Good but not great Carnival cruise

Item: Carnival Dream
Rating: 4.6
Author: KevinHollenshe

Carnival Dream Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

KevinHollenshe

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 32

Overall rating:

4.6 out of 5

Verified Review

8 Night Eastern Caribbean (Galveston Roundtrip)

Sail date: June 04, 2022

Ship: Carnival Dream

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 6289

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

Solid Carnival cruise. We have been on several before so we know where things are on this class ship. Least favorite thing was the ports (Freeport in particular). Wish Carnival would switch for another port in the Bahamas.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

One of the better Galveston embarcation experiences - relatively smooth when everyone arrives on time. Some long lines but they were inside and constantly moving. Carnival had enough reps available to keep it moving.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Food was good in the main dining rooms, pizza was good, Mongolian wok was always busy when opened. Buffets were varied but I felt like they had omitted some things (likely due to supply chain issues or costs - e.g. bacon available every other day for breakfast).

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Pools always crowded. Spa was excellent, but is still overpriced compared to land-based services. Trivia activities were fun. Dodgeball was not offered but when I asked they were waiting to get new equipment to resume it. Did have issues with the fun staff skewing events that were supposed to be ship-wide towards the kids just because some kids were participating.

Entertainment

4 out of 5

Comedians (all 4) were not as funny as others in the past. The one stage show we saw was great.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Very hardworking, even though it was obvious they were short-staffed.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

No issues here.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Same size as other cabins and same configuration. Balcony overlooks deck 5 immediately so they can see your balcony and you can see them. I prefer the cove balcony to this balcony but that's personal preference.

Ports of call

Galveston, Texas

4 out of 5

Key West, Florida

4 out of 5

Few things to do that are touristy but it was more hot/humid than I expected.

Thumbs Up 0

Freeport, Grand Bahama Island

2 out of 5

Not a lot to do in Freeport - this is my least favorite Carnival stop. If you are not doing a shore excursion, I'd stay on the ship.

Thumbs Up 0

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Private Island)

5 out of 5

Incredible beach and activities. Book beach umbrellas early as they sell out but they are worth it.

Thumbs Up 0

Nassau, Bahamas

5 out of 5

Diving with Stuart Cove shop was incredible (and shark-filled).

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

Option to self-carry luggage off is great and we'll use it exclusively every time.

Traveler Photos

5 Comments

GabeNSteph 2 years ago

Thanks for sharing

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CurlyCruiserYAY 2 years ago

Good info

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maryred 2 years ago

Sorry no getting around Freeport as a stop, unless you want a late afternoon (2pm or later) in Port Canaveral for your refueling. Just wait in a couple of years & things will change dramatically with Freeport once Carnival's private port is completed. Heard the layout will take the best reported features from Grand Turk, Mahogany Bay, and Amber Cove as the basic footprint for what's offered there.

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javawoody 2 years ago

Thanks for the review

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AuntPinkie 2 years ago

Appreciate your feedback. Glad you enjoyed your cruise. Nice to hear things are getting closer to normal.

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