Coming to you Live from the Dream

[Senoj84]

Yay!!! Another Dream review! Can't wait to read the rest!

[scchasgal]

That's great news for the Dreamers, not so good for us going on the Liberty, Butch's former home. We had him last Jan, he is great. Who is CD on the Liberty now?

 

Kyle Post is the CD now and then changing to Todd Wittmer Oct 9th on

[WAHMto5]

Love the live reviews, thanks so much for sharing!

[willyguy]

Tha for the review keep it going.

[cruiseguys2009]

Josh Waitzman is the new Permanent CD for the Dream starting on October 3rd. Butch is only there temporarily, drats, he is wonderful but Josh is exceptional as well. We see Josh on October 9th sailing!

 

Thank you for your review, I have you book marked!

 

JW

[mississauga]

Josh Waitzman is the new Permanent CD for the Dream starting on October 3rd. Butch is only there temporarily, drats, he is wonderful but Josh is exceptional as well. We see Josh on October 9th sailing!

 

Thank you for your review, I have you book marked!

 

JW

 

Butch will be back starting Nov. 27th. He went from the Liberty right to the Dream without a break. I think he is taking the Oct 3rd to Nov. 26th period off and then return to the Dream as the permanent CD.:D ( IMHO ....LOL ):)

[kcslim]

I was looking at the Dream webcam today, aft camera. It's possible I saw Lois and her Mom out by the stage/pool. Ask Lois if she had a black "cover up" on. She would have been carrying (food/drinks) maybe. If it was her, her mom was slightly behind her. Now wouldn't THAT be something! We could set up a time for you all to wave to me??? :D

 

Hope formal night was good... Hello to all!

[tiyana4]

Josh Waitzman is the new Permanent CD for the Dream starting on October 3rd. Butch is only there temporarily, drats, he is wonderful but Josh is exceptional as well. We see Josh on October 9th sailing!

 

Thank you for your review, I have you book marked!

 

JW

 

We just got off the Freedom a week ago and were told the exact same thing (either by Josh himself or the captain) during the farewell show. I hope he is our CD next August. He was great!

 

Butch will be back starting Nov. 27th. He went from the Liberty right to the Dream without a break. I think he is taking the Oct 3rd to Nov. 26th period off and then return to the Dream as the permanent CD.:D ( IMHO ....LOL ):)

 

Where did you hear this?

 

To the OP - we can't wait to see pics!!!

[cruiseguys2009]

Butch will be back starting Nov. 27th. He went from the Liberty right to the Dream without a break. I think he is taking the Oct 3rd to Nov. 26th period off and then return to the Dream as the permanent CD.:D ( IMHO ....LOL ):)

 

Butch returns to the Dream so Josh can take his two month vacation then Josh will return to accept the Helm of the CD post.

[tiyana4]

Butch returns to the Dream so Josh can take his two month vacation then Josh will return to accept the Helm of the CD post.

 

Ok, that makes sense.

[KLLund]

I was looking at the Dream webcam today, aft camera. It's possible I saw Lois and her Mom out by the stage/pool. Ask Lois if she had a black "cover up" on. She would have been carrying (food/drinks) maybe. If it was her, her mom was slightly behind her. Now wouldn't THAT be something! We could set up a time for you all to wave to me??? :D

 

Hope formal night was good... Hello to all!

 

Lois was wearing a pink cover-up and Mom was wearing a white tank top .. just wanted you to notice the "mom" we all miss you !

[mississauga]

Originally Posted by cruiseguys2009

Josh Waitzman is the new Permanent CD for the Dream starting on October 3rd. Butch is only there temporarily, drats, he is wonderful but Josh is exceptional as well. We see Josh on October 9th sailing!

 

Thank you for your review, I have you book marked!

 

JW

We just got off the Freedom a week ago and were told the exact same thing (either by Josh himself or the captain) during the farewell show. I hope he is our CD next August. He was great!

 

Originally Posted by mississauga

Butch will be back starting Nov. 27th. He went from the Liberty right to the Dream without a break. I think he is taking the Oct 3rd to Nov. 26th period off and then return to the Dream as the permanent CD.:D ( IMHO ....LOL ):)

Where did you hear this?

 

To the OP - we can't wait to see pics!!!

 

Butch returns to the Dream so Josh can take his two month vacation then Josh will return to accept the Helm of the CD post.

