Our amazing Dream cruise--photo and trivia review!

[mitchpam]

Oh, to read or NOT to read.... that IS my question....

[EMc&DrS]

(Again, since no photos were allowed, I've added a few random shots)

 

 

The beach at Mahogany Bay

 

 

 

We were each given a lanyard to wear with a big badge notating that we were on the Behind the Fun Tour—again for “security reason.” Think “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.” Emma was sort of like a female Willy Wonka, and we were the golden ticket winners trying to keep up with her as she would dash from one location to another. The tour is carefully timed, and there was plenty of time to ask question at each stop, but when Emma checked her watch and clipboard and announced that it was time to move on, it was time to go!

 

The tour began in the galley. Of course, we had just been there for an extensive tour during the Chef’s Table, so we kind of hung back so others could be up close and personal with the chef. To get to the galley, we took the escalator that leads from the dining room to the kitchen. This was the same escalator that the servers use when they take dinners to the second floor of the MDRs, but it’s not a typical escalator. It moves quickly! And it has a low ceiling, so it must be tricky to balance a tray with 12 dinners on a runaway escalator. Since this visit was at 9 AM rather than in the middle of the dinner rush , we did see some areas of the galley not on our first tour. It was fairly quiet, and the chef took the time to tell his story again and show the group around. We did watch some of his assistants carving watermelons for a display, and the chef himself demonstrated how to make flower arrangements out of vegetables. A photographer appeared, and we posed for a group shot with the chef, his assistants, and the watermelons. We then visited the pastry chef again, and everyone was given the recipe for the chocolate melting cake—and then treated to some chocolate-dipped strawberries that looked like they were wearing little tuxedos. I would guess we were in the galley for nearly 30 minutes, but then it was time to go!

 

 

We exited the galley through big revolving doors—like the escalators, these move at warp speed. We popped out into the main dining room where people were eating breakfast, and their looks of surprise were priceless as female Wonka led her group of badge-wearing tourists all in track shoes through the dining room at lightening speed. I’m sure some of them looked around and said, “What was that?!?” Incidentally, these were some of the only other passengers we would see for the next 3 hours.

 

At this point we proceeded down to deck zero. There is a giant corridor in the center of the ship on deck zero that runs the entire length of the ship. They refer to it as I-95. For the next 90 minutes or so, we visited many of the exits along I-95. Here’s a list of some of the spots I can remember:

 

The beverage storage area (a giant cooler holding all the beer, wine, soft drinks, and bottled water)

 

The meat locker (a room for thawing and a deep freeze room. Don’t be fooled—the meat you eat on the first night of the cruise is not necessarily the freshest meat. They were thawing the meat for the next cruise’s first dinner while we were on this tour. It’s just an endless cycle of preparation below unaffected by what day of the cruise is going on above).

 

The vegetable storage and preparation room.

 

A room just for cleaning and peeling potatoes.

 

The control room. (Interesting to see for a few minutes, but fascinating to the engineer in our group. We lost a little time here because he had a lot of questions. Eventually, Wonka moved us along. You do NOT go to the actual engine rooms, but if you watch the monitors in the control room, you will see live video shots of the various sections of the engine room).

 

The crew bar. (Yes, they have their own bar complete with beer on tap, and it’s decorated like the bars upstairs. This is where we had drinks and a break).

 

The crew dining area (again, much like the Gathering above) and the crew internet room.

 

In the center of the ship there is a giant room that spans the entire width of the ship. We were told that during the week, the room is empty and used for crew parties and activities. Because it was the day before our return to PC, the room was quickly filling up with all the giant orange luggage cages. This is the spot where everything is loaded and unloaded onto the ship.

 

 

 

 

The Carnival Legend in Belize

 

 

 

 

We passed by the morgue and the brig—thankfully, both were unoccupied.

 

The trash room where everything is sorted for recycling, for disposal back in PC, or prepared to be dumped into the sea (only things that can be eaten by the fish).

 

The crew laundry room—not too exciting.

