Reivew of the carnival dream, the good, the bad, and the crazy!

[ch27088]

Edited November 8, 2017 by ch27088

[wms99]

Yeah I was not very happy with them, and I will never refer them to anyone. I tell you that Saturday when we left Huntsville, until we got to New Orleans, we traveled for 16 hours total. It was a long day that's for sure!

 

Why not just drive the 7 hours and not deal with all this? NOLA is just a fun road trip from Hsv.

[ch27088]

[Central Oregon Gal]

those boys look like they could be some serious trouble makers - my kind of people ;)

[ch27088]

Why not just drive the 7 hours and not deal with all this? NOLA is just a fun road trip from Hsv.

 

If I had to do it again, I would drive, but since I am the only driver in my family, I didn't want to deal with having to do all the driving myself. However, since we have now done two cruises out of New Orleans, Florida is next, and that will be a airplane trip!

[ch27088]

I think I finally got the pictures together. I had to use Shutterfly, and now hopefully this will work.

 

Picture of the hubby and I at Cracker Barrel for breakfast.

 

Waiting at the Birmingham train station.

 

Picture of the family eating lunch on the train. If my husband knew I had posted this (with his mouth full), he wouldn't be too thrilled!

 

On the train to New Orleans before the derailment

 

Taking a nap

 

My daughter anxious to get the trip started. Her last cruise was in 2008.

[Central Oregon Gal]

wow train travel has changed over the last 40 plus years - might have to consider this in the future

[nwo4life]

Yeah I was not very happy with them, and I will never refer them to anyone. I tell you that Saturday when we left Huntsville, until we got to New Orleans, we traveled for 16 hours total. It was a long day that's for sure!

 

 

 

We make the drive from Athens in 6.5 hours, and have thought about taking the train. You just talked me out of it.

 

 

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[ch27088]

Pre-Cruise Day Continued:

One last picture of hubby and I not knowing that the train ahead of us had derailed.

 

I want to apologize for the different font sizes and crazy misspelled words. I hope that the next chapter will be laid out a little better. Again, I haven't done this since 2014, and I'm just a little rusty.

 

Cruise Day!!!!!!!!!!!

Cruise day has finally arrived, and I couldn't be happier. I was up early and woke everyone up around 7:30 am. They were not happy with me, but it was good to get started. I mentioned that we made it to our hotel after 1:00 am that morning, but I never mentioned the hotel that we stayed at.

We stayed at the Holiday Inn in Metairire. I had wanted to stay in New Orleans, but with the Saints playing a home game, and all the other activities/events going on, the hotels were just too expensive. For example, some hotels were charging over $400 for one night. I knew in advance that I was going to pay about $200 for the night, but I can't see myself paying anything over that amount. Sorry I don't have pictures of the Holiday Inn, but I will say that the staff was wonderful. Since we had gotten in so late, my daughter had mentioned that she was hungry, and the clerk at the desk allowed her to go into the little snack room and take anything she wanted to eat for free. She was respectful and only took two things, but the clerk told her to go back and take another snack. The rooms were the typical Holiday Inn rooms, just small and comfortable. We had two queen beds in our room, and four people for the one night, but it worked out just fine.

 

Now on to Embarkation:

 

We had breakfast at the resturant in hotel, and then went back to our rooms to finish packing and call for transportation. I had been referred by the hotel to contact a guy who has a shuttle bus and would come and pick us up, and take us to the port. I had talked with him, and then the night before sent him a text message that we had a check in time at the port between 12:00 - 12:30 pm. We got back downstairs that morning, and Brian was there waiting with his 15 passenger shuttle bus.

Now let me tell you I am grateful that Brian was there to pick us up, but I had a big concern with his shuttle. Once we got on board, and he started it up, it sounded like it was really struggling. However, we made it to the port and he charged $8.00 per person, which was so much better than a cab.

