Just off the Dream (Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cozumel)

GREAT review!! Thank you so much! Sailing on her in August 2018!

I thoroughly enjoyed your review!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Great review really appreciated yourm comments on the Wallmart thing. We have enjoyed our cruises with carnival and find it is a great value and if some want to call or say it is a wallmart so be it. Until we dont enjoy the cruises any more we will continue to sail with carnival.

@Kathyds: In our circumstance, my wife doesn't drink so buying the Cheers for 2 @ $100 a day wasn't a deal. At most, i had 9-10 beers maybe 2 days at the beginning of the cruise. Port days probably 3-4. For some it works, for us it didn't. Wasn't a problem.

 

Let me wrap up my review with a few quick hits:

 

CD: Matt I think was his name. Very energetic. Did a greatjob I thought. Kept the fun rolling.

 

Getting around the ship: The stairs are your friend. Don’teven look in the direction of the elevators. If going to one end of the shipfrom your cabin, walk as far as you can in your hall and then go up\down.

 

Tendering at Grand Cayman: Tender boats come out like antsonce the ship is cleared for tendering. Big boats, hold lots of people. Doesn’ttake long at all to get from ship to dock. Sign and Sail cards are a must. Never was asked for apassport or ID. And you can bring a conch shell back on board the ship. Don’task me how I know.

 

 

HUB\Chat: Wait until about a week before your cruise todownload the app. Or at least update it before you get on board. Useful app.Easy to keep tabs on your expenses. Daily Fun Times plus you can scroll toupcoming days to see what’s happening. Someone said the app and the paper funtimes are not always in sync. I didn’t notice. Order the internet plan via theHUB app. We used the social plan and it worked fine. The chat feature workedgood although I had an older version that didn’t have some of the search featuresthe newer version has. Heads up on the Chat: We bought the chat plan for mydaughter, she’s 11. By default – and I guess it’s a good thing – for a minor,the chat feature is limited to the guests assigned to your cabin. For us, thatwas a bummer since she wanted to chat with friends in other cabins. After 3trips to guest services and 3 totally different answers, they were able tochange daughter’s age to 23 which allowed her full access to the chat feature. Herfriends did the same. So there is a work around. Looks like Carnival could allowlinking of cabins that contain minor friends for the chat app if both parentsagree to it.

 

Debarkation: Mostly easy. If you can manage your own bags,you have the option of getting off early in the process. Same for Diamond\Platinumguests. Those with early flights too. We checked 2 big suitcases (again,overpacked) in the hall the night before we reached NOLA. They give you a newset of luggage tags that have a number for order of leaving. Ours was 7. Theykept changing the estimated times for debarkation, later every time. Lots ofannouncements to keep the guests informed of the progress being made. Judgingby the time it was taking initially, we went to the Scarlett (I think) to eatbreakfast. About half way through breakfast, I got a text from someone in ourgroup saying they were off the ship. WTH? I didn’t hear any announcement forour number!!! Then I realized that once we stepped into the restaurant, I hadn’theard ANY announcement. Apparently the speakers in the Scarlett were turned offor the announcements weren’t being broadcast in the room. We finished breakfastto find out they had called numbers 1-15 for debarkation. So we made our way tothe lobby. That by itself was a journey since the main stairs in the lobby weblocked off and we had to find a different way down. Carnival could do a muchbetter job with little signs that point the way off the ship. Oh well. Off theship. Lines again. But, they scanned our sign and sail card, took our custom’sdeclaration, we found our luggage and stepped out the door. Shuttle bus rightthere back to the garage.

 

The River: A very enjoyable part of the trip was the journeyfrom NOLA down the Mississippi River to the Gulf. Stay on deck and watch the sceneryand sites. Lots of ships to see. Late Sunday night we passed the Triumph as itsailed up river towards NOLA. Seems like you could throw a baseball between the2 ships they were that close. On our return trip upriver, we again passed theTriumph as it sailed downriver for another cruise. Kinda neat.

 

Walmart of the Seas: There was a thread somewhere discussingsome guests that choose Carnival and how they might be compared to the Walmartpeople. Ok, I get it. Carnival is apparently a good value that allows peoplefrom different economic situations to enjoy the world of cruising. Having thatin mind, I noticed folks as they walked around and did their thing. Yes, therewere people there who I imagine frequent Walmart quite often. There were peoplewho didn’t dress as nice as some, didn’t follow the bathing suit cover-up suggestionin certain areas, did or didn’t do things that might cause some to wonder abouttheir own choice of cruise lines.

