Dream! I'm on the right ship... right?

[RyanDMB99@aol.com]

I'm not at all hard to please on a cruise. I fully realize my needs and desires are in line with 4000 other cruisers. But I seem to read a lot of "too crowded" reviews about the Dream. I have had fantastic times on Pride and Glory. Am I ready for the crowds on the much larger Dream? Or should I be trying to get back on a smaller vessel?!

 

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[Beth]

To me the Dream is no more crowd then any other ship, if you go to the buffet at prime times, yes there will be a line. On sea days you have the buffet, the dining room, the pasta bar, & outside on the lanai to choose from and I believe they do some something on serenity area. Of course they do have room sevice with the best BLT.

[deborahjo]

For me it was to crowded. But I hate the LONG lines. It took over 30 minutes just to get an omelete on the buffet. It drove me to the dining room for breakfast every morning.

 

It just seemed there was aline for everything. That is not enjoyment for me.

[Cruising Golfer]

You were on the Titanic and you are worried about crowds???:confused:

You will never know the truth until you give it a shot!!!

We were on the Adventure of the Seas and never felt crowded so I guess it is just a matter of personal taste.

Go For It and let us know how it goes!!!:D C.G.

[Sh1035]

I never waited more then 5 minutes for anything but the Mongolian wok. So not sure what I was doing differently??? Even showed up 5 minutes before shows and had no issues finding a seat. Had omelets every day no big wait.

[RuthlessBoss]

I never waited more then 5 minutes for anything but the Mongolian wok. So not sure what I was doing differently??? Even showed up 5 minutes before shows and had no issues finding a seat. Had omelets every day no big wait.

No real problems here either. Of course if your lunch is at 12, yes lines are longer. The wait is less than 10 minutes at most, and that's because some dumbwit is holding up the line.

Omelet stations are ridiculous because each omelet must be timed. People seem to think breakfast won't be breakfast without one (even though they don't have them at home).

The trick is just don't go in prime time. Same for Mongolian wok.

[WAHMto5]

We love the Dream and like others have said that it has never been any more crowded then the other ships we have been on. Of course, there are more people but there is also more space and more options;)

[SkyMaster]

With just a little bit of pre planning, you won't have any problems. Don't plan on lunch at the buffet right at Noon, and don't plan on being the first one off the ship when you hit the port. Wait just a bit, and you can walk right off. Having said all that, yes, there are a lot of people aboard, but there are a lot of activities going on as well. I say, give it a shot, and go aboard with an open mind, and a bit of common sense. You'll enjoy "Dream". ;)

 

"SKY"

[rockraiders]

Just off the Dream today. Had a great time. The only place we encountered crowds was at the buffet. They didn't bother me because I never eat at the buffet.

[RuthlessBoss]

With just a little bit of pre planning, you won't have any problems. Don't plan on lunch at the buffet right at Noon, and don't plan on being the first one off the ship when you hit the port. Wait just a bit, and you can walk right off. Having said all that, yes, there are a lot of people aboard, but there are a lot of activities going on as well. I say, give it a shot, and go aboard with an open mind, and a bit of common sense. You'll enjoy "Dream". ;)

 

"SKY"

As you said. Use common sense.

As for crowds, the worse I've seen is by the center pool on a sea day. For lounging, there's tons of open areas and they are just a few feet away from the pool. I wouldn't even bother with Serenity, that gets crowded with people who "think" they are getting away.

[misstopgun]

We sailed on the Dream twice and we did find it felt crowded.

 

We never paid attention to what time we went to eat either breakfast or lunch, but then we never paid attention on any other cruise either, and to be honest, if we couldn't be spontaneous and had to plan our meal around non peak times, it wouldn't be a enjoyable vacation.

 

Don't misunderstand, We still enjoyed our cruises, just not as much as the Liberty, Legend, Valor, Inspiration, etc. We have also avoided the Magic and Breeze because of our Dream experiences.