When we got off the shuttle, I was really surprised to see so many people lined up waiting to get inside. My heart just dropped as I thought we would have to wait for quite a while in that same line. The porter came over, when he saw us getting off the shuttle and took our bags. We tipped him $2.00 per bag, and then we heard an announcement that instructed those with a check in time of 12:00 - 12:30, please proceed to line B (or something like that)., yay, we didn't have to get into that long line. We showed our boarding passes and passports, and went right into the terminal. Once inside, they saw my husband with his walker, and took us aside, and directed us to the elevator. My daughter and two friends were directed to go up the escalator, and we would meet them upstairs. Folks, I'm not lying when I tell you that from the time we were dropped off and entered the terminal, it took us about 30 minutes and we were on the ship. Not one time did we have a chance to sit down, it went that smoothly. The last time hubby and I left from New Orleans was a living nightmare, and I swore I would never leave from that port again. I had requested special assistance (wheel chair) for hubby, and all they did was point us to go sit down. No one ever came over to get us, and we sat there for about 20 minutes before I got up and asked someone for help. This time around, I have to say that Carnival and the Port of New Orleans got there stuff together. You are not allowed into the terminal unless it was your chosen time to do so. There were plenty of Carnival employee's around to direct you where to go, and everyone was so nice and pleasant. I'm telling you, it was a big change from the last time, and no confusion, no hassles, no people pushing and shoving. I even went on John Healds Facebook and told him how great the embarkation was. That man gets so many darn complaints that I felt it was necessary to let him know how well everything went. Again it took us 30 minutes or less to get on board, I didn't even have time to take our "official" on vacation picture.

 

John and I finally on the Carnival Dream, Lido Deck

 

My daughter and one of my girlfriends relaxing on the Lido Deck. We had just dropped off our luggage, and was ready to start vacation.

 

I can't get over how murky the Mississippi river is.

We had the Safety drill around 3:00 or 3:30, and it was over in about 20 minutes. John and I went back to our cabin and started unpacking, and cleaning the room. I know that people are always asking me why I clean the room even after the cabin stewards clean it, but it's something I have always done. I have a can of Lysol, and Lysol wipes, and I start in the bathroom (with gloves that I bring), and wipe everything down. I clean the counters, the phone, the door handles, drawer pulls, everything. I spray the pillows, blankets, and then we go back out on deck and wait until the smell goes away, but at least I know I've done my job (OCD at it's finest).

 

I'm closing out for now, as it's time for me to get dinner, and do all that stuff. I'll pick up tomorrow for Day 2.

Thanks for following.

[E@syPe@zy]

I think I finally got the pictures together. I had to use Shutterfly, and now hopefully this will work.

 

Picture of the hubby and I at Cracker Barrel for breakfast.

 

Waiting at the Birmingham train station.

 

Picture of the family eating lunch on the train. If my husband knew I had posted this (with his mouth full), he wouldn't be too thrilled!

 

On the train to New Orleans before the derailment

 

Taking a nap

 

My daughter anxious to get the trip started. Her last cruise was in 2008.

I think this looks great. We drove to Charleston the first of October for a cruise and it was about 10 hours going and 12 hours coming home due to traffic jams. I was stiff and worn out for days. Next time if I drive we will stop half way for the night.

[winddawn]

wow train travel has changed over the last 40 plus years - might have to consider this in the future

 

I was just thinking the same thing! I haven't done any train travel, except Alaska, since I lived in England years ago, but these photos sure look more appealing than air travel these days. Worth considering!

[E@syPe@zy]

You're doing a wonderful job at your review! Thank you so much for taking the time to do this for all of us.

The year that the Super Bowl was in New Orleans we booked last minute and couldn't find a hotel that was affordable, so we stayed in Hattiesburg and it worked out perfect. And it was under $150 a night!

[winddawn]

If I had to do it again, I would drive, but since I am the only driver in my family, I didn't want to deal with having to do all the driving myself. However, since we have now done two cruises out of New Orleans, Florida is next, and that will be a airplane trip!

 

Thanks for the review! I'm enjoying it and following along. Sorry to hear about your delays and frustrations.

