My Fast Acting, Long Lasting, Dream Review. Just off the Ship this morning...

[Tangocherie]

Mredisney,

 

You mentionned that there wasn't a sofa in your stateroom. That's a bummer because on CruiseDeckplans in the cabin details section, they say that your room has a sofa. Did you get to peek into any other obstructed OV to see if they had a sofa? Great review by the way.

[Meredisney]

I like idea of clickable thumbnails- it does make page load faster, and fact they open immediately is even better than it going to a whole album. Now that I finally learned how to post photos to CC posts, I like your method. Can you give steps on how you did it, and what size you choose? I just joined photobucket and frustrated. Thanks

Oh. it's easy. Don't get frustrated.

Once you have your pictures uploaded into your album, click on the one you want to post. A menu bar will appear at the top of your picture. Select “share” then “get link code”. It will give you a few options for sharing. Underneath the one that says “IMG for bulletin boards & forums” there are two codes. You want the one that says “clickable thumbnail.” Then just cut and paste the code in your message here at Cruise Critic.

thanks for such a great review, love your writing style. you seem to post answers to things we are thinking before we even ask!

Wish I had read your review earlier. We passed on booking the Dream as many negative posts about crowds- long buffet lines, and in public spaces it being too crowded. A post that stood out said something like they should remove 500 cabins as they did not increase lido pool space or buffet area. We are cruisers who do things off cycle from the majority.

What is your opinion on lines,crowd on ship and lines getting off and on in ports?

Thanks-

I didn’t encounter any crowds getting off the ship or in port. I’ve mentioned that there were crowds in the AM for breakfast at the Lido buffet. I didn’t encounter as many crowds during lunch, but maybe that’s because of the other dining options.

Mredisney,

You mentionned that there wasn't a sofa in your stateroom. That's a bummer because on CruiseDeckplans in the cabin details section, they say that your room has a sofa. Did you get to peek into any other obstructed OV to see if they had a sofa? Great review by the way.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to look into the other OV staterooms around me, but honestly a sofa really wouldn’t have fit anywhere so I don’t see where one would have fit. We didn’t miss it though. There was so much more space in our stateroom then my parents.

Edited August 14, 2010 by Meredisney

[Meredisney]

Day 4 – Wednesday St. Maarten / St. Martin

I had breakfast in bed, again. Hot tea, raisin bran, and a banana…really beats the lido buffet crowd! I did make sure to hit the lido buffet before getting off the ship to get some of the Orange-Passion-Guava juice and put it in my fridge. I forgot to mention earlier in my review that I mixed the Orange-Passion-Guava juice with red wine and made sangra to enjoy at the pool. It was GREAT and it kept my bar tab a little lower! I even cut up an apple and an orange and tossed it in. It was the perfect, refreshing drink to sip on my lounge chair at the serenity deck! But, you can only get the juice during breakfast, so you have to bring a few glasses to your cabin and put it in the fridge for later ;)

 

Ok, getting back to St Martin…

This was the port I was most excited about! I had done lots of reading up on St Martin and learned that, according to local folklore, the island was divided by a walking contest between a Dutchman and a Frenchman. The Dutch control 16 square miles, and the remaining 21 are under French control. The Dream docked on Dutch side in Philipsburg. The pier is about 1 mile from the center of Philipsburg and there are a few shops located there. From what I remember, there was one liquor/souvenir shop, lots of jewelry stores, and a few outdoor vendors selling drinks and crafts. There was also a pharmacy type store where you could buy toiletries, drinks, snacks, etc. French is the official language of St. Martin and Dutch is the official language of St. Maarten, but the main language used on both sides of the island is English. Currency in St. Maarten is the Netherlands Antilles florin (the guilder) and it is the Euro in St. Martin, but the US dollar is accepted on both sides.

There is a water taxi that will take you to downtown, Philipsburg for $7 a person. There are also taxis readily available at the pier. A sign said that fare to Philipsburg is $2 and fare to Marigot, the capital of French St. Martin is $10. You could also easily walk to Downtown Philipsburg. I’d say it’s about a 15 minute walk from the pier.