 

We did NOT see a crew cabin—we were told they were all occupied.

 

We then took the stairs down two floors below deck zero (not -2, but deck B), and saw the ship’s laundry facilities. (Sounds like it could be dull, but actually very interesting to see and watch. They were folding tons of bed sheets while we were there. This REALLY seemed like a room out of Wonka’s factory).

 

We visited the bow of the ship on deck 4 were crew can use a hot tub or tan in the sun. This is where the ship’s bell is located and an additional anchor. We were all asked before the tour what we most wanted to see, and one man had said he wanted to do the old, “I’m king of the world,” from Titanic. This is where he got his chance—sort of--he just had to stand back several feet.

 

 

The bow of the ship. He was allowed to stand just behind the white post with the string of lights attached.

 

 

 

We visited the Encore theatre and saw the backstage area and the dressing room.

 

Finally, it was time to visit the bridge. This was the part I was looking forward to the most. It was very interesting to see, and of course the view is amazing. We spent a good 20 minutes there, and the captain joined us at the end to answer questions, pose for a group photo, and then individual photos with families.

 

We then walked the entire length of the ship to visit the Steakhouse and take a mini-tour of its galley. This was the final stop of the tour, and we were finally allowed to sit down again in the Steakhouse dining area. Unlike "Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," no one won the grand prize, but no one was sent to the Juicer to be juiced either! Instead, they brought us champagne, a Carnival drawstring bag of souvenirs, and asked us to complete a short survey about the tour. While we were there, we picked out our favorite table for two by the window, and then requested it for that evening’s dinner since we already had a reservation. We were shown which table had already been assigned to our reservation, but the gentleman told us he would do what he could to accommodate our request. (We got the table we requested).

 

 

 

After 3 ½ hours of walking, we were hungry! We walked out of that Steakhouse, took the elevator down two floors, and finally found the time to visit the Italian restaurant upstairs in the Gathering area. The line was pretty long because there seemed to be some problem in the kitchen. All of sudden, our friend the Chef appeared (“We know him—we go way back”), and quickly, the problem was solved. We picked up our table sign, filled out our menu selections, and waited for our meal. I chose lasagna, and since it is pre-made, it came almost immediately. My wife created her own pasta combo, so she had to wait—about 15 or 20 minutes. I was done before her food ever came, but she had sampled several bites of mine while waiting. The lasagna was really good, but very different. It was full of pot roast and butternut squash instead of the traditional meat and ricotta cheese. While my wife ate her pasta, I ran downstairs and put together a platter of desserts for us from the Chocolate Buffet that is served on the last day of the cruise. It was ok. The best desserts to pick are the ones being served rather than the ones you snag yourself.

 

When we got back to our room, we found copies of all of our photographs, and a platter of goodies on the counter—a gift from the Chef after our morning visit to the galley. A really nice touch—and the only part of the tour I was allowed to photograph.

 

[EMc&DrS]

Where are we today?

 

[mitchpam]

Where are we today?

 

 

I don't know where this is, but that guy has a HUGE birds nest on his boat he might wanna do somethin' about...

and yes, I did decide to read the behind the scenes tour post... sounds like a good thing to do...

[EMc&DrS]

I don't know where this is, but that guy has a HUGE birds nest on his boat he might wanna do somethin' about...

and yes, I did decide to read the behind the scenes tour post... sounds like a good thing to do...

 

I knew you'd read it! Thanks for taking the time to read all of my ramblings.

[mitchpam]

I knew you'd read it! Thanks for taking the time to read all of my ramblings.

 

Your ramblings have been MY pleasure!! I am so glad for all the info you have given! There does not seem to be much help out there for the port of Belize... the port of call boards are soooo slow. I am really leaning towards Goff's caye based on your report, thanks again for taking the time...

[Snorkel2Much]

Where are we today?

 

That's the Dive boat from Infinity Bay, so I'd say you're at West Bay Roatan.

[EMc&DrS]

That's the Dive boat from Infinity Bay, so I'd say you're at West Bay Roatan.

 

You're the grand prize winner for photo trivia!

[Snorkel2Much]

You're the grand prize winner for photo trivia!

I hope the prize is "Lunch for Two" at Fernando's 100% Agave restaurant in Mahahual (Costa Maya), MX. I really enjoyed your review, as you can probably tell it brought back a lot of great memories for me.

[blorkiemom]

Thanks so much for taking the time to do this--I've just enjoyed the heck out of reading it.

[australian_girl]

Thanks for the latest chapter of your trip. :)

[DonnaBeachLover]

Enjoying your review. We are booked on the Dream Oct. l5th. I like the idea of parking where you did. I know you said you don't see the luggage from the time you get on the shuttle until in your cabin. Are you tipping them as you get on the shuttle bus or still tipping the porters when you arrive?

I was also curious if they check the water for alcohol when you board the boat after getting off at the ports?

[EMc&DrS]

I hope the prize is "Lunch for Two" at Fernando's 100% Agave restaurant in Mahahual (Costa Maya), MX. I really enjoyed your review, as you can probably tell it brought back a lot of great memories for me.

 

Ha! I thought you might ask for a free cruise!

[EMc&DrS]

Enjoying your review. We are booked on the Dream Oct. l5th. I like the idea of parking where you did. I know you said you don't see the luggage from the time you get on the shuttle until in your cabin. Are you tipping them as you get on the shuttle bus or still tipping the porters when you arrive?

I was also curious if they check the water for alcohol when you board the boat after getting off at the ports?

 

There was a young guy who unloaded our car for us and put the luggage on the shuttle. We did give him a good tip--we had too much luggage. When we arrived at the port, there were a a few shuttles unloading at the same time, and our driver was handing the bags directly to the porters. The porters didn't really know which bags went with which passengers. They were just grabbing them and moving them to the luggage cages ASAP. Since I had the money in my hand already, I did tip the porter, but we could have walked away without tipping. The bags arrived at our cabin just before 4 PM.

 

We never carried water back onto the ship from port, so I'm not sure, but they do screen everything carried back on.

[EMc&DrS]

After 3 hours of walking and a big Italian lunch, we were ready for some R & R. Of course, being the dreaded “last day” of the cruise, we wanted to do it all while doing nothing at all. We decided what we wanted to do most was enjoy our amazing deck one more time, so my wife grabbed her Kindle and I put in my earbuds and we hung out on the deck in the sun and the breeze for a couple of hours.

 

 

 

 

We couldn’t let the day end without one more visit to Serenity and to say goodbye to Alena, so we headed out for the front of the ship around 4 PM.

 

 

 

(The aft pool on the last afternoon)

 

 

Much to our disappointment, Serenity was crowded and all of our favorite seats were taken. We wandered around for a while, but as luck would have it, a corner couch opened up and we grabbed it. Alena was as friendly as ever, and when our drinks arrived, she had turned my wife’s straw wrapper into a flower sticking out of the end of the straw.

 

 

(This is a repeat picture, but you can see the straw paper flower in the drink)

 

 

 

On Monday Alena had mentioned that she likes it when she gets some time off while the ship is stopped in Cozumel because she loves a certain brand of Mexican chips that she can only find there. As we said our goodbyes, we gave her a nice tip for being so good to us all week and told her to buy a good supply of chips the next time she has some time off in Cozumel. The thing was, she wasn’t looking for a tip. She, like all the others, works so hard all day, 6 days a week, but she likes her job. I think it meant as much to her that two guests learned her name the first day and sought her out as much as it meant to us that out of yet another 4000 guests on board, she immediately learned our name and made it a priority to take good care of us.

 

At about 5:15, we decided to check out the Farewell Party in the Burgundy Lounge on deck 5. I had read several posts on CC that this party gets very little mention in any of the Fun Times, but that it is one of the few times when guests are given free drinks. Sure enough, the lounge was maybe half full, and the wait staff was loaded down with trays of free drinks.

