Carnival Dream Review
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This was my family's third cruise on CCL. The first two were on the Conquest. I am not a very social person, so I was a little concerned about this ship holding 3600 passengers. I have read many people's reviews that claimed there was not enough room on this boat, etc... but I felt like there was plenty of space. Yes, there were times when it is crowded - but nothing more than I would expect on a cruise. Compared to the Conquest, I liked this ship a lot more. The decor was nicer, and the overall layout was more useful.
We live in Alabama, so we drove to New Orleans. I am not crazy about the parking deck, because it is usually mass chaos getting into it since there is so much going on at the port - but we survived! CCL has recently begun having you choose check in times (to help with embarkation). The time we chose was 10:30. Once parked, we made our way to check in. It was 10:20 and we were asked to wait until our time - which was only 10 minutes. We then quickly moved through security, etc. By 11:15, we had completed check in, had our sign and sail cards, and was waiting on boarding. I personally do not think that going through security, check in, etc.... for three people, one being a child --- in 45 minutes was that big of a deal at all. We considered purchasing the Faster to the Fun, but decided against it. Maybe if we had an itinerary that included a tender port, we might have - but we did not. Based on our time arriving, etc. - we were in group 2 to be called to board. Once CCL started calling groups, it moved fairly quickly and we were soon on the Lido deck for sail away lunch. Based on what I observed, the Faster to the Fun people got on the ship about 10 minutes before our group 2 did.
Entertainment:
Cabin Review
Cove Balcony
For the three of us, this was nicely laid out. We had a good bit of room and plenty of storage for clothes, etc. Our steward was great and took really good care of us.
We enjoyed the cove balcony. Some may not because it is not fully clear - but you have lots of privacy and it is quiet. On a boat with so many people, it is nice to have a quiet spot to read, have breakfast, or just watch the waves.
Port Reviews
Key West
Good and bad. If you want to see the island, it was OK and informative. I did not think it was worth the money and was represented correctly.
Freeport
Mother nature did not cooperate with us, so we did not get to snorkel like we wanted, but the beach was nice and we had a great time. Grabbed lunch there - delicious conch fritters.
Nassau
We were picked up a little late from port, but taken to a great beach. We had a list of items we wanted to do while in Nassau, but we did not see it all. Most of that I attribute to the driver who took us had conflicting groups and we only got a portion of what we asked for when booking. Granted, we got a great deal on the overall fair, but we got back to the boat 1-1/2 hours earlier than we planned. We will be back in Nassau in December and I will NOT sure this service again.
New Orleans
I love New Orleans. We have been numerous times, and mainly just hung out.