Carnival Dream Picture Review, December 10th-17th, 2011

[italianfemmy]

Then our entree dishes came out. I am sorry again that I don't know the names of these dishes. Next time, I will take notes since I will plan on doing the review ahead of time. :-)

 

Latanya's entree - she says this was a signature fish dish or something like that and she quite liked it.

 

 

My entree - was delish!!!!

 

 

Don't know if this was a 2nd one we ordered or Steve and Kim's....

 

 

Most people can't wait for the Warm Chocolate Melting Cake. I can't wait for Baked Alaska night! It's one of my favorite desserts and I think a tiny piece of my heart will die inside if I get the surprise that they no longer serve it one day!

 

 

 

Okay, hope you enjoyed our dinner experience!

 

After dinner, we went to the Holiday show since it was during the holiday seasons. Review and photos later. I have to choose some to edit and edit them!

 

 

.

[steven93921]

 

Thanks Steve for being a good button pusher :-)

 

 

One thing that EVERYONE who has met me would agree to. I am GREAT at pushing people's buttons. :-)

 

 

 

Thanks for that kiddo ;-)

[italianfemmy]

One thing that EVERYONE who has met me would agree to. I am GREAT at pushing people's buttons. :-)

 

Thanks for that kiddo ;-)

 

Ha! Ha! Ha! Anytime!!

[txstarla]

Alicia,

Since you love the baked Alaska like I do, her is a picture of the individual baked Alaska served on the Magic for my sisters wedding reception. It was huge and served on a dinner plate. You would have died!

Edited January 21, 2012 by txstarla

[Trish12345]

Your pictures are just breath taking. I loved the lounge chairs in the spa as well. Thank you for taking the time now & during your cruise for the reviews!

[ladybug1s]

what camera? lovely photos:)

[ladybug1s]

really enjoyed your dolphin shots! My family and I are doing a dolphin swim excursion in Bahamas, my youngest is doing the sea lion encounter;)

[italianfemmy]

Most of the ones in this review were taken with the 5D MK II. I also used the 40D a little bit. I left my 1D MK IV home because I felt it was too expensive of a camera to be worried about while vacationing.

 

I used the 70-200L 2.8 IS lens, the 50 1.4, the 24-105L 4.0 IS lens for all of these shots.

 

quoting myself instead of having to type it all out again :-) The answer to this question is actually only 1 page back :-)

[Celandine]

I love your response about the black background around the photos.

 

I was wondering if I did that in the review I plan on doing, would you think I was copying you or stealing one of your ideas?

 

I just don't want to ruffle any feathers...

 

thanks for an answer

[TriciaEMTB]

Hi, I am new to your review, well I've been reading up on it for the past few days...but finally posting..

I love it! I have never sailed Carnival, but we are considering it for the future. I have sailed the "dream" but not Carnivals....Disney's. and will be sailing her again this year.

 

I love your style of writing and your pictures. I too am one who would love to pick your brain. I dabble with photography (I have a canon 50D)....but I am very amateur. I also edit with photoshop (CS3) but I only know some basics....very basics. I would love to just sit and watch you edit for a full day!

 

Thanks so much for sharing this with us.

 

 

I remember your Disney Dream review. It makes me wish I could afford DCL! And I don't even like Disney! :D

[TriciaEMTB]

HI!

 

I cheated and caught up on your review tonight instead of Wednesday like planned. Glad I did! Your pictures are still ridiculously amazing. I was wondering why you put them on a black boarder, and really it DOES make the colors pop!

 

I am so sorry to hear you were in the hospital! Glad you are recovering well, meningitis is terrible.

 

It seems I missed a bit of drama over your pictures/signature? Boo :/ Boo to anyone who would be mean to you. Some people have nothing better to do then start internet drama! Their lives must be so sad!

 

I feel like I know you through your review. I briefly considered the Inaugural Breeze sailing because I honestly would LOVE to sail with you(You seem like such a blast to be around), then noticed it leaves the day before my Glory cruise. Don't think that would work! :P

 

Maybe I will run into you one day when you're down near Orlando! :P

Edited January 23, 2012 by TriciaEMTB

[sjn911]

Hi everyone. Just wanted to let you all know that I haven't forgotten about the review. I've been in the hospital with Meningitis and fighting getting over it for the past few days. I had to shoot a wedding yesterday because we couldn't replace me. I'm slowly getting better it seems. I'll post more when I'm back in good health.