 

When you wait in line at the buffet to be able to get bacon and hot cereal, then wait in another line to get eggs over easy, some of your breakfast will be cold. If the sides were in line with the omelet station, or if stations were more strategically placed, this could be avoided. I don't think the Dream buffet is laid out very well.

[MissKIA]

I've always read that Dream is so crowded and has such long lines. I didn't find that at all. In fact I found the Liberty more crowded and stood in much longer lines there than on the Dream.

[Tapi]

We were on the Adventure of the Seas and never felt crowded so I guess it is just a matter of personal taste.

 

It's not the size of the ship, but the space to passenger ratio and ship layout. It's more likely to feel crowded on a 70,000 ton Fantasy class ship than on a 225,000 ton Oasis class ship.

 

To the OP: We sailed on the Dream and had a very enjoyable time. Just avoid peak times at places where long lines are likely. We learned that fairly quick after day one (and after witnessing the embarkation and buffet lines from hell). After that, we'd swing by the buffet at off peak hours, order breakfast through Room Service, wait a few hours to go ashore (the only time when the line was insane was returning from Belize), and if attending a show, we'd arrive extra early.

[Socref124]

I'm not at all hard to please on a cruise. I fully realize my needs and desires are in line with 4000 other cruisers. But I seem to read a lot of "too crowded" reviews about the Dream. I have had fantastic times on Pride and Glory. Am I ready for the crowds on the much larger Dream? Or should I be trying to get back on a smaller vessel?!

 

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I've been on the Dream twice, the Glory twice and three times on Spirit class ships. The Dream is no more crowded than the Glory in my opinion. Same lines at the buffet and to get off the ship. Used ATD last time and never had to wait for a table. Like others have said, try to stay away from the buffet at peak time and you will be OK.

Have a great cruise. We are back on the Dream in 96 days and plan on having a great time. :D

[RWolver672]

We went on the Dream and would never do her or her class again. It wasn't the lines that bothered us as much as you couldn't turn around without running into people. It just seemed like everybody stood around right in the walkways instead of getting off to the side so people could pass. This was especially true if you wanted to walk through the buffet area. Instead of lining up against the wall, they would line up right in the middle of the walkway and would give you a dirty look if you said "Excuse me" and wanted through.

 

There were a lot of things happening in the atrium. If you tried to get to one of the ship's stores, there were throngs of people leaning over the railings on that deck looking down at the action on the atrium floor. Then on the days with the store's sales where they had tables out, it was even worse.

 

We decided that we will stick with the Conquest class.

[T. Advisor King]

It's not the size of the ship, but the space to passenger ratio and ship layout. It's more likely to feel crowded on a 70,000 ton Fantasy class ship than on a 225,000 ton Oasis class ship.

 

...

 

Thanks for saying so well exactly what I was thinking. A large ship isn't more "crowded" just because it carries more passengers any more than a large hotel is more crowded than a small motel. A larger ship is ...well ...larger. So there are more people but also more places to put them. It may well feel less crowded because it has more space. I don't recall feeling the Magic was any more crowded than the Inspiration.

[Cruisegirl6]

I have been on over 50 cruises and I am 50 years old, I feel that I am very good on being able to tell you so much about comparison of cruise ships and cruise lines so please OP take what I say and know I tell it as it is.

 

We went on the Dream last October and my father in law always comes along with us.

 

We are both 50 and he is 68.

 

On the Dream we NEVER felt crowded at all! It didn't feel like 4k passengers were on her. We never ran into long buffet lines (granted we had people in front of us but it moved and she had so many areas/stations that it wasen't like Carnivals other smaller ships just one line left or right buffet....and we never got into "traffic jams" anywhere. Maybe after a show is done that is the only place you would see many people around you but that's normal but when you leave that showroom, its over with.

 

We loved the Dream in fact she was on par with the RC Freedom Class ships when it came to the buffet, food and service. If you blind folded me I would of said I was on a RC cruise.

