Carnival Dream review: April 17-24, 2010. Awesome cruise!!!

[k2excursion]

We had a hard time deciding what to do in Belize. Cave tubing doesn't sound fun at all, and ziplining scares us. Plus, there are no mountains or hills in Belize, from what we could see. We thought about a beach excursion, but we don't like the idea of being crammed onto a tiny tiny tiny island with thousands of other people with no shade and no bathroom. We thought about snorkeling through Coral Breeze, but we heard that there's no good snorkeling near where the ships come in. But one of the families that I talked to did that enjoyed it. The tender rides take forever, around 45 minutes when you count the loading and unloading plus the ride. It's a very long tender.

 

So we decided on the Altun Ha ruins, through Carnival. They packed out huge buses. They first did a Belize City tour, which took longer than we thought. The 30-mile ride to the ruins took well over an hour, as it was on rough roads, and you have to drive slow. The ruins themselves were really nice. We got to climb up on one of them, and most ruins don't let you climb on them anymore. So that was really nice. I loved the view from the top. It was a sunny and hot, humid day. The excursion did run almost 2 hours longer than it was scheduled for.

 

Back on the ship, I was able to get a late lunch. I rode the slides several more times, as the lines were short. A few of The Klev joined me on there. One of them became my good luck charm for the Drainpipe. I was able to go all the way around the bowl 4 times as long as that person was there with me. When they weren't, I could only do about 3. I got to watch as the Carnival Glory pulled away, coming very close to hitting us. We all had a great time up there! I had to rush to make it to dinner. They did too. After dinner, I went back up top to watch as we were sailing along. A couple of The Klev were up there too, and I got to talk more with them. My parents and I went to the comedy magician show in the theater. You're never sure what to expect with something like that, but he was so hilarious! There were a couple points in there that you just couldn't help but laugh uncontrollably. I can't evaluate the quality of the tricks, but the show was incredibly entertaining!

 

Tonight was the night for the big Deck Party. I always enjoy these. It started at 10:00. They were throwing beads out to everyone for about an hour. I managed to somehow get 2. That was a miracle. We've heard about chair hogs. How about beads hogs! One little girl kept running over and handing her beads to her mom. That way, people would see that she didn't have any and give her their extras. Her mom wound up holding well over 100. Really!?! What are you gonna do with all those?!? Before I got my first, people risked life and limb to prevent me from catching one, so that they could get their 10th. Things like that seem to bring out our dark sides.

 

Anyway! Fortunately, that ended, and we got to the fun stuff--the dancing!!! We did all the popular dances that everyone can join in on--Follow the Leader, Cha Cha Slide, the conga, Cupid Shuffle, YMCA. I love dances that are inclusive. There was some really strange dance being done to Cotton-Eye Joe. That must be the New England version of it, since they made up most of the ship. People in the South know the right way to dance to that song. Sailing out of Galveston last year, we all did it right, without instruction. Still, on this night, I did it the New England way with them. It was alot of fun! It wound up being a great day!

 

Altun Ha ruins:

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From the top:

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The Carnival Glory:

 

Sunset:

[luv2gonow]

Loving your review.....thanks for taking the time to post pics.

K

[jimbo5544]

Very nice review enjoying it a lot, making it hard to wait till we do the same on the Dream this August! Thanks!

[islandcruisersnc]

Great pics and great review! Can't wait for more!

[mrpayroll]

Enjoying your review. We were on Dream this past Jan. We really enjoyed Altun Ha. We did it with private company though. 12 people in a large van that included a lunch also.

[crewsweeper]

Great review k2. Reading your's and The Klev's brought back nice memories and heightened my anticipation for the next one in two weeks. Nice pictures too.

[The Klev]

Darn, K2!

 

Reading your post makes me want to jump in on another cruise with you!!!

 

Did you get the vids I emailed you?

[k2excursion]

Darn, K2!

 

Reading your post makes me want to jump in on another cruise with you!!!

 

Did you get the vids I emailed you?

 

Yeah, I did get them. I haven't had a chance to pull them up or save them yet. Probably tomorrow. I've been on other computers, whenever I get a chance. Mine went out on me. Thanks for sending them!

 

You're more than welcome to join us again on one of our 2 upcoming cruises: Triumph 11-8, and Miracle 4-4-2011.

[k2excursion]

After 3 straight port days of running around, it was nice to have a calm, relaxing day at Costa Maya. We took a cab into town, and hung out on the beach for a few hours. It was a nice beach. We enjoyed the peaceful morning out there. When we got back to the pier area, we enjoyed the big set-up they had there. There's a beach and a pool with the beach chairs. Many people just stayed around there the whole time. It was really nice. There were some locals that would perform dances for us around the area.

