Carnival Dream exeriences?

Disclaimer: We've only sailed Royal Caribbean and LOVE it.

 

Having said that, we can't find a ship of theirs that fits our budget for the time we want to sail and meets our needs.

 

I found a sale on the Dream for the week of 4th of July that fits our budget.

 

Anyone sailed with RCCL and the Dream? I'd like to know what to expect in terms of service and the guests. It will be my wife and I along with our 12 year old daughter.

 

The Dream looks nice on the photo's and videos I've seen, but I'd like a personal opinion from someone who's been there done that.

 

Thanks in advance.

We have sailed on her 3x and think this class is the best layout Carnival has done.

 

Large comedy club and nice venue for cover band that is off the beasten path on promenade deck.

We've sailed RCCL and Carnival, including the Dream. The Dream is a very nice ship.

 

The biggest difference you'll find, or that we've found, is that service, generally, is better on RCCL. That's not to say you won't get good service on Carnival -- you will -- but is just feels different on RCCL. And it should: you pay more for Royal than Carnival.

 

Food, entertainment, and bars are on par.

 

Guests, or clientele, are what they are. You'll have a few hoity-toity people, a few "people of Wal-mart," and the rest will be your average cruisers. Carnival attracts a slightly younger crowd and more children than Royal. Both RCCL and Carnival have very good kids' programs.

No direct comparison to RCCL, but just got off the Dream yesterday...

 

Have sailed 3 Disney and 1 Celebrity, both as a married couple and a family with a toddler.

 

For what we paid, we felt the value was INCREDIBLE. Other than dining, we felt the service was on par with Disney and beat Celebrity. We actually felt the people were nicer on the Dream than on any Disney cruise we've been on...more patient, more friendly and more respectful of one another.

 

I'd say...go for it. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised!

I have been on 18 RCI ships and 24 Carnival ships. The quality of the ships, the amenities, and the crew interactions vary widely on both lines based on age and size. The Dream is one of Carnival's larger and newer ships and has a fantastic CD, The Flying Scotsman, if he is still there when you cruise. However, if you are only comparing the Dream to RCI's Oasis Class or Quantum class you may not feel it is not comparable. Those are among RCI's newest offerings and have more bells and whistles. Carnival has a reasonably priced product that is a lot of fun to experience and I have many friends at Carnival. I cruise with them a lot and will continue to do so.

No direct comparison to RCCL, but just got off the Dream yesterday...

 

Have sailed 3 Disney and 1 Celebrity, both as a married couple and a family with a toddler.

 

For what we paid, we felt the value was INCREDIBLE. Other than dining, we felt the service was on par with Disney and beat Celebrity. We actually felt the people were nicer on the Dream than on any Disney cruise we've been on...more patient, more friendly and more respectful of one another.

 

I'd say...go for it. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised!

 

 

We, too, were on the Dream last week.

 

We always love Guy’s burgers and the Pig and Anchor BBQ was excellent as well. I had the Arepas, for breakfast, at the Blue Iguana Cantina three days in a row. All dinners were excellent and the service quick and accurate.

 

We love to dance and the only ‘band’ worth dancing to was the violin trio from Argentina. They played contemporary songs rather than classical music. They were quite lively and danced to them a lot. You may have seen us, I’m tall with a grey beard and my wife is short with blond hair. We look like ‘Lady and the Tramp’.

One night I requested ‘Lara’s Theme’ from the movie ‘Dr. Zhivago’. They didn’t have it in their play list. Three days later they announced “This one is for Larry” and played it. Nicely done guys.

 

The ‘Flicks’ music show and the Rock and Roll show were very entertaining.

 

While Carnival is often referred to having a rowdy crowd, we did not see any of that last week.

 

As platinum guests we arrived at the dock check in area before 11:00 and were aboard 10-15 minutes later.

 

I would be hard pressed to find anything to complain about.

 

We have not sailed RCCL but have sailed Celebrity which is owned by RCL so I can’t do a good comparison between the two lines.

