Returned today off Dream :( They need help !

[Crusin6]

I have been following the posts and threads about the Dream since its inaugural voyage......and there is no denying it.....it has some issues and I find it difficult to believe that CCL can't see them and fix them.

Too may negatives about this ship....and that is not coming from me...that is based on the info gathered here on CC.

[moonandsun]

I know we have not been a part of the CC team for as long as must, but I must say that I have never seen as many negative posts for any one subject as I do the dream. What is going on? Could it really be so bad? How could they continue to be booked to capacity, so what gives? :confused::confused:

[shelkate1]

[SIZE=4][COLOR=lime]OK, I have been watching you all beat this woman to death for the last 2 days and I can't just not say anything anymore. [/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE=4][COLOR=#00ff00]I do not know her personally, but I was an active participant on the roll call. She was a regular poster and appeared to be just as excited as all of us to be going on this trip. She was actually one of the last pre-cruise post on the thread. [/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE=4][COLOR=#00ff00]She didn't really participate on board with the activities we had planned but she is totally entitled to her opinion. Her trip wasn't what she has come to expect and that's ok. I did on occasion experience the smell...but you know 4000 people on a boat doing their business without the benefit of air freshener certainly doesn't help. [/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE=4][COLOR=#00ff00]I did not experience any "fights" or anything, but you have that many people in a relatively confinded area drinking non stop there will be the occasional confrontation. My service was acceptable, just not as good as on some of the other Carnival ships I have sailed. I would have to say that the economy has affected all of us, including Carnival. The service certainly didn't lack because the folks weren't working hard enough. It just looked like cut backs have hit them as they seem to have affected nearly every industry in this country.[/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE=4][COLOR=#00ff00]If any of you have some questions about the ship or the sailing, I will be more than happy to answer. I wouldn't be back to answer anyone if I were her either. [/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE=4][COLOR=#00ff00]Folks, I am a loyal Carnival customer, I don't let little things ruin my vacation, but everyone is entitled to their opinion and experience. Maybe we could all be a little more welcoming of that. [/COLOR][/SIZE]

[wimsiecruise]

Well said Shelkate1 ! I'm glad you knew the OP and confirmed some of her complaints, because a lot of folk in here were suspecting a troll.

Anyway, not all cruises are great...I liked my cruise on the Celebrity but hated the cabin shaking day and night (rough weather, broken stabilizer - not their fault), and solo travelers were not always given the same consideration or attention as couples and families (read: big-time spenders). But all-in-all, I had a good time and I look forward to my first time with Carnival in December.:)

By the way, why would anyone think $4,000 a lot ? I'm paying more than $3,000 for an OV in the bowels of the ship (that include single supplement and airfare), so 4K is not outrageous for a suite + 2 pax.

[minnesotalady]

We sailed on the Dream last New Years in a suite. Got the bad smell one night getting ready for dinner. Other than that we had a wonderful time on this ship. The staff were beyond wonderful. The day we got home, the three of us had red bite marks all over that were the next day diagonesed by our doctor as bed bugs. Oh well that is an issue everywhere now. Our daughter came down with H1N1, at that time, all over. We had a great cruise and cruising as we do not live in a bubble!

[StevieG]

[quote name='ChefSusan']Unless the OP comes back on here with more information, I am not buying this review for one second.

Nobody pays $4K for a suite unless they had 3+ people in there and are including all of their expenses in the price.

I cry foul![/quote]

Try going to the Carnival web site and book a grand suite, then tell me there are no $4,000 cabins.

[minnesotalady]

[quote name='StevieG']Try going to the Carnival web site and book a grand suite, then tell me there are no $4,000 cabins.[/quote]

Totally agree!!!

[halos]

[quote name='jetskier'].

When the Fantasy came out of drydock after having the Waterworks and the other upgrades done, stepping off the elevator was like hitting a wall of sewer smell. It took them a couple of weeks to finally resolve it. If you think it was bad for the passengers, dont forget about the crew. It had to be horrid for them.
Dave[/quote]

That will unfortunately be a memory I hold forever.
This is why when people complain about that smell, I have total sympathy.
It is horrid. :(

The very sad thing is, for a new ship, the Dream has far too many negative reviews.
Yes, I know there are good reviews for the Dream posted all the time, but the bad reviews are WAY too many for a brand new ship.
I hope that CCL does better with the [I]Magic.[/I]

[jetskier]

[quote name='wimsiecruise']
By the way, why would anyone think $4,000 a lot ? I'm paying more than $3,000 for a OV in the bowels of the ship (that include single supplement and airfare), so 4K is not outrageous for a suite + 2 pax.[/quote]

Not saying there are not cabins out there for that price. I just wouldnt pay that price.

