New Dream Review But Not Really

[cbaser]

Me, my wife and 12 year old son sailed on the Dream July 23 on the Western itinerary. This isn't a comprehensive review (I'm too lazy for that) but rather a list of some observations, surprises and disappointments. For background, my wife and I cruised on Majesty of the Seas and I think the Inspiration about 12 years ago, and more recently the three of us have sailed on Glory, Valor, Liberty of the Seas and now Dream. We have found things that we like about both CCL cruises and RCCL cruises.

 

First, some assumptions we had going in. We were expecting extreme overcrowding, especially at breakfast and lunch on sea days. We were also at least halfway expecting to catch a whiff of the now infamous sewage smell.

 

Observation #1: The Gathering (Lido buffett) does get quite crowded during the peak b'fast and lunch times. However, that's not the only venue. May I suggest some alternatives:

Breakfast - If the MDR isn't your style (not really mine) and you're not an early riser, then you can find a smaller breakfast spread at the back of the boat at the Tandoori Grill, though check the hours as it's only served for an hour or two. There was rarely more than a couple minutes wait though. Also, if you just want to grab a croissant or danish, the coffee bar on the 5th floor Ocean Promenade had a tray of them out (free) so you could grab a couple while you bought a cup of very good coffee (I think $1.73 with gratuity - well worth it compared to the junk they served for free).

Lunch- The Tandoori Grill at the back of the boat (10th floor poolside) had pretty good quality Indian food if you go for that (though for some reason the cook kept burning the Naan!) and short lines. The sandwich shop also makes good quality hot or cold sandwiches with short waits. The pizza shop custom makes calzones (10 minutes), in addition to the pizza and Caesar salads. The Wasabi sushi bar on the 5th floor Promenade custom prepares salads and has Turkey wraps and I never saw a line there. The pasta shop (11th floor just above The Gathering) was excellent! Great quality and custom prepared just the way you order it, and you sit at a comfortable table and look out at the ocean while you wait the 10 minutes or so it takes. You can also get a Caesar salad with your pasta dish. The theme here seems to be that the smaller venues that prepare your food when you order it have far less standing in line and offer much better quality IMO. I wish I hadn't waited until the last day to try the Italian place. Check the hours though as it's only open for lunch.

 

Observation #2 - The pools and surrounding pool decks get way crowded. I just don't understand why a vessel that services over 4000 passengers only has the equivalent of two backyard-sized swimming pools. The Conquest class ships have less crowded pool areas, but the RCCL Freedom class ships beat them all (at least of the ones we've tried) when it comes to the pools and surrounding decks. My tip here is to pick a port day to stay on the ship. The pools (at least the aft one for us) will by yours until about 11:00 am.

 

Observation #3 - Other than the Lido buffet crowding (not a big deal if you follow my advice) and the ridiculously small amount of pool and deck space, the crowding wasn't noticed any more than on other CCL and RCCL ships.

 

Observation #4 - My son and I noticed a foul smell one windy evening while strolling outside on the Promenade. I don't consider that any more than what you'll experience on other ships. Short story - I don't think the infamous smell is really a systemic problem any longer.

 

Observation #5 - We stayed in a Spa Balcony cabin and loved the Spa. The Thalassotherapy pool, steam room and the "hot stone/tile lounger room" were great. This is a feature you won't find everywhere.

 

Observation #6 - The soft serve ice cream/yogurt machines were flawless. Keep up the good work Carnival. My son and I got our money's worth out of these. In comparison, on the Liberty of the Seas last year, they had one soft serve machine that was only available for a few hours in the afternoon.

 

Observation #7 - I was expecting to get a lot of use and enjoyment out of the twister and toilet bowl slides. This was a bit of a disappointment for three reasons. First, as I read previously on CC, the slides are constructed in such a way that the joints where the sections are connected sting your back a bit as you slide down. Second, there needs to be a better flow of water going down the slides. One port day that we stayed on the boat, my son and I were among the first to hit the slides... big mistake! We both got friction burns on our hands, feet and backs. Your momentum takes you up the sides of the slides but there's no water there, enough said. As more people hit the slides, the sides get more water on them and stay wetter so it's not a problem then. We thought we were being smart and avoiding lines, but by doing so we got burned... literally. And third, if it's very windy (think a sea day steaming quickly back to Port Canaveral) they close the slides. I fully understand that they do this for safety reason but it's still a downer. One surpise though was that the two so called racing slides, even though rather short, are pretty fun if you've got someone to race against, have short lines, and don't result in any burns or stinging.

