In Ocean Plaza, they had chips and salsa every day, sushi opens at 5:00 p.m., salad bar and turkey wraps (very good), Lanai Bar-BQ outside grilling hot dogs and sliders, pulled pork quesadillas and a number of other food items....all of these foods are included in your cruise fare and the Ocean Plaza was a great alternative dining destination away from all the crowds at the buffet in The Gathering. The food venue in Ocean Plaza where they charge a nominal fee are the Patisserie (coffee, specialty coffees, big honkin' multi layer cakes, chocolate covered strawberries, banana splits, milk shakes) and, of course, the bars....so, lots of free food on Ocean Plaza. The Ocean Plaza was never really crowded unless there was live entertainment or trivia going on. There is a great bar in the Casino which also has live entertainment at night (wonderful dirty martinis). Another great place to have lunch was at the Pasta Bar on Deck 11 Aft, (2nd floor of The Gathering), you give your name to a hostess and she hands you a paper menu, pencil and number...just choose which pasta you would like (penne, linguine, farfalle), sauce (pomodoro, meat sauce, Alfredo), choose any other ingredient you would like, i.e., mushrooms, shrimp, chicken, lasagna, etc. Hand in your order to one of the Chefs in the open kitchen and they will deliver the pasta fresh and hot to your table. You can also order rosemary rolls (yum) and freshly tossed Caesar salad. We ate at the Pasta Bar 3 times, loved it!!! The food was so fantastic in the dining rooms in the evening, we didn't waste our money eating at Chef's Art Steakhouse. Don't pay attention to any negative comments about the Dream, it was a great cruise and if you stay out of the Gathering during peak times, the wait time is little to none. During the week, at the carving station, they had roast beef, lamb, pork, baked ham and delicious turkey. If you like desserts, order the Bitter & Blanc, mouth watering and better, in my opinion, than the chocolate melting cake. The show in the Encore Lounge, "Dancin In The Street", that everyone raves about had too much rap, hip hop, break dancing to appeal to a mass audience. The other big show "Get Ready" was much better, they sang and danced to a lot of Motown hits. The theater does get crowded quickly so get there at least 1/2 hour prior to showtime. We arrived at Port Canaveral at 10:30 a.m. and were eating at The Gathering at 11:15 a.m., fast, fun and friendly. If you have any other questions, please ask, I'll be happy to respond.
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