This was my first cruise, so take this review for what it is. This was not, however, my first vacation. If you're on the fence about booking this cruise, just go for it! It's worth the money to have room, food, entertainment, activities, and several destinations in a one stop shop and reasonably priced. Pros: -Awesome ports of call (Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cozumel) -Many diverse food options (Mongolian, Indian, Italian, burgers, pizza, bbq, etc) -24/7 food -Nightly shows/Entertainment -Excellent customer service -Clean room -Clean ship (people were always cleaning and wiping) -Easy embarkation/debarkation -Daily ship agenda outlining all of the activities -Carnival hub app (offers tips, weather, ability to book excursions with a click) -Chef's table, 100% worth the extra cost -Staff takes the time to learn names, making the cruise more personal -Didn't feel overcrowded -Gym and running/walking track on board -Ocean Views (so relaxing from the balcony every night) -Adults only deck -Hard working cruise director (involved in everything) Cons: -The best food was open limited hours (12pm-2:30pm) -Steak House (paid extra and food and service was lacking) -The spa is expensive! Double what you would pay on land There was honestly so much to do that we didn't even have time to get to the arcade, mini golf, comedy shows, water slide, and piano bar. I'm looking forward to our next cruise so we can explore different destinations and participate in more ship activities. read more

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Well being that I was in the maritime industry and a seasoned sailor, it was more of a barge hotel. In Honduras (they dock on an island) "mahogany bay", in Belize they anchor offshore and ferry you via small craft, and in Cozumel (a Mexican Island) it is not the same as the "real" Mexican border towns of Laredo, Juarez, Tijuana, and Ensenada. I think that instead of "all you can eat" and $10 drinks, I kind of felt like instead of "kitty litter beach" (paradise beach in Cozumel)- I would have felt better on land rather than having to evacuate the rear pool deck for an emergency coast guard helicopter landing. (The doc gave her the ok to go on a cruise in her 9th month with pending triplets). Seriously Someone said "oh no, there was a woman AND a man. (I wonder what happens if she delivers in international waters, do the children have "international citizenship" I must admit that with a heavy LGBT presence, we ran into a few wives. They were mostly "fem". FYI, even though I am "evangelical" at heart. Through friends and (indirect) experience, most people don't understand that in a gay relationship there is a dominant and a subservient participant. It can just be really confusing to middle Americans when a man gets a sex change to become a woman only to hookup with woman making the best attempt at being a man. (Like chastity bono). They tend to look like "pat" from SNL and almost androgynous- or like "Stewart" from SNL- seriously, but please don't take offense. To be honestly objective, I had to fight the girls off (my wife) and this is the worst place for anyone in recovery. They have alcohol tastings (but if you buy this alcohol, they store it like a gun in court) - you get it when you leave the ship. Food, tobacco, gambling (plus a $65 phone bill) if you're anyplace BUT Mexico. We spent most of our time at "siete y once" (7-11 food store)"on the strip" because the beer was $1 US. Everything else is double the price. The medical doctors there are excellent, because almost everything is OTC. Albeit, if you come "from the ship"- you become an instant piggy bank. You tend to enter a "price rape van" being on an island. On the inside of the ship it honestly looked like Trump towers, and although they sell every T-shirt and bracelet known to man, they are more like "Disney does México" rather then on the mainland, or if you take a 5 minute ride past the main strip, you get to see "the real Mexico". Like unpaved roads, no guardrails with a 200 foot drop off 6" past what seemed to be like Hwy 1 in California. Just to mess with so many "wanna buy a t-shirt" requests, I asked them, do you have " I love trump " and they got offended. By the time I explained how the US really is, I had an audience. I said in Spanish "I don't want a wall!?!" For example: "if I have a pool in my yard do I want to build a wall around it, or should I cut a hole in the fence??? Think about it. Idk? read more

Just got back from a 7 day trip to Key West and the Bahamas out of New Orleans and I am big time missing my cabin no. 1353 :-( I went with my children, Sweets and almost all of my best friends and it was some of the best times I have ever had! I have done quite a few cruises over the years on different carriers but whenever friends and family are along, it could be just a ferry ride and it would be awesome. In this case, it was all of our first time on the Dream and there are very few complaints. The staff was all awesome. For the value, this cruise line cant be beat!! Very hard to anyways other than winning a free trip. The boarding process is so much better. Staggered boarding like airlines do helped that immensely. Even disembarkation was faster!! From the time to have to exit our cabin at 830 am , we were off the ship by 940 and home at 955!!! The food highlights was the Guy Fieri burger bar. All joking aside, those were same damn good burgers!! The pizza at the rear of the boat was really really good. Also the point of first complaint. The poor fellas that work that 24 hour station need some serious help because that line is always long. The onboard entertainment is awesome. My children had a great time and so did I. We traveled at the peak season..aka $$$$ but thats how its gotta be with kids in school when they get older. The cruise director, Lee, was on point. All the staff were just awesome. I cant stress how much of a great time we had. I am on cloud 9 still over it. read more

