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

[lostone65]

Excellent review Kim! She looks like a beautiful ship!

[Orpheo]

My little one found a snail and she made it her friend for the rest of the night.

 

 

She was really upset when we made her let it go at the end of the night and worried that it would be ok without her "help". She's a very caring and nurturing child and LOVES animals of all types...even the slimy ones.

 

This is really cute!! :D

Thank you so much for the review and the lovely pictures.

[AmberTeka]

We are VIP on Carnival. When we first get to our Cabin, we ring for the Cabin Steward. We ask for a Sharps Bosx.(DH has mild diabetes..controls it through diet and exercise..still vigilant) and we ask to have the mini bar cleanned out and the fridge stocked with diet coke and water. then we give him $20. Because we know it is a busy day..that he has people leaving and people coming....and we appreciate every thing he does. It is not that much....but it is us thanking him for extra services.

 

then.....we seldom see him or her for the rest of the cruise. We always have serivce that no one would possible not rate as less than excellent...

.

That is the best $20 I spend on a cruise. Everyone likes being thanked. Yes, even if they are paid.....on super busy days....when everyone is running around....

[crewsweeper]

mitsugirly,

 

A bit late to the party on reading your review. Nice candor on how expectations meet reality :rolleyes:. Appreciated the pros and cons on Ron John. I've never gone over there, but do use their road signs all the way down I-75 and the Fl Trnpke, to monitor or disatanc eto port and remaining drive time.:)

 

Re the Dream, you should have really checke dout the Tandoori. Good Indian food, not the best of the best Indian but flavorful and the fish tandoor is excellent. It's our first stop. Glad you had an easy time getting on board, one of the hallmarks of Carnival; they do embarkcation well. Just debarcation that gets hung up sometimes, mostly due to Customs and Coast Guard inspections. Will see how yours goes soon, I gather. As for music, most of the complaints aren't about NO music, just NO LIVE music. And the DJ plays things way too loud. But, I think its' just a few that miss the steel drum bands at sailaway and don't like dancing to hip hop (which seems to decent into a tribute to Tupac and old NWA as the night progresses in the disco). But geesh maybe the DJ should play a loop of Jazzy Jeff's "Summertime" to get people in a better mood musically, although you can't tell by the deck parties that anyone is complaining.

 

Back to your review.

 

Crew

[camz]

Hi Kim: Found your review! Well done as always. Would expect nothing less. :D Sakari has really grown since your last cruise pictures. She looks like she is enjoying cruising as usual. ;)

[skittl1321]

The waiter came out and ask if I was ready for my next lobster and I told him sure. So instead of bringing me out another lobster, they brought me an entire second plate. Yikes! I can't eat all of that. All I wanted was a lobster.

 

A Carnival waiter once told me that anytime you want just a part of a plate, it is easier and quicker for them to just get the entire plate. Getting a single thing really slows down the way the kitchen runs. (For example, I once wanted whatever side came with prime rib, but I don't eat that kind of meat. When he told me that- I said never mind. I didn't want to waste an entire prime rib! He offered to seperate it out for me, but I didn't want to slow him down for all his tables.)

 

This is an area that you can see Carnival's "service" isn't 5-star, because really high end would worry more about appearing perfect, rather than an expeditious process.

 

However, for the most part- it works fine, and it does get the food out to you faster. This is one reminder though of the fact they are serving thousands- meals are pre-plated, and not easily customizable.

 

But they will keep bringing out as many lobsters as you want!

[soccersharon]

Have always enjoyed your NCL reviews - always detailed and fantastic!

 

I'll be taking my first NCL cruise on the Epic in November - and I'm really looking forward to it. Change is good :)

 

Keep up the great review!

[dec0803]

Really enjoying your review. Love to see all the pictures along with it. Thanks! :D

[Winterstale]

Great review - I have seen your posts on the Ports page - we are taking the Western route on the Dream at the end of October - cannot wait!

[weredawg]

Wow! Talk about detailed review! LOL But you have kept up my interest. I have 25 more days til we sail on the Dream!! Hope you get to finish your review before then

[CruzerDeb]

Great review! Can't wait to read more!

[pickles1942]

You guys are killing me, really you are. :(

I will definitely be looking for this hidden treasure menu in the future.

 

 

 

Going to check this all out. I'm really bummed now.

