Pirate's DREAMing of a cruise from NOLA! April 22-29 Review

[pirate4me2]

Hello CC friends!

 

After not doing a review of my last 3 cruises I took, I realized how much they help with my post cruise blues, so I am back at it! Who’s ready for an adventure??

 

DH and I just returned from a wonderful 7 day cruise aboard the Dream, departing from good old New Orleans. For a while now I have wanted to visit NOLA and experience the city and sail down the Mississippi. I have to say, they both lived up to my expectations! We spent a wonderful day before the cruise experiencing the city. We stayed at the Wyndham French Quarter, which has a park and cruise package. They are located right there in the heart of NOLA and the location was perfect for walking around exploring! The morning of our cruise we took an Uber to the port for $7.81. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

 

We boarded the Dream at 11:15, and we spent the first little while just exploring the ship. We have sailed her sister ships, Breeze & Magic, so we were familiar with the layout, but it’s still fun to see the different décor as well as the slight changes in the ships. I have to say, I really like the décor on this ship. It wasn’t too loud and crazy, but it also was different from the toned down décor of the Vista class ships.

 

Dream Atrium

 

 

 

Spa interior cabin, 11216

 

 

Encore! Theater

 

 

Bonsi Sushi on deck 5

 

 

Burgundy lounge, deck 5 aft

 

 

 

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[pirate4me2]

Nightclub

 

 

Sams Piano Bar

 

 

The Song lounge

 

 

Lido pool area

 

 

Cool statue in the aft pool area

 

 

Waterworks

 

 

 

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[nydney1]

Nice start, I was impressed only 4 people in all your photos. That’s hard to do.

 

 

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[pirate4me2]

The Dream has an 18 hole mini golf course

 

 

 

 

Whale tail!

 

 

Once we were done exploring, we decided to get some Pig & Anchor for lunch. For those who are not familiar with this venue, it is located outside on deck 5, right outside the Ocean Plaza. The first day it wasn’t really busy as most people don’t realize it is there, but by the end of the cruise it was a popular lunch choice. For my first meal, I decided to try a little of everything. For my meat I chose the beef, which was nice and tender. I didn’t even put any sauce on it. The beans were a disappointment though, they tasted like they were missing something. The Mac & Cheese was yummy, as well as the potato salad, and the coleslaw was awesome. Overall, my first lunch onboard was a success!

 

 

Our luggage was delivered about 2, and I spent the time before muster unpacking and getting settled in my home away from home. We decorated our door so that should we have a few too many drinks we could find our way home. Trust me, there are times it has helped me!

 

 

 

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[pirate4me2]

Once they announced the muster drill and we got to our station (in the theater on deck 4) it was a quick, painless process. While he was not as entertaining with the drill as Dr. E, Chris the Flying Scotsman the drill over and done with very efficiently…I would say maybe 15 to 20 minutes tops. I was impressed! We had time to get from the theater up to the “secret” deck on deck 11 and get a good spot for watching sailaway, which happened about 4:45.

 

 

After watching us sail down the Mississippi for a bit, we went to change for our 6:00 reservation at The Chef’s Art steakhouse. When we got there, I was SOOOOOO excited to see that they still have the old menus. Grilled Portobello mushroom! Lobster ravioli! Cream spinach! Chocolate sampler!! Oh my!

 

Bread and bread condiments

 

 

 

Compliments from the chef...yummy!!

 

 

Portobello mushroom was just as amazing as I always remember it being.

 

 

Baby spinach salad with blue cheese crumbles and bacon bits….delish!

 

 

Side of creamed spinach was FANTASTIC, but I forgot a pic. Sorry.

 

 

 

 

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[pirate4me2]

Maine Lobster Raviioli…..I wanted to cry. I remember it being so good, but this time….it was actually nasty. The shrimps on top were delicious, and the pasta was tender, but the filling was awful.

 

 

My favorite dessert….the chocolate sampler. Why oh why did they do away with this?? It was heaven on earth!

 

 

After eating dinner we walked the ship to check out the nighttime entertainment. First we ended up in the atrium, where the lovely string trio was playing. We listened to them many times throughout the week, they sounded great. We then went into the theater and watched “60 Seconds or Less,” which was cute. They gave teams challenges they had to complete in 60 seconds, and whoever did the best job won that challenge.

