Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Dreary Weather, Dreamy Cruise

Socref124

By Socref124,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

Recommended Posts

Socref124

Socref124

Posted
Posted

We are just back from our Dream cruise and I thought I would write a review of our week.

Since we live an hour north of Port Canaveral, we drove to the port the morning of our cruise. We decided to use Park n Cruise, $6.99 per day, instead of parking at the port. We arrived at Park n Cruise around 10:45am checked our car in, was shuttled to the ship by 11:15 and was on the ship around 11:30. Very easy.

Once on the ship we were ready to party. We stopped at the Atrium Bar and ordered "Two Pina Coladas, one for each hand," as Garth Brooks said. We then moved to the Lido Deck for a bite to eat and to listen to the sounds of Impressions. After our lunch, we dropped our bags off at our cabin which was on the Lido Deck, cabin 10232. What a great cabin location. This cabin is Port Side forward and has a great view from on high. Much better than our cabin on the Upper Deck last year. One perk is that we were only several cabins away from the secret door which leads to the outside deck two decks above the Bridge. This deck also has a stairway down to the ninth floor immediately above the bridge. It is amazing how few people know of these secret doors, but this lack of knowledge leaves us with a private secluded place on the ship.

Once we dropped off our bags we took a walk around to reacquaint ourselves with this beautiful ship. Our first stop was the Promanade. We decided to go look for the chess set that was below the cabin we had last year. We found the chess set, then looked up to find our old cabin. As luck would have it, people came out of the cabin onto their balcony. We told them that last Nov we were in cabin 6281 and they told us how excited they were as this was their first cruise. I did a balcony on my first cruise and got sick. The ships's doctor diagnosed me with Balconyitis which forces me to have a balcony cabin or I will break out in a cold sweat and hives.;) Oh well.:)

We continued to walk around the Promanade and noticed some cloth chairs and ottomans on the port side of the ship. We hadn't noticed them last year and were surprised that Carnival would have regular chairs on the Promanade. They were even on a carpet.

We then went inside at the Lanai and walked towards the ships aft, passing the specialty coffee shop, the Wasabi Sushi Bar, Caliente Dance Club, Sams Piano Bar, The Song Lounge and the Burgundy Lounge where the Punchliner Comedy Club is located. This is important for us since two of our favorite onboard happenings are the Piano Bar and the Comedy Club. We then walked toward the bow of the ship to see the Ocean Plaza, the Sports Bar, Casino, the Fun Shops and the Encore Lounge. There is a piano between the 5th Deck and the 4th Deck in the Atrium and a group, Impromptwo, was there playing music for the guests at the Atrium Bar. It's always nice to hear music when going through the shops or sitting at the Atrium Bar.

Next, we went down to see our dinning room, the Crimson Dinning room. Last year we were in the Scarlet Dinning room so this was new for us. Also new for us is we are trying Anytime Dinning for the first time. We have been the ones that swore by traditional dinning since I was not impressed with Freestyle on my first cruise aboard an NCL ship. With one exception, Anytime Dinning was fabulous and we have been converted. Maybe I should say anytime dinning sux so no one else will change:eek:. No, I'll be honest, it was great. The one exception, we wanted some friends to join us on Thurs night. We had noticed that the dinning room was never close to being at full capacity any of the nights we were there. When we came in with our friends we asked the hostess and she told us she would have to ask the Maitre d but she didn't see why he would object. We were asked to sit in the Page Turner Library and wait for the Maitre d's response. A few minutes later the Hostess came in and advised us the Maitre d had declined our request. She then suggested that if we wanted to dine together to ask the Maitre d at the Scarlet Dinning Room. We went to the Scarlet DR and asked their Maitred, Elvis and he accomodated us. Needless to say, I gave Elvis the envelope provided to tip the Maitre d rather than our Maitre d on the last night of the cruise. Folks, Elvis IS in the Dream HOUSE.

