NolaTiem

Hello everyone!

August 20, 2017 wedding aboard the Dream here.

We're already married (3 years) but didn't get to have the big wedding. I'm so excited for it to finally be happening! We'll be cruising to Montego Bay, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel. Our wedding will be on board at our embarkation (New Orleans).

So far we have 18 who are going to sail with us.

One more thing, did you keep any of your FUN TIMES? If so, can you post them?

Brianna,

Thanks for the info! I hope that gets fixed before we go out on February 6th. I'm pretty sure I'll be fine, but I'm not sure about some of the others in my party.

Thank you for the in-depth review and the pics! You look like you really enjoy yourself and you all look like so much fun to cruise with. :) Thanks for sharing this in spite of it being a rough couple of months for you. I'm glad you still find joy in something that was a source of joy for you and your dad.

My sympathy for your loss. I lost my stepdad in 2012 after a lengthy illness, and than my mother a year and a half later, and my biological father 1 year ago, so I know how difficult it can be. It can be bittersweet doing things that you used to do with them...I'm glad you had some awesome company! <3

How did the ship sail? Smooth or was it a bit rocky?

I have never been on the Elation yet and we have some brand new cruisers coming too, so I'm just curious.

Your lucky you weren't at the parade when they throw cabbages. LOL

Cabbages, potatoes and carrots.

While I was pregnant with my now two year old, I went to this particular parade but was sitting VERY far back. That didn't stop an attack from a rogue carrot which popped me right in my mouth and split and fattened my lip. Lol whoever said veggies are good for your health was so wrong.

Thanks for the review. I'll be going on the Elation in February for our second cruise...the first was the Dream.

After this review I'm definitely considering the Chef's Table for dinner one night. Is that something you have to purchase when you get on the ship?

I haven't been on the Elation yet (going February 6, though!) so I can't help with the lounge shows, but I can tell you who the Cruise Director is.

Now through 12/5 it's George Roberts.

11/28-through 1/9/16 is Paul Santley.

and 1/9/16 through June 2016 in Hennie Van Heerden.

I'm particularly happy to have Hennie again...he was the cruise director on our first cruise in June aboard the Dream. :)

Thank you all so much for your comments too. I'm so glad you enjoyed the blog. I don't write often, but when I do and it's something I'm passionate about...I try my best to portray what I was feeling and seeing.

I'm so thankful for you all taking the time to read it. :)

I loved reading your review. We are sailing into those exact ports in Feb on the Triumph. If all goes well, which it will, i am going to start planning our next cruise. I am hoping to get more people to join us for the next one. I can totally see us becoming cruise addicts. I am a planner like you, I have been doing research from the moment i book our cruise in late Aug.

we are taking our 3 yr old with us, i am so excited for her to experience things i did not get a chance to do at age, due to the fact we were lower middle class and my mother is deathly afraid of open water.

 

How did you like Dr. Caves beach?

That's so awesome! Our next cruise in May we're bringing along our two boys, age 15 and 2. I cannot wait to see their faces. I got Faster to the Fun as well, mainly for a speedier trip through the check-in lane...I don't know how patient my 2-year old will be (and let's be honest, I'll be just as excited to get on the ship...I just know at my age throwing myself on the floor and crying won't get me there any faster).

I didn't get to do anything like this when I was younger, though we did go on a speedboat once. My mother was also afraid of water. I'm hoping she'll go on the 2017 cruise we're planning for our daughter's graduation.

I liked Doctor's Cave Beach. The sand was beautiful, the water was downright gorgeous AND it was refreshing. I'm so used to stepping in the Gulf in June and feeling like I am getting into a warm bath...so it was a welcome change and a great cool down from the Caribbean heat. It was a little crowded, but not too bad and all the people were friendly. It's bustling outside the gates and they try to sell you everything...but inside you're pretty much just going to be enjoying the view :)

This review was one of the highlights of my week. You have a true and loving heart. No wonder your cruise blessings were so plentiful and deserved. Especially loved the way you spoke of your husband and kids. I nearly cried reading about your daughter's happy tears. Just wow!

 

I too am taking a cruise with the love of my life and it will be the first time he has ever cruised or even had a real vacation. Our cruise is my love letter to him and I can't wait for him to fall in love with cruising as did I. Hope you and your family have another amazing adventure and be sure to comeback and share!

<3 Thanks DeesEscape....your comment made me smile on a really trying day. :) It melted my heart too when she teared up. It was such a mix of feelings for all of us, and she knew my biggest worry was being apart from them.

