Despite a few hiccups, the cruise was phenomenal. I would definitely take this cruise again. The Dream was lovely and I would be happy to experience it again. Our cruise director Matt Seguin was quite entertaining and delightful. I hope to see him again on future cruises! We have already booked two more cruises with Carnival for next year!
Embarkation
4 out of 5
A bit stressful because we didn't know what to expect. Now that we know what to expect, it should be fine. If long lines and waiting stress you out, you really won't enjoy this part. Also, they were serious when they said if you arrive early for your check in time you will be waiting outside. They don't play. We stood in the heat for over 2 hours.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Guy's Burgers: fan-flipping-tastic
Blue Iguana: good, not the greatest ever
Buffet: typical....but the omelette station was on point!
Swirls: runs out of vanilla soft serve a lot because of children filling a bucket full of ice cream and taking two bites and abandoning it to melt on the table. I'm not bitter or anything...
Pizza: awesome
Sea Day Brunch: AMAZINGGGGGG. The fancy French toast sounded good but it was meh. Had steak and eggs and it was phenomenal. Just all around great. The spicy chicken dish is CRAZY spicy and I love spicy stuff but I couldn't eat it.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
We enjoyed the pool, hot tubs, trivia, Punchliner Comedy club, Serenity deck, Casino (I gave Carnival at least $100....you're welcome Carnival!), Dive-in Movie, the shows and several trivia games. All were fun and we wish we could have done more!
Entertainment
4 out of 5
It's not broadway but the performers danced and sang their booties off. We had a great time.
Children's Programs
I don't have kids
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
There were a few issues with service (literally two) but we addressed it with management and it was resolved immediately.
Our room steward was Wayan and he was fantastic.
Our server was Mantara in the main dining room, he was exceptional, as was his team!
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The ship was great. The style wasn't my taste but it was still nice. The ship was pretty easy to navigate, especially with downloading the Carnival Hub app. We paid the $5 fee for messaging so that we could reach each other. Overall, the ship was clean and very well maintained.
Cabin / Stateroom
2 out of 5
We had an interior cabin which was quite larger than I expected. I was pleasantly surprised. There was plenty of storage. I was surprised at how roomy the bathroom was. I was expecting it to be much more cramped than it was. But let's be real, it was still small!
Ship tip
The wood decks get crazy hot! If you are going to lay out put your shoes under your deck chair.
Get to the lounges early for tendering off of the ship because the wait can be really long.
At the AFT pool, don't stalk the few umbrella chairs, go around to the chairs along the side of the ship and there are tons of chairs in the shade. There are also plenty in the sun so your whole group can sit together. The breeze is really nice there too. It's way nicer and quieter than right next to the pool.
Also, 50% of the hot tubs were not running the entire time. They were "closed for cleaning" every single day including the serenity deck.
Get the Carnival hub app and pay the $5 to message the others in your party! It Jews you up to date on the events of the day.
Don't wait until the last day to visit the Pixels Gallery or you will be digging through thousands of pictures looking for yours. Set limits though. In all of my "first cruise" excitement, I spent $400 on cheesy prom pics from this cruise....and I am not exaggerating a single dollar of that statement. I did it all over a span of 7 days and it was easy to do. I think I ended up with 15 prints. Doesn't sound like much but it adds up quick! That was the only thing I went overboard with, besides packing. Lesson learned!
Cozumel was amazing. Port was beautiful & well maintained. We took an excursion to Isla Pasion and it was gorgeous. Food there was ok. Drinks were good. The atmosphere was pure paradise. We plan on going again.
The port was not well maintained. It was dirty and the water was murky and brown. We did not do an excursion and we did not leave the port area as we did not feel safe. We got back on the ship and enjoyed the empty pool!
Most beautiful port! Stunning all around. Took an excursion to Mayan Princess Resort. Fanstastic excursion. Our tour guide Sterlin (pronounced Sterling) was AMAZING and super informative. Food and drinks were amazing. Fish was the best thing they served. Very relaxing and fun.
Pretty smooth process. Although Carnival didn't have the air conditioning on in the ramp for disembarking. It was very hot and crowded and they air would have been really nice. They did have it ok for embarkation. Pay a porter to haul your luggage for you. It's worth it!
Everyone's worried about the "hiccups ". There were a couple of things that she thought could be better evidently, but did not let them ruin an otherwise great cruise!!!! Geezzzeeeðð
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