Neep Some Help With Dream!!!

[CMOTO]

Its been a few years since our last cruise. It was on the Elation for 5 days.

 

I need help with a few questions:

 

Planning on the Dream out of New Orleans.......2 adults.....this will be our 4th cruise (all Carnival)

 

1) August, September, or October?? Which one for better pricing, better weather, just all around better??

 

2) Does anyone have menus for the Dream that is recent??

 

3) Where is a good place to stay in New Orleans the night before that has free parking or will shuttle you over to the pier?

 

Also, plan on booking a Cove Balcony

 

We are planning on a 7 day cruise, this will be the largest ship to date that we have been on. Any other tips or helpful info about the Dream will be greatly appreciated!!

 

I'm sure I'll have more questions!!

 

Thanks in advance!! :)

[girlsjustwannacruise]

would like to know answer to some of these questions as well...

[Kechin Yer Eye]

This is our first CCL cruise, but not our first cruise out of New Orleans. ;)

 

Last time we stayed at the Ramada in Metairie LA about half way between the airport & the port. They have since been bought out by Country Inn & Suites but still offer all the amenities that Ramada had.....free airport shuttle, free shuttle to cruise port as well as free parking during your cruise. They have undergone a remodel since Oct of 2013 when we were last there.....and I thought it was sure nice enough then! There is a K-Mart right behind the hotel that you can walk to for cheap sodas & water for the cruise as well. They also had a wonderful free breakfast in the mornings.....not just donuts & coffee but real food. We are booked there again for a super rate of $78, but I booked that over 3 months ago and the rates have gone up since. We really liked this hotel.

[cruse2loose]

Quality Inn in Gretna you can stay there and they will shuttle you to the ship

[cruiser fanatic]

Its been a few years since our last cruise. It was on the Elation for 5 days.

 

I need help with a few questions:

 

Planning on the Dream out of New Orleans.......2 adults.....this will be our 4th cruise (all Carnival)

 

1) August, September, or October?? Which one for better pricing, better weather, just all around better??

 

2) Does anyone have menus for the Dream that is recent??

 

3) Where is a good place to stay in New Orleans the night before that has free parking or will shuttle you over to the pier?

 

Also, plan on booking a Cove Balcony

 

We are planning on a 7 day cruise, this will be the largest ship to date that we have been on. Any other tips or helpful info about the Dream will be greatly appreciated!!

 

I'm sure I'll have more questions!!

 

Thanks in advance!! :)

 

September

No

The Double Tree in New Orleans has free parking (at least when I stayed there)

 

Do you have any specific questions about the Dream?

[Gon2hwe]

August and Sept. are very hot in NO and the Caribbean. I'd go with Oct. but you may pay a little more.

[Dabaras]

Just don't forget that September/October is prime hurricane season. If you are going to fly into the port, be prepared for the possibility of late start/cancellations/port diversions. Prices start dropping in late August as schools go back in session.

[CMOTO]

Thanks everyone for the input!!

 

We have only cruised in April..... always had great weather!!

 

We will drive to NO, so don't have to worry about flight plans, but just really concerned about being on a ship for 7 days and its rainy and cant enjoy the outside!!

 

I know we cant predict the weather, was just curious what others have experienced during those months.

 

Mainly just worried about being on there for 7 days and it rains and we cant enjoy the outside decks!! I know it may happen but I think I've been spoiled by April weather!!

 

Thanks for the hotel input I will check into those!!

[CMOTO]

August and Sept. are very hot in NO and the Caribbean. I'd go with Oct. but you may pay a little more.

 

I know it will be hot but.... its hot here in Missouri too like 95-100*, and I figured being on a ship will give us a little breeze!!! :)

 

Except when its time to sleep, I've read some reviews about the A/C not being very good, is this still true??

[wbc12345]

I am currently living in New Orleans and have sailed out of New Orleans three times (fourth time in May!). We have sailed three times during the summer months, so that won't be much help. BUT -- We sailed August 24, last year. I will caution you that August is the middle and most active part of hurricane season. For the reason, I will never cruise in August/September again. Not because we actually had any problems, but I was very worried in the weeks leading up to the cruise. If you are sailing in those months, I would definitely be sure that I bought cancel for any reason trip insurance. While they may not cancel the cruise, you can have rough waters and miss most of your planned ports.