The announcement to report for muster drill came and we went to our muster station in the Encore Lounge. After this briefing we went up to the Lido Deck for sailaway. Like I said earlier, we live an hour away from Port Canaveral and will drive down to watch sailaway several times a year watching from either Fishlips or Milikens Bar. I must admit, it is a much nicer view from the Lido Deck looking down at these two restaurants.:D

We were supposed to meet up with people from our roll call but either we were in the wrong spot or no on one showed up except us. We met a couple from Jacksonville and had a great conversation with them as we sailed down the channel. Once out in the Atlantic, the ship slowed down and a pilot boat approached the Dream and took someone off the ship. Rumor has it that their was an emergency but we never found out exactly what had happened.

After dinner, we decided to go to Sams Piano Bar rather than the welcome aboard show which we have seen over and over. We were glad we did. Dave, the piano man, was having a lot of fun with those of us in the bar. He took requests and he played and sang with us and we had a ball. We met a lot of nice people here, especially a newleywed couple from Clear Lake, Iowa. Throughout the week we continued to run into them at the Pina Bar and throughtout the ship and in port.

Time to go watch some football. I will try to get back to this review tomorrow.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
loves2_shop

loves2_shop

Posted
Posted

Can't wait to read more!! We are booked for the Dream in December. We have an interior cabin on the Lido! Glad to hear you liked the location. By any chance does the secret balcony/deck have chairs? Can't wait to check it out. Sounds like a great spot for sail away and maybe early morning coffee. Keep the review coming!!

 

Sent from my LS670 using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Socref124

Socref124

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Can't wait to read more!! We are booked for the Dream in December. We have an interior cabin on the Lido! Glad to hear you liked the location. By any chance does the secret balcony/deck have chairs? Can't wait to check it out. Sounds like a great spot for sail away and maybe early morning coffee. Keep the review coming!!

 

Sent from my LS670 using Tapatalk

 

No chairs, but there is a bench on Deck 10. We just went there to take some pics and to have a little private time before we went to our cabin.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Socref124

Socref124

Posted
  • Author
Posted
GREAT start Mikey <you big tease>:p Miss that Dream!!!

 

I ran out of time earlier. We were thinking about all the Dreamers when we went to the Burgundy Lounge and Sams Piano Bar. Still remember Ward all wrapped up:eek: in there. Missed seeing you, DanO, Judy and Mama Floatie up on the Lido Deck too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
vermonter16

vermonter16

Posted
Posted

I was hoping someone from last week's cruise would post. I watched the cruise cams every single day and saw that you guys did not have good weather but I am hoping that maybe you still had a good time! Keep posting :)! Let us know how it all went!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Socref124

Socref124

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Day two was a sea day and this is where the dreary weather started. It rained off and on all day. We started the day by going to the gym and then going to breakfast in the Gatherings buffet, After that we tried to sit back and catch some rays around the pool but Mother Nature had other ideas and it started to rain. Since we couldn't sunbathe, we went back to the cabin changed and went to Deck 5 to look for something to do. In the Ocean Plaza Gumby, one of the fun patrol, was getting ready to start a game of Scattegories so we sat down and joined in. After this we did a couple trivia contests and before we knew it, it was time for lunch. We decided to go upstairs to the Lido Deck and go to the Deli which is near the aft pool on the Dream. Laurie got a Rueben and I got a pastrami sandwich. Mmmmm mmmm, they were good. We then went back to the cabin and got ready for our cruise critic roll call meet and greet which was being held by the aft pool. It was raining so a lot of our roll call didn't show up and instead of being by the aft pool to meet everyone, we were in front of the deli. I'm sure a lot of the other guests were upset with us blocking their way, but there wasn't much room to meet with it raining. After the meet and greet we decided to just chill so we went back to our cbin to rest up. Laurie tried to read on the balcony but it was raining to hard so we both took a nap.

When we got up it was time to get dressed for the Captain's celebration and then dinner. The Captain's celebration was heldin the Ocean Plaza on Deck 5. We went down and met the Captain, Captain Quieirolo, and cruise director, Kirk Benning. This is the second time we have cruised with the Captain and our first time with Kirk. Kirk is a funny guy with a lot of energy.

