Live From the Dream 4/17/10!

[Tiffany1203]

GREAT review!!

[The Klev]

Hi Klev! Thanks for doing this post. I will be on the Carnival Dream for Christmas and New Years this year and I am very excited. I would love to know a couple of things if you can find the time to answer, I would appreciate it.

 

1. According to Mr. John Heald they are testing something new on the Carnival Dream in regards to the photos. Can you give us details?

1a. Are they all digital?

1b. Are they offering a digital package that gives you the rights to all photos?

1c. If so can you post a pricing list (maybe when you get home)?

 

Much like Disney's photopass. You give them your S & S card, you don't have to forage through all the photos. There are several kiosks where you can slide your S & S card and see all your shots from the cruise. No discounts, no deals, but no waiting. Also, like a drugstore, you can insert your camera media and they create a scrapbook, photo album, or picture CD. Those prices are fairly reasonable, but for the photos, it starts at $9.99 for candids, and $21.99 for the portraits.

 

2. In which dining room is your time dining offered? My family has confirmed late seating, but they don't like the aft dining rooms, so I am hoping that we can still have our late seating dinner in the mid-ship dining room.

 

Crimson (midship) upper level. (No sea views)

 

3. Are there flat screen TVs in the staterooms and are there DVD players?

 

There are on the spa deck., I'll check about the other decks.

 

4. Can you give us details about what the Fun Hub is and how it works?

 

I'm on it right now. Think Facebook for cruisers. You use it as a social network. Type in your infor (or as much as you want) and it lists categories of cruising fun (drinking, dancing, spa, etc...) and it tosses you in that social media category. You can log in on a Fun Hub and see what's going on.

 

That is all for now...again, thanks so much!!!

 

Sounds like you are having a great time :)

 

We are, thanks!

[mississauga]

Hi Klev! Thanks for doing this post. I will be on the Carnival Dream for Christmas and New Years this year and I am very excited. I would love to know a couple of things if you can find the time to answer, I would appreciate it.

 

2. In which dining room is your time dining offered? My family has confirmed late seating, but they don't like the aft dining rooms, so I am hoping that we can still have our late seating dinner in the mid-ship dining room.

 

3. Are there flat screen TVs in the staterooms and are there DVD players?

 

 

:)

 

We were on the Dream in December so I will just expand on The Klev's answers.

 

Traditional seating is also in the Crimson ( midship ) Lower Level. Only the upper level is for Anytime Dining.

 

All the cabins have flat screen tvs.

 

Hope this helps.:)

[The Klev]

Will post more tomorrow as it's a sea day and I am fried.

 

Slept in so missed sunrise. Mark from Maya Chan said they'd be ready by 8 A.M. their time (9 A.M. ship time) Made our way off the boat. Nice port, but that's it...once you step outside it's a different world in CM. The hurricane absolutely devastated this area.

 

The pool at the CM port...saltwater, by the way...

 

 

Hopped in a bus organized by Maya Chan and took the 6 mile or so ride down to MC. Lots of downed trees, still plenty of rubble and construction.

 

Maya Chan, however, was quite lush. I will elaborate more wither tomorrow or when I get back to the states, but here's bullets of my experience...

 

1. It's robably better than most places here. Maya Luna was 500 yards or so to the north and that looked okay as well.

 

2. If you want to snorkel and you're a snorkel fan, forget about beach resorts unless you're in decent shape. The reef is easily 1/4 mile out, and the winds are prevailing east (do I have this backwards?) meaning they blow into shore all the time (according to David at MC) So I made it to about 200 yards short of the reef, tied up to their buoy, and took some shots around a small reef. You got grunts, tangs, parrotfish, squirrelfish, and wrasses, which you can see anywhere else.

 

3. They had kayaks, a bike tour, decent food, your individual palapa (kind of like a tiki hut), and massages (for a fee)

 

4. We left early because we were essentially done by 1, and needed to get back on the ship by 2:30.

 

Maya Chan as we entered...

 

 

Maya Chan from the kayak...

 

 

I'd be happy to answer any Costa Maya or Maya Chan questions I can. If you're looking for a relaxing last day of the trip with good food, free drink, and a bit of snorkeling (we saw starfish, lobster, grunts, tangs, and a stingray about 15 yeards offshore, but no coral), and an overall nice beach day, Maya Chan is it. Mahahual doesn't come close - unless you want to shop and be bothered by people selling stuff on the beach.

