Dream worth extra money?

[palavra]

We are looking at a Western Caribbean cruise next April. There is one out of Tampa that is about $50.00 per person less than the Dream out of Port Canaveral. The ship out of Tampa is the Legend. Would it be worth that extra money to take the Dream? The itinerary is a little different. The ships go to the same places except one. The legend sails to Grand Cayman and the Dream to Costa Maya instead.

[steveNcindy]

I would pay $50 MORE to sail the Spirit Class ships but that is just MHO

[goldenk]

The Dream is brand new, much larger and close to Orlando. Seems Port Canaveral ones are more pricey. That said, I live in Orlando and will be on the Legend in 20 days (had a great time last year and it goes to Grand Caymen).

 

The ones out of Miami seem to be cheaper than the two above ports. That possibly could be because of competition down there between the lines.

[BabyJacks17]

If you can afford the extra $ than I say it certainly worth a shot :) However, Dream certainly won't be switching ports anytime soon so there's plenty of time to mull this decision over and give a different ship a chance first.

[katiel53]

I think Dream is worth the extra money. I haven't sailed on Legend, but I have on Dream. My complaint was with the long lines for the buffet, but I think that problem is more or less solved now. I did enjoy the alternative venues for lunch. The pasta bar is absolutely wonderful. I loved the turkey sandwiches at the deli and the Mongolian wok. I didn't get to try the Indian food or the burrito bar.

 

The main show, Dancin in the Streets is really marvelous. I just thought there were so many positives to Dream. I also don't like tendering to ports and Grand Cayman is a tender port. Costa Maya has a short walk to a shopping area and there is a pool in the middle of it with bar service. If you prefer going to the beach, it's an easy ride to the beach. It is a poor area, but still one to be enjoyed. Grand Cayman is very expensive.

 

I know you will have a good time on either ship, but I'd go on Dream again in a heartbeat. As a matter of fact, I am next April, lol.

[UpstateCruizer]

I"d pay the extra money to sail on the Dream but that's because I loved the ship and all the extras it offered. It depends on what your preferences are on a ship. The extras like having two slides, a comedy club, a new lunch menu, pasta bar etc were all things I enjoyed on this last cruise. The shows were the best I've ever seen on a ship too! If it were alot of extra money then I'd stick to the Spirit class ships as we loved the Miracle.

[PictureChris]

The Dream is brand new, much larger and close to Orlando. Seems Port Canaveral ones are more pricey. That said, I live in Orlando and will be on the Legend in 20 days (had a great time last year and it goes to Grand Caymen).

 

The ones out of Miami seem to be cheaper than the two above ports. That possibly could be because of competition down there between the lines.

 

 

Hi GoldenK, what part of O-town? I think I know what your screen name means if you are a UCF fan/alum.....

[balcony bound]

We would pay a small amount extra to sail the Dream. Maybe even more than that:) We really enjoyed the ship and found lots of "extras" not offered on other ships.

[firefly333]

For only $50 pp Id pick Dream . $50 difference isnt much to me.

[paper1122]

It took me a while to make this decision. Ultimately I ended up choosing the Legend. Several reasons:

1. I can park at my in laws so no parking (I live much closer to PC so the longer drive is a negative)

2. Coming/Going out of Tampa is SOOOO easy

3. Crowds- having sailed on neither I had to go on what people said here. I am not a fan of crowds so the promise of a less crowded boat was a plus.

4. Room- for $50 less PP than a Riveria deck inside room on the Dream we were able to get a 4K room on the Legend.

 

No matter what you choose you'll have a great time.

[Knights on the Beach]

I would pay $50 MORE to sail the Spirit Class ships but that is just MHO

I think a lot of people feel this way, but I'm the opposite. While we've enjoyed ALL our cruises, the Legend is my least favorite. We looked at the Dream for our Thanksgiving cruise, but at the time we booked, it was nearly $200 pp more than the Valor so we'll be driving to Miami instead of the 45 minutes to Port Canaveral.

[gazingm42]

I would not... IMHO I will wait until the newness is gone. The prices will

then drop.

 

What is more important is where it leaves from and where it port of calls are at.

[tea4ular]

The updated spa is worth the extra, IMHO. There are some features on the newer ships that the oldies (but goodies) just can't compete with.

 

For me the deciding factor would be the ports of call, and how many sea days are offered,

[Frank12]

I would pay $50 MORE to sail the Spirit Class ships but that is just MHO

 

I've never been on the Dream, but I'd pay $50.00 extra to go to Costa Maya instead of Grand Caymen!

[golfadj]

We were going to sail on the dream for our upcoming october cruise but found that the liberty had a much better itinerary and was substantially less expensive.

[dclark]

I had the same choices last january. I am cruising in two weeks and chose the Legend. We wanted a balcony and a balcony on the Dream was about $600 more than the legend. Looking at the Dream, it looks like a more crowded version of a conquest class ship, which is a crowded version of a Destiny class ship. So, what would that extra $600 get me?

1) More crowded pool area. I would miss out on the ever popular "find the unsaved lounge chair" game.

2) Crowded lido deck buffet. You get to pretend you are buzzard, circling around a table whose occupants appear to be leaving soon.

3) Costa Maya, a yawner of a port stop. I have done the mayan thing with David, was nice, it has since been wiped out and rebuilt, nothing like that tourist trap high priced stuff in their little port area. Grand Caymen is also expensive, but they have nicer beaches.

As far as shows go, the two best shows I have seen on CCL are the New orleans show and the Beatles show. I don't know if they show either one on the Dream, they do have the New Orleans show on the Legend.

When we went on the platinum galley tour of the Spirit, we were told that this class of ship was designed to be more upscale than their other ships, able to cross the panama canal (panamax size) and be good for cruising anywhere, whether it be Carribean or Alaska. I asked why they didn't make more and he said that they are expensive to run, cost more to run per passenger than the newer ships. This class of ship is really the cadillac of the CCL fleet. The materials look classy, the design is pretty, the flow is excellent and the ship feels like it has a lot more room than any other ship in the fleet. Maybe this is subjective as there are lots of factors involved, but it might be the steadiest ship as well. I have cruised the Mexican Riviera on the Elation,Dawn Princess and the Spirit. The last night back is always rough as the ship is bucking that strong current coming from the north. The Spirit was the most steady of all of them.

Can you tell that I love this class of ship?

We took the $600 we saved, added an extra $1200 to it and got an inside cabin on the Golden Princess Alaska cruise for the following week.

[Knights on the Beach]

I've never been on the Dream, but I'd pay $50.00 extra to go to Costa Maya instead of Grand Caymen!

 

I meant to say that as well. We've been to Grand Cayman enough -- I'd love to go back to Costa Maya again.