[cjcrowder]

Great review so far! We take the train all the time to NOLA from Illinois, it’s a 16 hr ride for us, its so much easier and relaxing, don’t have to worry about what you pack and you can take food and drink onto the train. It’s a great way to travel.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[winddawn]

You're doing a wonderful job at your review! Thank you so much for taking the time to do this for all of us.

The year that the Super Bowl was in New Orleans we booked last minute and couldn't find a hotel that was affordable, so we stayed in Hattiesburg and it worked out perfect. And it was under $150 a night!

 

New Orleans hotels are still that way! Early this year I wanted to book a room for 1 night for December 30 for pre-cruise. I normally get my room comped at Harrah's, but even back in February they were showing sold out. I ended up booking a nearby hotel last winter for about $250 for 1 night on Dec 30, and now those rooms' cost are showing nearly double that. NOLA's hotel rooms can be crazy expensive during their peak times, but I so love that city pre-cruise. I really love their non-smoking casino. It pays to book a NOLA hotel room way in advance if you plan to visit during one of their peak times. And you have to research their peak times because they have so many unique peak times. That's what makes NOLA so much fun though! They have so many celebrations making it a fun place to visit.

[Central Oregon Gal]

I was just thinking the same thing! I haven't done any train travel, except Alaska, since I lived in England years ago, but these photos sure look more appealing than air travel these days. Worth considering!

being a curvy lady I agree - this looks so comfortable compared to my 12 hours of airports and planes

[jeb2791]

Thank you so much for the review. On the Dream in April and enjoying your perspective.

[ch27088]

It's interesting about your experience with Enterprise. My DH and I were just talking about their commercial, "Enterprise will pick you Up". In all the times we have used Enterprise, they have NEVER picked us up. That wasn't poor service you received at Enterprise....it was Non-Existing! What a shame.

Glad to hear you made it to New Orleans....what a long day!

 

Thanks so much for reading. I have never had any issues with Enterprise, this was the first time in over 10 years+, so it was very discouraging to find that they didn't even want to help us out.

[ch27088]

We make the drive from Athens in 6.5 hours, and have thought about taking the train. You just talked me out of it.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

It's really not a bad ride, and we did it back in 2014 without any problems at all. I know we had a rough time, but don't rule it out. Train travel is so nice, and it's wonderful to see the parts of the state you've never been to.

[ch27088]

Thank you so much for the review. On the Dream in April and enjoying your perspective.

 

Thanks for following along. I actually love the Dream, it's one of my favorite ships. April will be a wonderful month to cruise.

[ch27088]

being a curvy lady I agree - this looks so comfortable compared to my 12 hours of airports and planes

 

It's a very comfortable ride for curvy ladies like me and my daughter. The leg room is great, and you don't have to worry about being cramped next to someone. The conductors are great at seating you with your family and/or friends, Thanks for following along.

[ch27088]

Before I start on Day 2, I forgot to tell you about the cabins we choose, and the decks we were on, and the cabin arrangments. First of all, it was my family (hubby and daughter). Hubby and I had a balcony, which we always get, and my daughter was in an interior cabin on her own. You know they still charged her double the price, so we tried to ask different friends if they wanted to come, so they could share the cabin together. Turned out that both friends we asked to join us decided to go, so my one friend had a balcony cabin to herself, which she was fine with.

 

Hubby and I were in cabin #8296, great location on the port side. My friend Cynthia was in cabin #8266, also on the port side, right down from us. Michelle and my daughter, Charmaine were in cabin #6252 interior, and everyone was happy with their location.

 

Monday, Day #2 (Sea Day)

Today is one of my favorite days...sea day! I love relaxing, having coffee delivered to the room, and just sitting back and watching the ocean. Today was no exception. I got up early, and my daughter and I went for a walk (exercise). We went up to Deck 5, which goes all around the ship, and walk 2 laps. This is something we had talked about before going on the cruise. We knew that we were going to eat, drink, and be merry, so walking every morning was part of our plan to at least be healthy, hey we tried.

