1st time Carnival cruiser (DREAM) complete review & pictorial (from a NCL cruiser)

[mitsugirly]

I actually didnt win the cruise, they gave it away to the 2 top tiers-there must have been 200 people signing up:eek: I usually get a comped room on NCL but theres the pressure to gamble (in my head), with this Carnival cruise theres no strings attached! BTW I am going on the Splendor.

 

Well that's still awesome!!! I'm jealous. Have a wonderful cruise. I would be interested in knowing what you thought after you return. ;)

[TheCalicoCat]

Are you going to do a direct comparison? I've read a few pages & so far you sound like a well seasoned Carnival cruiser (not a complaint). I've never been on NCL, so I'm curious to see a direct comparison.

 

But I haven't been on a big Carnival ship, so even my Carnival experience is different. :o

[mitsugirly]

Are you going to do a direct comparison? I've read a few pages & so far you sound like a well seasoned Carnival cruiser (not a complaint). I've never been on NCL, so I'm curious to see a direct comparison.

 

But I haven't been on a big Carnival ship, so even my Carnival experience is different. :o

 

Yes, at the end I did a direct comparison between Carnival and NCL. If you look a couple post up from here, another poster quoted it. :)

[boopsahoy]

Well that's still awesome!!! I'm jealous. Have a wonderful cruise. I would be interested in knowing what you thought after you return. ;)

 

I will try to do a review but after reading yours.....:eek:

[mitsugirly]

I will try to do a review but after reading yours.....:eek:

 

No worries. I wanna see what your thoughts are. Come back and link me.

[jenninlaca]

We did the normal thing, shower, throw the hair up and lets go. I really don't remember the details at this point. I know some time after we pulled out of port Sakari and Brayden wanted to head to the "Camp" and we took them later on in the day.

 

They were only there for maybe a few hours, with our "phones in the pocket" and for some reason we decided to go pick them up. On the way up there, we were walking threw the door to CC and the phone was ringing. I stopped to pull it out of my purse and the hubby continued to the window to pick up Sakari. When I answered, they hung up. I had seen that it was the camp calling (yes, the phones have caller ID on them). When I walked in, they were explaining to my husband that Sakari and Brayden wanted to leave. Um ok, I have never known my kid wanting to leave any kids club...ever. Every NCL kids club we have been to, she begged non-stop to go to and would cry when she had to leave. I did notice that this NEVER happened this cruise. We would have to actually ask her if she wanted to go there and she would just simply agree. She never had a problem leaving and she never begged to go. Just weird.

 

So instead of them just leaving it at "she wanted to leave"...which I found out later that she nor Brayden said that....ever, the counselors continued with the negativity and "attitude" that we had experienced during the entire cruise with them. She proceeded to tell me that Sakari (and Brayden) refused to do any of the activities with them. She didn't want to participate in anything. She just sat there and refused. She wouldn't do the projects, she wouldn't make anything, and she didn't enjoy being there. Um ok again. This is not my daughter!! You don't understand, Sakari is my "art child". We don't buy her a bunch of toys for her birthday or for Christmas, we buy her "projects". She gets paint and paint brushes, clay molding, planting flowers stuff, tons of regular drawing paper, finger paints, construction paper, crayons, markers, drawing boards, art easels, sun catchers...and every other kind of art related thing you can think of. Her teachers pulled me aside just a month ago and told me about Sakari's "art" skills. They said all she loves to do is draw and make things. Her "skills" were way above her age level. She goes in to great detail. She loves to draw animals and it's not a typical body, legs, head drawing...it's detailed to the max. She draws pictures non-stop at home of her cruises. She will draw the ship, the port holes, people in the windows looking out, the smoke stack with smoke, the deck chairs, it has the water, she will put whales, dolphins, fish and starfish in the water. She will add the sky and the clouds and the smiling sun. She will draw an airplane, it will even have the runway wheels. That's how much this girl loves to draw. Her teacher told me that some day she would make a good illustrator. They said they get companies that donate paper to the schools and they wanted to donate some to Sakari. They knew it would be put to good use...and it has.

