Overall I would say my cruise experience was awful. The only good parts were getting off the boat for the excursions and the entertainment we did. For the money we paid for this cruise it was not worth the money. This vacation turned out to be more work than vacation. Standing in long lines for food all day and pool side chairs were impossible to get and taking stairs and waiting long times for elevators was not what we paid for. I am said to say I will probably never get my husband back on a cruise because of our experience. This was our first and most likely our last cruise. Out of 7 days we were able to get a pool side chair while our kids played and swam we got to relax and watch them 1 whole day due to the number of people on board. After complaining to their customer service we received a "I am sorry" and that is it.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
It was okay. We had a bit of a wait with three children for rooms to be ready and with it being so crowded seating and service was crowded.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
I feel that the service was okay but the quality of the food was poor. It was very bland and cosco like. The main dining was okay but same bland taste. This was for the buffet and main dining.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
There were 2 very small pools which was disappointing and then on top of that it was so over crowded. Putt Putt golf , arcade, and casino were all good.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
We did the lip sync battle, family game night, and the comedy club and all of these were great. The comedy was great but standing room only. This boat had way too many people on it.
Children's Programs
4 out of 5
My kids 8 and 6 loved the kids camp.
Service and Staff
2 out of 5
Service was okay. It probably would have been excellent had it not been so crowded. It was almost like they were under staffed for the amount of people on board.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Overall the boat was clean and kept clean.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
Clean and what we expected.
Ship tip
If you have to take carnival dream I would suggest checking capacity first because our experience was not good due to it being so crowded. We had to wait in line for anything we done. We waited in line for lengthy times for breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the buffet and the elevators wait time was awful. We took the stairs a few times because of the wait time length. (Our cabin was on deck 1 and food was on deck 10 if that says anything about taking the stairs)
We did not do an excursion we just got a licensed bus company to take us to the beach and back. Beach was beautiful but extremely crowded. We enjoyed the beach but everything outside of the beach was dirty and our bus we paid to pick us up never came back so we had to pay again for another bus to take us back to the boat.
We did the stingray and rum beach excursion and LOVED IT! This excursion was great. The staff were awesome and friendly along with helpful. George town was beautiful and very clean and the locals were very nice. I did not want to leave it was so nice.
We did the dolphin excursion in Cozumel with beach and lunch included and it was great. The only part I would change is the price of pictures. It is an awesome experience and it sucks you don't get to have a picture of that memory, because not everyone can fork out $240 dollars for their families pictures. Overall I loved it. It was clean and everyone was nice and helpful.
I suggest if you need less people try a smaller ship and maybe wait till your kids are a little older to go that way, you don’t have to constantly watch them. Also because this was your first cruise I would tell you that you should of researched more and learned the patterns of cruising. As last time was my first cruise I researched and it payed off I was on top of everything with my children and was able to have a amazing time. Give it another try maybe on a different cruise line and with more open mind
Come December, it will be my second cruise on the Fabulous Dream. No complaints. None. This will be 8th cruise. When you board a vessel with approximately 3000 other people, you should know that there will be long lines, crowded elevators and possibly a lack of pool side chairs. So you should not have talked badly about Carnival because you should have been wise enough to know this was not a $900 a night quiet resort. It’s a cruise ship! The food? I am guessing you are way too picky and just like to complain. The MDR food is usually about 95% to my complete satisfaction. While waiting in line at the buffets, I have met some wonderful people from all over the country and even from other countries. Cruising is a great vacation for a very low cost. You obviously are not the cruise type. And I understand that. But don’t insult Carnival because you are such a negative person. Next vacation maybe we you should go way up in the mountains in a secluded cabin. No lines. No waiting for pool chairs. But, you will have to cook your own food, clean your toilet, wash your clothes and make up your bed. Oh and no 24 hour room service! So, do your research before you go somewhere. Or just stay home and leave the cruising to those who appreciate how hard it must be to smoothly run something as fabulous as the CARNIVAL DREAM. And taking the stairs is fine. A great way to burn the calories. Never mind, you didn’t like the food anyway. I ❤️ CARNIVAL
Not being rude but try going to Gatlinburg TN where everyone goes and waste alot of money when you can go on a cruise, have fun, and go to different islands! We love cruising we are addicted to it. Sorry but it is the truth you have to make the best out of your trip.
I was on the same cruise, the elevstors were due to out of control unwatched children pressing every freaking button. Poor parenting and this was probably the worst for that. We were up early every morning no later than 8 am amd chairs were already saved. Sorry you had a bad experience but spring break cruising is notoriously bad especially with 1700 minors on board.
You probably still had kids onboard from spring break. For a less crowded experience, avoid summer, holidays and school break periods. We were on an even larger ship over Thanksgiving, an I sure as hell didn't let crowding or wait times make my vacation anything less than super.
Carnival will remove towels and items after a chair has been left unattended no mor “getting up early to hold down a chair” I am happy about this rule and they will enforce it if you ask them to. I plan on asking Carnival employees if I see chairs being “saved” all day. It is so RUDE to hoard chairs.
I enjoy smaller ships but even then it is still hard to get a pool chair. We hang out at the water slide area for children on smaller ships it had plenty of seating and a great view!
I can't believe you're blaming Carnival for the cruise having a lot of people when you picked the date of the cruise. You allowed long lines to take away from your vacation. Being with your family should have made the cruise that more special. My wife and I was on the Freedom in March and it was packed with kids with it being spring break and there was long lines and long waits for elevators. But it didn't spoil one second of our 40th wedding anniversary, as long as she was there everything was great. We're going the same time next year on the Vista with my 3 kids and 9 grandchildren can't wait. Just remember dream as if you going to live forever and live as if you only have today. May God be with you and your family.
This review cannot be legit! A cruise was ruined for not finding a seat by the pool, waiting for elevator's and waiting for food? Come on now. A couple of tips, there are thousands of chairs, walk around and find one. Or wake up early and grab a seat. Stairs never killed anyone. And eat in the MDR if you do not enjoy buffet lines.
I second the advice above. Having said that, we’ve never cruised with children. We’ve been on four and are doing our fifth this summer. We’ve always enjoyed cruising. As has been suggested, try a smaller ship and/or a different itinerary. We’ve always done the Caribbean, but are doing Venice to Athens this summer with four stops in three countries in between. Don’t give up. We’ve done the Dream and it is huge. That size brings benefits AND drawbacks.
Sorry you had a bad experience. If you can talk your husband into giving it another shot, try a smaller ship. Dont rule out an affordable means of vacation based one cruise and one ship. Better luck next cruise, hopefully..
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