My Photo Trip Review of the 4-30-11 Sailing of the Dream and our Vacation

[TeknikDC2]

Day 9: 2nd Day at Sea

 

After the early morning we had the previous day in Costa Maya it was nice to be able to sleep in again. However it was very sad to think that this would be our last full day aboard the beautiful Carnival Dream. Although today would be nothing more then a Sea day it would turn out to be a very busy day with so many activitys that we would try to fit in.

 

Of course though the first part of the day would consist of being Lazy. It was our last day to enjoy the sun so that’s what we planned to do first. After getting up and ready for the day we headed up stairs to catch the end of the late risers breakfast. However unlike the last few days this was the first time we actually encountered a long line in the Lido Buffet. They only had on station out of the 4 they typically had for the late risers. I assumed this was to prepare some of them for the Chocolate Buffet.

 

Not wanting to wait in line (or really wanting breakfast for that matter) I left Kiera to go find a spot to spend our time lounging in the sun. Of course the first place I went to check was our favorite location. The Serenity Deck. Unfortunatly we wouldn’t be lucky today though as no spots were to be found in the Serenity area. Eventually I found us a good location on Deck 11 just above the main pool area. As a double bonus the overhang from Deck 12 was shading where our faces would be.

 

After putting our stuff on the chairs (don’t worry I wasn’t gone longer then 30 minutes) I returned to the Lido buffet to find Kiera still waiting in the breakfast line. Still not wanting breakfast I went to the Deli station and got me a turkey wrap and a salmon bagle sandwich and returned to find Kiera still waiting in line. By the time I was able to find us a table she was finally finished.

 

After our late breakfast/early lunch we went up to our lounge chairs where we would be for the Next couple of hours. After reading a couple chapters in my book my patience timer with laying out started to go off. I’m not one who really likes to lay out for very long. I don’t know why but I just get so bored with it and start wanting find other things to do.

 

 

Knowing that Kiera wanted to spend as much time laying in the Sun as she could though I decided to leave for a few minutes to Marathon the Waterslides. This was the last day we were on the ship so I had to make the most of it right? Compared to past sailings I was actually shocked the waterslides were open today. According to the TV info the wind was blowing over 40mph this day. Of course that ment the lines were pretty much nonexistent on the slides though. It was quite the experience treking up the waterslide tower with how hard the wind was blowing. Each strong gust the whole tower would shake. Little kids were grasping the railing so they wouldn’t blow away. And the best part is that what line was present was waiting for the Twister slide. The Drainpipe was a walk on each time. So as I said the Marathon began for the last time I would be on the waterslides this cruise. In total I did the Drainpipe slide 5 times and the Twister 3 times. All pretty much without having to wait in a line.

 

After finishing up with the slides I returned to where Kiera was to spend a little more time in the sun with her. But not to much later one of the daily activitys was about to start around the main pool area. The Rubber Chicken Olympics. This game was a part of the Colors challenge and 3 teams had to compete in a series of games that involved rubber chickens in one way or another. I watched the whole thing while Kiera joined me for the final game. It was pretty fun to watch and of course the Blue Team (the one we were on) won the challenge.

 

[TeknikDC2]

 

The time was now nearing 1:30pm and many of the activities we wanted to do would be starting soon. So we decided to grab lunch and some items from the Chocolate buffet and returned to our room. Where Kiera would take around an hour to get ready and myself about 15 minutes I decided to leave the cabin while she was getting ready to do my final day tradition. Take photos of the ship. And so the next portion of this review will be part of that.

 

Our Interior Cabin #8322

 

[TeknikDC2]

 

This was on someones door:

 

 

I then made my way down to the Prominade deck and went into the Encore! Theater:

 

[TeknikDC2]

Then I went outside onto the Lunai and to the forward part of the ship:

 

[TeknikDC2]

Back inside I walked around all the levels of the Atrium Lobby:

 

 

And then made my way towards the back of the ship on Deck 4 passing the Crimson Dinning room and one of the Fun Hub Internet locations:

 

[TeknikDC2]

 

Also located on Deck 4 are the Teen clubs but I don’t have any photos of those. At the back part of Deck 4 you will find the Warehouse Arcade:

 

 

I then went back up to the Prominade Deck and went back towards the front of the ship passing the Sams Piano Bar, the Caliente Club, Art Gallery, and Wasabi Sushi Bar:

 

 

Next was one of the coolest things on the Dream. The Oceans Plaza. This Indoor/Outdoor area was very fun to lounge around in weather playing trivia or listening to music. Outside on the Lunai you could relax at a table or even enjoy one of the hot tubs:

 

[TeknikDC2]

 

The final spot I went to at this time was the Jackpot Casino because now It was time I needed to go back to the cabin and get ready for the rest of the day:

 

 

When I got back to the cabin Kiera was nearly finished getting ready. So I quickly hopped in the Shower and got ready so that we could make it to the first thing on our list this day. That being the The Game of Love (which is also called the Marriage Show or Newlywed Game on other ships). We love this show and we always try to see it on all of our cruises. The show had already started by the time we got to the Encore Theater but we still caught the majority of the show. I have to say with the exception of our first cruise this was the best showing of this game we had seen. It seemed like the past couple shows were almost exactly word for word the same show. However on the Dream the show was pretty different. Although there were a few questions that were the same, many of them were different and it didn’t seem like there were any preset answers like there were on our past cruises. Plus unlike on the Legend this was the primary show for the evening. The show was very funny as always and shouldn’t be missed now matter what ship your sailing on.