The most I have paid for a cruise has been $2200 for a 15 night in a balcony for two people. The second most was over a Thanksgiving holiday on a 7-night for 4 people in an IS for $2000. I just got off the Elation on a 5-night for four in an IS for $1350. All of those prices included trip insurance.

The cheapest I have cruised was 7-nights in a balcony for $770 for two people. The majority of my cruises for 5-nights have ranged in the $180-450pp in IS or OV categories.

Dave

[Casino Player]

[quote name='shelkate1'][SIZE=4][COLOR=lime]OK, I have been watching you all beat this woman to death for the last 2 days and I can't just not say anything anymore. [/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE=4][COLOR=#00ff00][/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE=4][COLOR=darkgreen]HHHHHEEEEELLLLLLLLLLOOOOO shelkate1: I agree with the original poster. There are some problems with the ship. If she wants to try another cruise line then that is her decision. I won't let this cruise spoil my view of Carnival because I've had a lot of good cruises on Carnival.[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[maggieworkman]

[quote name='TEXAZJEWL']I don't think either of these incidents were "gang" fighting.
Usually just drunken disputes between a couple of people hanging out in the bars.

Let's not get people saying there is gang war-fare on Carnival now... THAT would get some really going! LOL[/quote]

Actually on the other thread that posted a video of a fight, it was implied it was gang related. So I am not making it up.

Maggie

[im4clowns]

[quote name='scchasgal']Umm did you look at the price for a GS low season (hurricane)? The prices WITHOUT taxes and port fees is 4058.00 for two pax.[/QUOTE]

I am booked on the glory is a GS for myself, Dh, 23 month old daughter and my sister and our cost with tax, port charges, and what not is just over 4,100 so I agree with you that its easy to spend that on a suite.

[amusea]

I have cruised on 18 different cruise lines in over 40 years of cruising both at the low and high end of the price scale - three of which are now defunct. My philosophy has always been that if a cruise really upsets me I might give the line a second chance but in two cases the experience was so bad that it made me decide to never return to those lines. One was Costa and one was Crystal. Now I have friends who strongly defend both lines and that's fine but it is only me who can make a decision to say 'no more'. What is mildly upsetting to one person can leave a permanent bad taste to another. The comment that any cruise is better than no cruise is no justification for a really poor cruise experience. There are so many lines and so many ships competing for my cruise dollars that my instinct is to search out a different line if I have a really bad experience. So I do understand the OP's decision. In the case of the [I]Crystal Harmony[/I] the smell in my room was so objectionable that I could not sleep in the room. The staff on board said there was nothing they could do and I think they were probably correct. Calling the front desk and the engineer, hotel staff, etc. resulted only in an apology and a lame and ridiculous excuse. I wound up sleeping on a sofa in the main lobby because the ship was full and no other room was available. If this had been the only problem with the cruise I just might have tried the line again but there were several other situations that were not only inexcusable but finally forced me to say 'no more'. Finding the cruise lines that were the best fit for me and on which I enjoyed myself the most has resulted in many wonderful cruises with almost no major problems. I wonder how many folks on these boards have restricted their cruising to two or three lines. My advice is that discovering new ships, new lines and new itineraries is what keeps me a happy cruiser. And I still look for new cruise experiences on ships of all sizes with different attitudes. Thus my first Carnival cruise in January.:)

[Izzziee]

I am about to go on my first Carnival cruise and only my 2nd ever cruise, the first being a cruise around the Mediterranean with P&O. We are booked on the Dream in November, i have to admit the stories of bad smells and fights have me wondering if we have done the right thing :(

[stevenr597]

[quote name='Inginegirl'][FONT=Century Gothic][SIZE=3]Just got off the Dream, many many issues on that Ship. They need to take that one off the fleet and re-do the staff, and Guest Service policies. My list is long of the problems we had on that ship, right down to a VIP cabin that smelled like a sepic tank all week. Come on 4000.00 for a cabin that smelled. Fights in the halls late at night and no one would answer at Guest Services, SHORT STAFFED everywhere. And it goes on and on. But I am going to stop here because I just want to forget about it and book with RCCL next time !:mad:[/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE]

Carnival used to be an excellent value for the money.

