Overall it was a super fun cruise, we already booked another for this year(2024) on the dream again, the day we got off the boat last year. I wish it would have been longer. Staff was great, overall food was great and I cannot recommend it enough!
Embarkation
5 out of 5
The lines were long don't get me wrong, but as long as you have your documents prepared and just keep moving, the process was fine. When getting through security and going to the counter before going to the waiting room, they will let you add funds to your on board account, did not know this before hand. Used cash and that was super easy and helpful.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
After thinking about all the food, the buffet was probably my least favorite. You could never follow the hours because it would vary and differ from what the app would say. The line to even eat at the buffet was crazy to me and seemed to always have the same food. The MDR, was actually somewhere we ate more than I thought we would, there were some really good food items, and some not so good ones. I was kinda bummed as this was our first ever cruise to try the famous chocolate molten cake and I was disappointed, there was nothing molten about it and wish it was because I wanted to like it more than I did. Not sure about some of these other reviews but I was never out of options for food and was never hungry at all.
Alchemy Bar
2 out of 5
The cucumber sunrise I got was delicious, however, the bartender was to distracted with this made up cocktail he was making the guy next to me that he pretty much ignored me and I waited way to long for that one drink. Never made it back there, the other bars were better
Guy's Pig & Anchor Bar-B- Que Smokehouse
3 out of 5
We only ate here once on a sea day. The food was ok, nothing to write home about, the macaroni was kinda watery and the meat somehow was lacking flavor. Might try again. Did have a variety of sauces to try and those were good.
Guy's Burger Joint
5 out of 5
We ate here the most and it NEVER disappointed not once, I could not keep my kids away from there it was so good!
Bonsai Sushi Bar
5 out of 5
I do not remember our server's name, however when I told her I have a shellfish allergy, she informed the chef of this and he prepared my cucumber roll before making any of the sushi for the rest of my family, which was unexpected but greatly appreciated. Even though you had to pay for this, it was well worth it.
Pizzeria del Capitano
4 out of 5
Depending on the time of day you go, plan to wait for a while in this line. The pizza is delicious and don't be afraid to ask for more than 2 slices, if it's out on the tray just say what you want and they will give it to you.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
We went to all the deck parties and they were all super fun. My only suggestion is if you want a good seat find one fast and stay put because if not you will be standing if you want to watch. Deal or no Deal was fun and I won a $25 bingo package and a $30 casino play as well. I had fun going to the jewelry store and getting the barrels for the necklace, but boy was it busy getting in there and the charm bracelet line, whew, that was a FOREVER kinda line. But fun over all. We preferred the non smoking casino, bit of a maze to get to it but worth it for sure. My son competed in the basketball knockout game and won, but there was no one from the fun squad to run it, I had to tell one of people at the Harry Potter trivia and he notified someone and they went up there finally.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The DJs were playing pretty good music most of the time. The shows were great! I can agree Flick was a little strange, but those singers, some of them were so good gave me goosebumps. The other shows were great as well. We did not watch the "Americana" themed show, or see any comedy show either.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Our room attendant Kadek, was 1000/10! He was so attentive and learned our name very quickly and always greeted us when he saw us out and about. My husband kept one of the buckets they give you for the 6 pack beers in the room and everyday Kadek would have it full of ice for him. The wait staff in the MDR were great as well. I don't think anywhere we were the staff were not wonderful.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
I always saw staff cleaning. However, you could tell that in some areas there needed to be a bit of updating. The only area that had a "smell" to it was the lido buffet. The layout of the ship was easy to learn once I got my bearings.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
The size of the room was great for us. We are used to hotels with the four of us so it was no big deal. The layout was good and I felt like it had plenty of storage for what we needed. The thermostat was broken on the wall as you see in the pictures but our stateroom attendant had it fixed by the time we came back to our room. I found the room to be very clean and never found anything that I had to request to be cleaned.
Ship tip
Have fun and don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. But as a real tip, if you don't mind it, bring your own sodas, it was easy for us and you can take them in the MDR, all you have to ask for is ice.
It was a tender port, which was fine. However, once we got off the tender boat it was not what we thought it would be. We did not book an excursion on this day, but given the vibe that place gave, I'd pass in a heartbeat. It just felt like something bad was going to happen, the drinks were expensive and all we did was souvenir shop and headed right back to the ship.
We rented a gold cart from the red shirt/hat guys. We saw them on YouTube and it was $60 for the whole day. Beware of people trying to scam you because we went to the crazy lobster with no reservation and this guy stopped my husband on the way out of the port and he said that we probably wouldn't get it because they had over 1000 reservations and if you have been there i dont think it could ever accommodate 1000 people lol but all in all it was a good time, totally recommend. Plus, if you have a passport you can get a stamp as well.
We booked an all inclusive day pass at Paradise Beach. The taxi ride was easy and once we got there we were taken to our own spot and could choose either pool or beach. We chose beach. Now, we were there for about 5-6 hours, had a good time, but then that turned quite quickly and a medical emergency happened with a older gentleman and had to be carried out on a stretcher and everything. It was pretty traumatic and I'm sure worse for the family who was with him. After that we decided to leave and go back to the ship.
We used the VIP parking across the street and it was super convenient to get to the terminal. All the staff we encountered were super helpful as this was our very first cruise. There were signs once you got in the terminal as well. I think it helped that we stayed the night before sailing and took that time to drive by the port to get a feel of it before we got there the next day.
If you pay attention and listen, getting off the boat is a breeze. We opted to take our own luggage off the ship. On disembarkation day the cruise director Adrian, would let you know when your exact group could get off and then you go down to the gangway and get off. They separate you into lines if you have a passport and then just a birth certificate and I will say passport is the way to go, it is a MUCH smoother process for sure. All in all from our stateroom to our car it took less than 30 mins.
Good review. I've been on the Dream and your comments were spot on. BTW, I took take sodas on when I can. I only drink a few, but I like the convenience of either drinking it or taking it with me.
I never take my own soda because I'm not going to put it into a carry-on and it's just too much trouble so I get the soda package on any Cruise line. Norwegian Cruise Line you cannot bring any soda. You can Google about the rules of Norwegian with champagne and wine even if you're not taking this cruise line but you never know in the future.
Glad you had a great time. The next time you want to eat in the buffet look at the times that they have in the fun times daily paper that you could get at the reception desk it gets Services because don't count on the app half the time. We don't not use the app at all on the ships that we have taken we don't open our phones to get our dailies at the guest services and they always have them. We have not taken Carnival since 2018 but a lot of people don't use their phones I am sure and it's only fair to have these daily papers accessible for people. Also a ship is not about although it floats and these ships are getting bigger and bigger. If you take a look at Icon of the Seas that is the largest ship in any Fleet in the USA
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