I am so excited for your guy to get to experience his first cruise! I'm really looking forward to going on this cruise with the kids and being able to watch their excitement even more attentively because I'll already have one cruise under my belt and kind of know what to expect :D. 140 days can't come fast enough!

Great review! We'll be on the Dream for spring break. It'll be nice escaping the Northern Michigan weather that time of year. We're thinking of taking our teenagers to Dr's Cave for a beach day in Jamaica, how did you like it?

Another Michigander! ;) Escaping the winter is very nice, especially Michigan winters. I've lived in Louisiana for years now, so I'm used to the mild "winters"...I'm sure even if it's cold to me and the other people who live in the area, there will be plenty of people out on the deck in t-shirts and shorts.

Doctor's Cave Beach was nice...it was a bit crowded but not overwhelmingly so. They have some peddler's there, but the tourist police (the officers dressed in all white) do a good job of shooing them away. There is a store about 100 feet from the entrance where you can get a cold Red Stripe beer for $2....the water was refreshing in June. I wouldn't mind spending a day there again.

I really enjoyed reading your review! BTW,Do you live in New Orleans? If so, maybe you could also be our go to girl for NOLA?

 

My DH & I just finished our 2nd cruise celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary. We will be going on the Dream Next August and then on to the Caribbean Princess b2b December making it cruises 3, 4, and 5 respectfully for us. I am hooked and my excitement is hooking my friends at work. Unfortunately, there is just this pesky think called work and school getting in the way of sailing more often!

 

Happy sailing! Look forward to hearing more of your happy tales!

I'd love to be the go to girl for NOLA...I'll answer any questions I can and if I don't know the answer, I sure can find out. :)

I just found out today that my cousins will probably be coming along on this cruise as well! :) I've been talking to them about cruising since I've gotten back. :D

I can absolutely pull down the mattress. :) Thanks! And I'll keep the oceanview room in mind for future cruises!

Hi everyone :) I'm a relatively new cruiser so I'm hoping someone with more experience can give me some advice/assistance.

I reserved a cabin for an upcoming cruise for us. It'll be me, hubby, DS15 and DS 2. It's a room with the two twins that convert to a king with two pullmans.

DS2 is too small for a pullman and too big for a crib....he can crawl right up the sides of them and I'd be afraid he'd tip it over. Sleeping with us isn't really an option as he's a tosser and turner. All the rooms that can have three people with a trundle are taken.

I called Carnival to see if we can have a trundle for him but they said that if they try to add a trundle to the room it will reject it since we have enough beds for the number of people in the stateroom. They said that I can call back periodically to see if another room opens up that sleeps three but can have a trundle, or I can ask my steward if they can get a trundle for us when we got on the ship.

Another option is to bring our own pack n' play but I really don't want to carry that unless absolutely necessary.

Is it likely that if I request a trundle bed from my steward that they'll be able to provide it? I'm nervous about relying on that and then being stuck sleeping curled up in the shower because DS2 kicked me out of the bed with his king-sized flailing.

Any other options I am missing?

Oh and thank you for the reassurance on safety! Sounds like my little Houdini will be safely stuck while I'm out watching a show or catching some rays in the kid-free zone:cool:!

Thanks for the feedback :) I'll of course ask my own doctor what he recommends, but I was curious on what worked for people who have had toddlers on a cruise.

I don't anticipate it being a problem as none of my kids have had motion sickness, but I want to make sure I am prepared "just in case" so I don't have to go without or pay a ridiculous amount onboard.

Totally agree. Trisha, Your ability to enjoy and appreciate everything and find fault with nothing is very refreshing. Your descriptive writing style is also great because it made me a part of your experience. I especially liked how you described one of the best parts of your cruise; the anticipation and preparation.

 

You are someone we'd love to know and to cruise with because it's clear you would add a lot to the experience.

 

Welcome home and welcome to the wonderful world of cruising.

:):)Thanks so much for the compliment and for the feedback. Generally speaking, I try to look at vacation like, "It is what you make it." Wherever you go and whatever you do, things aren't always going to be smooth sailing.:cool:

I knew that I could possibly encounter some things that weren't to my liking. I think I was so much better prepared because I read reviews, posts, and articles. In the future I will probably write reviews that are more technical, but I while writing about my first cruise I wanted to focus on more how it felt rather than what I thought of the ship (I'm so glad for those reviews I've read that have broken it down though!).