 

Just saw this and wanted to say feel better too and thanks soo miuch for forging ahead with this incredibly great review..i so want that spa next time..LOL..Sarah

[ladybug1s]

I see, my son just got the can xsi for Christmas. Wonder if he can take good shots like these with his camera? lol

[thunderbayboy]

Hi Alicia,

 

Your review is excellent!! I don't read a lot of reviews here but yours is keeping me by the computer. I actually feel like I know you and Latanya after reading it! My partner Justin and I are cruising on Breeze on December 8, 2012 so we'll have to keep an eye out for Steve and Kim. I feel like we know them too! Too bad we will miss you by just a couple of weeks. Hopefully our paths will cross out on the seas some day.

 

Trevor

[jenseib]

I remember your Disney Dream review. It makes me wish I could afford DCL! And I don't even like Disney! :D

 

Off Topic

 

Thanks. I just wrote another review on the Disney boards too. I got to tour the Dream in Aug.

[teacher34]

Alicia, Thank you so much for posting this review. We took this cruise last March and it brought back so many happy memories. As so many others have said, your pictures are fantastic. everyday I can't wait to get to the computer to see if there is anything more. I don't know what I'll do when you are totally finished. I do have a question though, although this is slightly off topic. You started another thread asking people how many threads they subscribed to, and until that thread, I didn't know how to subscribe. I find it difficult each day trying to find this post. I followed the directions and subscribed to your thread, but I thought that would make yours come up first and it doesn't. What do you gain by subscribing to a post? Thanks for any info. I am very new at all of this. By the way, we are finally, after saving for 7 years, going to Alaska this May. I REALLY wish you and Latanya would be on that ship with us. I would love to see our photos of Alaska. I don't even have a camera yet!

[italianfemmy]

I love your response about the black background around the photos.

 

I was wondering if I did that in the review I plan on doing, would you think I was copying you or stealing one of your ideas?

 

I just don't want to ruffle any feathers...

 

thanks for an answer

 

Hmmm, let me check with my business partner and see if we have the black borders trademarked or anything...... hahaha. No, of course I don't mind! Feel free. I actually like when I see other peoples photos in borders too because it makes it easier for my eye to focus. :-)

 

HI!

 

I cheated and caught up on your review tonight instead of Wednesday like planned. Glad I did! Your pictures are still ridiculously amazing. I was wondering why you put them on a black boarder, and really it DOES make the colors pop!

 

I am so sorry to hear you were in the hospital! Glad you are recovering well, meningitis is terrible.

 

It seems I missed a bit of drama over your pictures/signature? Boo :/ Boo to anyone who would be mean to you. Some people have nothing better to do then start internet drama! Their lives must be so sad!

 

I feel like I know you through your review. I briefly considered the Inaugural Breeze sailing because I honestly would LOVE to sail with you(You seem like such a blast to be around), then noticed it leaves the day before my Glory cruise. Don't think that would work! :P

 

Maybe I will run into you one day when you're down near Orlando! :P

 

Glad you're all caught up, Tricia and I did get your email.. I just haven't had a chance to reply yet! I am so behind on work at the moment from being so sick all of last week. I am much better though! Thanks for your concern! And I am very glad the lovely folks of CC cleared up the issue regarding my images and that it's not a problem at all for me to continue sharing them with the people that love them without having to put my work at risk. :-)

 

Just saw this and wanted to say feel better too and thanks soo miuch for forging ahead with this incredibly great review..i so want that spa next time..LOL..Sarah

 

 

Thank you so much! To be honest, the idea of finishing this review makes me sad. The longer I drag it out, the more excuses I have to re-live my own trip. I have more than 10 months before the next one and that seems like an eternity!

 

I see, my son just got the can xsi for Christmas. Wonder if he can take good shots like these with his camera? lol

 

A good camera is only as good as the person pushing the buttons. A lot of people think a fancier camera means better photos and truthfully, it can produce worse photos without practice. The best bet is for him to start off using the auto green box mode and for him to study what settings the camera chooses for shutter speeds, aperture, etc. Auto mode doesn't work for me because the camera sometimes decides what it thinks is best but doesn't meter for the shadows/highlights, etc. But it's the best starting place.

 

Then progress into using TV and P (Program) modes where he can choose his ISO, his shutter OR his aperture depending on the mode. This way, he starts to have some of the control and lets the camera choose the rest.

 

I always shoot in full Manual mode now. I walk into a scene and immediately know what my ISO, shutter speed and aperture should be for that scene, for the lighting ratios, etc. It gives me the most control and power over my images and allows me complete control depending on if I am shooting a person where I might need to overexpose slightly to make sure that the detail in them is not lost in the shadows... or a scenic photo where I might want to underexpose by a stop or two to bring out saturation and blues in the skies, etc.

