Dream too big?

[PunkinsDad]

For us I think perhaps it was too big. Don't get me wrong, we sailed on the Dream in April 2010 and had a wonderful time!!! The ship is absolutely beautiful and has much to recommend it.

 

List of things we really liked:

Truly wonderful staff. All smiling and doing anything could for us.

 

Pasta bar!!!!!!

 

Great food. Particularly in the Steakhouse!! :D

 

There are TONS of Whirlpools.....never trouble finding one. We particularly liked the ones on the Lanai.

 

The Lanai deck is a real treat.

 

The dedicated comedy lounge.And hey! It's a brand new ship. All the latest and greatest stuff.

 

Things we felt were less than great:

I don't think Carnival adequately increased the size of a lot of public areas to accommodate the increased passenger load. This was most obvious in the

main theater.

 

The Serenity deck area was nice, but basically if you were not up there very early, all the really good spots were taken. Needed to be larger.

 

Lido layout, and size made for poor traffic flow and it felt crowded a lot of the time.

 

And for the record....I never noticed the infamous "smell" :)

 

Would we cruise her again? Probably for the right price, but we probably wouldn't pay a premium for it.

 

I will say that Port Canaveral is hands-down the best run and managed of all we have used to date. Quick and totally painless.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

LisaL, thanks for starting this thread. DD and I are considering the Dream for our summer 2012 vacation. I'm concerned about the size, but really want to try out a cove balcony.

 

Interesting reading the pros and cons. The largest we've been on is the Splendor and, though we prefer the Spirit class, we had a great cruise on Splendor. :D

[RVman]

I think some people exaggerate about the "smell" cause I never smelt it when I sailed the Dream. And it's really not THAT crowded, every cruise will have a line during peak hours for breakfast & lunch at the buffet.

 

 

We went on the Dream and I went knowing about the smell but I didn't tell my wife about it. We stayed in a Cove balcony and on several occasions while walking down the hall my wife would say "What is that smell?" I never let on that I had read about here on the forum.

[k2excursion]

Short answer: for me, no. It's definitely not too big. I don't like big crowds, but it certainly didn't feel too crowded. I've been to amusement parks and water parks and the Grand Canyon in the summer. No cruise will ever feel crowded compared to those places! The crowds on the Dream were very comparable with every other cruise I've taken. In fact, the smallest ships I've been on have felt more crowded than the bigger ships. The Dream did increase the public space, by comparison to the Conquest class, so the ratios and proportions are about the same. And Dream definitely has a completely different feel to it than Conquest class. The design looks about the same on the deck plans, but once you're on board, it looks completely different. Conquest & Triumph to me looked like twins, even though there are subtle differences. But Dream has dramatic differences, and I am one that enjoyed the changes. Food lines were not nearly as bad as I had on the tiny Holiday and Celebration. Definitely shorter lines than the Triumph. The waterslides on the Dream were amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Smoothest port I've sailed out of. We were on the ship in less than half the time it took to get on the tiny Holiday, with 1/3 the amount of people. The smell was only very faint and occasional and localized, usually in a few steps in a hallway. Same experience as every other ship I've been on.

[ukjdl]

Will let you know in 18 short days!

 

We are huge fans of the Conquest Class and the Valor in particular. However we sailed on the smaller Miracle in November and loved it. A very classy and roomy ship.

 

As long as we are sailing we're happy!

 

Hey Relayer! I see you are from Charlotte, you like the Kentucky Wildcats, AND you are cruising on March 19th. I'm from Charlotte, I like the Kentucky Wildcats and I'm cruising on March 19th. :D:D:D:D

 

Small world, eh?

[Aplmac]

imo the bigger the better

I totally agree!

Big ships don't rock n roll.

 

For those people who like messing about in boats less than 600 ft. long -I'm happy for ya!

Hope you enjoy bobbing around like a cork "feeling the motion of the ocean" :)

 

 

Yes, lotsa people come with those large ships, but there are ways to avoid lines.

