Carnival Dream
Carnival Cruise Line
02 Jun 2019
Excellent
Carnival Cruises flagship, Carnival Dream, was launched in 2009 and remains one of the largest and most popular ships in the fleet. The 3,646 passenger vessel is now synonymous with the brand and epitomizes Carnival's claim to putting the American in American-style cruising. The ship is loaded with all the latest entertainment, gadgets and gear — including its own water park— and is the original Dream class ship.
The ship boasts an incredible array of choice, from dining to lounge bars and staterooms to spa treatments. Whatever your mood, Carnival will cater for it in a relaxed, informal way.
Carnival Dream is a cruise ship which offers a casual, vibrant dining experience. Breakfast will be either cooked in true American style, or more continental depending on your choice. With 24-hour room service, breakfast, like all meals, can be taken in the comfort of your own cabin.
Lunches can be taken inside or out, with a lavish outdoor spread complementing the fresh choice of dishes in the main restaurants. If Italian cuisine is your thing, the Pizzeria featuring salads, freshly baked pizzas and calzones is available 24 hours a day.
However, the evening meal is very much the main event, with fine dining options in the main restaurant, or at the reservations-only Supper Club. The European style Bistro and Sushi Bar also extend the options available to you. For a healthy choice, sample the delights of the Spa menu.
A highlight of any Carnival cruise is the fun that begins once the sun goes down, and Carnival Dream is no different. With everything from live music, stage productions and casual bars and lounges, the perfect night awaits you.
Among her many amazing features, Carnival Dream’s expansive deck space means that fun is the name of the game when it comes to choosing how to spend your time onboard. The two pools are a popular spot and while the lively Waves Pool, which hosts regular games and live music, is perfect for families, the smaller Sunset Pool is a more tranquil area for those looking for a bit of peace and quiet. There are also lots of jacuzzis dotted around the ship, meaning you can sit back in the warm water and let the world go by.
For those looking for more active pursuits, the ship boasts a basketball and volleyball court, a jogging track and 18-hole mini golf course, as well as a gym featuring state-of-the-art exercise machines and professionally-led classes. Whether you like a bit of competition or a solo workout, there’s something onboard guaranteed to satisfy your fitness needs.
However, a holiday doesn’t just have to be about getting involved in activities and Carnival Dream certainly caters for those who want to use this time to relax and unwind. Sunbathing is made easy as there are sun loungers available on almost every part of the deck, while the two-deck Cloud 9 Spa is dedicated to pampering guests. Choose from a huge array of treatments, including massages, teeth whitening and facials, and leave your cruise feeling like a brand new you!
02 Jun 2019
Excellent
15 Apr 2019
I had booked this cruise as a part end of a two week holiday doing Chicago, Memphis and New Orleans where we joined the ship. I had read some mediocre reviews about Carnival so was a little worried about what it would be like but I have to say it exceeded our expectations. The ship had a friendly atmosphere and the food was excellent and the staff in the main dining rooms were amazing and every other night they did a song and dance performance for us which we found was just such good fun and everyone seemed to enjoy singing and dancing along with them... We didn’t use the buffet as there was always a queue but they had a 24 hr pizza place and burgers and tacos etc around the pool and on sea days served brunch in the main dining room till 1:30 pm so lots of different options to eat. Carnival’s ethos is fun fun fun and I have to say they do a brilliant job and I would have no qualms at all about sailing with them again....
Show more04 Oct 2018
Excellent cruise very clean ship good choice of food in self service and in the restaurant no complaints at all but being English we would have liked a kettle and tea/ coffee in the room so we could make a drink first thing in the morning.well worth the money.