It is interesting to compare them to RCCL. While RCCL has made a "step up" with their next generation of ships (Oasis and Allure of the Seas), it appears that Carnival has "missed the boat" with their Dream class, which appears to be overcrowded and to have odor problems.

The vast majority of cruisers on Carnival are fine people, but it does appear that there has been an increase in individuals getting into fights and behaving in a disruptive fashion on Carnival. Is Carnival doing enought to show that this behavior will not be tolerated?

Carnival used to be an excellent value. But unless Carnival makes a significant course correction, I can see them having major problems in the future.

[JPH814]

I am curious regarding the "increase in individuals getting into fights and behaving in a disruptive fashion on Carnival". What is this based on? Has there been some statistic published somewhere? Has the number of bad reports on cruise critic increased? Well, maybe the total number of postings have increased (it surely has) and the percentage positive and negative remain the same (who knows?).

We all see inappropriate behavior occassionally. When we do see it, we tell our friends about it. Some people will post it on face book or a website. The ease of writing about it on-line and telling potentially millions of people about it does not make it more prevelent than it was 10 years ago.

I write this because a business's reputation is serious business. Cruise Critic will never be able to police its members or verify the acccuracy of anything that is said. It is up to the members to be responsible in their postings and the readers to be intelllegent in the conclusions they draw from what they read.

Three blind men described an elephant from touching it: One thought an elephant was like a wall, another thought an elephant was like a tree and another thought an elephant was like a snake. They were all correct, depending upon what part of the elephant they were touching.

[PunkinsDad]

We were on the Carnival Dream in April 1010 in a OS on deck 7. Overall we had a great cruise, but we didn't like the Dream as much as the other Carnival ships we have sailed on.

I did catch a whif of "the smell" once or twice, so I am sure it is there, but for me at least, it was just a passing thing and didn't really bother me. There was a thread some time ago that explained what was thought to be the main source of "the smell" and it had to do with the way the grey water tanks were ventilated. If that is true, then I imagine that modifications will be made when the Dream goes into drydock the first time.

Overall we found the ship to be very nice, but I thought the layout was a bit confusing. I never really felt like I'd mastered getting from place to place. We did really enjoy the wrap-around Lani on deck 5, and the hot tubs there.

The food overall was good, about what we have come to expect. The Pasta Bar is a great addition and was very good.

I think my main complaint was that there were simply too many people. I don't think CCL did an adequate job of increasing the size, layout and design of the public areas to handle the increased passenger load. Even as large as the ship is, many areas seemed crowded most of the time.

Service was good in most areas, but not the best we have ever had. The single exception there was our wait staff in the MDR. We had Anytime Dining, and our staff was so wonderful the first night, that we made sure to request them every evening.

Would we cruise on the Dream again......probably, if the price was right, but for us.....I think we will stick to the smaller ships. I think we are "Spirit-class" people. Those ships seem like the perfect size to us.

[crewsweeper]

[quote name='CruisinManiac']I think she must have popped over here and written a quick review of the not so great "highlights" of her cruise. Seemed to be in a hurry and didn't think through. The thread here was written and posted just 5 minutes after her Roll Call post and she hasn't been back to CC. Sounds like they had a pretty good time despite the troubles (just as we did on the Carnival Glory, but with problems and not our favorite cruise.)

BTW - What difference does it make what the OP says their stateroom cost? Obviously, they were in a Suite (VIP), and could have had more than 2 persons in the cabin with them. It can add up, especially if she is combining what they spent onboard. Good thing she won some money in the casino. :)[/quote]

And if you read the other roll callers reports, they all had a good time. I think the OP was paying for maor ethan one cabin or 2 cruisers. Didn't mingle with her roll call too much , if at all, but she had a great time in the casino which she faile dto mention in her "review".

We're sailing the Dream for a 3rd time in June. Spa cabins all. DW loves the spa and Serenity deck. Bash us for being Carnival cheerleaders, but we've never had a issue with the ship or its staff...any lowlights of our cruises came from inconsiderent passengers who were demanding over the top treatment and patronage from the staff.

Crew

[elcuchio24]

[quote name='Crusin6']I have been following the posts and threads about the Dream since its inaugural voyage......and there is no denying it.....it has some issues and I find it difficult to believe that CCL can't see them and fix them.