First of all, this is my 3rd cruise with Carnival and so far I have been so happy with the company and how they treat their customers. I have always been blown away by each staffs genuine kindness and hospitality, whether it's the person refilling the juice machines in the morning or the fun squad running trivia to start off a jam packed 10 or 14 hour shift. You've probably seen this all over the news, but Carnival has been under fire for a few incidences with the most recent being the malfunctioning water pipe which (as many news companies put it), "looked like a scene from the titanic". This line broke on mid ship deck 9, and my cabin was directly under them on deck 8. From what I've heard, it happened around 6pm on Thursday, May 3rd when I was at dinner. I remember leaving the dining room on the fifth floor and seeing a few cast members laying out a few towels and yellow caution "beware of wet floor" sandwich boards in the atrium (you could see all the the at up to the 11th floor from here). I carried on with the rest of my night and nothing was out of the ordinary. I remember seeing a sign blocking off some of the 9th floor state rooms while I was on the mid-ship stair case, and heard there was a water leak, but again didn't make much of it. The next morning at trivia, I had heard that OUR cruise ship, the Carnival Dream, was all over the news and my mom even said it was on Good Morning America! I was blown away that this was such a big deal and was shocked when I saw the video footage of how much water there was and what the leak looked like (there was a lot of pressure in the pipe that leaked). I saw a video of carnival workers and passengers forming a like of buckets to get the water out of the hallways (about shin deep) even with smiles on their faces. THIS guys, is what Carnival is all about. Team work and having fun even when something goes wrong. I bet you 100% those customers didn't skip a beat to help because they trusted the company and wanted to be a Good Samaritan, I don't think any of them felt that they were in any danger or they wouldn't have helped out. What amazed me most was how Carnival responded to the whole situation. I heard so many rumors floating around the boat but got most of them cleared up at a question and answer session with the cruise director, and a few other very important individuals that headed the customer service department. They were very transparent and informed us that about 48 cabins were affected (their carpets had to be changed and furniture replaced)- much of which happened overnight. But those individuals were given 100% compensation for their cruise, plus 50% off their next. They were offered a free hotel and flight home at the next port (Cozumel) if they wished to leave the ship, which only 2 people ultimately decided to do. The rest stayed one more night in the ships Adult Spa and were looked after very well, from what I've heard. After the q&a session, the individuals who ran the whole ordeal received a standing ovation from everyone, some of whom were staying on the 9th floor and were directly effected. This is the longest review I've ever written because I truly am satisfied with how Carnival handled the situation. This was something out of their control and I believe they stood true to their values and never tried to diminish anything/hide information from cruisers to avoid backlash in media. I never felt in danger and am happy to be cruising with Carnival. read more

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#400 Had to be something special! This was our 13th cruise on Carnival. We've been on many ships on different itineraries. TL:DR - Price it out. A cruise can be a great deal when you consider all you can eat food, included entertainment, activities for kids, and you can check out different destinations and unpack/pack once. This ship didn't have Guy's burger joint which we really enjoyed on our last cruise. The Dream will be getting a 2.0 upgrade that will add Guy's. The ship did have the Blue Iguana bar! DR. Seuss characters were around for the kids and the not so young kids. Dr Seuss book readings also for kids. 2 movies every night on the deck's Jumbo screen. This ship did have 2 hot tubs on each side of the ship on deck 5. I haven't seen that before. Grilled food on starboard side deck 5. Good food, no lines! I tried the tandoor grill, tasty! Pizza & soft serve 24/7! See you on board! read more

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This was probably my best cruise yet! I let some fabulous people and the staff was great! The ship didn't seem to be packed with kiddos. Everything was paced just perfectly for the week. Although, when we first sailed out of NOLA, the weather wasn't cooperating. It rained the first two days, but they kept the entertainment going on the inside. Alex, the cruise director was awesome. I stayed in stateroom 2300. I had issues with sewage/drain backing up in the shower and the hole behind the toilet. You could hear it gurgling. Guest services was very apologetic, although it wasn't their fault. But tried to accommodate as best as they could. The Alchemy Bar was the meetup spot when they opened at 5:00pm. Maria was very nice. In the beginning. She overheard me talking to another guest on how they wipe down their bottles at the end of the day (use the same towel, wipe the tip and then the rest of the bottle, where the hands hold the bottle, then on to the next bottle without rinsing the towel off). She responded by saying "it is what it is". First off, I wasn't talking to you. When she heard me say, oh, that remark will go I. My survey, she then tried to be extra friendly. I would highly recommend the Carnival Dream. The layout is very easy to learn and the decor/theme is Marie Gras. read more

Carnival Dream - Boat Charters Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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Rookie cruisers living the DREAM. The ship is tremendous in size, we payed for FTTF, so we were in it very quickly. Once inside the atrium, you're free to start what you've worked hard for. Of course a few drinks were in order, then we strolled to get lunch. Tacos at the blue iguana cantina became a regular thing, which also had the best breakfast on the ship. Sitting by the windows to watch the U.S shrink behind us with every bite was enjoyable. Our room was very clean & the steward knew us by name & took care of us daily. We stayed on the 7th floor because it was centrally located. We chose a inner room because its cheaper. Yes its small with no view, but it served its purpose well. At dinner, the dining staff waited on us with a smile & aimed to please, trying something new & not finishing it was never a problem. I think the portions are purposely small with that in mind. Several times we ordered 3 different orders of appetizers, entrees & desserts. If buffet style dinner is your thing, they had more than enough options, a deli that closed late & a 24 hr. pizza place. I never felt like I couldnt find something good to eat. Getting around onboard was funny & a little confusing, wear comfy shoes because its big & you will put in some miles for sure. Use the hub app! It allowed us to pre-choose activities, make the dining room on time & find entertaining live music everyday.(without having to carry a big FUN TIMES sheet) At night it was comedy shows, the Encore! Performance's, photo ops & hot tubbing. The ship was full of stuff to do & if doing nothing was on your list, more than enough space. But if you wanted a Serenity dome, come early because thats what they didn't have enough of. Getting off at port was organized as long as you cooperated, wether tendering(water shuttle) or docking there were was always a guide to help make sure you were at the right spot. Do your homework so you have proper dress, shoes, bug spray, etc. for your excursions. Overall we had a blast, my advice is dont dwell on the hickups along the trip. Bring tip $ because every person involved from servers, bartenders, drivers & guides are working to make sure your vacation is memorable. This was our first cruise & not one month back home & we are already discussing when to go next. read more

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We left from Galveston Tx port. We went on a 5 day cruise to Mexico and had a great time at both ports! The ship itself was nice I didn't see anything that was too outdated and the staff of course was excellent! The food was the same as any other carnival cruise we been on. If you go to Progresso Port do the All Inclusive Private Beach Experience!!! It's one of the best excursion my family has went on if your looking to relax!! Great food and drinks and the beach is waist deep! read more

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Pros Beautiful ship (Carnival Dream) Lots of food (some days were better than others) Great port stops with fun excursions (Jamaica, Cozumel, Grand Cayman Islands) Hard working professional staff (Stewards, Cooks, Cruise Director) Great musicals and other onboard entertainment Cons Lots of people (Expected) Lots of people with bad hygiene (You don't want the details) Lots of people in line (Buffet, Gym, Embark, Debark) Sick people (Coughing, Sneezing, Weezing) Rude people (Impatient, Drunk, Ignorant) Lots of people not covering their bodies when they know they should be (YIKES!) Overall it was a good experience going on a 7 days day cruise. One more thing scratched off the bucket list. read more

Carnival Dream - Grand Cayman Islands with the Dream in the background. - Boat Charters Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

