The Good - - Staff are still friendly and try their best (except for Guest Services). - Guy's and other specialty restaurants are open on port days. - New embarkation procedures are faster, with your key card premade in your mailbox. - The Indian Tandoori restaurant is pretty authentic and very tasty. Maybe too spicy for most people. - Shows have been upgraded with digital screens. The Bad - - The cruise line has made additional cuts on it's budget. High Tea no longer offers six free tea flavors... they offer two free flavors and six for $2 (big price gouging). Cabins no longer have bathroom amenities, extra pillows/blankets, or bathrobes. - Although they still call it 'Guy Fieri's Burgers'.. Carnival has totally abandoned his recipes. They no longer season the beef, they do not use a garlic aioli, and they do not steam the burgers with chicken broth. End result is bland burgers that have nothing to do with Fieri, and on two occasions the meat smelled 'turned' like the hamburger had gone brown. - Guy's Smokehouse is probably about the worst BBQ I have ever tasted. Avoid it. - I had three contacts with Guest Services...two were just questions. All three times I was treated (tone of voice and words used) like I was putting an unnecessary burden on them. - The 'American Feast' menu continues to be a budget cut and fiasco. Especially on Elegant Night. It took half an hour to get an appetiser and half an hour to get the entree. Looking around I noticed that no one in Flexible Dining had food.. as the kitchen was pushing all food to the Fixed Dining Room attempting to keep up and finish before the 8pm sitting. Read Less

Our cruise started out with a very smooth embarkation process. Within 15 minutes or less of arriving at the terminal, we were on the boat. We had about an hour to kill before our room would be ready so we took a tour of the ship and grabbed some lunch. Buffet was what you'd expect. (My son was gone over a half an hour and we finally texted him to find out where he was. He was standing in line for Mongolian BBQ. This seems to be a fairly standard wait for that particular food choice. I did stand in line and wait for it once and it was tasty but I opted not to choose this option again. ) We had two rooms on the Deck 6, both balcony rooms. They were clean and comfortable. Our steward Gerald was extremely helpful and friendly. Rooms were tidied once a day which I felt was more than adequate. New beach towels were left frequently which was really appreciated since they don't dry that quickly even hanging on your balcony chairs. There was a weird smell along the hallway on Deck 6. Something like a sewer/rotten egg small. Not sure what it was was, but just thankful it wasn't too close to our rooms. Our balcony was located one floor up from the Guys BBQ place and the whirlpool. Generally speaking it was fine, but on one occasion a rowdy group of people were in the whirlpool using awful language to the extent that I had to send my 11 year old daughter inside. Dinner in the Crimson Restaurant was our favorite daily meal. Our servers Lidia, Edi and Holif were very friendly and accommodating. I find the walk through the Casino to be fairly annoying with the smell of cigarette smoke. It filters through to the Ocean Plaza area which is a spot we really enjoy spending time in. The Alchemy Bar was our favorite bar with some really inventive and delicious drink choices. They also put out little bar snacks on our last night on the ship which was great. The entertainment on the ship was really good. We thoroughly enjoyed all of the shows we saw with the highlight for me being Flick. Don't miss out on this one! The entertainers are all very talented. The music in the theatre is played at a DEAFENING level so go prepared with ear plugs unless you prefer to not be able to hear the rest of the evening. Kids loved the waterslides and pool area. We loved the Serenity lounging area. Deembarkation fairly smooth process. It was quick getting off the ship but long lines to get through luggage and customs. All in all a great trip and lots of fun on the Dream! Montego Bay We opted for the Dolphin Encounter. You will stand around for a bit in the port hall waiting for your group to be called. Our tour guide Elizabeth was very pleasant and funny and I really felt that she was looking out for us during our trip. We got about 30 minutes in the water with the dolphins which was very cool. Food was available to purchase although we opted just for drinks (I recommend a Ting and rum!). Photos of your experience are available for purchase but they are outrageously priced. It would have been upwards of $200 to get a photo of each member of our party (6 people) with a dolphin. After the encounter, we were taken to a beach for about an hour and a half. Within 10 seconds of setting foot on the beach, we were accosted by people selling things. My daughter wanted braids and got them on this beach. The water here was lovely but I did not enjoy this beach experience and was happy to return to the ship. Grand Cayman We chose the Sting Ray City family tour. Staff on this tour were very friendly and informative. Quick bus ride to the marina and then we were off to the location for sting rays. We all got to hold and feed the sting rays. This portion of the excursion lasted about an hour or so. There was enough time left after this excursion to wander the port area. We got lunch at a place called Rackams which was very tasty and the views could not be beat. You can actually jump in the water and snorkel right in the water next to the restaurant. We got to feed our leftover food to the tarpons which hang around the restaurant. After lunch, we walked to the beach right near port and jumped in the water. Grand Cayman was our favorite port by far. Cozumel We walked around this port area for a bit before our excursion. There are alot of shops and restaurants. We ventured a bit further outside the port area and were approached by many folks trying to sell us stuff. We did the Catamaran/Snorkel/Beach excursion. This one was alot of fun! Quick catamaran ride to a snorkeling point. They have a photographer who will take photos of you underwater and then you have the option to buy the photos on the boat (A very reasonable $12 per print, I thought). After snorkeling, the booze comes out.. margaritas, beer and soda is served. The margaritas were missing alcohol...lol.. stick to the beer! A short boat ride to a private beach followed. We got about an hour and a half to spend here.. This was a fun time! There is food for purchase. One choice only.. cheeseburgers with a few cold salads for $11. It was fine. The margarita and beer continues to flow and is free. There are inflatable water toys to climb on and slide down and the kids and I really enjoyed this. They also have kayaks and paddle boards to use for free. I would absolutely recommend this excursion to anyone. It was alot of fun. Read Less

