"LIVE" from the Carnival DREAM Western Caribbean itinerary

[Steelermoose]

Hello everyone...I am not on the DREAM as of yet, but I will be posting a live review and blog from the ship. We sail out on Saturday Jan 9th...I hope i can help answer any other questions you may have or need answered that others have not. I will be back soon as we are now leaving Augusta, GA enroute to Port Canaveral, FL.

[sbcruisers]

We will be on the next Dream western cruise. I have seen capers for previous cruises but I think they were all holiday weeks. Yours might be the first " regular" cruise for this itinerary. Please let us know which are the elegant nights since we are trying to plan which night to choose for Chef's Art. Thank you - keep warm - have a great time. I will look for your updates everyday.

[mrpayroll]

Have a GREAT cruise...We will be Dreaming on Jan 23rd. Hoping all the MINOR things are getting straightened out.:rolleyes:

[dprg644]

Thanks in advance for taking time to post while on your cruise. If possible post pic's :)

[Illa Zilla]

Have fun! The Mrs and DSx2 are going on the Dream the first week in March. Looking forward to your review!

[cah14522]

My family will be going on the Dream...but not until April. :( That's way too long from now - looking forward to hearing your reviews.

[Steelermoose]

We will be on the next Dream western cruise. I have seen capers for previous cruises but I think they were all holiday weeks. Yours might be the first " regular" cruise for this itinerary. Please let us know which are the elegant nights since we are trying to plan which night to choose for Chef's Art. Thank you - keep warm - have a great time. I will look for your updates everyday.

 

Hi SB...formal nights are the 1st sea day and the thursday night. :)

[Steelermoose]

Yikes!!! It is VERY cold in Florida!! After arriving in Cocoa Beach on Friday, my DW and I checked into the Comfort Inn and Suites and walked over to Four Points for dinner in the Shark Pit Bar & Grille. Great food and the adult beverages began to flow. After dinner, Dawn headed back to the room for some much needed rest and i continued to the hotel lounge for some much needed liquid warmth! ;) Met some great folks, including Hans and Bridgette from Switzerland, who are joining us on the cruise, They are part of a group of 500 internet marketers on the cruise.

[gaylensgigi]

Have fun, I love that ship.Hope it warms up for yall real soon.

[Steelermoose]

It is now 8 am and the weather outside is unbelievable!! They are talking snow!! It is COLD and the sleet is falling pretty good...just glad that i will be in the Caribbean when i wake up tomorrow. I will post again later today after we are in our rooms, and i have explored the ship a bit.

[Chrissygrand]

What crazy weather we are having! Have fun on your cruise - we will be cruising her shortly, 57 days to be exact! Can't wait!

[purpleblanket]

Have a great time!

I look forward to reading your review!

Hopefully, you can post some pictures as well!

Thanks so much!!

 

Debbie:)

[Nickymjw1]

Hi neighbor! We will be sailing 5/15 on the Dream. I will be following your live blog every day!

 

How long did the drive to Port Canaveral take?

 

And what room type are you in?

 

My biggest questions are:

1) about the smell everyone is complaining about. Is it that bad?

2) Anytime dining. Is service really slower?

3) lines at buffet. How bad, what time?

 

Thanks and enjoy your cruise!

 

What excursions do you have planned?

Nicky

[*Mach*]

It is now 8 am and the weather outside is unbelievable!! They are talking snow!! It is COLD and the sleet is falling pretty good...just glad that i will be in the Caribbean when i wake up tomorrow. I will post again later today after we are in our rooms, and i have explored the ship a bit.

 

 

That being the case we can expect to hear from you next Friday...

;)

You'll love the ship, the details are amazing!!

Enjoy the voyage!!

:)

[ciera123]

Looking forward to your live report. I hope you have a wonderful and warm cruise!!!

[Steelermoose]

:D OK here goes…We saw the funnel from a good distance away and couldn’t believe how big the DREAM is!! As we arrived at the port, the Disney Wonder was also in port and the DREAM dwarfed that ship.

Embarkation: We arrived at the terminal about 10:45 am and were surprised to see how few people were here at this time. The Carnival staff at the desks are FAST and EFFICIENT!! We were through check in and received our Sign & Sail cards in less than 5 minutes. By 11:15 we were entering into the Atrium. We of course took our embarkation pictures and were off to explore. Let me just say, you can look at all the pictures of her as you want, but until you see and experience the DREAM, you can’t even imagine how beautiful she is. We made our way to the Lido deck, and decided we would like to try the pasta bar. Dawn and I ordered the Penne pasta with Alfredo and grilled chicken…FANTASTIC!!! 5 stars!! Lots of flavor, great portion, and fresh ingredients. (I just have to mention that the stairway leading up to the pasta bar is very narrow, and there is hardly room for 2 people to pass each other) We finished our lunch and upon beginning our decent, observed the complete chaos that everyone has spoken about in the Lido deck buffets. I have already decided that we will most likely try to have most meals in the MDR or get to the Lido early or late. No big deal though. It is a design flaw that Carnival should probably try to address with the MAGIC.

We then went to our room (Riviera 1315) and met our room steward Ruslani from Indonesia…I slipped him a $20 bill and asked him to keep ice in my collapsible cooler throughout the week and he was more than happy to oblige. The room is awesome! We have a Deluxe Oceanview room with TWO bathrooms!! The second bathroom doesn’t have a toilet, but it does have a small tub with an additional shower. FANTASTIC!!! The room seems huge, has 3 closets, and a large desk along with a couch seating area. The decor is really subtle, yet classy. The earth tones are muted yet blend well and makes you feel warm and comfy.