This was my first time sailing from New Orleans, and it was on the Carnival Dream. We arrived via Uber Black, and he had no problems arriving and departing to his next pick up. Once we dropped off our luggage it took us about an hour to be processed. Everyone from porter to agent was very friendly and the process went smoothly for my children and I. read more

Carnival Dream - Boat Charters Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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My 3rd cruise completed from carinval... well this ship had two food joints that was sponsered by chef Guy! The burger joint and the pig and anchor BBQ stand... I absolutely loved both of those food stops. Definitely the best places on the whole ship to get grub. Room service was good but the wait staff in the formal dining area sucked. Ship was full of the standard generic, low end entertainment. I.e. washed up comedians and collegiate level dance shows. All in all this was the best carnival ship I have been on so I guess if your cruising and know what your getting into then this ship is a great choice to book for. read more

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Enjoyed the cruise until my last night. Went to the hair salon for a trim and style. My stylist was from India. Had no idea he had no hair experience. My hair was so botched up. I had to get a professional on my return . Totally unacceptable ! read more

Much larger and nicer than the The Triumph. There is a serenity deck designed for adults 21 and older only. It is the best place to relax, get some sun, and have a few too many drinks. There are only two big matted hammocks, one on each side of the serenity deck. You don't need a big room with a balcony, trust me you won't be in your room, unless you're sleeping or spending "quality time" with the wifey. This is a beautiful ship. They have hot tubs located everywhere around the ship. All the people who work on the ship are so nice. See ya next summer Carnival Dream.....I love you read more

Carnival Dream - The wifey and I.....crusin - Boat Charters Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Carnival dream? More like Carnival nightmare. They shouldve stuck with this name instead. It was just as that- a complete mess. The most disorganized ship weve been on. Day 1 on ship, no ac working in cabin at all. It was super hot and there was no air flow whatsoever. Our family members down the hall had excellent air flow to where we walked into theirs to compare and the room was freezing. We overheard our neighbors next door and two doors down that had a similar problem. We complained to guest services and were told somebody would come to look at it. Nobody came the first night. We didnt get any sleep it was that hot. Second day we complained once again and this time were given a box fan. A technician came and all he did was "read the air temp" with some device and then said maintenance will come later. We waited and nobody else came so we followed up once again with guest services. Then they sent maintenance. He came out with an air temp reader device once again only to say that carnivals standard is 72-74 f degrees, however, our family members ac down the hall begs to differ. Their room felt like 66 f degrees. He was about to leave and we quickly told him there is no air flow. No air flow coming out of the vent and no return air flow either. He took the covers out of the vents and tweaked something in the exposed sensors. Then quickly said its carnivals standard and just left. He left the covers off the ac vents and left the two gaping holes exposed throughout the rest of our cruise. Nobody else came back to fix it. We kept complaining only to be told that its carnivals standards and nothing can be done about it. At this point the temp was basically the same as it was outside. We couldve just slept outside instead since it was the "STANDARD". This is completely unacceptable for a spa suite located at the 12th deck for 3k. We complained again until they told us that the best they can do is give us a cheap bottle of wine. We looked it up, $10 bottle. Are you kidding me??? AGAIN if i wanted this bottle of wine i can just go buy it at the store myself. They DID NOT accomodate or refund or anything. Not even a discount for the trouble. A measly $10 bottle of wine is all. We did not touch that bottle, go crazy with it carnival! I hope it was worth all this madness. It definitely shows how MUCH they care about you. The box fan only helped a little because it circulated warm air and it was loud and obnoxious kept us up as well. It sounded like a vacuum cleaner was on all night. We even worried our neighbors would hear it and get mad. We have plenty of gripes this isnt all of it. Because we got the spa suite, we have the spa saunas included and the hot tub. The saunas sucked so much. Half the heated chairs didnt work and the sauna rooms were tiny. We paid extra for a spa suite only to be let down by the spa. We took a drone on board and even took them down on all of the ports EXCEPT the last port- 3 days before we returned from the cruise. We got off of nassau and returned to the ship only for "security" to confiscate the drone. They told us we couldnt even have one on board that it had to be checked in/out by them. Now tell me, how is it possible that we had the drone and get off and on with it on every port with nobody questioning it? It would even go through the security x ray and it always passed. They waited until the very last of the cruise to take it??? How does that make any sense?? The friday before we returned to land, the captain announced that we were nearing rough waters. All day, we did not leave our room. The ship was rocking back and forth so hard, even at deck 12th, we were so nauseous and throwing up that we couldnt even stand. We spent all day lying down in bed. This was the second elegant night. We didnt even get to go to it. A lot of people on the ship felt the same. Truly a horrible horrible experience. We had also purchased faster to the fun and it is a complete waste of money. We saw this firsthand on the second port we got off. Theres a shuttle to get onto the island, because we are faster to the fun we thought we would be on first. BIGGEST LIE EVER. We got mixed in with everybody else. What was the point of it?? And then we were told that although we have faster to the fun, we dont have priority getting back from the island. The same when getting off the ship and returning from the cruise. We were not priority and got mixed in with the rest. The food throughout the cruise was mediocre. OH and to top it off with the cherry on top....they broke my suit case. They mustve played football with it or something because the whole bottom is cracked open. It couldnt even stand anymore. We complained to the agents there and they told us to return back. Yes thats right. GO BACK into incoming streams of people trying to leave. This is so unnacceptable we expected better from you carnival. We are severely disappointed. read more

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Well first of all the ship should be called the Carnival NIGHTMARE not Dream. If I could I wouldn't put any stars. We both came back with a whooping cough from the MOLD! Don't go to Dr on ship they charge $125 plus prescriptions and DONT take insurance! The longest lines were at the customer service because Internet didn't work even though they argued it did. They ADD fantom charges to your bill so keep your eyes open. Broken and cracked windows on decks. Smells of MOLD. Staff doesn't look happy to be there so they act like you are disturbing them when you ask a question. The book they sell you for $25 for port gifts you get free with their giveaways when you get off ship ‍ Excursions are more than double the price on the ship but they use scare tactics for you to purchase excursions on board. I NEVER write reviews but after talking to Carnival on the ship and then calling Carnival waiting 20 minutes to talk to someone and they obviously didn't care either. I have been on several different cruises 4 of which were Carnival... this was a NIGHTMARE read more

