Departure from Port Canaveral: Fantastic! About 30 minutes to park (prepay $120 for 7 day cruise), walk across the street to terminal, go through security/check-in and walk to Lido deck for lunch. Cabin was ready at 1:15.

Overall: The Dream is our new favorite Carnival ship. Very family-oriented cruise. Cruise personnel told us that there were 1400 kids on the ship out of a total cruise population of 4500(near capacity). However, the ship did not feel too crowded and adults could escape to the Serenity outdoor seating area if the kids were too overwhelming. The second pool on the rear Lido deck was never over crowded. We liked all of the ports (see below)

Positives: Loved our cove balcony cabin - very stable. The 24 hour pizza grill, pasta bella (upstairs from Lido buffet at lunch only) and tandoori station were fantastic and we ate at least one every day. Large gym with lots of machines - never had to wait. Our cruise director, Jamie, was great. Very organized in getting people sorted out for their excursions. Really liked the Lanai area - coffee bar, trivia contests, Taste bar, quiet hot tubs, uninterrupted walking track around the ship. Read more