Just off Dream 1/8-1/15...Missed Roatan and Costa Maya

[imluvncruzn]

Just off the Dream today. The ship is beautiful. There were so many things I loved about it. We stayed in a Spa cabin on the 11th (Panorama) Deck. It was fantastic and we enjoyed the spa amenities. I took a bunch of pics and will post over the next few days. We missed Roatan due to windy conditions on Wednesday. The Captain made one attempt to get in and then sat idle outside of Mahogany Bay for a few hours before they made the announcement. I was sooo disappointed, as Roatan is me and my dh's fave port. It was difficult to understand his decision because he reported the winds were at 25knots and there were just a few white caps in the water. It was a gorgeous, sunny day. There was another ship (not sure which line) and the Carnival Legend that both were able to dock. Several people were saying that this particular Captain, Massimo Marino, is known for backing out of ports if the weather is iffy. And that if it were Captain Carlo Queriolo from the week before, he would've tried harder to make it in. Anyway... it's all speculative. I know they did what they had to do to keep us safe but boy was it hard to sail away from Roatan without visiting first especially because it was such a nice day. So anyway the Captain announced about 10am that we would not be docking and that we would proceed right towards Costa Maya. That night at about 9:00pm, the Captain came on again and announced that due to high winds, we would be unable to dock at Costa Maya the next morning. He said they were trying to get us to another port and that we would be docking in Cozumel again in the morning. You can imagine the angry and dissappointed people. We went to the show in the main theater that night and when Butch, CD, came on stage the entire theater booed him. It was uncomfortable. He said that 99% of the time he has the pleasure of entertaining and bringing joy to the passengers but once in a while he has to be the bearer of bad news and he understood it if we (the passengers) needed to kill the messenger. He then said that the Captain had spoke to the bigwigs in Miami and agreed to give us all 20% off a future cruise. Needless to say the audience erupted with applause. It was a very nice gesture on Carnival's part. When we got to Cozumel on Thursday for our 2nd visit, it was cold, rainy, and very windy. Carnival arranged for Dream passengers to get 50% off their purchases at some of the local bars and restaurants in Cozumel. Needless to say, Fat Tuesdays was hopping. Our final sea day was cold and cloudy, as well. We loved the Dream and are hoping to book again in the near future. Just sad to have missed Roatan and Costa Maya!

[simkoreb]

Wow, sounds like you guys scored a pretty good deal to me, but I understand being disappointed about 2 missed ports! And Roatan is my favorite!!!

[Chef P]

So sorry you missed the ports, :(

can you tell me if there was a welcome reception / ritual for the guests inspa cabins ? If so when did this take place?

[imluvncruzn]

So sorry you missed the ports, :(

can you tell me if there was a welcome reception / ritual for the guests inspa cabins ? If so when did this take place?

 

Nope, no welcome ritual. There was a welcome letter from the spa and spa slippers on the bed when we first got into the cabin. There's also spa robes and Elemis shower products in the bathroom. The towels in the bathroom are nicer than standard cabin towels also and you get tan Carnival beach towels instead of the navy ones. Oh, they also give you a small bottle of linen spray.

[Katie John]

Wow, that sucks! I'm going on my first cruise on the Dream next month and Roatan is the port I am looking most forward to. I will be really sad if they have to skip it. :( I guess that's the gamble we take going on a cruise. Does anyone know who will be the captain on the February 5 sailing? I hope it is the "braver" one. Not that I want anyone taking any chances.

[floatingaway2525]

Wow, that sucks! I'm going on my first cruise on the Dream next month and Roatan is the port I am looking most forward to. I will be really sad if they have to skip it. :( I guess that's the gamble we take going on a cruise. Does anyone know who will be the captain on the February 5 sailing? I hope it is the "braver" one. Not that I want anyone taking any chances.

 

It can really suk when you miss a port but it really is the luck of the draw, both of those Captains happen to be the only two I am familiar with from past sails and both are stellar...neither one would ever take a chance, and the "braver" one described here is Captain Queirolo who decided we couldn't risk the infamous San Juan "wings" on the Dream Inaugural. I trust them both completely!!

