Carnival Dream Christmas Cruise Detailed Review. Dec. 23-30th

[ScottyZkaaayk]

I was excited to read the rest of your review; please come back!

[BENHANDEL]

On 1/6/2019 at 5:16 PM, lauraingalls said:

Dec 27th

 

Grand Cayman

 

We had purchased an excursion through Carnival for this stop. We purchased the Amazing Stingray, Snorkel and Starfish Experience. We had to be in the Encore theater by 715am. I had told the kids to order the breakfast that you can order in the room and I did the same. Theirs came on time but mine was 15 min late and I was getting worried that I wasnt going to get to eat before we left. I tried to call room service but no one ever answered and it did finally show up. I asked for delivery from 6:00-6:30 and it arrived at 6:45. I was not happy about that. (yes it was on my after cruise survey). I ate quickly and we went to wait in the theater for our excursion to be called.  Now you have to take a boat ride into port from the cruise ship. The water was real choppy. Getting on the boat was kind of scary especially for my daughter with a boot on her leg and foot. They really cram you in on these boats and all I could think about was if we were to sink or capsize like what was in the news several months ago and I didnt have a life vest and …. . I had to change my thinking!

 

We got to the port and found our excursion leader. We were broken up into groups and sent on buses to the other side of the island. Normally the driver talks to you about what island life is like and history and such. We got no info about Grand Cayman (yes I know I can google it). The driver spent his entire drive on the phone. That irritated me. We got to the boat area. I feel like they really crammed us in on the boat. We rode out to the sandbar where the stingrays are.  I need to give a caveat…. I hate fish. I am terrified of fish. Stupid yes I know but I dont get more than knee deep in any water that has fish. So I sat in the boat the entire excursion and was there to watch my teens having fun. My hubby stayed on the ship our cruise because he wasnt feeling well that morning or he would have snorkeled with them. The water was ROUGH. Very very choppy. And the boat kept hitting the waves and we were all soaked by the time we arrived. The water is so absolutely beautiful in Grand Cayman. So stunningly blue. My kids loved the excursion. I think I have a pic saved to my computer of my daughter getting stingray kisses. Lots of people though. Our excursion people hit another boat backing in but we were all okay. We then went and snorkeled in another area. We headed back to shore (man I was getting so sea sick from the rough waves!). We took a bus back and by that time everyone was hangry! No food or snacks offered. If I had thought through it, I would have packed snacks. Not all of us could fit on one bus so we were going to have to sit and wait for another bus. I thought the people on that bus were going to drive it back to the ships themselves! We finally got going and headed back to port. We did some shopping and got on a boat back to the ship. We ate lunch on the boat. I think I got Guys Burgers. I was happy. OH I then grabbed my tortilla shell and pico from the Blue Iguana too. I was hungry!

 

That night was the second formal night and we opted to do the Buffet again. Food was meh. We were tired from the sun and wind and rough seas so we had a chill night and headed to bed early. (okay I did). Hubby played poker and kids hung out with their friends.

 

We did this same excursion from Horizon at Christmas. We found it amazing, although the seas were so rough the snorkeling part was cancelled. Yes, we were soaked from the journey to the sandbar. Yes it was crowded (your photos look absolutley serene). But it was an amazing experience. My favorite part was swimming in the "wave pool" that was the sandbar. We also brought snacks, so that may have made it all the better, lol. 

[BENHANDEL]

On 1/7/2019 at 11:51 AM, lauraingalls said:

Dec 28th

 

Cozumel

 

I love all things Mexico. Probably has to do with being raised in Yuma,AZ. Cozumel is a ton of fun and so many endless possibilities of things to do. We could not get off the ship until 10am. We had breakfast in the buffet area again. Again-nothing spectacular to write home about. Carnival is not the best for food in my opinion. Good thing I need to lose a few (50) pounds and can stand to not overindulge. This time we wanted to get off as soon as we could because my kids had a 1pm appt for a dolphin swim. Getting off was a debacle…. They wanted everyone to take the stairs and those who had bought faster to the fun or suites or diamond and platinum were supposed to get off first. Well that didn't happen… Everyone just crammed the stairs. My daughter had her knee scooter and could not do the stairs… NO elevators available. I had to swim downstream in the sea of people to find a carnival person to get an elevator for my daughter and then swim upstream in the sea of people headed downstairs back to my kids. Yeesh!!!! Pushing and crowding abound. I get it- Cozumel is fun! I said something to one of the Carnival attendants and she said there was nothing they could do about it. How about enforce your policies? If you don't have FTTF or other then you wait? I bought FTTF just for this reason. Cozumel is one hour ahead so it was 11 their time when we started to get off the ship and about 1140 when we got off. THe port is a long walk so we hightailed it as fast as my daughter could scooter and headed for the taxi stand. We hopped in and asked for a ride to Chankanaab. If you have not been to this place I think it is a great way to spend your day….

