My wife and I selected this cruise because it was advertised as "special." Although we went to places we haven't been before, it was FAR from special. In plain terms, the Dream sucks! We have now been on her 3 of our 33 cruises with Carnival. There will not be a fourth. Every day we were presented with things that didn't work, items that they had run out of, or lack of venues or activities. We wish Carnival would swap routes between the Dream and the Breeze, or bring another ship in for these "special" cruises. We LOVE the Vista, Freedom, Breeze, and others.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
No priority due to half the passengers being Diamond or Platinum. Boarded by GROUP only. But it did go smoothly.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
OMG. They ran OUT of so many things (beers, liquor, hot dog buns, energy drinks, etc). Seemed like they did NOT plan for a 14-day cruise. Many lunch and dinner buffets were like leftovers at home.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Somewhat enjoyable. Halloween was fun. But this was definitely NOT up to the standards of other Carnival Journey cruises that we have taken. It rained a LOT, and there was nothing to do for a lot of time.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Several really good musicians (like ART Shake Trio). But several not ready for prime time (like Jaden).
Children's Programs
No children with us and average age of cruiser about 60-70.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Most of the staff did a really good job (stewards, servers, bartenders, etc). However, they were obviously limited by a lack of stock and supplies. Unbelievable!
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
Generally good. However, some areas were bad. Although sister ship to the Breeze, it lacks features (like Red Frog Pub and Captain's Italian Restaurant). A seating area on port side (inside), between Alchemy Bar and the Art Gallery constantly smelled like sewage!! The ship's computers and electronics were horrible. Could not get wifi in many locations. Elevators would miss your selected floor or go where it decided. Systems needed rebooting frequently (like cash registers and kiosks).
Cabin / Stateroom
2 out of 5
The layout was perfect for us. But there were issues. The curtains were worn and did not seal out sunlight. Most nights we heard LOUD banging from waves and equipment. didn't sleep weel the whole cruise. The lights in the bathroom and second washroom often did not work (reported but not fixed). And the "refrigerator" had a sign on it that said it was NOT a refrigerator; only cooled items to about 60 degrees. What is that?
Ship tip
Don't! Go on the Vista (4.8 out of 5) or Breeze (4.5) out of Galveston. The Dream is a distant third (2.8).
We were told it was too rough to dock. I agree with safety, but it left us with nothing to do. Staff filled time with things like trivia games. But they repeated many of the same sessions over the 14-days. Seems like nobody thought of bad weather.
Definitely not easy access for anyone not a hiker. Long walks to places. Scheduled the Skylift (listed as easy and accessible - several steps) for my wife and me just to find it was 36 steps up to the platform. My wife is handicapped (walker) and cannot do that. No elevator and no ramp. The operator's response, "Oh, it's fairly easy." Extremely hot and humid.
Some Carnival ships do this well. This was not. Elevators were impossible to get. The cruise director was calling for groups to leave when others (previous) were still jammed in the lobby. The crew established several "exit lines," but they all merged into one single gangway on Deck 3 (big bottleneck). Also, Carnival, in general, does little to control their own processes. They do debarkation seminars, have handouts, and make announcements. Yet, the crew, officers, and security all allow "Blue or Red Badgers," in something like Group 20, to come to the lobby or exit the ship prior to the actual groups called. On this debarkation, we struggled to get off in Group 2 (checked luggage) when called, just to find hundreds of Group 14 up to 24 bottlenecked in the terminal. If you have a good plan (which Carnival does), please execute it properly.
We have had issues with the Dream also. We have been on her 2 times. First time was before Covid and it nice then we did it again after Covid and it felt like they did not care anymore. We have not been on Dream since. Sad because Galveston is our favorite port so far.
Thanks for sharing. Sorry that you didn’t enjoy. We have experienced rain many times yet still had plenty to do. And have enjoyed sailing on the Carnival Dream. Hopefully your next cruise vacation will be more enjoyable.
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