Very Disappointing. Last time we cruise Carnival!!

Carnival Dream Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

water227

Contributor Level: Second Mate

3 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Reviews: 3

Helpful Votes: 75

Overall rating:

2.1 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Western Caribbean (New Orleans Roundtrip)

Sail date: January 06, 2019

Ship: Carnival Dream

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 8271

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

Carnival nickel and dimes you to death. We bought an All inclusive liquor pkg and they still charged us for the tax in New Orleans until 11pm the first night. It wasn't that much but "All inclusive" should be just that. They should eat the cost when you pay $860.00 for a liquor/beverage package ($5.16 for one of us and the other was around $10.00). Also, water is included but DON'T dare get a bottle when exiting at a port. That water cost and is not included in your "All Inclusive" package. Now that is just WRONG. Its water- seriously. I only wanted one bottle. Gratuities are pre-charged on the beverage package and we had staff at our table 2 out of 7 days. The other 5 days we waited on ourselves (7 of us). I guess once they have their tip money and beverage money there is no need to wait on you (money savings by not serving anything). They did wait on us in the Comedy Club- great service there. Everyone in our group had the same thoughts about the service. On a scale of 1 to 10 we rated the food 3 maybe a 4 and that's pushing it, entertainment = 3, long lines for food= 2, bed= 8, service 2, elevators...SLOW!!!!!! Last time Carnival gets my $$$$.$$

Embarkation

3 out of 5

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

2 out of 5

Guy Feiri burgers seemed to be a hit with our group but his BBQ place has a lot to be desired. IF I were Guy, I would take me name off of that.

Onboard Activities

2 out of 5

2 small pools for over 4000 people.... REALLY! NO hot tubs.... they called them "whirlpools"... several of those scattered around. They were nice but the jets barely worked.

Entertainment

2 out of 5

Fair

Children's Programs

all adult children

Service and Staff

2 out of 5

Had to wait on ourselves most of the time. Prepaid gratuities equals NO SERVICE. 5 out of 7 days we had to get our own drinks. NO table service. Room was always cleaned but balcony NEVER!

Ship Quality

2 out of 5

The boat seemed clean but very tired. OLD, rust, broken window in dining room. Just wore out! They're milking it for all its worth. It felt like cattle being herded.

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

Bed was very comfortable. Our balcony was VERY DIRTY the entire cruise. I actually left a couple of glasses and napkins out for a few days. I finally brought them in the cabin on the 4th day.

Ship tip

It's far from a "Dream". Perhaps my previous experience on other ships has spoiled me. May be okay for the first timers.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

New Orleans, Louisiana

1 out of 5

Such a dirty city

Thumbs Up 0

Montego Bay, Jamaica

1 out of 5

Traffic coming back to port was terrible. Dirty,poor place. Not much to do. The buses take you to a couple of spots but nothing to write about. They tell you $7.00 and once you get going then they tell you the rest. $7 one way, $7 back, and if you ride the entire trip (3 or 4 stops). By the time we got back our bill was $60.00 for 2. $25 for bus ride per person and $5 at the beach each. RIP OFF to sit in traffic.

Thumbs Up 0

George Town, Grand Cayman

2 out of 5

A few shops and a few restaurants/bars.

Thumbs Up 3

Cozumel, Mexico

4 out of 5

Very nice. Clean, lots of shops, restaurants, bars.

Thumbs Up 8

Disembarkation

1 out of 5

people carrying luggage all over the ship waiting to get off. It was fairly fast considering. about 40 minutes exit the ship.

6 Comments

Cruisers4Lyfe 3 months ago

Thanks for sharing

Thumbs Up 0

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tomseagraves 5 years ago

We cruised for the first time 2 years ago and before we left I saw several reviews like yours and I wondered if I wasted my money. We ended up having the best vacation ever on a 5 day cruise on the Carnival Triumph. Was everything perfect? Nope! But we were treated like royalty and enjoyed every minute of the whole experience. And now we are leaving on our third cruise on the Dream in 2 weeks. No matter where you go in this world there are always folks like you that always see the glass as half empty. It's not too late to switch it up. Life will be a lot more enjoyable. Cheers!!!

Thumbs Up 2

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maddogkilluh 5 years ago

The crew staff works hard 7 days a week more than 10 hrs a day and live off those prepaid tips to serve you and other people . people at the bar and restaurant serve other people as well And some peoole are needy and need more focus and from the experience tjose are that dont tip lol do your research for the,future but like some people stated crusing might not be for you

Thumbs Up 5

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Grownsexy 5 years ago

So the drink package is not worth it because you had to buy a bottle of water when exiting to port🤷🏽‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️. Did you get your 15 alcoholic drinks, unlimited bottle of water, milkshakes,sodas, specialty coffee and energy drinks? Did you read everything before you purchase the package 🤷🏽‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️. I never had it, but heard great things about it. Going to purchase my next cruise. I’ll make sure I get a bottle of water the bar before I get off ship. Thank you

Thumbs Up 3

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guw78 5 years ago

Wow, sounds like cruising is not for you reading all your reviews. First of all, the tax while still in US water is a law, Carnival has no control over that. Also, the drink package is 15 alcoholic drinks per day, plus unlimited bottled water, milkshakes, specialty coffee, energy drinks, etc. But you have to get the water at a bar or some other venue that has the capability to run your sail and sign card for the transaction. The people selling the water before you get on the gangway do not have the ability to do that. We get Cheers every cruise, and have never had trouble getting any drink at appropriate venues. Planning, research, and Google are your friend before any vacation.

Thumbs Up 8

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ronfrank09 5 years ago

Its taxes. What company eats taxes? No other cruise lines do either. Also the elevators aren't slow, they are just trying to accommodate 15 floors of people at a time.

Thumbs Up 4

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Other reviews of this sailing

Cruising easy on the Dream

A little disappointing

01/06/2019