After dinner we went to the Encore Theater to watch the "Get Ready" production show. Not a bad show at all with a lot of great music. I highly recommend watching this show if you haven't seen it already.

When the show was over, we headed to the Punchliner Comedy Club in the Burgundy Lounge. Tonight's comedian was Tommy Drake and he was fantastic. We go to a lot of comedy shows here in the Orlando area and on our cruises and Tommy is one of the best. He is also the only one I can remember that wears a suit on stage. When Tommy's act was over, we went to the Sams Piano Bar to listen and participate with Dave the piano guy. We had a great time here and met a newlywed couple from Clear Lake, Iowa. A great couple. We went to bed early since Laurie has a suba excursion planned the next day in Cozumel.

I will have more later tonight.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Socref124

Socref124

Posted
  • Author
Posted
I was hoping someone from last week's cruise would post. I watched the cruise cams every single day and saw that you guys did not have good weather but I am hoping that maybe you still had a good time! Keep posting :)! Let us know how it all went!

 

We had a great time. Everyone determines wether or not they will have a good time regardless of the situation. Instead of complaining about the poor conditions, we decided to have a great time and we did.:D

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Socref124

Socref124

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Day three was Monday and we are scheduled to port in Cozumel. Cozumel has been one of our favorite ports of call throughout the years. Laurie has a divng excursion that we privately set up with "Diving With Alison." We have been diving with Alison four times previously and have always had a great time. Laurie will be diving without me since health issues are preventing me from diving anymore. I plan on renting a car and taking a jaunt around the island.

We got up and I went to the gym again while Lauire prepared her diving gear for her excursion. After the gym I met up with Laurie and we went to the Gathering for an omelete and some sausage. I really like the omeletes that Carnival makes and Laurie does as well. At home I am usually the breakfast cook so I am really enjoying not having to clean up after myself. We finished breakfast and headed back to our room to grab Laurie's gear. The best thing about our cabin, other than the view, is we are really close to the Gathering, and the Lido pool and all it's activities. When we need a drink I just run back to the room and make a drink and I am back at the pool in 5 minutes.

We got off the ship and headed for the taxi stand where I would pick up my car rental, but there is a building that we must go through to get to the terminal. Dumfry's, I think is the name, has their building on the dock, it wasn't there the last time we were in Cozumel, and everyone has to walk through it. What a pain in the John Brown hind parts. Here I am totting a scuba bag trying not to knock any of the liquor off the shelf and there are people stopping to buy stuff in the first building off the ship and there must be twenty employees walking around too. Oh well, we made it through and I rented my car and drove Laurie to Caleta Marina, about 10 minutes from Puerta Maya. Alison was just arriving and Carlos was backing up the Maximus, the dive boat. Life is good. I passed Laurie's gear to Carlos and wished her luck and off I went to drive around the island. Let me tell you, there isn't much to see if you don't go to Chankanab or one of the resorts. I found a couple spots to pull over and take pictures of the barren beach. On one of the beaches I found a Dos Equis bottle and took a picture of it just for S&G's. I made my way all around the island and ended up downtown to Carlos n Charlies and Margritaville. Went in had a drink in each and proceded back toward the ship. On the way back I saw Sand Dollar Sports. This is the company that Carnival uses for a lot of their water sports including Discover Scuba which is where Laurie and I got hooked on Scuba several years ago. If anyone is wondering if they would like scuba or not, I highly recommend Sand Dollar Sports. At Sand Dollar you go through the basics and then when it is time to dive you walk into the water until you are completely submerged. A lot of other discover scuba classes take you on a boat and you jump off into 20 feet of water or more. Also, the water around Sand Dollar is very clear and you have very good vsibility here. OK, back to my trek around the island. I stopped here to take some pictures and got a great beach shot and a shot of some snorklers with a pirate ship in the background. I also got a nice shot of the Disney Magic and NCL Sun which were docked at Puerta Langosta. I finally finished my trip around the island and headed back to Caleta Marina to pick up my sweetie. The trip around the island without stops is probably an hour and a half. I took my time made several stops had a few drinks.