 

[TeknikDC2]

Immediately following the Game of Love was our next activity in the Encore! Theater. 5 game Bingo. I learned after our 2nd cruise that it was not worth it to play ½ price Bingo (which we use to do). I also don’t think its worth it to play 1 or 2 game bingo ether. Your chances our much higher of winning by playing 5 or more game Bingos with 1 three game card. So that’s what we did on our Legend Cruise and now on our Dream Cruise. I was starting to lose hope of a 5+ game of Bingo on the Dream though as all week long there was nothing longer then a 2 game bingo. So when I saw this 5 game on our final day We had to do be there to keep our Bingo Tradition going. And just as the tradition has been in the past We didn’t win any games on this cruise ether. The 1st game I had one space to go and on the 5th game it was only me and 1 other person standing with one space to get. Unfortunatly she got it before I did. Which was ok because I don’t know what we would have done with more onboard credit.

 

 

Following Bingo we left the Encore theater and went to the Carnival Shops. We still had onboard credit we needed to use from our Future Cruise Certificate and had things to buy. Unfortunatly they were already sold out of a photo album we saw earlier in the week but we were able to find our other things. Namely our Postcard of the Dream, a Christmas Ornament, and Kiera got herself some more anklets. I also picked up a new pair of Quicksilver Flip Flops as mine were pretty much done for after this trip.

 

[TeknikDC2]

After dropping off our stuff back at the Cabin we made our way back up to the Lido deck to continue with my photo taking of the ship since we had some time to kill. First up was the Lido Buffet itself:

 

 

Then we made our way outside to the Aft Pool area:

 

 

On deck 12 moving towards the front of the ship we passed the Mini Golf Course which looked awesome but once again we never had the time to play on it:

 

[TeknikDC2]

 

We then made our way past the main pool/seaside theater area which you all have seen many times already in this recap:

 

 

Then finally up to Deck 13 past the Waterworks area:

 

[TeknikDC2]

And into our favorite location the Serenity Decks:

 

 

We then cut down thru the Spa area to check it out. Kiera is a Master Esthitician and Esthitics Instructor she so wanted to see there spa Facilities and also to ask the girls running the spa area some questions regarding the training required and what not to work on a cruise ship to share with her students back home.

 

 

With the ship tour now being done I wanted to do the next thing on my list. Sushi. I love Sushi but up until this point I hadn’t had the chance to get it. So we made our way down to the Wasabi Sushi bar where they had possibly the best line up and best taisting Sushi I’ve had on all of our cruises. It was very yummy and it made me wish I would have made more trips to it during our cruise.

 

[TeknikDC2]

Next we went to the Casino to feed an addiction we gained on our last cruise. No not your typical Slots or Table games. That stupid quarter game that pushes quarters over the edge. On the Legend we were very successful with this game. So we brought a bag of quarters with us again in hopes of a repeat. Well the repeat didn’t happen. We spent the whole bag and what little we won on the game. But that’s ok I planned on the quarters being used for that reason and it killed some time.

 

 

After leaving the Casino we decided to check out the Art Gallery as I think its kinda neat to see some of the paintings they have on hand. While looking in the Gallery there was a crew area door open with no one around. Of course we didn’t go in it but I would love to do the behind the scenes tour someday. Its just so weird to see such a bland looking crew area next to the beautiful guest areas.

 

 

We made one last stop before heading back to our Cabin. And that was the Arcade. We didn’t play any games but there were some certain pictures we needed to get on the motorcycle game that we have done on each one of our cruises.

 

[TeknikDC2]

 

Back at our cabin it was time to do the thing we dread the most about a cruise coming to an end. We had to pack so that we could have our luggage outside our door before dinner to be picked up. We would end up being in the Cabin packing all the way until it was time for our dinner. Before packing everything up though I took a picture of all the things we ha bought on this vacation so far. Although I forgot to put my sunglasses and one of Kieras anklets in the photo.

 

 

With our bags packed and placed outside our door we made our way down to the Crimson Dinning room for our final dinner of the cruise. Dinner was wonderful as always and our dinning staff was as good as they could be. For our starters I got the Grilled Chicken Breast and Fettuccine, a Caesar Salad, and the Shrimp Cocktail while Kiera just got the Fruit Cocktail. For our Main Courses I got my favorite the Prime Rib and also the Barbequed Hen. Kiera went with the Norwegian Salmon. For dessert we both ended the cruise with the Chocolate Melting cake and also a Glass of Milk to go with it.