We chose the Dream because we went on the Freedom two yrs ago and wanted to try something else. By far the Freedom was a lot better ship. I guess the time we went out there was a lot of children and so disrespectful and rude . They ran up and down the halls yelling and would not let an elder get by they would just stand in the way like someone owned them something. Room service was nothing like the Freedom, we only got our room freshened up one time a day on the Dream and on the Freedom it was every time we walked in or out of our room. We had to repeatedly ask for things and ice . The service in the Bar was the best they remembered our names and we met new friends there. Romela, Aundre, I Wayne, and Carlton was the best ever . Was very disappointed in Costa Maya and Belize I will recommend the Freedom over the Dream. The entertainment was not half as good as the Freedom seems like there was so much more to do on the Freedom. Will not recommend the 9th floor lol we was right under the lounge and heard every move Read Less

Looked good from web and reviews we saw BUT balcony room a disgrace. Dirty, rusting, scratched, tired, very cheap - grey supposed to be white towels. Wardrobe door unhinged same as toilet door closing system broken but still closing. No toiletries apart from shampoo and shower gel. Porthole and door dirty and decayed. Balcony should have been taped off rusting dirty shambles. You would not go out barefoot or sit on seats (subsequently replaced). First to the fun bought but didn’t get cases until after 5.00pm!!! Closest we have been to getting off a boat and staying in NOLA. Saving grace was staff at Spa and staff at Steakhouse who were terrific. We are now stuck in a room with the smallest rustiest balcony I have ever seen. Thank God it’s only 7 days. Also internet dodgy. Customer Service Manager very polite and understanding but powerless. Got embarrassing and tiring. Read Less

