We have been on four Carnival cruises and five in total. We sailed on the Glory and the Elation and the Fantasy. So we know what big ship sailing is all about as well as smaller ships. Carnival's problems with the early sailings of the Dream have been repaired for the most part. We were very lucky to have John Heald as our Cruise Director. A permanent CD has some big shoes to fill. Beyond that we feel the Dream is a great ship and plan to sail on it again soon. We sailed with only 3900 on board and that may have played a role in not having to fight the crowds. We never experienced the large crowds except maybe in the casino and getting a good seat in the Encore theatre. In the ports we never had to wait to get off or on the ship. We did have the same trouble on the Glory two years ago. It should be expected so we don't let it bother us. The food was good and good selections on the menu each night. Again, we did not feel the large number of people affected the food service at all and dinner each night was very enjoyable. We did not go to the $30 steakhouse. We never waited in line for the lunch buffet and I am sure the added Deck Five food on sea days helped relieve the pressure from the Lido Buffets.
The shows were great. The scene changes, the lighting effects and the costumes all added to the good feeling the shows were professionally produced. Dancing in the Streets won the top award for 2009 as the best cruise show and we believe it. It is a high energy show. The Comedy shows were good too. We saw four of the shows..two PG and two adult and all were very funny and again no significant lines to get into the shows. We picked a mid ship cabin on deck six and it paid off for us. We spent a lot of time on the Ocean Plaza deck five and deck four for dinner. Being midship and near the midship elevators kept walking to a minimum.
Here are some items you may or may not know about the cruise and the ship:
Mid ship deck six balcony. Ideal location which is near the elevators, quiet and stairway to deck five midship action.