Small ship lover DREAMing!?

[BooBooMonkey]

First off, thanks in advance for your input. I hope to get advice from cruisers who have done the smaller/older carnival ships and also tried Dream.

I am a lover of small ships. Most of our cruises have been on Fantasy class, with one on Triumph and one on Costa Fortuna (same as Triumph, basically), plus a couple on much smaller ships (Norwegian Majesty, Carnival Celebration). I like them for their ease of getting around and I pretty much know the layout. You can look at my signature to see which ships we’ve tried.

I have a bias against the newer “mega” ships because I think they would be TOO big and maybe more crowded and less personal than I’m used to. We are planning an early January cruise, and the Dream’s itinerary and pricing look very good. This cruise would include me and DH (mid-late 40s) and our two DS-ages 20 and 16.

So, for those of you who like the smaller ships and have done the huge newer ones, how was it? Did you like the added venues and room to move around? Or, did you find it overwhelming and crowded? We have several other options during that time (Conquest and Spirit class—neither of which we’ve tried either). DH is intrigued by the Dream, and I have always wanted to try a Spirit class ship. The boys pretty much don’t care as long as it is Carnival.

Looking forward to your suggestions. Thanks again!

[miched]

I have been on the Jubilee, Triumph, RCCL Freedom, Carnival Freedom, Crown Princess to name a few of the different size ships. It is all relative. The ship will be a little wider and maybe a little longer, more decks with state rooms and accommodations for everyone. I don't think you will notice it being more crowded but you will know that it is bigger. Best thing is just try it.

 

They will still be the same percentage of chair hogs, shows that wil have SRO, crowded buffets, lines for tenders, lines at the purser desk and etc.

 

I like the big ships as they can and do offer more and the passengers get spread out

[Brendarudd28]

I don't think I'm a seasoned cruiser at all, but I have been on one large ship (Dream), a medium-sized ship (Freedom) and a smaller ship (Inspiration). Each had it's pros and cons.

I enjoyed less of a crowd on the Inspiration, but missed some things like no steakhouse and a much smaller Serenity deck. Also, I love my balcony and without booking a suite, you can't get one on this ship.

The Dream on the other hand had a great steakhouse and an AMAZING Serenity area. I spent most of my time there reading during the day. I loved the Lanai deck too. Although I never felt overcrowded, there was definitely a noticeable difference in the size of the crowds. Of course, you could always find a quiet and almost vacant spot. But whenever the shows let out or Punchliners let out, it was a bit chaotic. We had a cabin on the Panorama deck and trying to get an elevator from the theatre up to floor 11 was impossible without waiting for 15 minutes just to get on one. I also noticed a good deal more motion on this ship. Now that could very well be because we were on the 11th floor. This didn't bother me at all. In fact, I wish my bed at home would rock from side to side like that.

I have to say my favorite of the three was the Freedom. It had nice balance of all those things. Not overly crowded, but had a few of the additions I liked the most.

Honestly though, I'm not that hard to please. As long as it floats, has a bathroom along with a cook and maid service, I'm good to go! LOL

I say try them all! I would certainly recommend the Dream for anyone and I'll probably sail her again. But given a choice, Freedom will always win with me.

[flyer424]

I was on the dream last year... took my sister for her birthday. It was the absolute worst cruise I have ever been on. The service was lousy, food was awful, and the whole experience was terrible. High winds kept us out of two of the four ports. Carnivals response.... so sorry, we will be sure to pass along your input to our group managers. Stick with the smaller ships for better service. Lets see, feeding 2000 people at once, or 5000 people all at once (thats a hint concerning the available food quality) did I mention the service was absolutely lousy????

 

Best of luck!

[LMKakaThing2]

I sailed on the Dream this past January and loved it. My 3 previous cruises were on Fantasy class ships and I felt those ships were just way to small. Go with what you think you'll feel comfortable with. After being on the Dream, I'll never be able to go back to Fantasy class ships. I never felt the ship was crowded and absolutely loved the Lanai. I was always able to find a chair and a hot tub to use on the Lanai.

[CruisersNC]

We were on the Dream last July.....we had a fantastic cruise! The service was excellent.....the food was great....and the whole experience beginning to end was wonderful. We made all 4 ports on our itinerary and the customer service people helped us quickly and efficiently every time we went there. We've sailed on ships as small as the Mardi Gras and the Dream was the largest....we enjoyed them all. The waiter we had on the Dream was far and away the best we've ever had. I think we'll be sticking to the larger ships in the future. We're going on the Dream again this fall! Everyone is different.....you need to decide for yourself! :)

[Nickymjw1]

Hi booboo monkey/ new grandma :-)

 

We've did the Dream 2 years ago. Nice ship, enjoyed our vacation but to big for me. To much walking, not as much personal comtact with othrt CC.

 

But if the itinerary is great go for it!

[BooBooMonkey]

Hi booboo monkey/ new grandma :-)

 

We've did the Dream 2 years ago. Nice ship, enjoyed our vacation but to big for me. To much walking, not as much personal comtact with othrt CC.

 

But if the itinerary is great go for it!

 

Thanks for the input everyone! And, hello Nicky! Fancy meeting you here ;-) Hope you are enjoying your current cruise!

 

We are definitely leaning toward Dream, and thinking about the cove balcony. Now to go search for some Dream reviews and pictures/videos about the cabins...