Dream Eastern 9/24/11-10/1/11- LONG REPORT w/ PICS and MICKEY'S HALLOWEEN PARTY

[Hogladyrider]

As a chronic CC reader this is one of the best reviews I have read in a LONG time, thoroughly enjoyed, hope it will be the first of many reviews you write.

 

Great job, great photos, thanks for taking the time to share your vacation with us.

 

Suggestion, next time you cruise Dream try a cove balcony they are fabulous!

Susan

[teacher34]

I am so sad to read the end of your review! It has been fantastic and everyday I quickly get on CC to look for the next installment. I have loved every picture and all your writings. You really do have a great way of conveying not only information, but also the fun of your experience. I am hoping that when you go on your next cruise with your parents, you will write a review of that. It may, and probably will, be different, but with your great writing stlye, I know it would be interesting to all of us. Thanks so much for taking all the time to write this. It was fabulous and I hate to see it end almost as much as you hated to see your cruise end!! Thanks again.

[sweetlissa]

Thanks Everyone for reading! This is my first report so I was scared no one would read this!! I have a lot of the report already written so hopfully I will be able to get most of it posted in the next week or so. I just have to go through and get all the photos uploaded and posted, which is a lot more time consuming than I thought it would be :eek:

 

So excited you decided to do it, loving it already!! Thanks

[amethyst08]

Thanks for the great review. I can't wait until my Dream comes true. :D:p:D:p

[Hockey Addict]

Thanks so much for your review! It was awesome! I love the "sad" picture. I know that feeling and am not looking forward to it! I have 5 more days til we sail and you helped me make it through the past week or however long it's been. It would be awesome to find that you guys were on our roll call in the future!

 

Thanks again!

[futuresoonermom]

All that is to say that when I got in the shower this night in Port Canaveral, very tired, and just wanting a nice hot shower and to go to bed, I was greeted by Pancho’s not very nice cousin…Pube-o….

 

 

 

this made me laugh until i snorted.

 

awesome review. :D

[bellatsava]

I think I love you! I was so sad when I reached the end of your review. Almost as sad as I am when my own cruise is ending.

 

I wish I had the pleasure of being on your cruise. I am a fellow Georgian. Grew up in South GA, but now live in Macon. Can you see me waving to you?!

 

We cruise on the Dream Western Caribbean 11/12. I am really excited, but I will be embarking on my first sober cruise (this makes me kind of sad) Turns out - a 10th anniversary cruise, Hurricane Irene, lots of booze and an Ambien is a recipe for a new addition to the family in May. Don't get me wrong - we are thrilled, it's just ideally I would have waited until after my Nov. cruise if I was planning. But I can't wait to meet our first baby in May! And one cruise with no booze will be a small price to pay. And let's face it, hubby can probably drink enough for both of us.

 

I hope you are planning another cruise soon, so I can read that review and it sustain me through the next year of cruise withdrawals...

 

President of the Macon Chapter of your fan club,

 

Dallas

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Great picks.........

[rexdillinger]

What a great job you have done with this review. I truly appreciate you taking the time to post and sharing all this information about the Dream. We will be on the Dream for a B2B on December 3. Can't wait. Again, thank you for sharing.

[jaybird77]

As a chronic CC reader this is one of the best reviews I have read in a LONG time, thoroughly enjoyed, hope it will be the first of many reviews you write.

 

Great job, great photos, thanks for taking the time to share your vacation with us.

 

Suggestion, next time you cruise Dream try a cove balcony they are fabulous!

Susan

 

wow- thank you so much. I really enjoyed the process of putting this together. You know, we thought about a cove balcony for this one, but Bryon said he was a little freaked out being so close to the water. I think he might be scared that I would get drunk and fall off the balcony and then he'd have to answer to my mom, who has basically told him he is responsible for the care of her baby and if anything happens to me, she's coming after him! hahaha

 

I am so sad to read the end of your review! It has been fantastic and everyday I quickly get on CC to look for the next installment. I have loved every picture and all your writings. You really do have a great way of conveying not only information, but also the fun of your experience. I am hoping that when you go on your next cruise with your parents, you will write a review of that. It may, and probably will, be different, but with your great writing stlye, I know it would be interesting to all of us. Thanks so much for taking all the time to write this. It was fabulous and I hate to see it end almost as much as you hated to see your cruise end!! Thanks again.