 

Every place we go to in the Caribbean has sand and beaches. Cozumel is no different. I have done Sanchos and Paradise Beach but wanted a different experience. I didn't want to cross the ocean to Cancun (though I would love to see the Cenotes one day (underground water caverns) after the rough boat ride yesterday.  Chankanaab is an ecological park of sorts. They have sea lion shows, dolphin encounters, alligators, other animals including iguanas and parrots. They have swimming pool and a huge beach area with chairs, palapas and hammocks. What is different is that instead of wading in- you enter via a ladder and it is a reef area with snorkeling. I had gone online before we ever left on the cruise and bought admission to the park and included a buffet lunch. I also bought the dolphin swim package ahead of time as well. *NOTICE* - if you want to do the dolphin swim- do what I did. Go to https://www.*****cozumel/chankanaab-national-park.asp and buy your package to include the photos. I read on here about people getting ripped off on the prices of pictures. When we got there, I had to check in 3 different places it seemed but I we got there with 30 min to spare. (oh the cab fair was just $12 for the 4 of us) The dolphin swim I purchased had the swim, lunch, admission to the park, 1 printed picture and all digital pictures. I went to the picture counter and made sure that I was getting this deal. Apparently I was one of the few who purchased their picture package ahead of time.

 

Only 2 of my kids wanted to do the dolphin thing. (I made them pay for it). So I watched and took some video from where I had to stand (not allowed to be up close). Both of them absolutely loved it. They had a fantastic time. I went to get my pics and I got a printed one of each that I got to choose and I got 94 digital pics!!!! I am soooooo glad I got the package ahead of time. The pics were great! SO worth the hassle I had to do in order to get them. Also the place had free wifi so I got to post some right away as well as satisfy my social media withdrawal. We then ate a late lunch, snorkeled and the kids explored the park. We didnt get to see it all and would  love to come back. The snorkeling gear was included in the package I bought. We got a taxi back to Cozumel and the traffic was bad. THere was 7 ships in port that day and everyone was headed back to the boat! We got back with one hour left for shopping. The port that Carnival uses has so many shops! We looked around for souvenirs that the kids wanted. We hurried on the boat and went to change for dinner.

 

We decided that we missed Novi and headed for the Crimson Dining. On this night, the wait staff did a dance for us. It was awesome! Novi convinced my daughter to stand up and dance with her. Very fun! I cant say enough great things about her. On this night the restaurant was not busy and  I got chance to talk with her about her life and how she likes working for Carnival and such. She did extra things for us that promised not to say (extra treats for my kids that should have been charged $$). We all decided that we would definitely come there tomorrow for our last dinner.

 

I am sorry to report that I didnt attend many shows or events. I used to be a regular attendee but I just didnt care this time around. Nothing appealed to me. I guess because I lead a busy life of being a mom with kids in sports and working nights as a nurse, I just wanted to be bored. I enjoyed spending time in the rear pool area reading or watching videos. I didnt want to gamble and just enjoyed relaxing in a quieter atmosphere.

 

We also did this excursion at Christmas, but booked through the ship (newbie nerves.) You are so right about the pictures- we skipped them because they wanted $230 for the set, or $40 for each picture (x 5 people, plus the family shot, would have been better to splurge on the package!). The photos were fantastic and I tried to reach out hoping for a bargain once I got home but they would not budge. 

[lauraingalls]

So sorry! I got distracted with life! As they say *squirrel*

Dec 29th

Ok. We had our last official full day on the ship. The seas were still choppy. I never got sick but I was worried I would. Thankfully Bonine was a lifesaver for me. No one else in my family needed to take it. I took 2 pills every night when I went to sleep. I slept in and headed up to the Lido deck for the so so breakfast. I basically got toast and bacon and I love the orange juice. I strolled on to the coffee shop to get my favorite drink - coffee au lait. I will admit that I got a couple of milkshakes on my cheers package and gave them to my kids. 

 

On this last day I decided to try my hand at the last bingo game of the cruise. 

*hint about bingo*  They usually pre-sale the cards on Deck 5 by the coffee shop. If you buy them in the pre-sale, you get 3 extra bingo cards if you buy the $40 package. I bought this. While waiting for the big super prize bingo, I people watched and read my book. I honestly was sad about being almost done but also glad to be done. ( I think if the food had been better, maybe I would have wanted to stay longer). 

 

Hubby, daughter and I decided to try Guys BBQ for our last lunch.  I am kind of sad I didnt try this sooner. I really liked it alot! It is on the 5th floor mid ship but you have to go out side to get to it. And the seating around it sucks. Very little seating. No drink stations either. A little more thought needed to be given to this but the food is very very good. I loved the different sauces. This and my chips and pico de gallo idea were my favorites. 