 

Sorry if I am mistaken. From looking at the CD schedule, it seemed to me that Butch and Todd switched ships. Since Butch took over from Todd and is returning to the Dream after his vacation, I just assume that he was the permanent CD. It seems to me that Josh is the fill-in. Just my logic, I guess....LOL

[KLLund]

I always love a sea day and particularly the first sea day. It is a time to relax and explore at whatever pace you set. We seldom get up early. We just like the quiet time in the morning and this morning was no exception, we didn’t leave the room until about 10:30. Usually we would have room service bring coffee for the early morning since we are big coffee drinkers, but we did that yesterday and the coffee was all but undrinkable. This may have been a onetime thing, but we decided not to try it this morning. I think we will order some tomorrow and see.

We skipped breakfast but met our cc roll call group in the Scarlet Dining Room for lunch. I had the caprese salad and an omelet, both of which were wonderful. Bill wasn’t all that crazy about his fish sandwich but again we are talking personal taste here so others probably thought it was great. The service, however, was excellent, the best we have had on this cruise. I should also add that the dining room was not at all busy.

On the whole, I like this ship. The layout is good and there are some great little nooks and crannies to gather with friends. Last night was elegant evening and the photographers were out in force, but I didn’t think they created as much congestion as I have seen on other less crowded ships. They were doing a good job and moving lines really quickly.

We noticed that Caliente was really going strong after dinner and the crowd in the Ocean Plaza was a nice size to enjoy the music and dance. We have found that the outside deck by the Ocean Plaza is a really nice place to gather after dinner for conversation. The only problem is that there are few chairs out there. There are a lot of tables but not all of them have chairs. It seems odd, but there it is. Just inside the door is a bar which is good because there is no service out there. There is a hot tub, but we have not ever seen it open. It is, however, quiet and out of doors so it is really nice in the evening.

The casino doesn’t seem that crowded to me either. We weren’t winning, but we could always find a seat at a table or a machine to play. I have heard that there is a smoking area, but we haven’t noticed it and since we don’t smoke in the casino it hasn’t affected us.

Sam’s, the piano bar, does allow smoking, but I don’t think they allow it at the piano bar itself. I will check that out. It is a nice place to sit for a drink before dinner if you smoke. If not you probably want one of the many other bars. The Fun Times does say smoking is allowed in Caliente Club, but that club has been so crowded (and a bit loud) that I would find it hard to light up in there. (By the way, I am mentioning the smoking because we smoke and also because I think whether you do or don’t, you want to know where it is allowed and where it isn’t.)

This has been a great cruise so far, but it is not perfect (which cruise ever is?). All of the issues and any of us in our group have mentioned have had to do with service and particularly service in the dining room. It has been so so at best. Waiters ask if you want something, you say yes, it never appears. You specifically ask for something, maybe it will appear. Everyone asks for something, coffee last night, and all but one get it and the waiter is gone so long everyone else’s coffee is gone before you can remind him he missed that person. Again, I remind you, everyone’s experience is different and there a Lots and Lots of waiters so this is just our experience. Our room steward didn’t remove the luggage thing from the bed or turn down our cabin etc the first night. We were for some reason the exception in our area (we have friends in the same area) but the second night all was well. It is just the little things and we certainly would not let those few things detract from this great cruise, but they are noticed. I thought it was just us because this is only our second Carnival cruise and I just thought that Carnival perhaps did things differently, but the experienced Carnival cruisers have a whole lot more to say on the subject of service than we do.

One other thing I wanted to mention this time are the crowds. In my opinion, this ship is very, very crowded. There are lines and slow moving crowds of people everywhere. However, there does seem to be enough seating on the decks that despite the chair hogs (and they are of course aboard) it is very easy to find a place to sit. The pools are small, as others have said, but I have not seen them crowded. This may be due to the fact that we have seen very few children on this ship. I don’t know if they just aren’t here, or if they are all at camp Carnival or what, but I think I have counted about 6 so far and two of those were infants.

Tomorrow we are in Saint Thomas. Hope the weather is like today, lovely and not blazing hot!!

 

 

(Pictures are still coming .. but Bill takes a LOT of pictures and it takes some weeding out)

[kcslim]

Lois was wearing a pink cover-up and Mom was wearing a white tank top .. just wanted you to notice the "mom" we all miss you !

