Cruising the Caribbean in winter

Carnival Dream Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 44

Overall rating:

4.6 out of 5
Verified Review
Carnival Dream

8 Night Eastern Caribbean (Galveston Roundtrip)

Sail date: January 15, 2022

Ship: Carnival Dream

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 6361

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

Great cruise, would highly recommend to anyone. Carnival is a very fun cruise line for people of all ages, there is something for everyone to do.

Embarkation

4 out of 5
I used wheelchair assist for embarkation due to a broken foot so I was treated like a king.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5
Buffet was what you expect. Main dining room was very good, tried escargot for the first time but it wont be the last. The Seafood Shack was exceptional. Bonsai Sushi, best sushi at sea, Guy's Burgers was fantastic. Guy's Pig and Anchor was a bit disappointing, only open 3 days on an 8 day cruise. The Chefs Art Steakhouse, Amazing, had the Australian Wagyu, so tender and seasoned perfectly and they understood the word "Rare". The Blue Iguana Grill has wonderful street style breakfast tacos and the burritos with the fresh tortillas where great.

Guy's Pig & Anchor Bar-B- Que Smokehouse

3 out of 5

They where only open for 2 1/2 hours, 3 days out of my 8 day cruise. The Brisket was a bit fatty, someone needs to teach them how to trim a brisket. The sausage was good.

Redfrog Rum Bar

5 out of 5

Good drinks, fast service and friendly bartenders.

Scarlet Dining Room

4 out of 5

Escargot was amazing, sea day brunch was really good but I ordered a steak for diner one night, "rare" and it came out 3 times medium well. I even told them to just introduce it to the kitchen and it was still med-well.

The Chef's Art Steakhouse

5 out of 5

WOW!!! This place even lets you chose the type of salt your meal is prepared with. They bring out a box with 6 different types of salt, explain the differences and you chose. Australian wagyu beef, I don't know when they learned how to massage cows down under but this was the tenderest beef I have ever eaten and I'm from Texas, all we have is oil and cows. I got my meal comped by the casino but I will eat there again even if I have to pay the $38. This was the one place that understood the word "Rare", they wacked the horns off, smacked it on the butt and served it. Prefect.

Sam's Piano Bar

3 out of 5

If you're not there when they open it's hard to find a seat near the piano and on my cruise the piano player was new and didn't know many standard piano bar standards like Billy Joel's, Piano Man.

The Gathering Lido Restaurant

4 out of 5

Food was buffet quality, nothing to write home about. Breakfast was disappointing, got biscuits and gravy and both where cold and this was at 7:30 AM when they opened, not like it had been sitting out for an hour.

Seafood Shack

5 out of 5

Wonderful. They didn't have clams on my cruise but the shrimp, fish, lobster, crab and oysters where fantastic.

Pizzeria del Capitano

4 out of 5

A good pizza, made fresh when you order (Takes about 5 minutes) and they are open 24 hours. They even deliver for $5.

Mongolian Wok

5 out of 5

Best part of the buffet by far.

Guy's Burger Joint

4 out of 5

Really good burger. Fast and even though the slogan is "You can't have it your way, you'll have it Guys way" You can have it your way.

Carnival Deli

3 out of 5

A little disappointed in the Rubin, they served it on Sour Dough instead of Rye and Thousand Island instead of Russian. The grilled Ham and Cheese was good.

Burgundy Aft Lounge

4 out of 5

Masks everywhere, really looks like a comedy club or Mardi Gras at sea. Nice seating and fast bar service.

Bonsai Sushi Bar

5 out of 5

Best sushi I have had on a cruise. So fresh you would think they had fishing poles off the back of the ship. Served with Wasabi and pickled ginger.

BlueIguana Cantina

5 out of 5

Very fresh, they make the tortillas daily. As close to authentic Mexican as you will get at sea. Breakfast and lunch, you can't go wrong.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5
Great fitness center, Hot tubs/Whirlpools where relaxing and the Casino had many more games than I was expecting. The Players Club program (just use your sail & sign card) offers so many extras from free play to free drinks, free specialty restaurants to free cruises.

Waves Main Pool

4 out of 5

Plenty of seating, never had a problem finding a chaise. And movies on the big screen at night was a great addition.

The Cherry on Top

4 out of 5

Much smaller than in the website pictures but the still have Harry Potter Chocolate frogs and Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans.