 

Have him get the book "Understanding Exposure" that I mentioned earlier. He can go to book stores and sit there during their open hours and read countless books for free (or the library). Take a notepad and take notes.. etc. I probably spent 50 or more hours doing this in the very beginning. If I am being honest, I look back at my work from 5 years ago and laugh over how horrible it looks to me now. Back then, I thought it was amazing. Haha. But I've learned so much since then. Practice makes better.. perfection is an unobtainable goal but gives us all something to aspire to be "more like." Tell him I said good luck!

Edited January 23, 2012 by italianfemmy

[italianfemmy]

Hi Alicia,

 

Your review is excellent!! I don't read a lot of reviews here but yours is keeping me by the computer. I actually feel like I know you and Latanya after reading it! My partner Justin and I are cruising on Breeze on December 8, 2012 so we'll have to keep an eye out for Steve and Kim. I feel like we know them too! Too bad we will miss you by just a couple of weeks. Hopefully our paths will cross out on the seas some day.

 

Trevor

 

Hello family!! :D You know you can change your cruise to sail with Latanya and I instead of Steve and Kim because let's face it.. Latanya and I are 2 parts more awesome! Haha. If you and Justin like to drink though, you'll probably have more fun with Steve and Kim! :-) You guys live in Nova Scotia? That's awesome! Although now I feel a little bummed you're not just right down the road and we can't meet for dinner! :-) I am glad you love my review! And it would be awesome if our paths cross on the seas one day! We should link up on Facebook or something....

 

Alicia, Thank you so much for posting this review. We took this cruise last March and it brought back so many happy memories. As so many others have said, your pictures are fantastic. everyday I can't wait to get to the computer to see if there is anything more. I don't know what I'll do when you are totally finished.

 

I do have a question though, although this is slightly off topic. You started another thread asking people how many threads they subscribed to, and until that thread, I didn't know how to subscribe. I find it difficult each day trying to find this post. I followed the directions and subscribed to your thread, but I thought that would make yours come up first and it doesn't. What do you gain by subscribing to a post? Thanks for any info. I am very new at all of this.

 

By the way, we are finally, after saving for 7 years, going to Alaska this May. I REALLY wish you and Latanya would be on that ship with us. I would love to see our photos of Alaska. I don't even have a camera yet!

 

The benefit of subscribing to a thread only really works if the thread is active as it will show up at the top when there is a post to it. If you are subscribed, it's really easy to find. Here's how..

 

1.) Click on "User CP" - it's up on the top of the screen on the left hand side.

 

2.) If the thread shows up on the right of the next page, just click on it. (Under "New Subscribed Threads")

 

3.) If it doesn't show up there, on the left menu bar is a section called "Your Control Panel". There are categories underneath that in yellow sections. Go to the category - "Subscribed Threads".

 

4.) Then click on "List Subscriptions" And there, you'll see a fully composited list of every single thread you're subscribed to. Again, the ones that have the most recent posts on them will appear at the top so you might have to scroll down sometimes.

 

Hope that helps!

 

P.S. I would LOVE to go on Alaskan cruise! I am jealous! I have a few vacations that are at the top of my bucket list and they go as follows..(not neccessarily in this order)

 

1.) Land trip to Egypt to explore the history, the pyramids, to hang out with the natives and to learn about their culture.

 

2.) Land trip to Italy, Rome, Paris.... I could probably spend months there just photographing the old buildings and learning about the culture and history. I am Italian (hence my screen name) and this has always been a dream trip of mine. I've considered taking a cruise for this but I know I'd be mad as heck when I have to leave and would feel like I hadn't even skimmed the surface of these amazing wonderments of the world.

 

3.) An Alaskan cruise. I mostly want to do this to photograph it. To see the sights and to breathe in the rigid, cold air. Latanya doesn't want to take this cruise with me... she thinks she'd be miserable and too cold and it's just not her cup of tea. I've considered taking it with another photographer or finding a roomie on one of the boards or something because this is a dream of mine.

 

4.) An African Safari land based trip for at least 12 days. Amazing photo opportunities and the ability to be part of nature and out in the wild, surrounded by so many of the world's wonderful creatures. I feel this would be the most adrenaline racing yet humbling vacation..

 

I have many more but these 4 are bucket list material for me. :-)

[steven93921]

Hi Alicia,

 

Your review is excellent!! I don't read a lot of reviews here but yours is keeping me by the computer. I actually feel like I know you and Latanya after reading it! My partner Justin and I are cruising on Breeze on December 8, 2012 so we'll have to keep an eye out for Steve and Kim. I feel like we know them too! Too bad we will miss you by just a couple of weeks. Hopefully our paths will cross out on the seas some day.