I really wanted to see both sides of the island, so I convinced my parents to book the “Island Tour” shore excursion. Don’t worry, I won’t make you click all over the place. Here is the description from the Carnival website…

ST. MAARTEN ISLAND TOUR

Enjoy both sides of this beautiful French / Dutch island and discover the charms of both cultures.

 

 

On this excursion you will:

• See downtown Philipsburg, the capital of the Dutch side.
  
• View many important homes and businesses as you travel along Perimeter Road towards lookout point.
  
• Cross the Dutch / French border towards the capital of the French side of the island, Marigot.
  
• Spend time shopping or strolling along the main street of this quaint little town.
  
• Proceed past the resort areas, featuring many luxury hotels and resorts.
  
• Return back to the Dutch side of the island to finish your excursion.
  

We booked the tour prior to our sailing and found the tickets waiting for us in our stateroom one night after dinner. I think it was the second night, I don’t really remember. Anyway, the tour met at 9am at the pier. We boarded an air conditioned bus and drove along the perimeter of the island. The Dutch side is definitely more Americanized than the French. They have casinos, time share resorts, hotels, even a huge ACE hardware store LOL. We drove up a winding mountain road to what I think was called Lookout Point. It was a little cloudy, but we could see Simpson Bay Lagoon and the islands of St Barths and Anguilla in the distance. We got out of the bus for about 5minutes to take photos. From there we rode to the French capital city of Marigot. We were given 45 minutes to stroll and shop. We visited some of the shops and walked through the outdoor market. My DH, who has been to Europe was eager to have Crepes and I was starving! I guess that’s what happens on a cruise, you’re hungry every 10 minutes LOL. We found a cute little open-air patisserie called Sarafina's located on Marigot’s Front de Mer, across from the outdoor market. It had a glass bakery case displaying all sorts of sandwiches and delectable looking French pastries. My DH got his Crepes and I enjoyed what is possibly the best “sandwich” I’ve ever had, a fresh buttered French baguette that had three types of cheese (brie, asiago, and another one I can’t remember), tomato, lettuce, and whole mini pickles. OMG, my mouth is watering just thinking of this sandwich!I really should have taken a picture as words just can’t describe how amazing this was.

45 minutes was not long enough to spend in Marigot. We could have stayed there so much longer, but unfortunately we had to get back on the bus. The ride back to Philipsburg was very informative. The driver, named King, was quite knowledgeable and pointed out all the areas of interest including the clothing-optional Orient Beach. We were given the choice to be dropped off downtown or back at the pier. We chose to get off downtown to do a little shopping along the main streets of Front Street, and yes, Back Street. Front Street is really the main street with lots of duty free shops including the Guavaberry Emporium. It is about a mile long and has numerous alleyways that empty out onto the boardwalk and the beach. The beach was just lovely and was the perfect place to take photos of the ship. After a few hours in town, we chose to take a water taxi back to the pier.

[Meredisney]

Dinner

We enjoyed some champagne on the balcony as well sailed away from St Marten. For dinner that night, I had the Wild Mushroom Cream Soup and the Oven Roasted Tom Turkey. DH had the Vine Ripe Beefsteak Tomatoes and Fresh Buffalo Mozzarella, Chicken Breast Marinated with Thai Spices , and Veal Parmigiana. I really enjoyed the soup but the turkey was pretty yucky. I skipped dessert. DH had Orange Sherbet.

 

Wild Mushroom Cream Soup

 

Oven Roasted Tom Turkey

 

We had planned to go to the Deck party that night at 10pm, but we ended up spending a little bit more time in the casino and then headed upstairs to bed.

Edited August 14, 2010 by Meredisney

[Meredisney]

Thursday & Friday at Sea

 

I’m combining my last two days because they were pretty similar. We spend both days relaxing up on the Serenity Deck and taking part in some of the activities on board. My mom wanted to go to the tea again on Thursday so we did that for a second time. The selection was pretty much the same as the first time. I made good use of my VIP pass, relaxing on the heated mosaic lounge chairs and reading.