 

More tomorrow...

[The Klev]

Thanks for the photos. We sail on May 29th in Cabin 12201. Do you know if the set up is the same as yours. I show yours as sleeping 4 people and 12201 sleeping 2......My question is a blueprint I saw shows two bathrooms for cabin 12201???? Maybe the folks in 1201 will let you see???? lol.... :)

 

Tim

 

Tim - our cabin stewards are Vida and Augustino. They are absolutely the best stewards I have ever had and I hope you have them as well. If it is Vida and Augustino, please send them my regards.

 

12201 is different than 12202 (ours) as you have 2 bathrooms - one for showering and one for washing. 12201 sleeps 3 as the sofa converts to a twin bed. Ours (12202) does not have 2 bathrooms but has a pull down to sleep 4. Hope that helps a bit.

[halos]

I'm really enjoying your photos...thanks for sharing!

[The Klev]

I spoke with James last night and he is moving to the Triumph in June.

 

Sorry.

[boogirl1]

I've been enjoying your posts. We sailed on the Dream's first cruise out of NY in November and had a fantastic time. Looks like you are having a great time.

 

We had an aft balcony cabin on this ship, and the balcony was very large. We loved that there was very little noise in the hallway's. The view and sound was amazing.

 

Just noticed you are in Newton...we are in Natick. Small world. Hope you enjoy the final days of your trip.

[The Klev]

Wow, this has driven me crazy. To be impartial, there is an inordinate amount of elevator usage. People going down 1 floor who have no disability or incapacity whatsoever, people going down to go up, and just those who generally have no clue. So here are a few elevator tips:

 

1. If you hear 2 dings, it's going down. 1 ding, it's going up.

 

2. There are 16 steps per flight of stairs. If you don't have a disability and you see those on your floor who are elderly or need assistance, don't jump on the elevator just to go up or down 1 floor. I've gotten off plenty of times when I've seen families rush on the elevators because elderly persons were not as quick to get to the elevator.

 

3. There are elevators midship and aft - there appears to be a huge demand for the atrium elevators. Consider the other ones.

 

Sorry to sound a little peeved here. This is the only thing that's left me a little off - it's not the elevators, per se, but those on the ship who have some feeling of entitlement leaving little consideration for those who actually have no option but to use the elevators.

 

Back with fun stuff and pix later!!!

[Nikgirlcruiser]

Enjoying your review!

[mississauga]

Wow, this has driven me crazy. To be impartial, there is an inordinate amount of elevator usage. People going down 1 floor who have no disability or incapacity whatsoever, people going down to go up, and just those who generally have no clue. So here are a few elevator tips:

 

1. If you hear 2 dings, it's going down. 1 ding, it's going up.

 

2. There are 16 steps per flight of stairs. If you don't have a disability and you see those on your floor who are elderly or need assistance, don't jump on the elevator just to go up or down 1 floor. I've gotten off plenty of times when I've seen families rush on the elevators because elderly persons were not as quick to get to the elevator.

 

3. There are elevators midship and aft - there appears to be a huge demand for the atrium elevators. Consider the other ones.

 

Sorry to sound a little peeved here. This is the only thing that's left me a little off - it's not the elevators, per se, but those on the ship who have some feeling of entitlement leaving little consideration for those who actually have no option but to use the elevators.

 

Back with fun stuff and pix later!!!

 

I agree with you. No matter how many decks we have to go down, we always walk. We just take the elevators if we have to go up more than 2 flights of stairs. ( have a little kink in my knee when walking up steps sometimes...otherwise would walk up all the time too )

 

Taking the stairs works off some of those calories. Maybe give you an opportunity to have that extra favorite dessert on the cruise;)

[vinman13]

Wow, this has driven me crazy. To be impartial, there is an inordinate amount of elevator usage. People going down 1 floor who have no disability or incapacity whatsoever, people going down to go up, and just those who generally have no clue. So here are a few elevator tips:

 

1. If you hear 2 dings, it's going down. 1 ding, it's going up.

 

2. There are 16 steps per flight of stairs. If you don't have a disability and you see those on your floor who are elderly or need assistance, don't jump on the elevator just to go up or down 1 floor. I've gotten off plenty of times when I've seen families rush on the elevators because elderly persons were not as quick to get to the elevator.

