Cruise details~
Embarkation Port: New Orleans, LA
Ship: Carnival Dream
Date: Sailed 2/28/2016
Length: 7 Days
Destination: Western Caribbean- Montego Bay, Jamaica/Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands/Cozumel, Mexico
(Click on a destination above to go to a detailed review for that stop!)
Pre-Cruise and Parking Info~
I was very excited to be cruising out of New Orleans again. We had not been since our first cruise almost 12 years ago. We got to NOLA the day before our cruise so we could do some sight seeing. I didn't know it when we booked our cruise, but there was a big half marathon/marathon happening downtown the morning our cruise left. So when I was looking for hotels and finding most that were in our price range sold out, I was surprised. We ended up staying at Sleep Inn hotel in Slidell. It's about 35 minutes from the pier. This blog isn't for reviews about hotels, but I'll say that it was nice enough for a one or two night stay. The lobby and breakfast area were nice, the beds were comfy, and things felt clean. The room was a tad small (so a longer stay could be uncomfortable), and we found it interesting the cosmetic things that needed attention. We would stay there again, if we couldn't find something in our price range closer to the pier.
Sunday morning we left the hotel early enough to get back to New Orleans and cross the river because I wanted to take a picture with the full view of the ship. If that is something you'd like to do, we parked at the end of Newton Street (use your favorite map app for directions). There's a ramp from there that allows you to access the Mississippi River Trail.
From this point on everything was seamless. We had reservations at Fulton Garage for the week. It is about a one mile drive from the pier. When we turned into the garage the attendant asked to see our confirmation email and looked up our ticket before telling us we could park anywhere on the rooftop. I knew that's where we would be parking, but I didn't know how many stories this garage was. We went in circles for what seemed like forever! Of course, it wasn't long at all. We were just anxious to get to the ship. :) There are 8 levels to this garage. Technically 16, since each level has two (1, 1 1/2, 2, 2 1/2, etc) Taking the elevator down, we exited into a lobby type area that had a small cafe for waiting customers. A wall of windows with double doors led us to the street where we would catch the shuttle to the pier. Conveniently it was almost full and we only had to wait a couple minutes before we were on our way.
Embarkation Day~
As I mentioned, the drive between Fulton Garage and the pier is very short. We could have walked over there. Scott and I had warned the kids that we could potentially be in line or sitting in the waiting area for quite a while before we were on the ship. I had tried to time everything as best I could so that they wouldn't get too antsy waiting. New Orleans is one of the three ports that, at the time of sailing, has Staggered Check In times. When we did our online check in a few weeks prior to leaving (do this. it will allow you to print your boarding passes which you will need in order to enter the terminal) that is when we chose our embarkation day check in time. They are broken down in to half hour increments. The earliest I saw was 11-11:30, but I had seen some reviews that said they were able to choose 10:30. That may have just been Platinum or Diamond guests, or possibly people who booked the Faster to the Fun option. At the time we didn't know if we would be driving from home to New Orleans the same day as we would be boarding so we picked a slightly later option. Our check in time was 12-12:30. In the jumble of people outside the terminal it was hard to see where the line began. Thankfully there were many Carnival employees around. Never hesitate to ask questions. They are there to help. Use them! I'm so glad we did, because where we thought our line began, was actually just a bunch of people waiting for their check in time. We were told where to go for our line... and it turned out there wasn't any line there at all, so we kept walking. Straight into the building. Before entering there was a Carnival employee checking boarding passes to make sure 1) we were actual passengers, but 2) to make sure we were within our assigned time. It was shortly after noon when we walked through the door. The next check point was security. We had to show our boarding passes again and then go through the metal detectors with our carryon bags on the belt. The final step was the official check in. We showed our passes one more time, in addition to our passports (and birth certificates for the kids). Not even 5 minutes at the counter and we had our sail n sign cards in hand and were told we could board the ship! We hardly stopped moving, just a few pauses now and then, from the time we entered the building to the time we got on the ship. We were on by 12:30.