 

There were some clouds around, and it was very windy. Back on the ship, it was very windy as you got higher up, especially at the slide entrances, way up top. That was when we finally found that famous smell, way up there. But I loved the slides too much to let that keep me from sliding. A couple of The Klev joined me on the slides, and I was able to make it around the Drainpipe bowl 4 times again. We set sail from Costa Maya around 3:00. After watching us sail away, I hurried and got ready for the past guest party. It seemed like almost the entire ship was there. I then got a few more trips on the slides in before dinner.

 

It was the 2nd formal night for dinner. They had Baked Alaska for dessert, my favorite. The show in the theater was their 3rd song and dance show for the week. It was a tribute to motown. They really put on a great show! We wound up getting front row-center seats, by showing up very early. At one point during the show, the female singer came down the front row, interacting with the people. She got right up close to both me and my dad. I definitely enjoyed her singing all week. It was an awesome show, especially from where we were sitting. My dad also won a ship-on-a-stick, on his 2nd Carnival cruise!

 

The beach at Costa Maya, with the Dream in the background:

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The Dream, from the beach right by the pier:

[k2excursion]

More from Costa Maya, the area right by where we dock:

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From the ship:

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[k2excursion]

It was a very very very windy day, but it was mostly sunny. We were able to find 3 chairs together up on Deck 12, down from the slides, where I like to be. Unfortunately, the slides were closed. So we just enjoyed the sun, and took more time to enjoy the ship. The lanai hot tubs are unique. Food is also served out on the lanai. I ate at the pasta bar before it got totally packed. Finally, at around 2:30, they opened up the slides, even though it was still just as windy. The folks were downstairs watching the marriage game, which they enjoyed, while I was riding the slides as much as I could. One of The Klev and I got to use their waterproof digital camera to take video of ourselves and each other going down each slide. That definitely created for some great video footage. Thanks, Klev! I made it around the Drainpipe bowl 4 ½ times while I was being recorded.

The farewell party at 5:00 was in the aft lounge. I didn’t know how they would accommodate 4100 people in that lounge. As it turned out, hardly anyone showed up. I was shocked. The servers had trays full of drinks and noone to give them to. Everyone who showed up got plenty of free drinks. I couldn’t resist heading back upstairs and sliding a few more times before the slides closed.

After dinner, I ran into The Klev by their rooms, and I got to check out their nice balcony stateroom. From their balcony, we could see the buildings of the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area off on the horizon. It was just passed sunset. We talked about the amazing cruise, and we exchanged emails. I tried to talk them into joining us on the Triumph this November. I got my stuff packed up pretty quickly in my room, then we headed to the theater to find seats. I wound up sitting over with The Klev’s kids, in the front row. I really enjoyed getting to hang out with that family and teach’s this week.

The Legends Show was good, but it’s still the same as the other ones I’ve seen. I really like the talent shows that they do on the 5-day cruises. You don’t know what’s coming next. I find those more interesting. After the show, I had to go talk to Blackjack band one more time. Fortunately, they were on a break, and I got to talk with them for a little while.

 

 

On the lanai:

 

And, once again, the awesome slides!

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[k2excursion]

Debarkation off the Dream went very smooth and quick. We were the last floor called for self-debarkation (carrying all your luggage off). But we weren't quite ready, as it wasn't even 7:00 yet. We headed down at 7:15 and were shocked to see no wait at all to get off the ship. I've never seen that before! On the Valor and Conquest, there were massive crowds of people filling up all halls and the stairways for several floors. It took almost an hour to get off the ship. Here on the Dream, with over 1000 more people, we walked right off, never stopping except to scan the card. Other ships can learn alot from them. Customs went very quick. The shuttle back to the Radisson where our car was parked was free, and that went smooth. We were on the road by 8:00, and we drove to Panama City Beach and spent a few days there before driving home.

 

If you're considering booking the Dream, go for it! If you are booked on the Dream, just ignore the negative reports. It's not perfect, but nothing is. I prefer smaller ships, but I still loved the Dream and would definitely sail on her again, if it weren't for the fact that I love sailing on different ships.

[Lovharvey]

You mean to tell me there is another way to do the Cotton Eyed Joe????? We saw the band Blackjack on a cruise out of Galveston and went to see them every night after the main show. I was wondering where they were? There for awhile, I would go to their website to see if I could find out and never had any luck. Your review/pictures were great.

[cruiselover 43]

Great pictures & review Thanks!!!:)

[k2excursion]

You mean to tell me there is another way to do the Cotton Eyed Joe????? We saw the band Blackjack on a cruise out of Galveston and went to see them every night after the main show. I was wondering where they were? There for awhile, I would go to their website to see if I could find out and never had any luck. Your review/pictures were great.