 

We had the Lanai BBQ and the pasta bar for lunch. The ship definitely seemed a little more crowded on the last two days at sea, but we didn’t mind. We were really just focused on enjoying the last two days of our vacation. We went to some of the afternoon trivia challenges, but we didn’t win a “ship on a stick”. They gave out medals instead.

 

On Thursday night, we saw the adult comedy shows. The two featured comics were Mike Macy and Allyn Ball. Our favorite was Mike Macy. I didn’t finish one of my bottles of wine so I brought it with me to the Burgundy Lounge. No one said anything . My DH ordered a few drinks as well.

 

Dinner

On Thursday, I had the Corn Chowder Maryland and Chateaubriand. DH had Cream of Garden Fresh Broccoli Soup, Eggplant rolitini, and the Penne Siciliana. For dessert, I had the Baked Alaska and DH Amaretto cake

 

Corn Chowder Maryland and Cream of Garden Fresh Broccoli soup

 

Eggplant rolitini and Penne Siciliana

Edited August 14, 2010 by Meredisney

[Meredisney]

Dinner on Friday was probably my favorite. I had the New England Lobster & Crab Cake, Lobster Bisque which was so-so, and the Grilled Chicken Breast over Fettucine which was so good!!!!! Dh also had the New England Lobster & Crab Cake as well as the Mango Cream soupand Barbecued Whole Cornish Game Hen. We all had the Grand Marnier Souffle

 

 

Debarkation

After dinner we headed up to our room to put out our luggage. If you choose to do the Relaxed Debarkation, you are suppose to leave your bags outside your stateroom between 8-11pm.

You can also do Self Assist departure which means that you can leave your luggage in your stateroom but then have to take it off the ship when you get off. We've done this in the past and always find that it's difficult to get an elevator so we chose the relaxed debarkation this time.

A word of advice, If you empty out your closet take the hangers out and put them on the carpet floor of your stateroom. Because they didn’t have any clothes on them, the hangers kept sliding together and hitting each other. The noise woke us up in the middle of the night.

Debarkation on Saturday morning was quick and easy. We woke up and went to the Lido for breakfast. We had enough to time to eat and relax before they called our zone. We were zone 7 and ended up getting off the ship around 7:30am. We waited about 10 minutes in the baggage claim terminal for the conveyer belt to bring around our luggage. The employees at the port kept hassling us about our bags asking if we wanted assistance with our luggage. We must have said “no” 10 times. By 8:30am, we were back in our car on our way back to Orlando.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I really liked the Dream. The smokers didn't really bother me as they had in the past on the Fascination. The food was probably the best that I have had on a cruise ship. I did miss stopping at a private island for a day at the beach. Three days at sea was a lot. The pools were small, but the addition of the water works area makes up for the lack of a third pool. The deck was HOT!!!! It was so hot that it burned my feet. As much as I HATE them and think they are the ugliest things in the entire world, you may want to consider water shoes for your kids.

I felt bad for the kids in the water works area. They had a long walk from the water works area to the slide entrance and the hot deck made it very uncomfortable for them. The SPA was amazing. Obviously, we are early risers so we never had a problem getting a lounge chair. Chair hogs weren’t an issue. I would definitely purchase the VIP pass again, but I'd skip the massage. I LOVED our room. It was huge, did I say it was HUGE!!!! Next time, I would get the same room but possibly on the spa deck. The ship was kept very clean.

 

I posted the Fun Times from our cruise in my signature. I hope that I help some of you make the decision to sail on the Dream. We really had a fabulous time.

Edited August 14, 2010 by Meredisney

[luv2gonow]

Great review....thanks for all the pics.

 

Do you think the Dream rides smooth. You said the hangers were banging. Was the ocean rough??

Thanks

K

[Cina409]

Wonderful Review THANK YOU!:)

[mrpayroll]

Thanks for taking the time to write your review. Enjoyed it....

[JMS920]

Great review! Thank you so much for sharing it with us, now I'm getting more excited about our Feb Dream cruise.

[acecombatmom]

I really enjoyed your review. I want to go back. I clicked on your review from mine and thought it was great.