 

Although she does lack the live band (Carnival did away with these) at the pool, and the main band doesn't play until late evening like they used to) and there is extremely limited things you can eat past 10:30 pm, where RC offers so much food of all types past that time, shows are much better quality on RC I still would go back on the Dream.

 

We just got off NCL Breakaway new ship last month, and I tell you she was horrible, so crowded interior and exterior, the pool was the smallest ever seen on such a ship that carried 4k passengers, everybody looked like a can of sardines sitting around the pool and especially inside the pool. The shows would end and everybody is cramming through the casino the only way to get out, now that ship we hate hate hate yes you feel like there are 4k passengers in most areas (poorly designed inside and outside) but on the Dream NEVER.

[Cinders411]

Good thread. I have been a bit concerned about the crowds on the Dream as well. Looks like it might not be as bad as I had heard, with proper planning. Thanks!

[spunkyhungry]

I went on the Dream. It wasn't any more crowded than any other cruise ship I've been on.

[LittleJeanne]

We have been on the Dream 2x. Our 1st trip embarkation day was a nightmare. It was Labor day weekend, I don't know if that had a lot to do with it or not. But the lines to get inside the port authority building was crazy. Then we were on the ship and you could barely move around the Lido deck with your carry-on and finding a table was difficult to say the least. Passengers were standing over tables waiting for the people sitting there to clear out. We had read about crowds on-board and knew to try and do things during off peak times but weren't prepared for how crowded things were that day.

 

Our second trip on the Dream was last November. We left the Saturday following Thanksgiving. The Dream was offering FTTF by then and I really think it helps. We are platinum and were able to take our luggage directly to our room. I don't know how many platinum/diamond cruisers there were or how many had bought FTTF. But we dropped out luggage off and headed to the Lido deck. It really didn't seem nearly as crowded on embarkation as our 1st experience.

 

I may not appreciate that others can buy into some of the platinum privileges, but I do think it helps keep the Lido deck from being so crowded on embarkation. I also like the added perk of being able to take my luggage directly to my room.

[RWolver672]

After reading all of these postings, I have come to the conclusion that only you can tell if the Dream class is crowded or not. It all depends on what you are use to. Do you use public transportation? Do you shop in malls? Do you live in a metropolitan area or rural? Are you always in crowded areas or wide open spaces with few people around. It's what you are use to that will decide if you feel the ship is crowded or not.

[RyanDMB99@aol.com]

I avoid malls when possible... mostly cause I don't care for the teeny bopper stores. I live in suburbia. I'm happy on a cruise ship if I can find a place indoor or outdoor to sit and relax. if I can get food when I'm hungry and I don't get sardined in corridors (I do sorta freak out when no matter what direction I turn someone is in my way). But I always expect the embarkation day crowds and the high noon lunch crowds. that never bothers me. I've never Not been able to find a Deck chair... might not be in serenity but I always find one haha! plus I have my private balcony to hide on too. overall I'm looking forward to the Dream... I was just worried about the preponderance of negative reviews.

 

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[Rosesgt]

If you cruise on the Titanic, go ahead you'll probably forget the crowds in a couple of minutes. ;) We sailed on the Fantasy June 2012 and had some lines for tenders and food, both YTD and buffet. We sail on the Dream in Nov, and I plan on writing a review. We'll see.:cool:

[djcass4199]

We were on the Dream June 1-8. It felt crowded because the under 18 passenger count was 1,100 as we were told by the loyalty desk crew member and there were 4,600 pax on board. The lines for lunch were always long!! I'm sure if we cruised Dream again in off season, it would be much different!

[cruise_girl2002]

I'm not at all hard to please on a cruise. I fully realize my needs and desires are in line with 4000 other cruisers. But I seem to read a lot of "too crowded" reviews about the Dream. I have had fantastic times on Pride and Glory. Am I ready for the crowds on the much larger Dream? Or should I be trying to get back on a smaller vessel?!

 

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I have sailed the dream twice...never felt like it was crowded. we usually had a lunch at 1130 and NEVER waited in line. one time we ate at 1230 and maybe stood in line for 5 minutes.