carnival dream 9/29/-10/6 review

[sgatling7]

ive been on a couple of carnival ships. i was so upset about this cruise.

this is the first time ive been on ship that food was terrible only good thing was pasta bar. dining room service food was bad. entertainment was aweful. the shows was not good at all. the comedy club was the pits. cruise ship was nice and clean. because of this cruise i would have to go back to rccl.....

[pe4all]

ive been on a couple of carnival ships. i was so upset about this cruise.

this is the first time ive been on ship that food was terrible only good thing was pasta bar. dining room service food was bad. entertainment was aweful. the shows was not good at all. the comedy club was the pits. cruise ship was nice and clean. because of this cruise i would have to go back to rccl.....

Dream has one of the best-liked shows in "Dancin in the Streets." I'm pretty shocked you didn't like ANY of the entertainment. How were the ports?? The weather?? Your cabin? Steward? Excursions, if you did any? Did you like waterworks or Serenity? How was the chair hog situation?

[firefly333]

We had cold dinners nightly on Conquest the same week and despite sending back numerous dishes, they kept coming to us cold.

 

First time I ever had this happen.. seemed like the wait staff just didnt care. .. or they couldnt do anything about it?? If you send back cold soup.. why bring another one that you can tell is also not warm? Lobster in both the MDR and up in the steak house was not edible.

 

then did Magic and food was wonderful all week, no problems. Hot and good .. the lobster was wonderful. I was almost afraid to order it the 2nd week the not cooked enough lobster the week before kind of put me off .. but it was really good on Magic.

 

Never had this happen before.. so it could just be a off week?

[halos]

:( sorry you were disappointed.

[mephistoles]

ive been on a couple of carnival ships. i was so upset about this cruise.

this is the first time ive been on ship that food was terrible only good thing was pasta bar. dining room service food was bad. entertainment was aweful. the shows was not good at all. the comedy club was the pits. cruise ship was nice and clean. because of this cruise i would have to go back to rccl.....

 

Sorry to hear about your bad experience :(

[maighdeanmhara]

That stinks. I'm sorry.

[4hunters]

Sounds like a bad cruise. I'm sure everything will work out much better for you on RCCL. ;)

[Suntanz]

Not saying one is right & the other is wrong, but there is another thread on this sailing that said they really enjoyed it. I guess it depends on what your expectations are.

[debster11]

Yes, Carnival is usually like that according to most RCCL'ers. :rolleyes: Sorry you had a bad time.

[halos]

Not saying one is right & the other is wrong, but there is another thread on this sailing that said they really enjoyed it. I guess it depends on what your expectations are.

 

It's not just about expectations, it's about lack of uniformity and consistency. The reason two families can have different experiences can be because they are being taken care of by different crew members and it seems person's experience on this CCL ship wasn't as good as the last CCL experiences, so their expectations DID come in to play, but came into play because Carnival had set those expectations. (for those of you who sped read her post, this was not her first Carnival cruise)

You should expect your current/future CCL cruises to be at least as good as your previous ones. Whether or not your cruise vacation is going to be good (not perfect, just GOOD) should not be a roll of the dice.

[ronandannette]

It's not just about expectations, it's about lack of uniformity and consistency. The reason two families can have different experiences can be because they are being taken care of by different crew members and it seems person's experience on this CCL ship wasn't as good as the last CCL experiences, so their expectations DID come in to play, but came into play because Carnival had set those expectations. (for those of you who sped read her post, this was not her first Carnival cruise)

You should expect your current/future CCL cruises to be at least as good as your previous ones. Whether or not your cruise vacation is going to be good (not perfect, just GOOD) should not be a roll of the dice.

 

Thank you...I couldn't agree more. And no, a cruise ISN'T what you make of it...

[mumofsons]

Well said Halos!

[rockbock]

I was on this cruise and had an amazing vacation. I'll be posting a very detailed photo review (not just three lines of complaints) in a few days. Yes, there will always be something that's not perfect. I will certainly point out these negatives, but I'll also be highlighting the positives. Overall, I'd give this cruise an 8.5 out of 10.

[Cruisegirl6]

I also was on the same cruise and posted my review days ago.

 

Yes, the MDR food was to me horrible I totally agree but if one eats in fast food establishments they will say the MDR food is very good...if you eat at applebees and places similar one may say its just good, so it depends upon how one eats. I totally agree we went only once to the MDR the first formal evening (we had four confirmed reservations to the Steakhouse) and that usually is the best food during the cruise it was terrible. Both my father in law and my other half said the lobster was awful (we had the lobster in the Steakhouse-delicious!!) and the lobster came with tiger shrimp in the MDR which was not tiger shrimp but these mushy small pieces what they call shrimp. The chateaubriand was just ok I have to say poor quality with alot of meat tenderizer. The alligator fritters were no alligator meat in them but you only tasted fillers and breading horrible. Must I say more...after that experienced we dined the remaining evenings at the Steakhouse.