I wasn't sure about this new system. However, I'm a believer now. I hope Carnival rolls it out to all embarkation ports. I'm sure there are some who would disagree, but after just one time, I can't think of a good reason why. :)
Lunch was the first thing on our minds once we crossed onto the ship and had our "Wow" moment. Since it was peak lunch time we found the shortest line. It happened to be a line for the burrito bar. I highlight the food on the ship later on, but needless to say, these were delicious!! By the time the four of us finished eating it was time to check out our room. Typically rooms will be available by 1:30. James and Evie didn't know that we had a balcony room and I was excited for them to see it. For almost two hours after checking out our room we explored the ship, checking out the Circle C and Camp Ocean rooms, with a couple pit stops for ping pong and mini golf. The always necessary muster drill made us pause our tour.
After the muster drill, we went back to our room to unpack. Thankfully all but one of our bags had been delivered, and the last one arrived while I was unpacking. While we were getting ready for dinner I looked out the window and noticed we were moving. And apparently we had been for a bit because the Riverwalk mall was no longer in sight. If stepping onto the ship wasn't a wake up moment, seeing us moving down the river was. We were officially on vacation! I'm glad I looked up when I did, there is some pretty neat stuff to see if it's not dark. We watched the sights go by as we sailed for a few minutes and then decided to get a snack before dinner. Because... why not? :)
Our son, James, went to a Circle C meet and greet after dinner. While he was there Scott, Evie, and I walked around killing time and then we all went to the Welcome Aboard Show.
I had hoped to stay up and watch the moment we left the Mississippi River and entered the Gulf of Mexico, something I read would happen about 8 hours from the time we set sail. We were all exhausted though, so we went back to the room and hit the sack.
Itinerary~
Monday, Sea Day #1
I love sea days for a number of reasons, but being able to sleep in is pretty high on the list. :) James and Evie really wanted to have room service for breakfast. So the night before, we had put out the door hanging order form. On it we put the preferred deliver time to be for 8-9, and it arrived just before 9. While we did put an hour range, we didn't expect it to be the very last minute. Scott and James ended up going to the buffet for breakfast because they were pretty hungry, and then they played giant chess while they waited for their second breakfast. :-D Next time I probably wouldn't put a range on it at all. Just a preferred time. I'm sure if a lot of people are ordering and have put in some time that is within the range we did, they are going to get the more specific times delivered first. When breakfast did arrive I took my food and kindle out and ate on the balcony. That's one of my favorite reasons to have a balcony room. :)
After breakfast we took the kids up to Waterworks for a little bit and then we relaxed in one of the many hot tubs. Evie had some things she was looking forward to at Camp Ocean (also known as Camp Carnival) so she got cleaned up and stayed there until we met up for lunch. We wanted to try the Sea Day Brunch in the Scarlet Dining Room. Brunch is served from 8:30am-1:00pm on sea days. Right after lunch Evie went back to Camp Ocean and the rest of us went to Harry Potter trivia. James wanted to take a nap so Scott and I decided to spend some quiet time at the Serenity area.
We all wanted to catch a Fun Force (amazing breakdancers! More about them later.) show and then it was time to get ready for dinner. It was our first of two formal nights and I was hoping to give us all plenty of time to get ready. Dinner was great, of course, and then we were off to see a show in the Encore Lounge. We stopped to take a few professional pictures along the way. After the show we decided to call it a night.
Tuesday, Sea Day #2
Our second sea day was pretty uneventful. We all slept in and then went to the buffet for breakfast. It was a pretty cloudy day with slightly rough seas. We could feel the ship rocking more than we had on our first day. It wasn't anything unmanageable, but it did make James feel not quite right. I had some behind the ear oil to help with motion sickness and that seemed to help. At lunch time the captain was making a weather announcement and said there were 6 foot swells. Between breakfast and lunch we pretty much just walked around. (We do lots of aimless walking on cruises, can you tell? :-D ) We found the video game arcade, The Warehouse, and played in there for a while. There was this oversized air hockey game that we played. It was a blast! From there we went to find the pictures we had taken for formal night and then took Evie for scavenger hunt at Camp Ocean.
