Carnival Dream - How to have a positive trip

[Lady Anna & Sir Troy]

Okay, I am reading the reviews and even in the positive ones there appears to be negatives. I am wondering if people can help me collect some tips to make this a positive trip for us (and hopefully others). I did get a SPA stateroom on Deck 11.

 

Thanks much!

[gail811]

I am a firm believer that the most important thing to pack is a positive attitude! Little things always happen on a cruise that could annoy me, but I choose to keep the glass half full. We loved the Dream. Our only complaint was our service at dinner. It was a wedding cruise for our oldest son and we had over 40 family members and friends along with us, at four tables. We had awful service ( one table could be done a full hour before another.....crazy!), spoke to the Maitre d' the first night, but things never really improved. Food was great though, as was having our 5 sons and all 4 grandchildren with us, so it did not ruin our cruise. :D We all made notes on our comment cards and hope our experience next week is better. That was the first major complaint in 12 cruises!

Expect crowded elevators at dinner and use the stairs if you physically can.

Expect long lines to get off the ship in port, and if you don't have an early excursion, wait to go down.

Try the water slides...they are awsome!

Piano bar last June was the best....we spent two late evenings there.

Check out the pasta bar.....best lasagne EVER!

 

Hope you have a wonderful cruise!

Explore the ship.....she is beautiful!

[pe4all]

As in everyday life, sometimes things don't go exactly as planned. There are always "glitches" that come up. Just be mellow. Many of the complaints are personal opinion- food not good, etc. We cruised the Dream during prime holiday time (Christmas/NYE) and loved it. The ship was jammed, and had over 1,000 kids on board. Go with an open mind, laugh off the little annoyances that may come up. Guest Services is there to help, if needed for the bigger problems - or even the smaller ones, if you want!:) We cruised with 2 other families. We all had the same experiences on board - but they hated everything about the ship! Didn't have one nice thing to say about anything. They kept trying to bring our cruise experience "down." Didn't work!

[seashell36]

The main thing that you need to do when you're reading all of these reviews with the complaints is to keep an open mind. There are people who can't be (or don't want to be) happy, or are happy only when they bring everyone else down to the miserable level.

 

A few things we figured out when we were on our Dream cruise in January:

-- Remember there are several different areas that serve lunch (these may not be open everyday or every sea day) - outside on the Lanai they have a great barbeque, they have a tapas buffet set up in the sushi bar, the pasta bar is upstairs in the buffet area. **A lot of people on the cruise don't find out about these offerings until midway through the cruise so they're not crowded.

-- The comedy shows are crowded - get there early to get a seat.

-- We didn't have this problem - but I've read of others that encountered long lines when trying to disembark at the ports of call. If you don't have an early excursion wait a little while.

-- If you want to try the different offerings in the buffet lines avoid the peak times - eat a little early or late.

-- The chair hogs aren't bad on the Lanai Promenade.

-- There are also hot tubs on the Promenade.

[meatloafsfan]

Nothing is perfect - but your reaction to "not so perfect" is what makes the difference.

 

I was pretty mellow on vacation and there were a few meh things but in the grand scale, they didn't really affect my trip.

 

We had a great time and I would sail that ship again in a heartbeat.

[zqvol]

Okay, I am reading the reviews and even in the positive ones there appears to be negatives. I am wondering if people can help me collect some tips to make this a positive trip for us (and hopefully others). I did get a SPA stateroom on Deck 11.

 

Thanks much!

 

If you read a review that does not contain some negative points and criticisms is not a valid review. Any vacation has positive and negative points.

 

The best pointer for you is to go and do what you want on your vacation.

[crewsweeper]

Some cruisers go on board with expectations that the cruise will be their private yacht. That loungers will miraculously open up for their use all day long, and buffets at peak hours will be open only to them, no waiting. All all ports will have easy access to 5 star AI resorts at low costs and no contact with locals. Alas, their cruises fall quickly into the "worst ever" zone the minute they reach the embarkation security line.