After unpacking, we went to the lifeboat drill in the MDR. This was a bit odd. I liked not having to carry the lifejackets though. After a quick safety briefing, we headed to the Aft Sunset bar to meet the Roll Call group from Cruise Critic. This was fun and nice to put a face with the names. We enjoyed a couple drinks and some great conversation and were off to dinner.

We have early seating in the Crimson Dining room table 149. We were seated at a table for 4. My wife Dawn and I are in our mid 30’s and I was concerned we would be stuck with a couple of tablemates that we would not like. But, as luck would have it, we were seated with Carl and Autumn, who are a ton of fun. Autumn is also a cruise critic junkie like me!! lol!! We will have great dinners this week. J Our Head waiter Yotsa and his assistant Agung were fantastic and there was literally no waiting for anything. Drinks, bread, and orders were quickly taken care of and entrees were delivered VERY quickly. Everyone at the table ordered the flat iron steak…Hot, moist, and delicious is the only way to describe the food. Of course, the Chocolate Melting cake was desert for three of us and Autumn enjoyed the black forest cake.

I did forget to mention that we bought the weeklong pass to the spa ($249/couple) which includes all the amenities. RELAXATION!!!! We are now about to head to the spa to enjoy the pool and hottub. I will be back in just a little while.

[Steelermoose]

 

You'll love the ship, the details are amazing!!

 

 

:)

 

You are absolutely correct Host...this ship's details are amazing!!!!!!!

[Steelermoose]

Hi neighbor! We will be sailing 5/15 on the Dream. I will be following your live blog every day!

 

How long did the drive to Port Canaveral take?

 

And what room type are you in?

 

My biggest questions are:

1) about the smell everyone is complaining about. Is it that bad?

2) Anytime dining. Is service really slower?

3) lines at buffet. How bad, what time?

 

Thanks and enjoy your cruise!

 

What excursions do you have planned?

Nicky

Hey Nicky... it only took us 6 1/2 hours to drive to the port. Easy drive!

1) I havent smelled anything, nor has anyone I have asked about it. they may have been able to fix whatever issue they had. Of course, the trip is young so....

2)Not sure bout this as we have early seating

3)terrible lines and congestion...small area that is enclosed more so than some smaller ships...bottle necking is crazy. Especially when EVERYONE is inside due to weather.

[snorkelgrl88]

Looking forward to reading your posts since I will be sailing Western itinerary on the Dream in March! Enjoy your cruise!

 

Question for you,

Do you know if you are able to check your Sail & Sign balance and the night's dinner menu on the tv in the stateroom still? Or is some of this found on the new FunHub?

[dprg644]

Thanks for the review....keep em coming:D

[Steelermoose]

Looking forward to reading your posts since I will be sailing Western itinerary on the Dream in March! Enjoy your cruise!

 

Question for you,

Do you know if you are able to check your Sail & Sign balance and the night's dinner menu on the tv in the stateroom still? Or is some of this found on the new FunHub?

 

Hey snorkelgrl88...YES...you can definitely check your sign and sail balance on the TV among other things. Pretty neat interactive system. The only real problem i have seen so far, is that compared to the DREAM, all the other older ships are just that...older! They dont have the newest technology like this ship. The SPA is amazing and if you are not priviledged to be staying in a spa cabin which includes all the amenities, then it is worth every penny if you purchase the pass.

 

We had some fun in Caliente disco tonight. Great DJ and superb sound system. Technology here is where it is at!! There is entertainment everywhere. If you cant have fun on this ship, then you dont need to cruise anymore. Hang up the sea LEGS.

 

Let me also address this point while I have it on my mind... people have complained about the elevators being slow and too many people trying to use them at once. Folks...the stairs DO work on your Carnival DREAM. Dawn and I have found them quite useful and also faster than waiting. Seriously, with all the food you will most likely eat, it is better for you. ;) Besides which, if 1000 people leave the Encore Theater all at one time after a show...there will be long waits for them... I will return tomorrow to tell y'all about our first sea day and Cruise Elegant Night. Goodnite!!

[italian boater]

Hi, enjoying your review. We are sailing the dream 1/23. The ship doesn't look to have a retractable sky dome, but could you let me know. The stairs would be great if only going up my hip would agree, after a flight going up it starts sparting. Wish we were that young again but we still try and stay young. Tell me if the ship in public areas are cold when the weather is cold or overcast outside at sea. I will pack accordingly. We have a spa stateroom (inside) and looking foward to the amentities. Enjoy your cruise.

Joya

[OttawaCountess]

Hey Italian Boater, we're on the same ship 1/23!!! :D

 

there is a very large roll call on this site already for our sailing. You should check it out.

 

See you in 13 days!

 

Cindy

[Steelermoose]

Hi, enjoying your review. We are sailing the dream 1/23. The ship doesn't look to have a retractable sky dome, but could you let me know. The stairs would be great if only going up my hip would agree, after a flight going up it starts sparting. Wish we were that young again but we still try and stay young. Tell me if the ship in public areas are cold when the weather is cold or overcast outside at sea. I will pack accordingly. We have a spa stateroom (inside) and looking foward to the amentities. Enjoy your cruise.

Joya

 

Hi Joya...the ship does not have a retractable roof. The public areas are not too bad especially since the weather hasnt gotten over 50 degrees yet. BUT, the Ocean Plaza/Lanai areas can be cold as the doors are constantly opening and closing.

[smarks]

Thanks for the review. I will be looking forward to the rest of it. Did you like the Aft Sunset Bar for your meet and greet? Was there enough room to get around at this location or with hind site would you have chosen a different place? We are looking for a good place to have ours. Thanks and have a wonderful cruise.