I've been on many day cruises & dinner cruises but they were only a few hours & less than 10 miles out from land. I even stayed on The Queen Mary in Long Beach but never have I been out to sea for days w/only water surrounding you as far as the eye can see. This was my 1st cruise so I have nothing to compare it to but Upon arrival at the port, it was chaotic. Well, I won't say chaotic but overwhelming. I thought the point of scheduling arrival times was to make the process easy. Then again, with 4000 ppl on board, it's possible that 100's of ppl signed up for the same arrival time. I didn't like the check-in process at all. Once onboard, 1st priority is a safety briefing before sailing off. It was still a little hectic but after the safety briefing and we sailed off, ppl started to get their bearings, fan out, and a sense of normalcy was present again. Not even 24 hours into cruising and already planning my next cruise. I'm making mental notes of what I'll do different next time, what I'll bring, what I won't bring, etc. I finally understand why ppl pay for cruises a year (sometimes more) in advance. Even after paying for the cruise itself, it's real easy to spend double the cruise price on shopping (on and off the boat), ordering drinks, and more. You really have to be cognizant or else a cruise vacation can nickel and dime you. I still think it's a better option though because you can visit multiple locations on one vacation. I paid extra for WiFi mainly for email, texting the peasants back on land, and banking. I decided not to be bogged down by emails and refused to check it. I went with a large group of ppl, so everyone I would normally text was on the ship with me. The connection intermittent most of the time & I couldn't connect to banking even though the Value option claimed it did. My friend who purchased the Premium package also had trouble with connectivity. So Next cruise, I don't think I'll buy the WiFi mainly because it was painfully slow. The water served on the ship tasted a little funny so I'm glad I paid extra to have a case of bottled water placed in my room. You can bring your own case of water (or soda) on board but I didn't want to lug that around while trying to check in. Fountain drinks are all inclusive but drinks such as bottle water, canned soda, alcohol, etc you have to pay for. My biggest fear about being on the ship was getting sea sick. I've heard horror stories about the entire cruise being ruined due to sea sickness. I know everyone's body is different but overall I felt good. I've never suffered from motion sickness before but to be safe I bought Dramamine and motion sickness bracelets with me. I took the pills & wore the bracelet the 1st few days but then I realized I didn't need it. I was just trying to be proactive and get ahead of any motion sickness that may occur. There were times when the ship was a little rocky and I felt dizzy or drunk walking down the halls but, thankfully, I never felt nauseous. If motion sickness is one of your concerns, I suggest being proactive and not reactive. Take the pills, wear the patch, bracelet, necklace, or whatever you choose to prevent motion sickness. I love the Carnival Hub app. When it works, it's awesome. Keep up with all boat activities. The app is free but in order to K.I.T. with friends on the ship, you have to pay $5 to chat. If you go with a group of ppl or even your kids, the price is worth it to K.I.T. with each other. I travel a lot but CCL is the best hospitality I've ever encountered. All of the staff was awesome but much gratitude to Andrea (stateroom steward), Monica (Guest Services), Dedy (Scarlet restaurant), did I say Andrea(stateroom steward), Jose the watch specialist is the Fun Shops, and Andrea(stateroom steward). Suggestion- if this already exist then oops but Their should be some type of mail service where you can have things (i.e. souvenirs) packed and shipped. Everything from t-shirts to shot glasses to jewelry, I would've like to mail home. There were a lot of things I didn't but because I didn't want to carry/out in my suitcase. With the app, I wish it had a compass to tell you where you are located at all times. While relaxing on our balcony, watching water for miles and miles, often I wondered what part of the world we were in. Once you leave the boat, I wish the Carnival Hub app still worked. At least, in the immediate pier/shops area. read more

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I've been on many cruises and several Carnival cruises. I must say I was truly disappointed in the Dream. Our embarkation went fine because we are platinum members. Our stateroom was ready when we got on board at 11:30. Our room was average cruise staterooms with the exception of the half bathroom with tub. What a treat being able to sit down and take a bath. The food. Let's just say I'll go into more detail on my blog but I will say Carnival need to do better. Burnt, dry and over cooked food is not the business. Entertainment was so-so but hey I laughed, danced and had a good time. So it was fair! The best part of the cruise was the dive in movies, the Miami Vice drinks, and Camp Carnival for my son. I have decided not to take anymore cruises out of New Orleans. The quality of staff and food is subpar. read more

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Everyone was so friendly and welcoming, the staff was very attentive and helped us with whatever we needed. Everything you need is included, all meals and drinks, though you can choose to pay extra if you want soda, alcohol or to eat at one of the 3 restaurants on board that charge. They have over a dozen hot tubs and 4+ pools. 2 huge waterslides, 2 medium sized racing water slides, and 2 small toddler sized water slides for the littles to enjoy. read more

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This ship leaving from NOLA means you get a lot of southerners, fine by me. Cruise director Lee is so kind welcoming and engaging. Some odds and ends on the ship starting to show wear and tear. The spa vip area is top notch, try the most advanced steam room and the therapy spa if you need to sweat out the alcohol you enjoy throughout the trip. Bar staff at Casino bar are top notch and remember your name by the end of day one. Shout out to Gordana, John, Ni Made, Jargiver and my casino server Vicktor and Arnold. Ships layout is perfect for being in the action but also not too crowded. Location of Alchemy in the area with the band and trivia games was a great call. Lanai hottubs are a nice touch too. Deck are awesome and you can go on the upper decks for a great view or lido and be in the action. Be ready to wobble and learn a couple line dances or two!! Book this trip. read more

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Cruising is the best and I love Carnival. It truly is the fun ship, there are always activities and the crew always knows how to have fun with you. The reason why I gave it 4 stars is because the the crew on this ship was not to the standards of past cruises I have been on. There was a cleaning bucket outside my door everyday, they never delivered my breakfast because they lost my order card and then they charged me for towels even though I returned them. We did get stuck at sea an extra day and it was lovely. The captain was great with keeping us us out of storms path and gave us a smooth sailing. the cruise director was great with communicating and keeping us all happy and having a good time. read more

