DREAM Review: Long and detailed - DEc 20, 2015

[ukdeblarz]

Carnival Dream Christmas Cruise – Dec 20, 2015. New Orleans. Two Days at Sea. Roatan. Belize. Cozumel. One Day at Sea. New Orleans.

 

 

Things I wished I had known before sailing that you may find helpful:

 

• When you arrive, drive right into the parking garage then porters take your luggage from right inside the parking garage.
  
• You prepay the parking as you enter with a credit card $126 total.
  
• Day two sea day spa special – Top to Toe - $149 plus gratuity – well worth it.
  
• People dressed quite casual for dinner.
  
• The ONLY perks to having a suite are extra room and priority embarkation.
  
• Your bill that appears on the TV makes it seem that you are double charged for things as each item (including prepaid excursions) show us on each person’s as well as again as a dupe on the card holder’s account. Only pay attention to the bill for the person whose credit card was given.
  

This was my 14th cruise and 7th with Carnival. We cruise about once a year. Our cruise lines of choice are usually Celebrity or Princess, but we often take Carnival due to the time of year and itineraries. We have a very narrow window of when we can cruise due to job and school commitments. Carnival often meets our needs due to having more availability. For this cruise we could only go out of New Orleans as we first wanted to spend two days with our daughter who is in the military stationed near New Orleans.

 

 

 

Our choices were between Carnival Dream and NCL Dawn. We chose the Dream due to the larger size of the ship.

 

 

 

The directions from the Carnival website to the port are great, except that the exit is C not A. When we first saw the port and the ships, I was happy that we chose the Dream. We arrived at about 11:30 a.m. There was little traffic, but the garage was starting to fill up. We chose to park right at the port as we needed to get out of there in a hurry on our return day. As mentioned above, it would’ve been helpful to have known that you pull right into the garage and the porters meet you after you have entered (I think it was on the 2nd level). We also were required to prepay $126 at entry.

 

 

Although it was a busy holiday cruise, the line to enter the terminal was not long nor chaotic. We had priority boarding, as we were in a suite. After having my 12 pack of diet mt dew examined and retaped up, we quickly made it through security. I would have to say that the folks at New Orleans port are very nice and friendly.

 

 

Suite passengers get to use the priority lounge to check in. It took just 10 minutes and then we were immediately invited to board the ship. The Carnival rep at check in told us that because we were in a suite, our cabin would be available immediately and that we would not need to wait until 1:30 p.m. He said we should go to drop off our carry ons right away. After boarding, we tried to go to our cabin and were turned away by the room stewards who told us that “No, suite passengers also have to wait until 1:30 p.m.”

 

 

I always find the embarkation day buffet to be the best quality (perhaps it is the excitement of being on board and reminiscing about foods of previous cruises). We had a nice lunch and then sat outside Deck 10 aft to enjoy the warmth for us. Even at about 65 degrees, it was warm for us. My husband realized he may have needed a sweatshirt when it got cooler on day one, but he had forgotten one. Other than the first day late afternoon and evening, he did not need one so he was fine.

 

 

Our cabin (ocean suite) was mid ship Deck 7. Camelia was our room steward and she was great. Didn’t see her too often, but the room was always made up nicely whenever we left. When we did see her, she was appropriately polite but not over-the-top as some room stewards can be. On day one, she visited us and asked us if we wanted morning, evening or twice daily service and if there was anything extra we needed. We chose twice daily service and it was always done well. Our balcony overlooked the hot tubs on the smoking side (even cabin numbers) of the ship. I was really worried at first that the smell of the smoke would waft up to our balcony, but it was never a problem at all. The only time we smelled smoke was in the casino. The noise from the hot tubs was also very minimal.

 

 

We are big balcony users. We chose a cabin based on balcony size more than any other factor. We are huge aft wrap fans. Unfortunately, we booked this cruise late and the aft wrap for 3 people was not available. Thus our reason for choosing a suite. Our balcony had two reclining chairs, a small side table, and one lounger. However, it was nowhere near as nice as to what we like about aft wrap balconies. I would definitely still choose an aft wrap cabin rather than a suite any day.

 

 

The only perk for the suite was the early embarkation and some more room. You get the same treatment, the same shampoo and body wash, and the same everything else. When we were in a suite on Celebrity, we got a butler, afternoon snacks, extra bathroom amenities, and a special concierge room. The bath tub in the Carnival suite was nice. Remember to bring your own hair conditioner and body lotion as these are not provided.

