Carnival Dream vs Navigator of the Seas

I won't bore you guys with the details but I have to pick one Carnival Dream or Navigator of the Seas. the itinerary is completely irrelevant they both have a similar one.

Navigator ALL THE WAY! Been on Carnival Dream....it was a bore.

Bingo, awful shows, subpar food, and lots of party going boozers.

You will much more enjoy RCCL.

Navigator, no doubt about it.

We've been on Carnival Magic and Voyager of the Seas which are very similar. I would pick Navigator especially since it's in dry dock right now. Voyager was a beautiful ship and Royal has great service.

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If you haven't already done so, you should probably post your question on the Carnival board as well, so that you can get as many informed opinions as possible.

The reason I'm asking is because I youtubed both ships and the dream seemed to have more stuff going on and it looked very cool at night with all the blue and green laser lights...it just seemed to have a "wow" kind of atmosphere. That being said people say the navigator is really nice too so I was hoping to get opinions from people who've been on both.

The reason I'm asking is because I youtubed both ships and the dream seemed to have more stuff going on and it looked very cool at night with all the blue and green laser lights...it just seemed to have a "wow" kind of atmosphere. That being said people say the navigator is really nice too so I was hoping to get opinions from people who've been on both.

My opinion as someone who's sailed both lines extensively is you're never going to find a "wow" kind of atmosphere on Carnival, especially now after the major entertainment cutbacks of the last few years. If you want a "wow" atmosphere you should definitely pick Navigator.

We were on the Breeze, the newer and purportedly "wow-ier" sister of Dream (lol) and although we had a good time, we were disappointed overall and didn't feel that Breeze matched up to any of our recent Royal Caribbean cruises. This includes Navigator, which I sailed on at some point (2005 I think).

I've had many wonderful sailings on Carnival that I remember fondly so I'm by no means trashing the line, I'm just giving my opinion that the entertainment is far superior on Royal Caribbean these days.

My opinion as someone who's sailed both lines extensively is you're never going to find a "wow" kind of atmosphere on Carnival, especially now after the major entertainment cutbacks of the last few years. If you want a "wow" atmosphere you should definitely pick Navigator.

 

We were on the Breeze, the newer and purportedly "wow-ier" sister of Dream (lol) and although we had a good time, we were disappointed overall and didn't feel that Breeze matched up to any of our recent Royal Caribbean cruises. This includes Navigator, which I sailed on at some point (2005 I think).

 

I've had many wonderful sailings on Carnival that I remember fondly so I'm by no means trashing the line, I'm just giving my opinion that the entertainment is far superior on Royal Caribbean these days.

Very well said! Completely agree!

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My opinion as someone who's sailed both lines extensively is you're never going to find a "wow" kind of atmosphere on Carnival, especially now after the major entertainment cutbacks of the last few years. If you want a "wow" atmosphere you should definitely pick Navigator.

 

We were on the Breeze, the newer and purportedly "wow-ier" sister of Dream (lol) and although we had a good time, we were disappointed overall and didn't feel that Breeze matched up to any of our recent Royal Caribbean cruises. This includes Navigator, which I sailed on at some point (2005 I think).

 

I've had many wonderful sailings on Carnival that I remember fondly so I'm by no means trashing the line, I'm just giving my opinion that the entertainment is far superior on Royal Caribbean these days.

Thank you, that is very very helpful :)

I've been on both the Carnival Dream and the Navigator. I would definitely choose the Navigator. RCCL ships in general are laid out better...we did not like the design of the Dream at all. I saw your post on the Carnival Board and saw that you previously sailed on the Conquest. I would give RCCL a try to see how you like it. The Navigator is going through dry dock right now, and it looks like it will be really nice. Food is so subjective - I wouldn't choose one or the other with food in mind. You can read a hundred reviews, and some will like Carnival, others RCCL, and some will say it varies by ship.

I've been on both the Carnival Dream and the Navigator. I would definitely choose the Navigator. RCCL ships in general are laid out better...we did not like the design of the Dream at all. I saw your post on the Carnival Board and saw that you previously sailed on the Conquest. I would give RCCL a try to see how you like it. The Navigator is going through dry dock right now, and it looks like it will be really nice. Food is so subjective - I wouldn't choose one or the other with food in mind. You can read a hundred reviews, and some will like Carnival, others RCCL, and some will say it varies by ship.

Thanks for the very informative post. That prettu much answered everything I needed to know. Just one more thing: as I mentioned on the Carnival thrwad, the dream looks so...cool at night with all of its lights...I know the NOS goes for something different..would you say the nighttime atmosphere on the NOS is equally impressive even if in a completely different way?

The NOS has the Promenade, which I always love on RCCL ships. The pools are lit at night and you can always find nightlife in the bars and clubs. It's not the neon lights of the carnival ships, but a bit nicer IMO.

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I went on Carnival Dream my two last years in a row because it was THAT AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Dream has TWO HUGE PLUSES GOING FOR IT...

The rear of the ship has a lounge area with pool and jacuzzi with bar overlooking the wake of the ship.........A-MAZ-ZZZZING!

A Total Plus!