Something interesting that happened, we had gone back to our room after breakfast and found a fun surprise from our room steward/Carnival. It was a birthday card with two gift cards inside. One was for a free picture from the gallery and the other was $50 towards any spa service. The interesting thing is, we were sailing over 2 weeks after Scott's birthday. We were thinking it was some sort of gimmick, so we went to the spa to ask about the gift card. It was not a gimmick. Scott truly got a gift certificate for his birthday! Looks like we may schedule cruises are birthdays more often. ;) Scott had no use for a spa treatment of any kind so he gave the card to me. I looked over the Spa Menu and scheduled a pedicure for a couple days later.
We had a little bit of time before Evie was done with her scavenger hunt so we went and cleaned up our room and got ready to play at the Waterworks after lunch. My kids could spend forever at Waterworks. And I'd let them if there wasn't so many other fun things to do! After about an hour and a half it started raining. We packed up quickly but got distracted by a vibrant rainbow. Pictures just don't do it justice.
There wasn't much time until dinner so we decided we would spend some time in our room and take our time getting ready. There was a comedic magician show after dinner. He was hilarious! Both kids laughed very hard. The four of us ended the night watching a deck party from above the Lido Deck. Evie almost went and joined the dancing, but changed her mind.
Beds were calling, telling us to get some rest before we reached Montego Bay, so we turned in a little early. Early for a cruise vacation anyway. :)
Wednesday, Montego Bay
There were no plans for our day in Montego Bay so we lounged in bed a while and then had breakfast while the crowds were getting off the ship. After breakfast we took a walk on the open decks to show James and Evie the view before walking off the ship.
We spent a little time off the ship walking around, but decided to not venture into Montego Bay. After going back through security we saw the Carnival Freedom was also docked that day and they were running lifeboat drills. For some reason we found it fascinating and stayed to watch for a few minutes.
Eventually we went back to our room to chill for a little bit and clean up for dinner. We had time to spare so we went to the Warehouse to play a round of Pac Man air hockey. After that we went to the Dr. Suess birthday party that was happening in the atrium lobby. It was super fun to watch and I'm pretty sure I have never seen so much sugar in one place in my life. lol
Thursday, Grand Cayman
We dropped anchor early, but waited for the crowds to get off since we didn't have anything booked. This was our third visit to Grand Cayman, but the first time that we had to get a tender "ticket". There was an announcement made for anyone who had booked an excursion through Carnival to meet in one of the lounges and they would get priority tender boarding, along with the Platinum and Diamond level guests. Everyone else could meet in the Burgundy Lounge (deck 5, aft) and get their ticket (which was a sticker with a number on it). Once the priority tenders were done the guests in the Burgundy Lounge would be called by number. When we got to the lounge we were given #21, but I noticed there were guests with numbers back to 17. I figured we would have to wait a while. It turns out, the next group they called was anyone with numbers 17-21. We ended up only waiting maybe 10 minutes, at most. We got lucky with the timing. I know it could have been a long wait. When you have a tender port you just have to go into it knowing that you may get lucky, but you may have to wait. It takes patience. But the stop is worth it! A crew member led the large group down the stairs to deck 0 Forward. We got right on to the tender boat and only sat for a couple minutes before we started moving. The ride to the mainland only took about 5 minutes.
We enjoyed snorkeling at Eden Rock the last time we visited Grand Cayman so much, that we decided James and Evie's first ever snorkeling experience should be there. To read more about that adventure and see what we did for the rest of our time on land, check out this post!
The tender process was much longer to get back on ship. Probably because we were heading back at a peak time. The last tender leaves the pier about 45 minutes before the ship's sail away time. We were on the tender boat quickly and left almost right away. Most of the time getting back on the ship was during the time it took to get off the tender boat. Most likely it's because bags have to be scanned to get back on.
I rushed to quickly get cleaned up because I had an appointment at the spa to use that gift card Scott received for his birthday. I got to sit in a comfy massage chair for almost 1 hour and got a very thorough pedicure. Plus, I had a great view for sail away.
