Yet Another Dream Review

[dpugh965]

Just cruised the Dream from May 4th to May 11th 2014 from New Orleans. I found all the reviews very helpful and thought I would do one of my own. This will not be a picture heavy review and these are my own opinions which may not reflect everyone else’s on board for this trip.

 

Booked this trip September 2013 as an anniversary present for my wife. Through alot of sneakiness on my part I was able to keep it a secret until we pulled up to the port on Sunday. Had my wife convinced we were going to a resort in Texas so the packing was easy for her…. Same things needed for beach resort as would be cruising. To say the least she was totally SHOCKED.

 

We arrived at port about 11:30 and we had FTTF, so we were putting our carryon’s in the room at 12:15.

This was including a slight hiccup when I realized I left the boarding pass in the checked luggage but it didn’t slow things down much. The balcony room 7380 was nice and on port side and the anniversary decorations I had ordered were already up, the cake was here but the tropical bouquet was not. Our checked luggage arrived within 15 minutes and the flowers soon after with an apology for them not being in room when we arrived. Now here is the only complaint about the ship you will hear from me in this review. The room was warmer than I like to keep one. I am a 65 to 68 degree person, but we did pack a 10” fan so it was bearable throughout the trip. We were out of the room by 12:40 and had a bite in the lido buffet which was good. Here comes another complaint.

 

This is partly my fault and partly Carnivals fault, but about 1:10 I had my first drink of the day. The Twilight Zones are highly addictive. Blast Carnival for making such a good drink because I had consumed about 6 before dinner. Dinner the first night was Chef Art’s Steakhouse. Everything was wonderful and neither I nor wife finished everything. Now I am a big guy… very fluffy… and I didn’t finish my meal so yes it’s worth it. Here is what we had.

 

Me (Don)

Caesar Salad – Lobster Bisque- Cowboy Cut 18 oz Ribeye - Steamed veggies and Baked Potato and Chocolate Sampler.

 

Wife (Tammy) House Salad – Shrimp Cocktail – 14 oz New York Strip – Backed Potato- Cheesecake.

 

Everything was great with very large portions and we did receive the free bottle of wine, which we never drank and left on board at disembarking. The wine was a white Santé Carolina vintage 2013.

 

After dinner (which I took no pics of) we just wonder around the ship and had several more Twilight Zones and finally called it a night around Midnight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 2 Sea Day

 

Most of this day was spent just getting used to the ship. We wondered around after breakfast, spent most of the day on deck 11 starboard overlooking the lido deck, as we are both smokers and this one of the designated smoking areas. The other is deck 5 port side on the lanai deck ocean breeze. We had lunch in buffet and just milled about hit the casino for a bit and basically was lazy until dinner which was elegant night. We got gussed up (which for some would not be) but for me and wife it was dressy for us. We both had same thing Lobster and prime rib baked potato and Alligator fritters for appetizer. We both skipped desert. I did snap some photos of this meal so I will include them later. We roamed around some more, had some more Twilight Zones then called it a night.

 

Day 3 Cozumel Mexico

 

Off ship about 7:30 had a few pics taken by the carnival paparazzi and we ventured around the port area for 30 minutes. We then caught a cab into town, $16 US for both of us, bought 90% of our souvenirs for the kids and grandkids, took a few pics and $400 lighter in the wallet we caught a cab back to the port.

 

We had lunch at Three Amigos which was very good. Cheese dip, loaded nachos for me and steak quesadillas for wife. Had several drinks walked around port for a while then headed back to ship.

Here is a shout out for Carnival employees who were greeting the passengers as they arrived back with cold wet hand towels and water as it was very warm and the humidity was high.

 

Wondered around ship for a while had dinner in buffet had a few more Twilight Zones and turned in for the night. Now here is a part most of you might want to skip. Woke up around midnight with a case of the running green poop. Yes, the approx. 12 to 14 Twilight Zones had caught up with me. Took a few Imodium and was fine. Twilight Zones are a frozen greenish blue concoction that are fine going down but to many and you will pay the price.

 

Cozumel was probably our favorite port of call and had a lot to see and do without taking an excursion.

 

Day 4 Grand Cayman

 

Nothing planned for this port either, so will milled around town, bought some souvenirs, had lunch at Breezes, we shared a sample platter which was good and had a few drinks. We then went down to Paradises on the beach and had a few more drinks. Took some more pics and then hung out at the Green Parrot which had free wifi until we tendered back to ship. Green Parrot had by far the best drinks we had on the island and the free wifi was a great plus. Tendering to and from was quick and organized with FTTF. Explored ship some more and had dinner in crimson dining room.

