Review of our Spring Break cruise on Carnival Dream

[PhxRain]

poptart.

 

I believe you will find Spa Deck 11 to be one of the easiest to navigate on the entire ship. Location, location, location is the mantra of real estate agents everywhere and Spa deck cabins are in the ideal location. You have easy access to outside decks via doors on either side of the glass roof of the Dream Atrium. There are also private exits / entrances for Spa cabins at the end of the aft hallways that are marked for spa cabins only.

 

From Spa deck 11 you have flat walking access all the way back to the aft elevators which leads to the aft dining room and comedy clubs and of course access to the mid ship elevators as well. In addition to easy access to the open decks, you also have a private spa cabin only elevator to access the serenity adults only areas at the front of the ship. I also noticed that Spa Cabin passengers have unique Spa labeled robes as well as matching slippers for when they venture into the spa thermal suites.

 

We love aft wraps, but if we opted for a balcony other than an aft wrap we would DEFINATELY choose a Spa balcony if not for the amenities, then for the location, location, location. I also like the open top of the spa balconies which affords maximum sunshine.

 

 

OMG! Your review is spectacular Paul! Thank you! And a special thank you for your Spa perspective. We will be on the Magic in May of next year and from what I am seeing on Carnival, Magic will be the same as the Dream with only a few minor changes and learning that our Deck 11 Spa Cabin will be in a great location has really made my day! :D Keep up the great work!

[Scarlett824]

 

For those of you who might be curious, no Bryson did not bring the guitar. It belongs to a friend of his.

 

 

Hi Paul, enjoying your review, you actually make we want to sail the Dream when after hearing so many negative reviews I didnt have any interest. I love your pix and always enjoy your review, thanks for taking the time to share it with us.

 

Quick question for you, how did your sons friend get the guitar on board? My son plays and normally takes it on vacations, but when I researched if he could bring it on our last cruise, it was not allowed?

 

 

I'm wondering this too.

[PaulMedik]

 

For those of you who might be curious, no Bryson did not bring the guitar. It belongs to a friend of his.

 

 

Hi Paul, enjoying your review, you actually make we want to sail the Dream when after hearing so many negative reviews I didnt have any interest. I love your pix and always enjoy your review, thanks for taking the time to share it with us.

 

Quick question for you, how did your sons friend get the guitar on board? My son plays and normally takes it on vacations, but when I researched if he could bring it on our last cruise, it was not allowed?

 

 

Beach410,

 

I've never seen anyone with a guitar on board before other than on board entertainers. Our friends boarded with us and carried it on with no questions asked; you can't really tell too well from this pic, but it looked like a guitar case that he's carrying;

 

 

Nobody asked him any questions about it so I guess it's allowed?

 

 

 

Hi, enjoying your review and all the pictures. I have a question about just cruises in general--how did your oldest enjoy himself? I have 3 boys also, (not really wild) 9,12, and 15. The oldest does not make friends easily and I'm concerned that he would just sit in the arcade spending all of his, and then our money. He likes to swim, but not by himself, and he rolls his eyes at spending time with his brothers. Any thoughts? Did the oldest do any of the organized activities or just hang out? Thanks!

 

 

momof3wildboys,

 

Bryson went to Club 02 the first night to check things out, but he didn't attend any other activities that I am aware of. He pretty much hung out watching movies, ordering rooms service, making trips to the grill, and explored the ship a few times with me. Basically he did what made him happy. My boys have PC games, XBox, Wii, etc at home and don't really spend much time in the arcade because they have more graphic intensive games at home. I think Bryson went to the arcade once, just to see what was there. He had a bag of tokens that he gave to Britt.

 

 

My sons were asking if Camp Carnival is open the first night. They both have children they want to sign up, as do friends traveling with us. Any info you can provide would be appreciated!

 

Gail,

 

Yes, CC is open for registration on the first night, but you can fill out all the forms online via Carnival.com, print them, and bring them with you ready to turn in. The location for registration will be in the Fun Times. I would recommend attending at least part of the registration and getting age specific capers for the various activities for the week.

[PaulMedik]

Thank you all for your kind comments. If I missed any questions, please remind me.

