We were on the June 5th sailing for the Dream to the Bahamas, St. Thomas, and St. Marten. My husband and I were celebrating our 10 year anniversary, and because Camp Carnival was included, we took along our 6 year old son. All in all, we feel like it was the best vacation we've ever had. I'll try to address things in our review that I didn't see addressed in other reviews.
We are first-time cruisers, and I was concerned that we would have spent more money than we'd ever spent on a vacation only to give up on the fun things we wanted to do because of the crowds. While the Dream does hold a lot of people, and there are sometimes lines, there are always alternatives and I felt like we eventually got to try everything we wanted to do before our week was up.
One thing I was surprised about was how flexible Camp Carnival was. I did not realize this, but Camp Carnival was available while you are in port and our son chose to go there instead of the port! We planned to shop in St. Thomas and St. Marten, so I expected that to be trying with a six-year old, but Camp Carnival made it easy for us to enjoy. I was concerned staff would be burned out after long hours on the ship and so many kids hyped up on endless ice cream, but I found the staff to be really attentive and creative about entertaining the kids. They learned names and were very competent.
We loved being on the 2nd deck aft - the dining rooms are just one flight up and you don't have to deal with the elevators at meal times. Also, the motion of the ship is minimal in the aft on the low decks. Furthermore, the starboard side is prime in the Bahamas and St. Thomas, but you will face the industrial side of St. Marten.
We would definitely book this cabin again, but I'll remember to pack ear plugs to sleep. The room is under the galley and I woke up a couple of times when staff were moving things around up there. Also, the housecleaning staff's entry is directly across from the cabin. I never noticed them until the last night of the cruise when they are getting ready for a new sailing the next day.