The Carnival Dream is a dream vacation, as long as your dream is waiting in long lines for mediocre food and hit and miss service. My wife and I decided to take a real vacation by a going on a Caribbean Cruise. While this cruise was definitely a vacation it was also a disappointment on many levels. On the positive side the embarkation and debarkation went extremely smoothly. For those of us have had the dubious of pleasure of going through security and customs after an international flight, let me say that it was nothing like that. The process was quick, the people friendly. That was a plus. The ship also had absolutely fantastic entertainment. The Cruise Director, Chris Williams, did a phenomenal job. His one man show, the Flying Scotsman was not to be missed. The Cruise ship also had a comedy club, which had a couple of very funny comedians (and one whose act consisted of tired and bigoted sexual and homophobic material that so offended me that I left in the middle of his act). Lastly, I did enjoy a couple of very good meals in the formal dining hall. Unfortunately, the negatives outweighed the positives. The crew seemed tired and understaffed, and this lack of staffing led to long lines for everything (except oddly the nightly entertainment), the food on the lido deck as almost universally of poor quality, with the exception of a Mongolian Wok station which had extraordinarily long lines, and an Indian food station which was sadly was only open for lunch. For formal dinners, the quality was hit and miss. On some nights I found the food to be quite good, on others nearly inedible. My wife is a vegetarian and she was disappointed in the food almost every night. Although there were a lot of activities, these often filled up quickly. There were movie nights during the At Sea Days, but the screen was of poor quality with glaring artifacts. There were also smoking areas around the pool, which our fellow passengers made of use of with gusto, making certain areas of the lido deck reek of cigarette smoke and, like everything else on the ship, it was always crowded. The duty free shops had a good selection, but even there I had issues. I treated myself to a $300 watch. When I went to pick it up the store clerk was visibly annoyed with having to set the watch the right time, and my wife had to ask him several times to fix it properly. He also failed to give us the manual for the watch until we specifically asked for it. To add insult to injury he actually set it incorrectly causing the watch to automatically reset to the wrong time and date after I got home. I do think that a cruise gives you great value for money when you consider that you get room, board, entertainment, and transport all rolled up into one. However, with the Dream you are travelling on a ship carrying approximately 3600 passengers, all of whom are competing for the same limited activities, dining options, and deck space. The Dream is slated for a total overhaul in January 2017, and perhaps the experience will be improved once it gets out of dry dock. However my experience of an overly crowded and understaffed ship with poor food and a harried staff did not make this a dream vacation. read more

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Just got back today from a 5 day cruise on Carnival Dream. This is my 2nd cruise with my family. First cruise was with Princess. I'll start with the positives: -Lots of activities. The entertainment staff were great and seemed to enjoy their jobs. -Very clean ship and comfortable rooms. Negatives: -Very mediocre food. The buffet was ok I guess but surprisingly the dining room fare was no better than the buffet and in some cases worse. Many of their dishes were overcooked and lacked seasoning. It felt like we were eating at Luby's. The desserts were a huge disappointment, especially compared to Princess. I've had better desserts from our local grocery store. Guy's Burger joint and Guy's Ping & Anchor were also very disappointing. - The service was hit and miss. Very different experience with Princess where everyone on the ship was very nice and we definitely received the VIP treatment. -The pool was a joke, more the size of a large hot tub. - A whole lot of extra charges. Carnival is great at nickel and diming its passengers. -The excursion at Passion Island was disappointing, I'll add that review later. -With Princess, we felt like we were staying at a 5-star hotel. With Carnival, you're staying at a La Quinta. I understand you get what you pay for but there is no excuse for bad food. We won't be back. read more

We boarded the Carnival dream in New Orleans. If everything works out good we're going to Belize, Mexico and Honduras. We booked the trip about a month ago and this is her first time at sea during the Christmas holiday. Sunday, Day 1 - Our room was a mess! The windows were so dirty my wife decided to clean them off herself. The chairs were covered in salt and when you sat on them the salt transferred on to your clothing. Then after walking in and out of the room we noticed that salt and dirt was tracking in to the room. We finally called down to the front desk and they sent someone up to clean it off. We hold gold cards so that means we sailed at least 25 days but less then 75 and never have I've seen such a dirty ship. Dinner was OK, we are in the cafeteria not the dining room. The kids had pizza and I had chicken, again dinner was OK. Monday, Day 2 - The weather was nice so we played in the pool, kicked back in the Adult only area and I drank as much as possible. A big BBQ lunch out on the lanai deck with Ocean views! Dinner was an absolute disaster. It was formal night and it took us over an hour to get our food. There was six of us at the table and our ribs were cold and the corn was burnt. The pasta was not very good,how do you screw up pasta. Just about everything felt and tasted like it's been sitting for a long time. We complained but zero customer service!! The comedy club was awesome. Also, midnight room service was good. BLT's and cookies!! Tuesday, Day 3 - another day at sea where we did the same thing we did the day before. The BBQ again was awesome. Pools were fun and we played cards inside and listen to all the trivia games because it got a little windy outside. I was hoping to avoid any negativity today but I have to tell you breakfast absolutely sucked. The eggs were very runny, the French toast was BAD and the eggs Benedict was not very good. Other then that it was a fun day at see. We ended the night at the comedy club and it was so much fun! Wednesday, Day 4 - we arrive at an island off the coast of Hunderus and it was beautiful. The town where the ship parks is very pretty from the ship, however, you soon find out that the area they drop you in is owned by Carnival. Everything is for rent, everything is for sale and everything to me feels FAKE! The sand, the trees, the buildings and even the food. My kid said that the french fries were the same as the ones on the ship. So here is what you do!! Get a cab to the West end of the island. You will see most of the island driving there. The best snorkeling is on the West end and there is plenty to see and do. We got back on the boat, took lots of pictures and had dinner again back in the dinning room. Again it was disappointing and we said that tonight is the last night. The staff is not good, the food is bad and we are extremely disappointed. We're talking 3 generations of people, Grandparents, parents and kids that are 9 & 17. Carnival if your listing, you have a problem. Keep in mind people I was on another ship two weeks ago. The food was great!! So we ended the night watching a movie out by the pool on the big screen and it was awesome!! Thursday, Day 5 - We arrived in Belize and there are a lot of fun things to do. If you can't snorkel, take the kids to Old Belize, check out the picks, the place was great!! Dinner in the dinning room again! The food was really good tonight but the service was really slow. Comedy club after dinner was fun and a little piano bar to top everything off. Friday, Day 6 - Cozumel Mexico was a blast. We got off the boat early and we were one of the last ones on. Dinner in the dinning room again just sucked. This boat is just too big for the food and service to be as good as other ships I've been on. We watched a movie outside under the stars and enjoyed our last night with warm weather. Saturday, Day 7 - Day at sea, BBQ on the Lani deck again was great. Trivia, corn hole and another movie on the big screen under the stars. No dinning room tonight, it sucks we have to tip them. I discovered that the chicken quesadillas that room service offers may be the best I've ever had. Our bags are already outside and we are ready to disembark. The big ships are fun but service is sacrificed. What really sucks is that Carnival does not have the roads or the channels in place for a guests complaint to get heard by a person that has the ability to make a change. Policies and procedures are in place and rarely does change occur. This was my 4th cruise and my least favorite by far. The destinations were great, the ship was beautiful and the employees for the most part will bend over backwards for you. read more