 

Hope this helps.

We had a group on the Dream when it was at port Canaveral several years ago. Ship was beautiful. Only complaint we had was our dining room staff had too many tables and our food never arrived hot. That was the only cruise we have ever done late seating at. We were in the dining room a minimum of two hours every night. Other than that complaint we loved everything else. On the Magic in 10 days!

Disclaimer: We've only sailed Royal Caribbean and LOVE it.

 

 

 

Having said that, we can't find a ship of theirs that fits our budget for the time we want to sail and meets our needs.

 

 

 

I found a sale on the Dream for the week of 4th of July that fits our budget.

 

 

 

Anyone sailed with RCCL and the Dream? I'd like to know what to expect in terms of service and the guests. It will be my wife and I along with our 12 year old daughter.

 

 

 

The Dream looks nice on the photo's and videos I've seen, but I'd like a personal opinion from someone who's been there done that.

 

 

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

Done lots of Carnival including Dream and Magic.

We still prefer RCCL, mainly for the ships and entertainment - but find Carnival’s “fun” service and food to be a good offset.

Like you, we have a line we will not cross on cruise pricing and so our Holiday cruises tend to be on Carnival (Last New years on Dream, this Thanksgiving on Breeze). Our last three off peak cruises have been on RCCL and we have another scheduled.

 

We usually end up spending more on board with Carnival.

 

 

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Was on the dream back in August just ahead of Harvey.

 

Loved the ship (and home port) so much going again this feb!

We've sailed RCCL and Carnival, including the Dream. The Dream is a very nice ship.

 

The biggest difference you'll find, or that we've found, is that service, generally, is better on RCCL. That's not to say you won't get good service on Carnival -- you will -- but is just feels different on RCCL. And it should: you pay more for Royal than Carnival.

 

Food, entertainment, and bars are on par.

 

Guests, or clientele, are what they are. You'll have a few hoity-toity people, a few "people of Wal-mart," and the rest will be your average cruisers. Carnival attracts a slightly younger crowd and more children than Royal. Both RCCL and Carnival have very good kids' programs.

 

this made me giggle - it is kind of how I explain the difference too - have not sailed the Dream before - scheduled to be on her in Oct of 18 - have sailed many RCCL ships and like them both but they are different - I can sail Carnival 7 nights with a medium suit case - Royal yeah 1 large and one medium -

We, too, were on the Dream last week.

 

We always love Guy’s burgers and the Pig and Anchor BBQ was excellent as well. I had the Arepas, for breakfast, at the Blue Iguana Cantina three days in a row. All dinners were excellent and the service quick and accurate.

 

We love to dance and the only ‘band’ worth dancing to was the violin trio from Argentina. They played contemporary songs rather than classical music. They were quite lively and danced to them a lot. You may have seen us, I’m tall with a grey beard and my wife is short with blond hair. We look like ‘Lady and the Tramp’.

One night I requested ‘Lara’s Theme’ from the movie ‘Dr. Zhivago’. They didn’t have it in their play list. Three days later they announced “This one is for Larry” and played it. Nicely done guys.

 

The ‘Flicks’ music show and the Rock and Roll show were very entertaining.

 

While Carnival is often referred to having a rowdy crowd, we did not see any of that last week.

 

As platinum guests we arrived at the dock check in area before 11:00 and were aboard 10-15 minutes later.

 

I would be hard pressed to find anything to complain about.

 

We have not sailed RCCL but have sailed Celebrity which is owned by RCL so I can’t do a good comparison between the two lines.

 

Hope this helps.

Also on the Dream last week. We requested that group to play the theme from Game of Thrones. Two days later heard it played. Really enjoyed these guys.

 

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Did you catch the 'Flicks' and 'Rock and Roll' shows?

 

I ended up on stage for the Flicks pre show. We were in the very front so maybe that was why.

 

BTW, we live in Montgomery, AL.