Carnival Dream Reviews

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This was our 6th cruise with Carnival and 2nd on the Dream. We brought our youngest son and two of his friends to celebrate his college graduation. Embarkation was very quick and painless. We arrived at noon and were on the ship in less than 30 minutes from the time of pulling up to unload our luggage. After a quick lunch our rooms were ready for us drop off our carry on bags. We had a cove balcony room and loved it. We will stay again in a cove balcony room when they are available. Our only disappointment on this entire cruise was the lack of energy from the cruise director. When you did see him he brought no energy or excitment with him. We had 2 great at sea days. My wife loves to read and i love to people watch. Cozumel -- We booked the Isla Passion by Twister. this was our 2nd time of doing this and loved it. Belize -- Had a great day of snorkeling at the Barrier Reef and then spending time on Bannister Island. Isla Roatan -- Tabyana Beach was beautiful. The day started out with rain but by mid morning it was gone. Costa Maya -- Did not have much time here as we left at 2:00pm. We did get some shopping in for the grand kids. The comedy shows were great and the show, Dancing in the Street, was fantastic. Disembarkation -- again very quick and painless as we were in our van leaving the port before 8:30am.

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We Flew Into Orlando the day before the cruise and stayed at the Holiday Inn at Cocoa Beach. It was a very nice Hotel. I also went to the beach that day to start off the pre-cruise and Had dinner on the beach and watched the sunset. 1st day got shuttled from the hotel to the port by 11:30 and was on the ship 20 minutes within the time we arrived on the lido deck. it was very fast process. How can anybody complain? this ship is so big and beautiful. I love the Atrium so pretty. and I watched break dancing and shows in the atrium some nights of the cruise. we were directed to the lido deck for lunch. I loved the food U can get anything. there's so many options they even have a moglogin wok were U get made to order stir fry. it was good But the lines can be long. after lunch we walked around the ship to get a good feel of it and sat by the pool and went swimming and before I knew it our rooms r ready Stateroom I loved the stateroom it was so quiet. I didn't hear kids screaming or neighbors talking it was peaceful on the th deck. I booked a stateroom with staterooms above and below me. I enjoy the towel animals every night. bring your own clock. there's no clock in the room. and also bring a power strip. Only one outlet Behind the desk. the beds were so comfortable. I slept like a baby each night. I had a balcony also. and I liked it I sat out there coming into port each day. and sometimes I went to the buffet and took my breakfast back to my room and ate breakfast out there. the staterooms r very small. I went back out to explore more until Munster drill that's the only part I didn't like and I went back to the lido to watch the ship sail out. it was very nice than after sail away I went down the water slides I love water slides Its the best part of the ship and the lines didn't seem long at all there's a twister slide. a Drainpipe and two racing slides and a kiddie slide. I went on all the slides even on sea days I got ready for dinner which was nice. they sing at dinner it s like a party at night on the cruise. I saw some shows as well and the Lazar was nice and called it a night Day 2 was a sea day chair hogs were in full force I couldn't find a deck chair. and U can never go bored on a cruise they have so much to do. from seminars the shows trivia, tournaments U can go use the spa. play in the casinos shop in the gift shops. go swimming, they have pool side games. and a band playing by the pool. and so much going on in the Atrium and all over the ship. they have a BBQ lunch on the Launi only on sea days. with burgers hot dogs, kabobs, sliders, chicken and much more. it never felt crowded. and there's a little cafe in the ocean plaza Breakfast got a little crowded. the food was good the eggs were watered down but still good. they had an omelet station were u can get made to own omelets some mornings we ate in the MDR Like the last sea day since they only do that on sea days the food was great in the MDR as well they have so many options of what to eat like the Grille but it closes early. they have a 24-hour ice cream station but always long lines, and a 24/pizza station. a deli and tandoor. the tandoor is all spicy I hate spicy so i didn't try that. we went to the serenity after lunch but it felt crowded we only stayed for 20 minutes we went to the serenity on Belize day. we not formal ppl It was elegant night we didn't go to that. There's so many photographer taking ppl's pictures blocking the walkways areas I love that U can walk all around the ship on deck 5. that was a nice area we had My time dining the whole cruise. but the wait was long. Day 3 Cozumel we took a cab the Paradise Beach. Entry was free. it was a beautiful day. they had Cabernet u can rent. and we payed $12 to go on the water trampolines and kayak and snorkeled it was so much fun and had a great time and we had lunch there and went back on the ship and I was still hungry so I went to the grille and sat by the pool till dinner. after dinner saw shows and a movie on the big screen. Day 4 Belize we stayed on the ship it was a tender port and we knew the lines would be very long. we went on the water slides. relaxed in the serenity had lunch at the bar In the serenity. the ship was quiet when everybody was ashore. the lines were much shorter and we found a chair by the pool with no problem at all. Day 5 Roatan we went to West Bay which is at the far end of the island and went on a ship wreak excursion and coral reef. it was beautiful. it was a lovely day. and we relaxed on the beach shopped a little and went back on the ship. that night there was a deck party we attend it was so amazing I loved the cha cha slide and YMCA dance. and there was a Mexican Buffet. the food was great.I was up most of the hours. there were parties till the wee hours. Day 6 Costa Maya we got off the ship and just went to the pool and swam there and had lunch. the ship was leaving at 2:00 they changed it to 2:00 instead of 3:00. which we didn't have enough time to explore the port and everything is so pricey in this port. we went back on the ship and sat by the pool and watched sail away and headed to the water slides till Dinner. we decided to have lobster for supper It was so good. and watched movies on the deck and went to the atrium to enjoy the shows. Day 7 Same as day 2 basically. we had a great time. Planning to go on Miracle In January and Going on NCl Gem in September. What a great cruise!!! Don't believe the bad reviews their wrong