 

So now this PLACE is telling me that she refuses to participate in the activities. Yea...riiiiightttt! Something just did not jive at all. At the time we were picking her up, they had the tee-shirts lined up on the floor and Sakari was sitting beside hers. They were getting ready to "color" their shirts.

 

Remember this?

 

 

Well it sure didn't look to me like she wasn't participating. They yelled for her to come over and told her she was leaving and they gathered up her shirt and handed it to us. She was UPSET!!! She cried all the way out the door and we would hear nothing but complaining the rest of the night because she wanted to color her shirt. We ask her over and over if she had ask to leave or told the counselors that she wanted them to call us to pick her up and she told us over and over that she did not say that. :mad:

 

I also have to add that when we picked her up, this is what she looked like...

 

 

Yep, that looks like a kid that doesn't participate in activities to me for sure. COMPLETELY ROLLING MY EYES AT THIS POINT. So now the hubby and I are starting to feel a little hot under the collar and I didn't even have a collar on. Kendra was a little upset as well. Although Brayden is not the "activities type of kid" like Sakari is, he did come back with his face painted and things that he had made too during the cruise.

 

My blood continued to boil the rest of the day. Especially the two ladies that talked to us about Sakari's inability to participate with the "class". These same 2 ladies and 1 other were the same ladies we always seem to catch an attitude from. I do know that the worse ones name was Svetlana. I made it a point to look at her name tag the following day when I reluctantly took Sakari back to the Camp during our final sea day. She had the nastiest attitude about her and the way she spoke to you was just demeaning and degrading every time. She's one of those people that acts like someone who should not be taking care of someones precious child. Some times I write things off to "they're having a bad day", but I'm sorry, this is just not the case with this lady.

 

We would continue to dwell on this subject for the rest of the night...as much as I wanted to just let it go, I couldn't for some reason. But, I didn't let it spoil the day completely.

 

More on this subject on the next sea day. :mad:

 

 

I came across this review while researching some port activities for Cozumel (thanks for the great Playa Mia photos), and I just wanted to say that we had a very similar and negative experience with Camp Carnival on the Dream. It was such a negative experience that it definitely colored our feelings about the entire cruise and I would not go back on that ship with children. I have read many similar stories about the rude counselors at Camp Carnival on the Dream and I think it is too bad that Carnival has not addressed the situation. They need to clean house and bring people in who actually want to be working with children. They have a good space for the kids, but many of the counselors were neither helpful nor friendly (there were a few exceptions). Not a welcoming atmosphere at all. The check in/check out also was ridiculous the first few days. They only had 1 person at any given time handling this activity and so whether you were checking or checking out you had to wait in the same (long) line, which included parents at the front who would be asking a ton of informational type questions. Of course parents have questions, but it is a problem when there is only one line for everything. Many parents were grumbling in line waiting 15 minutes to pick up their child. I also heard other parents comment that they were not at all impressed with the staff. When we dropped off my 6 year old the counselor typically just said "ok, go wash your hands"...kind of in a cold way, no "hi", "welcome", "glad you are back" or anything like that. And with my younger son it was very similar to what you experienced - they called us and basically complained about him and told me that he was too high maintenance and he did not seem to want to be there. He is little but is used to being in group care settings and is a very happy child, but I saw that no effort was made to engage him, or other children who might be shy or not sure about the activity. They made us feel like something was wrong with our child and they just could not be bothered dealing with him. I know I am not objective since it is my child, but he is far from high maintenance and the entire experience was extremely off putting. After several tries we did not want to take our kids back there.

[Jenmomof4]

I know this is a VERY late reply to this awesome thread, but wanted you to know that my husband and I are about to embark on our FIRST cruise ever, and in my research found this lovely review, which of course had me then read EVERY review on your itinerary that we are visiting. I must say your "realism" is what had me from the get go, you are not writing what others want to read, what others hope to read, you write what YOU experienced, and I value the words you spent time in sharing with us to such a great amount, so THAN YOU for the details, the pictures, and the TRUTHS!