We now routinely eat all breakfasts and evening meals in the restaurant

preferring to order from a menu, and have reasonably-sized portions brought to table

by people with clean hands who haven't touched the same serving tongs/spoons

that Ye Greate Unwashed Masses up on Lido Deck have already handled!

It's also called Norovirus avoidance, btw. ;)

 

Lunch?

If there's a restaurant open for lunch, we'll do lunch there,too!

We'll do ANYthing to avoid the buffet crush, even if it means 2 slices of pizza and a coke

-or go to one of the smaller specialty food places on Lido, and get something to hold you.

There is no shortage of food on a cruise, and we're not refugees.

 

........

 

The other line to avoid is disembarking the ship at each port of call

but being we're half-day tour people, often doing our own thing anyway

we're in no rush to get off the ship along with 2,588 other people, around 9 a.m.

 

Wait another 45 mins. or so, and you'll find the lines are a lot less

[Vanessa L]

A few months ago I was talking to my son about his school work and asked him where his book was. He said, "We don't have books." Convinced he was trying to avoid my question I said, "Of course you have a book." He said, "No mom, we really don't. All our work is done on a smart board and on a computer." A call to the school confirmed this. REALLY???? I absolutely CANNOT wrap my mind around this, but for him, it's what he's used to and seems completely "normal".

 

I tell you that to say that for me, the Dream is way too big and unless it is literally the last ship floating, you will never find me on her. I've been cruising since 1984 when ships and crews were small and personal. Even the Fantasy for me, is too big. The generation today that has only been cruising with the "bigger is better" mentality cannot understand or appreciate what cruising used to be. Sigh.

[halos]

Been on the Dream THREE times. The second and third would likely not have happened had we not booked each with other CC'ers we want to sail with again. Carnival has it's focus on "sardine" cruising with each new class of vessel. They already modified the Dream class (Magic) to add dozens of additional cabins over the Dream's plan!

 

On the Epic now... and REALLY loving everything about it! Saw a "Murder Mystery" lunch today, eating at Japanese steakhouse tonight, and seeing a Second City comedy show at 11. Already have Blue Man Group and Cirque Dreams under our belt! NCL (at least on the Epic) really knows how to give options and provide entertainment.

 

I am REALLY glad that there are alternatives. Carnival has a good product, but they need to lose the cookie cutter approach... REALLY!

 

Tom

 

PS -- I forgot to mention... for the Meet-n-Greet on the Epic, NCL put together a VERY nice meeting. It was attended by 8 senior officers - including the Captain, Hotel Director, F&B manager, Exectuive Chef, ETC.. they ALL spoke as well. A note to Carnival" "you can't touch this" (because you DON'T EVEN TRY)...

 

 

I KNEW you'd love it!!!!! :D

[BaconIsGood]

For us, it was not the size...In fact I was looking forward to a big carnival ship. To our surprise it seemed A LOT more crowded. IMO it seemed like they managed to put a whole lot more guests on board but didn’t increase the entertainment spaces enough to handle them. One example of this is I really wanted to try the Mongolian BBQ, but whenever it was open the line was HUGE! On the last day I said, I’m going to bite the bullet and wait. It took 45 minutes to get through the line; I have never waited in a buffet line that long. Also, the GF and I enjoy playing some blackjack every night after dinner but it was near impossible to get a seat at any of the "cheapskate tables". Unless we wanted to play more than $10 a hand, we couldn’t get a seat. It just seems like we never had a hard time getting a seat on other ships.

[RWolver672]

We just got off her and in our opinion, she has way too many passengers on her. Our sailing was full. In fact, Butch said that out of the 4000 people on board, 3000 were repeat customers. It was the first time that they had to have two repeat customer parties and they had them in the main theatre.

 

We never had problems with line, just crowds. At night, they had a piano player in the atrium. On the deck with the ship's stores, they were selling things outside the store. Across from that were people leaning over the railing listening to the piano player. You couldn't walk through the crowd. People seemed to be standing all over in the walkways making it hard to get through.