 

We had wild mushroom soup, lasagna, flat iron steaks and WCMC Mickey Mouse style. Everything was good and the service was great.

 

Grand Cayman was probably our least favorite port. Prices were very high and the people were not overly friendly.

 

 

 

 

 

Refugees

 

Around 11:00 pm we were woke by the Captain and cruise director Hennie hollering over the intercom about moving away from the railing, stop leaning over the railings and stop taking pictures. First thought was man overboard. So we threw on some clothes and proceeded starboard to see what was going on.

 

An eagle eye person on the bridge had seen a couple of emergency flares go up so went to investigate. There they found a 25 foot boat with 39 (34 men 5 women) Cuban refugees that has became disabled and was taking on water. They were headed from Cuba to Honduras and had been adrift for many hours before we picked them up.

 

According to CD Hennie they would not have lasted much longer before going down. They were guest of Carnival from Wednesday night until we met the coast guard on Friday evening off the coast of Cuba. The Coast Guard loaded them up and was taken them to Miami Florida.

 

Day 5 Montego Bay Jamaica

 

We were off the ship about 9:00am and walked around port for a while, bought a few things then met bus for our Carnival Excursion to Secrets All Adult Resort. The resort was very nice and the food and drinks were free and plentiful. We lounged around the pool with a swim up bar, swam in the ocean, and knocked around till it was time to head back. We were here for 5 hours and it didn’t last near long enough. The resort was super nice and all the employees were very friendly.

 

This night I made the almost fatal mistake of the trip. I discovered the Mocha Chocolate Getaway’s.

Oh My God. A fat man’s dream. A Chocolate milkshake with rum. I want say here how many I had but some of the bars made them better than others. They were good.

 

Final Sea Days

 

The final two days were mostly uneventful. We relaxed and drank all over the ship.

Caught the Love and Marriage show and also the Motown Dance Show which we both thought were good. Made a few donations to casino and more donation to bar.

 

On Saturday evening, a poor gentleman had some type of medical problem, so once again the Coast Guard paid a visit and took him back to New Orleans.

 

Disembarking back in New Orleans was painless to us. We had zone 2 and was called around 8:30 and was headed home by 9:15. Everyone we encountered from employees to fellow passengers was nice and friendly. Ari our steward was very good and got some extra tip money before and the end of cruise. Yes we could have had some tips removed because we only eat in the MDR one time but we didn’t. I understood the importance of tips to employees and never once thought to do it even thought it was suggested by a fellow passenger.

 

I will post some pics if needed when I figure out how and will answerer any questions I can.

 

Edited May 13, 2014 by dpugh965

[dpugh965]

Day 2 Sea Day

Most of this day was spent just getting used to the ship. We wondered around after breakfast, spent most of the day on deck 11 starboard overlooking the lido deck, as we are both smokers and this one of the designated smoking areas. The other is deck 5 port side on the lanai deck ocean breeze. We had lunch in buffet and just milled about hit the casino for a bit and basically was lazy until dinner which was elegant night. We got gussed up (which for some would not be) but for me and wife it was dressy for us. We both had same thing Lobster and prime rib baked potato and Alligator fritters for appetizer. We both skipped desert. I did snap some photos of this meal so I will include them later. We roamed around some more, had some more Twilight Zones then called it a night.

Day 3 Cozumel Mexico

Off ship about 7:30 had a few pics taken by the carnival paparazzi and we ventured around the port area for 30 minutes. We then caught a cab into town, $16 US for both of us, bought 90% of our souvenirs for the kids and grandkids, took a few pics and $400 lighter in the wallet we caught a cab back to the port.

We had lunch at Three Amigos which was very good. Cheese dip, loaded nachos for me and steak quesadillas for wife. Had several drinks walked around port for a while then headed back to ship.

Here is a shout out for Carnival employees who were greeting the passengers as they arrived back with cold wet hand towels and water as it was very warm and the humidity was high.

Wondered around ship for a while had dinner in buffet had a few more Twilight Zones and turned in for the night. Now here is a part most of you might want to skip. Woke up around midnight with a case of the running green poop. Yes, the approx. 12 to 14 Twilight Zones had caught up with me. Took a few Imodium and was fine. Twilight Zones are a frozen greenish blue concoction that are fine going down but to many and you will pay the price.