 

I will say that we had a very mild hurricane season last year, so I felt very lucky. There were absolutely no storms in the Gulf, so our experience was super pleasant at the end of August beginning of September. We had the best weather of all our cruises! We frequently get rain in ports and during the day on all our cruises in May. The cruise we took in August only had one VERY short rain on our very last sea day. However, it was VERY VERY hot. And -- I've lived in south Louisiana my entire life so I know hot. It made the serenity impossible to use, as they have protective glass that blocks all the wind. I had to be near a water or shower if I was laying out, because I would over heat very quickly.

 

I would suggest October, it would be cooler and there is less of a chance to encounter a hurricane.

 

As far as accomodations, if you're parking your car then you should look for a park and cruise deal as well. This can save you more than $100 in parking for the week. Before we lived in New Orleans, we stayed at the Holiday Inn Superdome. It is not the absolute best location (although the area has been steadily being renovated), but they offer free parking for the week and a shuttle to the cruise terminal. It's been two years since we've done this, so there may be other options that exist now!

 

Hope this helps!

[CMOTO]

Thanks wbc12345.......

 

Maybe I should just wait till October, I would love to go in April (like usual) but this year we just can't. We can do any month really after April, just during the summer months the kids are out of school, that's what made me lean towards September since school has re-started by then!!

 

I'm so torn.....October seems so far away!!! LOL

[JennN]

Keep in mind all those months are during hurricane season!

[Babycat]

wbc12345 couldn't have said it better.

[maprn]

We have sailed in October from NOLA and the weather was fine. In fact, that is when we sail the most because of Fall Break for our kids. With that said, the first two weeks in October are Fall Break for a lot of schools. On our October cruise there were almost 1000 kids on the ship. For us, it's not a big deal but many people complained because they were not expecting it.

As far as a hotel, they do not have parking or a shuttle but if you don't mind to park at the port, check out the Place D'Armes in the French Quarter. We stayed there last week for our February cruise and it's a wonderful little hotel in the heart of the French Quarter. But also very quiet. Our rate for Sunday night was $107 plus tax and parking is $35. The drive to the port is simple and honestly we prefer to park at the port. We did self assist disembark on the Elation and we were off the boat and in our car in 9 minutes from the time they called for self assist.

The Dream was almost too big of a boat for us. We prefer the smaller ships. There were lots of lines on the Dream and Anytime Dining normally had a 30 minute wait each night. I know it's all a matter of preference but for us, we'll just stick with the smaller ships when it's just the two of us sailing.

[CMOTO]

We have also been on the Elation, we had a great time on that ship!!

 

We usually self disembark and like to get off as early as we can!! I'm not opposed to parking at the port, we may just find a hotel in French Quarter and do like you did and just drive to port and park!!

 

Thanks everyone for all the help, it seems like things change so much when a few years go by!!

 

All this talk about new menus coming out, do you think the Dream will have the new menus by late Fall 2015?? or just the same ones that they have now??

[tallyho8]

Rates for a 7 day cruise on the Dream vary wildly at different times of the year. You always get the best rate by booking in the last 90 days.

 

Rates will always be twice as high anytime kids are out of school on holidays and rates are lowest at the end of August in prime hurricane season and in December and January except during holidays.

 

The last minute rates may be $199 pp on December 14 and then $899 pp the next week for the same cabin during a holiday.

 

I like to book January cruises in the Caribbean because it is not unbearably hot and I book last minute to get the lowest rate.

[cruser3]

My wife and I sailed on the Dream last August. We live in upstate New York so hot weather is welcome after our winters. We will again sail in August this year. This is our third time on the Dream. We have never had any trouble with A/C, though I've heard others complain in these forums. We stayed at the Hampton Inn and Suites Convention Center last year and will again this year. We booked Cove balcony each time on this ship and really enjoy being close to the water. I hope this information helps. Enjoy your cruise!!