 

thanks so much for reading thw whole thing and sticking in there! You know, I will go ahead and take 'notes' on the cruise with my parents. We'll see if I can put myself together to get another report done when we return! My parents are characters and it will be both their first time on a ship, so it could be entertaining.. well entertaining for readers, it might be torture for me as the one who will be with them, ha!

 

So excited you decided to do it, loving it already!! Thanks

 

Thanks for reading!

[jaybird77]

Thanks for the great review. I can't wait until my Dream comes true. :D:p:D:p

 

Thanks for sticking with it! I hope you have fun on your cruise!

 

Thanks so much for your review! It was awesome! I love the "sad" picture. I know that feeling and am not looking forward to it! I have 5 more days til we sail and you helped me make it through the past week or however long it's been. It would be awesome to find that you guys were on our roll call in the future!

 

Thanks again!

 

I am jealous! I hope you have fun! You will be taking a 'happy' picture very soon!

 

All that is to say that when I got in the shower this night in Port Canaveral, very tired, and just wanting a nice hot shower and to go to bed, I was greeted by Pancho’s not very nice cousin…Pube-o….

 

 

 

this made me laugh until i snorted.

 

awesome review. :D

 

Yeah, honestly thats all I could do at that time of night, when i was so tired, just laugh!

[jaybird77]

I think I love you! I was so sad when I reached the end of your review. Almost as sad as I am when my own cruise is ending.

 

I wish I had the pleasure of being on your cruise. I am a fellow Georgian. Grew up in South GA, but now live in Macon. Can you see me waving to you?!

 

We cruise on the Dream Western Caribbean 11/12. I am really excited, but I will be embarking on my first sober cruise (this makes me kind of sad) Turns out - a 10th anniversary cruise, Hurricane Irene, lots of booze and an Ambien is a recipe for a new addition to the family in May. Don't get me wrong - we are thrilled, it's just ideally I would have waited until after my Nov. cruise if I was planning. But I can't wait to meet our first baby in May! And one cruise with no booze will be a small price to pay. And let's face it, hubby can probably drink enough for both of us.

 

I hope you are planning another cruise soon, so I can read that review and it sustain me through the next year of cruise withdrawals...

 

President of the Macon Chapter of your fan club,

 

Dallas

 

Ha wow- Macon chapter- funny! Hey- Victoria, from all the pics, who we met on this cruise, was from Macon. I go through there (well really bypass it) on my way to Valdosta! Hey, just think about your cruise this way- you can eat for two while your husband drinks for two!

 

Great picks.........

 

Thanks for reading!

 

What a great job you have done with this review. I truly appreciate you taking the time to post and sharing all this information about the Dream. We will be on the Dream for a B2B on December 3. Can't wait. Again' date=' thank you for sharing.[/quote']

 

Wow- a B2B- that is one thing Bryon and I hope to be able to experience one day! Hope you have a great time!

[DEERINH2O]

So sad it's over. I loved reading I had some great laughs. Hope you cruise again soon so you can write another review

 

Thanks for taking the time and let me know.

 

Kathy

[shoppingfever]

I am soooo sad that this has come to an end. I hope you will share more of your adventures! You should start a blog so we can all follow you in your day to day events!!!

[jaybird77]

Ok- so here are some more silly pics, followed by some of Bryon's pics he wanted to share. I'll also post some final thoughts and packing tips!

 

 

 

View of the slides

 

 

Leaving St. Maarten

 

 

Our ship is NOT bigger than your ship!

 

 

Da plane! Da plane!

 

[jaybird77]

Sapphire Beach- St. Thomas

 

 

View from Sunny's tour bus in St. Thomas

 

 

The Dream- in Nassau

 

 

Me eating toast

 

 

Best Day Ever!