Also....The Dream has THE BEST...YES! THE BEST spa day pass....

You get multiple steam/heat rooms with delicious aromas and hot beds with ocean views along with their therapy pool and relaxation rooms. Yum!

YOU WILL NOT beat this on the other ship. I will miss the dream very much...

I am booked on Royal's Freedom next, and I know I will miss these two bonuses very very very much,

I went on Carnival Dream my two last years in a row because it was THAT AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Dream has TWO HUGE PLUSES GOING FOR IT...

The rear of the ship has a lounge area with pool and jacuzzi with bar overlooking the wake of the ship.........A-MAZ-ZZZZING!

A Total Plus!

 

Also....The Dream has THE BEST...YES! THE BEST spa day pass....

You get multiple steam/heat rooms with delicious aromas and hot beds with ocean views along with their therapy pool and relaxation rooms. Yum!

 

YOU WILL NOT beat this on the other ship. I will miss the dream very much...

I am booked on Royal's Freedom next, and I know I will miss these two bonuses very very very much,

Ok...but have you been on Navigator and can you compare?? Or are you just saying that because you've only been on Dream and thought it was great...

No question, you will love Navigator - she's a beautiful ship!

Sailed on both ships and both lines several times. I've always enjoyed any Carnival cruise but the Carnival Dream was poorly laid out, seemed quite crowded for the space available and the staff were simply over whelmed.

Sailed twice on Navigator and enjoyed each and every minute, really nice layout, manageable size, good bars and nightlife.. she's in dry dock at the moment and will be even better after that!

Whichever cruise you choose - enjoy!

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We have been on Dream and Navigator . If we had to choose one or the other , it would definitively be Navigator.

I like the Navigator. The promenade is great....especially after drydock.

Haven't been on either - going on NotS in April. We had a choice, too, and I am excited that NotS is going to be completely new by then. One thing a pp said, i do love that aft pool area on the Carnival ships, Dream or even the older ships.....favorite way to spend a day......

There's definitely more to do on Navigator and more entertainment. Carnival ships tend to be similar experiences so even though I have not been on the Dream I am comfortable with the recommendation. Personally I cant wait to sail on Navigator again, now that she`s gone through dry dock. It is a larger ship than the Dream and carries fewer passengers. I suggest that you visit RC`s website and look at what the Voyager class ships have to offer. .

I won't bore you guys with the details but I have to pick one Carnival Dream or Navigator of the Seas. the itinerary is completely irrelevant they both have a similar one.

There's definitely more to do on Navigator and more entertainment. Carnival ships tend to be similar experiences so even though I have not been on the Dream I am comfortable with the recommendation. Personally I cant wait to sail on Navigator again, now that she`s gone through dry dock. It is a larger ship than the Dream and carries fewer passengers. I suggest that you visit RC`s website and look at what the Voyager class ships have to offer. .

Will it have less people per square foot even after the dry dock? I'm a little concerned that 81 new cabins might tip over the NOS into being crowded.

!

 

Also....The Dream has THE BEST...YES! THE BEST spa day pass....

You get multiple steam/heat rooms with delicious aromas and hot beds with ocean views along with their therapy pool and relaxation rooms. Yum!

 

YOU WILL NOT beat this on the other ship. I will miss the dream very much...

I am booked on Royal's Freedom next, and I know I will miss these two bonuses very very very much,

And the Navigator and Freedom have free steam rooms and saunas and the Navigator has a massive free hot tub outside the steam area.

I've heard very few good things about the Dream.

We were on an excursion in St. John last month and most of the people on our catamaran were from the Dream. There was a common theme with all of them. They all mentioned that the layout was terrible, making the ship feel congested and that the pool area was tiny for as many passengers as it had onboard. Almost everybody said they were having an "OK" time but preferred other lines. Nobody raved about the ship like the people on Oasis and the Celebrity Reflection did.

We haven't been on Carnival in years, but they still don't have anything that can hold a candle to Royal Caribbean's Voyager, Freedom, or Oasis class ships.

Navigator is one of my all time favorite ships. It's a no-brainer.

Will it have less people per square foot even after the dry dock? I'm a little concerned that 81 new cabins might tip over the NOS into being crowded.

The 81 staterooms will probably add around 180-200 guests. Freedom class adds 500 guests with many public spaces close to the same size as on Navigator. I suspect the pool deck and Promenade to feel more crowded than Freedom, but Windjammer, theater, MDR, and other venues to feel less crowded than Freedom.

Will it have less people per square foot even after the dry dock? I'm a little concerned that 81 new cabins might tip over the NOS into being crowded.

This is what you have now:

Dream 3646 passengers 128,250 GRT

Navigator 3114 passengers 138,279 GRT

After additional cabins

Navigator 3276 passengers

370 less passengers in a ship about 8% bigger.

Gregg

This is what you have now:

 

Dream 3646 passengers 128,250 GRT

Navigator 3114 passengers 138,279 GRT

 

After additional cabins

Navigator 3276 passengers

 

370 less passengers in a ship about 8% bigger.

 

Gregg

Very interesting. I wonder how well mass (tonnage) translates into volume (space).