Review of the Dream, 11/1/15 sailing (Cozumel, Belize, Honduras)

[cruisincountrygirl]

I'm a little late getting this out here, but I really enjoy reading about ships I'm about to sail, so I thought I should go ahead and put it up.

 

Let me preface a couple of things: my husband and I were traveling with two elderly parents and two teenagers, so some of my thoughts and opinions are influenced by those details. I'm going to make this just about the ship services without too much about the ports--you can probably read all you want everywhere about that, and I've found that the port visits are very subjective.

 

It was pouring when we arrived at the dock 11/1. If you're staying in the area, I would strongly suggest parking with New Orleans Parking (http://www.neworleansparking.com). They were VERY nice and helpful, I was able to purchase parking ahead of time and only had to show my e-mail when I got there, and they had a free shuttle to the port. It was all covered (although I selected to park on the roof which was $10 cheaper), and we were able to unload everything in a secure area without a lot of hassle. The guys took over and had everything unloaded, on the cart, and were ready to go in about five minutes. They went out of their way to help my parents, who both needed wheelchairs, and were especially kind to my kids (which is always big brownie points for me!).

 

Driving to the port was a bit more challenging. The port is laid out in a rather odd fashion, and it's not as easy to get in and out as you would expect. When we got there, there were huge groups of people blocking the entrances as they were trying to get out. Once we got into the building, though, it was a breeze to get through security and up to the check-in. I under-estimated how far I was going to have to walk pushing my dad's wheelchair, and it was a long climb, so if you're pushing someone like that please take the help they offer you. I was trying not to inconvenience them and it was quite the physical trial by the time we were on-board.

 

This is my one real complaint: we had two people in wheelchairs, and there was a Carnival employee stationed at each elevator bank to help direct people. They would not, however, hold an elevator or try to help us get on with the wheelchairs. People who were walking past us never even seemed to notice that we needed extra room in the elevator or that we might need more than a couple of seconds to get on the elevator. It was a very frustrating 20 minutes trying to catch two separate elevators to get to the lido deck. Beyond that, though, Carnival staff went above and beyond to try to help us any time we needed it.

 

We were able to get into our rooms earlier than I remember on any other cruise, and it was nice to relax and breathe before muster. Muster was done entirely inside (another first for me), and it was nice to sit in one of the dining rooms rather than braving the elements and standing outside for what feels like eternity. We were very pleased with both points.

 

Our dining staff was wonderful to us, and although the food was not quite as good as we've had on other cruises, it was fine. Honestly if you're going to let me sit at a table and serve me whatever I ask, I'm good with the quality not being 5 star.

 

One thing I really liked on this ship was the casino. It felt larger than the other ships I've been on, and it was laid out pretty well. It was easy to find something to play and I did well enough each time I played to enjoy myself the entire cruise. My mother, a smoker, had the complaint of constantly being told she was sitting as a non-smoking machine (which I honestly didn't realize was possible). However, most of the time it wasn't a huge deal. For me, a non-smoker, it was nice to not have the casino quite so full of smoke.

 

As a mother of two, and an early riser, I'm not a "stay out past midnight" kind of person. The only thing about that is that many of the activities (including the piano bar) didn't start until 9 or later. The comedy shows that occurred before then were PG or PG-13 rated, and probably weren't as funny as the ones which weren't. We tried the piano bar and a couple of the comedy shows and frankly weren't too impressed. My husband felt that during sea days there weren't enough activities around the ship which we've seen on other ships (trivia, karaoke, etc.) That's okay though--just more time to spend in the casino!

 

One other thing that was different on this cruise is that there are only two movie channels in the staterooms now, and they each show a new movie each day, but only that movie all day long. They both start at the same time, as well, so if you watch movies when you go to bed (like I do), be prepared for that.

 

Super bonuses: You're gonna LOVE the poolside theater. Our entire family watched movies almost every night, and sometimes both movies (there is an early and a late movie). One of my sons loved hanging out in the pool and watching the movie from there.

The Carnival kid programs (specifically Club O2) was incredible this cruise. Both my kids were there practically the entire time, and that's never happened before. They made several friends on the cruise and even when there weren't activities, they would meet up at the pool or the game room.

I put $20 at a time on their SS card, so at least that kept them having to find us occasionally. :p

 

The ports were really good, and we had a good time in spite of it raining every day. I was not excited about Belize at all, since it was kind of dirty and run-down last time I was there, but I was really glad I had the opportunity to visit it again. It was much nicer this trip and we really enjoyed it.

 

A few notes about Carnival services: I hope you never have to have security or the health center help you on a cruise, but let me tell you that if you do you can expect some really great treatment. My dad fell in his bathroom and we couldn't get him up and had to call for help. I called the front desk and they had a security officer at the door in less than 5 minutes. They stayed with us and helped ensure we had the situation resolved and that my dad was comfortable. The health center staff followed up with me later to see if we needed anything. I was very impressed.

 

We've already booked our next cruise, and we can't wait to go and try another ship!

[cruisincountrygirl]

Oh! I totally forgot! They've changed up the internet package and you can now purchase an actual package for the entire cruise (rather than by the minute, like it used to be).

I needed to stay in touch with my office on the trip, and this was a nice compromise. The internet fastest speed package was $99 and covered the whole cruise. It wasn't as fast as what I have at home, but it was okay. For checking email and updating/chatting on Facebook, it was great. It helped me check in, do what I needed, and get back to having fun, and that was worth more than the price I paid.

 

Loved it!

[Uncwrn93]

Glad you had a good cruise. Nice to hear that Carnival treated you and your family well.

[cavcmy]

Thank you for your review; I'm on the Dream next May and was glad to see your post! Couple of questions:

 

Were the muster drill stations inside for everyone or only for persons in wheelchairs and/or persons with disabilities?

 

It's not often you read someone really liked the casino. You must tell me more! What machines did you especially like or had good luck on?

 

Thanks much.