 

3. There are elevators midship and aft - there appears to be a huge demand for the atrium elevators. Consider the other ones.

 

Sorry to sound a little peeved here. This is the only thing that's left me a little off - it's not the elevators, per se, but those on the ship who have some feeling of entitlement leaving little consideration for those who actually have no option but to use the elevators.

 

Back with fun stuff and pix later!!!

We were on the Dream April 3rd cruise with my good friend who is in a wheelchair and I could not believe how RUDE people are. This was the only time all week that my blood pressure rose. I was so mad about how inconsiderate people could be. One time the doors opened and I had to ask people to get out so that just my friend could get in . Thanks for the great review it is bringing back great memories.

[navybaby1113]

Great live review! Looks like you had just as much fun as us.

 

I'm going to start my review on Monday. Can't wait to see yours!

[Pollyo]

Can you tell me if you noticed if there were any stores near the Raddison where one could purchase some wine? A CVS or a Walgreens would do. Thanks and have a great cruise. We don't sail until August, but I'll be following your review.

I stayed at the Radison last August. We were able to take the shuttle to dinner and they did some stops to the local package store for alcohol, and we stopped at CVS for a last minute prescription refill. The hotel and shuttle driver were very nice and helpful. They also have a pizza/restaurant next door to the hotel.

[The Klev]

Actually slept late this day and only was able to snap pix of the sun already risen.

 

I hopped to the aft of the ship and grabbed some light breakfast with my DD. The grill that serves burgers and dogs during the day has the usuals (scrambled eggs, hard boiled eggs, waffles, muffins, bagels, cream cheese and fruit) that most people wait 10 minutes to get in lie for the buffet. This day, the grill had excellent chocolate muffins that were not available at the buffet.

 

After that, I took my usual spot on deck 12 port side, which was about 30 steps from our room. Stayed there most of the day, and got up only to take a walk around the ship. This day, apparently like most return sea days, the ship faced a fairly strong headwind, so those who tied down on Deck 10 aft or Lanai aft had the best spots for the day. The slides were closed early due to high winds.

 

At noon, I took a flyer and went down to the Lanai BBQ to grab a single hamburger slider and it was quite good. The BBQ, which queues quickly, featured hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken quesadillas, soft pork tacos, and salad. Inside, where Wasabi (sushi bar is), served turkey rollups and had a salad bar. I then walked up to Deck 10 aft and went to the Tandoori grill and had some pretty fair Tandoori fish and nan. There was never a line here and for good reason, as there is plenty of better food elsewhere. I went back to Deck 12, when a friend suggested the pasta bar. As I had never gone, I figured I’d give it a try and I’m glad I did. Located on Deck 11 of the buffet (where fish and chips is usually located), the pasta bar is, by far, the best dining option on the ship. Ass you enter, you are given a slip of paper, where your options are categorized (by type of pasta, type of sauce, and extras (meats, shrimp, veggies) You also have the option to get a Caesar Salad and/or a roll. You hand the slip to the chef and return to your table. In minutes, the fresh, hot bowl is served to you. We split a salad, linguine with red clam sauce, and linguine alfredo, and both were fantastic. As this was the third of three quasi-lunches, I returned up to 12 to pass out.

 

There were quite a few activities this day, including the debarkation talk, marriage game, towel folding, and pictionary, which I’ll post when I get home via the Fun Times (f/k/a Capers).

 

Not being hungry for dinner, I sat on 12 until about 7:00 or so, then went to the grill on Deck 10 port side and had a Reuben, while may daughter partook in the buffet. We had an intense sunset, and, once I add some space to my Photobucket account, I will post some pix of sunset over Miami.

 

Around 8:30, we were greeted by k2excursion at our room and we hung out on the balcony reminiscing about the cruise. Then left the bags outside, went to the talent show, (where my 8 year old DS won a ship on a stick by answering the question “what body part expands to 8 times its size when stimulated (hint – not what you think)” and hung out some more before it was time to crash for the night.

