This was our 9th sailing with Carnival (probably our last). The new ship didn't live up to the big hype. In comparison to the Glory, the Dream fell short in many ways: the atrim is only 3 levels; the ship shops were tiny; the decor was tacky (70's); the dining rooms didn't have sea views; the cabins appeared to be identical to the Glory. For a brand new ship, we didn't expect to see so many stains on the furnishing, carpets, etc. and we expected some WOW factor. When we cruised the Glory, John Heald was the Cruise Director and and he was great! We heard he was on the Dream, but never saw him. I suppose if we blogged while on board, we may have found him (Internet access was up to $.75 per minute)... personally, I cruise to get away from computers.

Our cabin was on the Lido deck which would have been awesome if we didn't have to walk thru a cloud of cigarette smoke to get to it. YES people, smoking in the cabins and on balconies! We rarely used the balcony because the neighbors were outside puffing away. Just when opening our balcony door, the room would fill with smoke (thru the vent in the cabin door). Absolutely awful and unbelieveable Carnival allows smoking in cabins! Not like there's no place else on the ship to smoke... half the decks outside are designated for smokers.

The best thing about the cruise was the "one time" itinerary. Great ports of call, wonderful excursions. The Serenity decks (adults only) were awesome, though they could have been larger. It was also nice that the waterworks was separate from the pool on the Lido. The food was typical for Carnival but we've had better. The mini golf course was fun but wasn't the best design. It appears Fincanteri is stuck in the past. Read more