 

You have a spa cabin. Take advantage of the access via the "hidden" stairs in the forward passage way between the two sides of the ship. Take full advantage of all the spa amenities that are included in your spa cabin package, especially the thasso pool, the steam room, the heated loungers for tha t afternoon nap and the "tea"room(relaxation lounge. Use the spa's showers not the cabin's. Sir Troy may even wosh to use the showers across from the gym for his morning shower. Use the Serenity deck, early and often, instead of the Lido. Avoid the lines in the main buffet, burrito bar or Mongolian wok by choosing the pasta bar, or the tandoori grill, or waiting until 12:15-12:30 to go to the BBQ line on the Lania deck (and don't for get the salads laid out at the Wasabi bar for noon dining). Walk around the ship and explore. There's more to do on board than the slots and trivia quizes. Plenty of quiet corners and under utilized seating areas in the sun and in the shade, you just have to look for them. Attend at least one karaoke session, some screeching AI wannabes but mixed in with some really good talented cruisers that'll leave you humming along. Go to PG comedy show in the Burgundy lounge. Avoid any adult shows unless your idea of humor is how many times someone can say the "F" word or have a "gas" attack in a 20 minute act and humiliate any young person who's parents foolishly let them attend the adult show. Have a dinner at the GA Steakhouse or better yet the Chef's Table, or both. In ports, explore, explore, explore. See the countryside, or the islands. Eat and shop where locals or land based long term vacationers or snow birds eat and shop. Get a real feel for the place. Explore the ports boards for ideas before you go. Some places it's better to use the more expensive ship excursions. Other places it's better to head out on your own.

 

But most importantly, smile, relax and go with the flow. You're on vacation, there's no need to rush to get anywhere.:)

[WAHMto5]

We were on the Dream this past October and LOVED it! Of course it was a bit crowded, it is a HUGE ship;) We did not have any problems at all. I think if you go on LOOKING for problems, you will find them on any ship!

[Colorado Kat]

We were on the Dream in January, and had a great time. However, I think we will be going on a medium sized ship next time.

 

At-sea days were very crowded. Tough to get any chair, even on the lower, shady decks. Public spaces were quite crowded. Loved the comedian shows! I usually love the piano bar, but this cruise, the piano bar guy was just not very entertaining. The piano bar was dead the whole week. The dance club was tremendous!

 

Weather turned bad the second half of the cruise. The ship was too large to dock at Roatan, Honduras, even though a smaller Carnival ship was able to dock just after we could not. (Strong currents)

 

But this was our favorite cruise of any we have taken, mostly because of the people we met.

[Lady_Jag]

You are going to have a great time! The Dream is our favorite ship, and we LOVED our imperfect cruise on her last year.

 

Tips:

- There are hot tubs on deck 11 that are seldom used and close to your cabin.

- The second laser light show of the cruise is better than the Welcome Aboard one and less crowded.

- The Tandoori station serves breakfast buffet items in the mornings with no lines, no waiting, and no bacon police. :)

- Order room service from your cabin TV, rather than calling it in - you'll have a bigger menu selection (won't be limited to "breakfast only" in the mornings) and you'll get your order faster.

- Make use of the "semi-private deck" (secret door) at the front of the ship on deck 11.

- DON'T miss "Dancing in the Streets" in the main showroom! I think it is the best show Carnival has right now. Get there early to get good seats!

- The Mongolian wok was nearly empty the day we visited Belize. The pasta bar was empty the day we visited Costa Maya.

- The later movie for the Big Screen Under the Stars was never crowded and a very enjoyable experience.

- Don't forget to bring your sense of humor so you can just laugh off any less-than-perfect experiences and laugh at yourself, too.

[Lady Anna & Sir Troy]

Thanks everyone! All very good tips. I'm smack dab in the middle when it comes to trying to be positive to getting annoyed.

 

We were on the NCL Pride when they were new and tried dinner in the main dining room twice - the service was awful (1/2 hour just to get water, another 1/2 hour for first serving to arrive, etc.), so we went with the buffet instead. We loved this trip. Hawaii is so beautiful I didn't care where we ate!

 

I grabbed this one for the spa, so will certainly make good use out of it. We've been to all the ports serveral times. The others in our group bailed, so its just us now. We go on cruises to enjoy the food, sleeping in, sea, and shows. I think avoiding the lines is at the top of my list.

 

L.A.S.T.