Bad Dream 9th -16th....disappointment!

[canalwen]

I too was on this same cruise. While reading the reviews prior to our trip, I thought perhaps there was something to be concerned about, but I would like to say, that once onboard, we had nothing to worry about. We had a wonderful time.

 

There were two sea days on this cruise, and there were activities planned for those days. I think the weather we experienced may have been an issue for some people. I noticed lots of people staying on board the ship while it was in port, so maybe the ship did not provide enough activities for those who chose not be get off the ship and explore the port. We went ashore in every port and enjoyed everything we did. We went to the beach in Roatan, in the rain, but the air temp was low 70s, the water was warm and we had a great time. The crew we interacted with were all pleasant. Our room stewards were wonderful, as was our wait staff. We do vacation to get out of the every day rush and tend to make our own fun. We spent time on our balconies, with good company (our traveling companions) and good spirits and wished the vacation could have been longer.

 

There were a couple things we did not like. The piano bar, 5th deck aft, is the smoking bar on the ship. We did notice a strong smell of cigarettes oin the 4th and 5th decks in the vicinity of the piano bar. They do however, keep smoking in the casino to a minimum and this is the first time I could actually stay in the casino without smoke blowing in my face. We felt that the casino was small for a ship this size, they could use a few more pools. That was really about it for the stuff we did not like.

 

I do think people expect different things from their vacations and I do believe if we expect perfection, we will always be disappointed.

[conchead]

I just read all her other post also, best I can tell is that if theres not a beach under her feet she's not happy.

 

She should have got in the shower and turned it down slow/low.

 

My wife and I have cruised on 12 carnival ships, had a very few problems.

But we keep comin' back.

 

My biggest complaint is the desert part, Some of the worst tasting sweets I have ever tried. Even the ch. melting cake.

 

I for one do not understand about you cruisers wanting to go to the beach? Or lay out by the pool and tan. When you get home what can you tell your friends about the cruise.

 

Get out see how these other people live and what they believe in. How they work and play. See there countryside. Just plain out smell the air as you tour the city and see the sights.

 

Cruising carnival again real soon on the Dream, real soon.

 

And saying you can't find anything to do on the ship itself, man just sit down and people watch. My wife and I walk the entire ship just looking.

 

We do not drink or gamble, we watch, eat and enjoy. We might just say high to you or we might take your picture or we might just look right through you. But we are having fun.

 

See, that just shows how opinions can vary. I liked most of the deserts..especially the

Warm Chocolate Melting Cake..but I am an admitted Chocoholic.

If it is chocolate..I very rarely complain.:D

 

Some people like to do nothing but relax and not have to do anything

worry about anything and the beach is a good place for that.

I like a little of both, I want to see some of the port but see the beach too.

I used to live in Florida and I miss the sand in my shoes.

 

I really like people watching ...it can be very interresting and entertaining.

[G'ma]

It's amazing how two people can share the same experience and have such polar opposite opinions.

 

Sorry....

 

Too many good reviews about this new ship.....I have a tendency to believe that overall it's a great Carnival experience on a new ship that is working out a few kinks..which is normal for a new ship during it's inaugural season.

 

It's all in how you approach it, I guess.

[G'ma]

Just got back from the Dream and wow..were we disappointed!!!

This was our 6th cruise, first with Carnival and by far our worst Cruise ever.

If this is the Dream crew that they put together with the best of their best I surely will never cruise Carnival again!

Fun ship...really? What FUN did they provide??? Boring...no activities all day This an absolute FIRST in the annals of cruising....no activities at all....all day...for a week....cruise director and his staff were no where to be found all day!!!! Another record breaker!!! CD and staff gone all day everyday for a week!!! WOW!!

At night they came up with making everyone dance the electric slide and chicken dance over and over again Another first. MAKING everyone dance...how'd they DO that???good grief, what next....oh ya they had new year's again...they dropped balloons down from the top balcony in the Atrium ohhhh fun!!!! but oh ya they did the electric slide and chicken dance again!!!!! Guess no one was forced to dance this time. Well, maybe next time.

