Carnival can simply not accomodate
Carnival Dream Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western
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Sail date: August 17, 2013
Ship: Carnival Dream
Cabin type: Inside
Traveled as: Large Group
Reviewed: 11 years ago
Review summary
When you plan to accommodate upwards of 3500 people on one ship, you need to plan better than this company does. Maybe have only a set number of people who can select "your time" dining. The wait staff was stretched way to thin and the kitchen had to be terribly overtaxed. There would often be an hour wait just to sit down and have dinner in the dining room and then dinner would often take upwards of two hours to complete. The waitstaff tried their very best but they could simply not accommodate the amount of guests required of them. Hire more tenders for getting to port. Guests were waiting hours in the lounges and theaters in order to for their assigned tender to be called so they could go ashore. Our ship made port around 7am an we did not make it on shore for our 8:30am excursion until nearly 10:00 and we were given priority because we had booked an excursion through the ship. I would imagine those who wanted to explore off the economy did not make it ashore until nearly noon. Why, on a ship of 4500, do you only open one pizza bar after 11pm? Again, guests were lined up and waiting. Along with the buffet, many times during the day had only one section open and very, very long lines. Only one dining room was open for breakfast and brunch. We tried to go to brunch one morning and the line was quite literally out the doors, through the elevator foyer, and down the stairs. The noise on the ship was absolutely the worst. Kids and adults both were running and screaming in the cabin hallways until 3am most nights. Then, they would start again at 6am. Never did I see any staff ask a group to quiet, parents did not control their children, and the later it got, the louder it got. Carnival might benefit from having an enforced quiet time in the hallways after midnight perhaps. The staff was incredibly polite, the room stewards were wonderful, the cruise directors Jamie and Gumbie were fabulous, but I will not be sailing Carnival again if I can help it. I spent my entire vacation waiting in lines.Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Onboard Activities
Entertainment
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
Ship tip
Make sure when booking a cabin to keep away from all entertainment areas. Walls and floors are pare thin.
Ports of call
Mahogany Bay, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras