The Dream was our Dream Cruise

[NYNURSE420]

Let me start simply, by saying that this was our first cruise. But I feel that this is not a hadicap to fair opinion. When a vacation is bad...it is surely bad. And when it is good...well, it is good-to us, first cruise or not.

We went with 16 other couples. Some of these couples have cruised 15 or more cruises. Some first timers, like us. And others, in between. It was a wonderful group of people, all with varying opinions about the Dream.

Embarkation was flawless. We were on the ship by 11:15 or so. We were greeted by photographers, personnel and others who assured us if we were hungry, then to go to the Crimson Room and have a nice lunch. We did. We decided not to try the buffet that day. We were promptly served, by friendly staff. Our food was delicious and fast. We were then told that our rooms would be ready by 1:30. We didn't expect that. Right after lunch, we went up to our rooms and were greeted immediatly by our room steward, Joselito. The luggage had not yet arrived. We then decided to stand on our balcony and watch the ship pull away from the port. By that time, our luggage had arrived.

Now, I am not going to get into what we personally did the 7 days we cruised. I will, however, point out some of the highlights of the Dream.

 

1. Our Dining Room sit down was for early dining. We were in the Scarlett Room. Tomas and Pataka were our waiters. I had been in the restaurant business for 30 years prior and let me tell you that their service was superb! You never had to ask for anything. It was as if they read our minds! They were super friendly.

 

2. Food. Absolutely delicious! Dining Room-excellent. Lido Buffet great. Long lines but if you know how to work it, then it is not long. Hamburgers and hot dogs wonderful. Never tried the pizza because I was influenced by others who said it was horrible. Desserts excellent, especially the chocolate warming cake. Mongolian food line too long for what it is worth. Didn't wait on line for pasta bar. Late night buffets were always available.

 

3. Entertainment. Al Herbst, comedian,(pardon the spelling) was excellent. We went to the R rated act. Another comedian, a phillipino,who had "twisted" humor but was good. Even though many enjoyed the piano bar, we were offended by the piano player constantly asking for tips for requests. We requested a song with a $5.00 tip and the player said he did not know the song, took the tip and proceeded on to the next song.

Bingo was okay-seems the games go too fast, for what it is worth.

The shows were superb. Very talented singers and dancers, who work very hard at entertaining you.

Karaoke was great, with Monah as hostess. Lots of passenger talent, which went on to a "Legends" show that displayed their talent. It was delightful!

Other games, such as Trivia, were done well.

The Marriage show was hysterical. Todd, the CD, emceed this. His humor, coupled with the couples, provided great entertainment.

 

Room. The room was larger than we expected. It was immaculate. We had a balcony, which we enjoyed. Bathroom, of couse, was small. (Ask us how we took one shower together!?) We were above the Ocean Plaza, which did play live music into the night. We could hear it but it did not bother us to the extent of complaining. A number of our friends did complain about their beds shaking-ours never did. I never once had to take any sea sickness medicine, nor did my partner. I slept like a baby.

 

Friendliness of staff. I was very impressed about how outgoing, hard working and friendly the staff was-from maintenance to the top.

 

Smells. I remember one day going into the elevator and looking at my friends like,"alright, who enjoyed the burrito bar today?". It was not very strong, but there. Everytime we got into the elevators, we smelled it. Never smelled it anywhere else. That's the truth.

 

Ports of Call. Nassau-wish they had skipped over this one. St. Thomas-beautiful. St. Maarten-wished we had two days there. We spent at least three hours there inside a jewelry store, drinking and bartering. What a blast!

 

Debarkation. Flawless. Easy. Organized. Fast.

 

A vacation is what you make of it, folks. Some smells or a line for a buffet will not ruin my vacation. You overlook the weakest and grab the best. That is what we did and I can't wait for my next cruise! Thank you Carnival Dream!!!

[Smuncha Luncha]

Great review and glad to hear that your first cruise was enjoyable. I remember our first cruise (in 2003) quite well and we've been hooked ever since!!:)

[purpleblanket]

K I'll bite: I'll dare to ask "How did you take a shower together!!!??? " ;)

 

But Please do us a favor: NO PHOTOS!!!

 

Glad to hear you had a good time!!!

 

Debbie

[NYNURSE420]

We flooded the floor:D

[jayesouthworth]

Thanks for the review, a little bit of everything in there. :D

[PaulMedik]

 

...................... (Ask us how we took one shower together!?) .....................!

 

 

NYNURSE320,

 

Thank you for sharing your experiences with us.

 

So. How did you take a shower together? :)

[conchead]

It sounds like you had a great cruise!!

Elevators can pick up odors easily.

They usually have some sort of an exhaust system at the top of the shaft.

Air enters from all the floors when the doors open, also heat rises

and that is why the shaft acts like a chimney.

[dprg644]

Thanks for the review. Post some pics if you can.

[oakleys]

Cool, glad it worked out.

[bots99]

Great review - hope you write many more.

[momjen]

We are cruising on the Dream in June. We are also on Deck 6 port side near the lanai. Which cabin did you have?

[kicia]

Glad you liked your cruise. Did you say the dining room was open for lunch on embarkation day? That would be great and maybe this is something new since we've never seen that but haven't been on the Dream yet either.

[LHP]

Thanks for sharing your cruise with us.

 

The piano bar entertainer on your cruise uses what we call a "piano whore" style. For future reference, I believe he is currently the only one that still uses that style. There have been others, but they are currently doing land gigs. So please do not think that is common place in the Carnival piano bars.

 

We were just on the Dream last month and Mouna is fantastic!!!

 

Al Earnst is a friend of ours and he ROCKS....

 

WARNING...now that you have been "exposed"...cruise addiction is a common side effect!!!!! :D

 

There is no cure for this addiction!!!

[LHP]

Glad you liked your cruise. Did you say the dining room was open for lunch on embarkation day? That would be great and maybe this is something new since we've never seen that but haven't been on the Dream yet either.

 

I believe that is something new they are trying on the Dream to reduce Lido lines on Embarkation day....

[NYNURSE420]

I was in room 6398. We thought we would hate it, given the location of the hot tub to our left and the lanai beneath us. But all was good. Hot tub closes before nine.

Yes, the DR was open on embarkation day. It was a splendid idea. We thought about going to the buffet and then came back to reality. I will post pics today.

[Jsme]

I like the OP's attitude. I think it funny when someone complains about something and says they will never go on that cruiseline again. Especially the complains about the lines or crowds at food venues. Most land restaruants have wait times or lines. It is amazing to me.

 

Thanks for the good review. It seems like very few people have good things to say about the Dream. I have a group of friends going in a few weeks and I am anxious to hear from them. We are going in July.

[Ga-Fl Peach]

I love a good story! And I love to hear from newbies, their experiences and how they felt about cruising. I am totally addicted to cruising.

"My name is Ga-Fl Peach and I am a cruise addict" - there I said it.:)

[momjen]

NYNurse, thanks for answering my question. We're a few cabins in front of where you were. I switched cabins because we were over the hot tub at first. Didn't really think that was a good idea with my kids. :p

 

We may check out the dining room for lunch on embarkation day. We prefer eating there for breakfast. We're planning on going to the brunch too.

 

Looking forward to seeing your photos!

[LHP]

I was in room 6398. We thought we would hate it, given the location of the hot tub to our left and the lanai beneath us. But all was good. Hot tub closes before nine.

Yes, the DR was open on embarkation day. It was a splendid idea. We thought about going to the buffet and then came back to reality. I will post pics today.

 

Thanks....can't wait to see pictures!!!!

[JetlaggedTraveler]

Great review. Thanks.