I am disappointed about Dream already

[cingroomer]

I haven't even left for my cruise and I've read so much bad about the Dream that I am sorta not even looking forward to it now. We've booked a spa suite for our anniversary and I was so excited up till today.

 

Has anyone had any good luck on the Dream. This is our first time on ship this big, normally its the smaller ones, Inspiration, Fascination, that fleet. Its our 6th Carnival cruise.

 

I picked this ship because of all the Serenity area and the Therassotherapy Pool and Steak house (which we already have ressies in). I also opted for open dining since we had always done the late dining in the past but were ready to eat earlier but didn't want to take a chance that we weren't ready.

 

I also don't see any late night buffets on this one and that was another reason for the opening dining. Eating late, we were never hungry for the buffet.

 

Any good words about the Dream?

[melli_fera]

Don't be scared!!!! I had a FANTASTIC time on Dream 2 weeks ago! I also was concerned, but I took everything I've read here and put it to good use (like, when to show up for things, when to wait, where to go lounge where there are no people, etc.).

 

Here's a link to my on-going review of the trip. Sure, the ship has its hiccups, but if you're well read on those issues, you'll know how to completely avoid them.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1476334

 

The only "real" late night buffet offered was a mexican one, I think. Can't remember which night off the top of my head, but you could get pizza and I think sandwiches until about 11:00 on lido. We had late assigned dining, so didn't really need "real" food late at night. The coffee shop on board was open late too (at least midnight).

[okgirl]

I think the Dream is a great ship. I was on her when she was still pretty new and before they made the improvements to add more lunch time options to address the crowds in the buffet.

 

I really like the way the Promenade is layed out and I love the exterior Lanai area. I'm not sure what time the buffet closes, but it's at least 8:30 or 9. But the deli is open until 11pm and of course pizza is 24 hours. Don't forget sushi from 5 to 8ish on the Promenade.

 

Edit to Add: I just went and looked at the most recent 25 member reviews and there were 9 rated 5+ star, 5 were 5 star, 3 were 4 star, 2 were 3 star, 4 were 2 star and 1 was one star. So the majority of reviews were 4 star or higher.

[firefly333]

Lots of people loved the Dream .. I would not let a few people who have a few negative things to say influence me. .. maybe just because Iv cruised so much, that I read all reviews with a grain of salt. I would book whichever cruise works well for me and not worry one bit.

[sparks1093]

I was just looking over the reviews for the Pride and every 3rd or 4th one was extremely bad. I read them and one of the first things I noticed was "Carnival was nothing like cruise line such and so". Big tip off right there. Go back and re-read those bad reviews and I'd be willing to bet you'll find similar language in them. I always take reviews like that with a large grain of salt (I use a smaller grain with the good reviews:)).

[Elmer McCurdy]

I haven't even left for my cruise and I've read so much bad about the Dream that I am sorta not even looking forward to it now. We've booked a spa suite for our anniversary and I was so excited up till today.

 

In the words of Public Enemy, "don't believe the hype!"

[teenabear]

We were on the Dream back in January of 2010 and we enjoyed it. So much so we are going on it again this Janaury. I would just go with an open mind and not worry about what other people said.

[3Statesmom]

I went on the Dream in March 2011...I too was worried when reading some of the reviews, but I LOVED IT!! I've also been on the Inspiration a few times, and I'm currently booked for Xmas on the Paradise...but I cannot wait for another week on the Dream. I love the larger size, the Promenade is a perfect set-up, the pools (while busy) are awesome, and the staff is top-notch. The ONLY negative I have is, IMO, the ship does move ALOT more than the Fantasy class ships I've been on. But, since I wear the MS patch anyways, I was never nauseated from the movement.

My suggestion: If you have not thought about booking for Chef's Table...you should! It was the best meal of my entire life!

Like the others have said: overlook the negativity, and enjoy your cruise, your way.