Another nice thing about the Carnival suite was the extra large 3rd bed. My son is over 6 ft tall, and I think the bed pulled out into either a full or a queen size. He fit very well. The only drawback was that when the bed was pulled out, it filled the whole room and was very hard to get out of the regular bed or walk to the balcony door. I know it sounds silly, but one of the reasons I cruise is because I sleep really well on cruise ships. I feel so relaxed on cruises, can leave work at work, and usually sleep very deeply. For the first time ever on a cruise, I found the bed uncomfortable this time and woke up with an achy back each morning. We also had a howl that came through the balcony door and kept us awake at some times.

 

 

The weather overall was incredibly gorgeous for this cruise. 80s and partly cloudy each day, starting as soon as the first day. I was up laying out in the sun at Serenity by 9 a.m. on Day One. However, I found the seas a little rougher than I have had on all other cruises, except cruises on the Atlantic Ocean. I suffer from seasickness, but I take one Bonine pill each evening before bed and it works great! I did come across a few seasick folks in the bathrooms on the first couple of days. I wanted to give them my Bonine advice, but didn’t want to intrude as they hunched over the toilet being sick. Was it rough seas because it was windy? Or was the ship going faster than other cruises we have been on? I am not sure.

 

 

Food Service: We were seated at a long table for about 12 – 16 in the Scarlet Dining Room. The other families seemed lovely, but my husband prefers to have a more private dining experience. So we asked the maitre d’ if we could please switch to a table for 3 the next night. It was no problem. The next day we received a note under the door telling us our new table which was a booth. I hope the families at the first table do not take offense to us switching. It was just that we wanted to spend dinner times together as a small family as we don’t get to see our son too often.

Our main dining waiter was good. Not the best but good. The second waiter/helper was not so good. When he was the one to serve us, he forgot items and was slow in service but curt in verbal interactions. The third female helper was very sweet. On Christmas Day, the service was so slow that I noticed a manager come around and whisper some tense words to the waiters. We then were not given a choice for dessert. Instead, the second waiter said “We have chosen dessert for you tonight. Here it is.” This did not go down well with my husband and son who wanted a different item on the dessert menu. I think it was an attempt to save time, but it really did not come across as good customer service.

 

 

I found the food in the main dining room to be good quality. I have had most of the items on previous Carnival cruises so did have something to compare it to. For example, often the prime rib can taste like it has been sitting for a while or reheated. This was not the case on this cruise. The dishes were very good. The Greek salad was the only disappointment compared to others that I have had. I miss not having the basket of rolls on the table. But you can ask for two rolls when they first give them to you. Oh, adults can order from the kids menu too.

 

 

 

Other than the first day of excitement, the buffet lunches and also breakfasts were too much of the same thing for me. I would have liked more variety. The lines were normally not too long, even for Pasta Bella and Mongolian. The pizza lines were sometimes longer. Port day breakfast lines were a bit long too. The room service menu seemed to have been cut even with the pay items.

 

 

Entertainment: We like attending the main lounge shows each evening. With early seating, the 8:45p.m. show times work great. On day one the show was at 10 p.m. Too late for me. The same thing happened on I think Christmas Day. We tried to go to the comedy show on one of the 10 p.m. show days only to encounter a very long line to get in. I love watching movies under the stars. I didn’t watch any on this cruise. Sometimes they started at 7 p.m. so I missed the beginning due to dinner. Other times, they were not my choice. Not a huge issue.

 

 

We saw three big shows in the main lounge. The first one seemed a bit off, and it seemed to us that the female lead was lip singing it. Perhaps she was ill. The second one (I think it was called Dancing in the Streets) was much better and included acrobatics that were amazing. The third one had a country theme and fiddler and was good. No magician on this cruise, but there was a juggler. He was terrible. We also went to a 60 seconds to win it competition one night. It was entertaining but not many attended.

 

 

Ports: I have been to the ports a few times already and have always enjoyed them. We did all Carnival excursions and pre-paid them. In Roatan, we did the Pirates, Birds and Monkeys. You take a bus ride to a park over on the other side of the island. There you meet a tour guide do lots of walking. You visit a cave to learn about pirates. Then you walk to the area where the birds are and a large parrot can sit on your shoulder for photos. Hint: Don’t wear a shirt with buttons on it. The parrot likes to eat buttons. Then you go to the monkeys area and one sits on your shoulders. You can stay at the beach there for a while or take a bus back right away. It was a good excursion but not the best ever. The bus ride back was long because the driver took a detour to pick up more passengers somewhere else. However, we were still back on board by 2 p.m. for a quick lunch. We then went to the beach right at the port. There was hardly anyone there by late afternoon.