 

Trevor

 

Hello family!! :D You know you can change your cruise to sail with Latanya and I instead of Steve and Kim because let's face it.. Latanya and I are 2 parts more awesome! Haha. If you and Justin like to drink though, you'll probably have more fun with Steve and Kim! :-) You guys live in Nova Scotia? That's awesome! Although now I feel a little bummed you're not just right down the road and we can't meet for dinner! :-) I am glad you love my review! And it would be awesome if our paths cross on the seas one day! We should link up on Facebook or something....

 

 

Oh whatever! If you are 2 parts more awesome, Kim and I are 4 parts more FUN! :p

 

Trever, whether you and Justin like to drink or not, you'll do just fine sailing with Kim and I. Nothing like making us sound like a couple of drunk-off-our-butts something-somethings Alicia! HA!! We can go HOURS... even DAYS if necessary without drinking :rolleyes:

 

You know, there's nothing stopping you ladies from changing your sailing to the cruise that will apparently have all the awesome people on it! :cool:

[italianfemmy]

Oh whatever! If you are 2 parts more awesome, Kim and I are 4 parts more FUN! :p

 

Trever, whether you and Justin like to drink or not, you'll do just fine sailing with Kim and I. Nothing like making us sound like a couple of drunk-off-our-butts something-somethings Alicia! HA!! We can go HOURS... even DAYS if necessary without drinking :rolleyes:

 

You know, there's nothing stopping you ladies from changing your sailing to the cruise that will apparently have all the awesome people on it! :cool:

 

Hmmm.. there is also the fact that we're younger.... and we already have common interests with Trevor and Justin..... :-D

 

And then there's the fact that special things will be planned for my sailing that won't be planned for yours which means all of you should switch to my sailing instead. :-) xoxoxoxo! You know I love you Steven and I know the reasons you cannot switch your sailing... and I forgive you for them all. lol.

[TriciaEMTB]

I'm so excited for the rest. It is a slow day today and I was showing my partner your review, he is hooked on it as well! We are both eagerly awaiting more!

[thunderbayboy]

Hmmm.. there is also the fact that we're younger.... and we already have common interests with Trevor and Justin..... :-D

 

And then there's the fact that special things will be planned for my sailing that won't be planned for yours which means all of you should switch to my sailing instead. :-) xoxoxoxo! You know I love you Steven and I know the reasons you cannot switch your sailing... and I forgive you for them all. lol.

 

I wish that we could switch but we booked an aft wrap-around balcony and we'd hate to lose it as we're very excited about it. We also have friends joining us on the same cruise who have the same cabin type booked. We'll just have to slum it with Steve and Kim. Haha...just kidding Steve...we're already looking forward to meeting you! And we do like to partake in some alcoholic beverages but certainly don't need any to have a great time!

 

Alicia, we will definitely meet up sometime...and I will find you on Facebook! Would be awesome to cruise together...perhaps we can look at joining forces in 2013!

[italianfemmy]

I wish that we could switch but we booked an aft wrap-around balcony and we'd hate to lose it as we're very excited about it. We also have friends joining us on the same cruise who have the same cabin type booked. We'll just have to slum it with Steve and Kim. Haha...just kidding Steve...we're already looking forward to meeting you! And we do like to partake in some alcoholic beverages but certainly don't need any to have a great time!

 

Alicia, we will definitely meet up sometime...and I will find you on Facebook! Would be awesome to cruise together...perhaps we can look at joining forces in 2013!

 

Haha! Sounds awesome! I might think you were a little weird if you changed your sail date for a stranger anyway :-P Aft wrap balcony sounds awesome! Just be careful of Steven trying to cop a feel of your booty! Haha.. I joke... I joke...

[italianfemmy]

We left off with a yummy dinner during our 2nd formal night. Latanya and I went to the Holiday show (not entirely sure where Steven and Kim went)... lol.

 

The Holiday show was a special show for the holiday season. They had some singing and dancing. They also had all the camp carnival kids come up on stage. The smallest kids were able to put ornaments on the tree and all of the kids gathered around the entertainers, sitting on the floor together and sang a song together.

 

At the end, "snow" fell on everyone that was on the stage.

 

I thought this show was actually well put together since it's probably something they only do for about a month. It also put me in the mood for Christmas and this was the first time I felt like Christmas was actually right around the corner.

 

Photos were allowed during this show so parents could take photos. I didn't use a flash. These are all just hand held using only the spotlights as lighting.

 

 

 

 

 

[italianfemmy]