Jackpot Casino

5 out of 5

Many more games than I thought they would have on a ship. The $6 Blackjack only pays 6 to 5, to get the 3 to 2 you have to play $25 per hand. Lots of modern slots including Buffalo, Dancing Drums and Stinking Rich: Skunks gone wild (my favorite). Waitresses where hard to find and it could take 15 minutes to get your drink but after you reach 1500 in player club points the drinks in the casino are free.

Whirlpool Spa

5 out of 5

Most relaxing part of the cruise. High pressure, positional jets get right to where you need them. A great place to hang out and meet new people.

The Fun Shops

4 out of 5

Very nice selection of items but remember, if you cruise out of Texas, even though the liquor and tobacco products are duty free on board Texas is going to hit you up for the tax when you get back.

Sunset Aft Pool

5 out of 5

Small pool but a great place to relax.

Guest Services / Excursions Desk

5 out of 5

Very helpful and fast, never waited more than two minutes.

Entertainment

4 out of 5
Great off Broadway style shows, comedians and karaoke but my favorite had to be the Dive-in movies on the big screen at the lido pool.

Dream Lobby

5 out of 5

Impressive. Clean, well kept and open all the way to a glass ceiling at deck 12.

The Dream Lobby & Atrium

5 out of 5

Great music venue, comfortable seating and a bar right in the middle.

Encore! Main Lounge

4 out of 5

Deck 3 seating was good but decks 4 and 5, the seats had no lean to them so an hour long show became uncomfortable. Nice stage, lighting and sound.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
Everyone always had a smile and a "How are you today, can I get you anything", even the Captain had time to talk if you caught up with him.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
The layout took about a day to remember but after that it was easy to get around and they were always cleaning. A little disappointed with the exterior of the windows (had to clean them) but it wasn't horrible.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
My cabin was an accessible cabin due to my need for grab bars. The shower was huge, a full 7 feet long by 3 feet wide, the bathroom was the largest I have ever had on a cruise, overall 7 feet by 10 feet. Bed was very comfortable, plenty of closet space, a mini fridge but it only had 1 U.S. electrical outlet, take a cruise approved power strip with USB-A and USB-C built in.

Ship tip

Decks 10 and 11 have doors that lead out to a balcony above the bridge, great place to take photos and video from.

Ports of call

Galveston, Texas

5 out of 5
Stayed overnight the night before the cruise at the Howard Johnson, $93.00 and I got to leave my truck there during the cruise instead of paying the $115.00 to park at the port. There is no additional charge to park at the Howard Johnson as long as you stay at least one night there and where you park is well lit and near the office and they have security patrols through the area quite frequently. Left my truck there for 8 days and when I got back it was exactly how I left it.

Freeport, Grand Bahama Island

5 out of 5
Beautiful, clean and friendly. Souvenir shops within walking distance of the ship. And I don't think they heard of COVID at Senor Frogs.

Nassau, Bahamas

4 out of 5
The port is under construction and we were at the farthest dock so the walk in was about 3/4 mile just to get to the road where every cab driver on the island wants to take you on a tour. Souvenir shops where only a block away and the homes and buildings where beautiful. Take time to explore the allies, great shops tucked away in the corners. And once again Senor Frogs never heard of COVID.

Disembarkation

4 out of 5
Used the check baggage disembarkation so we had nothing to carry off the ship. Just wish they would have had something to do while you wait to be called. You have to be out of your cabin by 8:00AM but we didn't leave the ship until 10:00AM.
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9 Comments

lriedel3    2 years ago

There is no additional charge to park at the Howard Johnson as long as you stay at least one night there and where you park is well lit and near the office and they have security patrols through the area quite frequently. Left my truck there for 8 days and when I got back it was exactly how I left it.

Funevents    2 years ago

Thanks for all the details! Is there any charge to park your truck at Howard Johnson for this extended time? Do they have security at this parking lot? Thanks!

javawoody    2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your info

AuntPinkie    2 years ago

Appreciate your detailed review. Glad you enjoyed your cruise on one of our favorite ships.

Gwbigdog    2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise with us.

MrCRUISER444    2 years ago

Been on the Dream twice, and had an awesome time.(pre-covic) Sounds like your cruise was amazing. Enjoyed your review, thanks.

izrgreen    2 years ago

Thank you for taking the time to write a review.

cruising2004    2 years ago

Thank you for sharing your cruising experience.

Curt34    2 years ago

Glad you had a great cruise. Thanks for the review.

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