ecstacy.

[loveJake]

It was formal night, I was hungry!!! Our tablemates had apparently fixed their seating issues, because we were alone tonight.

 

 

Dinner was wonderful. I love stuffed mushrooms, and wasn’t disappointed.

 

 

 

DH had lobster.

 

 

And I had both the lobster AND the prime rib! Okay, I'll worry about my weight AFTER we get home.

 

 

 

 

We left dinner comfortably full and happy. The atrium and lobby bar were very busy this formal night. Everyone seemed happy, relaxed, and having a good time.

 

 

I had to show the picture of your lobster to my DH, wonder if someone complained. We sailed on 12/12 and our lobster was not much bigger then the shrimp. But we had a great cruise also, enjoyed your pictures so far, brings back memories.

[balcony bound]

I had to show the picture of your lobster to my DH, wonder if someone complained. We sailed on 12/12 and our lobster was not much bigger then the shrimp. But we had a great cruise also, enjoyed your pictures so far, brings back memories.

 

Our lobster was a good size, and we still managed ate more than one:rolleyes:

 

I do know that it would totally depend on availability and supplier as to the size served at any given time. It's like here, sometimes the oysters are good and plump, and sometimes, they just aren't!

[dcmarianne]

dcmarianne - quick question about your Roatan excursion. You said the beach was small and not worth the time away from the ship. Do you know which beach it was? I was under the impression that any beach near/on West End was awesome. We're interested in trying a zip line (never been) and your description sounds great but we'd love to follow up with snorkeling near Taybana.

 

Thanks again balcony bound - great review!! So much valuable info for future sailors!!

 

Sorry for the mini-hijack! The beach is Foster's West Bay Beach Club. When we arrived, the tables & loungers were all claimed and the accessible beach area seemed tiny. They have a full service bar/restaurant and the requisite hair braiders/jewelry hawkers. I think you can request that any tour operator take you to South Shore Canopy Tour near West Bay and then to any other beach you like. We purchased the ziplining/beach combo from a tour consolidator.