Great cruise - too much noise and disrespect

Item: Carnival Dream
Rating: 4
Author: mattbell44

Carnival Dream Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

mattbell44

Contributor Level: Third Mate

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 38

Overall rating:

4 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Eastern Caribbean (New Orleans Roundtrip)

Sail date: July 31, 2016

Ship: Carnival Dream

Cabin type: Oceanview

Cabin number: 1288

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

The Carnival Dream is a nice ship and her crew are excellent. We were very well looked after, our cabin was spacious and well-appointed, and the food was good (especially at dinner, buffet quality a bit less so). However, there is almost nowhere quiet on this boat - even the adults-only Serenity Deck is right below the water slides and frequently occupied by noisy adults! Unfortunately we were also joined by a significant number of ignorant, rude passengers who failed to respect any concept of personal space; their noise and crude language was frankly an embarrassment to America and I wish my kids hadn't had to experience it (although it gave me ample chance to teach them some lessons in being respectful and what are unacceptable behaviors in public)

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Dinner was very good indeed. Restaurant breakfast service was hit-and-miss. Buffet quality was average. Tandoor was a nice feature.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Children's Programs

3 out of 5

My 10 y/o really enjoyed the Camp Ocean Sharks program. My 12 y/o was OK with the Circle C program although not so impressed. My biggest problem is the lack of syncronization between the two, which meant too little time when both kids were in camp.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Cabin steward and service did their job nicely without being intrusive. Table waiters were excellent at dinner time. Cruise director was average - a bit difficult to understand over the PA system (maybe the system's fault not his)

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Spacious and well appointed. Really liked the fact that it had two bathrooms, which made getting 4 people ready for dinner a breeze.

Ship tip

Take a pair of noise-cancelling headphones with you if you like to sit around on deck and read ... there is very little open deck space that's quiet.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

New Orleans, Louisiana

3 out of 5

Parking at the cruise terminal is very convenient, although it costs $140 for the week.

Thumbs Up 4

Key West, Florida

5 out of 5

Unfortunately it was 95F (with heat index at 115F) when we visited, so we had to limit the amount of walking. Allow plenty of time if you want a photo taken at the southern-most point, since the lines get long!

Thumbs Up 1

Freeport, Grand Bahama Island

1 out of 5

Not much to see or do here ... we booked a beach trip to Paradise Cove, which turned out to be great for snorkelling but nothing special for a beach.

Thumbs Up 0

Nassau, Bahamas

5 out of 5

Book a decent tour and there's plenty to see. Glass-bottomed boat isn't worth the money.

Thumbs Up 0