 

 

We did not encounter any lines at the buffet for breakfast. Our Fun Day at Sea breakfast on deck 10 above Lido;

 

 

Karen's breakfast;

 

 

 

We enjoyed a great view from our breakfast table (And no, I am not commenting about my fellow passengers) ;

 

 

After breakfast we went out on deck in search of sunshine and relaxation;

 

 

This was what we saw pretty much everywhere...scratch that. This is what we saw EVERYWHERE;

 

 

A quick check of the higher decks including Serenity revealed that we had arrived too late. I took pics in the Serenity area, but they turned out to not be kid friendly so here's the pics from what used to be a topless deck on other Carnival ships looking down;

 

[PaulMedik]

It's good to see the mini golf getting a good work out for a change;

 

 

 

Karen carried her deck bag back down with her and we stopped by and checked on the boys. Spencer was already out and about at Circle C, but Bryson was enjoying the typical teen activity of sleeping in;

 

 

I checked out the view from their balcony and discovered the wide spot on Lanai had been taken over by BBQ equipment;

 

 

The view forward now had tables set for hungry BBQers;

 

 

 

Back at our balcony we discovered where late risers go for sun on Fun Days at Sea. As you can see, one third of the chairs were reserved by chair hog droppings;

 

 

Entertainment for the morning consisted of watching our steward scrub the balcony;

 

[bcs819]

Thank you all for your kind comments. If I missed any questions, please remind me.

 

 

We did not encounter any lines at the buffet for breakfast. Our Fun Day at Sea breakfast on deck 10 above Lido;

 

 

Karen's breakfast;

 

 

 

We enjoyed a great view from our breakfast table (And no, I am not commenting about my fellow passengers) ;

 

 

After breakfast we went out on deck in search of sunshine and relaxation;

 

 

This was what we saw pretty much everywhere...scratch that. This is what we saw EVERYWHERE;

 

 

A quick check of the higher decks including Serenity revealed that we had arrived too late. I took pics in the Serenity area, but they turned out to not be kid friendly so here's the pics from what used to be a topless deck on other Carnival ships looking down;

 

 

when you say "Not kid-friendly" do you mean that there were adult activities going on there, or that the old funnel deck accepted attire is now accepted in the Serenity area? I (and my fugly tan lines) miss the funnel deck...

[PaulMedik]

He dutifully scrubbed and squeegied (sp?) every square inch of our balcony glass and that's a lot of glass;

 

 

While he scrubbed, sun worshipers bathed in the hot Carribean sun precariously beneath the suds of his scrub brush. In this pic we also get to witness the latest craze in chair hogging called pack it with you or is it called toss if over when you're done? ;

 

 

 

I was very impressed with our steward's ability to use just enough water to clean the glass and have it evaporate in a long line just before reaching the bottom of the metal and showering the sun bathers below. Not one drop made it off the edge! ;

 

 

The neuvo Chair hog passing by with more of his bounty or was he tossing them all over? I should have watched him more closely;

 

 

Later on he made another pass by. He was certainly getting a good workout;

 

 

After scrubbing all the balcony glass, our steward then went to his hands and knees and scrubbed the gutter area too;

 

 

After he was done scrubbing, rubbing, buffing, and completely detailing the balcony, I met him in the hallway with a tip and ran down his assistant and tipped him too (Thank you for that tip Mach, he really appreciated it)

[PaulMedik]

when you say "Not kid-friendly" do you mean that there were adult activities going on there, or that the old funnel deck accepted attire is now accepted in the Serenity area? I (and my fugly tan lines) miss the funnel deck...

 

 

Bernie,

 

I didn't witness any adult activities, but when I reviewed the pics I noticed a few body parts protruding that I had not seen when walking through. The 'old funnel deck' activities were also in evidence in multiple pics. I enlarge the pics before I upload them and sometimes I can crop people out and sometimes I can't. From time to time I hear about pics I've uploaded to Webshots that I missed too. Applying filters, particularly sun filters also causes some swimsuits to be invisible and I try and not upload any of those. Legally I don't think it would ever be an issue, but I'm not qoing to knowingly upload pics of someone in compromising circumstances.....well unless they deserve it and I have uploaded some of those!

