Great Time on the Carnival Dream
Carnival Dream Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western
7 Night Western Caribbean (New Orleans Roundtrip)
Sail date: August 21, 2016
Ship: Carnival Dream
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: 7387
Traveled as: Family (young children)
Reviewed: 8 years ago
Review summary
I was not sure what to expect on the Carnival Dream because we did see some negative reviews about the ship. Those reviews, for us, were unfounded. Service was great. We were lucky to get Faster to the Fun (had to check every single day until there was finally a day when some spots opened and I got in). It is totally worth the price. Getting on/off the ship with F2F is a breeze. Also, having your room ready when you come onboard is great too. We were onboard the ship by 1130/1200 and our room was ready. Our bags were delivered about an hour or two (at most) later.
While my wife and I did not go to the shows, we did enjoy that there was a lot of live entertainment (singers) in different venues around the ship. That was great! Our daughter (13) enjoyed the shows that she went to and loved the friends she made at Circle C (as well as the trophies and medals that she won for Circle C and other cruise events). Our five year old loved the water slides (especially when we were in Jamaica since we did not go ashore and the slide was there for him to use nearly all alone).
Steakhouse dining was amazing... as it typically is. Main dining was on par with other cruises. No better or worse.
We did the "Behind the Fun" tour of the ship on the last sea day. If you have the time to spend (3.5 hours), it is very informative. You also get photos taken of your group and a photo with the captain (included in the price). It was a nice touch. Everyone we met during the tour, the chef, logistics officer, one of the show performers, and the captain, were all great. Spent time to answer all of our questions.
The Dream is missing some of the dining options that we have seen on other Carnival ships (Guy Fieri's Burgers, Blue Iguana Cantina, etc), but I imagine those will come later.
The kids said this was their best cruise ever. We will definitely cruise Carnival again.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Onboard Activities
Entertainment
Children's Programs
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
Ship tip
We arrived in New Orleans on the Friday before the cruise. New Orleans is like another cruise port stop! Enjoyed the Gray Line Super City tour of New Orleans. 2.25 hours (discount for booking the 9AM tour). Expensive cab ride to Carnival cruise port! One mile ride cost us $30. Port fees?
Ports of call
11 Comments
eric677251 8 years ago
It probably varies a little depending on the cruise ship. Some tours are probably longer. This is what the Carnival website says:
'Behind the Fun' can only be purchased on board through the Shore Excursion Desk. Depending on the duration of the cruise, the cost is $55 USD to $95 USD per person and is approximately 2 hours to 3-1/2 hours long. Capacity is limited to 16 guests per tour.
A note about the tour: you can only sign up for it at the excursion desk once you get on board. It is not available for booking until you get on board.
eric677251 8 years ago
Appreciate the nice comments everyone; thank you. Couple other things I want to add.
Try the Blue's Blue Margarita at the Blue Iguana Bar. They are amazing.
I was also impressed by the cruise director on the Dream. First time on any cruise that the Muster Drill was actually fun to listen to. While he covered all of the information that needed to be shared, he did it with a a humous touch that kept everyone engaged in what he was saying. When I saw him later in the cruise I shared that with him and he was very appreciative of the comments. Seemed like a really good guy (as did everyone on the Dream).
They did share with us about the Dream 2.0 makeover that was coming in January. There are some good improvements in the pipeline. For those of you who like the art shows, the Dream has by far the BEST art room of any cruise ship we have been on. Alan and the rest of the team on the Dream were great. Really knew the artists and the stories behind them and they had a great selection of art work. Even if you do not buy anything, they have a great selection of art work to see. Sadly, the large room that they have for the art work is going away when they do the 2.0 makeover.