Wow, 20% off is fabulous OP, enjoy!!:D

[imluvncruzn]

It can really suk when you miss a port but it really is the luck of the draw, both of those Captains happen to be the only two I am familiar with from past sails and both are stellar...neither one would ever take a chance, and the "braver" one described here is Captain Queirolo who decided we couldn't risk the infamous San Juan "wings" on the Dream Inaugural. I trust them both completely!!

 

Wow, 20% off is fabulous OP, enjoy!!:D

 

Thanks! We really did enjoy the Dream. You can't control the weather and I knew ahead of time (from reading these boards) that Mahogany Bay is often cancelled due to adverse conditions. I now have a 25% off for getting bumped from the Splendor and a 20% off from this cruise. I guess I better get booking!

[dolfanhart]

I will be in a spa cabin in Dec. What cabin were you in? We also will be on the promenade deck. How did you like cabin location and how did you find the spa?

Thanks in advance

[stsnfes]

I was also on this sailing! We were disappointed to, but respect the captains decision to not dock. Friends of mine where on another Carnival ship and they did not dock either. We had a fabulous time, we were on the in a Grand Suite and we would do it again in a heart beat!

 

We had fun on our deja vu Cozumel docking - rain and all!

[imluvncruzn]

I will be in a spa cabin in Dec. What cabin were you in? We also will be on the promenade deck. How did you like cabin location and how did you find the spa?

Thanks in advance

 

We were in 11230. Very quiet hallway. We loved the location. To get to the spa you walk out of your room into the hall and head toward the front of the ship. At the end of the hallway, there is a door that leads to a spiral staircase that will take you directly up to the spa. The only negatives and they were minor ones were that you could hear the weights hit the floor from the people using them in the gym above you. Sometimes the bang was really loud! Another couple had a room closer to the front of the ship on the same floor and they were under the treadmills and that was kinda annoying for them. Other than that no complaints.

[dolfanhart]

We will be a little further back in 11236. How were the spa facilities?

[imluvncruzn]

We will be a little further back in 11236. How were the spa facilities?

 

I think 11236 is right next door to where we were. The numbers run a little funny because some of the interior room numbers are inbetween. Anyway the room with the heated loungers was fabulous. There are two steam rooms. One with intense steam (can't remember the name) - loved that one and it smelled good. The other called the Oriental steam room I didn't care for. I thought it smelled like the monkey house at the zoo. The locker rooms were great - spacious and clean. Plenty of clean towels all around. The thelosotherapy pool was nice. It was like bath water - not hot at all. There's also a cool down room which was nice to go into after using the other facilities. It has a couple of cushioned chairs that face the ocean and they have iced cold water for you in there to consume, if you want.

[jessemon]

It can really suk when you miss a port but it really is the luck of the draw, both of those Captains happen to be the only two I am familiar with from past sails and both are stellar...neither one would ever take a chance, and the "braver" one described here is Captain Queirolo who decided we couldn't risk the infamous San Juan "wings" on the Dream Inaugural. I trust them both completely!!

 

Wow, 20% off is fabulous OP, enjoy!!:D

I agree Floatie....Captains prefer to err on the side of caution. On that same cruise with our gang it was very clear that the docking was not going to work. They would have punctured a lifeboat if not worse....

To the OP it does in a way suck to miss ports but a few years ago due to wind in Costa Maya here is what happened to the Granduer of the Seas...

 

Dock collision

While docking in Costa Maya, Mexico, a 42-foot (13 m) long hole was torn in the hull of the ship. The hole was located on deck one of the ship approximately 5-foot (1.5 m) above the waterline and 5 feet wide at its widest. The company said that 17 miles per hour (27 km/h) winds and a 3-knot (5.6 km/h) current contributed to the accident. The next seven day cruise was shortened to five as the ship had to remain in Costa Maya an extra 2 days awaiting materials to patch the hole. Royal Caribbean offered guests transportation back to New Orleans or onboard credit if they chose to stay with the ship. However, later on, the ship was dry docked and the damage was repaired.