 

 

But you know what? What I did see just about all the timewere people having a good time and not worrying about how they were dressed ornot dressed. Kids were running around laughing and yes, doing cannon balls inthe pools!! I saw smiles from kids with ice cream cones. I heard the laughs. Isaw families sitting at tables playing board games, cards and enjoying timewith each other. I saw more than one grandmother dancing with the waiters inthe dining room. My wife told me that our son said, unprompted, he’s glad tohave parents like us who take them on trips like this. He’s 9. Is Carnival theWalmart of the Seas? Don’t know, don’t care. Our family had fun. So did manyother families. And when they swipe your sign and sail card that last time,having had fun is all that really matters.

 

 

 

Thank you so much for the review. Going on January and you said it right. I've been on princess way more expensive just the same in reality, boat, people and lots of fun.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Walmart of the Seas: There was a thread somewhere discussingsome guests that choose Carnival and how they might be compared to the Walmartpeople. Ok, I get it. Carnival is apparently a good value that allows peoplefrom different economic situations to enjoy the world of cruising. Having thatin mind, I noticed folks as they walked around and did their thing. Yes, therewere people there who I imagine frequent Walmart quite often. There were peoplewho didn’t dress as nice as some, didn’t follow the bathing suit cover-up suggestionin certain areas, did or didn’t do things that might cause some to wonder abouttheir own choice of cruise lines.

 

 

But you know what? What I did see just about all the timewere people having a good time and not worrying about how they were dressed ornot dressed. Kids were running around laughing and yes, doing cannon balls inthe pools!! I saw smiles from kids with ice cream cones. I heard the laughs. Isaw families sitting at tables playing board games, cards and enjoying timewith each other. I saw more than one grandmother dancing with the waiters inthe dining room. My wife told me that our son said, unprompted, he’s glad tohave parents like us who take them on trips like this. He’s 9. Is Carnival theWalmart of the Seas? Don’t know, don’t care. Our family had fun. So did manyother families. And when they swipe your sign and sail card that last time,having had fun is all that really matters.

 

Thank you for the great review & especially for these last 2 paragraphs. The last one made me tear up. I will also add that those people that others like to look down on also sail on Princess & Royal Caribbean, not just on Carnival.

 

I hope some people will read your comments and take them to heart.

I'm happy that you enjoyed your first cruise and hope that it is the first of many to come. I like Carnival, after all it is "the fun ship".

Thank you very much for the review! We are parking at the same location and your information is very helpful! Can't wait to see more!

We just booked Fulton too for November! Thanks

@Kathyds: In our circumstance, my wife doesn't drink so buying the Cheers for 2 @ $100 a day wasn't a deal. At most, i had 9-10 beers maybe 2 days at the beginning of the cruise. Port days probably 3-4. For some it works, for us it didn't. Wasn't a problem.

 

Let me wrap up my review with a few quick hits:

 

CD: Matt I think was his name. Very energetic. Did a greatjob I thought. Kept the fun rolling.

 

Getting around the ship: The stairs are your friend. Don’teven look in the direction of the elevators. If going to one end of the shipfrom your cabin, walk as far as you can in your hall and then go up\down.

 

Tendering at Grand Cayman: Tender boats come out like antsonce the ship is cleared for tendering. Big boats, hold lots of people. Doesn’ttake long at all to get from ship to dock. Sign and Sail cards are a must. Never was asked for apassport or ID. And you can bring a conch shell back on board the ship. Don’task me how I know.

 

 

HUB\Chat: Wait until about a week before your cruise todownload the app. Or at least update it before you get on board. Useful app.Easy to keep tabs on your expenses. Daily Fun Times plus you can scroll toupcoming days to see what’s happening. Someone said the app and the paper funtimes are not always in sync. I didn’t notice. Order the internet plan via theHUB app. We used the social plan and it worked fine. The chat feature workedgood although I had an older version that didn’t have some of the search featuresthe newer version has. Heads up on the Chat: We bought the chat plan for mydaughter, she’s 11. By default – and I guess it’s a good thing – for a minor,the chat feature is limited to the guests assigned to your cabin. For us, thatwas a bummer since she wanted to chat with friends in other cabins. After 3trips to guest services and 3 totally different answers, they were able tochange daughter’s age to 23 which allowed her full access to the chat feature. Herfriends did the same. So there is a work around. Looks like Carnival could allowlinking of cabins that contain minor friends for the chat app if both parentsagree to it.

