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Just off the Dream, a short review (7/20-7/27)

Jgilbert813

By Jgilbert813,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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Jgilbert813

Jgilbert813

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So, in preparation for my cruise, I read...reread...and then read again so many of the fantastic reviews by some of our great members have taken time to put on here. I wanted to share some of my thoughts and experiences from this past week in hopes that it will help someone planning their next cruise, I will however not be posting a lengthy pic heavy post just because I could never do it as well as some of the others already posted here.

 

First off, the Dream is a BIG boat! Kinda obvious, I know. I have been on the Triumph before and didn't think that the Dream was that much bigger...wrong.

 

Now lets get a little specific:

 

Stateroom - we were in 7455, an L shaped balcony. I splurged a little and got this cabin specifically for the balcony. My DW and I aren't Lido deck pool type people and prefer to quietly sit on the balcony and read or enjoy the scenery. This cabin provides and extra long balcony that has the usual 2 chair and small table and also a lounge chair. We LOVED this balcony, and can't state that fact enough. It was so nice to just be able to go out in the evening and sit in the lounger and feel the breeze and relax (and maybe catch a few Z's :D). That being said, we did have to give up a couple of things with this cabin, like the couch and the bathroom was a little bit smaller. Neither of these losses spoiled our vacation though.

 

Food - We ate dinner in the MDR 5 of the 7 nights, and 6 of the 7 days for brunch. The 2 nights we missed were both the formal nights, and I know some of you are screaming right now - "how could you not go to formal night?!?" :confused: During the first formal night we had reservations at the steak house. So we still got dressed and had a fabulous meal and walked the promenade and had our pictures done, and the second night...well lets be honest, we were just tired. However, I digress, the food in the MDR was very good. Our service was spectacular, and table couldn't have been better. I had emailed Shane, the maitre'd, about 2 weeks prior to sail and requested a table for 2 (romantic gesture for the DW ;)) and he came through with the perfect table. All in all, the best MDR experience we have ever had.

 

The buffet was....a buffet. Some things were really good, like the flat iron steak (more flavor than the one we got in the MDR) and some things were not, scrambled eggs that ran all over the plate. It was as expected. What wasn't as expected was the size of the buffet - so much larger than I expected. It never really felt crowded which was nice.

 

We did manage to try the Pasta bar on the second deck of the buffet, and it was very good as well. I would recommend it.

 

Pizza was as advertised here on the boards. So much better than the last time I tried it. And even better, never more than a 4 or 5 minute wait for pizza.

 

The steak house was very good, but DW and I both feel that the quality of the food we received was on par with that of the dining room for the most part and wouldn't feel a need to do this on a regular basis.

 

Entertainment - we managed to see 2 of the 3 production shows, Dancing in the Streets and the Motown show (I can't remember the name). Both were good, but Dancing in the Streets was Excellent! and not to be missed. There was live music all around the ship, and with the exception of the duo in the Atrium, they were really good. The Blackjack Band was good, they played a nice mix of styles and music. There was another duo the played in the Casino bar and Ocean Plaza, called Me and my Cousin. They were very good as well, playing a softer set of music which was nice to relax to... Karaoke was, as always, extremely entertaining. We didn't seem to make it to any of the comedy shows this time. :(

 

We did manage to try our hand at some of the trivia. Well organized and led by a fantastic staff. I won both a medal and a 24 karat gold plastic vessel on a trestle ship on a stick trophy :D which means that I have one from each cruise I've taken.

 

Overall, the cruise was a roaring success for my DW and I. A week of great relaxation, new experiences and fun. Just what we needed. Anyone that has specific questions, I'll be glad to try to answer, I know that I'm forgetting a lot...

 

A couple of specific shout-outs to the great crew:

 

Gentry and Matthew for running great trivia and games

Napa - the best bartender on the ship (she's at Ocean Plaza bar)

Nila and Steve - fantastic dealers in the casino, super friendly and fun

Dani, Wasi, and Rudy who took great care of us in the MDR

Lito who kept DW's ice chest full all week long, and surprised us with new towel animals each day.

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Ariel0185

Ariel0185

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Thanks for sharing. I always worry because there's inevitably ppl posting reviews about how poor their experience was for any hotel/cruise. My husband I will be on the Dream next week. I can't wait! How can I email the maître d to request a table for two? I'm quite shy and would prefer to be alone with my husband.

