Cruised for 7 days in the Eastern Caribbean on the Carnival Dream out of Port Canaveral. First trip with husband and no kids. Fourth cruise with Carnival. Best cruise to date with some "sweet dreams" such as the cleanliness of the ship, the friendliness of the crew, the balcony location and size, the Steakhouse food being worth the extra $30 per person, and the weather cooperating the whole time even during hurricane season.
Some small nightmares such as the small children running up and down the stateroom corridors at midnight, the smokers polluting all the stateroom balconies around them, the drinking water that tasted like swamp water, the hair dryer in the stateroom drawer that was not hot and the cord was so short you had to practically bend over the whole time, the Internet being so slow and taking forever to log on (using up your expensive minutes), and the mysterious allergens that plagued my husband, other guests and some of the dealers in the casino.
Suggestions for Carnival management: why not limit one side of each stateroom deck (port or starboard) to non-smoking only and adults only with no children. I don't want a screaming kid or a smoker next to me on a cruise with my husband. Add one more port destination-3 is not really enough for a 7 day cruise.
Suggestions for cruise travelers: Bring your own hairdryer, bring bottles of water (not in a cooler as they will confiscate the cooler), teach your fellow travelers how to shut a door behind them instead of letting it slam shut, bring extra disposable hangers for the staterooms, tip the steward a little extra so they know that you appreciate all the little things you will ask for, and smile and say hello to all the crew and fellow guests. Americans are not always very friendly to others. Have fun and book the Dream when you can.