We sail in May on Carnival Conquest. We are doing the exotic Western Cruise, and we were at a loss with so....okay TOO many options for excursions. I was overwhelmed and unable to pull the trigger on anything because "what if" it was the WRONG one...hahaha. In reading for the last 2 weeks every review of your FIRST Carnival cruise (comparing to other line), and the reviews of ports I would be visiting, we have come up with our choices .....Cave Tubing (BZ) just because it seems it is a MUST DO...and Almaplena for Costa Maya. The Roatan I REALLY want to visit Maya Keys from reading your review, but the ship cost is sooooo high, we may have to skip that one since we can not book privately.

I just felt like taking the time to say what an amazing and awesome job you do at giving us details and opinions on what is out there and available. I know the time it must have took to get all the thoughts together, and add the amazing pictures, and oh my do I EVER appreciate it.

First time cruising is a bit scary, the whole "UNKNOWN" aspect almost had me not pull the trigger in the first place. I pondered for weeks if we really SHOULD..(we are going three years early due to a recent MS diagnosis, and really wanted to take advantage of my body while she still mostly works, we were planning a big trip for our 25 anniversary, but doing it for our 22nd instead)...I was able to pull the trigger, and then dug in deep to as much info and as much "insight" as I could find. Your reviews made the almost impossible decisions of WHERE TO for excursions down right EASY! I know we each have our own opinions, tastes, and quality control lines....but I can honestly say....I had no what if moments in booking the 2 I have already chosen. We are limited in activities with my abilities, so beach days are a MUST...and snorkeling is a MUST....we hope to enjoy the culture and atmosphere of Cozumel, and just enjoy the day on our own figuring it out there (hoping that is possible, hahaha).

Once again, thank you for the time you put into your awesome reviews and details of each aspect. I almost feel as though I am a little ahead of the game after reading your words!

May you and the family have a wonderful day...and beautiful trips to come!

[mitsugirly]

I know this is a VERY late reply to this awesome thread, but wanted you to know that my husband and I are about to embark on our FIRST cruise ever, and in my research found this lovely review, which of course had me then read EVERY review on your itinerary that we are visiting. I must say your "realism" is what had me from the get go, you are not writing what others want to read, what others hope to read, you write what YOU experienced, and I value the words you spent time in sharing with us to such a great amount, so THAN YOU for the details, the pictures, and the TRUTHS!

We sail in May on Carnival Conquest. We are doing the exotic Western Cruise, and we were at a loss with so....okay TOO many options for excursions. I was overwhelmed and unable to pull the trigger on anything because "what if" it was the WRONG one...hahaha. In reading for the last 2 weeks every review of your FIRST Carnival cruise (comparing to other line), and the reviews of ports I would be visiting, we have come up with our choices .....Cave Tubing (BZ) just because it seems it is a MUST DO...and Almaplena for Costa Maya. The Roatan I REALLY want to visit Maya Keys from reading your review, but the ship cost is sooooo high, we may have to skip that one since we can not book privately.

I just felt like taking the time to say what an amazing and awesome job you do at giving us details and opinions on what is out there and available. I know the time it must have took to get all the thoughts together, and add the amazing pictures, and oh my do I EVER appreciate it.

First time cruising is a bit scary, the whole "UNKNOWN" aspect almost had me not pull the trigger in the first place. I pondered for weeks if we really SHOULD..(we are going three years early due to a recent MS diagnosis, and really wanted to take advantage of my body while she still mostly works, we were planning a big trip for our 25 anniversary, but doing it for our 22nd instead)...I was able to pull the trigger, and then dug in deep to as much info and as much "insight" as I could find. Your reviews made the almost impossible decisions of WHERE TO for excursions down right EASY! I know we each have our own opinions, tastes, and quality control lines....but I can honestly say....I had no what if moments in booking the 2 I have already chosen. We are limited in activities with my abilities, so beach days are a MUST...and snorkeling is a MUST....we hope to enjoy the culture and atmosphere of Cozumel, and just enjoy the day on our own figuring it out there (hoping that is possible, hahaha).

Once again, thank you for the time you put into your awesome reviews and details of each aspect. I almost feel as though I am a little ahead of the game after reading your words!

May you and the family have a wonderful day...and beautiful trips to come!

 

 

Your words are so kind and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for saying them. I really appreciate it. People like you, that are so grateful for the information, is what keeps me doing them...even with such a hectic schedule.