 

Once we were done my daughter wanted coffee from the coffee shop. She paid about $4.00 for her iced coffee. I believe it was a iced carmel something or other, but it's something she loves to buy, and treat herself to. We sat down, and went over the schedule as to what we wanted to do for the day, and then back to the cabin to call the others and tell them we were ready for breakfast (brunch).

 

Brunch on Sea Day was really nice. This day we had a table to ourselves, so we could talk, laugh, and just catch up, since haven't seen each other in years. Cynthia and I are veterans of the Air Force, and we met at a base in New York, Platsburgh AFB back in 1977. We became great friends, and stayed in touch for years. We haven't seen each other in over 15 years, so it was wonderful to finally see her. Michelle is a good friend of ours that we met when we moved to California. We met each other at church, and when my family and I had to move to Alabama, we kept in touch as well. She is from Barbados and is always ready to travel, so when Charmaine needed a roommate, she was eager to join us as well. After catching up at brunch, I wanted to go to the casino, so hubby and I decided to stop in for a while and see if the machines would be nice to us. Charmaine wanted to explore, as did the other ladies as well. That's why I love traveling with these ladies. I don't have to plan what we are all going to do. Everyone can go out and do what they want to do, but we always met up for breakfast, sometimes at lunch, and always for dinner.

 

After being in the casino for a while, I decided that I wanted to go back to the cabin and relax. I work full-time as a receptionist, plus I'm a notary public (mobile), and I drive my daughter to and from work as we only have one car. My husband was diagnosed last year with vascular dementia, which means doctor appointments, calling and checking on him throughout the day, making sure he's eating right, and taking his medicine as needed. I really have no time for me, so this vacation was for me to be able to relax, nap, and just have fun. It's hard being a wife for so many years, and then become the nurse maid. Then on top of that, I lost my mother in May of last year, my cousin was murdered the day before we buried my mom. Then the next month, I lost an uncle, and a girlfriend later that year. 2016 was a very terrible year for me and my family, so I needed this vacation, or I should say, we all needed this vacation so much.

 

Monday is the first formal night for dinner, and it was time for us to dress up and have fun. We had pictures taken, which I will upload and try to post. We had the best waiters ever. We had Kitty (his real name, I can't even try to pronoune), Singh, and Romeo. They treated us so well, and always had us laughing.

 

John and I at formal dinner

Our dear friend Michelle at formal night

 

My daughter Charmaine, and girlfriend Cynthia at formal night

 

Picture of the wait staff singing for us on formal night

 

Another picture of the wait staff

 

After dinner, we went our separate ways. John and I back to the casino for a while, and the others to different shows.

Pros:

I enjoyed being able to have one deck that we could walk all around the ship. The crew was always so friendly and greeted us each morning with a warm hello and smile.

 

I enjoyed the meals and being able to ask for more if you wanted.

Cons:

Towel animals are not given at night for turn down service. I got spoiled on other cruises, and enjoyed coming to the cabin at night and seeing the animals. It's no big deal, just something I thought was strange, since the towel animal was placed in our cabin during the day.

 

Note: I asked for service in our cabin twice a day from our cabin steward. I liked having our beds made during the day, and then turned down at night. I know that some people will say that I'm lazy, but it's a service that Carnival had when I first started crusing, and I just got spoiled, so I stuck with it. Cynthia wanted service only when she requsted it. She made her own bed, and tidied up herself. When she needed clean towels she let her cabin steward know.

Again, I do apologize for the different fonts, and sizes. Trying to get this right is not as easy as it seems.

[Tssweety]

Thanks so much for your reviewing!! I love reading.. we will be on the Dream December 31!!!

[bonstersd]

That's so great you get to cruise with your family and your dear friends! Happy Cruising Life!

[ch27088]

Thanks so much for your reviewing!! I love reading.. we will be on the Dream December 31!!!

 

I know your excited, and the New Year's Eve cruise should be so much fun. Once you get back, I hope you do a small review if possible, as I would love to read your thoughts about embarkation in New Orleans.

 

Thanks for reading.