My review:Carnival Dream with an 8 mth old and group of 17. The good, bad, and ugly.

[fam2cruise]

 

here's the photo, what do you think?

 

While I agree it is unacceptable behavior, there is a possibility he doesn't understand what it means. Maybe he was misinformed by a previous passenger who thought it would be funny...crazier things have happened. I would have said something to him politely but then report if he continued to do it.

 

Loving the review...your baby is precious! We first sailed with our son when he was 11 months (now 4) and will sail with our 9 month old daughter for the first time in two weeks. We love all types of travel with our kids! Hope you make many more travel memories with baby E!

 

 

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[wmowan8485]

 

While I agree it is unacceptable behavior, there is a possibility he doesn't understand what it means. Maybe he was misinformed by a previous passenger who thought it would be funny...crazier things have happened. I would have said something to him politely but then report if he continued to do it.

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

I agree with you! I once worked for a Pastor from West Africa and while in the pulpit, he would bid some one to come up to the platform. However, instead of using his pointer finger, he would use his middle finger. He had no clue as to what it meant. :eek:

[lilmizz]

 

here's the photo, what do you think?

 

I am not a Prude, i love to laugh, and have fun. And I cannot say ive never Flipped the bird in a pic) Around Friends tho.... BUT These ppl are supposed to be professional and to let us have good memories. WOW, I would send this to CCL . I dont want them on my Cruise in January. Im taking that pic with me on the cruise and if they are my wait staff ill request to get different ones....

[Happy0810]

While we were getting pictures done, we met Amy, one of the Entertainment Staff. She was doing interviews for the Cruise video, and she fell in love with Baby E. She asked us if she could interview us, and we said "sure!". Baby E kept trying to grab and eat the microphone, lol!

 

We were on this same cruise so I'm definitely enjoying your review, reading what you did in the ports, and seeing your pictures. While I don't think I saw you in person, I do remember seeing you on the cruise video that played in the cabins. Baby E is a doll...and those eyelashes!!! :)

 

We had a great cruise! Don't you just love the cove balconies? We had the same cabin this year as we did last year, and the noise during the night was so much more this year. We were more forward than you and heard so much this time. It didn't ruin a thing for us...just something we noticed and commented to each other about.

[ourfamilylovescruising]

Thanks for a great review we are going on the Dream for Thanksgiving! was your Moms cabin loud too? we are in 2423 so I was just wondering Thanks

[JaniceB]

Not sure how to feel about your picture or what I would do about it. I am sure there are many different interpretations of what he was doing, just wish he hadn't done it at all.

[MsTabbyKats]

Not sure how to feel about your picture or what I would do about it. I am sure there are many different interpretations of what he was doing, just wish he hadn't done it at all.

 

Look at it, roll your eyes if you want, and if it upsets you, delete it. Life is too short to care about a picture of someone you'll never see again.

[Mybearsbaby]

We were on this same cruise so I'm definitely enjoying your review, reading what you did in the ports, and seeing your pictures. While I don't think I saw you in person, I do remember seeing you on the cruise video that played in the cabins. Baby E is a doll...and those eyelashes!!! :)

 

We had a great cruise! Don't you just love the cove balconies? We had the same cabin this year as we did last year, and the noise during the night was so much more this year. We were more forward than you and heard so much this time. It didn't ruin a thing for us...just something we noticed and commented to each other about.

Awe thank you!! Yeah he is a little romeo ;)

Yeah, we definitely noticed the galley noise, but with a view like that for the price we paid, we would book one again in a heartbeat! We loved the coves. :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for a great review we are going on the Dream for Thanksgiving! was your Moms cabin loud too? we are in 2423 so I was just wondering Thanks

 

 

She said she heard the galley noise as well. I really enjoyed the view despite the noise though. Have a great time! We cruised over Thanksgiving once and loved it!

 

 

 

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[Sunkissed Mommy]

Very interested in your review. We're taking our son on a cruise in a month on the Glory. He will be 9 months then. We normally sail other lines, so I'll be looking through your review for info specific to cruising on Carnival with a baby.

 

I saw an actual crib in your cabin. Oh no! I was hoping for a pack n play that could be packed up in the day :(

I'm wondering if this is common on Carnival. Im used to other lines and hotels having pack n play style cribs.

 

I might comment again with questions for you as I read through it, right now Im only on page 2 of your review :)

[JaniceB]

Look at it, roll your eyes if you want, and if it upsets you, delete it. Life is too short to care about a picture of someone you'll never see again.

 

It didn't happen to me, can't delete it, was just commenting.

[Mybearsbaby]

Sorry I have been MIA. I am out of town. My Papaw is scheduled to have surgery in the am. Hopefully I will be able to do another update asap

[RogueMonk]

Prayers for your papa's surgery!

 

Looking forward to the review continuing. Thanks for it!

[Mybearsbaby]

Prayers for your papa's surgery!

 

Looking forward to the review continuing. Thanks for it!

 

Thank you very much! We appreciate it!

 

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[Mybearsbaby]

Im back...for now at least. Papaw is in surgery right now, so I figured I would write a little while I have a second. I forgot one of my memory cards at his house though, so some of the pictures will have to be upload later. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers!