 

I took my very first cruise in the 80's and I remember what it was like to be scared of the "unknown". However, I can honestly say that I'm still scared to this day when I book a cruise. I research and research until I throw myself into a "tizzy" and the options of picking "that perfect place" just throws my head for a spin every time. I get nervous and I think a touch of anxiety prior to cruising each and every time. But I still love my cruising! I can tell you that once I board the ship, every little bit of that anxiety and nervousness goes away (for me). I have nothing but happy thoughts, relaxed feelings, and looking forward to experiencing the decisions I took so many months to plan.

 

You will not always enjoy what someone else might enjoy. Everyone has different taste. I have picked good and semi-good places (let's face it, there's no such thing as a "bad" place in the Caribbean right?) and we still have a good time because it's a new experience. I wouldn't change any of the places we have went...just for the experience alone and being able to say we have been there and done that.

 

Have fun in Belize with cave tubing and DON'T FORGET TO TRY THE TERMITES! Really, they're not bad, just minty.

 

I definitely envy you going to Almaplena. That place is just beautiful clear ocean and relaxation. I'm considering going there again in November. As much as I hate to do a place more than twice, I just can't seem to find another place that's just like this one. But I will keep searching just in case it exist.

 

Roatan...ahhh dear Roatan. This is by far my favorite port. So many beautiful places there and such awesome snorkeling. I do know that Carnival charges a much higher price to go to Maya Key than NCL does. It really sucks. But the snorkeling there is so amazing that I (personally) would pay the price. I would also pay the price for the LFK. It's just the most beautiful place ever. The only other suggestion I can give you is check out going to West Bay. If you love to snorkel, catch a cab (or one of the day trips there by your cruise ship or a 3rd party vendor) and spend the day. The snorkeling there is amazing and right from the beach!!! (We are not talking about sticking your head in the water and seeing fish...we are talking about an actual reef, right there at the beach!!) Check out THIS link for all the information you can get on this place. It's very helpful. It might just save you some $$ if you can't make it to Maya Key.

 

Cozumel is my second favorite port (due to the snorkeling). Also, if you don't want to head over to Chankanaab and pay the price of admission over there...check out the Money Bar. It has the same "type" of snorkeling. You go down into the water using steps. There's a small man made beach, but the snorkeling is supposed to be amazing and the same as Chankanaab. It would just cost you the taxi ride there (probably around $10-$12 for up to 4 people in the cab). There is no admission price and they just want you to buy food or drinks while you are there.

 

I have never been here, but have done extensive research of the place. Here's a few pictures I have aquired from the place. Most are not mine and they are pictures from the internet and others are pictures that I took using google earth to get a better feel for the place and location.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The only other suggestion I would have to just head to the beach and relax for cheap would be do some research on Paradise Beach. I think it's free to get in (or like a few bucks) and you just eat and drink what you want there. It's one of the many places I have considered going to many times.

 

 

Whatever you decide to do, always have fun and enjoy your times together. I hope you have a wonderful first cruise and many more to come after that. Take care of yourself and your health. Once again, thanks so much for your kind words and comments. It makes my writing and adventures so worth it.

[Brandonclan]

Another late comer to your wonderful review.

This has got to be the best review I have read on CC. You are a very good writer. I love how "real" you are.

 

We are trying to decide between NCL and Carnival for our next "adventure"

 

I had to read this from start to finish in one sitting! I have never done that before, and have read many reviews the last couple years. I also had to keep reading all your other posts in your sig, so I've been reading all day here and my family thinks I'm crazy for the research I do too.

 

You have a wonderful family and I thank you for sharing them with us.

[Jenmomof4]

Thank you my dear for the response, and after further looking into it...we have just booked LFK! Maya Key would have been cheaper in the long run...but I do believe your review of this place made the choice between the two easier! We did opt for that guided snorkel trip to the reef....it was an additional 10 bucks each (I noticed on the site to add on would be 20 a person, so rather than decided then on the spot....just add it in now). I have NO ship sponsored excursions, I can NOT believe on our FIRST cruise we are being so brazen, lol...but the excursion with the BOAT was less, but not all the added bonuses we would have to pay for later if we wanted to...seems like a no brainer. RIGHT?! I hope so any ways! This is their livelihood, and assume if they don't get me to the boat, they will KNOW Trip advisor will know all about it real quick...hahahaha.

