We flew into Orlando a couple of days early so that we could go to Harry Potter World at Universal Studios. Had a great time.
Stayed at the Courtyard Marriott by the Orlando airport. Really nice hotel. Tell them at checkin and they will call their transport service to take you to the cruiseport. We had already purchased transfers through Carnival, so we met Carnival transfer bus back at baggage claim at the airport. We only waited a few minutes and we were on our way to the cruiseport and the Carnival Dream.
Our group consisted of my husband and me and our friends. (husband and wife) This was our 13th cruise. We have sailed on Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Princess. We have never sailed a cruise or cruiseline we didn't love! The cruiselines are different and have different characteristics - but we've always had a blast, and this cruise was a blast.
We had cabin #9281. It was a good sized cabin. Plenty of room for our needs. The balcony was nice and clean. I wish there was more than one electric plug in the cabin. The location was perfect. We didn't have any problems with noise. Bed was really comfy. No complaints.