 

 

 

(Plenty of empty seats)

 

 

After an afternoon of sun, I was really in the mood for a cold beer, and they had plenty. My wife didn’t want to mix, so she requested another Long Island Ice Tea, and our server was happy to go retrieve a complimentary one for her from the bar even though it wasn’t one of the featured free drinks. There was a band and two excellent singers performing, and we stayed until the party ended at 6 PM.

 

 

 

 

The time had come to head back to the room to get ready for dinner and begin the dreaded packing process. Usually, the cruise feels like it’s over when you pull the suitcases out from under the bed, so I had decided back in January to save one last surprise for the last evening: a visit to the Steakhouse. As with the other surprises, I didn’t tell my wife about it until we were getting ready for the tour of the ship earlier in the day. I had almost canceled the reservation twice during the cruise. After having dinner with the chef, I was afraid that a visit to the Steakhouse might be a letdown, and the topic of the Steakhouse had come up twice during the cruise, and both times my wife said, “Why would anyone pay extra to eat dinner when you can go to the dining room?” In the end, we were glad that I didn’t cancel the reservation.

[EMc&DrS]

Our reservation was for 8:00, so we were glad we had gotten our requested table for two by the window so we could watch our last sunset. Unlike the fantastic ones we had enjoyed during the cruise, it seemed almost fitting that this one was mostly obscured by clouds.

 

I know some people really enjoy all of the entertainment in the MDR, but we are happier with a quiet, less frenetic approach to dinner. If this sounds good to you, you will enjoy the Chef’s Art Steakhouse. As a matter of fact, there was a couple at the table next to ours who had eaten in the Steakhouse every night of the cruise because they liked the atmosphere and menu so much. The restaurant is quiet, and the pace is calm and relaxing. We had never opened our bottle of wine that came with our basket of fruit and cheese, so we brought it along. I expected to be charged the corkage fee (which is more in the Steakhouse), but they did not charge us the fee.

 

If the MDR is about small portions of standardized menu options prepared for large groups of people, and the Chef’s Table is about the experience, the Steakhouse is about large portions of fantastic food. Shortly after being seated, we were each given a small appetizer, both different, “compliments of the chef.” You are entitled to order an appetizer, a salad, an entrée, and a dessert, but when we were having trouble deciding, our server told us we could order a second appetizer in lieu of a salad. This was perfect!

 

We both ordered a tuna tartare (which looked like a work of art)

 

 

 

and my wife chose the lobster bisque while I opted for a crab cake.

 

 

 

For our entrée we both selected the ribeye steak which was a "special" not on the regular menu.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, my wife chose the chocolate sampler for dessert,

 

 

 

 

but after so much food, I was happy with a simple bowl of ice cream: banana rum ice cream with a cookie.

 

 

 

 

 

I would highly recommend a visit to the Steakhouse. The bill was $60, and we did opt to add an additional tip since they had honored our table request and given us excellent service. Everything was delicious! This was such a great way to end our last day on the Dream.

[EMc&DrS]

Since this review is almost over, I thought I'd post two trivia photos today.

 

Where are we here???

 

And here??

 

 

Hint--they are not the same place...

[LaurieHoffman]

loving this review and living it too.. We leave in a week on the Dream. This is a great way for us all to be excited about our upcoming cruise. Believe it or not have been having trouble getting my husband excited about any vacation but I think he is coming around for this trip.

[EMc&DrS]

loving this review and living it too.. We leave in a week on the Dream. This is a great way for us all to be excited about our upcoming cruise. Believe it or not have been having trouble getting my husband excited about any vacation but I think he is coming around for this trip.

 

 

Thanks--glad I could help. My wife was too busy before our cruise to get excited, so I would capture photos from other reviews and send them to her at work --one each day with the caption, "Today's Inspiration." It worked, by the time of the cruise she was totally excited!

[Snorkel2Much]

Since this review is almost over, I thought I'd post two trivia photos today.

 

Where are we here???

 

 

And here??

 

 

Hint--they are not the same place...

