1st time on Dream Spring Break review March 13

[angiem0217]

another one of the Palm trees. It was really relaxing sitting in the shade reading my book.

 

 

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[Wardogcoach]

Appreciate your honest review so far.

 

We took the Dream once years ago. It was and probably still is the most

crowded-feeling ship in the fleet. With long waits as well.

 

Hey, a cruise is still great. But we prefer smaller Carnival ships.

we were on this Spring Break -first time on the Dream. We think we like the smaller ships the best, for the same reasons - seem less crowded.

 

We had great time and loved our cruise.

[lennythenose]

We were on the same cruise! It is interesting seeing others experiences. We have 2 sons, 13 and 16, and we hardly saw them the entire trip. Our older son has always found a group at the club to hang out with but this was the first time our younger one found kids he "clicked" with. Both always had fun, just in different ways.

 

We had FTTF also and had no problems with embarkation, tendering, Guest Services, etc. It was all great. We did ask for our cabin to be cleaned 2 times a day and for ice each day. There were only a couple of times we didn't get these requests and our steward found us each time to apologize and explain. No big deal...he was great!

 

We did go the Blue Hole and my boys LOVED it. Highly recommend, but it is a long day.

 

We had early seating dining and didn't spend time at the pool except during the movies. The few times I was on Lido I walked right up to the bars or had waiters around but not hasseling me constantly. No lines in Ocean Plaza bar either. We slept late and ate at off times so we never had lines at the buffet either. Only line we had the entire week was for the brunch on the last sea day and that was probably only 10 minutes at the most. It was only 2 of us though and I think larger groups were having to wait longer.

 

We were on the Magic in December and definitely preferred the dining room service on the Dream. We just like the traditional better. Even my boys didn't like the idea of the more casual American Table.

[angiem0217]

We were on the same cruise! It is interesting seeing others experiences. We have 2 sons, 13 and 16, and we hardly saw them the entire trip. Our older son has always found a group at the club to hang out with but this was the first time our younger one found kids he "clicked" with. Both always had fun, just in different ways.

 

 

 

We had FTTF also and had no problems with embarkation, tendering, Guest Services, etc. It was all great. We did ask for our cabin to be cleaned 2 times a day and for ice each day. There were only a couple of times we didn't get these requests and our steward found us each time to apologize and explain. No big deal...he was great!

 

 

 

We did go the Blue Hole and my boys LOVED it. Highly recommend, but it is a long day.

 

 

 

We had early seating dining and didn't spend time at the pool except during the movies. The few times I was on Lido I walked right up to the bars or had waiters around but not hasseling me constantly. No lines in Ocean Plaza bar either. We slept late and ate at off times so we never had lines at the buffet either. Only line we had the entire week was for the brunch on the last sea day and that was probably only 10 minutes at the most. It was only 2 of us though and I think larger groups were having to wait longer.

 

 

 

We were on the Magic in December and definitely preferred the dining room service on the Dream. We just like the traditional better. Even my boys didn't like the idea of the more casual American Table.

 

 

That is so weird. Because we had adult beverages every day and in between the aft bar, rum bar, tequila bar and the bar on deck 3 there was always a line. I never went to a bar and got a drink without somewhat of a wait. It's like we were not even on the same ship.

 

 

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[angiem0217]

The last sea day we went to the Dr Seuss breakfast. It was so cute and we really enjoyed it. We spent most of the day at the aft pool, ate our last dinner in the main dining room then played in the casino. We decided to go ahead and pack and get to bed fairly early. We did the self assist getting off the boat. We left our cabin at 7 and were on the road home by 7:30. We all had a blast on this cruise. The staff was great and the food was good. Other than it being very crowded and having to stand in line, everything else was great. I would definitely sail the Dream again. Just not spring break week. My husband received a bounce back offer for a free cruise from the casino. I have already booked the Magic out of port canaveral in August. Let the countdown begin. Thanks to all that followed the review.

