Loyal Royal considering Carnival Dream, convince me

[momof4_tn]

We have been cruising for about 6 years. Have done about 9 cruises with Royal Caribbean during that time. Royal has priced me out for fall break and we're looking at Carnival Dream out of New Orleans. Reviews are mixed and I'm not reading much positive or finding many thorough reviews with ship info.

 

It will be myself, DH, Dd 10, and Ds 7. Our oldest daughter is getting married the day before the cruise and I just want a week at sea to recover.

 

Help reassure me this will be a comparable experience.

[Piper934]

I did 6 rccl, 2 Disney and a Holland before going to Carnival. To keep it brief they are more similar than different. You will not have a bad cruise. 3 of my last 4 have been Carnival.

[funat55]

I am not (yet) qualified to talk about the Dream. I won't be on her until next year. I see that we have sailed on some of the same RCCL ships and I have also sailed on NCL. I have sailed on a variety of other Carnival vessels and have never had a bad experience. I am pretty easy to please and I don't let little glitches get in the way.

 

We wanted to see New Orleans and go to Belize so we booked the Dream without hesitation. I try to do as much research as possible and I try to read every review I can. I took a friend last year for a 3 day cruise on the Inspiration and we had a blast. He is now ready to give Carnival a try for 7 days. The Inspiration is an older ship and my friend was quite impressed so I can only imagine what he will say when he sees the Dream.

 

I don't cheerlead for any cruise line and I don't stick with one or the other because of loyalty points or other rewards. I shop around and then see what fits my needs. I subscribe to the philosophy that the cruise business is very competitive and they are in the business to give you an experience that will make you want to come back for more.

 

That being said, I have no doubt that the Dream will be an amazing ship and our family will have a wonderful time. I say that without having seen the ship and based only on the reviews I have read and not seeing anything negative enough to change my mind.

 

Only you and you alone can decide whether this will be a good fit. I try to scrutinize each review and examine the content. I have gone to see a lot of movies that got bad reviews that I thoroughly enjoyed. A good example was "Mamma Mia". When it came out, our local movie reviewer gave it two thumbs down. I loved that movie and saw it three times. Just like the reviews of the ships there are some that are good and some that are bad. I am my own critic so if there are enough other positives, (like pricing, itinerary, etc.) to outweigh the negatives, I will decide accordingly.

 

Hopefully others that know the Dream will be able to give you the kind of feedback you need to make a decision.

[Warm Breezes]

The Dream was one of favorite Carnival Cruises but I will not try to convince you to try anything. Our friends are Loyal Royals too. Other family members convinced them to go on a Carnival cruise with them. They were so sure that they were not going to like Carnival based on what they had heard from others, mostly on their Royal cruises, that they looked for things not to like when they sailed them. The rest of their family enjoyed their cruise. They hated it and swear to this day that they will not sail Carnival again. I personally think a lot of it is in your attitude. If you think you are going to hate it, then you probably will find something to hate. If you go with an open mind, you just might find yourself liking it.

Edited July 30, 2016 by Warm Breezes

[Nic6318]

We have been cruising for about 6 years. Have done about 9 cruises with Royal Caribbean during that time. Royal has priced me out for fall break and we're looking at Carnival Dream out of New Orleans. Reviews are mixed and I'm not reading much positive or finding many thorough reviews with ship info.

 

It will be myself, DH, Dd 10, and Ds 7. Our oldest daughter is getting married the day before the cruise and I just want a week at sea to recover.

 

Help reassure me this will be a comparable experience.

 

Hi There

 

Look you have found that this Carnival cruise might be a better fit for you because of price. For many people that a good enough reason.

 

You shouldn't be looking for someone who doesn't know your tastes to say you are going to have a great time. Try it you might like it, if not you don't have to do it again.

 

Are you thinking that everybody that is sailing on Carnival is settling for some crap vacation and coming back over and over again? These cruise lines are more similar than different. You try something different so you can understand the difference, that way you can make an informed decision in the future.

 

whatever you choose

have a great cruise

[Normal 1]

We have been cruising for about 6 years. Have done about 9 cruises with Royal Caribbean during that time. Royal has priced me out for fall break and we're looking at Carnival Dream out of New Orleans. Reviews are mixed and I'm not reading much positive or finding many thorough reviews with ship info.

 

It will be myself, DH, Dd 10, and Ds 7. Our oldest daughter is getting married the day before the cruise and I just want a week at sea to recover.

 

Help reassure me this will be a comparable experience.

 

I have sailed both Royal and CArnival. I find them to have many similarities.