The 2nd photo is under the Cocoa Beach pier south of Port Canaveral, the hills in the 1st photo make me think Roatan, but I can't place it more precisely.

[EMc&DrS]

You are correct on the pier, but the other is not Roatan.

[EMc&DrS]

The controlled earthquake caused by the ship’s thrusters started early—and lasted longer than at any other port. Every time we thought it was over, another after shock would occur almost as if the Captain were doing it on purpose to rub it in that our trip had come to an end. Unlike the past mornings, I was not in any hurry to get up and look out the window.

 

 

 

We had put most of our bags outside our door before going to the Steakhouse just in case we didn’t get back in time, but they had still been there upon our return from dinner, so we managed to get our dinner clothes packed and outside the door just as they were picking up the bags at 11 PM. We had been assigned zone 16 out of 19 zones for disembarkation, and the information we received said that we should expect to be called around 8:40 AM. This was fine with us because we had gotten up early the last two mornings, and were happy to get an extra hour of sleep before beginning the drive back to Atlanta. The nice thing about the Dream was that we were told we could remain in our cabin until 8:30. On Princess we had to be out at 7:30.

 

 

 

Disembarkation went very smoothly. Our zone was actually called early at 8:15, and we heard that good ol’ sound of our S & S cards being scanned one last time at about 8:20. By 9 AM we were already in our car at the Park ‘N Cruise and ready to start for home.

 

The first thing you do when you get off the ship is clear customs with your carry-on luggage only. You then are directed to the area where you can claim your checked bags, and unlike all other cruises we’ve taken, this terminal handles luggage like they do at the airports—no big room full of bags! We were told which carousel to go to and within 10 minutes are bags had arrived. We didn’t need a porter, so we got in the line exiting the room and headed for the shuttle bus. Surprise! Just as you round the corner to exit the luggage area, a drug-sniffing dog welcomes you back to the USA.

 

 

 

We exited the terminal, turned right, and found our shuttle bus waiting for us in the last parking space for buses. The driver quickly jumped out, loaded our bags, and since the bus was now full, we headed for the parking lot. Less than 10 minutes later we were putting our bags back into the car.

 

The drive home was uneventful until we hit Henry County just south of Atlanta. As usual, construction just south of the city had the highway clogged for miles. What should have taken 75 minutes to get home was stretched out to almost two hours. Throw in a severe thunderstorm as we passed Hartsfield, and we were definitely reminded that the cruise was over and we were back to reality!

 

 

I'm sure there is info I left out. I know I didn't mention too much about entertainment. We did see "Dancing in the Streets" which was outstanding, and the singers we heard at different functions were always good, but like I said, we didn't spend too much time worrying about events listed in the Fun Times. If you think of any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

 

Would we go on the Dream again? In a heartbeat.

 

Would we do the western itinerary again? Yes!

 

 

This concludes this very lengthy review, and I thank anyone who actually took the time to read it. Although we had taken 3 cruises prior to this one, in many ways it felt like we had missed out on so much because we hadn't done our research in advance---until this cruise.

 

Cruise Critic helped me so much as we prepared for this trip, and I just hope this review will help some others plan the cruise of a lifetime!

 

 

[bsw620]

I see you were right behind me and my family at the fun farewell, that is our backs in the picture! What a great place to people watch! Enjoying your review, I would love to be back on there right now! We are planning to go again next year, same ship, same itinerary.

[pafam4]

Thanks so much for this review. I loved reading each installment. Its like reliving my Dream cruise from last year! Not cruising this year, but reading reviews like yours helps me get through til the next cruise (hopefully next summer)!

[LaurieHoffman]

Thank you for the detailed review and photo diary of your recent cruise. We leave on the 9th and this has helped get me more excited to go. I will have my husband read through this entire thread later tonight so he too can get in the cruise mood. He hates vacations and would prefer to just work... UGH! He is taking the cruise with us but flying home after and the kids and I are staying another week on Orlando..

 

Love, love your details.. did you write things down as you did them or do you have an amazing memory.