 

I miss you all too! Oh well, maybe it was "wishful thinking" that I thought I saw them. :-) Talked to Christine today.. she is in Saskatchewan (sp)? She isn't sounding too thrilled so far. But, she has plenty of time.

 

Great review so far, please keep it coming! And remind Bill to "shake a leg" on those photos. :p

 

Love you all.

 

Karen

[cnssu123]

The casino doesn’t seem that crowded to me either. We weren’t winning' date=' but we could always find a seat at a table or a machine to play. I have heard that there is a smoking area, but we haven’t noticed it and since we don’t smoke in the casino it hasn’t affected us.[/b'][/font]

 

The smoking area is behind all the tables.

 

There's a row of 5 multi games machines in one of the end of the non smoking session, those are good machines to hit. I hit 2,000 twice last week, and I saw someone hit 110,000 credit from the Lil Bug Machine :)

 

The six machines with the game Zeus, Planet Mula, Meerkat, however really stinks. All the bonus hit was smaller then a normal hit. Those are the quick money eater!.

[hill6]

Your day at St. Thomas is flipped with your day at St. Maarten. Tuesday will be St. Maarten

 

The change is due to Hurricane Igor

[KLLund]

Your day at St. Thomas is flipped with your day at St. Maarten. Tuesday will be St. Maarten

 

The change is due to Hurricane Igor

 

Yes .. we were informed of this this afternoon and the times have changed somewhat but I haven't heard any grumbling so all is well on that front .. We arrive at St Maarten at 11 and leave at 7 .. then Wed it will be St. Thomas from 7 to 6 .. we have a private excursion with a group and we haven't heard how that is working out .. but no worries either way .. we are on vacation!!

[willyguy]

Sound like you are having a great time.

[smellywax]

This is my 12th cruise with Carnival and probably my last. I was looking forward to a nice relaxing and fun cruise. Booked a Spa Cabin and it has been nothing but loud every night. The walls are paper thin and as mentioned before, I can hear the people talking next to us. Definitely use the provided slippers when in the cabin. I walked in my socks one night and they got filthy. They need to clean them. They feel wet and soiled. They don’t look it but they feel it. Service is horrible and I mean horrible. We are making the most out of the cruise because I know it’s what you make of it but I just can’t believe how bad it is. Staff never smile or say hello. They stand around and just watch the tables with dirty dishes/trays on them. If you ask someone to do something they look at you like you are bothering them or pretend they don’t hear you and walk off. As mentioned by the original poster, you ask for something and they say okay and never come back. I spent enough in the casino to get free drinks but they never seem to come around and when they do, it takes forever to get your drink. Seats are dirty with food crumbs and they don’t clean them off. There is garbage all over the place stacked and not put away. Half fool glasses on the floors with food plates that sit there all day. The service was so bad in the dining room that we tried the Lido deck and it was even worse. I was on the Valor in January and they would have everything the dining room menu had…not the case…they pick a few selections and that is it and it’s not hot. The only good things on this ship have been the speed of the internet connection compared to my other cruises…much faster, the made to order pasta at lunch (although don’t order the meat lasagna special of the day…they used roast beef instead of hamburger meat and spinach…it was awful) …stick to picking the ingredients, the shows are great and I had the best hot stone massage ever. I have never been impressed with the Steiner onboard Spas Massages etc. They have always been okay at best and you get the same “This will get the toxens out of your body” speech every time. But the hot stone therapist on board named Tobego from South Africa was awesome! She told me that if I didn’t enjoy it, she would pay for it and it was better than any I have ever had and I have had a lot. I noticed people waiting for those of us with spa bands to open the locked doors to follow us in. I have yet to see them checking for bands. Also, they don’t give a key to the spa cabin people …you have to check one out each day which is an inconvenience when there are lines at a desk…but I can live with that. Service is the key to me and it’s just not there. As I type this in my cabin, the next door neighbor just came down the hall screaming, “What the F@&%, I want him, get out of hear.” Then they start yelling for another cabin to open the door. It’s 11:30 PM and some people are already sleeping and this is just a small taste of the passengers on board…but that Carnival can’t control…the service matches though!