After dinner we got seats for the show in the main lounge. We were pretty early, but I had heard amazing things about the show and wanted to make sure we had good seats. Our favorite place was in the front row of seats in the balcony. Everyone's preference is different though.
There are many options for things to do late into the night, but we chose to walk around and go to bed. I was so excited about our day in Cozumel!
Friday, Cozumel
Cozumel had a later arrival so we were hoping to sleep in. After breakfast we hung out in our room waiting for the "ok" to get off the ship. We wanted to get to a taxi as soon as possible so we could have maximum amount of time at our destination. We walked down stairs from our room on deck 6 and didn’t have to slow until deck 2. At that point we moved, but slowly. Once off, we walked the ¼ mile pier and then security doing bag checks halted everything at the end. We've never been stopped by security while leaving the secured area. It was unexpected and slightly annoying. And super crowded. There were security dogs sniffing bags. The reason is they didn't want you taking food off the ship. This is stated in the FunTimes and also mentioned by the cruise director many times. Don’t take food off the ship! We quickly made our way to the taxi area and our blissful day began! We went back to the pier so we could spend an hour or so shopping before getting back on ship. We actually didn’t have to be back on until 5:30, but it was the second formal night and dinner was at 6. We felt like this was poor planning, and an unfair inconvenience for those with early dining. We rarely,if ever, have had a complaint while cruising, but this was definitely something that should be recognized by the cruise line. If we wanted to dress up for formal night and still get to dinner on time, we had to cut our time in port short.
After dinner we went to the atrium and listened to steel drum guys for a bit. Scott and James went to watch a Dive in Movie while Evie and I went to Carnival Legends show. After Carnival Legends we met up with Scott at the Mardi Gras parade in the atrium. There was bead throwing and music. It was crazy and fun! If you wanted beads, you had to be loud. We stayed to watch the band kick off the parade and play while walking from deck 3 of the atrium up to deck 5 as they headed to Ocean Plaza (which is midship). When the kids went to bed, Scott and I had a pseudo date night, taking a leisurely walk around the ship and people watching. We ended up back at atrium and watched steel drum guys finish their set. Scott then went to another Dive in Movie at midnight and I called it a night.
Saturday, Sea Day #3
Like most final sea days, we didn't do much. It was fairly chilly so we didn't go to Water Works. Evie spent a lot of time at Camp Ocean, while the rest of us layered up and enjoyed the sun on an upper deck and read our books. One of the (many) things I love about Carnival is their participation in fund raising for St Jude's Children's Hospital. A few years ago they committed to raising 5 million dollars through Groove for St Jude. We were told on this cruise that they have more than surpassed that by raising 7 million dollars!! If you have an opportunity to be a part of Groove for St Jude, it's fun and for a very good cause.
Later in the afternoon Scott and I participated in one of the trivia games. And that's about all the activity that we did until dinner time.
Debarkation~
I watched the sun come up on Sunday morning as we docked in New Orleans. It's a sad kind of feeling knowing our amazing vacation is over, but at the same time, since I know we have a long drive home I'm just ready to get the show on the road. We had done all of our packing late the night before since we had chosen the self assist option. All we had to do was throw in our last minute things and wait for our deck to be called. It wasn't long after we returned from breakfast that we were able to make our way off the ship. We did not stop moving from the time we left our room to the time we got to customs. There was only one group in front of us and when it was our turn the customs agent, who was incredibly friendly, asked us a couple quick questions and sent us on our way. We walked straight up to the shuttle that would take us back to Fulton Garage and minutes later we were in our truck and leaving New Orleans. All by 8:00am. For us, debarkation has always been the smoothest when we choose self assist.
This and That :) ~
The Ship-
I had heard that the Dream has won a bunch of cruise awards. Rightfully so I'd say! It's a wonderful ship and so beautiful. Everything sparkled, whether from the lighting and decor or from the way it is immaculately kept clean.
Our Cabin-
We were in stateroom 6258, which is a balcony room in the forward part of the ship on the Upper Deck. With the four of us in the room I felt like there was just enough space for us to get around without bumping into each other too much. I was actually surprised at how well the week went. We definitely used all available closet space and drawers, which is something I don't think we have done before. We loved having the balcony for watching sail away, sunsets, or just the ocean going by while having a meal or snack. The couch in the room converted to a bed and there was an upper bed that pulled down from the wall. When the beds were set up it was just like a bunk bed.