 

Debarkation: Mostly easy. If you can manage your own bags,you have the option of getting off early in the process. Same for Diamond\Platinumguests. Those with early flights too. We checked 2 big suitcases (again,overpacked) in the hall the night before we reached NOLA. They give you a newset of luggage tags that have a number for order of leaving. Ours was 7. Theykept changing the estimated times for debarkation, later every time. Lots ofannouncements to keep the guests informed of the progress being made. Judgingby the time it was taking initially, we went to the Scarlett (I think) to eatbreakfast. About half way through breakfast, I got a text from someone in ourgroup saying they were off the ship. WTH? I didn’t hear any announcement forour number!!! Then I realized that once we stepped into the restaurant, I hadn’theard ANY announcement. Apparently the speakers in the Scarlett were turned offor the announcements weren’t being broadcast in the room. We finished breakfastto find out they had called numbers 1-15 for debarkation. So we made our way tothe lobby. That by itself was a journey since the main stairs in the lobby weblocked off and we had to find a different way down. Carnival could do a muchbetter job with little signs that point the way off the ship. Oh well. Off theship. Lines again. But, they scanned our sign and sail card, took our custom’sdeclaration, we found our luggage and stepped out the door. Shuttle bus rightthere back to the garage.

 

The River: A very enjoyable part of the trip was the journeyfrom NOLA down the Mississippi River to the Gulf. Stay on deck and watch the sceneryand sites. Lots of ships to see. Late Sunday night we passed the Triumph as itsailed up river towards NOLA. Seems like you could throw a baseball between the2 ships they were that close. On our return trip upriver, we again passed theTriumph as it sailed downriver for another cruise. Kinda neat.

 

Walmart of the Seas: There was a thread somewhere discussingsome guests that choose Carnival and how they might be compared to the Walmartpeople. Ok, I get it. Carnival is apparently a good value that allows peoplefrom different economic situations to enjoy the world of cruising. Having thatin mind, I noticed folks as they walked around and did their thing. Yes, therewere people there who I imagine frequent Walmart quite often. There were peoplewho didn’t dress as nice as some, didn’t follow the bathing suit cover-up suggestionin certain areas, did or didn’t do things that might cause some to wonder abouttheir own choice of cruise lines.

 

 

But you know what? What I did see just about all the timewere people having a good time and not worrying about how they were dressed ornot dressed. Kids were running around laughing and yes, doing cannon balls inthe pools!! I saw smiles from kids with ice cream cones. I heard the laughs. Isaw families sitting at tables playing board games, cards and enjoying timewith each other. I saw more than one grandmother dancing with the waiters inthe dining room. My wife told me that our son said, unprompted, he’s glad tohave parents like us who take them on trips like this. He’s 9. Is Carnival theWalmart of the Seas? Don’t know, don’t care. Our family had fun. So did manyother families. And when they swipe your sign and sail card that last time,having had fun is all that really matters.

 

Loved your review, especially the part at the end. Less than two months from going on the Dream. Do you remember what time you passed Triumph? I would love to see that!

 

But you know what? What I did see just about all the timewere people having a good time and not worrying about how they were dressed ornot dressed. Kids were running around laughing and yes, doing cannon balls inthe pools!! I saw smiles from kids with ice cream cones. I heard the laughs. Isaw families sitting at tables playing board games, cards and enjoying timewith each other. I saw more than one grandmother dancing with the waiters inthe dining room. My wife told me that our son said, unprompted, he’s glad tohave parents like us who take them on trips like this. He’s 9. Is Carnival theWalmart of the Seas? Don’t know, don’t care. Our family had fun. So did manyother families. And when they swipe your sign and sail card that last time,having had fun is all that really matters.

 

Awesome review and SPOT ON with this paragraph. Just got off the Dream last month and like you said, just people having a good time at a good price. Thank you!

Thanks for the write-up, haven't read all of it yet but I will -- especially whatever you might have to say about the ports...

 

Room: 7391 ...

 

We'll be in a nearby stateroom on Breeze (same Deck 7 basically), same itinerary (from Galveston vs. NOLA) and I appreciate your mention of the Sea Day buffet right below, as well as the am/pm sun. And my lady says the starboard side always gives a better view of the ports than the port side does. I never argue, coz of course she's always right. :rolleyes:

 

Oops. I meant :)

 

Fridges on most ships we've sailed have ranged from barely adequate to useless. It's not just Dream (and it's not just Carnival). Best thing is to ask the cabin steward to remove all the mini-bar items (empty the fridge) so it'll work better to cool the items you'll actually consume. Unless of course you use the mini-bar.

 

PS: I've also sailed Celebrity and RCI. People can talk "Walmart" (etc) all they want, but as far as I'm concerned it's all just talk and it has never affected my enjoyment of any cruise one little bit.

Thanks for the detailed review. Heading out on the Dream in a couple of days.

Thanks for the review! Great info. We're sailing on the Dream on Aug 6. Cabin 7428....I'm a little concerned about the "smell" you mentioned. :o Question- did anyone in your family enjoy the movies at night on the deck? Do you know what movies they showed? Was it every night?

 

Thanks!

One of the better reviews. I'm on the Dream in 3 weeks. Good pointers and reminders. The details about where the sun is relative to Your cabin will be helpful to many.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I really enjoyed your review. I'll be on the Dream next month. Looking forward to the port reviews.

