Cruisin' with THE YAKS - 9/29/12 Carnival DREAM Photo Review - Spa OV Cabin 11202

[rockbock]

Any item I have bought from bon voyage has had a tag on it and the bottle was wrapped with the tag tied to it. Strange it didn't have any of this.

 

This was delivered to my cabin on the last night before debarkation. I found out from my friends next door that they had purchased it in Costa Maya, so they weren't allowed to bring it back to their cabins. All alcohol purchased in the ports is delivered the last night.

[dst]

Love the review - looking forward to your description of the Islands and pictures of the ship :)

[Crusin Karen]

Enjoying the review and pictures. Thank you for sharing your cruise with us!

[oncruisecontrol]

This was delivered to my cabin on the last night before debarkation. I found out from my friends next door that they had purchased it in Costa Maya, so they weren't allowed to bring it back to their cabins. All alcohol purchased in the ports is delivered the last night.

It looks like the staff that remanded(took custody of) the bottle put the wrong cabin number on it. Human error. But, at least your friend still got her bottle, so no harm, no foul.

[2 cruzen]

Oh gosh! Here is to hoping I don't get Sauro as my steward next May! I have a Inside Spa Cabin booked.

 

Thanks for the great reveiws.

 

Too bad they don't have better training or use higher caliper stewards for these nicer rooms. I'm sure the suites all have suburb stewards, as they should. Kind of like having the best servers for the steakhouse. Thanks for the comprehensive spa cabin review.

[oncruisecontrol]

Any item I have bought from bon voyage has had a tag on it and the bottle was wrapped with the tag tied to it. Strange it didn't have any of this.

Human error could still put a monkey wrench on this: one wrongly typed letter or keystroke or one illegible hand written letter or number and all bets are off.

[LOVECRUISING100%]

i made a reservation for the 7 of us with cruise parking of port canaveral (cpopc).

 

 

this was the cheapest reputable parking/shuttle service i could find. The normal parking rate was $5.99 per day, with free shuttle service. They do charge for 8 days if you have a 7-night cruise, but most parking places also charged the same way.

 

The rate was $4.99 per day for seniors over the age of 55 and veterans. My parents are both seniors and my dad is also a disabled veteran, so we qualified for the lower rate.

 

I received a call the day before the cruise informing me that the standard rates only apply to the first 6 passengers. Since we were a total of 7 people, we would be charged $1.00 extra per day. I didn't mind paying the $5.99 per day, but i wish they would have called me sooner to let me know, since i made the reservation about 6 weeks prior.

 

We arrived at cpopc at 10am. I've gotta tell you, one of the biggest challenges of this entire cruise was actually getting to and from cpopc. My vehicle is a chevy trailblazer. It seats five. We had to fit 7 passengers in this car, along with all of our luggage. We ended up having to strategically pack the luggage into the back of the car. The luggage that didn't fit in the back was piled onto the laps of the four passengers in the small back seat. I sat on top of the center glove box, straddling the gear shift. The ride was so horrible, that it was actually laughable and created a memory that none of us will ever forget.

 

Here's a view of the back-seat passengers!

 

 

 

the process at cpopc was quick and painless, other than one slight glitch in the pricing. We pulled up and unloaded our bags. We then waited inside for about 5-10 minutes for the next shuttle. Complimentary coffee and donuts were available during our wait.

 

The pricing problem was that they charged me the $6.99 rate, instead of $5.99. They did have it noted in our reservation that we were 7 passengers and would have the $1.00 surcharge, but they did not have it noted in our reservation that we were booked at the senior/veteran rate. They originally charged my credit card for $59. Rather than process a credit for the difference, the attendant just handed me $60 in cash and re-charged my credit card for the correct amount. This was fine with me.

 

The shuttle ride to the port was comfortable and took about 10 minutes. We arrived at the port at about 10:30am.

lmao

[BenjiRodney]

Enjoying the review

[CruisinCJ]

Also enjoying your review. Thank you!

 

Carol

[MrFunInTheSun]

Great review and pictures. Thank you for sharing your cruise adventure with us.