 

 

Bryon's king of the world!

 

[jaybird77]

Final Thoughts:

 

Port: This was our first time sailing out of Port Canaveral. I thought the port did an excellent job at getting everyone through quickly. There was a small security line when we first got there. FYI- there were water coolers and cups outside, but since the line was not that long we didn’t have a need to use it. The line was pretty much nonexistent when we got inside to the Carnival desk. The chair configuration in the waiting area was kind of weird and I did find myself all up in a bunch of stranger’s business because the chairs were pushed so close together. No one really directed you where to go, but that was only a small issue. Our zone numbers were called pretty quickly and we were on the ship within minutes. We did get stuck in a slower moving line on debarkation trying to get through customs, but not sure if that was the employees fault or just cruisers who mistakenly thought they were in the self check out lane at Wal Mart and temporarily turned into complete morons. We also loved that we could use Park n’ Cruise and save money to park at an area that was really close to the port. Port Canaveral is also a lot closer to Atlanta than some of the other ports we have done, so that was nice. Also, you can go to Disney the night before your cruise, I mean, hello! I would travel out of this port again in a heart beat. Grade- A

 

Ship: Much like Kim Kardashian’s backside, this ship is very large. Unlike KK’s backside, I doubt this alone will make the ship legendary, considering Carnival was beat to the punch by those big Norwegian and RCL ships. I could definitely tell the Dream was bigger than the Freedom or the Victory ( the other ships I have sailed). I didn’t really have an issue with the size though. There are good and bad things about the increase in size of the ship. The increase wasn’t so big as to make the ship difficult to navigate. It was still fairly easy to find your way around and get a feel for where everything was. The increased size has also given room for some good food additions, like the lanai BBQ and the pasta bar. They also made room for Ocean Plaza which is a really nice section of the ship to participate in activities, listen to music, or just relax. Now, I did notice some crowding at the beginning of some shows, etc. and also when we were leaving and getting back on in the ports of call, but you know, I can’t be sure if the crowds were bigger than what I was used to, or if I just forgot how crowded the ship always is during those times. I’m not sure if this is possible, but I think it would have been nice if they could have opened up an area at the front and at midship for debarkation and embarkation at the ports of call. One area where crowds really interfere are the pool areas. The two small pools just are not enough to accommodate all the passengers. I guess the addition of all the hot tubs was thought to solve this issue to some degree, but once again, it was rare for us to spot a hot tub without a number of people in it. I think they need to consider seriously adding another pool in the Serenity area or something. I have read some complaints about not being able to find a chair, but we did not find that to be an issue at all. You might not get one right by the pool on the Lido, but there were always plenty of chairs available at nice spots on the 11th and 12th decks. Grade- A- (minus for the pool sitch)

 

Service: You know, I am at a loss here to figure out why people are complaining or suggesting that service is suffering. They have been to Wal Mart, or Burger King, or tried to get information from Comcast before right? So should know what sucky service is. It was our experience, that almost everyone on the ship bends over backward to try and make you feel taken care of and special. We had a great room steward who always made sure our room was clean and stocked with ice and new towels. We met a number of bar waiters who would remember our drink orders and call us by name. We interacted with the guest services staff and the shore excursion desk and they were all very nice. Even our dining room waiters, who I am not sure actually spoke English, got us served and out in about an hour or so every night, which I think is pretty good for a table of 6 (or 8). Now they didn’t sit down and ask us about our life history from birth to present, but they were pleasant and filled our water glasses and put our napkin in our lap, and made sure we had what we had ordered. Every day, we would pass Carnival staff who would smile and say ‘Hello, how are you’. Unfortunately this is not the norm in real life, so in my book, Carnival gets an ‘A’ for service.

