Review of Dream out of NOLA 1/7/18-1/14/18

Let me preface this review by saying our one and only other cruise was four years ago on the Carnival Imagination (Mexican Riviera). On that trip, a friend of mine came along with me, my niece, and 9 of my minor children. We stayed in three balcony staterooms side by side by side.

A little about us ... We’re a blended family. I had 8 kids with my first husband who passed away. My second husband had 2 kids from his first marriage and we had our surprise little together. My second husband passed away and so now I’m a widowed mom of 11, with 4 left at home. We’re a flexible and laid-back family. We enjoy traveling, mostly camping, but splurge every once in awhile. We’re not the type of people to complain about much and really look at things like “the glass is half full.” We are definitely not formal ... our main dining room attire consists of nice shorts with polos or short-sleeved button down shirts for the boys and sundresses or capris with blouses for the girls ... and on formal night, slacks with long-sleeved button down shirts for the boys and maxi or sun dresses for the girls (although my little wanted to wear a tuxedo and I found him a $40 tux on Ebay).

We had originally planned this cruise one year ago out of Puerto Rico on the Fascination. During hurricane season, we were watching for itinerary changes and adjusting our excursions accordingly. But when FEMA commandeered the ship, we had no choice but to switch to Plan B. Because this was the only week we could take a vacation together and because we needed cabins in such close proximity to each other (since one cabin was occupied by only minors and Carnival’s rule states that they must be within 3 doors of the guardian), our options were very limited by the time we received Carnival’s email informing us that the Fascination cruise was cancelled. Using the 25% off the Carnival gave us, I coughed up the extra money when I found two suites next to each other on the Dream. Traveling this time was me, my niece (18) and 4 of my minor children (17, 17, 17, and 8 - the only ones left at home).

We flew into New Orleans four days before the cruise was to set sail. We happened to arrive during a week of record cold temperatures so we had to pack cold weather clothes, as well as “cruise clothes,” resulting in entirely too much luggage.

We stayed at Homewood Suites by Hilton on N. Rampart, which I highly recommend. We ubered in two cars from the airport, costing approximately $31.50 per car (plus tip). Our room consisted of a small kitchen, dining area, living area with a queen sofa sleeper and a separate bedroom with two queen beds. We were able to walk to Jackson Square, Canal Street, Bourbon Street and really everywhere we wanted. Our first night there we ate at Acme Oyster House and ordered a variety of plates so we could all try traditional dishes ... chargrilled oysters, jambalaya, seafood gumbo, andouille sausage, soft shell po’ boy, red beans and rice, hush puppies, crab cakes, bread pudding. Oh, and mom had a few Hurricanes. Everyone liked it all and especially loved the chargrilled oysters (except the 8 year old who just liked the french fries) ... so if you ever get a chance to eat chargrilled oysters, do not pass it up. I cannot say the same for the raw oysters - those slimy balls of snot just aren’t my thing.

Breakfast is included at Homewood Suites and while it wasn’t fabulous, it was definitely above average. It had some less than appetizing omlettes, crunchy hashbrowns and either link or patty sausages. It also had a waffle station with not only syrup, but strawberries and whipped cream ... several different varieties of cereal ... muffins, bagels, breads ... oatmeal or grits ... fruit ... yogurt ... juices ... coffee or tea. Side note: Homewood Suites also offers a “evening reception” on weeknights, but we didn’t attend one so I can’t tell you about it. Oh, and there was always a big basket of apples out on the table right by the elevators ... my kids frequently grabbed one on our way to or from.

On our second day, we took a swamp tour. The shuttle picked us up at our hotel which was convenient as we hadn’t rented a car. The kids were hoping to see some alligators, but it was simply too cold for that. Matter of fact, it was a good thing we had brought winter coats, hats and gloves. Riding on an airboat was a new experience for all of us and we learned about swamps, alligators, native plants, birds and animals. We saw several varieties of birds, but we were all fascinated when we saw a nutria ... a swamp rat! We had never heard of such a thing before.

That evening the teens went to the Katy Perry concert (Santa brought them tickets for Christmas) while the youngest and I went on a horse carriage tour. UberEats brought us pizza for a late dinner.

On Saturday, the teens took a three-hour bike tour with Free Wheelin Bike Tours which they liked so much that they requested a bike tour in any future town we visited. The youngest and I took a walking tour with French Quartour Kids, which was geared toward kids and was very interesting and informative. It was neat having my little guy tell his siblings facts he had learned about New Orleans. We ate a late lunch at The Royal House and again tried mostly regional foods ... po’boy, fried alligator, shrimp and grits, crawfish ravioli, and gumbo (and the little had mac and cheese, go figure).

