Carnival Dream

Aerogirl · #1 (**permalink**) April 15th, 2012, 03:15 PM

We were looking at cruising Carnival Dream and other than one or two good reviews the rest are just horrible. I know opinions are a dime a dozen but I�ve found for the most part they give me a good idea of what to expect and are somewhat accurate.
What I read is that there are just too many people for the ship and lines are very long and public room way too small to accommodate the amount of people. I�m thinking I should look elsewhere, however I wanted to sail out of Port Canaveral.

Master Chief · #2 (**permalink**) April 15th, 2012, 03:45 PM

We have sailed twice on the Carnival Dream and have a 3rd cruise coming in Oct. On the 1st cruise we were concerned that there would be too many people. Well, we never did find that to be the case. Knowing that there are a lot of passengers we adjusted our meal times accordingly: mid-day dining was either around 1130 or around 1:30. We found those times to be just before the crowd and just after the crowd. There are a lot of places to eat and you just have to decide what you will put up with in waiting. The BBQ just outside the Lanai midships had great burgers, ribs and tacos at lunch. It never seemed to be that crowded. The Mongolian BBQ did get very crowded and long lines were there. We did the Mongolian BBQ for lunch on embarkation day and since we board early (Platinum) and were the 1st in line. The food was wonderful but knowing the lines would be long we didn't go back during the cruise. We never did feel like we were lost in a mass of people. If fact, we were pleasently surprised. We have saied 15+ times so perhaps we were able to adjust better than maybe a 1st timer and maybe our expectations were different.. Plus as you said, different folks will have different attitudes. My advise would be to at least try the Dream and see for your self.

Queen of Oakville · #3 (**permalink**) April 15th, 2012, 03:46 PM

Hi Aerogirl! We sailed Dream in her maiden year (I think).

I had not yet found cruisemates, so while I'm sure I've got reviews flirting around the internet, I can't point you to one!

When we sailed Dream, it was our first cruise after several years of non-cruising, and things had changed. I was pretty negative after sailing Dream (and my review probably reflected that). My issues were more with service (we had a horrible waiter) and food quality.

We sailed GOTS later that year (not a great comparison 5nt old ship to 7 nt. new ship) but it made me realize that I was probably too harsh on dream, because cruising in general had changed and it was not a reflection of Dream, per se.

Food and Service are my main two areas of judging a cruise.

We've done a few cruises since then, and in hindsight, the food was not that bad (in comparison to FOTS, GOTS and Disney Dream). The food on HAL was superior but that is to be expected.

I still think the service on Dream was poor but that was mostly due to a bad waiter.

I don't recall having any issues with crowding. When we sailed, the main complaint was the sewage smell, but we never encountered that.

Would I sail Dream again - absolutely. If you have any specific questions, I can try and answer them for you.

Aerogirl · #4 (**permalink**) April 15th, 2012, 04:07 PM

Ok thanks, this makes me feel a little better. I was pretty set on the Dream for Nov 2013 but started having second thoughts after reading reviews. Overall I think we all know the service in the MDR is gone downhill on most cruise lines as well as the food.

On my past Freedom cruise we loved the ship although the MDR food and service was not too good but that was the only flaw we experienced and it�s wasn�t bad enough to give a negative review. Yes, no doubt cruising has changed over the years!

I have a group wanting to go but meeting everyone�s needs I�m finding a little hard to do.
Thanks for the input!

Queen of Oakville · #5 (**permalink**) April 15th, 2012, 05:08 PM

I'm sure you will find it comparable to Freedom and will have a great time!

And for the price you'll pay .... you may even like it better than FOTS!