Cozumel was probably our favorite port of call and had a lot to see and do without taking an excursion.

Day 4 Grand Cayman

Nothing planned for this port either, so will milled around town, bought some souvenirs, had lunch at Breezes, we shared a sample platter which was good and had a few drinks. We then went down to Paradises on the beach and had a few more drinks. Took some more pics and then hung out at the Green Parrot which had free wifi until we tendered back to ship. Green Parrot had by far the best drinks we had on the island and the free wifi was a great plus. Tendering to and from was quick and organized with FTTF. Explored ship some more and had dinner in crimson dining room.

We had wild mushroom soup, lasagna, flat iron steaks and WCMC Mickey Mouse style. Everything was good and the service was great.

Grand Cayman was probably our least favorite port. Prices were very high and the people were not overly friendly.

[dpugh965]

Refugees

Around 11:00 pm we were woke by the Captain and cruise director Hennie hollering over the intercom about moving away from the railing, stop leaning over the railings and stop taking pictures. First thought was man overboard. So we threw on some clothes and proceeded starboard to see what was going on.

An eagle eye person on the bridge had seen a couple of emergency flares go up so went to investigate. There they found a 25 foot boat with 39 (34 men 5 women) Cuban refugees that has became disabled and was taking on water. They were headed from Cuba to Honduras and had been adrift for many hours before we picked them up.

According to CD Hennie they would not have lasted much longer before going down. They were guest of Carnival from Wednesday night until we met the coast guard on Friday evening off the coast of Cuba. The Coast Guard loaded them up and was taken them to Miami Florida.

Day 5 Montego Bay Jamaica

We were off the ship about 9:00am and walked around port for a while, bought a few things then met bus for our Carnival Excursion to Secrets All Adult Resort. The resort was very nice and the food and drinks were free and plentiful. We lounged around the pool with a swim up bar, swam in the ocean, and knocked around till it was time to head back. We were here for 5 hours and it didn’t last near long enough. The resort was super nice and all the employees were very friendly.

This night I made the almost fatal mistake of the trip. I discovered the Mocha Chocolate Getaway’s.

Oh My God. A fat man’s dream. A Chocolate milkshake with rum. I want say here how many I had but some of the bars made them better than others. They were good.

Final Sea Days

The final two days were mostly uneventful. We relaxed and drank all over the ship.

Caught the Love and Marriage show and also the Motown Dance Show which we both thought were good. Made a few donations to casino and more donation to bar.

On Saturday evening, a poor gentleman had some type of medical problem, so once again the Coast Guard paid a visit and took him back to New Orleans.

Disembarking back in New Orleans was painless to us. We had zone 2 and was called around 8:30 and was headed home by 9:15. Everyone we encountered from employees to fellow passengers was nice and friendly. Ari our steward was very good and got some extra tip money before and the end of cruise. Yes we could have had some tips removed because we only eat in the MDR one time but we didn’t. I understood the importance of tips to employees and never once thought to do it even thought it was suggested by a fellow passenger.

I will post some pics if needed when I figure out how and will answerer any questions I can.

[sassykitten74]

Sounds great, thanks for the review. What exactly is in a Twilight Zone?

[092306]

Thanks for the review! Will have to try the mocha chocolate getaway. Keep hearing everyone rave about it. Think I'll stay away from the Twilight Zone.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[dpugh965]

Light Rum

Melon Liqueur

Blue Curacao

Coconut Cream

with a Slice of Pineapple

[KPfromCT]

Awesome review!!!!! Just perfect. Not drawn out over WEEKS. Straight, to the point.:D:D

 

Have you and your wife cruised before?

 

How surprised was she?

 

Loved it. Thanks for taking the time to do it!!!

[hello]

I enjoyed your review ... thank you.

[JamesEM]

Thanks for your review, DW and I will be sailing on her in Dec., by the way how were the Deli Selections?

[tigereye]

I don't mean to still 965's thunder, but I was on the cruise with him and I had a turkey wrap and grilled Rueben from the deli and both were very good. This was my second time on the Dream and I really enjoyed the food both times.

[dpugh965]

I never eat in the deli, but I did have the pasta belle one day and it was great. I cant say anything bad about the food with the exception of the powdered eggs.... wife did not care for them.

[MrCruzeaddict]

Thanks for your thoughts about the Dream. We'll be sailing on Halloween. Can't wait!

 

 

Joe