Back to the ship to get ready for the Chef's Table. This is the first time we are trying the Chef's Table and I made a reservation for this about two months ago.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Socref124

Socref124

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Nice start Mikey!! Love to see some pics, and maybe a tune or two that fits a port or your day! Best to Laurie! Crew

 

Stephen, I am saving the pics for last. Can't get them uploaded for some reason so I will put a link to my photo bucket at the end. Hope all is well in Tallahassee.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Socref124

Socref124

Posted
  • Author
Posted
One small point, I believe the Pilot boat was there to pick up the Pilot. Happens at every port..

I'm liking this "Dream" more and more..

 

This is our fourth trip out of Port Canaveral and the first time the ship has actually stopped this far out in the ocean. Usually the pilot gets out a lot earlier, but maybe he was chatting with the Captain and lost track of time. I hope that is all that happened as I would hate to know someone got so ill they had to leave the ship that early.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Socref124

Socref124

Posted
  • Author
Posted

The Chef's Dinner

I always thought it was way to expensive until I heard Host Mach rave about it once so Laurie and I decided to give it a go. For those that don't know about the Chef's Dinner, it is held for 12 people only and on the Dream it is twice per cruise. The cost of this dinner is $75 per person.

We received an invitation in our cabin yesterday advising us to meet in the Song Lounge, Deck 5 Aft, at 6:30pm for the Chef's Dinner. When we arrived there were three couples there already and they introduced themselves to us and a waiter served us a glass of Champagne. Shortly thereafter the last four people arrived, a young lady her Mother, Father and Sister. Once we were all there the head Chef introduced himself, Chef Roshon Desouza, and told us what we would be doing for the next three hours. We were given a scrolled menu and the servers started to serve the first appetizer as the chef explained what it was. This happened for each of the five appetizers. The five appetizers were:

Ahi Tuna Tartar

Wasabi Crisp

Duck Pot Sticker

Steak Taco

Avocado Cheesecake

Let me tell you, these wer delicious and were just a tease as to what was to come next. After we finished the last appetizer, the chef asked us to follow him to the Galley. Once in the galley we moved to our table which was placed in the middle of the galley between the serving lines for the Scarlet Dinning Room and the Crimson Dinning Room. When I say serving lines I am referring to the area where the cooks serve up the food to the server assistants. The table was there with our name tags in front of our seats. Ladies sat on one side and the gentlemen sat across from them. Chef Desouza then had a server offer us either white wine or red wine. I'm sorry but I do not have the names of the wine. The red wine was a cabernet and I believe the white wine was a chardonnay. the servers and Chef Desouza then presented the first entree. This was repeated for the next five entrees. What was especially nice was we could see the chefs preparing the ganishes for our meal at a table behind the guys. The six main entrees were:

Norwegian Salmon with avocado mousse and salmon caviar

Fire Roasted Tomatoe and Poblano Chili Bisque with grilled corn and cilantro drizzle

Rock Shrimps And Apple Beignets with tapioco crunch and Garlic lemon aioli

Chopped Mediterrainean Salad with shave pumpkin and feta cheese crumble

Filet Of Chilean Sea Bass with wine stewed shallots and chives vinaigrette, leeks emulsion & peas risotto

Aged Filet Mignon with onion streusel and homemade three pepper mustard

Watching the Chef's do the garnish work was amazing. At this time we were asked to follow Chef Desouza to the Pastry Chef's area. Over there, Chef Mario had all the ingrediants to make Warm Chocolate Melting Cake for us. Seeing 70 pounds of unsweetened chocolate sitting there was a total tease. The sugar, flour and eggs were also there. Chef Desouza told us, as Chef Mario demonstrated, how Warm Chocolate Melting Cake was prepared. We then went back to our table and a few minutes later Chef Mario came over and served us Warm Chocolate Melting Cake for dessert. I don't know about the other ten people, but Laurie and I were stuffed. Oh, one thing I need to mention, throughout the meal the wine steward kept filling our wine glasses. WOO HOO.:D