 

If you wanted to see a show, you had to get there an hour earlier than what the show started to get a seat. The comedy shows should have been in the main theatre because they were all SRO. The Lido Deck area was always packed.

 

We couldn't dock in Rotan so that added another sea day where everyone was onboard. On the last sea day, there was an officer on the Lido Deck telling the staff to remove towels from the lounge chairs. He was watching over the area and kept checking his watch. After 30 minutes, the towels were removed.

 

We never did smell the "smell". Overall, we enjoyed the cruise and the ship is beautiful but like others have said, there are way too many people onboard for the size of the public areas. We had no problem with lines, just trying to move around the ship. I think if they would have made roped off areas around the lines, it would have eliminated the blocked passageways. People would stand four abreast in a line rather than standing behind each other. Then you couldn't get around them.

 

What we did notice that has changed dramatically is the cost of drinks. They are now sky high. Over $20 for a bucket of 4 beers. Brother bought a bucket of Carona and they brought it out in plastic glasses in a bucket. He ask why and they said they couldn't give out glass bottles.

 

There were many things we enjoyed about the cruise. The food was fantastic and we found that the proportions were much larger than what we are use to on the ships. There was always something to do and we enjoyed the cruise very much, except for the crowds.

[misstopgun]

MissTopGun, quick question, what is it that you like so much about Costa Maya? I generally have heard negative things about it but would love to know what you do when there? Thanks in advance!

We have our favorite little restaurant and bar, (Mayan Bar) on the beach in Mahewel (sp). We go at least twice a year and have befriended our favorite waiter, Carlos, (Charlie Brown). My husband and Charlie Brown text each other throughout the year and wish each other happy holidays and also let him know when we are coming. Charlie Brown treats us and anyone in our party like we were guests in his house. Because my husband has mobility issues, it limits the excursions we can do in any port. He enjoys his buckets of beer and cigars on the beach while I shop a bit. The prices are lower there than in port and it is the usual tourist selection so not something you want to spend a lot for. The food is good and prices reasonable. At this same location, I always get a massage on the beach from my favorite massouse Nellie. She is more effective than the messages on the ship. (and much less expensive) When we are ready to go, Charlie calls us a cab which we never wait more than five minuets for and they pick us up on sight rather than having to walk the strip to get to one. It is always the most relaxing day of our cruise.

[mlainfl]

imo the bigger the better

Agree! We just finished our 4th Dream cruise and are trying to decide when to go again!

Mary Lou

[martinchem]

Is the ship too big? No. Is it overcrowded? Absolutely.

We loved the ship, service and quality of food, but when going to the buffets for breakffast or lunch the lines were long, but the worse part was trying to find a table to eat at. Never noticed a smell any different than other ships, all foods were prepared perfect and we loved the tri-level pool area on lido. We had no problem with overcrowding except for the lido deck.

[RVman]

We found it to be dull, actually I guess I was expecting more of a WOW factor and just didn’t get it. The décor was dull and for the largest ship in the Carnival fleet the Atrium appeared to be small and dull looking to me..

Long lines and long waits, it’s just not me. We did however enjoy the spa and the Thalasotherapy pool

[Heirloom]

Sardine City to us. But am learning that SOME passengers actually ENJOY being in crowded situations. They get more excited being around lots of other strangers. I lived for years in New York City.

 

Once you leave a crowded metro area like NYC....and adapt to an area with some space......you usually don't wish to return to live there.

 

We will NOT return to Dream or other overpopulated ships. The Spirit class vessels are just about ideal to us, and hope they keep 'em runnning until we're too old to cruise !

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

WE were on the Epic last October, and yes there are a lot of entertainment/dining alternatives BUT you have to pay EXTRA for most of those you mentioned, even bowling.

 

I would rather have a cruise that has "cookie cutter" alternatives that do not nikel and dime me to death!