We chose this cruise mainly due to the week it was traveling. We enjoyed the ship, although apparently smoking is now allowed everywhere, or the smoking sections were just not enforced, that was not pleasant as we spent our time trying to escape the smokers. The water slide was also out of commission for a little while during repairs and the movie screened had a large glowing 1 in the upper left hand corner which was distracting sometimes. The stops were nice with our favorite being Cozumel. We did a "Swim with the Dolphins" excursion is Cozumel and a Wildlife and Zoo Safari in Belize, our guide in Belize was exceptional. She was very knowledgeable and friendly and truly seemed to enjoy her work. That excursion was over 6 hours long though and my teenage daughter was upset there was no time for shopping. The port in Mahogany Bay is very nice. It was pouring down rain that day so we didn't go further than the port. The people on the Dream are all very friendly. Our cabin steward Ayu was wonderful. Our cabins were on Deck 12 the spa deck and unfortunately by the outside door. There were lots of kids running in and out of the door all hours of the night and running on the deck right above us. This made sleeping difficult. The cruise director Lee did a great job keeping everyone entertained. His co-host Olivia also did a great job. We never ate in the formal dining rooms as we do not liked to get "dressed up" for dinner while on vacation. Guys burgers are good and the pizza is phenomenal. The buffet is average, probably a lot like a Golden Coral here in the South part of the U.S. My largest complaint are the fees. I think Carnival fees you every time you turn around so that you are paying for the crews salary. Every time you use your sail and sign card there was an automatic %15 gratuity added, didn't matter what is was for. Then we we received our statement there were qty 4 $90.65 charges for gratuities. I called and requested they remove those charges but was told it is "Corporate policy to charge everyone over the age of 2 that fee." This is Ridiculous, especially given how much the cruise cost, the gratuities you are charged when you use your Sail & Sign card and given that we tipped cash to those employees who assisted us. I hope every cruise line doesn't add those extra fees. Because I think we need to find a different one. Read Less

We chose the Dream out of New Orleans because it’s close to us. Embarking was so smooth and happy! The staff were so excited and helpful! Walking on to the ship and exploring the location for the week was great. The Dream is a beautiful ship, especially the atrium. Our room was clean. Our steward, Michelle, was on top of everything and we loved all her towel animals she left us! We went to all the playlist shows, comedy, and piano bar. All of the entertainment staff were talented and made our days on the boat memorable. So fun! The food in all locations was delectable. We loved the pizza, blue iguana tacos, and Guys burgers. The buffet at lunch was great, too! We ate every night in the dining room and enjoyed all of our meals. Our excursions were AWESOME and so were the ports. We cenote hopped in Cozumel and visited the Altun Ha Ruins in Belize. We just explored the port in Roatan and enjoyed all of the shops. The ship was clean and service throughout was phenomenal! We always had someone removing our plates, offering refills on drinks, and staff was seen cleaning and maintaining common areas daily. Disembarking process was seamless and stress free! We absolutely enjoyed our week on the Dream! Can’t wait to go back! Read Less

This was my 5th cruise. My 3rd with Carnival and it was absolutely horrible. It has been 4 years since my last cruise and this experience has left me with never wanting to take my vacation on a cruise. Embarkation has significantly improved and moved very quick. We boarded the ship about 12:20 and were not able to get to our rooms until 1:30, which meant we had to pack the luggage we did not give the porters. My overall experience would be a 1 or a zero. The food was absolutely horrible. It was like getting days old Golden Coral Food or worse. I had to buy bottled water, as the water on the ship had a nasty after taste. The tea was gross and the lemonade too sweet. The decent restaurants were only opened from 12:00 to 2:30. Guys Burgers was open from 12:00 to 6:00. After eating burgers a few times it does get old. If you like the disgusting pizza it was open 24 hours. If you are hungry after 10:00 p.m. be prepared to pay for food. We did eat at the Chef's table which is extra. If you want burned crab cake that was not only burned but frozen burned this is the place to go. I have eaten at many fine steak houses, and again this was a disappointment to me. On-board activities are expensive and a money pit. My husband and I booked to have a massage which was amazing except the ladies pressure you to buy all these products, and try to tell me it would help my bags under my eyes, nose, etc. when I know I need to have a sinus surgery to alleviate allergy issues. It was like I had to tell them "what do you not understand about the word NO". Entertainment was great the first two nights, but it is basically the same throughout the entire cruise. It gets boring after watching basically the same thing. The comedy entertainment was degrading to women. I can not believe Carnival Dream has a woman comedian that can joke about women in such a degrading, pornographic manner. Half the people left during her skit. The comedy shows are only 30 minutes and you have to get their so early in order to have a seat. Nevertheless, after we attended that comedy show, my husband and I did not go back. Again, it was outright disgusting. The cleanliness of the ship was not there. Room service has been cut to once a day. We had to rip off the sheets from the bed after the 3rd night in order to get clean sheets. I know some of you might not wash your sheets, but I am the kind of person that washes mine frequently. It is especially necessary after you spend all cabin time laying around on bed. Our entire floor smelled like DODO... POO POO no lie, straight up sewer, and then walk into a balcony cabin that is no less than 78 degrees. I don't know about you, but I keep my temperature at 72, needless to say I could not sleep because it was so stinking hot. There were blue soap debris left all over the shower from previous passenger and our bed had a definite swag in the center. Food plates were never removed, if you want them out of your cabin you have to set the dishes outside the door. The ship design is not vacation friendly. The elevators do not take you to necessary areas. You have to walk all over the place to get to the place you want. There were so many people that average wait time for elevator was 7 to 10 min. Who wants to spend all their time waiting for an elevator. Montego Bay was fun. The Dolphin excursion was amazing, but we spent over an hour waiting for the excursion when we got to ship terminal. It was well worth it, but again when on vacation who wants to spend their time in a long hot line. When we got to the beach, we were harassed not less than 10 times if we wanted to buy mojo. In Georgetown we took the submarine excursion. It was over priced for the fact that you basically just go in circles around the same reef. The costs for that should be no more than $50 but of course that is not the case. In Cozumel we took the excursion to the Mayan Ruins. Absolutely loved the ruins but we were only given an hour and a half once the tour was complete. (Tour consisted of waiting for everyone to go to the bathroom, walking one mile to the ruins, and a 15 min. quick breakdown of the ruins) There is a 45 min ferry ride and another 45 min. bus ride one way. The majority of the time is spent traveling so we did not get to enjoy and explore for being rushed. Like I stated this was my 5th cruise and likely my last! I definitely will never cruise Carnival and this was my third with them. Pity to have spent my hard earned vacation money on this trip. Read Less

