DaveNAlison

Overall, we had a wonderful cruise. We came home and booked a cyberdeal on Carnival Radiance (9 Day Western Carib) for September 2021. We plan to continue booking with Carnival, but we will probably not go on any more short cruises. I think the longer cruises have better quality overall. I would be interested to know if anyone had similar experiences on the Dream, or what your own impressions of the ship were like.

This was our first cruise ever, and wow! What a great experience. Unforgettable views, excursion, ship-board fun, and watching our kids take it all in. Amazing. Love Cozumel, and will fly there one day for a long stay.

 

Wonderful time on the Carnival Triumph despite some rough weather. Six foot swells forced cancellation of some shows, but we made our ports and had great excursions. This cruise made us decide to switch to a later dining time (8:15pm) rather than 6:00 pm.  We felt a bit rushed in the early dining setting. Enjoyed the music in the casino, great shows, and had a nice meet n greet with people from our facebook roll call.

We finally turned VIFP Gold on this Carnival Cruise to Cozumel and Progreso. We were excited to get our Gold Card as we made our way through the embarkation process. It turned out that Carnival now delivers your sail and sign card to you in your stateroom mailbox outside the room. As such, we arrived, cleared security, and were immediately waved onto the Carnival Valor. We stopped in the Atrium for a mojito, and then had lunch on the Lido deck. Our cabin was ready before the 1:30 time we had been expecting. After getting settled, we lounged in a hot tub on Lido until the Muster drill. It was a super embarkation because it was calm and relxing. Our cabin steward, I Made, greeted us with a warm smile. If you get a good steward, it makes the cruise all the more enjoyable, and I Made was perfect for us. He kept our ice bucket filled and dry towels coming throughout the cruise. The dining was phenomenal. We dined in the Steakhouse the first night and received a complimentary bottle of Chardonnay. The lamb chop were succulent and everything was served cooked to perfection. The following nights in the Lincoln Dining room were nearly as good. The American Table menu has nearly reached perfection with mouth-watering steaks, delicious pasta, flavorful seafood, and well-prepared side dishes. We tried Your Time Dining for the first time this cruise and liked it much better than Assigned Time. We were able to plan dinner around the various shows and comedians that formed a part of the evening's entertainment. Swimming with the Dolphins at Dolphinaris was without exception the highlight of the cruise. The venue was quiet and easily accessible. The pictures were a bit too expensive for us. Be prepared to spend at least $100 if you want any pictures of you with the dolphins (no photos allowed). We were also able to see two mother dolphins with their babies. They are endearing creatures with human-like personalities. We spent most of our free time enjoying the hot tubs on the Serenity deck. DW got a massage and I got a haircut. We gambled a very little bit in the casino, and I did win $86.00 on one machine. However, I would describe the slots as relatively tight, not loose. I did not get the Cheers package, but I wish that I had. We ended up spending quite a bit on drinks, and Cheers would have given us more value with less worry about prices. Overall, this was a textbook cruise with calm seas, wonderful service, and good times. I highly recommend the Carnival Valor to all cruisers, as well as the Dolphinaris excursion through Carnival.

Great cruise! This was our first seven-day cruise. I did not care for the ship decor much, but the amenities were excellent. Casino was far too smoky...made the Promenade nearly unbearable at peak times. Dining room was good. Excellent service at table and in cabin. Did Chef's table and really enjoyed the variety of unusual foods. Lido was the best, with good service at all bars and a nice Serenity Deck area. Ship was very clean.

This was an unusual cruise. I found out just before we sailed that I was losing my job. Then, on the third day of the cruise, my wife tripped and injured her foot leaving her unable to walk normally and in a lot of pain. So, I spent most of my time feeling sorry for myself, and alternately, for her. We did not get off at any of the ports because of her injury.

 

However, I won $80 on a slot machine in the casino and thoroughly used my Cloud 9 Thallassotherapy pass. The thermal suites and pool were very relaxing. We also tried accupunture and a hot stone massage! Wonderful. 

 

The Breeze is heavily air-conditioned in all public areas. Cold as the arctic tundra in the Atrium. I had to buy a sweater just to sit and listen to music by the Breeze Bar. Note: Bring a sweater.

 

Bar staff was very attentive. We had the Cheers package and enjoyed trying a variety of tropical drinks. Waiter in the Red Frog pub was excellent, and there was always plenty of evening activities in the pub foyer including beer pong and trivia.

 

Excellent music and the Cruise Director, Schwartz, was a ham-bone. He was really good with the kids, getting them involved in skits and activities. 

 

I will sail on the Breeze again when possible, and highly recommend this ship and its crew.