The Food-
Food, glorious food!! I can't complain about the food on board because it is ALL stuff that I can't make as good at home. For the most part it's all delicious and a huge hit with my family. A few specific things we tried this cruise...
As mentioned earlier, we had lunch at the Burrito Bar located in The Gathering Lido Restaurant (where the buffet is). We all loved it. Scott and James went back for a second burrito and Evie loved the pico de gallo so much she ate it straight from the dish with a spoon.
Sea Day #1- We had lunch at the Sea Day Brunch in the Scarlett Dining Room. The service was slow, but it was good food. I had the Funnest French Toast, just for the experience of it. Carnival's french toast is my favorite (I have it almost every morning!) so I had to see what the "funnest" part was all about. I wouldn't order it again, but it was definitely fun. :) We also ordered the salmon and an omelette. Everyone enjoyed what they ordered.
Sea Day #3- For lunch we had the Oceanside BBQ. Chefs set up outside on the promenade with a fantastic BBQ spread. I'll definitely be making this a regular thing on our cruises.
Entertainment-
The cruise kicked off with the Welcome Aboard show on our first night. I expected the same typical show as all our past cruises. This is our 8th cruise and it has always been the same. The difference is in how the cruise director presents the show. In the past they haven't been that different. Maybe some were more funny than others, but still enough that we almost didn't go to the show this time. It began the same as always, but as soon as Jase, the cruise director, came out there was a definite difference. Jase is funny, but also very personable and he made a great show. I think it was probably the best Welcome aboard show we’ve seen. This particular show concluded with Fun Force break dancers, who are incredibly talented.
On the first sea day the show was called Get Ready. It's one of the better shows I’ve seen. Get Ready has Motown themed songs honoring those who serve- teachers, firemen, offices, construction, military. It was really, really good.
My favorite show of the week was Dancing in the Streets. It was INCREDIBLE! Before this cruise, I had three shows at the top of my favorites and thought they would be hard to beat. The X-Treme Country show that we saw on our second cruise aboard the Carnival Ecstasy was excellent. On our third cruise on the Carnival Conquest there was an illusionist who told stories with her magic. She got a well deserved standing ovation along with tears from more than just myself. The other show that really stands out in my mind was when we cruised with my brother and sister in law on the Carnival Magic. It was another illusionist who had been flown in from Las Vegas and his illusions truly had me baffled. Dancing in the Streets though, I think it may top all three of those. I was on the edge of my seat, smiling, wowing, out loud exclaiming through out the whole thing. And I wasn't the only one. Both my kids and Scott were doing the exact same thing. It's a must see if you're ever on a ship that has this show!!
Of course every ship also has the Carnival Legends show. It's another one that is always the same, but how good it is depends on the guests since it's a show they can "audition" for through out the week by doing karaoke. Evie and I went to this show without the boys. It was enjoyable. There were better singers this time then I have seen in the past. It's a hit or miss show, but if nothing else, it's something to do at night if you're not ready for bed. :-D
Our last night Evie and I saw a country show called 8 More Seconds. If you like country music it's a fun one to see.
Service- I have absolutely no complaints about the service on this cruise. Or any other really. We are always well taken care of. The crew members were always polite. Any time we walked down a stateroom hallway and passed a room steward he or she would always greet us, even though they were not our personal steward. Our waiters at dinner used our names every time we were being addressed. That is not something that is important to us, but it's nice to know they try. It can't be easy memorizing names for all their tables, especially when they change each week. I'm always impressed.
We had a wonderful time showing our kids how wonderful a 7 night cruise can be. Sailing with kids, no matter the age, is always a different experience from cruising alone or with other adults. But that doesn't mean it has to be less fun. I can't wait for the next time we cruise with James and Evie. Hopefully it will be sooner rather than later. Our next cruise though, will be without the children. :-D
No comments:
Post a Comment