We walked around and checked out the sights and sounds of New Orleans. Jackson Square was filled with artists, musicians and anything else you can imagine ... mimes, psychics, tarot card readers, comedians, etc. We wandered over to Cafe Du Monde as no trip to No Orleans is complete without beignets. There were street performers up and down Bourbon Street and music everywhere. While definitely geared to adults with bars galore, I think the cold weather kept nudity to a minimum. Haha. We had burritos/tacos/quesadillas from a Mexican restaurant we found for a late dinner.

We woke up on Sunday morning anxious to get to the ship. I managed to convince the kids to eat breakfast at the hotel. I had signed up for a 11:30 to 12:00 boarding, but remembered that we had priority boarding (since we had booked suites), so we Ubered to the port at about 10:45 ($11.00 per car plus tip). A porter took our luggage and soon as we arrived and we followed the line for priority boarding. It was incredibly smooth and fast. No one questioned the fact that I was a single parent traveling with minor children or that our last names did not match. We were on deck and eating a Guy’s burger by 11:30. My teens made it their mission to eat at least one burger and one pizza every day. The amount of food they consumed was mind-boggling (but I say that every time I buy groceries too).

The kids rushed off to explore the ship, while I plopped myself down at the bar to break my Cheers package in. I am not an extremely heavy drinker and was on the fence about getting the Cheers package. In the end, it wound up being worth it. Since I had purchased Cheers before January 1st, I paid $402.10. According to the Carnival invoice provided, I drank a total of 54 drinks at the bar and 10 drinks at the Plaza Cafe. Considering I only drink mixed drinks or fruity tropical drinks, I figured the minimum price was $8 and the average price of a coffee was $4, which would have totaled about $472. So while it wasn’t a steal, it was still worth it. Had the kids bought sodas and Shirley Temples individually, they would have all spent between $40 and $95, so the Bottomless Bubbles was worth it there too.) One interesting tidbit that I didn’t know ... while we were still on the Mississippi, we had to pay tax on any drinks that we ordered (even on the Cheers or Bubbles package). It was only 11 cents per soda, but I still thought it was odd. And funny.

The kids were anxious to check out the rooms as they thought they were getting an interior room (which is what I had reserved for them on our originally booked Fascination cruise). I hadn’t told the kids we had gotten suites. The suite surprise was a great hit! For them as much as for me! I know some people don’t care about getting a balcony as they say they don’t spend much time in the room anyways (which is why I originally got an interior room for my teens), but I really put the balcony to good use. I enjoy sitting out there in the morning while waiting for my little to wake up, I like lounging out there reading a book and I love hanging out there watching the sun set. The suite’s balcony was much larger than the regular balcony cabin ... fitting not only the two chairs and little table, but also a chaise lounge (we also had them open the door between the two balconies, making for one extra large balcony, plus adding the convenience factor of allowing us to go between rooms via the balcony. The suite itself was also larger. On our last cruise, I utilized many of the tips I found here on cruise critic, including using an over the door shoe holder to store many items (very handy!). I brought one on this trip too, but found I didn’t need it all. There is SO much storage in the suite that we didn’t even use it all.

Enjoying your review!

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Looking forward to your review. 11 kids...I am in awe.

We were on the Dream for the December 17th sailing and I have it on my to do list to write a review. Loved it!!!

Like you we booked suites. One for the kids and one for us. Opening the balcony between the rooms made it like they were connecting rooms.

I will follow your review...

The bathroom is also very large ... instead of just a shower, it has a full tub (jetted!) with slider doors, double sinks and room to maneuver around. There is also a separate area with a mirrored vanity so two people can be getting ready at the same time. (I could find no outlet in the main bathroom area though, and only one outlet in the mirrored vanity section.) I did try out the tub one night and I gotta tell ya, I’m not sure who designed this thing. There are two low pressure jets at the bottom of the tub that hit your feet. The other four jets are on the side of the tub (two on each side). If I sat up, one set of jets hit me at about the hip and the other set hit me a little above the knee. If I scooted down to submerge my upper body, one set of jets hit me mid-thigh and the other set hit me in the waist. Not exactly places I would have chosen to have jets massage me. No jets on my back or neck area at all.

Our room steward came and introduced himself as we were getting settled. He handed me a clipboard which asked me to indicate whether we wanted service in the morning, evening or both. He stood there waiting for me to mark the boxes, which made me feel awkward. I wound up choosing evening (because I wasn’t sure what time my Sleeping Beauties would be rising), which meant that we went all day without our beds being made (not to say I’m incapable of making them myself). In hindsight, I wish I would have marked both. I like returning to a clean room AND I like turn-down service too. I feel spoiled and I enjoy it.

