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I had a fantastic time on the Dream and even though I had been to most of the ports before, I found new things to do that kept it exciting for me.
There are so many things to see and do on this ship that I know we barely scratched the surface and I can definitely see myself booking another trip on this beautiful (but definitely large!) ship.
While I had read reviews about crowding on the ship I wonder if that could be worse on certain sailings where there are more 3 or 4 berth cabins booked or more children? We didn't experience crowds much at all -- except at the shops when it was time for a "sale" to start :-)
I tried "Your Time" dining for the first time this sailing and I was a little worried about potential wait times, having different waitstaff, and not getting to know our dining partners. However, unless I am traveling with a large group or all of my children I would probably choose this again. Our longest wait was about 5 minutes on the first Elegant night, I found that I liked sometimes getting new dinner partners (more people to meet, and you could always come back with the people that you enjoyed and request a table together). One evening we even managed to get a table to ourselves which was nice as well. (You can request tables for 2 as well if this is important to you.)
The food was as it has been on every cruise I've been on but I'm a relatively "new" cruiser so I get the feeling that I never experienced the "WOW" food that some folks seem to associate with cruises. I like that I get to try dishes I've never tried before and that I neither have to cook nor clean it up! I found plenty of options in plenty of venues and was certainly never hungry.
Live entertainment (music) on this ship seemed noticably lacking but maybe because the ship was so big that I couldn't always find it! Comedy shows and the one production show that we attended were all fantastic. I didn't care for the comedy club host, though. ("Jeff the Fun Dude" wasn't very fun, IMO).
Main pool deck crowded on sea days (they all are) but there were enough alternative locations that we had no problems finding our spot to lounge. Bar service was excellent in all venues, cabin stewardess was great (not too present and not too far away, either).
We made great new friends on this ship -- more than usual. I think this is a great cruise for large groups traveling together or couples up for FUN! I don't know how good it'd be for those wanting relaxation and romance, although we found plenty of that as well. I suspect there was plenty of all of that, though, in the parts of the ship that we just never got to. PIano Bar was great although it is pretty much the same show each night, Disco/Dance club was a lot of fun, too. There is definitely no shortage of nightlife.
I tried my first venture into the Casino this trip but I can't comment a whole lot on it. As soon as I had my money back plus a few dollars on the blackjack table, I quit. I was too chicken. One of my new friends got lucky enough in the slot machines to pay most of her sail and sign balance and the casinos were VERY full at night so that must be telling of something!
This ship is also very beautifully maintained and very "sparkly". I loved everything about it.
I've heard a lot of comments about the motion. I think some of that is any ship in the gulf stream, but I really can't say for sure. I cruise a lot during hurricane season and I've sailed in a lot of rough seas so the little bit of rocking that I felt seemed mild to me after a fall cruise that threw me out of bed at night and where we had to chase our food across the table. I felt some movement, usually at night, but nothing more than gentle rocking.
One design item that I noticed on this ship, and I'm not sure why, is that public bathrooms were EASIER to find than on any other ship I've been on. Maybe I'm just getting used to where they "should" be and can find them quicker but I found this to be a great plus. A silly thing, I know, but I was glad for it.
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