 

There are so many versions of Cotton-Eyed Joe. It's like the Boot Scootin Boogey. But in Oklahoma and Texas, we seem to be in agreement as to the "correct" way to do Cotton-Eyed Joe. I'm actually a part of a dance group, in which our teacher has told me that our way is the correct way. The dancers struggled here, but it's all I could find:

. On the Conquest, we did it like this. On the Dream, they did it a different way, but if people in the Northeast do it that way, it'll be the more popular version overall (just not correct ;)).

 

Blackjack band switched to the Dream late last year. I saw that on their website a couple months before we sailed, and I was so happy to be able to see them again. Out of Galveston, with the young adult crowd, they always played more dancing kind of music, which I love. Out of Port Canaveral, it's more families. That's more my kind of crowd, but it's a different kind of crowd for Blackjack, so they played more mellow music. But everything they do is great. And Jimmy in the main country show in the theater was amazing with his fiddle and singing "Devil Went Down to Georgia".

 

Here's a pic from my Conquest cruise:

 

 

Anyone with other questions, feel free to ask.

[Lovharvey]

There are so many versions of Cotton-Eyed Joe. It's like the Boot Scootin Boogey. But in Oklahoma and Texas, we seem to be in agreement as to the "correct" way to do Cotton-Eyed Joe. I'm actually a part of a dance group, in which our teacher has told me that our way is the correct way. The dancers struggled here, but it's all I could find:

. On the Conquest, we did it like this. On the Dream, they did it a different way, but if people in the Northeast do it that way, it'll be the more popular version overall (just not correct ;)).

 

Blackjack band switched to the Dream late last year. I saw that on their website a couple months before we sailed, and I was so happy to be able to see them again. Out of Galveston, with the young adult crowd, they always played more dancing kind of music, which I love. Out of Port Canaveral, it's more families. That's more my kind of crowd, but it's a different kind of crowd for Blackjack, so they played more mellow music. But everything they do is great. And Jimmy in the main country show in the theater was amazing with his fiddle and singing "Devil Went Down to Georgia".

 

Here's a pic from my Conquest cruise:

 

 

Anyone with other questions, feel free to ask.

 

Did they do "Bobbie McGee"? They did that on our cruise and brought the house down. If I remember correctly, they also got a standing ovation. When we saw them, they played quite a bit of country which is what we really like.

Once again, I want to tell you how great this reveiw and pictures were.

Did you have any of the bad weather from the other day?

[Sarapdot]

Hey K2 - glad ya'll had a good time. Those water slides look awesome!! :D

[k2excursion]

Did they do "Bobbie McGee"? They did that on our cruise and brought the house down. If I remember correctly, they also got a standing ovation. When we saw them, they played quite a bit of country which is what we really like.

Once again, I want to tell you how great this reveiw and pictures were.

Did you have any of the bad weather from the other day?

 

Hmmm, I don't know if I may get run out of the South for this, but I don't know if I've ever heard "Bobbie McGee". If they played it, I probably wouldn't have recognized it. On the Conquest, Blackjack did play alot of country, especially on the country night, when the whole ship went country. The Dream doesn't draw the young adult/dancing crowds like Galveston does, and Blackjack always plays to their audience. They're good, no matter the style they're playing, but I do prefer the more upbeat dancing kind of songs they played on the Conquest. I'm not sure what bad weather you're referring to, because we didn't really have any bad weather at all. The last 2 days were windy, and there was some very brief and light rain on a couple afternoons, but nothing even close to being bad.

 

One thing that I don't think I mentioned in the review was that the whole week on the ship, we barely felt the ship move at all. I've had some very rocky cruises in the past, and this one was so incredibly smooth. Some people said that it was the rockiest cruise they've ever been on. I don't understand that. They must have never left the dock for their other cruises then, because I only felt very subtle rocking at certain times. I thought that it would be very rocky, since we have to travel so far so fast to get to Cozumel in a day and a half, and it's just as far heading back. But it was no problem at all. We were moving quick, but you couldn't tell.

[Lovharvey]

Hmmm, I don't know if I may get run out of the South for this, but I don't know if I've ever heard "Bobbie McGee". If they played it, I probably wouldn't have recognized it. On the Conquest, Blackjack did play alot of country, especially on the country night, when the whole ship went country. The Dream doesn't draw the young adult/dancing crowds like Galveston does, and Blackjack always plays to their audience. They're good, no matter the style they're playing, but I do prefer the more upbeat dancing kind of songs they played on the Conquest. I'm not sure what bad weather you're referring to, because we didn't really have any bad weather at all. The last 2 days were windy, and there was some very brief and light rain on a couple afternoons, but nothing even close to being bad.