Chef Desouza also had a photographer there and took a couple pictures of the table. One picture from each side of the table withthe Chfe standing at the end of the table. He then signed the pictures and our menu and thanked us for having an interest in how the foods were prepared. This concluded the dinner and we were escorted out of the galley. I would highly recommend the Chef's Table to everyone. When the Magic gets to Galveston, Chef Desouza will be taking on the responsibility of head chef for that ship. Don't fret, the new head chef on the Dream will continue what Chef Desouza has done here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Socref124

Socref124

Posted
  • Author
Posted

After dinner we went to the Punchliner Comedy Club in the Burgundy Lounge but it ws filled to capacity so we went next door to Sam's Piano Bar to have fun with Dave and the crew. We are noticing quite a few faces from previous nights enjoying this venue. Once we saw the Punchliner emptying out, we left the Piano Bar and went to see some Comedy. Once again it was Tommy Drake doing his "R" rated show. It's been a long day so after Tommy's act we went back to our cabin for a glass of wine on the balcony and then off to sleep. The next day was our anniversary and we had a great day planned and Mother Nature cooperated with us totally, PTL.

The usual morning stuff, gym, breakfast at the Gatherings, grab our gear and head to the Encore Theatre to wait for our tender. The Dream does a great job of getting people off the ship in Belize. With that said, except for our first trip to Belize we have always used a Carnival excursion and have been off the ship in no time. The once we did a private excrsionwas on the Miracle and it wasn't as organized as the Dream. Anyway, Laurie decided not to go diving so she could be with me for the day. We did the Sergeants Cay Snorkeling tour and they picked us up in their boat right at the ship and brought us back to the ship. We didn't have to go to Belize City unless we wanted to. They took us to their island to fill out the paperwork and get everyone their snorkeling equipment. They didvide us up into four groups of about 15 people. Once we got to the snorkeling site our leader gave us his plan of action and we jumped in and started on his course. Fortunately, no one got hurt, he let us drift with the current and when we were about 50 yards from the boat we turned around and erhad to swim against the current back to the boat. From what we have been taught as divers, is we should have swam against the current at the beginning of the tour and allowed the current to bring us back to the boat when we were finished. This way you don't have to work as hard when you get tired at the end of the excursion. Anyway, we didn't have any problems so I guess it's a moot point.

I think I'll try a different excursion next time in Belize though.

When we got back to the ship we went up to our cabin to get ready for dinner. Since this was our anniversary, I reserved a table for two in the Chef's Art Steakhouse. While Laurie was getting ready I sat on our balcony and enjoyed a glass of wine and while I was getting ready Laurie did the same. The Chef's Art is on Deck 12 aft and is very easy to get to. Once there we were seated and our server got us a bottle of wine and showed us the steaks they have on the menu. There was a 24 oz Porterhouse that would have been enough to feed the two of us for the next three days. We ordered Surf and Turf, a 4 oz Filet and a 4 1/2 oz Lobster Tail. We also had a salad and soup. Let me tell you, this steak was to die for. To finish our meal we had the chocolate sampler, a small portion of four different desserts. I felt like I was ready to burst open at any minute. I'm not used to eating this much food but I am glad we did. It was a romantic setting and a great dinner for Laurie and I to celebrate our eighth anniversary. No comedy show this night so we went to the Encore Theater to watch the production show, "Dancin' in the Streets". Another gem from the singers and dancers. I highly recommend watching this show if you haven't seen it.

Tomorrow Roatan.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Socref124

Socref124

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Pretty sure it was a pilot because he literally jumped from the ship to the pilot boat. Do't think a passenger would have been able to do that.:p

 

LOL, nope, I don't think so. Someone onboard told me it was a pax. I just never saw them stop like that that far out in the ocean.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • Hurricane Zone 2024
      • Cruise Insurance Q&A w/ Steve Dasseos of Tripinsurancestore.com June 2024
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...