[The Klev]

Debarkation started early as we docked shortly before 6 this morning. We actually entered port a bit after 5 (I have some nice video of this!), but the maneuver into the small pier area took just over 30 minutes. Self-assist began around 6:40, and VIPs were called just after 7. Todd then called Zones 1,2 and 3, and called zones in groups of 3 every 15 minutes or so. We were called (Zone 10) at 7:50, I believe.

 

Customs was a breeze. I think the total time was 15 minutes from gangway to roadway. There was no line for customs whatsovever.

 

We planned on spending the day at Kennedy Space Center, so we booked ourselves back at the Radisson. As I really wanted to get to Thrifty quickly, I ran to grab a taxi to find, much to my astonishment, there were no taxis on the premises. I sat and sat and sat only to finally ask someone to call one for me. After waiting another 10 minutes, I decided to bite the bullet and take the rental shuttle van. No biggie, but it was certainly odd that there were no taxis waiting for passengers to debark a cruise ship.

 

More to follow…

[navybaby1113]

Debarkation was definitely easy. We were eating breakfast when our zone was called, so we went about 5-10 minutes late and it was simple as pie to get off. It took a little while for our bags to come around the carousel, but all in all it was a quick debarkation.

[The Klev]

I am working on getting my 97 minutes worth of videos and 700 photos in some compact order for viewing.

 

I'm also working on my great and a bit less-than-great thoughts about the trip. The less-than-great thoughts are things you would probably expect on all ships, so no one should think about reconsidering going on the Dream!

 

Here are 2 faves of mine from Chankanaab...enjoy!

 

 

[sailchamp]

Can you tell me if you noticed if there were any stores near the Raddison where one could purchase some wine? A CVS or a Walgreens would do. Thanks and have a great cruise. We don't sail until August, but I'll be following your review.

 

They sell wine in Publix and there is a liquor store right next door to Publix in the same plaza. Come out of the Radisson and go right(south)...it's a mile or so down on right. Hopefully you'll have a car.

[The Klev]

And 2 from Roatan...

 

 

[sailchamp]

I spoke with James last night and he is moving to the Triumph in June.

 

Sorry.

 

Hi Klev,

As we were leaving the ship James told us the contract with him and Todd together expires in October, and the he was going to the Conquest and that Todd would be on the Liberty.

We had a great time post-cruise with you at the Radisson. When we got to the Hyatt last night, met a man on the elevator from Newton, MA !!!

I'm sorry I didn't get his name, but we gave him yours. He has grown children, so your paths may not have crossed. He said he used to live in Worcester too. Small world.

So sad being back at work today; enjoying your blog, keep it going.

[The Klev]

Hi Klev,

As we were leaving the ship James told us the contract with him and Todd together expires in October, and the he was going to the Conquest and that Todd would be on the Liberty.

We had a great time post-cruise with you at the Radisson. When we got to the Hyatt last night, met a man on the elevator from Newton, MA !!!

I'm sorry I didn't get his name, but we gave him yours. He has grown children, so your paths may not have crossed. He said he used to live in Worcester too. Small world.

So sad being back at work today; enjoying your blog, keep it going.

 

Hi Julie!

 

We miss you already!

 

Yes, I spoke with James early in the week and his reassignment was up in the air because his new assignment was not what he truly wanted. So I presume he got a new reassignment which will keep him on the Dream a bit longer. I'm not certain I should post what he truly wants/wanted, but your information is definitely more accurate.

 

Give our love to the family!

[snookymom]

Enjoyed your review, makes me wish we were back there. I understand what you mean about the elevators. :(Most of these people wouldn't last a day if they worked in a high rise building! It looked funny to see chairs without towels on them.:eek:

[The Klev]

Not certain I gave Costa Maya its full due and friends Navybaby and Smileyone have given it same, so here goes....

 

I was quite sad that the hurrican absolutely leveled the place. David over at Maya Chan said it would have been categorized as a Category 6 if there was such a thing. If you're driving out of town, you can see where the swath of ferocity took a mile or so wide chunk of landscape as it ripped through the area.

 

The first photo is taken through a window from the busa to Maya Chan, which is about 6 miles or so south of the port. The others are of Maya Chan, with a fun shot of the Dream's hindquarters as we prepared to embark. The last one is my son on the Lanai appearing to study his next move carefully...

 

 

 

 

[The Klev]