[cruiseguys2009]

this is my 12th cruise with carnival and probably my last. I was looking forward to a nice relaxing and fun cruise. Booked a spa cabin and it has been nothing but loud every night. The walls are paper thin and as mentioned before, i can hear the people talking next to us. Definitely use the provided slippers when in the cabin. I walked in my socks one night and they got filthy. They need to clean them. They feel wet and soiled. They don’t look it but they feel it. Service is horrible and i mean horrible. We are making the most out of the cruise because i know it’s what you make of it but i just can’t believe how bad it is. Staff never smile or say hello. They stand around and just watch the tables with dirty dishes/trays on them. If you ask someone to do something they look at you like you are bothering them or pretend they don’t hear you and walk off. As mentioned by the original poster, you ask for something and they say okay and never come back. I spent enough in the casino to get free drinks but they never seem to come around and when they do, it takes forever to get your drink. Seats are dirty with food crumbs and they don’t clean them off. There is garbage all over the place stacked and not put away. Half fool glasses on the floors with food plates that sit there all day. The service was so bad in the dining room that we tried the lido deck and it was even worse. I was on the valor in january and they would have everything the dining room menu had…not the case…they pick a few selections and that is it and it’s not hot. The only good things on this ship have been the speed of the internet connection compared to my other cruises…much faster, the made to order pasta at lunch (although don’t order the meat lasagna special of the day…they used roast beef instead of hamburger meat and spinach…it was awful) …stick to picking the ingredients, the shows are great and i had the best hot stone massage ever. I have never been impressed with the steiner onboard spas massages etc. They have always been okay at best and you get the same “this will get the toxens out of your body” speech every time. But the hot stone therapist on board named tobego from south africa was awesome! She told me that if i didn’t enjoy it, she would pay for it and it was better than any i have ever had and i have had a lot. I noticed people waiting for those of us with spa bands to open the locked doors to follow us in. I have yet to see them checking for bands. Also, they don’t give a key to the spa cabin people …you have to check one out each day which is an inconvenience when there are lines at a desk…but i can live with that. Service is the key to me and it’s just not there. As i type this in my cabin, the next door neighbor just came down the hall screaming, “what the f@&%, i want him, get out of hear.” then they start yelling for another cabin to open the door. It’s 11:30 pm and some people are already sleeping and this is just a small taste of the passengers on board…but that carnival can’t control…the service matches though!

 

 

wow!

[shortstop95]

This is my 12th cruise with Carnival and probably my last. I was looking forward to a nice relaxing and fun cruise. Booked a Spa Cabin and it has been nothing but loud every night. The walls are paper thin and as mentioned before, I can hear the people talking next to us. Definitely use the provided slippers when in the cabin. I walked in my socks one night and they got filthy. They need to clean them. They feel wet and soiled. They don’t look it but they feel it. Service is horrible and I mean horrible. We are making the most out of the cruise because I know it’s what you make of it but I just can’t believe how bad it is. Staff never smile or say hello. They stand around and just watch the tables with dirty dishes/trays on them. If you ask someone to do something they look at you like you are bothering them or pretend they don’t hear you and walk off. As mentioned by the original poster, you ask for something and they say okay and never come back. I spent enough in the casino to get free drinks but they never seem to come around and when they do, it takes forever to get your drink. Seats are dirty with food crumbs and they don’t clean them off. There is garbage all over the place stacked and not put away. Half fool glasses on the floors with food plates that sit there all day. The service was so bad in the dining room that we tried the Lido deck and it was even worse. I was on the Valor in January and they would have everything the dining room menu had…not the case…they pick a few selections and that is it and it’s not hot. The only good things on this ship have been the speed of the internet connection compared to my other cruises…much faster, the made to order pasta at lunch (although don’t order the meat lasagna special of the day…they used roast beef instead of hamburger meat and spinach…it was awful) …stick to picking the ingredients, the shows are great and I had the best hot stone massage ever. I have never been impressed with the Steiner onboard Spas Massages etc. They have always been okay at best and you get the same “This will get the toxens out of your body” speech every time. But the hot stone therapist on board named Tobego from South Africa was awesome! She told me that if I didn’t enjoy it, she would pay for it and it was better than any I have ever had and I have had a lot. I noticed people waiting for those of us with spa bands to open the locked doors to follow us in. I have yet to see them checking for bands. Also, they don’t give a key to the spa cabin people …you have to check one out each day which is an inconvenience when there are lines at a desk…but I can live with that. Service is the key to me and it’s just not there. As I type this in my cabin, the next door neighbor just came down the hall screaming, “What the F@&%, I want him, get out of hear.” Then they start yelling for another cabin to open the door. It’s 11:30 PM and some people are already sleeping and this is just a small taste of the passengers on board…but that Carnival can’t control…the service matches though!