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KPfromCT

KPfromCT

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Thanks for the review!!!!:D The Dream seems to be getting FANTASTIC reviews lately. We may have to look at her for April......

Still on the fence.........

But it's been a LONG time since I read a bad review of the Dream:D

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Jgilbert813

Jgilbert813

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Thanks for sharing. I always worry because there's inevitably ppl posting reviews about how poor their experience was for any hotel/cruise. My husband I will be on the Dream next week. I can't wait! How can I email the maître d to request a table for two? I'm quite shy and would prefer to be alone with my husband.

 

 

Drmaitred@carnival.com is the email address. He didn't reply but when I checked with him right after we embarked he knew my name and situation. He said he just doesn't get much chance to reply, so check once on board. Good luck

 

 

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Jgilbert813

Jgilbert813

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Was the brunch available on all the sea days. I love the brunch on carnival.

 

 

 

Thanks and glad you had fun. I'm less than thirty days to sailing. :)

 

 

 

Kathy

 

 

I'm pretty sure it was offered on all sea days cuz DW and I ate there 3 times. The Huevos Rancheros were amazing, and the steak and eggs came with a filet mignon! Hope y'all enjoy.

 

 

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Jgilbert813

Jgilbert813

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Did they still have the hypnotist on. We went in May and he was so funny. Going again in Sept. and hope he still on so our kids can see him?

 

 

There was a night where they had a hypnotist on board

 

 

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75Vette

75Vette

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What is the procedure to get from the port parking garage to check-in? (The last time we sailed out of New Orleans you had to go down to main floor and outside and come in another door to check in).

 

Does the Dream have Guy's Burgers?

 

Glad you had such an enjoyable cruise.

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Jgilbert813

Jgilbert813

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What is the procedure to get from the port parking garage to check-in? (The last time we sailed out of New Orleans you had to go down to main floor and outside and come in another door to check in).

 

Does the Dream have Guy's Burgers?

 

Glad you had such an enjoyable cruise.

 

 

First, no Guy's Burgers yet :(, but the Lido deck burgers were serviceable, and the one in the MDR is actually quite good.

 

When you first pull into the parking garage at the Port, there are a line of porters waiting to take your checked luggage. After that, you find a nice parking spot (remembering where you park is KEY ;)) head to the elevators, drop down to the first floor and you come right out into the lobby of the building. Up a set of escalators, past a security check, and then to off to get your sign and sail card!

 

We would have been into the garage and on the boat in less than 45 minutes if not for a couple of snafu moments. First, the parking garage pay machines broke and you could only pay cash! There went $120 that I was planning on donating to the blackjack tables :D, and then there was some "testing" going on and embark got pushed back until about 12:45ish. Neither one ruined the cruise for us though.

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Jgilbert813

Jgilbert813

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Almost forgot......

 

I purchased FTTF for this trip, a first time for us, and it actually was a benefit. While we didn't have any tender ports, I did enjoy the cabin being ready when we boarded, and the luggage coming so quickly. Also the priority boarding and debarking was really nice. I also found it useful when ever I had to go down to guest services, which was a couple of time - but more on that later. So all in all, thumbs up to FTTF.

 

Now on to the one and only real negative for the cruise.......

 

The temperature of the cabins! We found our cabin to be uncomfortably warm, especially during the night. It got to the point that I went to guest services the second morning and asked if there was ANYTHING that engineering could do to cool it down. They said, very nicely, that they would send someone up to verify that the temperature was within Carnival's acceptable range. Now, I did try to sneak a small fan onboard (it is only about six inches by six inches) but it was confiscated :(. I think that with that fan, the temp would not have been any issue at all. After my visit to GS, I never noticed any real change in the temp, but after overhearing many other guests complaining about the same issue, I just went with it. We used only a sheet at night and ended up OK.

 

So there you have it....the one thing about my great week on the Dream that I can honestly complain about.

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ch27088

ch27088

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DH and I will be on the Dream in October, do you have the email address for the maitre'd. I would love to have a nice special table for DH and I since this is our first vacation alone (and our first cruise alone) in years. We are celebrating our anniversary and would like to have some alone time.

 

Thanks for sharing your review with us.

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