Too may negatives about this ship....and that is not coming from me...that is based on the info gathered here on CC.[/quote]

I would agree. I have not been on Dream, and would think twice after all I've read. Of course, some just come on here to complain, but it seems like Dream has had way more than it's fair share....

[Uncle Nate]

[quote name='Uncle Nate']I Was On The Oct 2, Sailing On The Dream! First I Must Say The Dream Is One Of Carnival Finest Ship!!! But It's "Some" Of The People Who Sail Her, Make Her Ugly!!!! I Never Saw So Many Security Guards On A Cruise Before!! I Had A Cat 1A Room (9359) And I Agree The "SMELL" Is Real And, Not Imagined!!!! The Entertainment Could've Been Better!! Food Was Good!! I'm With Original Poster, I'm Moving On!! Royal Caribbean Here I Come!!!!![/quote]

Again... It's Not The Ship, That's Ugly... It's "SOME Of The People Who Sail Her!!!!!!:eek:

[Shelbyjane56]

You could have dozens of positive reviews and people will remember the few negatives. I don't buy that all the negative ones are true. If they come in with a general post and do not go into detail, it makes me suspicious. Also, a low post count is odd, too. Why would someone make their first post so negative?

 

I've never seen a fight on a Carnival cruise. I have seen drunken behavior on a Royal Caribbean cruise. For more detail, we were on the Radiance of the Seas. It was early November (not Thanksgiving).

 

As to the Dream, it does seem to have some problems they need to address. However, I've seen so many positive reviews that I tend to think it's a good ship!

 

 

 

To the person who complained the pizza wasn't ready..

Depending on when you get to the pizza station can determine if you have to wait. I think waiting on a pizza means it's freshly cooked and hot!

 

 

We were on the July 17 sailing on the dream, other than a lot of people, which is to be expected during the summer we had a lot of fun on the dream......the following week there was a fight on the dream, they were from NY (no offense to anyone) but they all knew eachother apparently, they were taken off the ship at the first port. Sounds like Carnival made the right choice!

[viaggi_per_mare]

We were on the Splendor on the 9-26-10 sailing and a man refused to stop talking during the muster drill at the request of the staff who was running the drill. It turned into a shouting match and the employee got shoved. Him and his girlfriend were asked to leave and we sailed away an hour late with them standing on the dock with their luggage.

The posts about "discrimination, rights etc" are always interesting since you are not on American soil and the ship is not registered in the US which means US laws do not exist. The officers and Captain are from Italy and they don't tolerate what is tolerated in the US.

They do not compromise safety in order to be "politically correct" on ships.

Their ship, under the Captains command, HE is the law, judge & jury......and it is refreshing.

[Katie John]

I am about to go on my first Carnival cruise and only my 2nd ever cruise, the first being a cruise around the Mediterranean with P&O. We are booked on the Dream in November, i have to admit the stories of bad smells and fights have me wondering if we have done the right thing :(

I am also going on my first cruise on the Dream and am second guessing our choice. Oh well, with nothing to compare it to I'm sure we will enjoy it by making the best out of it I just wish Carnival would address all these complaints and try and fix the problems.

[f7prez]

I love to read these type of threads. I get a lot of laughs from the cheerleaders that take it soooo personally when someone speaks bad of their beloved cruise line. With that said, I am a bit concerned about this smell issue I've read a lot about. I've only been on one Carnival ship, Victory, no sewage odor. I hope my luck doesn't run out when we sail Destiny.

[StevieG]

We were on the Splendor on the 9-26-10 sailing and a man refused to stop talking during the muster drill at the request of the staff who was running the drill. It turned into a shouting match and the employee got shoved. Him and his girlfriend were asked to leave and we sailed away an hour late with them standing on the dock with their luggage.

The posts about "discrimination, rights etc" are always interesting since you are not on American soil and the ship is not registered in the US which means US laws do not exist. The officers and Captain are from Italy and they don't tolerate what is tolerated in the US.

They do not compromise safety in order to be "politically correct" on ships.

Their ship, under the Captains command, HE is the law, judge & jury......and it is refreshing.

 

Although what you say is true it is also true that Carnival is a US Corp located in Miami and as such is subject to US laws. While they can kick them off the ship they can also be sued. It's a fine line they have to walk because as soon as it hits the courts the costs to Carnival will out weight the costs of just refunding them their money.