I am usually blown away by the shows on these ships....the shows on this Ship made me want to put a bullet in my head....I couldn't believe how many people would leave...that bad!!!

Smoking is allowed in way too many places on this ship...it was gross. Our hallway always smelled of smoke and you couldn't go near the piano bar and sunset pool Holy macaroni...empty bars and pool areas. Another first!!!!!.....this brand new ship will be trashed in no time!!!

Also the decor makes you feel like you are in trashy Las Vegas hotel and diner....who designed this ship? I now officially hate the color red!!!!

 

Tsk, tsk,

 

*A little research would have informed you of the smoking policy on Carnival ships. You could have then made an informed decision NOT to cruise with them.

 

*There have been many discussions about the dazzling decor on Carnival ships...guess you must have missed those, huh?

 

* Joe Farcus is the ship's designer...he has been with Carnival for a long, long time. Many of us appreciate his whimsy, outrageousness, his subtle and not so subtle artistic statement. I love his ships. I start smiling when I board and don't stop all week.... I find surprises all week;things that make me grin, that startle...things that make ya feel alive and well.

 

Carnival is obviously not a good fit for you...or you for them.

 

Good luck with your next cruise.....whatever that might be.

 

ex·ag·ger·ate (g-zj-rt)

v. ex·ag·ger·at·ed, ex·ag·ger·at·ing, ex·ag·ger·ates

v.tr. 1. To represent as greater than is actually the case; overstate: .

2. To enlarge or increase to an abnormal degree:

 

v.intr.

 

To make overstatements.

[Steelermoose]

Just got back from the Dream and wow..were we disappointed!!!

This was our 6th cruise, first with Carnival and by far our worst Cruise ever.

If this is the Dream crew that they put together with the best of their best I surely will never cruise Carnival again!

Fun ship...really? What FUN did they provide??? Boring...no activities all day...cruise director and his staff were no where to be found all day!!!!

At night they came up with making everyone dance the electric slide and chicken dance over and over again...oh ya they had new year's again...they dropped balloons down from the top balcony in the Atrium ohhhh fun!!!! but oh ya they did the electric slide and chicken dance again!!!!!

I am usually blown away by the shows on these ships....the shows on this Ship made me want to put a bullet in my head....I couldn't believe how many people would leave...that bad!!!

Smoking is allowed in way too many places on this ship...it was gross. Our hallway always smelled of smoke and you couldn't go near the piano bar and sunset pool.....this brand new ship will be trashed in no time!!!

Also the decor makes you feel like you are in trashy Las Vegas hotel and diner....who designed this ship? I now officially hate the color red!!!!

 

I just returned on the very same sailing and could not disagree more with the OP!! This person obviously was on a different ship because there was so MUCH to do that we didnt get to do it all. Also, several of the shows were OUTSTANDING!! The country show was kinda blah, but i dont care for country music so i chalked it up to that. Smoking is allowed in far fewer areas on the DREAM than on most other ships. I am an avid non-smoker yet the smoking never really bothered me because i avoided the areas that were smoky...(ex: Piano bar) The decor on this ship was classy and muted compared to some of the older ships. The dining rooms are really red, but they were elegant. Maybe instead of complaining bout everything, you could have focused on everything that was so great about this ship!! Im glad you werent one of the people I met this week because I had a blast and will be sailing the DREAM again very soon.

[PaulMedik]

....the shows on this Ship made me want to put a bullet in my head....!!

 

 

Donna,

 

Seek professional help unless that's an exaggeration of your feelings. G'ma provided the definition for you;

 

Tsk' date=' tsk,

 

*A little research would have informed you of the smoking policy on Carnival ships. You could have then made an informed decision NOT to cruise with them.

 

*There have been many discussions about the dazzling decor on Carnival ships...guess you must have missed those, huh?

 

* Joe Farcus is the ship's designer...he has been with Carnival for a long, long time. Many of us appreciate his whimsy, outrageousness, his subtle and not so subtle artistic statement. I love his ships. I start smiling when I board and don't stop all week.... I find surprises all week;things that make me grin, that startle...things that make ya feel alive and well.

 

Carnival is obviously not a good fit for you...or you for them.

 

Good luck with your next cruise.....whatever that might be.

 

[b']ex·ag·ger·ate[/b] (g-zj-rt)

v. ex·ag·ger·at·ed, ex·ag·ger·at·ing, ex·ag·ger·ates

v.tr. 1. To represent as greater than is actually the case; overstate: .

2. To enlarge or increase to an abnormal degree:

 

v.intr.

 

To make overstatements.

[mr jailerman]

I have yet to be on a CCL ship,,49 days to go,,but this is a very true statement as I have found out after reading these boards for a while. I have a Nomex race car suit if you want to borrow it, helmet will cost you extra (I have shoes and gloves too, again extra).

I fear they are to late to get the suit on at this point Ron ! LOL ! :D

[NYNURSE420]

I am not going to knock you for your opinion. But I have to say that even if the cruise did not meet your expectations, you should have "created" your own fun and not waited for some cruise director to initiate some recreation for you. It's not Camp Carnival for adults. If we love the company we are in or enjoy the beauty of the port sights or the beauty of a sunrise or sunset or exploring the vastness of this large ship and making new friends, then you could have enjoyed yourselves. The food was excellent, the shows were superb(I can't believe your opinion of the shows) and the service was excellent and friendly. Find the good, not always the bad. :)

[sheri18]

I am a loyal Royal who just tried Carnival on this same exact cruise. We had a great time and loved the ship. We made the best of the fact that the weather did not cooperate. In my opinion, any cruise is better than working back home.

 

i agree...any cruise is better than work...life and vacation is what you make it...

[Dogonbrd]

I was on the Jan 9th cruise, thought it was great. The staff was very friendly. The food was good, the wait staff very nice. Costa Maya was awesome, when the weather finally got warm. We didn't do the night scene so I can't comment on that. But, there wasn't much happening around the pool. The lines for the buffet weren't nearly what I expected. Over all, I'd do it again.

[zqvol]

Just got back from the Dream and wow..were we disappointed!!!

This was our 6th cruise, first with Carnival and by far our worst Cruise ever.

If this is the Dream crew that they put together with the best of their best I surely will never cruise Carnival again!

Fun ship...really? What FUN did they provide??? Boring...no activities all day...cruise director and his staff were no where to be found all day!!!!

At night they came up with making everyone dance the electric slide and chicken dance over and over again...oh ya they had new year's again...they dropped balloons down from the top balcony in the Atrium ohhhh fun!!!! but oh ya they did the electric slide and chicken dance again!!!!!

I am usually blown away by the shows on these ships....the shows on this Ship made me want to put a bullet in my head....I couldn't believe how many people would leave...that bad!!!

Smoking is allowed in way too many places on this ship...it was gross. Our hallway always smelled of smoke and you couldn't go near the piano bar and sunset pool.....this brand new ship will be trashed in no time!!!

Also the decor makes you feel like you are in trashy Las Vegas hotel and diner....who designed this ship? I now officially hate the color red!!!!

 

In general I tend to agree with you about Carnival as a whole, and I like carnival. I find the activities to be boring beyond description, but I sure don't cruise for the activities that the CD staff provides on the ship. I also agree about the line dancing, etc. But you know what . . . there are plenty of places on the ship where you can go and enjoy yourself without having to deal with those things. BUT the CD staff did not make you do anything, if you participated, it was because it was YOUR choice.

 

New Years again? . . . Conry

 

Shows, sorry but I agree with you, I think in 11 cruises I have maybe seen 2 shows that were worth the effort it took to go to them. That includes, NCL and RCCL in addition to Carnival.

 

Red decor? Carnival is known for over the top decor. If you did not know that before you went on the trip then you did not do your research.

 

Your smoking comments are an over reaction. Every mass market ship allows smoking, and they are not trashed, nor do they smell like smoke. Granted some of the bars will smell like smoke but until the culture changes that is how it is in a bar. BTW, don't ever go to Europe, if the smoking on CCL bothered you you will hate it over there.

 

Try another line, but don't expect anything to be different, other than the over the top decor.

 

BTW you will never catch me on the Dream. I refuse to cruise on a ship that big.

[going2cruz]

Just got back from the Dream and wow..were we disappointed!!!

This was our 6th cruise, first with Carnival and by far our worst Cruise ever.

If this is the Dream crew that they put together with the best of their best I surely will never cruise Carnival again!

Fun ship...really? What FUN did they provide??? Boring...no activities all day...cruise director and his staff were no where to be found all day!!!!

At night they came up with making everyone dance the electric slide and chicken dance over and over again...oh ya they had new year's again...they dropped balloons down from the top balcony in the Atrium ohhhh fun!!!! but oh ya they did the electric slide and chicken dance again!!!!!

I am usually blown away by the shows on these ships....the shows on this Ship made me want to put a bullet in my head....I couldn't believe how many people would leave...that bad!!!

Smoking is allowed in way too many places on this ship...it was gross. Our hallway always smelled of smoke and you couldn't go near the piano bar and sunset pool.....this brand new ship will be trashed in no time!!!

Also the decor makes you feel like you are in trashy Las Vegas hotel and diner....who designed this ship? I now officially hate the color red!!!!

 

 

 

This is how I felt after taking my sixth Carnival cruise. I made switch.......did RCCL and NCL........go on do it...you'll be back. I will now never cruise any other than Carnival again..I might try Princess when I hit 65 and want to slow down a little...that’s twenty years away though.

[halos]

:DSeeing that your location is South Alabama I'm guessing your climate is normally pretty warm. Come visit the great white north in January/February and you'll know in a hurry why some of us want the beach.:D

 

EXACTLY!!!! :eek:

I'm looking out, at the now 12" of snow that has fallen over the past 8 hours and I want nothing more than a hot beach.

 

Although it is always sad to know someone took a cruise and hated it that much (although it does make me wonder. In all my years I have never experienced anything that was that bad from start to finish...but, whatever) It is a comfort to know that not everyone is 100% ecstatic over their cruises all the time.

Can you all imagine how horrible the prices would be if everyone loved cruising and thought it was perfect all the time?

Miserable people keep our cruise rates tolerable. It's all good. ;)

[RRLLAL]

Fun ship...really? What FUN did they provide??? Boring...no activities all day...

 

I'm guessing you never saw the capers?

[CruiseHobbit]

Since there were no structured activites that you liked, I was just wondering what you did all day? I would also be interested in what you would have liked them to add?

 

I find some of the structured activites cheesy. And with the exception of my wife, nobody is twisting my arm to go to them:D.

[mtchg]

...I am doing a Royal cruise next; and I have learned that RCCL now prohiblits all smoking in staterooms except on the balconies.

 

I am not an anti-smoking fanatic; but on my last cruise on Carnival, as soon as we entered

our outside cabin on the Fantasy, we smelled cigar smoke; I was suprised because Carnival staff does an incredible job of eliminating smoke smell for the next occupants.

 

...later on the first day, we returned to the cabin and it smelled pristine; we then realized it wasnt OUR stateroom, but our neighbor was smoking off and on and the smell was wafting through the ventilation system. We lived with it (even made jokes about it "well,

our neighbor must be home")...but honestly would have preferred not to deal with it.

 

I am looking forward to our next cruise; that is guaranteed not to be an issue. As for

Royal's MDR food quality???? LOL we'll see...

 

 

Mitch

 

..

[Cathy p]

Donna, :eek: could not find anything to do, how horrid for you. I find just being with my honey that works 7 days a week more fun than any activity a cruise director could provoide. Going on the Dream 2/20 and cannot be more excited.

[GlendaleCruiser]

Just got back from the Dream and wow..were we disappointed!!!

This was our 6th cruise, first with Carnival and by far our worst Cruise ever.

Really? What exactly were you looking for in the way of entertainment? I'm really curious.

