Late Dream Review 1-21---1-28 Western Carib

[joe17cool]

We drove from Virginia after work and stayed at the Comfort Inn near Jekyll Island on Friday. On Saturday we got up and drove to Port Canaveral. We arrived at the “Park N Cruise” around 11:30 and there was a line of about 10 cars dropping off luggage and registering their vehicles. We had to wait on the shuttle for about 20 minutes. The “Park N Cruise” was very nice and I recommend it. It costs less than half the price of parking “in the port” and was very well worth it. The Park N Cruise does have a restroom. (The morning we ended the cruise, we exited the ship and got on the shuttle, into our car, and hit the road by 8AM – we did carry our own luggage, though.) We checked our luggage and headed to the embarcation line. We carried on a 12 pack of water, a 12 pack of soda, and two bottles of wine in a wheeled suitcase. It was sent through the x-ray and the suitcase was never opened. We were on-board around 1:00.

 

 

We went to the back of the ship and ate at the Tandori grill which had a small line and plenty of chairs outside to sit down and enjoy the sunshine. We went to our room around 2:00. We booked a Cove Balcony room 2389. The room was great and even though it is under the gallery we never heard any noise. After dropping of our carry-on luggage we walked around the ship for a while. The ship is big and took us a couple of days before we truly understood the layout and where everything was located. After walking around it was time for muster drill. Then we went up to the pool to watch sail away and then the activities on the deck.

 

 

Sunday – Day at Sea

We woke up early and found a couple of chairs in Serenity and relaxed a bit. I went and got breakfast for both of us and carried it up to our chairs to enjoy the morning in the relaxing atmosphere of Serenity. We laid out and relaxed most of the day, just enjoying the 80 degrees and sunshine.

 

 

Monday – Cozumel

We did not book an excursion and after a lot of research we decided to snorkel at the “Money Bar” at Dulz Ha Reef. We walked off the ship and through the port area to the cabbies and took a cab for $8 (cash only) to the bar. There we rented snorkel equipment and a locker (cash only) and were in the water before anyone else. The snorkeling was good and we saw a couple of barracuda. After a while a lot of boats showed up and dropped off people on the reef for their excursion snorkel. We hung out for awhile having a couple of beers and snorkeling. We ate lunch there and loved the ceviche. If you want a true Mexican dish try the ceviche. We then walked across the street to catch a cab to downtown. In my opinion it was not worth the trip downtown and we should have just stayed at the Money Bar all day. The downtown area was crawling with tourists and was loud and bustling. It was a huge change from the quiet, edge-of-the-earth feeling at the Money Bar.

 

 

Tuesday – Belize City

In order to get to port in Belize City, you must take a tender. We decided to go to the Mayan ruins of Xunantunich which we booked through Carnival before the trip. The trip takes 2 hours once you are on the bus and the drivers drive very fast. Our two guides were great and provided a lot of information on the ride to and from the ruins. The ruins were amazing. The size and height of them is impressive. The view from the top of the main temple puts into perspective what the temple most have looked like for miles around. We also heard howler monkeys in the jungle but never saw any. On the way back to the port the bus stopped at a place for lunch which was included in the excursion price. We stopped at a nice restaurant called Hode's. Lunch consisted of chicken, fried plantain, and Belizean rice and beans. A bottled soda was also included in the price. It was great and I recommend the local beer called Belikin. On the ride back to port about 20 miles from Belize City our bus broke down. Luckily after about 20 minutes the driver and our guide got it started and we made it back to port to catch one of the last couple of tenders to the ship. When the bus broke down I was very glad we had booked through Carnival because I knew the ship wouldn't leave port until the excursions had returned.

 

 

Wednesday – Isla Roatan, Honduras

We got up early and looking at the ocean from our cove balcony, I knew we might be in trouble. I had read the reports that the Dream often missed port in Roatan and looking at the ocean I thought it might happen to us. We ate breakfast and packed our backpack and headed to the back of the ship to watch the captain enter the port. After spinning around a couple of times and getting close to the mouth of the bay, we started going forward again. I knew we were not stopping so we headed up to Serenity to claim chairs. A few minutes later the captain came on and made the announcement. We were very disappointed, but made the most of a day at sea. We had booked a beach break & snorkel through Bananarama resort for the day. When I read reports of the Dream not making the port in Roatan I was hoping we would get lucky and make the port. The people who booked excursions through the ship got automatic refunds. We had to contact Bananarama resort a couple of times after we got back to the States to request our refund. I have only been on 2 cruises and have missed ports on both cruises. (We missed Jamaica on the Imagination in 1997.)

 

 

Thursday – Costa Maya, Mexico

 

 

We booked the Carnival excursion to Chacchobben Mayan ruins. The bus ride is about 1 hour and the guide is very informative. These ruins are very nice and easy to get around in but not nearly as tall as Xunitnuich. Also you cannot climb to the top of the temples, like you can at Xunantunich. We did see spider monkeys jumping from tree to tree in the jungle. The trip was good and then we spent a couple of hours in the port area of Costa Maya. I could do without the port area here and was disappointed at the tight confinement of the dolphins in the swim area. This port area is basically a tourism port built by Carnival. Overall, the day was good and the trip to the ruins was fun.

 

 

Friday – Day at Sea

 

 

By this time in the trip we kind of had a morning routine and a place where we liked to hang out and lay in the sun. We relaxed most of the day and enjoyed our last day of the vacation.

 

 

Saturday – Disembarkation

 

 

We did self-assist disembarkation and were surprised at how early this starts. We had to rush to finish packing and get ready to get off the boat when our floor was called. We walked right off the ship and headed to the area where the “Park N Cruise” driver had told us to meet. In less than ten minutes we were on a shuttle back to our car and on the road home by 8:30 AM.

 

 

Notes about the ship and our trip that I could not remember the days that they happened

 

 

Fun Force guys are awesome. We enjoyed everything that they participated in and the Dancing in the Streets performance was the highlight of the entertainment.

 

 

The comedians were also very good and we enjoyed the adult version of their acts.

 

 

We enjoyed the quietness of the outside area of deck five, especially the hot tubs. They were a great place to hang out and watch as we left the ports in the evening.

 

 

Anytime Dining – We had to wait most nights for about 20 minutes, and one night we waited for 45 minutes for a table for just the two of us. We did not request a private table, and all but 2 nights we ate with a group.

 

 

We enjoyed our trip tremendously and would book again with Carnival and sail on the Dream again. The staff did a great job the whole week. The only disappointment we had was missing Isla Roatan.

[kittycrusin08]

Thanks for sharing and writing a review on the dream. I really enjoyed the review since we will be sailing on the dream in October. Glad you had such a wonderful cruise. Again thanks. ;)

[gelo7]

Excellent review.

[joe17cool]

We had a great time.

[Silent Penguin]

I'm glad you had a relaxing and enjoyable cruise, but I'm sorry you missed Roatan. So far, it is my favorite port. I hope our first Carnival cruise will be as relaxing as the one you just were on.

[cruzlovr75]

Great review, sorry you had to miss Roatan. We are sailing the Dream very soon with that same itinerary, I think I would be so disappointed if we missed a port.