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Just returned from our Carnival Dream Eastern Caribbean family cruise, May 5th-12th. This was the worst vacation we have ever had. I normally don't do reviews, but I don't want anyone else to go through what happened to us. My DH and 2 year old and 7 year old sons were with me on this trip, booked in cabin 2396, a cove balcony room. DO NOT BOOK THIS ROOM. The entire week they were doing maintenance above our room from the hours of 11 PM-5 AM. It sounded like sledgehammers hitting our ceiling. We called Guest Services every night since we got no sleep all week. They basically told us "Sorry". They told us they knew there was maintenance going on and it would continue all week. We asked to be moved because our children were up all night. They told us there were no other rooms, sorry. So we got NO SLEEP all week. The cove balconies are very nice, but if you book a room make sure you are nowhere under the galley. We booked Carnival Cruise Line because they would accept 2 year olds in Camp Carnival, and Royal Caribbean won't take them until they are 3 and potty trained. BIG MISTAKE. We would drop off our sons, and within 10 minutes they called us and told us to come get our two year old. We tried several times throughout the cruise, just so we could get a little bit of a break since we got no sleep, but the counselors at camp didn't want to deal with a 2 year old. They were wonderful with the older kids but they did not want the toddlers. The worst part of the trip was while boarding the boat in Nassau I was holding my 2 year old in my arms, and while walking up the gangway I fell on the walkway. I cut my leg about 4-5" long, from my ankle to my calf and they could have cared less. Someone finally called my room 24 hours after I fell and told us to call if we needed something. Thank god my 2 year old didn't get hurt in the fall. I repeatedly went to the Guest Services Desk and called them and they just told us sorry, we can't do anything. This boat either had a full week of maintenance scheduled or something because everywhere we went the maintenance crew was fixing lights, painting, fixing broken fixtures, etc. Our room steward was very nice, and our waiter was nice, but the rest of the servers/assistants on the boat did not want to be bothered and acted like they hated their jobs and didn't want to to be there. The sewer smell is very extensive on the lower floors of the boat, so prepare yourself. The food was edible, not great. I think having been on Royal Caribbean ruined us because the two cruise lines don't compare. The best comparison I can give you is test driving a Mercedes for a week, then test driving a 1985 Dodge Caravan that has 300,000 miles on it and needs fixing and smells funny. So when we finally returned home after the week of no sleep, a cut leg, and servers who don't want to be there, I called Carnival's Corporate Office. Again, they did nothing. They told me sorry, but please cruise with us again. I have cruised on Royal Caribbean and they blow Carnival out of the water with their service, food, entertainment, and memories. Several of the cruisers I talked to were very upset with the service and quality of the food on this boat. Pay the few extra dollars and go on Royal Caribbean. We saved for a year to have the vacation of the lifetime. We had the worst vacation ever, and Carnival could have cared less. Royal Caribbean at least cares about their passengers. On Carnival you are just a number. I can give you honest reviews on the Ports. At Nassau we did the Blue Lagoon Shore Excursion because I had been there years ago and knew there were no waves in the lagoon so my children could play in the water with no worries. Again, gorgeous trip, hardly anyone there, we had full run of the beach and could walk over and stand right above the dolphins and see everything. Well worth the money. At St. Thomas we did the Beach/Shopping Tour and it was ok. Very Busy. Magen's Bay was packed. You couldn't walk without stepping on someone. Our kids started building a sandcastle and the lifeguards told us they had to fill in the holes so no one would fall. Not fun. Then they took us shopping on the main drag. Shopping was ok. Next time I will go to Saphire Beach. Magen's Bay is pretty in pictures from afar, don't go. Way too busy and they don't rake the beach so it seems dirty. St. Maarten we just took the water taxi, $6 round trip per person. Awesome day. It takes you right to the main shopping area. We spent a couple hours shopping, then got two beach chairs/umbrella for $5 for the rest of the day. Wonderful day. But definitely go to Maho Beach to watch the airplanes land and take off if you don't have little kids. Hope this review helps someone. Just imagine you take your family on the trip of a lifetime and due to the cruise line you get NO SLEEP ALL WEEK. How would you feel when you get off the boat? Cruises should be the most relaxing trip of your life.