 

I have to disagree about the lunch buffet as we thought it was very good. You see, our last carnival cruise three years ago on the fascination didn't have a meat carving, no soup, only chicken fingers, mac and cheese and all the other foods were just fast food type quality foods, so we went to RCI for our next 5 cruises. We wanted Pt. Canaveral so we decided we needed a change of scnery to try the Dream kinowing it was a newer and larger carnival ship. I have to say it is very much on par with both the LOS and the FOS minus the MDR. I agree entertainment shows much better on RCI but Dancin in the Streets was good. We saw two other shows just ok never would want to see them again so I understand what you mean but I have to say compared to the other Carnival ships entertainment the juggler, magician and such the Dream is better.

We found a meat carving (veal, leg of lamb, two days eye round roast, turkey, pork loin) everyday offered, along with a beef hot meat entree, a pork entree, chicken entree and a fish entree. There was an assortment of salads also which I liked. They did have a soup next to the carving each day. The desserts you have to admit was wonderful all elegant and excellent, that marzipone cheesecake is to die for. The midnight buffet...the desserts again fabulous! The pasta bar was very good but its pasta you can buy a box of pasta for under a dollar lol...the deli made very thick sandwiches and unlike the fascination (meats were all fatty) the meats were all lean inlcuding the pastrami and corned beef. I was impressed. The bbq was just that but didyou notice the hamburgers were made by hand not the hockey pre made pucks that usually are given. Did you notice inside opposite of the bbq that they had other items available such as turkey wraps that were very fresh and good? The taste bar was nice treat each evening too.

 

The MDR experience we had that one day was just ok in the beginning, the food kept coming out right after one another each course...not giving us a minute to breathe. After our main course the dirty dishes remained there for awhile until they werre taken away. We waited over 25 minutes for the waiter to come to get our dessert order and coffee only he never came by so we chose to leave and go up to the buffet WHERE WE FOUND SO MANY OTHERS DRESSED FORMALLY DOING THE SAME THING! I totally agree the service was not good and the food there. The food was just warm too, and my chateaubriand had no veggie with it, how the heck is that a meal with no veggie but what I got was two fried onion rings with it, discusting....

 

The STeakhouse was very good, I had the filet mignon, lobster, cowboy steak, NY Strip twice and the lobster and filet combo....not Mortons quality but just a tee under Ruth Chris which to me is under Mortons but still all worth going to. We loved the Steakhouse, did you happen to give that a try?

 

I am definately a foodie and I cook alot of different ethnic cuisines and cooking is my hobby....I have to say the Dream blew me away. I will gladly go on the Dream again (having the Steakhouse to go to) and will consider the Magic and the Breeze for future cruises. Sorry you found your cruise experience not a good one, we all are different, I just think the buffet lunches were very good and had a decent selection/variety/quality to the food too.

[vivavegas]

Sorry this cruise didn't meet your expectations!:)

[doitallWMB]

ive been on a couple of carnival ships. i was so upset about this cruise.

this is the first time ive been on ship that food was terrible only good thing was pasta bar. dining room service food was bad. entertainment was aweful. the shows was not good at all. the comedy club was the pits. cruise ship was nice and clean. because of this cruise i would have to go back to rccl.....

 

 

We have been on 11 cruises on 4 lines and found this cruise to be as good as any and better than most. Including one or two RCCL and Princess cruises. Our food in the MDR was excellent and so was the staff. The entertainment is where you found it. We don't like large shows so we found an alternative which we loved. We don't like loud lido pools, so we found a nice place near the aft pool. Don't classify everything as terrible without saying why. You sound like a hack. As you can see from our signature, we are not cheerleaders of any line.

[bamboozel]

Wow! I sailed the "Dream" and it was wonderful!!! It's funny how so many people have so many different takes on their cruise!!!! To each his own. All I can say is I will cruise the Dream again. Great.... ship, food, and entertainment!!! ;);););):

[dst]

I always wonder why someone takes the time out to post a review and then only highlights the horrible - what about the cabin, the Islands, the embarkation, the other experiences.............in a seven day cruise how can four lines describe it all?

[golfadj]

We were on the same cruise and had an awesome time.

 

Best roll call we ever had.

 

Only complaint we had was the galley didnt pay very good attention to DW food allergies until we complained to MD.

 

Several members of roll call did complain about their room steward and have heard of several people complaining about cold food in the DR but we didnt have this problem at all.

 

OP were you part of our roll call?