 

My question...how much time should we give ourselves to get back? If port day is until, say, 5.....at what point should we be saying...ummm, we gotta go, without being rushed? LOL. an hour, two hours? more or less? See it's these little things I THINK ABOUT non stop, and my husband is saying....Jen, there will be others there with us....and well, here I am thinking, what if they are newbies too an winging it and planning on following our lead....ya...blind leading the blind in foreign countries...NOT my idea of a good time! HA!

Also will the LFK people take us back when we want...or will they tell us when we can go? Thank you again.....no rush on answers, well 4 weeks til I set sail, lol....but no rush! Just when you can!

 

Thanks again!

[mitsugirly]

Another late comer to your wonderful review.

This has got to be the best review I have read on CC. You are a very good writer. I love how "real" you are.

 

We are trying to decide between NCL and Carnival for our next "adventure"

 

I had to read this from start to finish in one sitting! I have never done that before, and have read many reviews the last couple years. I also had to keep reading all your other posts in your sig, so I've been reading all day here and my family thinks I'm crazy for the research I do too.

 

You have a wonderful family and I thank you for sharing them with us.

 

Thanks so much for the comments. I can't believe you were able to read the entire thing in 1 day. LOL That's a lot of reading. hehe (Yea, I'm pretty winded at times). :o

 

Thank you my dear for the response, and after further looking into it...we have just booked LFK! Maya Key would have been cheaper in the long run...but I do believe your review of this place made the choice between the two easier! We did opt for that guided snorkel trip to the reef....it was an additional 10 bucks each (I noticed on the site to add on would be 20 a person, so rather than decided then on the spot....just add it in now). I have NO ship sponsored excursions, I can NOT believe on our FIRST cruise we are being so brazen, lol...but the excursion with the BOAT was less, but not all the added bonuses we would have to pay for later if we wanted to...seems like a no brainer. RIGHT?! I hope so any ways! This is their livelihood, and assume if they don't get me to the boat, they will KNOW Trip advisor will know all about it real quick...hahahaha.

 

My question...how much time should we give ourselves to get back? If port day is until, say, 5.....at what point should we be saying...ummm, we gotta go, without being rushed? LOL. an hour, two hours? more or less? See it's these little things I THINK ABOUT non stop, and my husband is saying....Jen, there will be others there with us....and well, here I am thinking, what if they are newbies too an winging it and planning on following our lead....ya...blind leading the blind in foreign countries...NOT my idea of a good time! HA!

Also will the LFK people take us back when we want...or will they tell us when we can go? Thank you again.....no rush on answers, well 4 weeks til I set sail, lol....but no rush! Just when you can!

 

Thanks again!

 

That's awesome (that you booked the reef tour). I really wish I would have, but of course I had a blast just snorkeling around the area I was in and decided not to book it. NEXT time (which I think there is going to be a next time in November), I'm definitely going to book the reef. I have just got to see it and get pictures this time around since everyone is always asking what's out there but never have any pictures to show it.

 

It's awesome that you have managed to book everything private for your first cruise. Pat yourself on the back. Most people are too scared to do it. But, this forum is wonderful and so helpful that it really does make it easy to do. I only book ship excursions if it benefits me. (Like booking Maya Key, which can only be done by ship excursion. Or the time we booked Bannister Island in Belize because of the tending issue and really wanted to go there. We have booked another ship excursion for our upcoming cruise next month in Nassua and that's at the Blue Lagoon, since they pick you up right there at the ship instead of having to get a cab over to the boat area to get over to the island.) Yep, it has to benefit me in some way for me to do a ship excursion.