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Nice room, very clean (we opted for a balcony room) great staff (all the way around). Our traveling companions had been a tons of cruses, and showed us the ropes. They talked us into doing the Chief's Dinner, and all I can say is WOW! We went on the Jeep tour in Jamacia, and went to Xcrate in Cozumel (also great), in Grand Cayman we went to see Hell (ho-hum). The food was great, If I had to do over I would take a large insulated glass with me to fill with tea, to stop having to walk back and forth for tea so much. The normal glasses are a little on the small side. Can't wait to do it again, the staff was wonderful, the ship is pretty and very very clean. Loved the folded animal towels. read more

This is the vacation I had been wanting to take for years buy circumstances prevented me from doing so. When this opportunity came about I jumped on it with excited. The cruise was slated to dock at Mahogany Bay(Honduras), Belize and Cozuemel. The trip was from 10/1 - 10/8 and i knew this was bad weather season but decided I would go regardless! Upon arrival at the dock in New Orleans it was pure chaos! The Carnival staff were shouting at the taxi drivers , customers were being told to move and go this way or that way and the lines were very unorganzied. Many people were lined up for close close to thirty minutes only to be told that they were boarding by the time listed on your boarding pass. Now this wouldn't have been an issue if the information was provided BEFORE you stood in line. It could have prevented some confusion. Once you finally boarded their were many many more lines you have to go through for processing and the service wasn't getting any better along the way. I thought this was the FUN cruise line! Finally made onto the ship and managed to get to my cabin. The cabin was what's to be expected on a cruise...functional and clean! However, the towels very more gray than white and the complimentary bath robes were cheap quality , stiff and coasre. The rest of the trip went downhill and fast. Formal dinner the waiters were overwhelmed possibly responsible for too many tables and the service was extremely slow. The food selections were fair but many times the food arrived cold, over or undercooked which creates tons of waste! I'm not vegan but I tried the Indian dish and vegetable lasagna and found them both very tasty. Through no fault of the cruise line we had to skip Belize due to bad weather. With this missed port we were bored to tears because there wasn't enough activities onboard . And it was felt even.more when the ship did dock and ypu came back early or chose to not get off, there's not much to do! The Dream.was built in 2012 and I was disturbed at the number of leaks I saw and that there was a boarded up window on the 10th floor Lido deck. When i.inquired about it to some of the staff they simply acknowledged it and nothing more. The staff were rude and very short on patience throughout this trip. I felt like I was bothering them when I asked a question or sought out assistance. Guest Services has a tough job and for the most part they all held up fairly well! Those I will commend with special mention to Amy! As many times that I had to go to Guest Services, she was always upbeat and helpful to those she serviced. Children of all ages were allowed to serve themself and the food stations and this was a diaster waiting to happen. There dirty hands were tpuching the food and guess what ,more waste! The offshore excursions were pretty pricey and the vendors were pricey .The Cozeumel and Mahoghany Bay port were beautiful but as with any port the prices are ridiculously high! The poor Captain spoke broken English making it difficult to understand the announcements and each announcement was repeated as a result of his poor command of English by the Cruise Director who may have been Scottish and yep, sometimes hard to understand! The PA system left a lot to be desired as well. So many things were wrong. Wifi plans were pricey and connections were sketchy at best and the pictures werent worth the costly price tag! I contended with all of this but customer service should be a priority for those who serve the public. This cruise was a major disappointment and has forever tarnished my image of Carnival Cruise Line. read more

Carnival Dream - Lido deck...is that a boarded up window! - Boat Charters Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

I enjoyed my cruise with Carnival! This is the best family vacation we have ever taken. They are very professional, friendly and helpful! I planning my next trip soon! read more

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I have waited to post this because I hate for our family vacation to have been impacted in a negative way BUT, I feel like it may help others in the future. Also, I feel like I owe it to my son who will FOREVER have a scar on his head due to Carnival's negligence. IF you choose to cruise on Carnival (we NEVER will again), please inspect your room. For as much money as you pay for a cruise, this shouldn't be necessary BUT it may prevent incidents like ours. Carnival has been our family's choice for vacations for the past several years and each cruise we have been on has been worse than the one before. On top of nasty food, bad service, and a filthy STINK filled ship, recklessly harming my child is the final straw for us, we will NEVER cruise Carnival again. Carnival seems too much in a hurry to load new guests on the ship than to be following through with proper maintenance and safety inspections. (I can't imagine that it's getting cleaned very well either.) We had already had an issue with one of our doors in our cabin being off the hinge which was immediately reported. But then, the very first morning of our cruise, the air vent in our room fell off and the corner hit my son in the head causing lots of bleeding and a pretty large gash. The medical center was not very helpful and they acted like it was a big deal because I was hesitant to sign the paperwork that said I would be responsible for the $125 medical visit!!! They told me that security would have to come and do an investigation and ONLY IF their findings confirmed their responsibility would they wave the fee. So they did the "investigation" and two days later the charge was removed from my account. Over 48 hours later, they contacted our room on the ship to check on him and let us know that we could take him back to medical if we needed. 2 DAYS LATER!!! Not only were we never apologized to during this incident but we were made to feel as if we did something wrong. We were told by the doctor on board that he would not be able to be exposed to water (aboard a cruise ship traveling to beach destinations) for 2-3 days. Had a more empathetic approach been taken, we would have all been more inclined to forgiving and moving on from this. It would have taken little effort on Carnival's part to making sure our family deserved the vacation we paid for and deserved. Someone could have very well have given my children arcade credits, (non water) excursions, or some other sort of replacement to the amount of fun THE ENTIRE FAMILY missed out on. We went on vacation as a family, not as individuals. MY son was hurt and unable to swim and it affected all four of us and not a SINGLE Carnival staff member cared. We were treated poorly just because I questioned the $125 medical visit I was reluctant to have to pay. My child will have a scar on top of his head for his entire life. He's a boy and I can and will anticipate some cuts and scrapes but how is it okay for Carnival to me so negligent and have very little remorse??? read more

Carnival Dream - Boat Charters Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

The tacos are the best ! This was a very nice ship! We loved the music in atrium! What a great way to vacation so cost effective !