[funinthesun1964]

ive been on a couple of carnival ships. i was so upset about this cruise.

this is the first time ive been on ship that food was terrible only good thing was pasta bar. dining room service food was bad. entertainment was aweful. the shows was not good at all. the comedy club was the pits. cruise ship was nice and clean. because of this cruise i would have to go back to rccl.....

 

 

Surely, you're not calling this a "review"? There's more to come, right?

 

If you have photos to share, that would be great too. If not, please elaborate more on your experiences on this ship.

[britwelshflorida]

I too was on this cruise and roll call. Definitely the best roll call ever (over 25+ cruises). The food in the MDR was excellent and served hot, only problem was the delay. Shows were okay, nothing special. Will be doing a review after I get over this cold and my next week's vacation, nice to be retired!

[Hojo's redbeard]

I was on this sailing and we had a great time.

 

Food in MDR was never cold for us, but it may have to do with what time you go. We always got to Open Seating about the time they were opening the doors, so that may have something to do with it. Food on the Lido offered a LOT of different options and was for the most part really good, you just have to go looking around for all of the options. They had Indian food out by the aft pool, a couple days it was amazing, one day they over seasoned everything. On the other hand, our evening in the Steakhouse was so-so. I'd put it maybe on par with Outback. (As far as my tastes run, I am a foodie and former restaurant manager, I cook almost everything from scratch and NEVER eat fast food, and stay away from quick casual restaurants like Applebee's and Chili's as well) The taste bar had some good bites throughout the week too. Service was a little on the slow side, but not bad. The food in the brunch was really good.

 

The juggler was amazing, he's a 7 time world champion. Dancing in the Streets was a great show. The comedians in the Punchliner were awesome! Did you go to the piano bar and mistake that for the comedy club?

 

Our cabin steward was not that great, but we didn't let that bother us.

 

The bigger the ship, the more you have to seek out what options there are. Even on the last day we were finding places that we hadn't seen before.

 

The Serenity area was great for adult relaxation. The water slides were a lot of fun. The aft pool was a lot quieter than the main pool, and had an awesome view.

[bamboozel]

This is why the "Dream" gets bad reviews and people question this ship cause of people like you!! Go back to RCCL....I'm sure they are perfect! :o:o:p:p

[golfadj]

I was on this sailing and we had a great time.

 

Food in MDR was never cold for us' date=' but it may have to do with what time you go. We always got to Open Seating about the time they were opening the doors, so that may have something to do with it. Food on the Lido offered a LOT of different options and was for the most part really good, you just have to go looking around for all of the options. They had Indian food out by the aft pool, a couple days it was amazing, one day they over seasoned everything. On the other hand, our evening in the Steakhouse was so-so. I'd put it maybe on par with Outback. (As far as my tastes run, I am a foodie and former restaurant manager, I cook almost everything from scratch and NEVER eat fast food, and stay away from quick casual restaurants like Applebee's and Chili's as well) The taste bar had some good bites throughout the week too. Service was a little on the slow side, but not bad. The food in the brunch was really good.

 

The juggler was amazing, he's a 7 time world champion. Dancing in the Streets was a great show. The comedians in the Punchliner were awesome! Did you go to the piano bar and mistake that for the comedy club?

 

Our cabin steward was not that great, but we didn't let that bother us.

 

The bigger the ship, the more you have to seek out what options there are. Even on the last day we were finding places that we hadn't seen before.

 

The Serenity area was great for adult relaxation. The water slides were a lot of fun. The aft pool was a lot quieter than the main pool, and had an awesome view.[/quote']

 

Jorge Solano (previously a Carnival CD) was one of the comedians and he was as usual outstanding.

 

Only negative was piano bar. Guy was frequently not there when we went by and when there seems to talk more than sing.

 

Juggler was very good and enjoyed Dancing in the Streets as well. OP you sure you were on the same cruise the rest of us were on?

[Brenna's Mom1]

My brother-in-law is rich, very rich and we just returned from a family get-to-gether at Chuck-a-rama where both of us raved about their turkey "pot" roast. He was also telling us about his $500 entre in Japan that was totally unedible to his palate.

 

Food, next to who you consider good looking, is probably the most subjective thing there is. And $$$ doesn't buy the best tasting food. The best hamburger in my town is served at a greasy diner and the worst service was rated at the most high priced restaurant.

 

I take all "food" criticisms with a huge grain of salt. If I haven't found something edible on my plate while on a cruise I send it back. Sometimes the lobsters are pretty tasteless...but that is about the "catch" and not how they are prepared...then I just ask for more drawn butter. Sometimes the prime rib is done to perfection and sometimes it seems to be kind of tough. I have never ever had a waiter not take back my plate and bring me something else and they have always done so in record time. Maybe its how we treat the staff that brings out such good service for our bunch...hmmm!