dave_k63

I think this is the best review I have ever read of a cruise vacation. I knew it would be when you said you are a musician. I'm a retired horn player and love cruising with my DW, DS and DGS. We usually cruise out of Galveston or NOLA and now that the Dream will be home-ported in New Orleans, that will be our next cruise. PS - did you by any chance get involved in any of the hold-em tournaments?

We sail on the Dream on July 6, and your review is making me look even more forward to it! Can't believe Shane is the Maitre D' we have had him as our Maitre D' on other Carnival ships. "Helllooooo!"

We had him on the Conquest - he is terrific!

Hi! I was on the Breakaway July 7-July 14. We had a great time! A little about me, this was my 8th cruise. I am a 44 year old mom to 2 wonderful children ages 10 and 14. I went on this cruise with my 10 year old daughter. My son is autistic and he stayed with his dad part of the time and his grandma the other part. (I am going again with both kids Nov. 3, and my former mother-in-law and her boyfriend are also coming for the vacation and to help). I have been on Celebrity, Royal Caribbean and Carnival in the past. This was my first Norwegian Cruise. I live in NJ so this was easy for me to leave out of NYC.

 

I love to eat out which I don't get to do to much because of my children and my work schedule. I have eaten in amazing restaurants in many parts of the world. I travelled a lot before I had children. I also love to cook all types of food. I always try to get the best ingredients!

 

When I heard about all the speciality restaurants on board, I decided to try many of them, since I don't go out as much as I would like and I love to try all kinds of foods. I pre-booked them 45 days before my cruise. Just a few tidbits before I get started. If you pre-book for a child, you do have to pay full price for them, but once you eat at the restaurant, they will credit your on-board account half the price if the child is 12 or under, or the full amount if they order off the regular kids menu (think hamburgers, chicken fingers etc.)

 

Let's get this review started!!!!!

Sunday July 7

Lunch at Savor free dining room - 12PM no wait

I had a club sandwich with french fries. Both were very good. My daughter had a cheeseburger with french fries which she enjoyed.

Service I thought was good.

 

Dinner: Cagneys at 6:30. We sat outside. It was a perfect night to be outside!! Sooo beautiful!

Appetizer: Arugula salad. It was ok, not much flavor. Dinner was strip steak. I ordered it Medium rare, it was overcooked, but I did not send it back or complain (I usually don't complain to wait staff) I was hungry and didn't want to wait. Again the steak didn't have much flavor and didn't seem top quality. The sauces served with the steak were pretty good. For dessert, my daughter shared the apple dessert and the oreo cheesecake. I didn't love the apple dessert. The Oreo cheesecake was amazing!!!!! I definitely recommend it.

The service was very good. The view was amazing.

Bottom line: If you go to more than a couple of restaurants I would consider Cagneys. The steak was not impressive (I also heard other people say that) but the view is great! Some of the outside dining overlooks lifeboats, but not at Cagneys, it is at the end of the Boardwalk so there was also less foot traffic.

 

Monday July 8

Breakfast: Buffet very crowded, hard to find a table. (This stuff doesn't bother me on cruises, I know the buffets are crowded and I always seem to find a table - just letting you know to make your own decisions.) I got oatmeal, scrambled eggs and coffee. I wanted to get an omelet but the line was too long for me. I disliked the eggs, I didn't eat them. They were the powdered stuff. The oatmeal was good. The coffee was not good either. I got some bacon, which was fine. I was going to get an omelet but my daughter was feeling great so we left.

 

I am going to do the rest tomorrow, have to get up early, just wanted to get this started.

Coming up: Ocean Blue, Le Bistro, Teppanaki, Moderno, Sushi Bar, Ocean Blue on the waterfront, Carlo's Bakery, Manhattan room, Irish pub, Uptown Grill and the gelato store. (Boy I ate a lot!!)

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

Keep it coming! I'm enjoying this and want to see the rest. We haven't been on an NCL cruise.

Count me in. I can't wait.

I just found there is a big difference between Red Frog Pub and Red From Rum Bar... sigh

What is the difference? I have not been to either one yet

This was hilarious! I wish I knew your real name - I suspect you are a published author, playwright or screenwriter. Your article wad funny and extremely witty. Can't wait for you and Sailor Jill to go on another cruise so we can read about it. PS - if you aren't already published, you should be.

I didn't know about this! My husband and I will have to check it out on our next cruise! :D

I was assigned to the US Embassy in India, and developed a love of Indian food. When we were on a recent cruise on the Conquest - I met the Food and Beverage manager, Sundeep and we talked about New Delhi, Indian food and culture - and low and behold. One night in the main dining room, I had, to my complete surprise - a complete Indian meal delivered to our table. It was fantastic! Just ask, and you won't be disappointed. Sorry, this threat was not exactly about tandoor, but i fell like sharing

I think it's nice to have it all in one place like this.

Anyone know what nights are formal nights on the 7-night Western Caribbean out of NOLA?

The first formal night is Monday night. The second was on Thursday.

I'm a retired musician and own two tuxedos - one is a set of tails. It's no big thing to dress up for formal night, and it adds a bit of class to the dining experience. Most of the ladies like it and IMO it adds to the cruise experience. Never could understand why some people thought it was so much trouble to dress up.

thats a shame.. I enjoy looking at brochures comparing ships/ ports/ cruise lines.. anyone else find ccl site just a tad bit hard to use?

i can't believe the horrible, out of date website carnival has. Some of it is downright misleading, in my opinion.

my cousins just came back and they used stingray quest - loved it - i will try and post photos - after researching it seems that quest has a lot more to offer in terms of :

touch tank with sea creatures

interactive macaws, cockatoos, lover birds

private boat and dock

lots of local people with great local jokes and knowledge

Peter - who did you book with. Grandson loves the tropical birds.

Sorry if this has already been addressed I couldn't find it when I searched...Can anyone tell me if I will need to show our marriage license to board ship? My ID of course has my married name but of course birth certificate has maiden name. Thanks in advance.

NOw that you mention it - I wonder if a marriage license is needed for a passport

My question was prompted from an extremely quiet thread for our sailing. I was simply wondering if the room sales was sluggish and perhaps that was why so few fellow passengers posted to our thread.

I've always kind of wondered if sales were sluggish they wouldn't buy as much or as varied food. Or the entertainment would be different on an empty ship, and things kind of like that. Or maybe if they're REALLY full - they would run out of things

You do not need a passport in Bermuda or any Caribbean island.

To get off the ship your sign 'n sail card is pushed in a slot to show you got off the ship. When you come back you show a photo ID (driver's license) and your sign 'n sail card which is pushed in again to show you are back on board.

But a passport is very good to have and you NEVER take it off the ship. You can take a COPY of it if you want.

People think of passports being expensive but they are good for TEN years. You now need one if you want to go to Canada or any other country. If you plan to cruise again, think about getting one!

Thank you Bonnie - I have cruised several times before, and I always thought you HAD to take the passport with you.