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Dream review - Jan 14-21

hihosilvers

By hihosilvers,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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hihosilvers

hihosilvers

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Just back from the Dream, and had a great time.

 

We were cruising in a group of four families, which made this cruising experience even more fun than in the past. My family consists of me, my DW, and our three boys, ages 10, 7 and 4.

 

Not going to write much here - just a quick review of the major points.

 

Embarkation could not have been easier. A lot probably had to do with the fact that we were checking in late, but still, it took no time at all to get on the ship.

 

On first glance the ship just looks so nice, new and clean. We loved it right away. Our OV room was basically the same as we'd had in the past, with the exception of the extra bathroom - and the fact that the room showed no wear and tear. Great room for all five of us.

 

Our room steward, Benjamin did a great job. He wasn't one of those overly friendly guys, but he was great.

 

We had late seating in the Scarlet Dining Room on the upper level. Beautiful room, and service was great. Overall, the food was good. I have my issues with the new menu, and you definitely feel extreme cutbacks at times, but there are certainly times that the food is more than acceptable. Meats were good, as was the lobster. I have the biggest issue with the appetizers - some of which are flat out embarassing. I enjoyed the WCMC six out of seven nights. Love it. We also tried the steakhouse one night. The food and presentation was great, and we all enjoyed. However, the service (our main server) was very rough around the edges, especially for the location. I know she was trying, but a tip for Carnival would be to avoid using the stern, rough Eastern bloc staff members as servers in the steakhouse. Kinda killed the mood a bit.

 

We ate most breakfasts and lunches at the buffet. The lines were definitely long depending on the time, but nothing worse than other ships we've been on. I couldn't really complain. The food selection and quality ranges from embarassing, to OK. We were travelling with friends who have cruised on Princess and RCCL, and at times I could see the disappointment in their eyes - especially after hearing stories about the food selection offered on their past cruises. Overall, nobody complained because we're not a picky group, and there was always plenty of choices. Between the main buffet, pasta bar, mongolian wok, deli, burrito bar, grill, pizza, tandoor and room service, it's almost impossible to complain about the food. I personally tried the deli and tandoor, and both were great.

 

We went to the main show almost every night, and these were disappointing. Of our five cruises, I'd have to say that this was the lowest in quality. I know it's probably just bad luck, but still, I wish they were better shows. We were on the Triumph in August, and the shows were much, much better. On the Dream, the main singers were very good, but the shows were just ok. The one fly-on act they had was an "Action Comedy" act (basically a juggler) who was pretty lame. The show was very "un-produced" and he spent most of the show making an easy stunt look very difficult. Anyway, probably just luck of the draw, and we'll hope for better next time. This cruise was different for us because we never once saw a band playing. Not even sure if there was one onboard. Not complaining about the lack - it just wasn't on our schedule this time. We did see the lobby duo who seemed OK. I'm pretty sure there were a couple of acts we missed, but I did miss walking to dinner, and seeing a band playing. Just wasn't the way on this ship.

 

The kids in our group went to Camp Carnival several times, and seemed to enjoy. We had our usual run-ins with the rough-around-the-edges (see above) staff members. Not trying to generalize, but this seems to always be the case. Certain people from certain countries show care and patience, and some do not.

 

We had two great see days at the end of our cruise (after some not-so-great weather), and finding chairs was definitely a problem. We ended up carrying chairs from one spot to another, in order to sit together. It was definitely a challenge, and you must arrive very early to get a spot. That said, there are lots of spots. We all enjoyed the pool and waterslides. Definitely a ton to do while onboard this ship.

 

Service was very good overall. Bar service was abundant, but not pushy. Wait staff was great as always. Even guest services was nice to me (I find they are often in a bad mood from having to answer to so many complaints from people).

 

Our ports were Nassau, St. Thomas and St. Maarten.

Nassau, we just walked around the town.

St. Thomas was Magen's Bay - an enjoyable day at the beach.

St. Maarten was Orient Bay - mostly rained out, but got some good ocean time in, with some major waves rolling in.

 

That's all I can think of for now. Overall, a very enjoyable cruise, and we will be sailing with Carnival again in the future. Any questions, just ask.

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ninneman

ninneman

Posted
Posted
Just back from the Dream, and had a great time.

 

We were cruising in a group of four families, which made this cruising experience even more fun than in the past. My family consists of me, my DW, and our three boys, ages 10, 7 and 4.

 

Not going to write much here - just a quick review of the major points.

 

Embarkation could not have been easier. A lot probably had to do with the fact that we were checking in late, but still, it took no time at all to get on the ship.