[Shelbyjane56]

We have been sailing with Carnival since we got married in 1976. We have been fans of carnival since then, We have also been on other ships and have also liked them too, but we always come back to Carnival! Our son got married last year on the beach while we were on the Dream and it was wonderful also...we have learned that we dont care to sail durning spring break, xmas, easter ect..No doubt you have the idea, our youngest is in college. We usually do anytime dining or late, there just isnt enough time doing early. We have sailed 2 times this year and will be doing the Bloggers in March. The food is good (99 percent of the time) We had the spa balcony when our son got married. We used it part of the time and it was nice, dont know that we will do it again with so many things to do. We love the the adults only serenity. If you sail at peak times, expect to find a crowd, if we were not on the serenity then we would choose another area away from the pools. In the end, a cruise comes from what YOU make of it. There is plenty of food so dont worry about that...Have a wonderful cruise!

[oldwest]

I have also seen the negative reviews of the dream. Last halloween 10 of us were on the dream for the most amazing time. Yes the boat is big yes at times there are crowds butttt why are u going to have fun and intereact. the steak house is way good. the common area/ lounges and bar are a constant hub of activity. We had an aft balconey probably the best cabin on twenty plus cruises. the afts have huge balconies. I took the behind the magic tour unbelievable. I would have paid twice as much. It is an entire city working for you. As we always eat in the MDR we never experience the lines but I can see how they would be possible but if you go by them at a slightly different time it looks like smooth sailing. The tandouri grill is a little out of the way and it was always running smoothly my only exception to mdr and the ssteak house. The only thing i found disturbing was the amount of young children in the karioke BARS. Im a little old fashion in that I dont think you should expouse youngsters to drunks. Dont get me wrong my bar bill is a phone book at the end. Its just maybe they should grow up and make their own decisions.:rolleyes: Have a great DREAM vacation

[Elmer McCurdy]

Like the others have said: overlook the negativity, and enjoy your cruise, your way.

 

That, and understand we live in the Age of Hyperbole. Everything is either the best ever or the worst ever. People are either saints or history's greatest monsters.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

We love the ship, Going on her for the 3rd time

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

It is the best ship out .

[NHWILDCATCRUISERS]

We sailed on her in March and took adavntage of the Spa couples package and Steakhouse along with many other things. We had a great time and experienced no issues. We liked it so much we are cruising on her again in November in a Spa cabin to take advantage of the amenities.

As others have said don't be confused by some of the negative reviews. Go enjoy yourself and make the best of a great time.

[AWCHIEF]

I haven't even left for my cruise and I've read so much bad about the Dream that I am sorta not even looking forward to it now. We've booked a spa suite for our anniversary and I was so excited up till today.

 

Has anyone had any good luck on the Dream. This is our first time on ship this big, normally its the smaller ones, Inspiration, Fascination, that fleet. Its our 6th Carnival cruise.

 

I picked this ship because of all the Serenity area and the Therassotherapy Pool and Steak house (which we already have ressies in). I also opted for open dining since we had always done the late dining in the past but were ready to eat earlier but didn't want to take a chance that we weren't ready.

 

I also don't see any late night buffets on this one and that was another reason for the opening dining. Eating late, we were never hungry for the buffet.

 

Any good words about the Dream?

 

Who cares what anyone else thinks, for every negative comment there are dozens of good ones. Go with an open mind and enjoy your cruise.

[RWolver672]

Do remember that these reviews are nothing more than personal opinions. We personally didn't like the Dream but that doesn't mean that you won't. For you, it might turn out to be the best cruise you've ever taken.

 

It's kind of like movie reviews. The best movies we've ever seen were the ones that the movie critics said were horrible and vice versa.

[cingroomer]

Thank you all so much, you have certainly eased my mind,

 

I am not a huge kid person . I guess being in my late 50's has done that, and thats one of the reasons we are in a spa suite, right next to the adult area. Mine are grown and I love my grandkids but getting away from all of that. I also don't think this time of year there should be many kids. As for the pool, we live in Florida and have a pool, so thats not a big deal to us.

 

We have full access to the spa, what would you recommend there the most? Also, with open dining, I see we should go before 7 if we don't want to wait long.

 

I haven't booked any excursions because we've done so many before and also, the weather doesn't look like its going to cooperate.

 

I've sailed Disney and Royal Carib and was not impressed so maybe my reviews about them would look the same as others that don't care as much for Carnival.

 

I'm sure we'll make this great. I've ordered ahead some cool things to be in our room for our anniversary as a surprise to my husband. And, we plan on attending the CC meetups, so this should be fun.

 

Thanks for all the great tips.