[Hotdog 52]

October is best bet. Hurricane season is winding down and it will be cooler than August. August is too hot.:)

[jesunrise]

This is our first CCL cruise, but not our first cruise out of New Orleans. ;)

 

Last time we stayed at the Ramada in Metairie LA about half way between the airport & the port. They have since been bought out by Country Inn & Suites but still offer all the amenities that Ramada had.....free airport shuttle, free shuttle to cruise port as well as free parking during your cruise. They have undergone a remodel since Oct of 2013 when we were last there.....and I thought it was sure nice enough then! There is a K-Mart right behind the hotel that you can walk to for cheap sodas & water for the cruise as well. They also had a wonderful free breakfast in the mornings.....not just donuts & coffee but real food. We are booked there again for a super rate of $78, but I booked that over 3 months ago and the rates have gone up since. We really liked this hotel.

 

THANKS so much for sharing your GREAT TIPS above! Important help for a lot of ladies in our group!:D

[katiel53]

Cruser3,

We just booked the Dream yesterday for July 26. We are also from Rochester and this winter has been too snowy and today, waaaaaay too cold! We are flying down but don't get to NOLA until about 10PM the night before the cruise. We haven't booked a hotel yet, but I have been looking into some of them.

 

I wanted to bring my wine, but I worry about having the bottle break in my luggage. Normally, I sail from FL and drive to the port, so it's not a problem. I don't know that we will be able to buy wine before we get on the ship as I don't know the times stores are open etc.

 

Hopefully, this is going to be a mild hurricane season and we won't run into trouble.

[BigB0882]

Cruser3,

We just booked the Dream yesterday for July 26. We are also from Rochester and this winter has been too snowy and today, waaaaaay too cold! We are flying down but don't get to NOLA until about 10PM the night before the cruise. We haven't booked a hotel yet, but I have been looking into some of them.

 

I wanted to bring my wine, but I worry about having the bottle break in my luggage. Normally, I sail from FL and drive to the port, so it's not a problem. I don't know that we will be able to buy wine before we get on the ship as I don't know the times stores are open etc.

 

Hopefully, this is going to be a mild hurricane season and we won't run into trouble.

 

It's New Orleans. I feel confident you will find a store to buy wine in before you get on the cruise ship. lol

[CMOTO]

I have been looking at the August 30th cruise, it has ports that we have never been too..... since I want a cove balcony or reg balcony (either one)

what do you think my chances are if I wait till June to book to get one of those rooms??

 

I kind of want to wait to see if the price goes down, or they will be having great deals because it is hurricane season!!

 

We've always stayed in the dark bottom of the ship so this is going to be a treat for my husband, he told me he was going to get "buckets of beer" and sit on HIS deck and I would have to bring him food!!! LOL

[ekko93]

Cruser3,

We just booked the Dream yesterday for July 26. We are also from Rochester and this winter has been too snowy and today, waaaaaay too cold! We are flying down but don't get to NOLA until about 10PM the night before the cruise. We haven't booked a hotel yet, but I have been looking into some of them.

 

I wanted to bring my wine, but I worry about having the bottle break in my luggage. Normally, I sail from FL and drive to the port, so it's not a problem. I don't know that we will be able to buy wine before we get on the ship as I don't know the times stores are open etc.

 

Hopefully, this is going to be a mild hurricane season and we won't run into trouble.

 

 

In New Orleans, you won't have to worry about liquor stores closing very early (or really at all)

[Pharmgal0915]

We are booked on the September 6th cruise.......never thought about this being in the middle of hurricane season.........oops......lol

[tiffy0428]

Its been a few years since our last cruise. It was on the Elation for 5 days.

 

I need help with a few questions:

 

Planning on the Dream out of New Orleans.......2 adults.....this will be our 4th cruise (all Carnival)

 

1) August, September, or October?? Which one for better pricing, better weather, just all around better??

 

2) Does anyone have menus for the Dream that is recent??

 

3) Where is a good place to stay in New Orleans the night before that has free parking or will shuttle you over to the pier?

 

Also, plan on booking a Cove Balcony

 

We are planning on a 7 day cruise, this will be the largest ship to date that we have been on. Any other tips or helpful info about the Dream will be greatly appreciated!!

 

I'm sure I'll have more questions!!

 

Thanks in advance!! :)

 

 

If you cruise in August it should be early August. So if you cruise out of NO it should be no later than August 16th. It's hot but it's also very beautiful