 

On first glance the ship just looks so nice, new and clean. We loved it right away. Our OV room was basically the same as we'd had in the past, with the exception of the extra bathroom - and the fact that the room showed no wear and tear. Great room for all five of us.

 

Our room steward, Benjamin did a great job. He wasn't one of those overly friendly guys, but he was great.

 

We had late seating in the Scarlet Dining Room on the upper level. Beautiful room, and service was great. Overall, the food was good. I have my issues with the new menu, and you definitely feel extreme cutbacks at times, but there are certainly times that the food is more than acceptable. Meats were good, as was the lobster. I have the biggest issue with the appetizers - some of which are flat out embarassing. I enjoyed the WCMC six out of seven nights. Love it. We also tried the steakhouse one night. The food and presentation was great, and we all enjoyed. However, the service (our main server) was very rough around the edges, especially for the location. I know she was trying, but a tip for Carnival would be to avoid using the stern, rough Eastern bloc staff members as servers in the steakhouse. Kinda killed the mood a bit.

 

We ate most breakfasts and lunches at the buffet. The lines were definitely long depending on the time, but nothing worse than other ships we've been on. I couldn't really complain. The food selection and quality ranges from embarassing, to OK. We were travelling with friends who have cruised on Princess and RCCL, and at times I could see the disappointment in their eyes - especially after hearing stories about the food selection offered on their past cruises. Overall, nobody complained because we're not a picky group, and there was always plenty of choices. Between the main buffet, pasta bar, mongolian wok, deli, burrito bar, grill, pizza, tandoor and room service, it's almost impossible to complain about the food. I personally tried the deli and tandoor, and both were great.

 

We went to the main show almost every night, and these were disappointing. Of our five cruises, I'd have to say that this was the lowest in quality. I know it's probably just bad luck, but still, I wish they were better shows. We were on the Triumph in August, and the shows were much, much better. On the Dream, the main singers were very good, but the shows were just ok. The one fly-on act they had was an "Action Comedy" act (basically a juggler) who was pretty lame. The show was very "un-produced" and he spent most of the show making an easy stunt look very difficult. Anyway, probably just luck of the draw, and we'll hope for better next time. This cruise was different for us because we never once saw a band playing. Not even sure if there was one onboard. Not complaining about the lack - it just wasn't on our schedule this time. We did see the lobby duo who seemed OK. I'm pretty sure there were a couple of acts we missed, but I did miss walking to dinner, and seeing a band playing. Just wasn't the way on this ship.

 

The kids in our group went to Camp Carnival several times, and seemed to enjoy. We had our usual run-ins with the rough-around-the-edges (see above) staff members. Not trying to generalize, but this seems to always be the case. Certain people from certain countries show care and patience, and some do not.

 

We had two great see days at the end of our cruise (after some not-so-great weather), and finding chairs was definitely a problem. We ended up carrying chairs from one spot to another, in order to sit together. It was definitely a challenge, and you must arrive very early to get a spot. That said, there are lots of spots. We all enjoyed the pool and waterslides. Definitely a ton to do while onboard this ship.

 

Service was very good overall. Bar service was abundant, but not pushy. Wait staff was great as always. Even guest services was nice to me (I find they are often in a bad mood from having to answer to so many complaints from people).

 

Our ports were Nassau, St. Thomas and St. Maarten.

Nassau, we just walked around the town.

St. Thomas was Magen's Bay - an enjoyable day at the beach.

St. Maarten was Orient Bay - mostly rained out, but got some good ocean time in, with some major waves rolling in.

 

That's all I can think of for now. Overall, a very enjoyable cruise, and we will be sailing with Carnival again in the future. Any questions, just ask.

 

OK- I stopped reading when I got to the "EASTERN BLOCK". :mad: I think it's rude and unnecessary to use that description.

 

Oh by the way I'm one of those "Eastern Block" women. :eek:

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balcony bound

balcony bound

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Nice to hear you had a good time!

 

We went to the main show almost every night, and these were disappointing. Of our five cruises, I'd have to say that this was the lowest in quality. I know it's probably just bad luck, but still, I wish they were better shows. .

 

I think this is the first time I've read a Dream review that the "Dancing in the Streets" show wasn't rated highly. I'm sorry you didn't enjoy the entertainment!

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The Canuks

The Canuks

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We were on the same sailing as you, and would have to agree with most of your observations.

 

Emabarkation was a breeze. Majority of the staff were pleasant and easy to deal with.

Food did seem to be a lower level than Princess, however with such choices as Mongolian Wok, Tandoori, and the Deli, many would still ber satisfied.

 

Our waiter in the Crimson Dining Room-"Mark from India" was absolutely amazing. He had everything ready for us each night. Had my drink waitng for me as soon as I sat down, and plenty of crayons for the kids. He was genuine with the entertainment he provided for not only my family, but the other tables he was looking after.