 

I have sailed the Dream and she has some great things to offer. If you are getting 1 cabin for the 4 of you, do get a deluxe ocean view. These are 220 sq ft cabins but have 1.75 bathrooms. The typical bathroom with a shower and a 2nd bathroom with a sink and tub/shower combo. Very handy when 4 need to get ready for dinner.

 

Go with an open mind and enjoy. You will be on a cruise...embrace the good and ignore the negative!

[Bases5]

Don't do it You will never go back:)

[DreadPirateRobert]

We have been cruising for about 6 years. Have done about 9 cruises with Royal Caribbean during that time. Royal has priced me out for fall break and we're looking at Carnival Dream out of New Orleans. Reviews are mixed and I'm not reading much positive or finding many thorough reviews with ship info.

 

It will be myself, DH, Dd 10, and Ds 7. Our oldest daughter is getting married the day before the cruise and I just want a week at sea to recover.

 

Help reassure me this will be a comparable experience.

 

I wish I could tell you it will be comparable but I can't. I also can't imagine someone not having a good time on Carnival. Very limited experience with Royal and it was years ago. The one difference I see is that Carnival ships don't focus on being a floating amusement park / shopping mall that Royal appears to be. I'm not a Carnival cheerleader or trying to take a cheap shot at Royal. It's just my observation. I hope you enjoy your Carnival cruise. No matter what though, it probably beats a week at work. 😄

Carnival, for me

[Tyme2Cruise]

We have been on the Dream three times and are going on the Magic (Dream Class Ship) next year. You will have a good time if you plan accordingly. The buffets, shows, comedy acts, pools, serenity deck, and activities will be crowded so plan ahead. Anytime dining did not work for us. It took so long we had to leave before dessert to make the early show. We get there 20-30 min early to get good seats. The water slides are fun. We get spa cabins and use the spa area frequently. Children are not allowed in the spa or the serenity deck. We like the wrap around promenade deck, it is a great place to walk. You may find Carnival is somewhat louder than Royal, and they make more announcements. Good bang for your buck. It will be different, but go and have a great time. :)

[cruising grandma]

I have been on the Dream and had a wonderful cruise. I love cruising, beaches, seeing sights, entertainment onboard, meeting and chatting with people from around the world on cruises. I have cruised on the (then) smallest Carnival Holiday and the largest(until Royal Caribbean Harmony)Oasis and Allure, and loved all of them! I began cruising on Celebrity, and have now cruised over 21 years on 6 different cruise lines. They are more alike than differences in them. I do think the Royal Caribbean perks for loyalty are better than some other cruise lines, but that doesn't keep me from trying others, especially if Royal's price is more than I want to pay.

 

My daughter and her family have only cruised on Carnival, and the grandchildren(ages 8 & 13) have loved their two Carnival small ship cruises! They like the slides on Carnival, and you only get those on Liberty and Harmony on Royal Caribbean, which they might try sometime. I would love for them to try Royal, but I don't think they would like Royal as much if there were no slides, even with all the other amenities Royal has to offer.

 

Go with an attitude of having a great time with your family and relaxing/unstressing from your daughter's wedding! I cruised a few weeks after my daughter's wedding, too! Best timing ever!

 

You may find your children like Carnival better, and I'm sure if they're happy, you will be, too.

[Bookbug53]

We have been cruising for about 6 years. Have done about 9 cruises with Royal Caribbean during that time. Royal has priced me out for fall break and we're looking at Carnival Dream out of New Orleans. Reviews are mixed and I'm not reading much positive or finding many thorough reviews with ship info.

 

It will be myself, DH, Dd 10, and Ds 7. Our oldest daughter is getting married the day before the cruise and I just want a week at sea to recover.

 

Help reassure me this will be a comparable experience.

 

 

Cruise number 17 coming up. 1 on RCCL, 1 on Princess and this will be cruise 15 on Carnival with another booked for January. 'Nuff said. :)

 

I am not going to reassure you and neither should anyone else.

 

I would be hard pressed to NOT find mixed reviews about any ship.

 

It's a cruise ship. It's on the ocean. It will take you places and feed you. There will be music and games. Sunshine. Drinks. Some things you will like and some you won't.

 

I sailed the Dream and had a great time because I went and made up my own mind and ignored the little things that seem to irritate others so badly.

[momof4_tn]

Thanks all. I was mainly looking for some opinions of those that cross over lines. I do think the kids will enjoy the slides and kids club. We just really need a break and the price is decent. I've got a balcony on deck 9 on 24 hour hold right now.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[fuddrules]

I'm not reading much positive or finding many thorough reviews with ship info.

 

Here are 5 and at least 1,000 more when searching Dream Review.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1851647&highlight=dream+review

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2367540&highlight=dream+review

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2372581&highlight=dream+review

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2370365&highlight=dream+review

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2382644&highlight=dream+review