 

 

Been on the Dream twice going again in Nov. and the Breeze in April 2014. The menu was also on the TV and you could order through the TV.

[kimmimom]

Once the dancing was done and over with, we headed back to our rooms to put our luggage away and finally meet up with our daughter to go to dinner. It had started raining outside and everyone scrambled. I was told that the lobster day is the first night and we got dressed up and ready to go to the MDR. Once I was there I found out it was not on the first night, but the second night, which was formal night. I wondered why everyone was in shorts, jeans and stuff.

 

I ordered the chicken, with the honey mustard sauce I think it was, for starters

 

 

Then I ordered the shrimp, which came on a stick (never seen such a thing) and sweet and sour noodles. The hubby had chicken breast and my daughter picked a PB & J. Geesh.

 

 

Later that night we were wondering around and found the same food up at the buffet area. Really? You can get the same thing there and not have to dress up? Sigh.

 

As for the staff, they were working their butts off, you could tell. I know what some mean but staff cuts because it took us about an hour to get our food. Now, I have experienced this on NCL before (our last cruise was a little slow in the MDR). One thing I truly missed on Carnival was the cheesecake. I love me some cheesecake and there was none to be found. I ask every night and every night I got the reply that it was only on certain nights they had it but it "wasn't this night." Well I finally gave up. On NCL, you can get cheesecake any time, day or night, 24/7 if you'd like and it is good. Insert sad face here.

 

For desert, they gave my daughter chocolate chip cookies. She wasn't hungry after she ate, so I took her cookies, put them in my small carrying purse and decided I would munch on them later. Remind me to never do that again...not only for the fact that I'm on a cruise ship and there is some type of available food on the ship 24/7 if I get hungry but also for the fact that these things completely crumbled in a matter of a few hip movements from walking. It was a bloody mess I tell ya!

 

We tried several times to go to the kids club (Camp Carnival) to sign our youngest up and our grandson. They were never open. This is weird. I'm use to NCL being open before sail away and you sign them up, get to view the place, and then after sail away you can bring the munchkins in for play time. Not Carnival. They were not opening until 9pm for sign ups. Wow. Shocker.

 

So, we went to the atrium and my hubby and daughter got their dance on for awhile. She danced like there was no tomorrow and didn't want to stop when it was time to move on.

 

 

 

Meanwhile, I'm busy snapping pictures in the Atrium and my surroundings as I glanced over waving at her twirling around like a princess and wearing daddy out.

 

cheesecake is on room service menu 24/7. Also first sign ups for camp usually are after muster drill.

[Ladydarcy1]

I am so enjoying this review! Thanks for the time you are taking to post all the amazing pictures. I am going to be on the Dream in September doing my first ever B2B cruise! I cannot wait for those 2 weeks and your review is just making me want the time in between to go by even faster.

[pmoniz]

Finally had a chance to read your review and I love it!!

GREAT job!!! Great pictures too!!

Thank you for sharing and can't wait to read more!!

[camper49]

You're probably thinking of the Red Frog Pub which is not the same thing as the Red Frog Rum Bar. The pub is an actual pub with drinks and food on the promenade deck (I believe) and is only found on the Breeze, Magic and Sunshine. The Rum Bar is just a bar.

 

Great review so far, I'm looking forward to reading more! We were on the Dream in November and loved it!

How about the Liberty? For the Red Frog Pub? I thought i read that somewhere...??

[crewsweeper]

How about the Liberty? For the Red Frog Pub? I thought i read that somewhere...??

Nope just the Rum Bar. The Liberty does serve TRF Ale in drafts at a couple of the bars that have taps (Atrium and EA Sports and maybe either Blue Iguana or RF Rum, can't recall) and does have the Alchemy Bar, which is where they make special drinks via a mixologist, like at Milk and Honey or Booker and Dax in New York City.

[ch27088]

So day 2 comes along, our first sea day. It's time to do everything we can in one day because we won't get this chance again until the next full sea day. I love going to all the different ports, but in reality, I would rather not have such a port extensive itinerary. It's just nothing but go-go-go all the time. Having a chance to enjoy the ship a little more would be nice.

 

We started the day with our sloppy eggs and fighting for more bacon then decided to play a little putt-putt. This time around Sakari did better and she was actually playing the entire game with a few holes she made it in 3 putts. Good for her.