 

Observation #8 - Like most ships, the wood deck gets very hot after noon. Keep your flip flips or watershoes with you at all times. If you have to walk more than 10 or 15 feet on the hot deck you'll regret it.

 

Observation #9 - The food in the MDR at dinner was average for a cruise, no real surprises good or bad. The entree that I most remember was the beef short ribs. It was quite good even though I'm from pork rib country. The best dessert of the week for me was the Cappuccino Pie (a coffee ice cream pie... but not with a strong coffee flavor). I have to give a shout out to our waitstaff, Fernando and Emory. They were very good. If it were not for them, we probably would have had dinner at The Gathering a couple of nights.

 

Overall we had a wonderful time and spent two port days enjoying the ship rather than going ashore. The biggest takeaways I would offer is that the crowding isn't a problem if you think about what you're doing, and the slides aren't nearly as big an attaction as I expected. So don't go for the slides, but don't not go (double negative, I know) because of fears of the crowds.

 

One more thing, in Cozumel we took a cab to Mr. Sancho's beach club (in the same vicinity as Paradise Beach) and splurged on the all inclusive package. That was an extremely fun and relaxing day. The food was very good (the grilled shrimp and fish tacos were great) and it included all the frozen tropical beverages you wanted, among other things. The water there was wonderful and the staff very good. We were the only ship in port that day so it was almost like we had the day to ourselves.

 

I'll post more thoughts as they come to me. I'm also publishing a video to YouTube as I type this (mostly snorkeling stuff - bought an underwater camera and had to get my money's worth) so I'll post the link soon.

[mrlddst]

Thanks for the review. This was western correct? Did you do any other excursions?

[JennLuvs2Cruise]

Thanks for sharing your review. Based on my experiences on the Dream, I pretty much agree with all of your points. I had two fantastic cruises on her. We also went to Mr. Sancho's when we visited Cozumel - what a great place!

[SANDYJABS]

Nice review- thanks for sharing. I have sailed the Dream last summer on Eastern and leave this Saturday for the Western :D

[cbaser]

Here's my video. Don't be too harsh a critic, this is my first vacation video and the first time I shot underwater video. Pretty tough keeping the camera steady!

[cbaser]

Thanks for the review. This was western correct? Did you do any other excursions?

 

In Roatan we used Christopher Tours and went to South Shore Canopy Tours and did the zipline, then our driver took us to West Bay Beach (Bananarama... just up the beach from Tabyana). It was quite murky at the beach that day as you can tell from my video. The zipline tour was good. The tour driver also took us on a scenic route (good scenery and bad scenery... poverty/reality). We didn't go to the beach at Mahogany Bay where the ship docks, but from our balcony it looked like a perfectly fine beach if you're not interested in snorkeling the reef. The only bad thing about our tour was we only had a couple hours at the beach.

[Ms. Fun Bunch]

Thanks for your honest review of the Dream. I also sail on it this Saturday!!!!!!

[melli_fera]

Here's my video. Don't be too harsh a critic, this is my first vacation video and the first time I shot underwater video. Pretty tough keeping the camera steady!

 

 

Watching your video now. FANTASTIC!!! What camera did you use? I'm sailing dream at the end of August. I can't wait!

[cbaser]

Watching your video now. FANTASTIC!!! What camera did you use? I'm sailing dream at the end of August. I can't wait!

 

I used an Olympus Stylus Tough 6020 that I actually bought on the ship, kind of an impulse purchase. I checked when I got home and the price was about the same as Amazon's lowest so I didn't get ripped off. Pretty nice camera for use in the water.

[CutiePie10]

I sail Aug 20 on the Dream!! I can't wait!! I'll definitely have to take those tips into consideration especially when it's time to eat. Thanks again for your review! :D

[SunnieC]

Thank you for taking the time to post a review, and share your observations! :)

[buddyjo143]

Thanks for the mini-review. You gave me the details I would want since we haven't been on the Dream yet. Don't know when that might be but you never know.

[cbaser]

One thing about the Dream I just remembered. There was a very talented band called Cooper's Run that performed just about every night. They are from New Zealand and do what I would call a contemporary country mix. They are very good! I really enjoyed listening to them and chillin' with a good cup of decaf. You can check them out on Facebook (Twitter too I think). The guy nails Jimmy Buffet songs, and they do a whole lot more very well also.

