Carnival Dream Review

4.5 / 5.0
1,963 reviews

the man of my dreams took me on the Dream

Review for the Western Caribbean Cruise on Carnival Dream
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finiansbay
First Time Cruiser • Age 60s

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Sail Date: Mar 2009
Cabin: Cove Balcony

My husband and I travel quite often.He is great at planning trips. This is only our 8th cruise, but we love to see different parts of the world and I really wanted to go on this particular ship.We live only 38 miles from Port Canaveral, so it was an easy drive. We were joined by good friends we have known for a long time, who are great traveling companions.We arrived at the port at 10:30. Once on board we headed up to the Lido deck. My husband quickly found the Pasta Bar and the Prime Rib, so he was happy. My friend & I did a quick tour of the Spa and Serenity decks. When we returned, we all headed down to check out our cove balconies (don't tell anyone, but these are a great value!). We met our room steward, Jhonny, who kept our rooms immaculate all week. He always had a smile on his face. My husband & I then went up to the Lido for a meet n' greet with some fellow cruise critic passengers. Then it was down to the Crimson Restaurant for the new & improved Muster drill. We walked back to the Scarlet Restaurant to check on our table assignment for dinner. There we met a couple who were apparently from our home town (he was wearing a Pitt hat). After a few minutes I realized that his wife & I graduated from the same college the same year. Big ship, small world! At dinner that evening, we quickly surmised that our table on the upper level was in a rather high traffic area and knew that we would be requesting to move. Plus the unsupervised toddler at the next table had several near misses with the waiters. An accident waiting to happen! We explored the ship more after dinner. Found the Page Turner Library, with a good supply of books & games, then just wandered around checking out all the places I had read about online. The ship is absolutely beautiful! The layout is similar to the Carnival Freedom and Splendor, but much more subdued and elegant in decor. We finally went to the Encore Theatre for the Welcome Aboard Show with our favorite cruise director, John Heald. This is our third cruise with John. His British accent, wicked sense of humor and uncanny ability to find people with the most "memorable" names, makes for an evening you will never forget.Funny, funny man! The Encore is also very elegant. Beautiful gray-beige granite on the walls around the stage. The mini tables in front of the leather sofas were a pale green granite. It all comes together quite nicely.

So far, A+ on decor, cove balcony, room steward, muster drill and cruise director!

now for the Food- BREAKFAST--Most mornings we ate in the Scarlet dining room. My favorite is the Eggs Benedict, which you can also get at Brunch, and there it is served on Cranberry Brioche bread..yum! My husband usually opted for an omelet, which you can also get at the Gathering on Lido deck.We always got the fresh fruit. At the Gathering Buffet I ate the French Toast, Banana bread and spinach baked in filo. Their orange juice is quite good also, and we squeeze our juice from our own orange trees at home. LUNCH--so many choices! I love the Deli, great Reuben or smoked salmon on bagels.The Fresh Pasta Bar has the best meat lasagna I have ever eaten (including Italy)Our friends loved the sliders at the BBQ on deck 5. DINNER--We requested a table change and am happy to report that we were moved to the lower level, in the rear by the windows to a table for 10 with the best waiters in the world!I Made and Inyoman from Indonesia were our waiters. Efficient,charming and great dancers. Practically everything we ate was good, especially the warm chocolate melting cake. We also ate at the Chef's Art Supper club. We always do this. I think the Supper Clubs are a great value. I actually thought the decor here was a bit understated(imagine saying that about a Carnival ship!). I actually preferred the opulence of the Carnival Splendor or Freedom. Also there was no live music on the night we were there. The food was fantastic though, from the jumbo Tiger Shrimp to the chocolate sampler, all wonderful. We only ate here once,however, because our table at the Scarlet restaurant was so perfect. ENTERTAINMENT-- When you read every one's reviews and they tell you not to miss the "Dancing in the Streets" Show...Believe them! It is a Broadway quality show. Lawrence Neals is an outstanding singer and the Carnival Dancers are superb. A great show. Get there early. If you do not enjoy this show, please check your pulse to see if you are alive...

Cabin Review

Cove Balcony

Cabin 7C

Our cove balcony was a great value. We were on deck 2 and close to mid ship. It was no problem getting an elevator. We also could walk up the stairs to the Encore or restaurants on deck 3. It was quiet. I have absolutely no complaints! We loved our room.

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