[DiverDownAZ]

Wheres the rest of your luggage we only have 2 of us and the wife brings that much stuff.

[rockbock]

2.0 UPGRADES (or 1.2 UPGRADES, AS SOME WOULD SAY)...

 

For several months I've been seeing threads with everybody questioning why the Dream only received a few of the 2.0 upgrades during drydock. From the little that I've read, it seems like the 2.0 budget was consumed by the need to change some other areas for safety reasons (tile on Lido was apparently slippery). But I don't work for Carnival, so I don't have a real answer to this question. What I can do, however, is report back on the changes that I saw.

 

This was the second sailing after drydock.

 

The biggest change in terms of looks was the Lido pool area. I kind of liked the way it looked better before the change, because the new pool area looks boring to me. However, others will say it's more elegant now. It's all personal taste and the decor of a pool isn't something that's going to affect my vacation one way or another.

 

Here's the "old" Lido pool:

 

 

 

And here's what it looks like now:

 

 

 

 

 

[rockbock]

REG FROG and BLUE IGUANA BARS

 

I'm not a bar person, so neither of these upgrades really appealed to me. They look nice on the Lido deck, but I can't really speak for whether or not they're a huge improvement to the ship, since I don't buy drinks or sit in the bars. Neither one of these bars serves food. Here are some post-2.0 pics:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[reeree313]

Loving your review. Thanks for taking the time to write it. We had

a spa cabin on the Dream also...they upgraded us for like $80 or something. It was great and spoiled me for life!

[rockbock]

PUNCHLINER COMEDY BRUNCH

 

This is the 2.0 upgrade I was the most excited about, but it turned out to be a huge disappointment. I have no photos from the brunch, but I want to offer a detailed review of our experience.

 

The Comedy Brunch is offered on both sea days. The brunch is held in the MDR. It opens at 9am and runs until 1:30pm, with the comedy acts taking place every hour on the hour. This is all that I knew about the brunch before I got onto the ship.

 

My expectations: I went on the second sea day. I planned to arrive at 10:45am, so that we'd be seated before the 11am comedian performed. We expected about 30 minutes of comedy. Then we planned to hang around after brunch to hear the next comedian at 12pm.

 

The reality: We arrived at 10:40am and were greeted by a tremendously long line. We peeked into the MDR and there were MANY empty tables available, so we thought the line would move very quickly. Not the case! At 10:55am, a couple of ladies who we met from our roll call were leaving the brunch and told us they were in there for two over hours (they must have been near the front of the line when the door opened). They were disappointed with the experience.

 

At 11:00am, we were still waiting in line and we were unable to hear anything the comedian said when the show began. We were seated at 11:10, and the comedy show ended within a minute of when we got to our table. The "comedy" portion of the "Comedy Brunch" consisted of 5 minutes of intro by the host, followed by 5 minutes of comedy by the comedian. I didn't hear the comedy portion, so I can't comment one whether it was at least a decent 5-minute show. No matter how good it might have been, 5 minutes of comedy is not what I expected from a "Comedy Brunch."

 

Our orders were taken about 5 minutes after we were seated. About 5 minutes after that, a basket was brought to our table which contained three rolls (there were three of us seated at the table). Reviews I've seen from other ships showed baskets of assorted pastries and treats delivered to each table. All we got were the three breakfast rolls (which were actually quite delicious). Our meals didn't arrive until right around the time that the 12pm comedian began his show. Now I know that the food is all custom-cooked; however, the service was inexcusably slow!

 

The quality of the food was very good!

 

I checked the time on my cell phone when the second comedy show started, because I wanted to see how long it would last. There was a 5-minute intro by the host (including an audio of George Lopez telling us to enjoy the show). The host tried to crack a few jokes, but wasn't especially funny. The host actually referred to the comedy act during brunch to be a "Comedy Teaser." He also advertised for the evening comedy shows.

 

Next up was the featured comedian, who I had seen at the Punchliner club the previous night and found to be HILARIOUS. Well this time it wasn't quite the same. He spent 5 minutes talking to a few of the people dining near the center of the room and cracking a few jokes with them. He also advertised for us to attend the evening show several times. That was it.