[saltybones]

Great u tube entry! we are sailing the Dream for the 2nd time in April of next year, can't wait! We loved everything. Did you book your snorkel tour on the ship? We just purchased our 1st set of snorkel equipment, can't wait to try them out. Nice review also. This is a pic I took on our cruise.

 

 

 

[XCruiseMe17]

Thanks for the review~ very helpful! I cruise the Dream on 10/29. And Emory is AWESOME! I had him last Nov on the Liberty!! Thanks for takin the time to share info with us!!

[tandemcruzr]

Thanks for the review and your video. We discovered the Tandoori area on our previous Dream cruise and are looking forward to our next one in a Cove balcony this coming November.

 

I had two questions re the video. One has already been answered above about the camera you used. Second question is what video software did you use?

[Froufie]

Loved the video - esp the underwater pics may I ask in both places (cozumel and roatan) - how far off from shore were you and how deep was the water? Were the seas calm? (I am always afraid of being 'swept' into some of the coral/rock formations while snorkelling and trying to film underwater and manage my snorkel/mask etc!).

 

Also how much was the AI at Mr. Sancho's?

 

Thanks,

[cbaser]

Thanks for the review and your video. We discovered the Tandoori area on our previous Dream cruise and are looking forward to our next one in a Cove balcony this coming November.

 

I had two questions re the video. One has already been answered above about the camera you used. Second question is what video software did you use?

 

I used the iMovie program that came on my Mac mini. I've only been using a Mac a few months and this was my first chance to try the movie software.

[cbaser]

Loved the video - esp the underwater pics may I ask in both places (cozumel and roatan) - how far off from shore were you and how deep was the water? Were the seas calm? (I am always afraid of being 'swept' into some of the coral/rock formations while snorkelling and trying to film underwater and manage my snorkel/mask etc!).

 

Also how much was the AI at Mr. Sancho's?

 

Thanks,

 

I know what you mean. The water was very calm in Cozumel, and there wasn't really a reef to speak of where we were at so really no danger there. The only thing to see at Mr. Sancho's besides sand were some man made fish attractors and statue things. These were I guess about 20 yards out in maybe 10 to 12 feet of water. Roatan is a different story. We were at West Bay Beach. We had our beach chairs at Bananarama but we snorkeled in front of Tabyana and Infinity Bay since the reef is closer to shore there. I'd say you start hitting the reef about 20 to 25 yards out. We've been there before and the water was clear and calm, but this trip it was a bit choppy and murky, probably from nearby storms. The reef is in anywhere from around 8 to 30 feet of water, but it's a large reef so in places there's not much clearance to glide over it. There's a couple guys in kayaks that try to keep people from getting right on top of it where they'll get scraped up, but you've still got to be careful especially when trying to video and take pictures, deal with the chop, and a foggy mask. We made the mistake this trip of saving luggage space by not taking our own snorkeling gear and and I won't do that again (I'll at least take my own tried and true mask). There's plenty to see without risking getting scraped up, buy in the "thrill" of the moment it's tempting to get a little closer or explore the canyon type formations, and that's where you really have to pay attention to the path you take in because there may not be too many paths out.

[cbaser]

I know what you mean. The water was very calm in Cozumel, and there wasn't really a reef to speak of where we were at so really no danger there. The only thing to see at Mr. Sancho's besides sand were some man made fish attractors and statue things. These were I guess about 20 yards out in maybe 10 to 12 feet of water. Roatan is a different story. We were at West Bay Beach. We had our beach chairs at Bananarama but we snorkeled in front of Tabyana and Infinity Bay since the reef is closer to shore there. I'd say you start hitting the reef about 20 to 25 yards out. We've been there before and the water was clear and calm, but this trip it was a bit choppy and murky, probably from nearby storms. The reef is in anywhere from around 8 to 30 feet of water, but it's a large reef so in places there's not much clearance to glide over it. There's a couple guys in kayaks that try to keep people from getting right on top of it where they'll get scraped up, but you've still got to be careful especially when trying to video and take pictures, deal with the chop, and a foggy mask. We made the mistake this trip of saving luggage space by not taking our own snorkeling gear and and I won't do that again (I'll at least take my own tried and true mask). There's plenty to see without risking getting scraped up, buy in the "thrill" of the moment it's tempting to get a little closer or explore the canyon type formations, and that's where you really have to pay attention to the path you take in because there may not be too many paths out.

 

It's always good to use the buddy system when in the water, but especially when you're shooting pics and video. While you're videoing, your buddy can keep you out of trouble.