We decorated our doors (I know many people think this is cheesy - we think it is fun). My friend made us some stickers with her Cricut machine. I was worried that they would be too sticky and leave a residue on the door so I stuck one to a piece of paper and attached magnets to the back of it ... the magnets weren’t strong enough to hold to the door! And I used a lot of magnets! I then tried one small sticker and left it overnight as a test ... it peeled right off the next morning without a problem ... so the rest of the stickers went up (except for the one I ruined on the paper and the one I somehow lost ... sorry kids). We did bring some strong magnetic hooks which we placed by the door to hold sweatshirts and lanyards with our sign and sail cards ... those were awesome. The door is definitely not made of the same metal than the walls. I know lanyards is another personal preference topic - some think they’re tacky and make you look like a newbie. They are kinda tacky and we use them anyway. I don’t carry a purse and often wear clothes without pockets. My kids can be forgetful (hmmm, well, I can be too). The lanyards seem to make everything easier for us.

I had each of the kids sign a “Cruise Contract” with me, spelling out the rules and expectations of the cruise. Most of the stuff was pretty self-explanatory, but I wanted to make sure everything was in black and white. We each downloaded the Carnival Hub app, which was handy to look up schedules and such. We had planned on paying the $5 for the chat feature as well, but decided against it when most of us realized we weren’t going to be carrying our phone around. I did purchase two Social Media WiFi plans. Any two devices can be on those plans at the same time (but only one per plan at a time). It allowed me to keep in touch via Facebook and post pictures, and it allowed the teens to Instagram, Tweet and Snap (gotta keep those streaks going!). One great thing was that if I wanted to log on and one of the teens was already on, I could click “switch devices,” and it would kick them off and log me on. Sorry sucka! Service was excruciatingly slow ... I found I got the best service in the early morning hours when I woke up around 6:00 or 7:00am (less people on I’m assuming). While I didn’t carry my phone around with me on the ship, I really did utilize that HUB app. I loved looking at the “What’s Happening” (equivalent to the Fun Times). I was also able to look up dining options and times, as well as menus. I also took a picture of Camp Ocean’s daily schedule, so between the app and that, we were able to coordinate our days easily.

I was on the same cruise with you! I'll be also writing a review when I get a chance.

Great review so far. I love New Orleans too. I took my first cruise from there in about 2002. The carnival holiday. We decorated our doors too and some of us in my family wear lanyards and the others wear spiral keychains for their sail and sign. No one wants to carry a purse (well except my mom) and it is too easy to lose the card without something.

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I just figured out how to add pictures in the body of the text instead of as attachments ... but not within the 30 minutes allotted to edit a post. Darn. So, I'm adding a couple of pictures of our suite here (it's already been lived in).

Our doors ....

We had Early Dining in the Upper Crimson Dining Room (one of the expectations was that we would eat dinner together every night as a family in the dining room). We had three servers/waiters and I am sad to report that on our first night, the service was horrible. After we were seated, it took forever for anyone to even acknowledge us. I ordered an alcoholic drink, which took about 10 minutes to arrive. Only then did anyone ask the kids if they wanted a drink. I would have gladly had another drink, but no one ever came by again and the kids never got refills. Our appetizers arrived approximately 10 minutes after ordering and the kid’s meal arrived at the same time. We then waited 55 minutes for our main course. We ate while my little sat there doing nothing. No one checked on us the entire time. The waiters barely spoke to us or interacted with us. Very little personality. Once we ordered desserts, it took another 15 minutes for them to arrive. From start to finish, we were in the dining room for 2 hours and 25 minutes.

Our second night was formal night. We were asked for our drink orders right away, so that was an improvement (although they did say they would have our same drinks waiting for us - that didn’t exactly work out). I immediately told the server that I would be wanting a second drink once my first one was empty and he said he would definitely bring me one. That never happened. I actually never saw him again. My little was served his dinner first again (from the kids’ menu), even prior to anyone getting appetizers. Then since two of our group did not order appetizers, they were served their entrees while the rest of us were served appetizers. So that left half of our group completely finished with dinner while the other half was still waiting for their entrees. And wait we did. The meal took less time than the previous night at 1 hour and 30 minutes, but we all skipped dessert after being finished with our meal for quite some time and still not receiving the dessert menu. It was a very odd and fragmented dinner with all of us eating at different times.