 

Room stewart on the other hand, never introduced himself, when I did track him down, for a request his first response was "later". Later never came, and I would have to remind him a second time. The most annoying part was the fact that he would just open our cabin door without knocking. This happened at least 5 times.

 

The Canuks

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hihosilvers

hihosilvers

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Nice to hear you had a good time!

 

 

 

I think this is the first time I've read a Dream review that the "Dancing in the Streets" show wasn't rated highly. I'm sorry you didn't enjoy the entertainment!

 

Dancing in the Streets was a good show, especially with the addition of the Fun Force break dancers. I guess it just seemed like more of the same. Like I said, maybe I was just spoiled by the shows on the Triumph.

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tigeringa

tigeringa

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Just finished this same cruise. The band was playing at the Ocean Plaza on deck 5, so you would not have passed them on your way to dinner. I didn't notice them until Wednesday night. They were pretty good, even had a fiddle player.

 

I share most of your opinions. We loved the Serenity deck, never had a hard time finding a chair up there. My only complaint was that some parents just think that it's ok for their kids to run up there every 10 minutes to get something, as long as they don't stay. I went there to get away from your kids COMPLETELY. Not CCL's fault, parent's fault.

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gmss0205

gmss0205

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Totally agree with your review. We sailed the Dream in late December and we were also very disappointed by the entertainment. It was just the "Carnival Dream Singers and Dancers" every night. The juggler got cancelled due to rough seas, so we didn't have any acts that were "flown in."

 

I also thought that a lot of the staff was rude. It was just a very weird "vibe" amongst the crew. We have been on about 10 Carnival cruises and I have never been more disappointed with the staff.

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hihosilvers

hihosilvers

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Did anyone make it to the piano bar?? Also did they bring any solo singers onto the ship for a nites entertainment? Thanks for your reviews we can hardly wait:D

 

I really wanted to check out the piano bar. Passed by one night, and it was packed with people having a great time.

 

No singers were flown on. Entertainment was the Carnival performers, and the juggler.

 

The 'cutback' vibe is almost palpable. It's like everyone knows and admits that corners are being cut to keep costs down. So far, it still works for us. The big question is what can they possibly cut in the next round?

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hihosilvers

hihosilvers

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I recently cruised on Princess and their food is such high quality. Carnival is their parent company, I really don't understand how Carnival has really let them self go. Set the standard Carnival!!

 

There's no question that Carnival could have the same exact food as Princess, but they would also have to match their prices. Now, does that make any sense?

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tigeringa

tigeringa

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I really wanted to check out the piano bar.

The 'cutback' vibe is almost palpable. It's like everyone knows and admits that corners are being cut to keep costs down. So far, it still works for us. The big question is what can they possibly cut in the next round?

 

From what I heard, Carnival will be cutting the "horns" from their bands and going with a more contemporary sound (couple of guitars, a bass and drums). I also heard that they will be cutting the changing sets from the shows and begin relying on a screen to project images, rather than constructing sets that drop from the ceiling.

 

Not sure if this is really a cut, or just a change in technology and changing to the current tastes in music.

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Cruzface

Cruzface

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I recently cruised on Princess and their food is such high quality. Carnival is their parent company, I really don't understand how Carnival has really let them self go. Set the standard Carnival!!

 

Carnival is the Honda Civic, Princess is the Accord and Cunard is the Acura. You can substitute any car analogy you prefer. For me a Civic is just fine.

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hihosilvers

hihosilvers

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From what I heard, Carnival will be cutting the "horns" from their bands and going with a more contemporary sound (couple of guitars, a bass and drums). I also heard that they will be cutting the changing sets from the shows and begin relying on a screen to project images, rather than constructing sets that drop from the ceiling.

 

Not sure if this is really a cut, or just a change in technology and changing to the current tastes in music.

 

Is this for real?

Funny, I was just thinking this morning, in light of all other cutbacks I'm surprised that they still have a full show band in the main theater. I love the fact that they do, but things being as they are, the band is probably expendable at this point. Carnival is constantly trying to balance on that tipping point - the point where they can keep prices low, and people coming. As soon as they tip too far, people will stop coming, and they will quickly have to adjust. It's a very delicate balancing act.

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hihosilvers

hihosilvers

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Carnival is the Honda Civic, Princess is the Accord and Cunard is the Acura. You can substitute any car analogy you prefer. For me a Civic is just fine.

 

Perfect analogy. Everyone has their place within the marketplace. No one company is ever looking to leapfrog the other. The trick is keeping their piece of the pie intact.

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