Carnival Dream Returns - First Cruise (9/19/21 - 9/25/21)

[TravelGirlinDallas]

For our 15th anniversary this past May, my husband and I planned several trips that ended up being cancelled. First, we had booked a Pacific cruise on NCL Bliss in April, which of course was cancelled. Next, we planned a land vacation in Lake Tahoe, which is where we honeymooned, but that trip had to be cancelled when South Lake Tahoe was evacuated due to a large wildfire nearby. (We also had a couple of family cruises on the Dream cancelled in 2020.) So in August, we checked prices on cruises out of Galveston, which is our homeport, just to see what might be available. We booked this 6-night cruise to Costa Maya, Belize, and Cozumel just over a month in advance. We've never booked so close to the sail date, but it was nice that we didn't have to wait very long!

 

I spent that month agonizing over all of the things that could possibly go wrong to cause this one to be cancelled like all of the rest - Covid exposure or illness, hurricanes in the Gulf, etc. etc. Then the testing requirements were introduced within days of us booking, which added an extra layer of concern. Then the timeframe was shortened from 3 days to 2 days! We scheduled appointments at CVS but also ordered the eMed home tests just in case. Our CVS appointments did not get cancelled, so we ended up not using the home tests. We were negative and good to go!

 

My inlaws came to stay with our 11-year-old son for the week, and we drove from our home in the DFW area to Webster, just south of Houston. All of the hotels on Galveston island is so much more expensive, and we've been there several times before, so we stayed in the Tru by Hilton hotel in Webster. It was fairly new, clean, and $94/night. I used pics I found online since we arrived after dark and I didn't take any of my own. It had a quirky, modern vibe. 

 

 

 

[TravelGirlinDallas]

The next morning, we woke up super-early and couldn't go back to sleep, kind of like kids on Christmas morning. We finally gave up trying and got up for the day. We ate a small breakfast in the Tru lobby, and I was pleased that they had some protein options such as scrambled eggs and sausage. Brian had a bagel. While we were trying to figure out what to do with ourselves for the next several hours, we decided we should head over to the Sunflower Bakery in Galveston. We love that place and hadn't been in a few years. 

 

 

First look at the Dream along the way!

 

 

 

 

Edited September 28, 2021 by TravelGirlinDallas

[TravelGirlinDallas]

With an 11:30 boarding time, we still had some time to kill. We decided to go over to the beach and sit on a bench on the seawall for a while. 

 

 

Eventually, it was time to go park the car and get this show on the road. 

 

We parked at the parking garage across the street from Terminal 1, because this time I wanted to avoid a shuttle situation. I really liked the convenience of just walking across the street. We'll be parking here again in the future. 

 

Shots of the Dream from the parking garage:

 

 

[TravelGirlinDallas]

We got in line at 11:15, which was slightly earlier than our 11:30 time, but they moved us right along. I don't think we stopped walking other than to take our pictures. We were actually on board by 11:30. 

 

This is the moment I realized that after all of the cancellations, this trip was actually going to happen and we were about to be back on board a cruise ship! I smiled so wide it looks like my face is going to split in half. 😂

 

The big gangway at Terminal 1 is broken, so we boarded on deck 0. The crew were there to cheer us on! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[TravelGirlinDallas]

Since this was the first cruise back in service, we were able to go directly to our cabins. We had cabin 8371, a balcony on deck 8.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[TravelGirlinDallas]

Our bags were delivered within an hour, probably because there were fewer people and fewer bags. We found out later that the ship was sailing at approximately 70%, which was fantastic. We hardly ever waited in line, there was always a chair or table available, and the ship never felt crowded. The crew were CONSTANTLY sanitizing common surfaces and the mask-wearing was pretty good overall. Crew members stood outside of every entrance to the buffet wearing little string backpacks full of masks to give to people who "forgot". Everything felt very safe. 

 

Our steward, Jhoe, introduced himself, but didn't ask if we wanted morning or evening service. We wondered which he would do, and it turned out that he came in the mornings. 

 

First lunch at Pasta Bella, plus the cake display downstairs in the buffet:

 

 

I had the funfetti cheesecake there in the middle - it was very good.

 

[TravelGirlinDallas]

Back to Fun!

Lobby:

 

 

 

 

 

Encore Theater (during e-muster, which was awesome!!)

 

 

Burgundy Lounge - comedy

Edited September 28, 2021 by TravelGirlinDallas

[Joe817]

Loving it so far! Thanks for the pics, and the memories! 👍

 

Keep up the good work! 

[LIZE]

Oh where is the Pasta Bella?  I didn't think they had an Italian restaurant on the the ship. If they do this makes me very happy.

[rlindholm]

1 hour ago, TravelGirlinDallas said:

The next morning, we woke up super-early and couldn't go back to sleep, kind of like kids on Christmas morning. We finally gave up trying and got up for the day. We ate a small breakfast in the Tru lobby, and I was pleased that they had some protein options such as scrambled eggs and sausage. Brian had a bagel. While we were trying to figure out what to do with ourselves for the next several hours, we decided we should head over to the Sunflower Bakery in Galveston. We love that place and hadn't been in a few years. 

 

 

First look at the Dream along the way!

 

 

 

 

Sunflower is the BOMB.  I'll never forget my one meal there.  

[TravelGirlinDallas]

19 minutes ago, LIZE said:

Oh where is the Pasta Bella?  I didn't think they had an Italian restaurant on the the ship. If they do this makes me very happy.

It's an area upstairs in the buffet. It's not really a separate restaurant, but they seat you and give you paper where you check off the items that you want. Then you turn in the order sheet and they bring you the pasta in a few minutes. 

[SenatorsFan]

I'm enjoying all your pictures! Those bakery goodies look delicious.