Thank you for the welcome, and maybe in the future we'll meet up on some grand ship. I'm always happy to meet new people!

Great Review!!!

 

My kids and I set sail for the first time April 2015, in celebration of my sons 12th birthday. From the moment we stepped on the Ship, I was hooked. Our trip was a 4 day to the Bahamas onboard the Norwegian Sky. We are currently booked on the Emerald Princess for March 2016. I super excited. My 3 year old is still talking about our last cruise. She keeps saying, " Lets go on Vacation to the HA MAS again".

 

Thanks for sharing your experience.

That's adorable! My youngest is crazy about all things motorized, and I showed him a picture of the cruise ship and told him we would be going on one in February. He's not the best talker yet, but later at night as we're trying to get him to go to bed, he says, "BOAT! BOAT! Waaadddderrrrr!"

I'm ecstatic about going again but I am doubly excited to see my kids' faces when they are experiencing it for the first time.

Three Caribbean ports done, only about 50 more to go.

I get the impression that eventually you'll sail into all of them. :D

 

JB :)

Sounds like a good life goal to me :D.

Thanks Norris. I just read you're last review in your signature. Very nice! I'm going to check out the others as well.

Do you go on cruises yearly to escape Chicago winters?

I grew up across the lake from you, in Grand Rapids, so I can relate to needing that mid-winter escape.

Thanks for the welcome. :)

Our next cruise is a short one (5 days), porting out of the city we live in (New Orleans) and going to Cozumel and Progreso. We're taking our kids for the first time, and going in February to escape the Mardi Gras madness.

Wow! 140 cruises...that's amazing! I hope that I'll be to that number some day. :)

Hi there! I have a quick couple of questions that I'm hoping some of you more seasoned Carnival cruisers can answer. I've been on one cruise, it was just me and the hubby.

In February, we'll be taking two of our kids...15 yo DS, and 2 yo DS. (Talk about an age gap!)

I was wondering about the check-in/check-out process at Camp Carnival. I have a little Houdini, so I am wondering if they have good "gates" to keep the little ones from taking a self-guided tour throughout the ship. Did you feel the check-in/out process was pretty secure and that the room the little ones are in was sufficient for keeping them wrangled up and safe?

Also, have any of you had an negative experiences with kids getting motion sickness? What is the best method for treating/preventing this? Anything in particular you recommend?

Thanks you all your help!

Hi everyone :) Hope this finds you all doing well and not having too long of a wait before your next cruise!;)

I had my first cruise ever aboard the Carnival Dream in June of this year. What can I say but it was AMAZING. I wrote a blog about it, if you'd like to read about it...check it out! :)

Once Upon a Carnival Dream

I already booked my next cruise...and am planning a third (or maybe it'll end up being the forth since it's such a ways away!;)) for my daughter's high school graduation.

The Carnival Dream was a beautiful ship...and I know I don't have anything to compare it to but nonetheless...it was a magical, wonderful trip and I wouldn't change a thing. My hubby and I went to celebrate our wedding, which happened a couple years earlier. I was pregnant at the time so we opted to wait for the honeymoon. There was no way I was going to visit a tropical paradise and not have a fruity alcoholic beverage.

Please give it a read, and let me know what you think. I'm curious on what you all think of it and what you all thought of the Dream if you've been on it yet.

146 days until my second cruise! Woohoo!

Going for a five day cruise to escape the craziness of Mardi Gras in New Orleans. We're porting out of New Orleans, and stopping in Cozumel and Progreso.

Hey there, everyone! :)

I went on my first cruise at 36 years old, aboard the Carnival Dream in June of this year. I can say I'm a cruise addict now...essentially from when I walked on board the ship.

I wrote about my first experience here, and I can't wait to go again.

http://collinandtrish.blogspot.com Give it a read if you'd like to, hopefully it'll express just how wonderful my first time cruising was and give all of you who haven't gone yet another reason to be excited for your upcoming trip.

I really cannot think of a more wonderful way to vacation. Being out in the ocean and disconnected from the busyness of life and breathing in all that fresh air was the best recharge I had. The ease of traveling via cruise is perfect. I got to visit multiple places but only had to unpack once...and I'm excited to cruise with the kids too, because not only are there tons of activities for them, there is daycare included in the price so my hubby and I can have some time to enjoy activities that are geared towards us instead of the toddler age group.

Well...just wanted to say hello and say I'm glad to be a fledgling cruise addict. :)