[DonnaKSMJ]

Oh believe me you will all have a fantastic time.....We had a fantastic time...I never said we didn't have fun.....We loved being together and going out to all the ports ......always better than not being on vacation....Just disappointed in the ship ......that's all! ;)

[afcj1]

Oh believe me you will all have a fantastic time.....We had a fantastic time...I never said we didn't have fun.....We loved being together and going out to all the ports ......always better than not being on vacation....Just disappointed in the ship ......that's all! ;)

 

Really...who would have thought:confused: Your opinions are yours, which is not the issue, had you included this comment in your original "review", you probably wouldn't have gotten all of the slack.

[MAS954]

I think you have to look at the personality type of some people. Obviously the OP and spouse are chronic complainers. No matter what goes on in their life, they will find something negative to complain about.

These are people who can only have a conversation about negativities with others.

example:

Good morning. "what's so good about it?"

They approach you at work, grocery store, bank, park and yes cruise ships and start making negative comments about (fill in the blanks) because that is their way of being social.

Sadly we walk amongst these people every day and they thrive on bringing people into their inner circle of negativity. However, even when OP is fed an equally negative response to their negative comment they feel as if they can say others agreed with them. What they don't realize is the other people walked away shaking their head saying some people can never be happy.

 

psssst OP, this is not people defending Carnival as much as it is a pity party for your personality type.

 

whew...... that being said, go TRY to have fun and remember you are in charge of your own fun. Don't be a finger pointer in reference to your own destiny.

 

BTW, I’m not offended by a negative review with some degree of specificity.

[DonnaKSMJ]

"psssst OP, this is not people defending Carnival as much as it is a pity party for your personality type.

 

whew...... that being said, go TRY to have fun and remember you are in charge of your own fun. Don't be a finger pointer in reference to your own destiny."

 

 

Oh you know me so well.....except you couldn't be more off base so don't quit your day job Doc.....

 

Oh pssst, I am always,and on this ship we had no choice but to be, in charge of our own fun...and we did.....

 

I am all done with this discussion.....too busy planning my next cruise...

[lsp]

Carnival is bad. So bad that we are going on our 9th. cruise this June on the Conquest. I really hated it on the Splendor when we had 5 sea days in South America back to back. What to do? Well, I slept as late as I wanted, played games with friends, lots of fun playing Jenga on a bouncy boat. Searched for DH when I wanted him for whatever activity you can do alone in your cabin. And the port days were even worse. Imagine getting off the boat and seeing things you don't see at home.

 

Maybe I need to book a pscyhiatrist to tell me why I keep going back. Nope, I'll keep going back.

[SmogMonster]

Just got back from the Dream and wow..were we disappointed!!!

This was our 6th cruise, first with Carnival and by far our worst Cruise ever.

If this is the Dream crew that they put together with the best of their best I surely will never cruise Carnival again!

Fun ship...really? What FUN did they provide??? Boring...no activities all day...cruise director and his staff were no where to be found all day!!!!

At night they came up with making everyone dance the electric slide and chicken dance over and over again...oh ya they had new year's again...they dropped balloons down from the top balcony in the Atrium ohhhh fun!!!! but oh ya they did the electric slide and chicken dance again!!!!!

I am usually blown away by the shows on these ships....the shows on this Ship made me want to put a bullet in my head....I couldn't believe how many people would leave...that bad!!!

Smoking is allowed in way too many places on this ship...it was gross. Our hallway always smelled of smoke and you couldn't go near the piano bar and sunset pool.....this brand new ship will be trashed in no time!!!

Also the decor makes you feel like you are in trashy Las Vegas hotel and diner....who designed this ship? I now officially hate the color red!!!!

 

FOr some people the glass is ALWAYS half empty. Sounds to me that you are one of them. For others the glass is ALWAYS half full!

 

Me? I am just glad to have a glass! Especially if it has a DOD in it!

[jandjfun]

Sorry you had a bad experience. I have to tell you that I have been on my share of cruises and I have had a different experience on each one.

I would strongly suggest that you find a cruise critic group cruise to get involved with. Make sure the group is planning activities to do while onboard and onshore. That way you can have a say in the activities planned. :D