 

About 9:30 we went to Sam’s Piano Bar to check out Ben Gentry. I have heard so many good things about him, and he lived up to the hype! He is a great piano player and singer, and man he knows how to get the crowd going! The place was packed, and he had everyone laughing and singing along. We stayed for a bit, then I headed up to the “secret” deck on 11 again to wait for the final event of the night: passing the Triumph as she headed up river and we went down. This happened about 11:05, and after that happened I decided to call it an evening.

 

 

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[pirate4me2]

Nice start, I was impressed only 4 people in all your photos. That’s hard to do.

 

 

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Thank you!! We got on and I started snapping pics right away. I think most of the crowd was grabbing lunch.

 

 

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[pirate4me2]

I will post more tomorrow everyone! Time to throw more laundry in the wash and finish unpacking.

 

 

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[Jamman54]

GREAT start to your review! We will be cruising from NOLA for the first time in April 2020. :cool:

[pirate4me2]

GREAT start to your review! We will be cruising from NOLA for the first time in April 2020. :cool:

 

 

 

Hey Jeff, thanks for tagging along! I’m looking forward to your next review. :)

 

Cruising from NOLA was awesome. Chris and I can’t wait to go back next November when we sail on the Glory so we can do the things we didn’t get to do this time!

 

 

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[momof4girls]

Thank you for your review! LOVED having the Flying Scotsman as a CD! He’s so entertaining!

 

I didn’t remember how much more plain the Lido pool area is from the Magic and Breeze but your pictures definitely show that!

[Tiger0613]

Pig & Anchor wasn't open on embarkation day on the 1/28/18 sailing. I was definitely disappointed. Does anyone know how Carnival decides whether or not to open the BBQ place on embarkation day?

 

We didn't set sail until about 6:00pm. Refueling took a long time. I had a portside cove balcony so I had a good view of the refueling barge that was next to my balcony.

[pirate4me2]

Pig & Anchor wasn't open on embarkation day on the 1/28/18 sailing. I was definitely disappointed. Does anyone know how Carnival decides whether or not to open the BBQ place on embarkation day?

 

 

 

We didn't set sail until about 6:00pm. Refueling took a long time. I had a portside cove balcony so I had a good view of the refueling barge that was next to my balcony.

 

 

All the ships I’ve sailed that had Pig & Anchor on the had it open on embarkation day, so I’m not sure.

 

Thank you for your review! LOVED having the Flying Scotsman as a CD! He’s so entertaining!

 

I didn’t remember how much more plain the Lido pool area is from the Magic and Breeze but your pictures definitely show that!

 

 

Yes, Chris is a top notch CD!!! He was awesome!

 

 

 

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[Tiger0613]

All the ships I’ve sailed that had Pig & Anchor on the had it open on embarkation day, so I’m not sure.

 

 

 

 

Yes, Chris is a top notch CD!!! He was awesome!

 

 

 

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Chris extended his vacation a week, so my sailing got Brandon Kovshoff. He was good, but I will never look at Donald Duck the same way again.

[j603]

Loving the review. We sail on the Dream this August. This will help to pass the time until then. :)

[pirate4me2]

Loving the review. We sail on the Dream this August. This will help to pass the time until then. :)

 

 

 

I hope you like her as much as we did! Working on the next installment now.

 

 

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[Wolfhunt]

Looking forward to your review. We will be on the Dream in just under two weeks, can’t wait. First time on this ship. How did you like your spa room. We have a spa balcony which is also a first for us.

 

Does the Dream and Triumph normally pass each other? I might have to look for that.

[1cruisingal]

Looking forward to your review. We will be on the Dream in just under two weeks, can’t wait. First time on this ship. How did you like your spa room. We have a spa balcony which is also a first for us.

 

Does the Dream and Triumph normally pass each other? I might have to look for that.

 

We’ll be on the same sailing as you!

Looking forward to a great cruise!

The countdown has begun 🤗

[airlink diva]

Looking forward to your review. We will be on the Dream in just under two weeks, can’t wait. First time on this ship. How did you like your spa room. We have a spa balcony which is also a first for us.

