Carnival Dream Review
First time cruising with a child...and we had fun!
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Bear with me on my first review. My husband and I have taken 3 Carnival cruises in the past, and then took an NCL cruise a couple years ago. I couldn't wait to get back on Carnival! This was our first cruise on the Dream, and we weren't disappointed, so let's go:
Embarkation: We live in Central Florida, so we just drove over to the port that morning. We parked at Park-n-Cruise off 528 and it was so nice. only about $50 for the whole week (as opposed to $120 at the port) and we kept the keys--which made my husband happy. We actually dropped the baggage off at the port first, so we wouldn't have to lug it on the shuttle. This was an excellent decision, as we already had our hands full with our rambunctious 2 yr old, her umbrella stroller, a diaper bag, and our carryon rolling backpack. We got back to the ship around 11:45 and were on the boat in no time. We went up to the Lido to get our first hotdog and fries, thinking we would have quite a wait for our room. This wasn't the case, as we checked and were able to get into our room by 1:00.
Cabin: LOVED OUR CABIN! We were upgraded from a cove balcony to a spa balcony by our PVP. Usually we don't spend much time in the room, so I always expect cramped quarters. We weren't sure if we'd have room for the pack-n-play for Devan to sleep in, but there was plenty of room. We met the steward right away (on NCL, never even saw him/her). And I think Devan had them wrapped around her finger right away. Loved the attention they all paid to her (and us). Juan set the couch back, was we wouldn't be using it as a bed and kept us stocked with extra washcloths and towels throughout the week. The towel animals were awesome. Our favorite was the monkey hanging from the ceiling. The balcony was beautiful, I did notice that the walls between cabin's balconies could be opened too. I think the neighbors were glad there was some sort of sound barrier at times though (hard for little one to wind down to sleep some nights) Although if she screamed, we would take her out so as not to disturb sleepers, and she enjoyed running off energy. Oh, and her stuffed toys were always arranged in bed, so cute. The balcony was a wonderful way to start the day and end the day. We watched flying fish for quite some time out there, and it was neat to watch the islands as we came into port.
Cabin Review
Spa Balcony
Cabin: LOVED OUR CABIN! We were upgraded from a cove balcony to a spa balcony by our PVP. Usually we don't spend much time in the room, so I always expect cramped quarters. We weren't sure if we'd have room for the pack-n-play for Devan to sleep in, but there was plenty of room. We met the steward right away (on NCL, never even saw him/her). And I think Devan had them wrapped around her finger right away. Loved the attention they all paid to her (and us). Juan set the couch back, was we wouldn't be using it as a bed and kept us stocked with extra washcloths and towels throughout the week. The towel animals were awesome. Our favorite was the monkey hanging from the ceiling. The balcony was beautiful, I did notice that the walls between cabin's balconies could be opened too. I think the neighbors were glad there was some sort of sound barrier at times though (hard for little one to wind down to sleep some nights) Although if she screamed, we would take her out so as not to disturb sleepers, and she enjoyed running off energy. Oh, and her stuffed toys were always arranged in bed, so cute. The balcony was a wonderful way to start the day and end the day. We watched flying fish for quite some time out there, and it was neat to watch the islands as we came into port.