 

I went to play the big jackpot bingo. I won the first game that was played!!! I swear I never win and I won twice!! Carnival ended up giving me $300 when I cashed out. Thank you very much! During the blackout jackpot, an announcement came over the speaker that a life raft had come loose and fell into the ocean. They said we were stopped until they could figure out what happened. The bingo board went blank!! I thought the host was going to faint. She went backstage and with a few words and I am sure some prayers, it came back on! Of course rumors were spreading during the game of who let the lifeboat loose etc. I heard it was a teenager on a dare and they had him in custody and they were trying to locate the parents.... (I sat lower in my chair in case they came searching for me.. no parent wants to do the walk of shame in bingo!). And for the record, I dont think it was teenagers. Sure we had 500 of them but I am going to think positive on that. 

 

We stayed at a standstill for a few hours. I enjoyed the time with some good fruity drinks and poolside sunbathing. I had to go home to snowy Colorado the next day. I was going to make my friends back home jealous with my wonderful tan! 

 

Dinner was of course with Novi... I am telling you, she made the cruise for us. I think she is switching ships and a few months to join her newly married husband. Whoever gets her is lucky. Whenever you are cruising and you hear a high pitched "woohoo", its her. Dinner was actually pretty good. We had prime rib. Not bad. We stayed for desert and took pictures with Novi- When I am home I will load the picture. They did their farewell song and dance and I honestly enjoy these things.  

 

I didnt feel like doing the shows. I did some walking in the cool night air and packed my belongings to set outside. I then proceeded to nag my children to do the same. I was missing my cell service so I kept checking as we were chugging up the Mississippi. I ended up going to bed around midnight. 

 

[lauraingalls]

On 1/8/2019 at 1:50 AM, wantingpj said:

 

A couple questions:

Are there taxi's to get to Doctor's Cave so you don't have to take a shuttle?

Are there shops close to Doctor's Cave? 

 

Thanks for the review.

The shuttles are like taxis. I didnt see many taxis going to Doctor's Cave but I saw tons at Doctor's Cave

Yes there are shops very close. What I learned is that those shops are owned by Indians (from India) the Jamacians dont like people shopping there. They want you to buy from their own native people shops. 

[lauraingalls]

On 1/12/2019 at 7:41 AM, Dentac said:

mexico is FAR more dangerous than Jamaica!  did you make EYE CONTACT or is it just something about Jamaica?   been there twice and had a wonderful experience each time

 I didnt engage in conversation but I did look at people. I understand concerns about Mexico but I am a bordertown girl and love Mexican Culture. But yes it can be dangerous. Everything I learned about Jamaica, I read here on these boards.

[robertlanajean]

Thanks for the review! 

 

Out of curiosity, how do you decide to do a Christmas cruise? Did you pitch it to the kids ahead of time or just "SURPRISE!"? 

I know when we pitched it to our kids back in the day (they're older now) they turned it down because they wanted their stuff and probably knew we would take a trip in the spring anyway. 

 

As far as Jamaica and Mexico -- been to both, loved both. I think that as long as you use your travel sense you're fine in either place. Whether that's no eye contact or head on a swivel, whatever works for you works. The big difference we experienced is the Jamaicans we interacted with seemed sincerely nice, friendly, and happy to see you. The people in Cancun and Cozumel were all nice, but they were more ummmm.... professional/polished. We saw it as "I'm at work, put on a smile" mode. Still happy, but we just "felt" a difference. Our comparisons were both on land-based vacations, so may have been much different if they were just drop in for the day visits.

 

P.S.. Lived in AZ for 12 years. One of the things we miss are our little excursions to Algodones.

Edited February 4, 2019 by robertlanajean
Added the P.S.

[lauraingalls]

On 2/4/2019 at 6:51 AM, robertlanajean said:

Thanks for the review! 

 

Out of curiosity, how do you decide to do a Christmas cruise? Did you pitch it to the kids ahead of time or just "SURPRISE!"? 

I know when we pitched it to our kids back in the day (they're older now) they turned it down because they wanted their stuff and probably knew we would take a trip in the spring anyway. 

 

As far as Jamaica and Mexico -- been to both, loved both. I think that as long as you use your travel sense you're fine in either place. Whether that's no eye contact or head on a swivel, whatever works for you works. The big difference we experienced is the Jamaicans we interacted with seemed sincerely nice, friendly, and happy to see you. The people in Cancun and Cozumel were all nice, but they were more ummmm.... professional/polished. We saw it as "I'm at work, put on a smile" mode. Still happy, but we just "felt" a difference. Our comparisons were both on land-based vacations, so may have been much different if they were just drop in for the day visits.

 

P.S.. Lived in AZ for 12 years. One of the things we miss are our little excursions to Algodones.

OMG- I miss Algodones!! I grew up outside of Yuma. Cant beat $8 Jose Cuervo!  

 

We talked about it as a family. My twins are 15 and I have a 16 yr old. We decided together and they completely understood that it was no gifts and this was their gift. We all agreed. But they have done a cruise before and knew how much fun it was. THis was no different. They had so much fun!

[BENHANDEL]

So glad you came back to add more! 

 

Can't wait for those pictures!