 

We basically waited in line for 30 minutes and then waited close to an hour for our food in order to hear 10 minutes total of a host and a comedian advertising the evening comedy shows.

 

So the food was good, but I felt like this was a total waste of close to two hours on a sea day. I would have MUCH preferred to grab breakfast on Lido and relaxed in the sun for a couple of hours.

 

The Comedy Brunch sounds like such a great concept...I expected to laugh my head off while eating a leisurely meal. This was not the case. Although the food was good, the brunch was a flop overall and I won't be wasting my time with it on future cruises unless I read reviews suggesting that it has been totally revamped.

[rockbock]

OTHER UPGRADES:

 

 

There was supposed to be some sort of DJ thing, but I never saw it. I'm sure it was there, but I don't know what it was.

 

Tiling on Lido Deck - The tiles were very nice. I don't know how slippery they used to be, since this was my first time on this ship. The new tiles did not seem slippery at all.

 

Carpeting - New carpeting was placed throughout the ship. I felt sooooooo bad for the housekeeping staff. It was an endless job for them having to vacuumed those rugs. The type of carpeting they put down is one of the kinds that "pills" a lot when it is new. Well with all of the foot traffic, it seemed like the rugs were pilled up within minutes of when they were last vacuumed. Carnival staff did a GREAT job of keeping up with the vacuuming. Although the rugs never looked great because of the constant pilling, I know this was only because they were brand new and I do feel that the housekeeping staff did everything in their power to minimize the pillage.

[sbnuggie]

PUNCHLINER COMEDY BRUNCH

 

This is the 2.0 upgrade I was the most excited about, but it turned out to be a huge disappointment. I have no photos from the brunch, but I want to offer a detailed review of our experience.

 

The Comedy Brunch is offered on both sea days. The brunch is held in the MDR. It opens at 9am and runs until 1:30pm, with the comedy acts taking place every hour on the hour. This is all that I knew about the brunch before I got onto the ship.

 

My expectations: I went on the second sea day. I planned to arrive at 10:45am, so that we'd be seated before the 11am comedian performed. We expected about 30 minutes of comedy. Then we planned to hang around after brunch to hear the next comedian at 12pm.

 

The reality: We arrived at 10:40am and were greeted by a tremendously long line. We peeked into the MDR and there were MANY empty tables available, so we thought the line would move very quickly. Not the case! At 10:55am, a couple of ladies who we met from our roll call were leaving the brunch and told us they were in there for two over hours (they must have been near the front of the line when the door opened). They were disappointed with the experience.

 

At 11:00am, we were still waiting in line and we were unable to hear anything the comedian said when the show began. We were seated at 11:10, and the comedy show ended within a minute of when we got to our table. The "comedy" portion of the "Comedy Brunch" consisted of 5 minutes of intro by the host, followed by 5 minutes of comedy by the comedian. I didn't hear the comedy portion, so I can't comment one whether it was at least a decent 5-minute show. No matter how good it might have been, 5 minutes of comedy is not what I expected from a "Comedy Brunch."

 

Our orders were taken about 5 minutes after we were seated. About 5 minutes after that, a basket was brought to our table which contained three rolls (there were three of us seated at the table). Reviews I've seen from other ships showed baskets of assorted pastries and treats delivered to each table. All we got were the three breakfast rolls (which were actually quite delicious). Our meals didn't arrive until right around the time that the 12pm comedian began his show. Now I know that the food is all custom-cooked; however, the service was inexcusably slow!

 

The quality of the food was very good!

 

I checked the time on my cell phone when the second comedy show started, because I wanted to see how long it would last. There was a 5-minute intro by the host (including an audio of George Lopez telling us to enjoy the show). The host tried to crack a few jokes, but wasn't especially funny. The host actually referred to the comedy act during brunch to be a "Comedy Teaser." He also advertised for the evening comedy shows.