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This was our 7th cruise and 3rd with Carnival. Went with DH, our 4 y/o son and DH's parents. Flew into MCO the day prior and used Cocoa Beach Shuttle to take us to/from airport/hotel/ship. Had no problems with them and would use them again. They also have a cruise critic discount. Embarkation - Went well. No problems. There were minimal lines and it probably took about 30 minutes from the time we got to the port until we got on the ship. Room - We had a deluxe ocean view room. I loved this room. It had two bathrooms which I really liked and I especially loved the extra storage. This was the first cabin I have had where I didn't feel I needed more storage space. Our room steward was good. We didn't have much interaction with him though, but he kept up the room nicely. Ship - Seemed clean. Most staff were friendly. Took a few days to get used to the layout, but that's normal. Crowds - I didn't find this as big of an issue as other reviews have stated. Granted, we did not go during a spring break, summer, or holiday week, when I am sure it is much more crowded. Was one time told 4200 passengers and another time told 4300, so it was around that amount. Only 390 kids on board, which isn't that many. It only really seemed crowded around the show times or comedy club. I did notice that the good seats around the pool fill up fast. There were still plenty of good seats by the aft pool around 8AM, but not much left by 9AM. Camp Carnival - My son loved camp. On the first night they have a family party down at the night club. My son really enjoyed that. If you have kids between the ages of 2 and 7 and can make it to that party, I would. They seemed like they did alot of activities during camp and he came back with some neat gifts. Dining - I thought the food was good. My husband and his parents all thought it was just okay. We were not impressed with the dining room staff (we had YTD). They didn't seem very personable (they were not rude though)and did seem overworked. Plus it seemed like the service was longer than it has been in the past. Loved the Pasta Bar but didn't care too much for the buffet. The smell - I smelled the smell other reviews have talked about. It wasn't all the time and it wasn't always in the same place. Only one time on deck 10 did it seem overpowering. The rest of the times it was only a minor irritant. Waterpark - I am only mentioning this because my son absolutely loved this area. We actually ending up sitting by the waterworks area on the last two sea days instead of by the pool as this is the area he enjoyed the most. The twister was his favorite. I think the most we had to wait was about five minutes. Usually there was no wait at all. Entertainment - We went to two productions shows and one comedy show. The comedy was good and I wish we had gone to more. The production shows were okay. I have read several reviews commenting on the two lead singers and how they cannot sing. Unfortunately, I have to agree with this, they were not very good. We also went to two of the laser shows. I didn't care for those either. The fun force dancers were good. The deck party was fun. We spent a good bit of time in the casino and did not leave winners, but still had fun. Debarkation - We did self-assist. We were off pretty quickly and at the airport by 9:00 AM.

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We traveled with 2 families in 2 rooms... My husband and I with our 4 yr old in one, and his mother and sister in another. We had a Deluxe Ocean View and it was great, plenty of room for everything to be unpacked and luggage to be stored under the bed! Arriving at Port Canaveral - I dropped off our party and all our luggage at the port around 9:30 AM, then took the car to the park n cruise that is just back across the bridge... Very simple, easy and saved quite a bit of money. They taxied me back and within 20 minutes we were on our way to check in.. They started calling zones around 10:30 AM and by 11 we were up on Lido enjoying lunch! We carried on our allotted amounts of water and cokes and although our rooms were not ready until 1:30 the room stewards let us go ahead and put them in our rooms to keep from having to lug them around! The ship is much larger than any other ship we have sailed having only sailed previously in the Fantasy class of ships. It is BEAUTIFUL! We had over 4200 hundred on board and over 2200 were past guests and at no time other than the initial sail-away did this ship ever feel crowded! Deck chairs were easy to come by, even on sea days! The lines for the water slide (which my 4 yr old enjoyed so much) were never more that 5 or 6 people long! The ports were nice! Nassau, we had been here many times before so were just ran through the straw market that they just re-opened about 6 mos ago... much nicer than it was last time we were there! There were 5 ships in port that day and we didn't have much time, so we spent more time on than off this ship that day! St. Thomas - was pretty from a distance, and we took a taxi to Sapphire Beach about $10 per person each way with a taxi, chair rental is $7 each. My daughter loved playing in the sand, but if I go back to this island I will definitely choose a different place to go. St. Maarten - BEAUTIFUL Island! We went with Bernard's Tours here and it was great! It was $40 per person and it is a 5 hour tour, which turned in to around 5.5 hrs... They are very informative and super nice. Drinks are included with your price and you get 2 hours at the beach, get to see the capitals on both sides of the island, and then they take you to see the planes land at Maho Beach... This was really worth it. We could have spent the day here watching the planes come in and take off! Over all I have ZERO complaints, The comedy shows are great, the comedy host Jeff "The Fun Dude" not so much. The waitstaff, the stewards and every single person I came in contact with were just super nice! Our head waitress "Dee" was the best service I have ever had on any ship ever... My daughter has even said she misses her since we have been home! She really made this trip special! I can't speak for everyone that cruises this ship but I can say, I would take this exact cruise on this exact ship again! Like I said.. I could not have asked for more!

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