I love how the crew was out to welcome you on board! 😀

Heather

[BohJang]

I'm enjoying your review.  Our homeport is Galveston as well.  I keep making mock bookings for random dates and I would be happy with any ship and any itinerary.  We are fully vaccinated but I just can't get past having to deal with Covid tests and masks. I wonder if these requirements will ever go away.

[TravelGirlinDallas]

Crimson Restaurant, for the YTD diners:

 

 

 

 

 

Strawberry soup, fried shrimp, and the cheese plate for dessert. This was the first time I had tried the cheese plate, since I'm normally a big fan of dessert. But I was curious after hearing so many people talk about it. It was good. Brian ate the bleu cheese for me. 

 

 

 

After dinner, we enjoyed listening to the violin trio that was playing in the lobby. 

 

 

Sunset on our first night back at sea.

 

[TravelGirlinDallas]

5 minutes ago, BohJang said:

I'm enjoying your review.  Our homeport is Galveston as well.  I keep making mock bookings for random dates and I would be happy with any ship and any itinerary.  We are fully vaccinated but I just can't get past having to deal with Covid tests and masks. I wonder if these requirements will ever go away.

Honestly, it was totally worth it just to sail again. 100%.

[princess76021]

thank you for doing this!!  if all goes according to plans we will be on the Dream in March!  

 

i have had 5 cruises cancelled and haven't cruise in 2 years, big time cruise withdrawal!!

 

i will probably read and reread your review and all i can get my hands on!!

 

again thank you

hugs

[TravelGirlinDallas]

The next day was a sea day, which are my favorite! Which also means Seaday Brunch - also my favorite! This was my first chance to try the new menu. I liked the things I tried, but I did miss some old favorites from the former menu. It was kind of a toss-up for me. 

Scarlet - aft dining room

 

12-hour French toast - really a brick of French toast. I could hardly eat half of it. It was OK.

 

Looking down from our cabin to the Lanai on deck 5 (Guy's Pig & Anchor on the right). When we tried to walk all the way around the Lanai on the first day, the forward section was roped off and marked "Crew Only". Not sure why.

 

Elegant night:

 

I'm a sucker for these photos, but I only bought two this time. They are already in frames at home. 😄

 

[atxlady]

e parked at the parking garage across the street from Terminal 1, because this time I wanted to avoid a shuttle situation. I really liked the convenience of just walking across the street. We'll be parking here again in the future. 

 

 

Thanks for the review. I'm really enjoying in. We are excited for out trip in Jan. I have a question about this parking garage. Can you drive up and drop off your luggage and go back to park? It would be so easy to just walk across the street with just a carry on. We usually do Lighthouse but have to deal w/ the shuttles.

Cheers!!

[TravelGirlinDallas]

Some thoughts as I continue...

 

Buffet: we only ate there for breakfast on port days. It was all self-serve. The total food on display seemed reduced, since there were fewer people on board, but it was still just fine (in my opinion). There were plenty of choices at breakfast and everything was good.

 

Guy's Burgers: Condiments were self-serve. My burger was a little burnt, but Brian said his was great. I still love Guy's. This was the first cruise and the crew was still getting acclimated.

 

MDR service: Service on the first night was pretty slow, but we weren't in a rush. It picked up on subsequent nights. The crew seemed so happy to be back and were anxious to make everything just right. The food was good, in my opinion. They did do "Shhhhhow-time" all of the nights except the first, which I personally enjoy. They didn't ask people to twirl their napkins, but some still did. 

 

The shows: We saw both the 80's music and the "America Rocks" production shows. We thought that they were fun and entertaining. The 80's show had to be paused twice due to technical issues with the treadmills that they dance on, but the show continued afterward. 

 

The Dream itself: this ship is obviously not new, but it was clean and pretty and I really loved our experience. There were a few people on our FB group who had issues with A/C, mini-fridges, and TVs, but it sounded like most of those were corrected.  There were quite a few light bulbs burned out in the lobby and in the MDR chandeliers, which I wish they would have addressed while the ship was unoccupied for a year and a half, but that's ultimately not a big deal. The new hull paint job was beautiful. 

Edited September 28, 2021 by TravelGirlinDallas

[TravelGirlinDallas]

32 minutes ago, atxlady said:

. I have a question about this parking garage. Can you drive up and drop off your luggage and go back to park? It would be so easy to just walk across the street with just a carry on. We usually do Lighthouse but have to deal w/ the shuttles.

Cheers!!

Yes, and we considered doing that. But when we got there and saw how close it was, we decided not to waste the time waiting in the luggage drop-off traffic. We just parked and then rolled across the street.

[BohJang]

2 hours ago, TravelGirlinDallas said:

Honestly, it was totally worth it just to sail again. 100%.

That's encouraging!

[funkidd]

Thanks for the pics and your review. Please keep it up. My wife and I go on the dream on oct 3 this Sunday. Your report is making me feel better about our upcoming trip. Thanks. 

[Poecrew]

Thank you for the awesome review! I will be on the dream in January and I am really excited! I'm looking forward to good desserts LOL

[bkr50]

Thanks for the review, you just increased my excitement level.  I'm on the 10.3 sailing and a few cabins down from where you guys were.  Appreciate you taking the time to post.

[silvercrikhix]

Thanks, Travel Girl. You’ve actually got my heart pounding. I’m so excited after seeing your review! 

We’re scheduled for the Dream Oct 23 🛳 We loved the Breeze twice so we’ll undoubtedly like her.
It feels like it’s been so very long without a cruise.  Covid trashed a B2B Australia cruise for us. 
Wearing a mask is not a big deal for us. I’m collecting some to match my outfits  Why not!  I’ll be checking out your posts as fast as you get them up. i’m feeling like a kid at Christmas with a sneak peek.

 Lol  Thanks again for your pics & info!!!