 

Next up was the featured comedian, who I had seen at the Punchliner club the previous night and found to be HILARIOUS. Well this time it wasn't quite the same. He spent 5 minutes talking to a few of the people dining near the center of the room and cracking a few jokes with them. He also advertised for us to attend the evening show several times. That was it.

 

We basically waited in line for 30 minutes and then waited close to an hour for our food in order to hear 10 minutes total of a host and a comedian advertising the evening comedy shows.

 

So the food was good, but I felt like this was a total waste of close to two hours on a sea day. I would have MUCH preferred to grab breakfast on Lido and relaxed in the sun for a couple of hours.

 

The Comedy Brunch sounds like such a great concept...I expected to laugh my head off while eating a leisurely meal. This was not the case. Although the food was good, the brunch was a flop overall and I won't be wasting my time with it on future cruises unless I read reviews suggesting that it has been totally revamped.

 

Quick question, I've heard that the Brunch is the only MDR service for Breakfast/lunch on sea days versus pre-brunch days where you could goto MDR for breakfast/lunch. Then I heard that one Dining Room is used for this brunch and other is used for traditional open seating for lunch/breakfast on sea days. Can you confirm that. thanks

[rockbock]

Quick question, I've heard that the Brunch is the only MDR service for Breakfast/lunch on sea days versus pre-brunch days where you could goto MDR for breakfast/lunch. Then I heard that one Dining Room is used for this brunch and other is used for traditional open seating for lunch/breakfast on sea days. Can you confirm that. thanks

 

 

Sorry, but I never checked to see if the other dining room was open for breakfast and lunch.

[Coolcruise02]

Great review, can't wait for more!

[FlaGrl4Evr]

Maybe you had such a bad experience with your cabin steward because you feel that rules don't apply to you. Just sayin...... right off the bat you admit to "sneaking" in before the allotted cabin time. Perhaps it put a wrench in the stewards plans to try an accomodate you before time and it just set a bad tone from the get-go. Also, having the steward have to care for 5 occupants in a quad cabin? They make occupancy rules for safet yreasons. --- per Coast Guard regulations, ie: correct number of lifevests etc.... As far as the mini-bar contents, you should of just taken the bag, filled it up and put it away instead of telling him a fib that you didn't want it around your teenagers.... Geesh....

 

In addition, instead of sneaking out of the other parties room when Grandpa went potty, why didn't you report it so the cabin steward could clean and disinfect it again? How would you feel if a stranger did the stinky in your bathroom and used your personal soap and towels to wash after ?

As far as the keeping the Brandy.......you have to live with yourself and the example it sets for your children. Gifts from another passenger would come with a note card; ours always have. If in doubt, better to double check --- mistakes happen.

 

 

You sound like a very hard to please and self entitled passenger.

 

**** and BTW...... shame for having the outlook that you did on booking a HC cabin. They don't always boot you out to accomodate a handicappped passenger. I found this out when trying to book my SIL who is in a WC, into one of these cabins.

 

 

.

[rockbock]

Maybe you had such a bad experience with your cabin steward because you feel that rules don't apply to you. Just sayin...... right off the bat you admit to "sneaking" in before the allotted cabin time. Perhaps it put a wrench in the stewards plans to try an accomodate you before time and it just set a bad tone from the get-go.

 

Yes, we checked out the cabin early, and then left. The hallways were crowded with other people doing the same thing. So yes, he must have seen us check out the room early, remembered us (and the others who did the same) and gave us all bad service for the week because of it, knowing that his bad service might result in him losing his tips. Yes, I think you must be correct lol.

 

 

In addition, instead of sneaking out of the other parties room when Grandpa went potty, why didn't you report it so the cabin steward could clean and disinfect it again? How would you feel if a stranger did the stinky in your bathroom and used your personal soap and towels to wash after ?

 

Did we meet while you were on this cruise? Because I don't recall seeing anybody enter the cabin to take note of what my father left in the toilet, or whether he used their soap and towels after he knew he was in the wrong cabin. Or is it that you're just adding more to this story than what I posted?

 

 

As far as the keeping the Brandy.......you have to live with yourself and the example it sets for your children. Gifts from another passenger would come with a note card; ours always have. If in doubt, better to double check --- mistakes happen.