 

Sent from my SM-T817V using Forums mobile app

Thanks so very much for the exciting and thorough review! We are beyond excited as we leave tonight to New Orleans to play a couple of days before sailing on the Dream on Sunday!!! Can't wait!...

@jasong38501: I don’t remember exactly the time the Dreampassed the Triumph as we sailed out. But it was late I think. Maybe 10-11??Anyway, it’s fun to stay out on deck during the river trip as there are coolthings to see. You may be able to track the ships through cruisemapper to getan idea of when they pass.

 

 

@dmopink: The smell wasn’t bad. Just noticeable. And itstarted in the hallway at exactly the same place all the time. Just in onesection. Could have been something associated with the rooms the washer\dryers,cleaning supplies, etc are located. Like I said, not something bad at all. Yourcabin, being an even number, is on a different hall so I bet there is no smellat all. I can’t remember many of the movies but most were geared toward kids:Lego Batman, Muana. Also showed Passengers and Arrival. The venue for themovies is cool. Outside, lounge chairs, popcorn. You can see the screen fromanywhere around the pool. One thing that surprised me was several of the panelsthat made up the screen didn’t display correctly. Think pixelating on a verylarge screen. Kinda distracting. With the recent dry dock upgrades, I wouldhave thought the screen would be flawless.(Sorry about any formatting issues. I type in Word then cut\paste. Sometimes words run together in the conversion.)

Here are the links to excursions we took:

 

Link to Review of Capt. Marvin’s in Grand Cayman

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2526163

 

Link to Review of Mr. Sanchos is Cozumel

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2526219

 

Link to Review of River Tubing in Jamaica

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2526132

Thanks for this awesome review! The Walmart comment made me laugh out loud! It is because of the Carnival prices that we can afford several cruises a year! We love Carnival -- the crew is always awesome, the customer service is always excellent, the ships are beautiful, and we ALWAYS have a wonderful time!!!! We sail in 38 or so days, and I CAN'T WAIT (especially after reading your review)!!!!!!!

Thank you for an excellent review and your thoughts!

I traveled on the Dream in 2014, glad to see your review after the upgrade, because we are back on the boat in November.

 

Your review was great.

Excellent review!!!!

We were also on the same cruise as you. This was our 13th cruise and was by far one of the most enjoyable!. From the cruise director, to the entertainment, the waiters and stewards, I found that they all were all on point..... To my husband and I, it just seems that Carnival has upped their game (maybe because the Dream just got out of dry dock and they have all the extras?) IDK, this cruise just seemed better then the last few years (and all on the Dream) ............ We did do a few things different.... We have always choose port side. Love going down the Mississippi and sitting out on our balcony. We chose the cove balcony because it's closer to the water and the life boats above helps to keep it shaded. I'm not sure if it's because we are lower, but we froze every night. Before they had cove balconies, we'd stay on the Empress Deck (I think deck 7) and it was never as cold as Deck 2.

Hubby enjoyed Guy's Burgers.... I'm not a burger person so the Shrimp Burritos at the Blue Iguana Cantina was my place. (And Tandoor / Indian cuisine)

Ate Brunch in the dining room every sea day. Their menu has some yummy things like Huevos Rancheros, Steak and Eggs, Eggs Benedict, Salads, Pasta, etc.. They also served breakfast in the dining room every port day. They were always fast and service was excellent. Didn't buy the Cheer's package either. I think we drank a total of 5 alcohol beverages on the ship. We had al you can drink at Mr. Sanchos which was more than enough, lol... Anyways, I'm so glad that you enjoyed yourself. Our CC group here seemed non existent so we never got around to reading a lot of threads....F.Y.I. We have 2 weeks from the date of our return to book another cruise for reduced deposit, free category upgrades and on board credits. Happy Cruising!!!!!

Noticed my review of Mr. Sanchos has been moved?? So the link above doesn't work. Not sure why it was moved...but i've asked. Sorry for the confusion.

Thank you for the review. It's been decades since my first cruise, and I really enjoyed revisiting that first-time experience through your eyes. I love your sense of humor and laid-back attitude. That's a perfect match for becoming a serial cruiser! Lol. I'm already looking forward to your next review! Have you booked another cruise yet?

 

Hot tip: when you get those warm beers in your cabin wrapped in cellophane at the beginning of the cruise, you can take them to any open bar and swap them for cold ones for no charge.

 

Thanks for an enjoyable review.

Thank you for your review. :) Congrats on having such an upbeat attitude about enjoying your cruise vacation. So many negative responses on CC, it's nice to see someone positive. Your post may have moved over to the ports of call boards so people can find that kind of information faster. happy sailings!

Found it. My review of Mr Sanchos is here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2520817&page=2

 

Still not sure why it was moved but ok. I'm typing this on my phone so hopefully the link pasted correctly.