 

 

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[Lovetwocruz2009]

I had done a lot of research about Montego Bay. We have never been to Jamaica and I really wanted to do something fun. We had wanted to go to the blue hole in Ocho Rios but really did not want to drive that far. I decided to hire a private tour guide before we arrived. I searched cruise critic and trip advisor and decided to go with PPP tours. They had excellent reviews and I figured we could decide where to go once we arrived. Donavan picked us up at the cruise terminal and we discussed our options. With 2 ships in MB, 2 in Falmouth and 2 in Ocho Rios we decided the blue hole would be too crowded. Donavan suggested Negril. We figured Dr Caves beach would also be crowded. The drive was an hour but it went down the coast and through a few small towns. We decided this sounded good as we wanted to do some sightseeing and go to the beach. Donavan told us all about living in Jamaica the history and answered all of our questions. We arrived in Negril and Donavan took us to a small beach hotel called The boardwalk. It was next door to Sandals and when we walked out to the beach it was beautiful. We were the first people to arrive and had our choice of beach chairs. There was a restaurant and bar and a water trampoline in the ocean. There was no charge for the trampoline or to use the facilities. We had a waitress that brought our drinks and food and we relaxed on the beach all day. My son made friends with the lifeguard that worked for the resort. They played soccer and he took my son out and snorkeled and jumped on the trampoline with him. They did flips and my son had the best time. The lifeguard was so nice to him and my son did not want to leave. I think the life guard had as much fun as my son. They had a trap with fresh lobster and we picked out lobster and they grilled it for us right on the beach. Everyone was so nice and the facilities were very nice. Donavan stayed at the restaurant all day until we were ready to leave. He drove us back and dropped us off at the port. Donavan was so nice and we really enjoyed visiting and talking to him on the trip to and from Negril. We all had a great day and I will return to the boardwalk if I am ever back in Jamaica. The beaches in Negril are beautiful and I am so glad we went.

 

 

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Thank you for your review. We will be cruising in July. May I ask the cost of the lobster lunch and drinks? I am assuming the cost is in addition to the private transportation with PPP Tours

We have been to Duns River Falls and other local beaches. I would love to see Negril.

 

Thanks again.

[angiem0217]

Thank you for your review. We will be cruising in July. May I ask the cost of the lobster lunch and drinks? I am assuming the cost is in addition to the private transportation with PPP Tours

 

We have been to Duns River Falls and other local beaches. I would love to see Negril.

 

 

 

Thanks again.

 

 

The lobster ranged in price depending on the size. The one I got was $25. The drinks and beer were very reasonable. The red strip was around $4 or $5 and the mixed drinks were around $8 I think. We had an appetizer platter and it was $15 or so I think.

 

 

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[Lovetwocruz2009]

The lobster ranged in price depending on the size. The one I got was $25. The drinks and beer were very reasonable. The red strip was around $4 or $5 and the mixed drinks were around $8 I think. We had an appetizer platter and it was $15 or so I think.

 

 

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Thank you for the information. Donavan already replied to my email. This should be a great day. Next, I am going to look into your tour in Grand Cayman. :)

[shipbound2]

We did not encounter any inappropriate behavior from adults. It was the kids that were running around the ship with no adult supervision. I mean like small kids 7, 8 and 9 years old. One girl bite my son in the hot tub. I spoke to her parents and they really didn't care. Still let her run around unsupervised. I did not let my 9 year old roam free. He was with us or at camp carnival. He loved camp carnival and went every night and did not want to leave. We mostly stayed at the water slide or the back pool. The lido pool was so crowded we never really stayed in that area. But to answer your question, I would not hesitate to go back during spring break. Over all we had a wonderful cruise and my son had a blast!

 

 

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For some odd reason parents(not all) think when they bring their kids on a cruise the parental supervision goes out the door and its up to the cruise line to take of their kids.

 

Gary

[tcwoah]

the water was crystal clear at the reef where we snorkeled

 

 

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What camera do you have?