 

I KNEW you'd love it!!!!! :D

 

halos -- I believe that Don will be relaying a similar sentiment to you as well!

 

BTW - I have no problem paying (literally just) a few $ more for many special things (of which Second City, Slam Allen, Blue Man Group are all at no additional charge)! :)

 

Tom (a longtime Carnival fan - who has added Celebrity and NCL to the top of our favorites list)!!!

[valancy1]

We cruised on Carnival Dream on her 1-year birthday. I honestly hate crowds and have "personal space" issues. I *never* felt crowded on her EXCEPT when it came time to go to the evening show. We had late dining (our preference) and went straightaway to the theatre... always had a hard time finding a seat that wasn't behind a pole.

 

Was it just that sailing? I don't know. Just our experience.

 

I can't wait to go back on her again. It was wonderful. Lovely. Big, but I didn't find it to be so huge that I felt lost.

 

Loved it. Favorite cruise so far!

[blacksheep2]

We were on Dream last February-the lines were so bad at lunch and breakfast-it seemed like they did not use the space well-we had bad weather so I can't talk about the pool area but it did seem small for the size of the ship.

 

The noise was the problem for us-we were over the dance club aft --we could not sleep-others on our deck closer to the elevators could hear the kids disco all night and never slept

 

Never did smell the smell and I have a good nose!

 

Food in the dinning room was good

Did not like the steak house-for the money it was not worth it

 

Leave on Valor Sunday-giving Carnival one more chance

[DGP1111]

I KNEW you'd love it!!!!! :D

 

I did too!!! :D

I did too!!! :D

I did too!!! :D

More (much more) to be said later. :)

[MrsZee]

I haven't been on the Dream yet, planning to go in September. I will tell you this, though... I have been on the smallest ships (Holiday and Fantasy) and there were TERRIBLE lines at the lido restaurant, the pools were packed like sardines, you had to get to the theater to get a good seat or you were out of luck and if you wanted to see a comedian, better get there early too or you will be standing. So, seems to me like that is just the life of cruising. The crowds won't deter me from trying the Dream because I think you can always find a quiet place to escape from the crowds, even if it is just your own balcony.

[Gma&Gpa]

We were on the Dream last May - and have booked again for this September. Yes, of course, it's big - but honestly, the only time we felt the crowd was on embarkation day- trying to have lunch in the Buffet. Admittedly, we don't spend a lot of time around the pool - we prefer being close to one of the hot tubs. We remarked many times, that for as large as it was, and with so many people on board, we just didn't feel the crowds and wondered where they all were.

 

When we started planning our next cruise, we quickly decided to do the Dream again - just switching from Eastern to Western.

But I know that not everyone likes the large ships - and we've had a great time on several sizes. It's all personal opinion anyway.Oh - and we never noticed the dreaded "smell".

Whatever you choose, I'm sure you'll have a great time.

[tandemcruzr]

Sailed the Dream in Jan 2010. Sleeting while boarding and very cold the first sea day. Needless to say, most people stayed inside to stay out of the weather.

 

Yes, indoor areas were crowded. Once we got to warmer waters, areas became less crowded.

 

Only occasional smells, but no different than others ships, not just Carnival.

 

Have booked her again this coming November primarily for itinerary (includes Costa Maya) and a great price for a Cove balcony.

[JennLuvs2Cruise]

Everyone views things differently... Especially size & over-crowdedness. In my opinion, I thought the Dream was the perfect ship for my family & I. Which is why we are booked again in June. We had a fantastic time & all agreed that the Dream had everything we needed / wanted in a cruise.

[me-n-kev]

Went on the dream on spring break last year. Did we wait in line? yes. Did we wait in line @ the radisson for breakfast before the cruise? yes.

 

the ONLY time I thought the lines were ridiculous were on the nassau port day because everyone wanted breakfast at the same time before shore excursions, and everyone wanted lunch when they got back... the short in port schedule forced that. but I think that would happen on any ship.

 

looking to book the dream again for our next cruise in 2012. Starting to shop now...