 

[TeknikDC2]

 

Our wait staff also sang to us one last time but instead of singing scatured about the restaurant they all took position on the stairs of the dinning room and sang to us from there. It was neat seeing the entire staff united in there final farewell. We really loved our dinning staff on the Dream. Juan although seeming scared or timmed at first turned out to be a great waiter. Although we still think our dinning staff on the Legend was the best we’ve had our staff from the Dream is definitely the 2nd best we’ve had.

 

[TeknikDC2]

 

After dinner we made our way back to the cabin to use the restroom and prepare for the rest our evening. We were pretty sad to find that just as with our Legend cruise we were not left a Towel animal this night. I don’t know if this is a new thing fleet wide or what but on the Pride and Glory we had a towel animal our finial night of the cruise but now on the Legend and Dream we didn’t. So instead we once again just pretended that we had another Invisible towel animal.

 

[TeknikDC2]

The show in the main theater this evening was the Carnival Legends show. A show where guests can dress and sing as famous people. A show we’ve seen on 2 past cruises and don’t care to see again. So we didn’t. Because Kiera wasn’t feeling good the prevous night and missing the Comedian in the Punchliner that night we decided we would do a double showing in the punchliner to end our cruise. So after grabbing some more ice cream and some water we made our way to the Burgundy Lounge for the rest of the evening.

 

 

The first comedian that was on was Marvin Todd and the 2nd was Smiley Joe Wiley. Both comedians were very good just as the 2 during the first part of our cruise. We also decided to get some drinks for our final evening with Kiera getting a Virgin Miami Vice, and myself going with a Virgin Starwberry Daquri. Overall we were very impressed with the Punchliner Comedy Club on this cruise. It had hands down the best line up of any of cruises. And all the comedians were very funny. Yes they did use a lot of vulgar language but what we loved most is that none of the comedians dwelled to long talking about perverted things like many have on our past cruises. All 4 of these guys were way funny do don’t miss them if you ever find yourself on a ship they are performing on.

 

[TeknikDC2]

 

With the final night of our cruise now coming to an end. It only seemed right to end it with Midnight Pizza. So up to the Lido buffet we went and got our Pizza and Ice Cream. Then it was time to head back to the cabin for the last time and quickly fall asleep. The morning would be coming quickly and we would soon be disembarking the Carnival Dream and starting the next portion of our vacation.

 

 

And that concludes not just Day 9 of this vacation but also the final full day we had on the Dream. I hope to have the next segment posted within the next few days which transitions from the cruise portion of our trip to the Charleston portion. As always comments are welcomed and If you have any questions please feel free to ask and I will answer them as quickly as possible. Thanks to those following and reading my review especially with the segments coming up that will soon be bringing this review to a close. Thanks again everyone.

[AndrewD65]

Teknik you did and awesome job as always on this review. I am so glad I was able to catch it before I left for my cruise on Saturday. I can't wait to return to see your next portion.

 

Thanks again

[Elmo31]

wow what a great review. I cant wait to experience the dream in 147 more days :eek: Waiting to hear the rest

[Catrin]

Quicksilver Flip Flops!!

 

I had to show your review to my 16 year old son, who has worn Quicksilver Tshirts almost exclusively since he was about 12..... (you can check out some of our recent cruise pics below, and most of them he has Quicksilver on, like you!!)

Great taste!

 

So sad to see your vacation ending, one of my all time favorite reviews!

Catrin

[CarolinaGirl87]

Awesome review!! We will be on the dream in October! I can't wait.

 

I'm excited to see the Charleston part of your review, as that is where i'm from! Always fun to see a tourists point of view of the city.

[madaamt]

One of the best reviews I've ever read.... Thanks we love the dream as well. Going again in Sept.

[Hogladyrider]

Thanks for the time you have put into such an amazing review so far!

 

Dream is by far our favorite ship to sail, especially with the cove balcony cabins.

 

Anxiously looking forward to reading the rest of your review.

 

Susan

[MsBrownize]

Thanks for such an awesome, detailed, vivid review!! We are going on the Dream in March; I was excited before I read your review, now I'm that much more psyched!!! Can't wait!

 

I'm looking forward to reading your Charleston review too - AWESOME city!

 

:)

[scoutfinch72]

Thanks for writing such a great detailed review! We live in Salt Lake as well, so hi from a fellow (though transplanted) Utahn! Congratulations on the impending birth of your baby boy. I was particularly interested in your review since I will be about 18 weeks pregnant with our 3rd child when we sail on the Sensation in August. I'm fighting some really awful morning sickness right now and praying that it will end before we sail. We're bringing our 3 and 6 year old and spending a whole week at WDW before we sail. This will be my 3rd trip to WDW pregnant - how's that for bad planning!!

 

I have to say that all of your trips for ice cream make you a true Utahn!