Awesome Cruise

Carnival Dream Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

kewast

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 75

Overall rating:

4.5 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Western Caribbean (New Orleans Roundtrip)

Sail date: November 04, 2018

Ship: Carnival Dream

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 11259

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 6 years ago

Review summary

Overall, this was an awesome cruise, as most cruises are. This was the 1st cruise that I can remember where the Captain actually used the speaker system to tell the guests about the cruising weather, cruising speed, destination weather etc. Overall, the ship was clean and appeared to be well maintained. There were many options for food and most of it was really good. The entertainment was also good and there was enough variety for everyone. I especially liked the itinerary as most of destinations were not far apart which allowed the Captain and crew to choose cruising speeds that provided a smooth, comfortable ride.

Embarkation

4 out of 5

Embarkation was OK, but I still do not undestand why Carnival continues to go though the effort of having guests pick a boarding time and never checks anyone's request before they attempt to board. We chose 12:30 to 1 PM and Carnival made sure to suggest that if we missed this time, we would have to board when they saw fit. Of course, we were sure to be there and ready to board on time, but so were guests who had chosen times much later than ours and a few who were suppose to be there earlier. We all had a good laugh about it, but, it's really not funny. If Carnival would truly honor these boarding times, the lines would not be so long.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Ship tip

Bring your patience during debarkation. Carnival's process of allowing guests to be dismissed by decks should work smoothly, but we and other guests on the higher decks found it nearly impossible to get an elevator to go down to the debarkation deck 3. Every elevator was near or at capacity. Some of us tried to practice decorum and use the 1st come, 1st serve approach, but we quickly discovered that many guests would not wait and would rush in front of those who had already been waiting. It's a shame, but it appears Carnival may have to come up with another process to ensure that those called to disembark are truly able to do so.

Thumbs up