Carnival Dream & Carnival Virgins!

[peteukmcr]

Hi All

 

I'm hoping to get some pointers from you experienced Carnival cruisers and those of you who have also sailed RCI.

 

As the thread title says we're Carnival Virgins have sailed exclusively RCI, but have decided it's time for a change and are booked on the April 26th 2015 sailing of Dream out of New Orleans.

 

My main area of interest is what offerings Carnival have for Wine packages (I read somewhere about a 'Vineyards Program' but can't find it having done a search).

 

How does 'Your Time Dining' differ? Can you make reservations in advance?

 

From those of you who have sailed both lines, what are the main differences that I need to be prepared for?

 

I'm not really looking for what's better on Carnival, or RCI, just what is different that needs planning for.

 

Thanks in advance, I reckon I'll have a few more questions before April 2015 even though there appears to be a great deal more info regarding dining venues, menus, bars etc on the Carnival website.

Edited March 24, 2014 by peteukmcr

[Qchell]

No reservations are needed for Your Time Dining. Just show up while the dining room is open and you are ready to eat!

[mpcaruth]

Unlike Royal, who pushes any time dining reservations, you cannot make reservations with Carnivals your time dining.

 

Carnival does not assist with serving drinks at the buffet.

 

There are no shows requiring reservations on Carnival (meaning, you do not have to stop what you are doing at 10:00 to stand in line for a ticket to the next day's ice show). However, you had better get to the shows early to get a seat.

 

If you like stand up comedy, Carnival will have 3-4 nights of comedy shows in the aft lounge. There are usually 5 shows each night, with two comedians (2 PG shows, and 3 R rated shows). The R shows fill up quickly! You may want to plan your dinner & Main Theater show times to allow for the comedy club shows.

 

It seems Carnival has more food options throughout the day, whereas Royal shuts down food facilities in the late after and nothing is available except pizza until 6:00 or so. We like to eat at the buffet as soon as we get back on the ship from a port. On our last Royal, the buffet was closed until 6:00.

 

You can use your sail and sign account to play slot machines and upload your winnings to your sail and sign card. You do not have to keep up with printed tickets or cash.

[seguetocaribe]

I have had a hard time searching for the wine package on cruise critic but if you just google "cruise the vineyards" (that's the name of the package) you will find lots of info come up. Basically there are 3 levels that you can choose from - basic, deluxe, etc. If you search for it, you will be able to find a listing of the choices of wines in each of the 3 groups (as well as the prices for each). We just did this on the Dream last week and we find that it is worth it if you plan on drinking wine each night at dinner.

[Gon2hwe]

Past RCI'er here about to go on 4/5 repo Dream to New Orleans. Cannot reserve times in MTD. Shows either. you can order through Fun Shops online case of water, sodas, and Liquor. Very pricey but may come out cheaper than individual drinks. Carnival web site is a pain. Not user friendly. Works better from google and at night.

[cruisecraze96]

Just off the Dream and had Anytime Dining. I loved the Dream but will try to stay clear of the anytime dining time from now on. Unless you basically don't want to see shows or try to eat at the exact same time as either early or late then you are going to miss things. I also like to have the same wait staff since it was nice that they knew you by night two and what you did/did not like.

 

For the lido deck if you need help with carrying drinks/food they will assist you if you ask, or like me look to be juggling kids/food/drinks/stuff :)

 

I thought that the staff on board last week were extremely friendly, not once did I feel that anyone was being rude or hated their jobs. The room steward always called me or kids by name and if you do have kids going the camp there was very good imo.

 

I thought the shows I did see all or part of were great and the Fun Force break dance group are pretty amazing.

[Banditswife]

As far as reservations for anytime dining- you usually don't need them. The only night we ever waited more than 5 min was elegant night. If there will be more than a 10 min wait they give you a beeper. We love the flexibility of just going to the MDR when we are hungry & ready to eat. We usually walk up to hostess stand & are seated immediately. Yes sometimes this causes you to miss the shows.

[jamesr3939]

We had the same wait staff as we always asked for them. Sometimes we had to wait a few minutes and just got the pager and waited in the lobby bar.

[knmcashman]

 

 

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[knmcashman]

sorry it keeps cutting off, but you can probably google the wine selection. I like to have the limit of 2 bottles of wine sent to the room prior to the cruise. They're a little expensive but they have a good selection (Duckhorn and Decoy are personal favorites). Hope that helps. And don't forget your allowed one bottle per person to bring aboard.

 

 

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[peteukmcr]

Thanks to everyone who's posted hints and tips, really useful. Especially the wine info, so much less expensive than RCI, but shame there isn't a 7 bottle package, but I'm sure we'll manage:D

[tigerdadky]

You will see more fun activites going on during the day and at night than on RCI.

[RWolver672]

From our experience, fellow cruisers are much more friendlier on Carnival than they were on Royal Caribbean. Maybe it was just that one cruise but they were so stuck up that if it rained, they would have all drowned from their noses being up in the air. :rolleyes:

[knmcashman]

[ATTACH]307201[/ATTACH]

 

Found a better picture, for a 7 day cruise we ended up purchasing 2 five day packages.

 

 

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[neworleanscruiser]

Cruisecraze96

 

I have a few questions for you. I am sailing on the Dream April 14th.

 

What shows were they doing in the theater?

 

Which dining room does YTD take place?

 

Are there any tips you have about the ship?

 

Did they have trivia and afternnon tea time?

 

Did they do a Dream scavenger hunt for adults?

 

Thanks,

Neworleanscruiser

[pauleydm]

Each adult over 21 can bring 1 bottle of wine or champagne in their carry on. So, depending on how many are traveling with you, you may not need to purchase a wine package.

 

With anytime dining, you can get the same wait staff each night just by requesting them. You may have to wait a little longer, but if you got excellent service, then the wait is worth it. The reason we like anytime dining, besides the flexibility it offers in dining times, is because we prefer to eat at a table for two instead of being placed with a group of people we do not know. I know a lot of people see the MDR as a great place to meet new "friends", but we like to have dinner as a couple.

 

As far as events, show times, classes, seminars, and activities, these will be listed in the daily "Fun Times" paper that will be delivered to your room each night when your room steward does nightly turn down. This is the best way to plan your day.

 

There is a condensed "guide" that is attached to the side that is perforated so that you can rip it off and carry it with you all day. I recommend bringing a highlighter and going through the "Fun Times" before you go to sleep to plan and highlight your activities for the next day.

 

The Dream is a wonderful ship...I hope you enjoy your cruise:)

Edited March 26, 2014 by pauleydm