 

 

 

The sparkling clean baclony glass is slanted such that some awesome views are created;

 

 

This pic looks like it's taken through the glass from the inside, but it's actually taken straight down from the outside. To those who don't enjoy such pics, please be patient because I took a lot of them;

 

 

Bryson was finally awake, but not roaming;

 

 

 

Outside his window the BBQ was going strong;

 

 

 

I asked Bryson if he'd been down to the Lanai BBQ. He said he went to the grill earlier because the line was too long on the Lanai. I guess he was right;

 

 

The boys had some OBC notices on the first day and two more arrived on the first day at sea;

 

[PaulMedik]

When I returned to my cabin I discovered Karen had failed to locate a deck chair so she'd returned to our balcony;

 

 

 

A quick check on Lanai below revealed one lounger occupied and all others hogged. Hog droppings really need to be better policed;

 

 

 

All chairs had been reserved so some creative fellow passengers resorted to saving deck space in hopes of locating chairs?;

 

 

 

Afternoon entertainment arrived in the form of fellow passengers on a crusade to eliminate hog droppings. I heard them asking the lone sunbather if they knew who owned the books and towels on the chairs. The lone sunbather replied she didn't know them and that they'd been gone a while. The two hearty antihogs removed the items from two chairs;

 

 

They then stood at the rail while admiring their handiwork;

 

 

The antihogs, who are now heros of mine sat and enjoyed the chairs for maybe four or five minutes before leaving. Their deed for the day was accomplished and though I'd loved to have seen an encore, I never saw them again.;

 

 

I don't know if they were friends of the people involved or what the deal was, but it was amusing to listen to and watch.

[PaulMedik]

My balcony snack as delivered by my wife;

 

 

 

The sun was low in the sky as we prepared for the first 'semi elegant' evening;

 

 

The wrap part of our deck actually has no Lanai blocking the view beneath it;

 

 

On the way to dinner we stopped by a few photo ops. Here's a pic of a Carnival photog lining our boys up for a pic;

 

 

I am not sure why Spencer opted to stick his finger in his eye;

 

 

The finished pic by Carnival turned out quite a bit better than my pics;

 

[PaulMedik]

They have a program now where a Carnival Photog will follow you around the ship for an hour taking your pics in any location you choose. There's no obligation to buy, but I imagine they get some shots that would be hard to pass up. We didn't use a Carnival photog, but we got some shots that turned out OK;

 

 

A whole lot less posed;

 

 

Britt posing for the photog;

 

 

And the finished product;

 

 

A different Carnival photog got the look he was looking for;

 

 

And another;

 

 

 

It sure would be nice if they'd print 5x7 instead of 8x10s....

[ChaylaT]

GREAT pictures! And review! I also really like the fancy one Carnival took! :)

[PaulMedik]

Ever wonder whatever happened to all the Pizza Hut red plastic glasses? Joe Farcas bought them to decorate the Dream dining room ceiling;

 

 

Our food arrived quickly and piping hot;

 

 

My first of three lobster tails;

 

 

Zorro is as quick with his wit as his namesake is with the sword. He kept us entertained and fed very well;

 

 

Zorro taught Britt how to make bunny ears out of napkins and he transformed into a rabbit;

 

 

Zorro gave Britt a basket of candy and he proceded to pass out candy to all the kids in the dining room. The waiters were putting on a show below and had summoned Zorro several times, but he refused to leave his area. He told them he was busy and would not be joining them. He and Britt were quite busy;

 

[seguincruiser]

Great pic of your family. Thanks for the wonderful in-depth review.

[PaulMedik]

Even though Zorro didn't participate in the dancing and singing down below, we had our own dance floor and plenty of dancing;

 

 

Britt the Easter Bunny had to cut in on Zorro to dance with his Mom;

 

 

Then Karen and Zorro had the last dance;

 

 

Carnival prides itself on being the Fun Ships, and Zorro provides plenty of fun for his tables. He was constantly talking with guests, explaining the menu, offering advice, and having a great time while providing a great experience for all. He miight not please his bosses by not playing along with the organized dinner show, but his act shouldn't be interrupted for the masses.

 

I highly recommend choosing Zorro to anyone cruising Dream and assigned to Anytime dining. We were told it would be a very long wait one night when we requested Zorro, and I replied that I did not care how long it would be. They gave us a pager and I honestly don't recall how long it actually was.