 

Food: Ok, I love food as you can tell from seeing me in my pictures. I have also been reading all over CC about how much the food has gone downhill and that it is substandard. Oh, and when they made the menu changes and introduced the comfort foods into the MDR, you would have thought that someone had suggested redressing the Statue of Liberty in skinny jeans and a hoodie. So I did go into the cruise with a little trepidation. But, I am happy to say, we found the food to be very good. I won’t call it spectacular, but you know I don’t expect every dish to be spectacular. I find it amazing that they are able to feed 3000- 4000 people all during the day such a variety of food ON THE OCEAN! Here are my complaints:

Repeated lunch ‘themes’- I would wish they could work it out so that when they know a number of people are going to be eating lunch at the buffet, they at least try to make the choices different. For instance, the Caribbean ‘theme’ was done at lunch on Monday and Thursday, both days that many people were on board to eat. I wish they could have switched one of those days with the French or American theme done on our St. Thomas or St. Maarten day, when most people were probably off the ship at lunchtime.

Warm Desserts- I’m not sure once again if this is an actual refrigeration problem, or just that maybe Carnival doesn’t feel some desserts need to be kept cool. Put it this way Carnival, if it has got dairy in it- put it on ice!

Here are my faves- The pasta bar was great and the lasagna there was really awesome! I thought the lanai BBQ sliders were good, but Bryon didn’t like them. The salad bar on deck 5 at the sushi place was great! We had some really good food in the MDR- namely, the petit filet, bitter and blanc, the mushroom soup, and the bacon mac and cheese- mmm mmm good!

So bottom line is that some of the changes worked and some did not. I do know they are serving cheaper cuts of beef, but that’s fine with me if the flavor is good, which it normally was. Bryon had a number of fish dishes and he liked all of them (and he’s a picky eater). I guess if you have champagne and caviar taste and expect that you will be served meals suitable for Michelin stars every night, then you will likely be disappointed. But if you just go in expecting some good tasting and varied food options, you should end up with a smile on your face, like I had after every meal! Grade- A- (minus for the warm cheesecakes- the horror!)

 

Itinerary: We have only done Eastern Caribbean itineraries, so naturally we were happy with the ports overall. Bryon does not like Nassau that much and I understand why. There are a number of really intense ‘salespeople’ right at the port with whom you have to contend. Also, the big thing to do here is to go to Atlantis which can be a really expensive prospect. We would not be heartbroken if Carnival changed this port to something like San Juan PR or maybe even Half Moon Cay. We have been to St. Thomas a number of times and this is a great island. We would definitely do Sonny Liston tours again. We absolutely love St. Maarten. If you get the chance to go on an itinerary with this port, take it! We would do Bernard’s Tours again, or we might just take a cab over to Orient Beach and spend the day. We also really love our sea days. There is something really nice about just hanging out on the ship, and taking part in the activities or relaxing knowing you don’t have to be anywhere at any certain time. Dream has a great itinerary and if you are thinking of booking this cruise, you will not be disappointed. Grade A

 

Room: As I said earlier in the report, we had a deluxe Oceanview room. Our room was on the Riviera deck midship. We had two bathrooms, the second with a tub/shower combo and sink. There is plnty of room to store all your clothes and put your luggage away. The room is fairly spacious. Having the second shower was so great and saved us tons of time getting ready. We thought we were being smart getting the room at midship. We have always been at the forward of the ship. We thought being in the middle, close to the middle elevators would give us easy access to pretty much everything. What we did not count on was the fact that the middle elevators were being used to deliver luggage and were mostly unavailable the first day on the ship, and also the last sea day, once luggage was being collected. We also had to walk to the front of the ship any time we were in port in order to debark the ship. We had also read that in a midship room ,we might not notice as much movement. We didn’t notice much of a difference in the movement which was not bad at all anyway. That little rocking motion helps me sleep anyway I think! Oh well, we would definitely try to get a forward room next time. Grade- A+ ( it’s not the room’s fault we chose midship!)

[jaybird77]

Packing Tips: There are a number of packing lists out there so I won’t go over everything, but I just wanted to point out a few things that I think helped us.