My new wife and I just got married on the Carnival Dream on 8/21/2016 and it was a Dream! Montego Bay Jamaica! Cozumel Mexico! Grand Cayman of the Cayman Islands! New Orleans!! The staff in every regard were wonderful! The ship, BIG, beautiful, Steady! Our balcony cabin, roomy for a cruise ship, and so well maintained! The personal service, above and beyond, and my new wife and I felt like stars! The staff on the whole ship seemed to know our names! The food was absolutely delicious every time and there was plenty of it! The dining room staff were attentive, fun, enthusiastic and accommodating! The entertainment was top notch, and there was so much to do! The convenience of everything was amazing! Shawna, Gina and Sasha in the wedding department were incredible and so very patient with my nervous and worried bride... A special thanks to them, and the folks in group bookings for their hard work! 81 people came to the wedding itself and 62 of my family and friends joined us for our voyage to the Caribbean aboard the Carnival Dream, and we had the time of our lives! This was my 3rd cruise with Carnival, and I am so very impressed! Carnival, you are a part of our lives and memories now, and I thank you for all of the efforts to make our Wedding and Honeymoon a magical experience! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Eric Dudley, New Husband! read more

We have been on many cruises on other lines but, we wanted to take our Grandson on a nice trip and figured the Carnival Dream would be a good choice because of the Teen Club they offer. Booking the cruise was fairly easy. The embarkation and disembarkation went fairly well also. The cruise turned out fine for our Grandson but, there were a few things we didn't like. We knew this was going to be a younger crowd and the activities would be geared to that age group but, we were disappointed that there was not a little more available to the older folks as we noticed there were many families traveling with what looked to be older parents and grandparents. The food in the main dining rooms was fine and so was the Lido. The problem in the Lido was that they made you stand in line for everything and the lines were long and slow. The two pools were also very small for that size ship. So small that one could barely find a space to even stand in the water. The stateroom was very nice. It was a good size with a comfortable bed and a step in shower. The three ports were well chosen and there were more than adequate excursions to choose from. Overall, it was what we expected and our Grandson had a very good time which is what really matters. read more

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My only complaint was not enough pools on the ship. Too many people for two small pools. read more

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Food good, entertainment good, service good, but boat is WAY past its prime. Furniture in the state rooms needs to be replaced and ship needs to be taken off line for a good cleaning. Our second cruise on this ship and probably our last. read more

I was very disappointed with the food quality. In the Scarlet restuarant, our party of 11 ate almost every night. Food was fairly bland and portion size was miniscule. Learned to order two of most entrees. The very worse was when they had a new dish, swordfish. Many of us ordered the swordfish. We were presented with a small fillet of some panfish, complete with many small bones. The next night, they had Rainbow Trout on the menu. You guessed it, that was what we had been served instead of swordfish. The shrimp cocktails were crappy little farm raised shrimp that were the same as the cheap shrimp ring you buy at Wal-Mart. I grew up and live on the Gulf coast and Carnival seafood is pure trash. The buffet was bland with tough as leather roast beef, spring rolls filled with white unidentifiable mush and no flavor. Mongolian Wok looked good but the line was out the door always. Room service BLTs quickly became my go to food as they were decent. Other than sad food and long lines, the cruise was enjoyable. Sometimes I felt I was caught in an infomercial with sales pitches left and right. read more

We sailed aboard Carnival Dream in August 2019. My husband and I are in our late 50's and we brought our 2 teenage granddaughters with us. We had a balcony stateroom and the girls were in the interior room right across the hall. The staff was friendly and genius at remembering our names. The girls loved Club O2 and made friends they hung out with throughout the cruise. The ship itself is showing its age and is pretty shabby. Most windows were filthy and there was a lot of rust. The food was ok. We enjoyed Guy's Burgers on the Lido Deck and Bonsai Sushi the most. Breakfast in the Scarlet dining room was a nice treat. The buffet food was ok and plentiful. The ship was crowded with kiddos and I bought a spa pass to get away from the crowd. Our room stewardess was outstanding. The casino dealers were friendly. The casino bar was packed and hard to get service. I even tried tipping an extra $10 to bartender Weslie. He didn't bother to thank me, much less provide attentive service. My favorite spot was the piano bar. Piano player Michael provided excellent entertainment, while bartender Camilo gave excellent service and managed to be playful and professional at the same time. We had fun excursions in the ports and overall had a good time. The whole idea was to show the grandkids a good time - mission accomplished! read more

I caught Carnival Dream out of Galveston on May 13, 2019. The boat was about 3 hours late and getting on was total and utter CHAOS and claiming your alcohol purchases was even worse! To get off the ship we waiting another hour. They charge you $51 for internet that barely worked and the TV volume in our cabin was occasional. They also have the audacity to charge you 18% on each drink purchase and a $70 gratuity for your room service. If you don't pay attention to your receipt, they ask you to tip although they have already tacked on 18%. My cousin found a fly in her salad. I was scared to eat for the rest of the trip. I WILL NEVER take that boat again!!!!! Horrible, horrible trip. read more

