Dream Review! Feb 8-15

[canuckgirl]

Greetings Cruise Critic! I have just returned from the Carnival Dream from Feb 8 to 15, leaving from Port Canaveral with stops to Nassau, St Thomas & St Maarten. There were 6 of us in total on this trip, 3 couples & all long time friends. It was the first time we all traveled together & it was such a success, I'm sure we will do so again in the future.

 

 

 

Precruise: Upon arriving from in Orlando from Vancouver, Canada, my bf D & I stopped at the MCO Budget to pick up our car. We rented an SUV & were pleasantly surprised to find we were the first people to drive our KIA Sorento! Straight from the factory lot to us! Super fun ride, we did not add any additional insurance, sunpass, etc. from Budget. We brought our own GPS & rolls of quarters for tolls. The weather was rainy & windy, which is what we were used to coming from West Coast. I guess we expected it to be warmer so we had to stop by the outlets for hoodies! We arrived on the 6th, two days before embarking on the Dream. We stayed at the Best Western Universal Inn on the first night: free breakfast & a large clean room. We shopped that evening & ate at the Cheesecake Factory. Its a novelty for us since we don't have one at home.

 

 

On the second night we booked a room at Radisson at the Port. After the 1st night in Orlando the couples decided to do their own thing. We went to Kennedy Space Center & the others went to Universal. We had a blast, (heehee!) I thought I would hate it but it was much more fun than I thought it would be. Tickets were about $50, and I would say the ONLY reason the price was worth it was the Atlantis exhibition. Unbelievable!! The way they presented the shuttle's history, design, missions, etc.. I could not believe I could be moved but it was pretty awe-inspiring & touching! Highly recommended! We returned our rental car before checking in the the Radisson. We were crunched for time since we left NASA at 430 pm, with traffic, shopping for a bottle of wine & some snacks, filling up the car with gas, we made it to Budget at 554 pm & it closed at 6!!!! We pulled into the lot & I ran to the office doors to find the locked!!! I didn't know what to do since we didn't want to keep the car for another day! I banged on the glass door until someone came out, looking at her watch, glaring at me in disgust. I am a naturally apologetic person, (sorry! Its a Canadian trait), she finally (took her time) opening the door & told me they were closed! I looked at my phone & it was only 557!!! She crustily told me that the system shuts down at 6. So I asked if she could puh-lease help us & quickly do what she could as soon as possible since we had 3 min until the computer shut down & I knew she had a fun Friday night to look forward to... She shot me another sour stare. Haha!! I was so desperate, a combination of pissy, annoyed & giggly too. She sighed & asked for the keys & we were on our way to be bffs forever & ever!

 

 

 

Well not really because I was really hoping to use the car to drop off our luggage but she was not having anything of it. We had to lug our 3 suitcases, shopping bags, backpacks, 2 bottles of wine about 2 long blks in the rain to the Radisson. We felt silly getting a cab for such a short distance and we are pretty active people so we huffed it & walked the scenic Astronaut blvd. I guess I won her over with sunny personality because our dear friend from Budget ended up pulling over and asking if we wanted a ride. We didn't mind walking & declined her offer. She was a little prickly in the beginning but everyone wants to get outta the office on a Friday night. We wished her a happy weekend & she harumphed, driving off to get ready for her hot date.

 

 

The Radisson is a pink palace. It is a little rundown but it was comfortable. We stayed in a petite suite which is probably the cheapest smallest room there. It was huge!! Walk in closet, galley kitchen with a fridge, coffee machine, sink, large bathroom & shower. We had a queen bed, TV & a small sitting area. It fit our needs for the night! I price matched with their best rate guarantee and got a 25% cheaper rate & bonus 4000 pts with Carlson hotels. Sweet! We ended up eating upstairs at Fishlips where I had prepurchased $50 for $25 voucher through Dove's Deals. We had calamari, grilled fish, crab cakes & key lime pie while watching a repeat of the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. I screamed & hooted & hollered when the Canadian athletes walked through with their flags. It was pretty noisy so no one stared at me except for D, who shook his head at my patriotic spirit. Haha! We both enjoyed our meals & took a cab back to the hotel.

 

More & pics to come...

[camperhawk]

We wished her a happy weekend & she harumphed, driving off to get ready for her hot date.

 

You got me here :D Can't wait for the rest!

[IslandBound79]

Love seeing reviews from YVR!!! I'm from Langley so it's great seeing other Canuck reviews!

[lprime60]

Hi Canuckgirl, Just wondering how do you do that price match with the raddison?

[lecach]

cant wait for the rest of your review - we're sailing on the Dream on March 8