 

One thing that I don't think I mentioned in the review was that the whole week on the ship, we barely felt the ship move at all. I've had some very rocky cruises in the past, and this one was so incredibly smooth. Some people said that it was the rockiest cruise they've ever been on. I don't understand that. They must have never left the dock for their other cruises then, because I only felt very subtle rocking at certain times. I thought that it would be very rocky, since we have to travel so far so fast to get to Cozumel in a day and a half, and it's just as far heading back. But it was no problem at all. We were moving quick, but you couldn't tell.

 

Bobbie McGee was a record by Janis Joplin. She had past away before I really started listening to music, but, my Mother remembered her. I think several people have done it over the years. I didn't care for Janis Joplin, but, loved that song. We do enjoy country very much.

The weather I was referring to was the tornadoes that OK had last week or the week before. My niece was driving back to Norman and her dorm and told us that the weather was pretty scary. I can imagine how scary it was for her since she has never been in weather like.

We have had only 2 bad days on the cruises that we have taken and it didn't really bother us. It was rough one night on our last cruise, but, didn't bother my husband at all since he has a problem with being dizzy all the time.

Once again, your reveiw was very good.

[k2excursion]

Sorry that my photos got pulled down. Here's a link to where I have all the pictures stored that I had posted on this review:

 

http://s865.photobucket.com/albums/ab214/k2excursion/Dream%20cruise/

 

Apparently, I went over my upload limit on photobucket, but they didn't tell me that I was going over it. They didn't even tell me after I had gone over it. They decided to wait for 2 weeks, allowing me to post all the images here, and then they cut off all links to the pictures, which means they won't show up here anymore. In about 3 weeks, I guess my "suspension" will be over and maybe the pictures will show up here again.

 

 

The weather I was referring to was the tornadoes that OK had last week or the week before. My niece was driving back to Norman and her dorm and told us that the weather was pretty scary. I can imagine how scary it was for her since she has never been in weather like.

We have had only 2 bad days on the cruises that we have taken and it didn't really bother us. It was rough one night on our last cruise, but, didn't bother my husband at all since he has a problem with being dizzy all the time.

Once again, your reveiw was very good.

 

Thank you. Yes, we had some rough weather in the state, but the tornadoes didn't get anywhere close to where I live. We did have some rough winds in some parts of the area later in the week, but not where I lived. I've always lived here, so I'm so used to rough weather all the time. We have 4 seasons each year: arctic winter, endless tornado spring, surface of the sun summer, and allergy autumn. We take it all in stride. I've never seen or been close to a tornado. On cruises, I've been near major hurricanes, and in enormous waves that can throw you to the ground as you walk, and had complete wash-outs in port. That's why this cruise was such a wonderful surprise.

[chachi]

Thanks for sharing your pictures with us! Great review!

[lovgod]

were you in a balcony on the back of the ship?

[k2excursion]

were you in a balcony on the back of the ship?

 

Sorry for the late reply. I was on vacation. No, we weren't in a balcony at all. I did roam the public areas of the ship to get good pictures though. The picture in post # 36 was taken from the lido deck. We were in an inside room, a few doors down from the atrium. The room worked great for us.

[Daniel Laginess]

Thanks for posting your last cruise on the Dream. I am looking forward to meeting you on your next one to see if this old man can get around the bowl more the you can. LOL

 

Danny

[LibraMale2010]

I just registered so that I could reply to your post, to be honest. I JUST came back from a 7-day cruise on the Carnival Dream and I smelled the "famous sewage smell" that you mentioned the entire 7 days. Don't tell me that you didn't. Both of us that went on that cruise smelled it a good 75% of the time and for you to act like the smell wasn't there is a bit ridiculous. It got "famous" for some reason, apparently. I, personally, have only been on this one cruise and had never looked up anything about it or any other cruise ship and just haphazardly found your post. Though, when I did, and saw some of your comments, I HAD to give a reply. The ship was huge and the vacation was pretty nice, but, they could certainly do with some air freshener scattered throughout the place. Even the Gathering stank. It smelled old and dirty like a diner from 50 years ago might. Almost all of the crew was friendly. Our CD was Butch and he was very energetic, yet, completely fake. He was very annoying as he kept saying, "YA!" to get a response from people. The shows were okay in the Encore. Could have been more variety and the singers could have been more well-trained. Oh, now that I'm on that, I MUST mention the Dream Atrium singer....she was the worst I have heard in my whole life. You'd think that the people that hired her would have listened to her singing, but, OMG....it was ridiculous. There were some highlights, such as Dominica (our porter on the cruise)...she was very cordial. Guest services were extremely gracious and quick. My two favorite bartenders Cahyono and Aung were also wonderful. I will miss them. The magician and juggler were very funny and the dance crew (Fun Force aka G Force (sp?) was spectacular. Overall, I had a very nice time, but, the entire cruise smelled of sewage, yes, it did.