What is up with the Carnival Dream????

[cacruisin]

I've sailed on many Carnival ships and I try to keep a realistic perspective on what to expect from a low-end cruise line.  I am the type of person who is just happy to not clean, cook or go to work for a week and enjoy all my vacations.  I don't usually hold too much significance to negative reviews as "to each their own" etc.  BUT I cannot find many good reviews of the Dream at all, 99% of the ones I read are HORRIBLE.  So, is there something specific about the Dream to warrant that?  I am starting to worry about our upcoming cruise next month.... Is there anyone out there who cruised on the Dream lately and actually ENJOYED the cruise? 

 

TIA  

[daveo6313]

We cruised on the Dream back in November and had a great time.  It does not have as many optional dining choices as some of the other ships but we enjoyed the steakhouse on the first night.  We just got off of the Panorama on Sunday and the expereince as far as quality goes was similar to the Dream.

[Zachsmom]

I cruised on the Dream in October 2023 and had a great time.  There were four of us (2 couples) in our group.  Our only complaint was slow service in the main dining room a couple of nights, but we believe it was due to being understaffed.  We have cruised on several Carnival ships (we are platinum) and we felt like the Dream experience was inline with our other cruise experiences since Covid.

[ULCajunCruiser]

Was on her last week and had a great time.  Good food and friendly staff, what else can I ask for.  I really like this class of ship.   It does not have all the new bells and whistles of the newer ships, nor numerous dining options; but what is there is great!!   Always take reviews with a grain of salt, why people get a charge out of bashing is a mystery!!

[mz-s]

I was on the Dream's sister ship, Magic, over Labor Day. The food was basically hospital food. The crew by and large were average to below average. The shows were seriously bizarre. Everything was stained or dirty. Nothing about the cruise was good or exemplary, which is a complete change from how Carnival usually is.

 

I cruised 4 or 5 times between my Magic cruise and the COVID restart. During the sip and cover era, the controlled capacity and mandatory testing era, where things were closed because of staffing issues, etc. And the Magic cruise was by far the worst.

 

I cruised it for free and that's the only way I'd ever get back on the Magic unless I hear that it's seriously improved since. Otherwise I would honestly rather just stay at the La Quinta by the airport next time.

 

I don't know if the Dream will be the same or better or worse. I am just relaying my experience.

[mz-s]

Typically reviews do tend negative because average people who have positive experiences won't bother to write a review. Only people who seriously love cruising like folks here.

 

Average people only tend to write reviews when they have something they want to get off their chest.

[firefly333]

I did the 14 day dream just last month. Idk if because it was 14 or not but the food was very good. We had new menus items which were also good. I was on the ship that had some excitement out of cozumel and the winds turned on us and the captain made everyone go back to their cabins. 

 

Cant think of anything I didnt like. Southern voices had some really good ole country  music, but didnt do any line dances. They said their first gig. Good sound, but surprisingly south africa british in person. They had the texas sound down to a T. I kind of followed them around as I enjoyed their music the best.

[Moonarino]

4 hours ago, mz-s said:

I was on the Dream's sister ship, Magic, over Labor Day. The food was basically hospital food. The crew by and large were average to below average. ...

 

We've sailed both Magic and Dream twice over the years. Both cruises on Dream (although not our favorites) were hands-down better than Magic.

 

FYI @cacruisin, if departure port isn't an issue, sister ship Breeze is our favorite in this class. But I'd say Dream is definitely worth a try.

[BlerkOne]

A few complainers always make more noise than many satisfied customers. Love the Dream. Wish it was still in New Orleans.

[cacruisin]

Thanks everyone for easing my mind.  This is our first cruise out of Galveston so I got a little nervous but feel better now.

[mrpayroll]

Learned a long time ago to take reviews, Good and Bad with a grain of salt. 

[JoeMo]

I've sailed all four Carnival ships from Galveston in the last 5 months. (Dream X2).

The Breeze was O.K., as expected. The Jubilee is a beautiful new ship, lots of space, (Except in the casino), but too big for me. The Vista is/was needing a drydock. I would not hesitate to repeat (If it still ported Galveston). The Dream is my favorite by far, especially since they brought their staffing back up.

[Honolulu Blue]

18 hours ago, cacruisin said:

I've sailed on many Carnival ships and I try to keep a realistic perspective on what to expect from a low-end cruise line.  I am the type of person who is just happy to not clean, cook or go to work for a week and enjoy all my vacations.  I don't usually hold too much significance to negative reviews as "to each their own" etc.  BUT I cannot find many good reviews of the Dream at all, 99% of the ones I read are HORRIBLE.  So, is there something specific about the Dream to warrant that?  I am starting to worry about our upcoming cruise next month.... Is there anyone out there who cruised on the Dream lately and actually ENJOYED the cruise? 

I was on the Dream last month - the same cruise @firefly333.  I had a great experience on hsr.  Here's the LIVE thread I did for it:

 

 

[csoud68]

The Dream was a fantastic when I went. Loved that ship. No worries.

[dna1990]

Just off Dream last week.  Overall, great.

 

Pizza was consistently slow/inefficient.  Everything else fell into place for us just fine.  Serenity was relaxing.  MDR service was top notch.  Cabin and steward were great.  Casino happening.  Atrium music always good.  Getting on/off at all stops was painless.  HMC sand is ever-healing, water was cold in Feb.  Aft pool area easy to find a spot.  Didn't see any big shows.  No big waits for elevators after Day 1.  Photo folks were more boring than we have seen before with CCL, but Dream Studio got some great memories, $$$ but worth it to us to capture the moment.

 

No age-related issues noted, all was clean and operational.

 

Do your research.  Know what Dream has to offer, the basic layout of the ship, etc.  Pre-book spa/drink/internet/photo as desired.  Study the ports of call.  Have a plan, but build in flexibility.

 

Make your travel plans in/out of Galveston.  For our sailing, many folks arrived early at the terminal, presumably everyone anticipating Mardis Gras traffic issues.  This was chaotic for a little while before they opened the doors.  Once inside and moving into security lines, everything was smooth.  But just plan for patience at any terminal, assume the worst and hope for the best.

 

 

[notscb]

We sailed on the Dream in December of 23 and had a great time! There was always plenty going on yet plenty of space to find quiet nooks around the ship to relax. We did the steakhouse and really enjoyed it and our cove balcony was a really neat experience.

 

Not sure why it's getting bad reviews- the Dream was easily my best Carnival experience so far.

[Frank12]

Love the Dream