 

 

In Belize, we took the same tour that I took 18 months ago and still loved it. It is the River Wallace and Altun Ha Mayan Ruins tour. Belize is a tender port. You meet in the main lounge then are excused in groups for the tender by excursion groups. Last time we got on the bus first. This time we got on the boat for the river tour first. This time, we had to wear life jackets for the sea portion until we got to the river. The river was high for the excursion as there has been a lot of rain in Guatemala. We did not see manatees this time. The river boat ride lasted about 2 hours and we saw iguanas, monkeys, dolphins, and crocodiles. Then we stopped at a resort for lunch. We had packed our own lunch of non perishable items. After lunch, a short bus ride to the ruins. The ruins are amazing. My husband and son hadn’t been there before and were in awe. Then about a 1.25 hour bus ride back to the tenders just in time. A full day, but a great tour and I recommend it.

 

 

Cozumel was our favorite port due to a fun tour. We did the Deluxe Beach, Snorkel and Catamaran tour. My husband snorkeled but my son and I were too chicken. He said that it was the best snorkeling he has ever done and he saw variety of coral and fish that he has never seen before. Then you take a catamaran ride for about half hour to a private beach with free lounge chairs and fun floating toys in the ocean (think Wipe Out). You get about 1.5 hours on the beach before the catamaran ride back. We got back in time for lunch before heading out to shop at the port.

 

 

 

Disembarkation: On previous cruises, they have asked you mid cruise what time you are leaving or what time flight, then they give you the luggage tags based on what you say. On this cruise, they didn’t ask. On the last morning, we were randomly given Group 3 for disembarkation. We actually wanted to do self assist disembarkation because we were in a super hurry to get to our car. We had a 15 hour drive home and were trying to beat a really bad ice and snow storm. So we just went to guest services and turned in our tags. The guest services rep gave us a hint that even though they say they all self assist disembarkation is by floor, it doesn’t really matter and you can leave with the first group. She said it starts about 7 a.m. So we went to deck 3 by 6:30 a.m. ready to get in the line to disembark that has been how it works on all other cruises. There was not a line. We were directed into the main lounge and it was rather a mess with suitcases everywhere. People not following “queuing” rules and they kept saying “It doesn’t matter where you stand, we call you by deck.” When we got the all clear to disembark, they did not call us by deck. We could all leave at once. It worked out fine though, as we were off the ship by 6:50 a.m. and on the road by 7:15 a.m.

 

Please let me know if you have any questions, and I will try to answer.

[pirate4me2]

Thank you for the review. I want to try a cruise out of NOLA but have not been thrilled with the itineraries offered. I would like to try a cruise on the Dream as she looks like a ship I would enjoy.

[trishnmike]

Great review. Thanks for taking the time to post it. My husband and I will be sailing on the Dream January 24. We were lucky enough to get a longer balcony right next to the aft one. I'm excited since this will be my first time in a room with a balcony.

[tulipcityfamily]

Thank you for the review. My family and I will be in the Dream with the same ports in March. We've been to these ports before and have left out of New Orleans 3 times before. We've parked at Fulton Parking previously, but thinking of parking at the port this time. We also have a long drive that day and would like to be on the road early. How was the traffic getting in and out of port? Any recommendations would be terrific

[cruisetobeaches]

Nice un-biased review!

 

We have sailed the Dream several times and have a B2B coming up next month.:D

[maeormaenot]

Did you try the tandoori?

[Nashmom2]

Did the Dream have the regular dinner menu or have they switched to the American table menu?

[ukdeblarz]

Thank you for your kind words about the review.

 

The menu was the regular one (not American) but changed a little for Xmas Day I think as it was different than what was on the TV.

 

No I did not try the Indian section of food. It looked popular and there was always a line. I wandered back there a few times but was not willing to wait in line. My son enjoyed the burrito bar.

 

Driving in and out of New Orleans was the easy part of the drive. Zero traffic both in and out. Jackson, MS can be busy. Memphis is okay. I see you are from Iowa too. It took us about 14.5 hours total. St Louis was the worst part of the drive. We were tired by then, traffic was really bad, stuck in traffic jams, and it was bad weather by then.

[cntrydncr1]

looking at this itinerary for spring 2017. Did you stay the night prior to cruising in a hotel? Any recommendations for hotels? We will probably want to be there a few days prior to see the city.

[ukdeblarz]

Sorry I don't have any hotel recommendations. We stayed with our daughter.

[Indytraveler83]

Did you guys try the Oceanside BBQ, and did it seem like it was open frequently enough?

