Go with people you love to be around! Avoid Chads and Karen’s. Say hello to people. SMILE. Wear comfortable shoes. The cruise industry is trying their best to bring back the glory days. I’m in for the win! TWO MAIN THINGS: Stop wearing Bucces Tee-shirts to the dining room. And finally be kind to the staff. They are working their butts off.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
We parked in the covered garage across the street and walked over with our luggage. Gate keeper was friendly and helpful.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
We last cruised in 12/2019. Comparing the dining rooms, speciality restaurants and buffets can be a bit tricky. Keeping the dates in mind here goes:
Early dining with Joel and Karthu. I know I messed up your name so if you are reading this please forgive me. We were ate 505. You guys were fantastic!!!
Guys burgers are still great but are now smaller.
Guys Pig and Anchor - I am not a buyer of the venue. I just don’t care for it. Others seem to like it.
The Cutlery- we had a pastrami on rye and grilled cheese. This is a favorite for us.
Sea day Brunch - I don’t think we realized how wonderful these brunches are. I will never miss one again.
We never waited an overly long time for any food service or drink service.
Mongolian Wok - always a great place to eat.
Blue Iguanna Cantina - never a disappointment.
Bonsai Sushi still has a great presentation and nice and tidy menu. Although good, not great. The sushi should be served cold. Not room temperature.
The Seafood Shack - first time trying. Ate the lobster roll with fries. Refreshing, not over priced for two smaller sub-way type rolls filled with lobster salad.
Pizzeria- I didn’t think this ship favorite could would ever disappoint but this time it did. Cold, hard, soggy but still the lines were always there
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
We played cards, trivia, bingo, and slots.
I would like to congratulate Carnival for providing a smoke free, separate floor for non-smoking gamblers. We totally enjoyed ourselves!
Spa services have improved since I was last there. I’m pretty sure the re-designed Dream made the best decision ever to MOVE Camp Kids away from the spa to the other side of the ship. This allows the kiddos to play and run and the spa customers to relax and unwind. HUGE IMPROVEMENT!
On the other side of the redesigned ship - Red Frog Bar was not
Entertainment
3 out of 5
I missed the coziness off the Red Frog Saloon entertainment. I didn’t find a good replacement as of yet.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
We sailed without kids. There were kids on board and we never saw them during the days. That tells me the entertainment was on par. We saw all the pools and most all the hot tubs but never the slides. Thought was put into the layout.
The pool areas are always wet as expected but there is always the “one” who doesn’t pay attention.
We found the public areas were maintained well but I would like to see the tables cleaned more frequently and throughly.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The grand suite was situated mid-ship and surrounded on all sides with cabins. Almost sound proof which is always a big win. The layout was nice, the closets were generous as were all the drawers. Separate make up area from entrance, each area with a seat, great mirrors, lighting, separate restroom sinks, enclosed bath/shower. Nice size seating area which converts to a couch bed. Although we didn’t pull out the bed, the couch was comfortable and the two wingbacks were too. Our balcony was roomy and we spent a lot of time enjoying the sea days out there.
Our Stateroom Steward was Antonio! He was absolutely the tops! We never wanted for a thing.
Side note: the twin conversion to a king only made one of us happy. The other half of the bed was flat out dreadful.
Ship tip
Don’t let crabby Chad or cranky Karen ruin your trip. Don’t give them that power. The ONLY time a bad time on a cruise can be had is if you chose that path.
Mixed message: Foot traffic is rough on a good day. Still recovering from a nasty storm. Covid hit here hard.
Otherwise
***** FIVE STAR ISLAND
We always stay at Sandals when we go. I love Nassau and the only way to enjoy the Island is to experience it a week at a time from Sandals as a base point.
I love Galveston. Eat at Kates Seafood! Shop the Strand! The locals have the best of the best to offer. If you can visit Moody Park or take the kids to
Schlitterbahn!
Nice little seaside town. Do not miss the Key Lime Pie Co. fantastic staff making, serving and selling the best pie you will ever eat.
Really sad the residents of Key West recently voted to TRY to take the only private pier available for cruise ships away. I’m sure this is a place I would have visited on my own but not now.
I’ve read all sorts of reviews with crazy stories about disembarkation. We did not have a single issue. On/off and in the car on I-45 North in under an hour.
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