[angiem0217]

Thank you for the information. Donavan already replied to my email. This should be a great day. Next, I am going to look into your tour in Grand Cayman. :)

 

 

Tell Donavan I said Hello. I think you will have a blast in Negril. And the ride to the resort is pretty interesting. Let me know how it goes. Also the one in Cayman was one of the best excursions we have done. You will love it. Make sure to book with a small group. We did Cayman Eco adventures and another one that has good reviews is Dexter sea tours. But they do not go to starfish point and my daughter really wanted to do that.

 

 

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[angiem0217]

For some odd reason parents(not all) think when they bring their kids on a cruise the parental supervision goes out the door and its up to the cruise line to take of their kids.

 

 

 

Gary

 

 

Yes unfortunately that was the case. I can not imagine letting my 9 year old roam the ship. And there were plenty younger than him that had no supervision

 

 

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[angiem0217]

What camera do you have?

 

 

Fujifilm FinePix XP80 Waterproof Digital Camera with 2.7-Inch LCD. I loved it.

 

 

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[angiem0217]

Fujifilm FinePix XP80 Waterproof Digital Camera with 2.7-Inch LCD. I loved it.

 

 

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[angiem0217]

 

 

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[tcwoah]

Fujifilm FinePix XP80 Waterproof Digital Camera with 2.7-Inch LCD. I loved it.

 

 

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Thank you. I have been going back and forth about buying a water camera just for ports. I have a Nikon DSLR and love it but don't really want to take it to the beach.

[angiem0217]

here are some more under water shots.

 

 

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[BigEasyCC]

Thank you for all the great info on your excursions in Grand Cayman and Jamaica. I will definitely look into those next cruise there!

[angiem0217]

Thank you. I have been going back and forth about buying a water camera just for ports. I have a Nikon DSLR and love it but don't really want to take it to the beach.

 

 

I paid $165 for it on Amazon and it takes great pictures under water and above water also. I bought a hand strap that floats just in case I were to drop it in the ocean. It's well worth the money in my opinion. I also have a very expensive Nikon with 2 lenses but I never take it on vacation because it is too big. I have a nice Sony that I use a lot but bought the Fuji because it was waterproof. I have been pleased with it.

 

 

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[angiem0217]

 

 

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[angiem0217]

The 2 straps were $12.95

 

 

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[swmt]

Thanks for great info on the excursions. Looking forward to our trip and love the idea of all 3 locations in GC. Would there still be time to shop if we went back after the excursion? Some of my favorite places to shop are in GC.

 

Thanks

[angiem0217]

Thanks for great info on the excursions. Looking forward to our trip and love the idea of all 3 locations in GC. Would there still be time to shop if we went back after the excursion? Some of my favorite places to shop are in GC.

 

 

 

Thanks

 

 

We went to the beach and ate lunch after the excursion. We were back around noon and the boat didn't leave until 4 so you should have plenty of time. We shopped back at the port area when we got back after lunch on 7 MB. Hope y'all have a great trip!

 

 

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[Lovetwocruz2009]

Tell Donavan I said Hello. I think you will have a blast in Negril. And the ride to the resort is pretty interesting. Let me know how it goes. Also the one in Cayman was one of the best excursions we have done. You will love it. Make sure to book with a small group. We did Cayman Eco adventures and another one that has good reviews is Dexter sea tours. But they do not go to starfish point and my daughter really wanted to do that.

 

 

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I'm all set and confirmed with Donavan. I will definitely check back in after our cruise. I am looking at the two companies you mentioned for GC. My problem is my BFF and her daughter are not snorkelers nor strong swimmers. They agreed to step off the boat at StingRay city but they are scared to death:eek: I want to see starfish island. decisions..decisions..

[Lovetwocruz2009]

I also have the Fuji XP80 with float strap. I purchased mine as a set at Costco last year for $150. I saw Fuji's new model (XP90) at Costo with the strap for $175 I believe. But it will go on sale soon, if anyone else is interested.