 

Sorry you're having a bad go of it. We were just on the Dream on the spa deck last month and had an amazing week. Try to enjoy yourself- you're on a beautiful ship with beautiful surroundings- the week will fly by fast- so try to let the small stuff roll off you.

[Joaljoe]

smellywax - Wow, I can't believe it took you 12 cruises to realize all of this! I personally have always found the staff to be very helpful and nice. Maybe it depends on how you treat them yourself? I enjoy the food for the most part and have never had a problem with hearing the neighbors. Actually, a lot of the things you mentioned have never been a problem for me but then again, I'm not very picky and don't expect everything to be perfect.....I always just enjoy myself!

 

OP - Enjoy the rest of your cruise!! :)

[poohbear]

We haven't sailed Carnival since 2008 and I hope that everything I keep reading is just people being very picky. We have spent a large sum of money to sail on the Dream in April. Things are never perfect and if you expect them that way you will always be disappointed.

 

Please keep up the review I have been enjoying reading! Thanks

[Beverlyf]

Kathy...thanks for your "live review". Like Karen said we can "virtually cruise" with you guys. I'll have to take a look at the web cam and see if I can notice anyone. Wish we were there.

[crusnbee]

This is my 12th cruise with Carnival and probably my last. I was looking forward to a nice relaxing and fun cruise. Booked a Spa Cabin and it has been nothing but loud every night. The walls are paper thin and as mentioned before, I can hear the people talking next to us. Definitely use the provided slippers when in the cabin. I walked in my socks one night and they got filthy. They need to clean them. They feel wet and soiled. They don’t look it but they feel it. Service is horrible and I mean horrible. We are making the most out of the cruise because I know it’s what you make of it but I just can’t believe how bad it is. Staff never smile or say hello. They stand around and just watch the tables with dirty dishes/trays on them. If you ask someone to do something they look at you like you are bothering them or pretend they don’t hear you and walk off. As mentioned by the original poster, you ask for something and they say okay and never come back. I spent enough in the casino to get free drinks but they never seem to come around and when they do, it takes forever to get your drink. Seats are dirty with food crumbs and they don’t clean them off. There is garbage all over the place stacked and not put away. Half fool glasses on the floors with food plates that sit there all day. The service was so bad in the dining room that we tried the Lido deck and it was even worse. I was on the Valor in January and they would have everything the dining room menu had…not the case…they pick a few selections and that is it and it’s not hot. The only good things on this ship have been the speed of the internet connection compared to my other cruises…much faster, the made to order pasta at lunch (although don’t order the meat lasagna special of the day…they used roast beef instead of hamburger meat and spinach…it was awful) …stick to picking the ingredients, the shows are great and I had the best hot stone massage ever. I have never been impressed with the Steiner onboard Spas Massages etc. They have always been okay at best and you get the same “This will get the toxens out of your body” speech every time. But the hot stone therapist on board named Tobego from South Africa was awesome! She told me that if I didn’t enjoy it, she would pay for it and it was better than any I have ever had and I have had a lot. I noticed people waiting for those of us with spa bands to open the locked doors to follow us in. I have yet to see them checking for bands. Also, they don’t give a key to the spa cabin people …you have to check one out each day which is an inconvenience when there are lines at a desk…but I can live with that. Service is the key to me and it’s just not there. As I type this in my cabin, the next door neighbor just came down the hall screaming, “What the F@&%, I want him, get out of hear.” Then they start yelling for another cabin to open the door. It’s 11:30 PM and some people are already sleeping and this is just a small taste of the passengers on board…but that Carnival can’t control…the service matches though!

 

WOW!

 

We are off the ship from last week and although we didn't have a spa room, we experienced none of what you are. I didn't hear any neighbors or anyone in the halls, and we were right near the elevators. We had one of the best wait staff yet and had no issue with getting tables cleaned or things when we asked immediately. Hope you continue to make the best of it.

CJ