[tkportersat]

Great review! Thanks for writing it :)

[tkportersat]

We are normally Galveston cruisers and we too are cruising in March. We are looking at Port parking and self assist so we can get back on the road quickly back to Texas. When we get back we lose an hour thanks to Daylight savings. :(

 

Thank you for the review. My family and I will be in the Dream with the same ports in March. We've been to these ports before and have left out of New Orleans 3 times before. We've parked at Fulton Parking previously, but thinking of parking at the port this time. We also have a long drive that day and would like to be on the road early. How was the traffic getting in and out of port? Any recommendations would be terrific

[Raxter54]

Great review. Thanks for taking the time to post it. My husband and I will be sailing on the Dream January 24. We were lucky enough to get a longer balcony right next to the aft one. I'm excited since this will be my first time in a room with a balcony.

 

We'll be sailing on her January 31st. Please try not to break anything...:D

[Raxter54]

looking at this itinerary for spring 2017. Did you stay the night prior to cruising in a hotel? Any recommendations for hotels? We will probably want to be there a few days prior to see the city.

 

When we sailed last Feb/March, we went down a day early and stayed at the Four Points Sheraton on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter. About as close to the middle of the FQ as you can get, alot of stuff within walking distance (Jackson Square, Cafe Du Monde, Preservation Hall, Voodoo Museum). Lots of pricey places to eat, too :D

[untailored bostonian]

ukdeblarz

 

Our choices were between Carnival Dream and NCL Dawn. We chose the Dream due to the larger size of the ship.

 

We sail on the Dream in 4 weeks. We have Sailed on the Dawn out of Boston twice. One feature I liked on the Dawn was the spa pass which gives you access to an indoor pool and other spa features.

[trishnmike]

We'll be sailing on her January 31st. Please try not to break anything...:D

 

 

LOL!!! I'll do my best not too. Was thinking about leaving a little gift to whoever gets my room with a note. Was talking to some Carnival cruisers on Facebook who do that.

[Raxter54]

LOL!!! I'll do my best not too. Was thinking about leaving a little gift to whoever gets my room with a note. Was talking to some Carnival cruisers on Facebook who do that.

 

Well, if you meet the cruisers in 8260, ask them to leave me a couple passes to the steakhouse :)

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[ukdeblarz]

The sea day BBQ looked nice. Was out there for a few hours each sea day lunchtime. We walked past it a few times as we did early afternoon laps of Deck 5 for exercise. Looked to be mainly pulled pork, sausages, and chicken. Didn't see the sliders mentioned on other posts, but I didn't look too hard. Smelled really good and was popular but lines not too long.

[Warm Breezes]

Thanks for your review. We would like to take this cruise/itinerary in May but I have to wait for my doctor to ok traveling for me...which probably won't happen until after I have a CT Scan in February/March. I have everything booked (hotels/car rental which can be cancelled) except the cruise. I was just released to go back to work full time so I am praying for a positive outcome. I really want to book this cruise with the kids (18 and 21). It may possibly the last time before they start moving out on us and leaving us empty nesters. Cruises have always been a favorite family vacation for us and your review just got me dreaming about going again.

[BugPilot]

Did you try the tandoori?

 

The Tandoori always has a long line (as does the Mongolian Wok) but it is worth the wait, just make sure you get enough the first trip so you don't have to go back through the line a second time. From beginning to end, the line was about 15-18 minutes. They were constantly running out of Naan bread.

[BugPilot]

looking at this itinerary for spring 2017. Did you stay the night prior to cruising in a hotel? Any recommendations for hotels? We will probably want to be there a few days prior to see the city.

 

We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn - Central Business District (on Gravier Street, two blocks from Bourbon). The only complaints are the cost of the rooms ($233 + $35 taxes & fees) and the cost of the parking ($31 + 3.72 taxes & fees) for an eye-popping $303 per night for a king bed & 1 car. We've stayed at the Hotel Royal without a car and paid much more for less. Check Trip Advisor in advance for hotel reviews.

 

The plus of staying there? We were <1 mile from the cruise terminal and close to the French Quarter.

[Viesczy]

Thankya for the unbiased review!

 

Read it w rapt attention as we're doing the same cruise over Halloween '17.

 

Thankya again!!!

[maeormaenot]

Thank you! 47 days!!!!

[zirka]

Another Iowan here that has made the drive to NO. Last March we drove down a day early and stayed at the Holiday Inn Superdome. It was very reasonable for a park and cruise. We were able to walk the FQ and always felt safe. We did self-debark, hopped in a cab back to the hotel and were on the road back north by 8:45am.