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Carnival Dream B2B Cruise Review

NWACruiser

By NWACruiser,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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NWACruiser

NWACruiser

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We booked a cruise on the Dream to celebrate DW's 29th birthday, again. We had been on the Dream in August going to Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel. We took the cruise because we had not been to Isla Roatan, or Belize. We booked balcony cabin 11249 one deck above the Lido deck. It seemed to be a good location for the outside activities. It was six floors up from the Promenade deck, though. I guess that meant I would get more exercise from climbing the stairs.

 

A few days later, we saw a great price for the Dream sailing the week before so we made it a back to back cruise. The cruise just happened to be a repeat of the August cruise. We booked inside cabin 9257. We have not stayed in an inside cabin, so it was going to be a new experience.

 

New Orleans is within a day's drive, so we planned to drive down. Finally the day arrived, and we drove down to our two week Dream cruise.

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NWACruiser

NWACruiser

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We headed out to Vicksburg, MS on Friday afternoon. It is about a seven-hour drive to Vicksburg from NWA. It is a pretty easy drive to get there. We pass through Fayetteville, Little Rock, Pine Bluff, Lake Village, Lake Providence, Tallulah, and even (yes I am not kidding) Transylvania on the way.

 

Interesting note about Lake Village and Lake Providence. These two lakes were part of the Mississippi River prior to the New Madrid earthquakes. The two earthquakes changed the course of the Mississippi and these lakes were formed.

 

We have stayed many ties in Vicksburg before. My fourth-Great Grandfather and his brother are casualties of the Battle of Vicksburg and are buried in the Confederate Cemetery. The Battlefield museum is a fantastic tour, by the way. You get to understand a little of how difficult the Civil War was to this country.

 

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We stayed at the Riverfront Casino that night. The staff there is very friendly. They work hard to make your stay as comfortable as possible. DW had to spend a few dollars at the slot machines. We came up winners! We had a few cents left over after gambling!

 

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One thing to note about breakfast there. When we stayed there last August, they had a full service breakfast. It is now set up to order your food at the cashier. They prepare it ad bring it to your table. In essence, they have minimized waiting on the tables. They need to return to prior form IMHO.

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NWACruiser

NWACruiser

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It is about three-and-a-half hour drive from Vicksburg to New Orleans. We had plenty of time during the day to get to New Orleans, so we took our time before leaving Vicksburg.

 

The drive is interesting, because that part of the country has its own beauty. Vicksburg to Jackson is very hilly and woodsy. From Jackson to Hammond, LA, the terrain begins to flatten out and become more pine forests than hardwoods.

 

South of Hammond, you get onto a viaduct that lasts some 30 miles before reaching Kenner. If you are a fan of the TV show "Swamp People" you get to see Louisiana swamps. At one point of the drive, you see Lake Maurepas to the west and Lake Ponchartrain to the east.

 

A co-worker of mine told me of a restaurant in Manchac she used to eat at when she was a kid. A little about Manchac. It is in the middle of the isthmus between the two lakes. There is not a lot of city life there. It is basically a small swamp town, like you see on Swamp People.

 

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Middendorf's (the restaurant I am referring to) on the other hand is as large as any big city favorite spot. There are more people eating in the restaurant (it seems) than live on this stretch of land between Hammond and New Orleans. It is easy to understand why it is so popular. The food was outstanding. Period. The staff treats you like family. The service moves the right pace, not too fast to make you feel rushed, nor to slow to make you think they forgot you. Later that day, I was talking with New Orleans' locals and mentioned Middendorf's. They said it is one of their favorites, also. With all of the great food in New Orleans, it says something when people go 30 miles out of their way to eat at a place in the middle of a swamp. (DUH)

 

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Normally we try to find a hotel in the French Quarter, but they were booked up and what as available, very pricy. Therefore we stayed at the Wyndham in Metairie. It is in the middle of a conversion to Wyndham standards and had some work to be done to get to that level. But the staff was very nice, the rooms were clean, and I would stay there again.

 

There was a group from Philadelphia numbering in the 100’s that were also on the cruise. The Jackson State University tennis team were also staying there. They were playing in a tournament in New Orleans. Despite the strong gusty winds that weekend, they were determined to win the tournament.

 

The staff was very nice, the rooms were clean, the breakfast was great, and we would stay there again.

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