 

2 hours to get back should be plenty enough time I would think. Since you mentioned that you are on a Carnival ship (which docks at Mahogany Bay and it's closer to LFK than where other ships, like NCL docks, then you are closer to it and therefore less travel time for you :)). If your ship is to be there until 5pm, then all aboard is usually about an hour before that. So they want you to be back by 4pm. Then give yourself driving time (which it doesn't take an hour to get there, but it gives you plenty of time in case of traffic, which we didn't run in to, and walking in the port or shopping or whatever). I think we went back a little earlier just because my oldest daughter and her boyfriend stayed at Mahogany Bay (because of my grandson having a bad day) and we wanted to find them and check the place out before getting back on the ship. :p

 

As for LFK taking you back, they will have the boat that brings you over to the island making return trips back to Frenchy's (which is their restaurant they own on the main land) during the day. If you are hanging out in that area (which is the area with the 2 story deck that people jump off of), then you'll see people loading up on it and you just simply get on and go when you are ready. Just watch your time. They won't tell you when to leave. Then once you get to Frenchy's, there's usually a cab there to take you back or they will call one. We of course skipped the cab that was waiting to take people back because we were busy checking out the animals there. :D

 

You'll be fine. Have a wonderful trip. If you can, TAKE SOME PICTURES OF THAT REEF!!! :eek:

[mitsugirly]

Oh I forgot...I wanted to show you a map of where Mahogany Bay is compared to LFK

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

Another vote over here for wonderful Chankanaab! I have been several times, and I like it so much, and the people friendly fish to snorkel with, that I wouldn't even consider another destination for Cozumel. It is perfection for me.

[adventureseekinmomma]

Oh I forgot...I wanted to show you a map of where Mahogany Bay is compared to LFK

 

 

I am thinking of visiting this summer on a cruise, did they charge you for your daughter? I have 3 children and was trying to get a price idea. Thanks!

[hlb76]

OM MY GOSH.. How did I miss this review when it was live? Sure glad I stumbled upon it. I always look for your reviews and thoughts and questions on the port of call boards when I'm sailing. I have even read some of your reviews. I love all the pics and the details you put in.

 

I'm so glad you wandered to the dark side...lol Glad your Dream cruise went well other than a few issues and love how you did not let them ruin the whole week. I've never really wanted to sail the Dream but now I'm thinking a little more about it. After sailing Sunshine this winter we may never do anything w/o the 2.0 upgrades. Yes we will sail certain ships for a hamburger and breakfast burrito. :eek:

 

Thanks again for this review!

[mitsugirly]

Another vote over here for wonderful Chankanaab! I have been several times, and I like it so much, and the people friendly fish to snorkel with, that I wouldn't even consider another destination for Cozumel. It is perfection for me.

 

Friendly fish...lol, check this friendly fish out...

 

 

 

I am thinking of visiting this summer on a cruise, did they charge you for your daughter? I have 3 children and was trying to get a price idea. Thanks!

 

Yes, they did charge for my daughter. It was half price. :)

[mitsugirly]

OM MY GOSH.. How did I miss this review when it was live? Sure glad I stumbled upon it. I always look for your reviews and thoughts and questions on the port of call boards when I'm sailing. I have even read some of your reviews. I love all the pics and the details you put in.

 

I'm so glad you wandered to the dark side...lol Glad your Dream cruise went well other than a few issues and love how you did not let them ruin the whole week. I've never really wanted to sail the Dream but now I'm thinking a little more about it. After sailing Sunshine this winter we may never do anything w/o the 2.0 upgrades. Yes we will sail certain ships for a hamburger and breakfast burrito. :eek:

 

Thanks again for this review!

 

Aww thanks so much for the compliments. Glad you found the review and didn't miss out after all. ;)

 

They "dark side"...that cracked me up since it wasn't gloomy at all, but SHINY, very very shiny. :D

 

We will definitely be back, but I'm like you, only want the ships with all the "whistles" on it=2.0 upgrades. We have thought about the Sunshine, but I'm waiting on it to see if any of the reviews get any better. There just seems to be a lot of complaints about after doing the upgrades and adding more passengers that it's just too crowded now. I'll still look at booking the magic or breeze in the future. :D

[hlb76]

We had a fantastic time of the Sunshine. I never felt it was overcrowded or at least no more crowded than other ships.

 

I think the worst part was the line for a burrito so I never had one other than breakfast. Now the line was not horrible I just hated to wait when I could walk right up to anything else. The biggest design flaw I noticed was the space near the burrito bar it just was not wide enough for the line and through traffic.