 

Does the Dream and Triumph normally pass each other? I might have to look for that.

Hi I'm not sailing until December, but recently upgraded to spa balcony. Please if possible give intel, photos and tibits of info. Thanks

[Wolfhunt]

We’ll be on the same sailing as you!

Looking forward to a great cruise!

The countdown has begun 🤗

 

It can’t come soon enough, I think I’m having Alchemy withdraw :cool:

[pirate4me2]

We’ll be on the same sailing as you!

 

Looking forward to a great cruise!

 

The countdown has begun [emoji847]

 

 

Enjoy your cruise on the Dream!

 

Looking forward to your review. We will be on the Dream in just under two weeks, can’t wait. First time on this ship. How did you like your spa room. We have a spa balcony which is also a first for us.

 

Does the Dream and Triumph normally pass each other? I might have to look for that.

 

 

We loved our spa room! Very quiet for the most part, we were just steps from the deck at the front of the ship which was a great spot to watch sail aways, easy access to the spa, and of course the spa amenities were great.

 

As for the ships passing, I’m not sure! We passed both sailing away from NOLA and sailing back into NOLA. Check the cruise port schedules and see, it was cool!

 

Hi I'm not sailing until December, but recently upgraded to spa balcony. Please if possible give intel, photos and tibits of info. Thanks

 

 

I’ve got a photos of the Tpool area, stay tuned. :)

 

 

 

 

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[pirate4me2]

Today was our first sea day onboard, but I didn’t sleep in. My body was still on Eastern time, so when I woke up at 7:15 it really felt like 8:15 to me. I headed to the fitness center to try and work off some of the Steakhouse dinner from the night before. I walked in, found an elliptical, and put my water bottle in the holder….and it promptly fell to the floor. The lady on the machine next to me said hers did the same thing, and looking at the holders they have no bottom to them, and the small 16.9 oz bottles are too skinny for them. You need a big bottle unless you want to have to set your water on the floor and hop off each time you need a drink.

 

I did my 30 minutes on the elliptical, then headed back to the cabin to shower. Hooray, our shower drained AWESOME in the cabin! I have had a few ships where the shower didn’t drain too quick and the water would spill over into the rest of the bathroom. This shower drained perfectly, no flooded bathroom for us. Whoop whoop!

 

Once I was all cleaned up we headed to find some grub. On sea days we enjoy going to the Sea Day brunch, so we headed off to the MDR for that. It was held in the aft dining room, and we were seated at a large table with others with a great view of the wake. I ordered the Huervos Rancheros, which were just OK. I’m not sure what was missing, but the flavor was just off a little bit. No big deal, I ate it all and didn’t starve. Hahaha.

 

Photo of Scarlett MDR

 

Once brunch was finished we headed to the Encore! Theater for the Fun Aboard, Fun Ashore talk with Chris. DH was hoping to win something in the raffle, but no such luck. They gave out some shore excursions, Bubbles packages, internet packages, a few bottles of wine, and some other stuff. Congrats to the winners!

 

We decided we needed some sun, so we headed up to the mini golf course and played a round. I think everyone had the same idea, it was packed! We enjoyed ourselves, and I beat DH (ok, maybe not, but in my mind I was the winner) and we decided then that it was time for some lunch. Chris headed for Pasta Bella, while I opted for something lighter: a delicious taco salad from Blue Iguana. Yum yum!

 

 

Calm Seas today

 

We finished lunch just in time to catch the Lip Sync Battle auditions on Lido at 1. As always they were funny. Then we decided to hit the T-pool in the spa. They do things a little different on the Dream then they do on the Magic, each time we wanted to access the T-pool or saunas we had to go check in at the desk and trade our sail & sign card for an access card. On Magic our S&S cards worked to access the T-pool and saunas, but it was no biggie.

 

T-Pool area

 

 

Spa Showers...they are HUGE! Why have I been fighting with the shower curtain in the tiny cabin showers???

 

 

 

 

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[pirate4me2]

We hung out in the spa area for about an hour or so, then headed back to the room for a nap and to get ready for our first elegant night.