Carnival "Dream", NOT! I wouldn't give it a star if I could. CONS: Print & check your statements often b/c they add things to your bill you didn't buy & then you spend more time trying to get it off & they take their sweet ole time doing it but the second they swipe your card the charges are on there (to me it happened w/ the Spa but I heard people all over the boat & waiting in the 1/2 hour plus customer service line to have them removed & complaining about it). SPA - I booked a massage & was more tense when I walked out then when I walked in. I couldn't relax & enjoy the massage b/c the whole time all she did was press me about booking another service. Then spent another 1/2 hour after the massage listening to her trying to shove $600 of products down my throat. Then she booked a service w/o my permission that I had to cancel on my way out of the door. CASINO - A lot of the card table employees have attitudes & are rude. THE BOAT - Our shower kept backing up & flooding the entire bathroom then our toilet stopped working. At 2am when I was trying to get that $63.50 Spa charge off my bill a man came up complaining about his key not working & being locked out of his room for the FIFTH time. LIDO DECK - On what ship is everyone sitting around waiting on buffets to open at 11:30am so they can eat? PROBABLY NONE! The Dreams midnight buffet is the left over scraps from one of the buffets & it's not the good stuff. PICTURES - besides the ridiculous price their process is awful. We would find them & put them all together so each night we didn't have to keep walking all over the place to find them & they would keep separating them on two sides of the ship. PROS: The diner staff are wonderful. DINER FOOD - very good But don't go by what I said. If your into tossing money in the ocean book a cruise on the Dream & find out for yourself read more

We booked this cruise as a anniversary/ friends honeymoon celebration! We always drive to New Orleans to cruise due to tickets being $200 cheaper a person then our closest port! I was disappointed on the Carnival Dream the captain was late to every port and had issues docking at everyone also. The cruise director was annoying he also blamed weather for the docking issues. WE HAD A BALCONY ROOM AND SAW SEVERAL OTHER CRUISE SHIPS DOCK AT THE SAME TIME WHILE WE CIRCLED THE PORT FOR HOURS. We missed an excursion booked through another company outside of Carnival. I feel like we as customers were lied too about the docking issues and something else was going on the entire time... Also in Belize we could not tender off the boat till our excursion left the boat I hated this and feel like I missed this port the most as our excursion snorkeling took up most of the day as we had to cancel our other excursion due to the ships tardiness. I did love Honduras and Belize. I have been on 2 other cruises with Carnival and this was the worst yet. The adult decks had children on them the entire time and stayed too crowded. Lido decks food was unimpressive while the steak house and dinning rooms were awesome. Entertainment was disappointing as usual. The Casino could have also been more exciting. The security staff getting back on port was down right rude to myself and my husband in Cozumel. I'm not sure I'll be wasting anymore money with carnival they need too work on tons on this ship! Our room was always nice and clean and dinning staff were awesome the rest needs help. Also our ship was books to full capacity the most crowded I've ever been on this was annoying getting off at ports and food areas mostly. Hope it gets better!!! read more

Hey guys, second time cruiser here and all I can say what a great job by Carnival. The dream is a pretty fantastic ship to be on. The ship itself has various facilities and some sweet amenities. There's a spa, arcade, casino, gym, two pools, various bars and nightclubs and tons of places to eat which really helped amplify the experience. My family and I went on a 7 day cruise with ports in Honduras, Belize, and Mexico. The events on ship were fun and some included movies on the pool deck, Thriller Dance class, and a groove for St Jude. Make sure you download the Hub app so you can find out the events on your phone. There's something for everyone on the ship which is great. The app is helpful for reminding you where and when events are. From my experience, I can tell you that the entire staff and crew was very nice, to our waitstaff who danced almost every night, to out housekeeping people. The food was amazing, 24 hour pizza, ice cream, there's a buffet, tandoori, Guy Fieri's Burgers and restaurant service all night. I have to say that the best food I thought came from Your Time dining. You're assigned a time to dine and the menu hanged up every night and varies with specialities on Port of Call days. The only con in my opinion about cruises is people. People sometimes are rude, the lines are long, etc. Other than that, it was an enjoyable cruise, maybe in a couple of years, I'll go on another Carnival cruise. read more

Would prefer to rate a "0". 1st 3 days our room reeked of exhaust fumes or sewer fumes and from previous reviews, Carnival has known about it for months and has done nothing. They attempted to mask with some spray but so strong we could not stay long in the room. The smell was making folks sick all along the starboard deck aft. Only consideration was an upgrade with food. Pretty lame consideration. Restaurant staff were nice but food maybe a 2 as meat extremely tough. Most buffet food terrible. Golden Corral is much better and I also ate better on Navy ships. As for staff, some were rude, could not understand english, run into you or expect you to move out of their way. As for ports, no more than cruise ship ports where passengers support the locals. All the same shops at all ports. Our excursions were not that good either. The Carnival contracted guides just left us out to fend for ourselves after dropping us off as to how to get back to the ship. Overall the cruise was nothing more than a sales ploy for Carnival as everywhere you went on board Carnival was trying to get you to buy something. I don't think Carnival will be my next line choice. For what you pay Carnival is pretty disappointing. read more

We had a great time on carnival dream. However for a budget cruise we couldn't ask for more. Staff was always friendly and willing to help. We were first time cruisers so we don't have much to compare this cruise to. However our room was always clean, room service was fast. We were shocked when we first saw the tiny beds in our ocean view aft room. We are used to queen sized beds at home and sleeping in these single beds was quite a challenge. However we were able to sleep in comfort without any problems. Make sure to take advantage of the sea day brunch as much as you can. If you don't have reservations to their special sit down restaurant sea day brunch is as good as it gets. The reason I didn't give 5 stars is because of the food and entertainment. Food tasted good but it's more American type food. We loved the Indian station they had on board. Asian food station and other Asian food stations were always jam packed. In or 7 days we never had a chance to try at least 3 stations due to overcrowding. Pizza station sucks. No flavor. I'm 27 years old and I found entertainment really boring. Carnival dreams idea of entertainment is gather everyone by the two tiny pools and let dj play songs. We had a blast at the stand up comedian on the very last day. We expected a whole lot in entertainment, but carnival dream didn't deliver in that end. Spa was nice but the massage was just ok. Only reason we went to the spa is because I won some money at the casino. All and all we had a good time. I wish they add a whole lot more activities and entertainment for young adults. Ship also can benefit from a little more organization when it comes to sit down dinners. Some days we had to wait over 30 mins standing up all dressed up in huge crowds waiting to be seated. We did 3 excursions and they were well organized. I highly recommend secret river in playa del Carmen if you're in good health. Few negatives about the excursions are not enough time for meals in Belize and ships director going on and on about some dumb jokes. I recommend carnival dream if your tight on money but still want to have a good worry free vacation. read more