[purpleblanket]

Great Review. Thanks for Sharing.

We will be cruising on Jan 1,2011 and are staying in a panorama spa balcony cabin and cannot wait to use the spa facilities!!

 

Debbie :D

[bcs819]

thanks for the review! 33 days for me till I'm Dream-ing...

[loisann]

Everyone in our group thought the Dream rode the best of any ship we have sailed on.

We would definitely sail on her again.

[Meredisney]

Great review....thanks for all the pics.

 

Do you think the Dream rides smooth. You said the hangers were banging. Was the ocean rough??

Thanks

K

LOL sorry. It was smooth. It was only the last night that the hangers made noise because there weren't any clothes on them. It was really more of them hitting together then a banging. They are wooden hangers and they were just hitting eachother as the boat rocked side to side. It wasn't rough at all.

[luv2gonow]

LOL sorry. It was smooth. It was only the last night that the hangers made noise because there weren't any clothes on them. It was really more of them hitting together then a banging. They are wooden hangers and they were just hitting eachother as the boat rocked side to side. It wasn't rough at all.

Thanks:D

[prefer the sea]

1. I went in the Thalassotherapy pool a few times. It was pretty much like a largewarm, salt-water hot tub and I found it very relaxing.

 

2. At the end of the hall is a spiral staircase and elevator. Both lead to the 14th deck where you will find the aerobics room and all of the spa treatment rooms. The elevator and stairs will also take you up to the 15th deck (the sun deck) which leads to the top portion of the serenity deck. To the right of the elevator/spiral stairs, are two more glass doors.

 

3. I used the spa shower a few times and each time I had to pack a bag with my conditioner, razor, comb, etc.

Q #1. Would you recommend the Thalassotherapy pool to ease muscle soreness or just relaxing. Or would a regular hot tub be just as effective?

Q #2. The staircase/elevator that goes to the Serenity area, is it accessible only with the VIP card or can anyone on the ship pass thru the spa to get directly to the top level? I know Serenity is accessible elsewhere, I just want to know about the use of the stairs/elevators in the spa.

Q #3. Do many people use the spa showers instead of the ones in their rooms? and, that's a darned good idea!

[debee1015]

 

OMG we had the sandwiches there too! They were the best!!!

 

Also for those of you going there, buy a baguette and bring it on the ship and order the cheese tray (to go back to your room) for dessert at dinner and enjoy some cheese bread (and if you have some) wine. This is even lovelier if you're on a Balcony.

[Senoj84]

Great review! I cant wait to sail it next month!

[Meredisney]

1. I went in the Thalassotherapy pool a few times. It was pretty much like a largewarm, salt-water hot tub and I found it very relaxing.

 

2. At the end of the hall is a spiral staircase and elevator. Both lead to the 14th deck where you will find the aerobics room and all of the spa treatment rooms. The elevator and stairs will also take you up to the 15th deck (the sun deck) which leads to the top portion of the serenity deck. To the right of the elevator/spiral stairs, are two more glass doors.

 

3. I used the spa shower a few times and each time I had to pack a bag with my conditioner, razor, comb, etc.

 

 

Q #1. Would you recommend the Thalassotherapy pool to ease muscle soreness or just relaxing. Or would a regular hot tub be just as effective?

 

Q #2. The staircase/elevator that goes to the Serenity area, is it accessible only with the VIP card or can anyone on the ship pass thru the spa to get directly to the top level? I know Serenity is accessible elsewhere, I just want to know about the use of the stairs/elevators in the spa.

 

Q #3. Do many people use the spa showers instead of the ones in their rooms? and, that's a darned good idea!

 

Q #1. Would you recommend the Thalassotherapy pool to ease muscle soreness or just relaxing. Or would a regular hot tub be just as effective? In all honesty, I thought it was just as effective as a regular hot tub

 

Q #2. The staircase/elevator that goes to the Serenity area, is it accessible only with the VIP card or can anyone on the ship pass thru the spa to get directly to the top level? I know Serenity is accessible elsewhere, I just want to know about the use of the stairs/elevators in the spa. Anyone on the ship can pass thru the spa and use the elevator/stairs to get directly to the top level

 

Q #3. Do many people use the spa showers instead of the ones in their rooms? and, that's a darned good idea! I didn't see anyone else doing it, but I read about it on these boards so, people must...