 

This was our first dinner in the MDR, and we were seated in Charlie’s section. He, Lilar, and their assistant were FANTASTIC servers. Their service was quick, and our drinks never went dry.

 

I started off with the Caesar salad. Yum! I forgot a picture though, sorry. No fear though, I got a pic of the rest of my choices! For my main dish, I chose the spaghetti carbonara. It was good.

 

 

Dessert tonight was the Chocolate Hazelnut cake. It was AMAZING.

 

 

We changed and walked around the ship to see what was going on. We listened to the string trio in the atrium for a bit. They really were awesome, they played Coldplay, Maroon 5, Charlie Puth, and other popular singer’s songs, and they sounded fantastic! We left when it was time for Caroline Picard’s PG comedy show. She was a good comedian, and after her show was over we headed to the piano bar to listen to Ben for a bit. He quickly had the bar packed, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. We left at 10 to catch the comedy show by Sam Demaris, and he is HILARIOUS. I don’t think I have laughed that hard in a long time, he had me cracking up. My face hurt from laughing so much. In fact, I burned so many calories from laughing that I treated myself to both a BLT AND a tomato and mozzarella sandwich from the deli at 11:00 at night, and I didn’t feel guilty from eating them both! They were both delicious, by the way.

 

 

 

 

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[pirate4me2]

I was up at 7:30 again today, and like a good girl I hit the gym first thing. I had to work off the sea day brunch I was about to enjoy! I had my mind set on the Eggs Benedict today, and after I was done and cleaned up we headed right to the MDR.

 

I ordered the fruit plate to start, and it was great. No picture though, sorry. :( I did get a pic of my drink though, a Fresh Italian. It's great!!

 

 

I got the dreamed-of Eggs Benedict, and they were perfect. Yum yum!

 

I decided to be somewhat healthy and got a grilled tomato on the side. Meh. It was soggy with no flavor.

I also decided to be brave and order the cheddar grits to try. I’m a northern girl, and I can’t decide if I like them or not.

 

 

After we finished eating we walked around on deck 5 outside. It was a beautiful day with calm seas. I decided that it was the perfect day to hit the Serenity deck. Well, me and just about everyone over the age of 21 must have had the same idea, as it was PACKED. I did manage to find a lounger in the sun, and I stayed and read my book for about an hour and a half. After that, I decided it was T-pool time so I went down there. There were about 5 other people in there, so it wasn’t bad.

 

About 1:30 I decided it was lunch time, so Chris and I hit up Pig & Anchor again. Apparantly we hit it at the right time as it was not busy at all. I got the beef again, with slaw and Mac & Cheese, and it was yummy.

 

 

Just as we finished lunch there was an announcement that we would be stopping to investigate a partially sunk boat.

 

 

 

 

 

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[pirate4me2]

The Captain said there were no signs of anyone around the boat, so after maybe 15 minutes we continued on our way. After all that excitement, we decided to go back to the cabin to nap (Chris) and read (me). I am ashamed to say that we wasted away the afternoon like that and didn’t reappear until dinnertime, so about 6:00. We went to the MDR again, and tonight we didn’t get to sit in Charlie’s section. Our service was rather poor (I never got more water, and there was not a container of it on the table) and SLOW.

 

I got the roasted pumpkin soup to start. It was SO DELICIOUS!

 

 

Next up was my usual, Caesar salad. Then I got the chicken marsala as my main, and it was really yummy.

 

 

For dessert, I went with the butter pecan ice cream. I think I have a new favorite flavor!

 

 

We got out just in time for 80’s Pop to the Max in the Encore! Theater. It was good. When it ended we hoofed it to the comedy show that Sam Demaris was doing, which was hilarious yet again. We then headed up to Lido, and while passing through the buffet I saw these "cookie crumble cake" things I just had to try. OMG, they were YUMMY!!!

 

 

We went to see what was happening and caught the end of “Only the Brave” playing on the big screen. Spoiler alert: it’s SAD, do not watch it unless you want to shed some tears. After depressing myself with the movie I headed back to the cabin to finish reading my book and pack our bag for our excursion tomorrow. We called it a fairly early night since we had to be up kind of early tomorrow for JAMAICA!

 

 

 

 

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