 

To finish up the Sea Day report:

 

We went to Dinner, but it was only my Dad, sisters, Mitchell, DH baby E and me. The rest were kind of fed up from the service the prior two nights. Despite having about the same service yet again, we did have fun! We danced with Tina and Neno during the "showtime". Lots of laughs. Baby E got to wear a cute anchor outfit that my sister had bought him...he looked so dapper!

 

After Dinner, we went to the room to change clothes real quick, then went to the Red Frog Deck Party to check it out. It was fun. When we got there, they were finishing up the limbo contest. We danced and goofed off for a little while, and saw ourselves on the giant tv screen by the pool. Baby E started nodding off, so we took him on to the room to put him to bed.

[Mybearsbaby]

Upon arriving, we were greeted with a cute towel animal, 3 chocolates, and our Fun Times. We laid Baby E down for the night, got on our pjs on, laid down and flipped off the lights, when we heard "WWWOOO HOOOOO..." Then THUMP THUMP BUMP BUMP...Etc, etc Apparently, it was party time in the cabin next door. I don't mind a little noise, because I know that they are on vacation too, but this was VERY loud, and VERY obnoxious. It was so loud that we could hear exactly what song was on their radio, as well as a lot of their loud expressions...UGH! Couldn't go on the balcony that night either, because they were out there. I am guessing that they had their cabin door held open by something so they could carry the party inside and out.

I put up with it for a while. Tried to block out the noise, but it kept getting louder and louder. Sometime after midnight, I had had enough! I called Guest Services. (I know, I would hate for someone to do that to me, but really...I had enough already.)

The lady that answered the phone was very nice. I told her what was going on and that we had a baby we were trying to keep from waking up. She said that she would send someone right away, and that after midnight, that kind of noise was not allowed. A few minutes later, we heard a loud TAP TAP TAP on their door, and then it got quiet. AHH...Peace at last! We slept good after that :cool:;)

Edited November 8, 2013 by Mybearsbaby

[DebJ14]

After Sail Away, it was time to get ready for Dinner and the Welcome Aboard Show. By this time, all of our checked luggage had made it back to us. I had requested a crib a few weeks prior, but it still wasn't in the cabin, so I asked Michael. He had no knowledge of my request, but luckily was able to get us one. He took great care of the crib all week, making sure the linens were fresh every night.

 

We had Late Dining (8:15). We usually love late dining, but have learned a valuable lesson: late dining + infants=sleepy baby.

 

I love the whole Dining experience on cruises, and it is usually one of the highlights of our trip. However, Dinner service was the worst this time of any cruise we have ever been on, on either line. This was probably my biggest gripe about the whole trip. I am really not sure why it was so bad, but I do know that our head waitress, Tina, seemed to have to pick up the slack for her two helpers. She was very sweet after I got to know her. The first two nights she didn't talk much at all, she just seemed stressed out. I watched as her helpers often forgot to give menus, didn't refill drinks, and just plain didn't act like they cared.

It was so not the typical experience we have come to expect from Carnival's employees. It was even in the small details.

 

Usually in the past, we have been so spoiled. They met us with big smiles, pulled out our chair for us, put our napkins in our lap for us, remembered our names and what we wanted to drink, made sure our silverware was exactly where it was supposed to be, and even remembered our favorite dessert if we got it often, and would bring it without us requesting.

On this cruise, we were lucky to get a menu without requesting it. Several nights, half of us would get a menu and a piece of bread, while the rest of us waited for 20-30 minutes and finally asked. This happened more than once. It was also common for them to never refill our drinks unless we asked. I know that this is not Carnival fleet-wide. It had to have been a fluke, or just these particular two assistants.

I am a glass-half-full kind of girl though, so we made the best of it...hey, after all, we weren't having to cook or wash dinner dishes ;)

 

The food was for the most part good, as usual, and I was so happy to get my first Warm Chocolate Melting Cake as well as some tasty Crème Brulee!! (I don't think I spelled that right, but YUM!!!)

 

On the way out of Dinner we met the waiter for the table next to ours, Nino. He was making napkin designs and showed us several. It was really neat! He made a bunny, mouse, swan, and some others and gave them to my sister to keep. Even though he wasn't our waiter, he made a special effort to speak to us every night. Another reason I think that we just got a bad team. I am certain that if we would have had different people, our experience would have been better.

 

We did go to the Welcome Aboard Show, and it hasn't really changed in the last few years. I did really LOVE Fun Force!!! (FYI: Fun Force is a team of Break-Dancing, Acrobatic performers, in this case, 4 guys.) They were amazing, and I was very impressed. They were all very talented. Probably the most talented Fun Force Team I have seen on any sailing!

 

Upon returning to our stateroom, we were greeted by a cute towel elephant. We got little man to bed, went on the balcony for a few minutes, and laid down to sleep.

 

 

The Galley noises were pretty intense for a while, but then died down. We all slept very well. Overall, our first day was fun, and exciting, and we were looking forward to a fun week ahead!