 

Jamie Dee was our CD and I fell in love with her.

 

Oh and the comedy shows was an issue no reason to get there 45 mins early for a show. We opted not to go and had a great time all the same.

 

The ship is a little tricky to navigate as all floors do not go through but we figured that out by day 7...lol.

 

We had a fabulous time but I refuse to have anything but. Up next is Freedom we booked when we booked Sunshine so was thrilled to find its getting some upgrades that we fell in love with.

 

I do want to venture to other lines one day but each time I look I find the best deals here. Maybe when we are not to restricted to school schedule for my son we will spread our wings and find the best deals.

 

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

[mitsugirly]

We had a fantastic time of the Sunshine. I never felt it was overcrowded or at least no more crowded than other ships.

 

I think the worst part was the line for a burrito so I never had one other than breakfast. Now the line was not horrible I just hated to wait when I could walk right up to anything else. The biggest design flaw I noticed was the space near the burrito bar it just was not wide enough for the line and through traffic.

 

Jamie Dee was our CD and I fell in love with her.

 

Oh and the comedy shows was an issue no reason to get there 45 mins early for a show. We opted not to go and had a great time all the same.

 

The ship is a little tricky to navigate as all floors do not go through but we figured that out by day 7...lol.

 

We had a fabulous time but I refuse to have anything but. Up next is Freedom we booked when we booked Sunshine so was thrilled to find its getting some upgrades that we fell in love with.

 

I do want to venture to other lines one day but each time I look I find the best deals here. Maybe when we are not to restricted to school schedule for my son we will spread our wings and find the best deals.

 

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

 

 

Thanks for sharing your experience. It sounds like you had a great time no matter what (and that's pretty much what I'm like).

 

I LOVE JAMIE DEE! She was on our Dream cruise and was AMAZING!

 

I'm like you, I go where I can get an awesome deal. My daughter has been trying to talk me into a Royal Caribbean cruise (which I would love), but they just still remain too expensive for me. I'll have to stick to NCL (with the kids sail free option) or Carnival for now. :D

[k2gal]

Little late, but thank you for a fantastic review. Like many others, I read it before my trip on the Dream. Your day in LFK was my favorite but I knew I had no chance of getting my group to do a non Carnival excursion so I was ecstatic when Carnival added the LFK option about two weeks before we sailed. I think it was only about five hours start to finish and they dictated arrival/departure but it was still great. Favorite part was jumping from the platform. ;-)

 

 

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[PathfinderEss]

Great review and wonderful photo's.

[ericah]

Thanks for the awesome review!

 

 

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[cruse2loose]

I was on Sunshine last month and loved it. Ocean plaza on deck 5 had a awesome band and breakfast buffett in the mornings that many did not know about. The pasta place and JiJi's kitchen at the back of lido were wonderful at lunch and you could look out of the ships wake with floor to ceiling windows. The Epic Rock show was awesome.

[rarasnake]

Thank you so much for the awesome review!!

 

I actually posted recently about how to find LFK because of your pictures!!! I so want to go there, NOW! Alas, I have to be a grown up and wait.. I do thank you for all the information on how to find it though... It is on my next trip plans..

 

I did have a question. Did you ever contact CCL about Camp Carnival? I am right behind the rest of the people that have posted, on that you should contact them... I work as a substitute teacher for our local school system and personally, their actions would have gotten them fired. I have a child that is just like yours and it is scary, thinking that they may be treated this way and even worse, I have 2 special needs children that will be going to CC. So, it really makes me worry, that some of the counselors would treat kids this way.. If you did get a response, I would love to know what they said!

[mitsugirly]

Little late, but thank you for a fantastic review. Like many others, I read it before my trip on the Dream. Your day in LFK was my favorite but I knew I had no chance of getting my group to do a non Carnival excursion so I was ecstatic when Carnival added the LFK option about two weeks before we sailed. I think it was only about five hours start to finish and they dictated arrival/departure but it was still great. Favorite part was jumping from the platform. ;-)

 

 

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So glad you had a wonderful day there at LFK. That place is just so beautiful and fun. :)

 

Thanks for your comments.

 

Great review and wonderful photo's.

 

Thanks so much.