We resolved ourselves to the fact that service was slow and dinner was going to take awhile. Rather than complain, we figured we’d just enjoy the time together and chat about the day’s events and plan out the next day’s activities. Service did improve as the week went on and the personalities did come out a bit. By no means was it stellar, but it was manageable. There were two nights that my teens wanted to catch a show at 7:30 and skipped dessert to make it on time. The food was good, some things much better than others. The filet (how would you like that cooked? medium well or medium rare? those are your two options) and lobster had rave reviews and the flat iron steak was a great stand-by. I liked how they offered the “port of call” local cuisine selections. Some of the desserts were big flops, but the chocolate melting cake was a standard go-to. The kids menu never changed and “pasta of the day” was ALWAYS spaghetti, but clearly my little didn’t seem to mind because I think he ordered that 5 out of the 7 days.

This is as "formal" as we got ...

That first night and the next day, the sea was choppy with big ole waves. Our room was toward the front of the boat and despite having a Scopolamine patch on, I was seasick. I threw up several times during the night and had a queasy stomach. My little woke up in the morning and threw up several times as well. I was up by 5:30am, unable to sleep any longer. I took some Bonine, hoping that would help. About an hour later, I was sitting on the balcony waiting to watch the sun rise. In no time at all, it was light and I had totally missed the sun. It rose on the other side of the ship (dumb me!). I decided to roam the ship for awhile and it was very quiet and serene. No matter where I was on the ship though, the boat was rocking and moving. I felt like I was a stumbling drunkard. (The combo of the patch and the Bonine did the trick, although I did have to take more than one dose of the Bonine throughout the day. After day one, things settled down until the last day at sea, when once again the boat was rockin and a’rollin.) Once the Blue Iguana Cantina opened, I opted for a breakfast burrito. It looked pretty darn good. I took the first bite and discovered it was cold. Not even luke warm. Cold. Hmmmm. My kids said lunch there was very good.

Prior to going to bed, I filled out a room service card for breakfast to be delivered in the morning between 7:30 and 8:00am, figuring I would wake up before the kids (not figuring I would be up at 5:30 and strolling the decks by 7:00). At 9:00am, room service called and asked if I had received my order. I had not. They apologized and said it was on the way. It never arrived. I filled out another room service card the next night and had the same result. Nothing. I gave up. It was just easier to go find something on the ship than to go through a big hassle.

I am enjoying your review.

Also cute photos.

Keith

Thanks for sharing, we are like you we just go with the flow it is easier than getting upset.

Nice review, thanks!

Following. We are sailing in a Grand Suite in August so I am interested on your take of the suite life on Carnival.

Bless your heart! Eleven kids and losing two husbands. I really find that amazing. Do you ever misplace any of your kids? Appreciate you writing this review! Thanks!

I am enjoying the review. Kudos to you for 11. I hope things got better for your trip as your review goes along. You are not giving me much hope for room service and the MDR. Will be on the Dream on April 15th.

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Enjoying your review. You have a beautiful family!

Following. We are sailing in a Grand Suite in August so I am interested on your take of the suite life on Carnival.

We are not pro-cruisers by any means. The only comparison I have is one previous cruise in a standard balcony stateroom. We really enjoyed our standard balcony, but the suite was definitely a notch up (we were in an Ocean Suite, not a Grand Suite).

Priority Boarding was a great perk. It was so quick and smooth. Really, the best part of the suite for us was the space. It was very roomy, both in physical space and in storage space. I loved the large balcony and got a lot of use out of it. The extra vanity area outside of the bathroom was perfect for getting ready while someone else was showering. The whirlpool tub was pretty worthless because of the jet placement, but my little preferred taking a bath over a shower so it still got used.

Would I book a suite again? Sure, if money were no object. Unfortunately, I'm not in that position. Because I use the balcony so much, I can justify a balcony cabin for myself, but the kids would have been fine in an inside cabin (circumstances what they were, this is how things turned out).

There seem to be minimal outlets in the cabins (suite included), so I would definitely recommend taking along that non-surge protector power strip.

When your room steward asks if you prefer service in the morning or the evening or both, I do recommend both. I think that extra pampering makes a difference.

Enjoy your cruise!

Bless your heart! Eleven kids and losing two husbands. I really find that amazing. Do you ever misplace any of your kids? Appreciate you writing this review! Thanks!

Sometimes you have to let go of what you thought your life should look like. I always tell my kids, if Plan A doesn't work out, go to Plan B. We are definitely at least halfway through the alphabet by now. I wish I could say I have moved forward with grace and confidence, but that is definitely not the case.

As for my kids, I think they have each been "misplaced" a time or two. :')