[TaraLynne]

My husband and I were on the Dream October 30-November 6 last year (Western Caribbean itinerary) and loved it. Of course, I believe that you have to go in with the right mindset...we certainly weren't going to let anything ruin our vacation! The "worst" thing that happened on the entire cruise was that the last day it was REALLY cold and windy out...but that's not Carnival's fault and we made the best of it by spending the day in the spa ;)

 

Here's a link to my review if you want to read it: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1305620

 

As for the ship itself - as a whole we liked it. No real complaints. The only truly amazing service we received was our room steward, but we didn't come across any employees that I thought were "bad"...it's just that no one else really stood out. The food was good but of course you have to understand that you're not paying for, say, a Shula's Steakhouse experience. All in all I felt like we got GREAT value for our money, we enjoyed the Dream and our trip as a whole was absolutely amazing :)

[TaraLynne]

 

We have full access to the spa, what would you recommend there the most? Also, with open dining, I see we should go before 7 if we don't want to wait long.

 

 

I posted my reply and then saw this. So I'm guessing you guys have a spa room? We had one on our Dream cruise and LOVED it. Perfect location.

 

If you want hot tub time without the crowds, go to the Thalasso pool in the spa. Better for your hair/skin/suit (it's mineral water) and about the same temp as the hot tubs outside.

 

The steam room in the spa is amazing as well! We were there for at least 20-30 minutes I think 5 of the 7 days of our cruise ;) I prefer steam rooms over saunas because I just feel like they cleanse me better...but I'm no doctor, haha.

[pe4all]

We had a great cruise on the Dream. Cruised her during one of the busiest times possible - didn't find it any worse than any other ship crowd-wise. Don't go with any pre-conceived notions. Keep an open mind, and don't worry about the "small stuff" that can go wrong on any vacation. Enjoy!

[gregg204]

Who cares what anyone else thinks, for every negative comment there are dozens of good ones. Go with an open mind and enjoy your cruise.

Well Said!!:)

[cls624]

We were on the Dream in April, and we had a great time!!:D

It is a huge ship! I don't have anything bad to say about it.

Our daughter won the Mixologist contest.:p

[crewsweeper]

I haven't even left for my cruise and I've read so much bad about the Dream that I am sorta not even looking forward to it now. We've booked a spa suite for our anniversary and I was so excited up till today.

 

Has anyone had any good luck on the Dream. This is our first time on ship this big, normally its the smaller ones, Inspiration, Fascination, that fleet. Its our 6th Carnival cruise.

 

I picked this ship because of all the Serenity area and the Therassotherapy Pool and Steak house (which we already have ressies in). I also opted for open dining since we had always done the late dining in the past but were ready to eat earlier but didn't want to take a chance that we weren't ready.

 

I also don't see any late night buffets on this one and that was another reason for the opening dining. Eating late, we were never hungry for the buffet.

 

Any good words about the Dream?

Calm down....you're going to have a good cruise. Most of the yakking/disappointment has to do with crowds and kids. School's in session so shouldn't be a real issue. We've Spa cabined 3 times. And loved it!!! You will too. Serenity deck is great too. Head there while waiting for your cabin and order a Long Island Iced Tea:) If you're hungry go when you embark, to the pasta bar upstairs towar the rear of the ship or try the Tandoor Grill on the aft Lido deck. Less crowded.

 

We don't "your time" dine because DW loves the same service waitstaff each night and chatting with the same folks. There are no late night buffets except for the deck party night. Just don't hit the dining room between 6:30 and 7:30, that's the crowd time. And be prepared to wait a bit on elegant nights. Nice lounge right next to the Crimson dining room. Steakhouse is fabulous!

 

Enjoy yourself.

[tracyanns]

We have sailed the Dream 2 times and love her. We also had the spa room...we used the heated tile loungers in the spa every day. I wouln't worry too much about kids, first cruise we only saw 10 and when we cruised Thanksgiving we rarely saw many...they keep them occupied pretty well.

 

Have fun and go with an open mind...regardless of what happens you are still cruising and not working!

[kroozers]

There's an old and true business reality that 99 customers have a great experience and tell no one. The one out of 100 with a complaint tells everyone they can find. Take negative reviews with a grain of salt and then have a great vacation.