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Carnival Dream Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

BRGcruise

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 22

Overall rating:

4.1 out of 5

Verified Review

8 Night Eastern Caribbean (Galveston Roundtrip)

Sail date: March 12, 2022

Ship: Carnival Dream

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 6386

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

We did not buy any excursions but still had a good time. Key West had shops, bars and restaurants close to the ship. Half Moon Cay was just a beach, that's all there is to do really. They wait until the smaller ship is full before transporting to/from cruise ship. Freeport we had some rain, so I'm glad we didn't book excursions or take a taxi to the beach. It's very industrial. We decided to stay on the Dream after buying souvenirs. Nassau was great, we took a taxi to the Paradise Beach near the casino and we bought drinks and chips from the locals who brought it to our chairs. The port was under construction so there was a longer walk to get to the straw market. There were 2 days of sailing to return to Galveston, but it was warm enough to let the kids use the slides for a few hours. The 2 magician shows I saw at the theater were really terrible grumpy old men. The kids like Deal or No Deal. Bingo is a waste of money. The casino was miserly. The arcade was okay, all games cost $1 or more to play. A kid uses their room key to play a game, some kids spent a ton of money there. The onboard shops have some good deals at the end of the trip! To use the Bubbles pass, the children had to go up to bartenders and ask for drinks. They felt grown up. Some were too shy to do it on their own. The wifi sucks. The app they make you use sucks. Remember to set your phone clock to ship time or you will miss appointments. Only 2 hot tubs worked.

Embarkation

3 out of 5

Very long, slow moving line. Mass chaos. Lots of traffic, pedestrians walking in the road. More staff is needed to wrangle the people where to go. Mask policy was unclear. Was not as bad as standing in line at a theme park, though!

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

The food was great and plentiful, but they need to post the hours that the buffet are closed. The deli is open 24/7 and so is pizza and ice cream. Guys Burgers was delicious. Guys BBQ was hard to find and the meats were dried out. Pasta restaurant upstairs and the staff there were not as good as the rest of the ship. All food was great.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Water Slides were great and the kids loved them. 3 slides total. Pools were salt water. Massage staff had intrusive questions and tried to upsale massage oils as a cure for pain. The therapy hot tub looked good and is 40 a day per couple. Fitness club looked great.

Entertainment

2 out of 5

MarQ was great, Jackpot Judy the bingo girl was good. The shows were not good, not very kid friendly. The magician was bad.

Children's Programs

4 out of 5

Kids Club was well liked by the kids, but not 24/7 and closed at various times during the day. A little overcrowded in the kids club.

Service and Staff

4 out of 5

The people are mainly from the Philippines. They work 20 hour days and work 9 months out of the year on the ship. They are on their feet all day. Despite this, they are charming and helpful. When the ship is in port, they only have 2 hours to do their business, then it's back to the grind.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Bunk beds came out of the ceiling over the king bed. Small room, but very clean and the shower was hot and plenty of towels. We slept great because there was no windows.