 

 

I of course won the game as always...not tooting my own horn or anything.

 

 

This was Sakari's favorite, it went in to the ship and disappeared. She was so disappointed and later cheered up that it came out the other side. It's magic she said!

 

 

Had to have one with the Whale Tail in it:

 

 

 

Sakari had been begging to go to the kids club to meet her new "friends" so we thought we would check it out. They had told us that they were open from 9am-10pm. We went up and once again, they were not open and it was after 9am. Hmm, me and this kids club is just not getting off to a good start on this cruise. We were then told it would open at 10am.

 

So, we had to cure her depression by telling her it was time to go to the water park and slides. She perked up really quick with that.

 

Slides, here we come!

 

You know I would send an email or even post a note on John Heald's page about the Kids Club and the problem with the time. Too me, I think its a problem, but maybe there was a reason for them opening up late. I would just find out if this is something ongoing, or just a random thing that happened. I just find it kinda weird.

[arpie05]

I have enjoyed your review. I will say every time I cruise I learn something new.

I was reading a review from CaptivaTraveler titled "Dream Review -May 2013 ---->> Family = Fun" and there are some Fun Times in there (you have to go to his 'whoseyourdaddy..." Photo bucket then in the Library you'll find a Fun times link.

 

I have always found the Room service menu in the book - like hotels have that explain the ins and out of the hotel=ship. Carnival is really good about now having only this level of room gets this... I didn't like that about NCL. Except for Past Guest party, I've never noticed anything different between room categories. We usually sail inside also but have done balcony and OV.

 

The Pasta is lunch - most alternatives are lunch since MDR not open. Did you go to Punchliner brunch? The FunTimes list all the dining times and locations. The pic you posted of the bar not used - used to be the SUshi bar before they moved that to the Lido. They also used it during the day for the Lanai sides and salad when we sailed.

 

I am posting a FunTimes food dining - you can see Pasta listed on there at lunch.

 

Glad you had fun and hope you try another Carnival ship!

[KrusII]

Spending our 30th Anniversary with family on the Dream in October... Loving your review...

[cruisinqt]

On the first night of the cruise the kids club is always closed because it can't accommodate the mass influx of passengers wanting to sign their kids up for camp carnival. So they have a welcome aboard orientation meeting in one of the show lounges. There's usually games and prizes too. :) Then later on there's usually some family activity planned like a scavenger hunt or dance party in another lounge area or disco. So if you go to camp carnival it will be empty. Just be sure to check the info sheets in our cabin because there will be info about it.

 

Also, if you go to camp carnival during the week when they're supposed to be open and no ones there its usually because they are off in another area of the ship. They often go to the lido for ice cream eating contests or to lounges to play games with Funship Freddie. We have found if you're even 5-10 minutes late they may already be gone. :(

 

Btw, loving your review. Keep it coming. :D

[DEBnGAB]

Loving your review and Sakari is just angelic!

[jimbo5544]

What a great review. I love your perspective and how you relate it back to NCL as well. Keep it coming.

[mitsugirly]

cheesecake is on room service menu 24/7. Also first sign ups for camp usually are after muster drill.

 

So them waiting until 9pm-10pm is not normal for sign up?

[mitsugirly]

You know I would send an email or even post a note on John Heald's page about the Kids Club and the problem with the time. Too me, I think its a problem, but maybe there was a reason for them opening up late. I would just find out if this is something ongoing, or just a random thing that happened. I just find it kinda weird.

 

On the first night of the cruise the kids club is always closed because it can't accommodate the mass influx of passengers wanting to sign their kids up for camp carnival. So they have a welcome aboard orientation meeting in one of the show lounges. There's usually games and prizes too. :) Then later on there's usually some family activity planned like a scavenger hunt or dance party in another lounge area or disco. So if you go to camp carnival it will be empty. Just be sure to check the info sheets in our cabin because there will be info about it.

 

Also, if you go to camp carnival during the week when they're supposed to be open and no ones there its usually because they are off in another area of the ship. They often go to the lido for ice cream eating contests or to lounges to play games with Funship Freddie. We have found if you're even 5-10 minutes late they may already be gone. :(

 

Btw, loving your review. Keep it coming. :D

 

Trust me, there's a lot more to come about Camp Carnival...stay tuned. I am not at all happy with them...especially later on in the week. ;)