Edited August 20, 2010 by Meredisney

[Castaway Mary]

What a wonderful review. I am so proud of you. Sorry we crashed your cruise, but that is because we love to be with you!:rolleyes:

One thing I would like to add is that this ship caters to a younger crowd. My husband and I enjoy a quiet lounge at night and have always found a singer or band to listen to and relax. Not so on the Dream. There are children everywhere and in each one of the bars and lounges at all hours. (Also running down the halls at night) We really enjoyed sitting on our balcony at night and watching the sea! Also the Serenity Deck was extremely relaxing for my huband and I. He was always in the spa!:o

The Dream is big, the pools are small and if you don't get on line early for the buffet, you will not find a table or a seat:(.

The food in the Crimson dining room was the best we ever had and the wait staff performed every night. They were great fun!

Fun is what you make it and there is a lot of fun to be had :)on this cruise!

[Meredisney]

My DH finally got a chance to read my review and reminded me of a few things:

 

1. Be sure to ask your stateroom attendant to unlock your fridge/chiller and empty it out. We had ours unlocked on the first day and it was a great for keeping our wine and juice chilled during the trip

 

2. DH said that he didn't think the Thalassotherapy pool was that great. He reminded me that when we went in the morning for our massage it was actually cold. He's right, I forgot that part. It was cold in the AM. They must turn the heater off over night and back on in the morning. When we went in the morning it had not heated up. We tried before our massage and again after our massage and both times it was still quite chilly. Our hot tub at home heats up quicker than that. :(

 

3. I didn't mention the Tandoori Grill on Deck 10 Aft right by the Deli. It's right outside of the lido buffet. Just keep walking straight thru the buffet all the way until you get to the aft of the ship. There is also another drink station out there. The Tandori Grill was amazing. My DH ate there several times during the cruise. It featured Indian/ Mediterranean food. They had hummus, sliced tomato, feta, and cucumber platters, Tzatziki, naan bread (oven baked flat-bread) and rice. One day they had Boti Kabab Masala (lamb with fresh herbs, fenugreek, garlic and ginger) and another day they had chicken with another type of curry sauce. We even made our own Gyros! It was amazing, if you like that kind of food.

 

4. Room Service - A side from placing our breakfast pre-orders room service took FOREVER. We ordered some snacks and desserts a couple of times and each time waited over a hour for the food to arrive.

 

5. Television - most people go on vacation and do not worry about the television, but just in-case you are wondering the television stations are out of Colorado. I could have just been the strongest reception the ship had. I don't know if this is always the case, but if you are expecting to catch one of your favorite shows on vacation, account for the Mountain Time Zone. OR just DVR it and catch it when you get home.

[Cina409]

I going to take the Spa tour and I'm going to ask about the heater in the pool. I really wanted to get the VIP pass but I will only have time in the mornings to use it and don't want to get into a cold pool every morning. (that would suck)!

THanks again for all your tips!

I'm going to go to the spa raffle also and pray to win big:D.

Edited August 22, 2010 by Cina409

[Buffettfan 225]

My DH finally got a chance to read my review and reminded me of a few things:

 

5. Television - most people go on vacation and do not worry about the television, but just in-case you are wondering the television stations are out of Colorado. I could have just been the strongest reception the ship had. I don't know if this is always the case, but if you are expecting to catch one of your favorite shows on vacation, account for the Mountain Time Zone. OR just DVR it and catch it when you get home.

All great tips.

I think the reason it is out of Colorado has to do with the city height and ability to transmit from their uplink the best. I also recall about type of signal they use since ship is moving, and "rocking" and the complany they are contracted with. It is about "orbit and space logistics" and inability to use Dish or Direct TV but more of the old fashioned band like those monster dishes of the past.

Admitedly it caught us off guard one time watching weather, and really strange to see snowstorms when on a cruise!

[CRZCRAZY]

The ships do use DirecTV.