 

That is all for tonight...I will try to post more as soon as I can. Hopefully tomorrow!

 

Unfortunately, your dining experience sounds just like the one we had on the Magic the week of August 4. We had early dining and were rushed out so they could get the tables reset. One night our entree never came until nearly 8pm. We gobbled and ran with the waiter and assistants tapping their foot standing over us. No dessert and no coffee most nights.

[oncruisecontrol]

 

While I agree it is unacceptable behavior, there is a possibility he doesn't understand what it means. Maybe he was misinformed by a previous passenger who thought it would be funny...crazier things have happened. I would have said something to him politely but then report if he continued to do it.

 

 

 

 

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I agree with you. It is extremely plausible that this server may not know what that gesture means. Not every gesture means the same thing in all cultures. I have seen people post photos of their servers making the Sign of the Horns (Devil Horns), which to me, means they must like heavy metal music. In fact, the Devil Horns has a few meanings. Another example is "thumbs up", which we may not think twice about, however in some cultures, this is the equivalent of the middle finger up. In researching this, I was surprised at some of the gestures that are commonly used in America, but would be highly offensive in other countries. So, clearly the reverse must be true.

[Mybearsbaby]

DAY 5: San Juan Day!!

 

I was so excited about San Juan!! I am part of an online Mothers' Group for Moms whose babies were born in early 2013, and one of our Moms lives in Puerto Rico. I told her I was coming, and she was supposed to meet me at the port.

 

I got up bright and early, and after it was delivered, I took my room service breakfast outside onto the balcony...and that's when I saw it. Some of the remnants of the party that had taken place next door had ended up on our balcony. There was a foil pill pouch that said "Comes in a variety of colors" on the back with a big long word I can't pronounce and some Mardi Gras beads on our balcony, and along the divider, a condom wrapper, and what appeared to be the mouths of booze bottles and women's undergarments. :rolleyes: since most of it wasn't all the way on our side and we had already called Guest Services, we didn't report them again. Anyways, enough about that...

I went inside to get dressed, and noticed that I had a swollen spot under my eye. It looked kind of like a blister and kind of scared me...it got bigger in the hour I was getting ready.

 

After we got dressed, we went to our second devotion.

 

(We had devotion the morning before, but I think I forgot to mention it, so I will insert that here. The previous morning, we went to the set of chairs right beside guests services and had "church". (We were going to use the ship's chapel, but found out that the Dream doesn't have one. ) We started out by singing "Amazing Grace", then had our devotion, led by one of our deacons. We talked about the choices that we make and how they affect our lives. It was a great devotion! Sorry I forgot to put this tidbit on the appropriate day.)

 

Devotion this morning was held in The Gathering. It was great! We didn't sing this time, but we had a very good devotion. I asked if we could have prayer about my eye, and we did. Within a couple hours, the spot was completely gone! God is good!

Afterwards, we sat around and talked for a few minutes, then went up to the top to watch as we came into port. There was some of the most beautiful scenery! The view of the fort was especially beautiful!! We actually arrived early and were given clearance early, so we could have got off the ship around 10:30 instead of 11, but we were running behind (or actually in this case on time, haha!) We got off the ship, and met up with my friend, her mother, and her adorable baby boy.

 

I will try to post some pictures of sailing into San Juan when I get back to Papaw's house. :)

[JaniceB]

Glad you were able to continue your review.

 

Prayers for a speedy recovery for your Papaw!

[cruzinmamaTN]

 

here's the photo, what do you think?

 

I rarely post on reviews, and even more infrequently complain, but this picture (in my opinion) should be sent to Carnival corp. and also to John Heald.. because it is so completely unprofessional, uncalled for, and just plain rude!

 

Imagine being a 1st time cruiser (or heck, maybe a 100th time cruiser!) who just wants a nice photo of their waitstaff to commerate their vacation, and then to get home and find THIS? NO. NO. it's just wrong, and should be addressed.

[cruzinmamaTN]

 

I agree with you! I once worked for a Pastor from West Africa and while in the pulpit, he would bid some one to come up to the platform. However, instead of using his pointer finger, he would use his middle finger. He had no clue as to what it meant. :eek:

 

I don't know for sure, and I understand that there are cultural differences in hand gestures, however, I feel pretty sure that Carnival Corp. has that covered in their "basic training" for crew members, and certainly for "pax facing" crew.... the correct/inocrrect way to point/pose/etc. There is no way I'd beleive he didn't *KNOW* this was not a proper stance for a passangers' photo.

[Mybearsbaby]

Glad you were able to continue your review.

 

Prayers for a speedy recovery for your Papaw!

 

Thank you very much! He started to get better but he has taken a turn for the worse and is now in ICU on a ventilator. We are waiting, hoping and praying he will wake up. I will continue my review as soon as I can, I promise, but until I know something for sure about him, I am so worried I can't concentrate. :(

 

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[brookeq]

Sorry to hear about your papaw. Prayers. :(

[Mybearsbaby]

Sorry to hear about your papaw. Prayers. :(

 

Thank you so much!

 

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[JaniceB]

Sorry to hear he is not doing well, I will continue praying for him.