I was told this was a great ship to cruise on and boy were they right. From the cruise Director Lee to the room steward they did an outstanding job keeping us informed, involved and ready to go bed! Don't have any major complaints that worth talking too much about. The refridgerators are substandard in that they aren't very high quality and don't keep milk. The entertainment was great with lots of 80's music and that was just what made the cruise perfect! I would stay on that ship again without hesitation. I think this ship is moving to Florida in the near future and would highly reccomend it for everyone. The waiters did an outstanding job each evening serving us and entertaing us to the point we wouldn't miss a meal because it was a highlight of our trip as well. The interary was three port stops in as many days and that was not the most desirable schedule because it would have been nice to had a day at sea between for a little rest but the logistics of it was probably why the way it was planned. GREAT SHIP!! Read Less

I was very disappointed with the carnival dream. Getting on the dream went smoothly and fairly quick. But shortly became chaos we could not get back to our cabin till 1:30 that is where our sign and sail cards were we boarded at 11:30 so we had to wait 2 hours before I could get my 2 girls a soda not to mention a rain storm had moved in and everyone was jamming into the common areas. As for the food in the dining room portions were small and some didn't taste good at all say brunches are good but most of the steaks I had were very tuff some were over cooked. Lido deck buffet need a major overhaul most of the food there was nasty. Guy burgers are great pasta bar nasty and I didn't like the deli(why have a deli with premade sandwiches that they burn warming up Read Less

We chose this cruise because of the easy drive to New Orleans. We prepaid parking at Fulton parking garage. I’m not sure if we would do this again, but we might. We arrived earlier than our appointed check in time, but we still got on the ship fairly quickly. We loved the ship! Lee, the Cruise Director, was the best we’ve ever had and I’ve been cruising for 30+ years. Our cabin steward Suhardi was wonderful. He kept our cabin spotless and was very nice and friendly. Even though they now only clean the cabin once a day, that was fine with us. The food choices were wonderful. We loved all the food, but our favorites were Guy’s Burgers and the Blue Iguana Cantina. On the lido deck there are numerous serving stations for the buffet and the made to order omelettes. The first omelette station usually has a long line, but if you continue on to the 2nd or 3rd station, you can usually walk right up and order. Lawrence, Luis, and Rata, our main dining room servers, were great. Always friendly and calling us by name. We enjoyed the comedy club and all of the music throughout the ship. We liked the nightly shows. I would cruise on this ship again in a heartbeat! No complaints at all. Read Less