Great Experience!

Item: Carnival Dream
Rating: 3.8
Author: TravelCruiser88

Carnival Dream Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

TravelCruiser88

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 54

Overall rating:

3.8 out of 5

Verified Review

5 Night Western Caribbean (Galveston Roundtrip)

Sail date: December 14, 2019

Ship: Carnival Dream

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 9232

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 4 years ago

Review summary

Our first time cruise was great. Carnival tries hard to make your trip enjoyable. The photographers can be annoying at times, but they take great pictures. The dinner in the restaurants were really great but I was disappointed with $20 extra charge for Lobsters or nice steak. However, the regular menus had good items. The shows were great but I didn't like casino smoking area to be close to the lobby where you can smell the smoke constantly. There are plenty usb connections to the bedside lamps so don't worry about multiple usb plugs. It is helpful to grab better seats near the pool to watch movies. The food is plenty. I liked their desserts. The water stations in Lido deck was plenty, but you would be better off ordering water bottles as they taste better. Overall, I am happy with Carnival, especially the way they managed these cruises with so many people.

Embarkation

3 out of 5

The embarkation was ok. We arrived during our 12:00 to 12:30PM time, but we checked in our luggage and got back to line 5 minutes before 12:30PM and the people controlling access put us in the Early/Late checkin line. It took almost an hour and a half to checkin after that.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

Food in the restaurant is good and well served. The LIDO deck buffet was good but the lines can be long sometimes. Go to breakfast early and enjoy the sunrise.

The Crimson Restaurant

5 out of 5

I liked the food and the service is excellent. Don't hesitate to ask for more food.

The Gathering Lido Restaurant

5 out of 5

Can be very crowded and sitting can be difficult. The burgers were the best. Use the omelette station and don't waste your time in line for Mongolian. It is not worth waiting half an hour. Choose the spice level carefully.

The Chef's Art Steakhouse

5 out of 5

Very nice steak and worth the price.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

I didn't join the pool but walking in the ship was fun.

FunHub

5 out of 5

Plenty of desktop monitors, but with the smartphones it is not used much.

Jogging Track

4 out of 5

Nice but only when it is not windy.

Guest Services / Excursions Desk

5 out of 5

The people at the help desk are very warm and helpful.

Entertainment

4 out of 5

The shows were great and fun. I liked the cruise director on this ship. He was very energetic and sincere. The shows were very creative as well. However, for musical shows, it is better to sit at the back or use earplugs.

Dream Lobby

5 out of 5

The area is nice and always fun.

Encore! Main Lounge

5 out of 5

Comfortable. The upper areas can have pillars obstructing the views.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

The staffs are really hardworking and try to help you anyway they can. Please tip them well.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

The areas were well kept and are being cleaned or arranged constantly.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

The size was good for my family with two teenagers. The shower always spilled water outside the area. Adequate towel is required to make the bathroom dry. The narrow moat outside the shower was not draining water properly. The cabin crew was very helpful and kept the room clean when asked. He always responded to our needs.

Ship tip

Attend the shows and information sessions.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Galveston, Texas

3 out of 5

Parking at Galveston cruise port lot A1 was great and transportation from the parking lot to ship was also good.

Thumbs Up 1

Cozumel, Mexico

4 out of 5

Great tour package. Do the shopping in town instead of the shops near the port.

Thumbs Up 1

Progreso (Merida), Mexico

3 out of 5

The city is very small and not very clean. The city is far from the port about 20 minutes bus ride with a long line. The bus stop in the city is very crowded with people trying to sell you something. The bus station is not very clean either. The people were with transportation were nice but constantly trying to sell you package tours.

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

3 out of 5

Please don't checkin the luggage night before. You have to wait almost two hours. It is better to carry all the luggage and disembark. The order of disembarkation is from highest floor to the lowest.