 

Seeing as I've never received any gift from another passenger delivered to my cabin, I guess I don't know the protocol. You're obviously a much more popular passenger than I am, since you are so experienced with receiving gifts. But so nice of you to judge me for Carnival's mistake.

 

You sound like a very hard to please and self entitled passenger.

 

Quite the opposite...despite all of the negative things I've commented on in this review, I've made it quite clear that I had an amazing cruise and none of these things made me enjoy my vacation any less.

 

 

**** and BTW...... shame for having the outlook that you did on booking a HC cabin. They don't always boot you out to accomodate a handicappped passenger. I found this out when trying to book my SIL who is in a WC, into one of these cabins.

 

 

So when the Spa OV cabin came available 2.5 weeks prior to sail date, nobody should have booked it, because there *just might* be a handicapped person who decided to book the cruise at the very last second and wants his/her choice of any cabin on the ship? I took the cabin KNOWING that I might be bumped and I was willing to accept the risk; however, I honestly think Carnival's rules for allocating hanicapped cabins are flawed from the start. As far as I'm concerned, the handicapped cabins should not be available to anybody who isn't handicapped right up until final payment date. Once the final payment date passes, I think the cabins should be opened up to anybody who wants them, with no chance of being bumped. Having a disability shouldn't entitle a person to the right to book at the last second and bump out a person who made a reservation months prior.

 

But regardless of my personal feelings on handicapped cabins, the fact remains that I upgraded to this cabin TWO AND A HALF WEEKS before the cruise and I KNEW I could potentially be bumped. If Carnival didn't want an able-bodied person to book this cabin, it wouldn't have been made available.

 

 

 

And thank you for my laugh today. I always love a good troll. :)

[sbnuggie]

Thanks for the response and the review and port reviews you are doing, we are doing the same cruise in May next year and this is super helpful stuff.

 

And PLEASE dont feed the Troll anymore....I find if you don't feed them they go back under the dark dank bridge where they belong......

[britwelshflorida]

Okay, enough is enough.

 

Rockbock is giving her review as honestly as she can and how she felt. I was one of the 'ladies' next door. The steward explained to me (after endlessly asking where my bottle was) that his assistant actually gave the bottle next door and I was to retrieve it from her (this was after the ship was almost empty on debarkation day) He showed me the netting and bag with my name and cabin number on it so obviously it had been double bagged for some insane reason and thay had taken off these items. After I explained that we lived in Florida and not where Rockbock lived he reluctantly gave me a $20.00 bill. Is it a big deal, no, but as Rockbock explained, why didn't they just ask the steward, problem solved and we would have all had a giggle. As the cabin steward was the same as mine, I was fortunate that I didn't have all the same problems as her, but, he did not get an extra tip from me either. He did remove dishes once and reluctantly emptied the refridgerator (I wanted to put my own soda in the refridgerator) and he refused to give me a fan as it was not medically necessary. Not a big deal again, but it was more of the other incident (that I also will not go into) that showed he was not an attentive employee.

 

My cabin was also HC and also larger that the OP's but we just got really lucky and booked right near the cruise date. If I had been bumped, again not a big deal, we, for once had a proberly, lifetime deal and we made the most of it.

 

I am a cruise critic member but I don't normally write posts (except roll call) and a review, but, I feel some people need to take a chill pill!

[kicker]

With the exception of not informing a steward someone had actually used the wrong bathroom (and who was around to tell? Prob no one), you did nothing wrong, and its too bad that people, instead of complimenting you on a great review (and, btw, looks like you have a loving and fun family) have to flame you.

 

As someone who gets flamed on here occasionally (just a few days ago for calling a free government phone an Obama-phone:rolleyes:), I sympathize.

 

Keep it coming - your pics and commentary are very complete and appreciated.:)

[rockbock]

 

I am a cruise critic member but I don't normally write posts (except roll call) and a review, but, I feel some people need to take a chill pill!

 

Thanks for clarifying this. And I still feel bad about the brandy even though it wasn't really my fault, other than being naive as to why I might have received it.