 

Power Strip- There is only one outlet in the room located on the desk/counter area. You really need extra outlets if you have any gadgets, or camera battery chargers, etc. I have read some things about power strips being confiscated, but we got ours through with no problem. Port Canaveral may be more lenient I don’t know. But I would imagine if you brought a new one or one that at least looks to be in good condition, you shouldn’t have an issue.

 

Fan- Ok, I’m super happy for all you skinny people who walk out into tropical weather and only get slightly moist on your face, and then walk back onto the ship and wrap up in your snuggie, but for us people who actually already have about a 50 pound snuggie we wear all the time, it gets hot! Now the room does have an individual control, so you can make your room cooler. But even with this, sometimes I really was feeling warm, and really what I needed was just some circulating air to blow on me. I bought a small little desk top fan and brought on board and this worked really well for me. I could sit right in front of it when I needed it, and let it circulate the air at other times.

 

Trash Bags- we packed a few plastic trash bags for our wet towels and bathing suits. We pack everything in a backpack for our shore excursions because they are just more convenient to carry around, but after you go into the ocean, you then have a wet towel and/or bathing suit to deal with. You have to either stuff it down in your bag and possibly get other things wet, and maybe make your bag smell all midew-y by the time you get back to the ship. We just folded the towels up and threw them into the trash bags, then put the trash bag in our backpack. Then that protected our other stuff from getting wet and since they were Febreze scented bags, our backpacks smelled spring fresh!

 

Downy Wrinkle Release- ok, so no matter how hard you try, your stuff is bound to be wrinkled when you unpack. We found a little travel size bottle of Downey Wrinkle Release at Target. I think it was on about $1.99 or so. If you don’t want to have to spend time down in the little laundry room of the ship doing your ironing, you can get some of this. If you unpack everything on day one and give the worst things a little spritz, smooth them out, and hang them up, it works pretty good at getting out those wrinkles.

 

Chapstick- We got caught last cruise with sunburned lips and could not find chapstick anywhere! They would sell it to us at the infirmary, but it was like $10! The good news is that it looks like on this cruise they did have some in the gift shop. I do not remember the price, but it’s a lot more than you would pay at Wal Mart. Anyway, try to remember to grab a stick and throw it in with your regular sunscreen.

 

 

Well that's all I got folks. I appreciate everyone who has read or will read this review. I have enjoyed putting it together. If you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer :D

[gapearl]

Thanks for posting such an awesome review! I enjoyed every bit of it! :)

[KrystalWaters]

Hey Jay, i think i'm going crazy but did you mention what type of camera you are using? I love your pictures. You are sooo funny! I love the part about Kim Kadashan lol.

I just wanted you to know because of your review I emailed Sunny about setting up something for next year. For $35pp you can't beat it you know.

I'm sad to see your review come to an end. :( I'm looking forward in hearing about your other adventures...you never know i may see you on the high seas.:eek:

Kristy:)

[PrettyHazardous]

Jay your review was awesome. It was around this time 2 years ago that I was on the Freedom for my wedding cruise (well Megans Bay) We used Sunny that day and had an awesome time with him. That was our 2nd time on a tour with him and we kinda planned our wedding around his tour:rolleyes:. I will be on the dream in January (W Carib) so thanks for the detailed review of the ship.

[KrusII]

So sad to see the end of your review.......will miss your wonderful sense of style and humor. Hoping we sail together in the future. Until next time,

 

Your new fans and friends in Georgia..........

[GiantEeyore]

Thank You for your great thread :D Leaving for the Dream in the morning and can't do anything today but dream :p

 

Debb

[smc0320]

what a GREAT review! We are on the Dream 12/10 this year...your trip report has made me 100x more excited to go! Great tips about getting custom salad made while waiting on pasta dish!!!

[italianfemmy]

what a GREAT review! We are on the Dream 12/10 this year...your trip report has made me 100x more excited to go! Great tips about getting custom salad made while waiting on pasta dish!!!

 

Stan, are you cheating on our roll call? :D It's okay.. I already did for this thread too! Haha.

 

Again guys.. GREAT review.. awesome photos! I was going to do this for our 12/10 sailing but now maybe I don't have to since you just did!! :cool: