Just Back - Carnival Dream March 19 - March 26

[Relayer]

We returned this past Saturday from a wonderful Dream cruise to the Western Caribbean. This will be a fairly short review.

 

This was our 8th sailing with Carnival and as on past cruises all of our expectations were exceeded. The Dream is an excellent ship and the food and service were just outstanding. Throw in sunny warm days in the low to mid 80's and this was very nice break from the winter cold.

 

Boarding - We arrived at the terminal at 9:30 and boarded at an early 11:00. We were grabbing a snack on the Lido by 11:20. There were no lines or waiting when we arrived at the terminal.

 

Cabin - #9467 - Aft extended balcony. Awesome cabin. Maybe 2-3 feet longer than other ships we have been on. Balcony a very nice size and plenty of room for the three of us. We DID NOT experience any noise from the above Lido area that was a bother. Balcony overhang kept things nice and cool but limited views of the night sky. If we had been cursed with snoopy neighbors the balcony partitions would have been no help. Cabin steward, Noman, was great! Efficient and friendly.

 

Food - The food was just plain great in all areas. MDR, Lido Gathering, Deli, Pasta Bar. All were very good. A really nice treat was the Lanai Grill on sea days. Delicious ribs, quesadillas, sliders and dogs.

A quick mention on lines. IF you are hungry at peak dining times, 8, 12 and 4 on port days you will wait in line to eat. Expect it. If you can work around those times there will be short lines if any. Absolutely no worse than any other cruise we have been on.

 

Itinerary -

Cozumel - Nachi Cocom is the only we to go! Our 4th trip there. $49/person

Belize - Booked a combo snorkel/beach trip to Goff's Caye at the pier. $45/person. Goff's is nothing short of outstanding. Total trip 5 hours

Roatan - Private tour with Rony's Tours. $30/person plus $65/person for Pirates of the Caribbean Zip Lines and rest of day at the Mayan Princess.

Costa Maya - The only disappointing thing about this trip. We arrived at 7:30 ship time or 5:30 local time. Pitch dark, cool and rainy. Not a lot going on anywhere at 5:30! Pair that with a 2:30 departure makes for a screwy day. I mean it's not like we had to rush back. Typical cruise line conceived and built port. Tons of shops if that’s your thing. We had pre-booked at Nohoch Kay. Definitely not a Nachi Cocom. Priced at $40/person. Bus fare $3 each way and taxi fare $2. Not a super beach. For us next time Costa Maya will be best seen from a nice lounge chair on the ship's deck!

 

Debarkation - We were back in port at 5:45. Self assist. Off the ship and through customs by 6:40. Painless.

 

All in all a great cruise. The Dream is very nice and we did not feel any pain from 4300 fellow cruisers. Layout is very similar to a big Conquest Class ship. You will find most things on the Dream in similar locations. Public areas are numerous and nice. Lots of hot tubs.

[trvlexprt]

Thank you for posting. Nice to hear you enjoyed it. Can you tell me about your experience debarking? I know I haven't gone yet and I am asking about getting off the ship already LOL. Did you have any trouble using elevators? Were you one of the first ones off? thanks again. :)

[calmmerritt]

would love to know more about the Pirates Zip Line as we are thinking of doing this, my youngest is 8 but has done zip lining before, glad to hear you ad a good time cant wait till May28!

[Relayer]

Thank you for posting. Nice to hear you enjoyed it. Can you tell me about your experience debarking? I know I haven't gone yet and I am asking about getting off the ship already LOL. Did you have any trouble using elevators? Were you one of the first ones off? thanks again. :)

 

The Dream was docked by about 5:45. We did the self assist program where you carry your own bags off. The ship's disembarkation show indicated that customs should release the ship by 6:30 and that self assist would begin by floors. At 630 we just made our way to the mid ship elevators, no lines, went down to deck 3, got in a line with about 10 people in it and walked off the ship. We did use the port elevators as we had one really large piece of luggage. It was so early that there were no lines for it. I am sure it was probably much worse latter in the day. Customs was a breeze as there was no one in line at all.

[smcgoldr]

I was on the same sailing as the OP. We had a great time and didn't find the ship overly crowded. If you plan around the peak times, the lines were not bad.

 

We also did Pirates Ziplining. We chose the extreme course. They use a double cable side by side and don't require you to break. They have people on the destination platforms that control your arrival and slow you down using a breaking setup on the cables. The first few lines were really long. One was 1800' and over 300' high. I have ziplined before and found this one to be really good. I would go back there again.

[tiyana4]

Wow, you were on the ship early!!! I hope we are able to board that soon. I am taking a first-timer with us this summer and it would be nice to see the ship before all the crowds come. We are in an extended aft balcony too, so it is great to know you didn't have any problems with noise from the Lido deck.

 

Thanks for the recap of the food. I have always enjoyed the food on CCL. I am really excited about the Pasta Bar and the Lanai Grill. Excursions are always iffy, but I'm glad you enjoyed the cruise portion.

[trvlexprt]

The Dream was docked by about 5:45. We did the self assist program where you carry your own bags off. The ship's disembarkation show indicated that customs should release the ship by 6:30 and that self assist would begin by floors. At 630 we just made our way to the mid ship elevators, no lines, went down to deck 3, got in a line with about 10 people in it and walked off the ship. We did use the port elevators as we had one really large piece of luggage. It was so early that there were no lines for it. I am sure it was probably much worse latter in the day. Customs was a breeze as there was no one in line at all.

 

thank you for that. this is exactly what I wanted to know. with 2 kids we didnt want to have to fight our way off. Sounds like this is the way to go.we are early riser anyway,no sense in prolonging our departure with the masses :)

[BabyJacks17]

Thank you for your review OP! I was on the same sailing & had a wonderful experience on the Dream as well. My family enjoyed the ship & amenities SO much that we booked The Dream for next May as well :)

 

p.s. We had Zone 5 and were also off the ship by 730am. Quickest & smoothest debarkation I've ever had!

[Relayer]

would love to know more about the Pirates Zip Line as we are thinking of doing this, my youngest is 8 but has done zip lining before, glad to hear you ad a good time cant wait till May28!

 

They have a good web site. Just do a look up on Pirates of the Caribbean Roatan and you'll find it.

 

This was my fist zip line experience and it was great! Maybe a bit pricey at $65. 1st line is 1875' long over a 350' deep gorge. I am sure yor 8 year old would be fine but am unsure if there are restrictions?

 

Our guide also mentioned that the South Shore lines were good as well. South Shore is located on the main road almost to West Bay. Pirates is located on the south eastern part of the island.

 

Have fun!

[LBumb]

great job