When are you going? After typing out that post above, I went off on a tangent looking at prices on Dream! Considering a sailing in August - we'll see :-D

Ron · #6 (**permalink**) April 15th, 2012, 10:17 PM

Aerogirl, re/ the Dream, we have sailed it twice, once when it had been sailing for about 6 months or so and again this past Sept.
We've been on a lot of cruises on several different lines and we had no problems on the Dream.
On any large ship there tends to be lines at certain times, especially on sea days. If , on a sea day, you go to the breakfast buffet around 8 or 9 a.m you just may encounter a line and the same at lunch, especially around 12-1 p.m. But, as has been pointed out, you can control and avoid some of the lines by watching your times you pick to eat breakfast and lunch.
I never had a complaint regarding the food nor service on either of my cruises on the Dream.
I can understand if you're trying to get a fairly large group to sail --you may as well figure now that some will be happy and some will be unhappy-- no matter how good the food and service may be.
Happy sails !

Queen of Oakville · #7 (**permalink**) April 16th, 2012, 11:10 AM

I'd be curious to know how your experience is with planning a group. How many people do you have?

We're thinking of a family cruise next year. I will probably plan it on Carnival to keep costs down for everyone. DH does not want me to be the planner, because I will get stuck fielding all the complaints.

For some, this will be a once in a lifetime trip, so I don't want anyone to be let down.

ruthlessboss · #8 (**permalink**) April 16th, 2012, 02:49 PM

The lines are basically passenger induced (in my opinion). You have those that must ponder over the "perfect" shape or size of an item, for instance. Then there's someone standing still waiting for an item, or the grills where you pick what you want to be grilled and then must wait for that to cook. The omelet station is a good example.
So, yes, gauge your time before the rush or after.

Aerogirl · #9 (**permalink**) April 18th, 2012, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Queen of Oakville

I'd be curious to know how your experience is with planning a group. How many people do you have?

We're thinking of a family cruise next year. I will probably plan it on Carnival to keep costs down for everyone. DH does not want me to be the planner, because I will get stuck fielding all the complaints.

For some, this will be a once in a lifetime trip, so I don't want anyone to be let down.

We started off with just four of us and now were up to eight maybe nine, however it�s getting out of hand. No one date seems to work for everyone so I�m getting prices based on cruising I believe Nov 16, 2013. I�ll give the price and a let them know when I�m booking then the rest is up to them. We�ll see how it goes!

Ron · #10 (**permalink**) April 18th, 2012, 10:04 PM

Aerogirl, good luck re / your group cruise. I been there an did that ONE time and after that, that was enough for me. There's always some who waffle-- maybe we can go and maybe not--we'll let you know-- can't get off work then, can we go the next month, etc., etc., etc.
I think you would probably like the Dream but as always, some would and some would not. Good luck in whatever you decide.
I think you hit the nail on the head when you aid you would get the prices, and let them know when you were booking and leave the rest to them--if they want to go, they'll go--if it's all talk, you'll soon find out.
I think the Dream is fine, but that's just my opinion.
Good luck and happy sailing.

Aerogirl · #11 (**permalink**) April 19th, 2012, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ron

Aerogirl, good luck re / your group cruise. I been there an did that ONE time and after that, that was enough for me. There's always some who waffle-- maybe we can go and maybe not--we'll let you know-- can't get off work then, can we go the next month, etc., etc., etc.
I think you would probably like the Dream but as always, some would and some would not. Good luck in whatever you decide.
I think you hit the nail on the head when you aid you would get the prices, and let them know when you were booking and leave the rest to them--if they want to go, they'll go--if it's all talk, you'll soon find out.
I think the Dream is fine, but that's just my opinion.
Good luck and happy sailing.

Ron
As long as I'm on the ship the heck with the rest!:eek: !!

Ron · #12 (**permalink**) April 19th, 2012, 09:25 PM

Ha-- you have the right attitude--take care of yourself and enjoy your cruise.

Cruznut2 · #13 (**permalink**) April 20th, 2012, 07:40 PM

AeroGirl, I am sailing the Dream in September with a small group from my small forum. I will be sure to let you know what we think. I am sure it will be just as good as any other Carnival ship I have been on.

Laura

Aerogirl · #14 (**permalink**) April 22nd, 2012, 11:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cruznut2

AeroGirl, I am sailing the Dream in September with a small group from my small forum. I will be sure to let you know what we think. I am sure it will be just as good as any other Carnival ship I have been on.

Laura

Thanks Laura, Have a great time!