 

After dinner we returned to find a towel animal;

 

 

Later than night we stopped by the photo are on deck 4 and purchased a few pics;

 

 

I stopped by the casino and took back the money I donated the first day and then some;

 

[pe4all]

 

 

 

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OMG - you are killing me! I LIVE for this mushroom appetizer!

[PaulMedik]

We turned in around 1:00AM after our Fun Day at Sea. The seas were a bit heavy, but the ship was handling it perfectly. The gentle rocking helped us sleep very peacefully all night.

 

Britt checking out the view of Cozumel as we approach;

 

 

As you can tell, he just woke up in this pic. I always enjoy the approach and docking at Cozumel. It's always so peaceful and quiet;

 

 

We had breakfast again in our traditional location on deck 19 above the Lido buffet. The lines were just to the corner by the plates so we had no wait again;

 

 

After we ate breakfast, Karen loaded up a tray with milk, danishes, and cereal for Bryson and Spencer;

 

 

The boys ate quickly and we gathered our cards, passports, and beach items and headed down to the gangway on deck 0. The collection basket for items people were trying to remove from the ship;

 

 

The Carnival photogs met us as we were exiting the gangway;

 

[PaulMedik]

OMG - you are killing me! I LIVE for this mushroom appetizer!

 

 

pe4all,

 

It is quite tasty isn't it. I always get either the mushrooms or the shrimp and sometimes I plan to get something else, but end up sticking with the proven items!

 

 

 

 

 

The boys were quickly posed with a Mexican Dancer. I need to check my pics because I think they've had their pic taken with her before;

 

 

 

Carnival Dream was the only ship scheduled for Cozumel so we had the island all to ourselves.....well, perhaps just the pier because there are always a few landlubbers as well as residents there too;

 

 

We were among the first passengers off the ship so the pier was crowded for the walk to land;

 

 

She's a big ship, but she looks rather familiar in this pic;

 

 

 

Making our way through Puerta Maya;

 

 

We know the port area pretty well so we head straight for the taxi area;

 

[katncenky]

Do you have copies of the kids capers that you could scan? We will be traveling with our sons ages 8 and 10.

[PaulMedik]

We told the taxi starter that we needed a cab for five to Paradise Beach. We declined the first couple cars because they were too small. The starter hailed a van over and we were soon on our way.

 

Our driver was a NASA test pilot wannabe or a wannabe NASCAR driver. He didn't speak a word of English and knew only one speed; Fast as the van would go;

 

 

Our poor driver couldn't stand to have anyone in front of him and nearly passed up our turn to Paradise Beach while trying to pass one last vehicle;

 

 

I always like to get a pic of the Paradise Beach sign, but I had to settle for this quick shot because we entered the compound at 80 miles per hour. I'm not sure how we made the turn, but we did. The trip normally takes around fifteen minutes, but this one seemed to last forever even though I'm sure it was over in less than five minutes. If I ever start to get in a cab with that driver again, I'll drag him to the backseat and make him a passenger;

 

 

The boys were so happy to be out of the rocket van that they climbed a rock on the opposite side to be out of the way of his departure blast off;

 

 

 

Walking up to Paradise Beach is always an exciting time for our boys. It's their favorite port stop because of the beach toys, food, and fun times and Karen and I love it because it's so relaxing;

 

 

We selected five chairs in the second row so we'd have an umbrella for some shade. As you can see, Paradise Beach has no chair hog issues;

 

[minniem64]

 

Britt the Easter Bunny had to cut in on Zorro to dance with his Mom;

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OHHHH I love your dress. These pics are so cute.

[chaserred]

I'm loving all your pics and review of the ship, and especially Paradise Beach, since that is where we are going in our June Dream sail. Please send whatever info and pics you can!:DLuckily, there are only two of us so probably won't need to drive with your NASA pilot wannbe! Thanks so much for all of it!

[sallywallygal]

Your review is a pleasure to read! Your description of the cab ride to Paradise Beach had me laughing out loud. My friend and her family were on your cruise. Looking forward to the rest of your review!

[cruisemom101]

This review is fantastic. I'm getting so excited seeing the food and the ship. I can't wait. Do you happen to have any info. on Circle C or Camp Carnival for 9 year olds? Also, what did they serve at the BBQ? Was it the same stuff at the grill?

[summergal]

I am really loving your review:)

 

Your boys are handsome.