20 Sep 2018
Great food friendly staff would cruise with them again. I have a gluten intolerance and they could not do enough to accommodate me
14 Nov 2017
Carnival Elation. This ship was supposed to have been recently updated but there were many things that did not work. 2-3 elevators were out the entire cruise, 2 whirlpools did not work and maintenance were replacing/repairing tiles during our cruise. There was an empty coke can and a nasty stain on our pillow case upon first arriving to our cabin. The air conditioner in our cabin quit working and required maintenance. The shows were sub par at best. The food was excellent and the shower was amazing (plenty of hot water and water pressure)! the only 2 really positive aspects of the ship. My wife and I really were disappointed We have traveled Royal Caribbean in the past and plan on using them again in the near future. We would not recommend Carnival to our family/friends and we do not plan on using them again based on this experience. The Love and Marriage show should not allow minors at all and should be a night/late night show. i know it says 18 and up recommended but there were children in there who appeared to be 5-6 years old and they should not have been in there. We had an ocean view room on the 7th deck and our window on the outside was filthy. I understand it is not east to clean the outside of the window but we were still disappointed. Overall my wife and I rate this cruise a 4-5/10 at best.
Show more04 Feb 2017
We went on this ship for my husband's 60th birthday and were really pleased with our choice. As cruise virgins we were very unsure what to expect and I did find the thought of sharing my holiday with 3000+ others rather daunting but the ship is so big it didn't matter.WE LOVED IT. Embarkation was a total shambles, with two of the lifts being used for luggage and, being wheelchair bound, everyone sidestepped past me. But one of the stewards, when told of the problem, allowed to use one of the lugage lifts, which put me back to holiday mode. Our cabin was fabulous, very large and well set out. Now to the staff! The service we received was out of this world! Henry, our cabin steward was superb, knowing our names from day one and one waiter, remembered not only our names but our drinks, from the second day. In the restaurant, I felt like royalty, the food, service and ambience was so special and the food was delicious! I tried foods for the first time and loved them all. What have I missed all my life? Also the entertainment was brilliant, very professional It's our 40th anniversary next year so we will be going on the Carnival Dream again . We're totally sold on cruising so thank you to all on Carnival Dream for introducing us to this wonderful world.
Show more28 Nov 2016
Just returned fron this lovely holiday. 1 week on land Chicago, Memphis then New Orleans... then cruise. 3 sea days lovely and relaxing after a hectic week. Dinning was not very good though. Lots of queuing for breakfast and lunch so when you finally got to sit down and eat, your meals were cold. Evening meals were freedom dinning. Again meals were not hot and served on cold plates and quite a wait inbetween courses. Sometimes not offered coffee had to ask then took ages to serve although all the waiting staff were lovely especially Myra. Who look for us every night even though we were not at one of her tables . She was always upset when we told her our meals were cold and kept reporting it back to head staff but still didn't,t make a difference. Ship was very nice clean and are cabins were very spacious compared to some ships l've been on, always nice to have a balcony
Show more17 May 2015
Love the fact this ship has an 'adults' only deck, especially during spring break with 1200 children onboard. Really need to have a small pool as well to be able to cool down, can't really do this in the 4/5 spa pools though. Lovely trip, ship and entertainment.
17 Feb 2015
The cruise was the second week of our full trip booked through IGLU which encompassed visits to Chicago, Memphis and New Orleans. The following review is based only on the second week, our cruise. The embarkation process was extremely quick and efficient and the cabin was ready on our arrival. The cabin was very well laid out and was spacious and comfortable. All of the staff on the ship were very friendly, hard working and efficient. We chose MY Time Dining and although we had to wait for seats on a few occasions this was a good option. Service of the meals was however very haphazard with long gaps between sitting down and actually being served. At tables of four or more very often two people would have their starters and the others had to wait another 10 / 15 minutes to receive theirs. Some nights the meal would last much longer than others almost twice as long, resulting in missing the evening entertainment. The main complaint however was that although the meals were of a high standard I never once in the whole week had a meal that I could say was hot. By the time the plate reached the table the meal was at best warm. The entertainment on the ship was good with the visiting comedians and acrobats the highlights of the week. In general very good with a good variety of activities on offer. Grand Cayman more of a shoppers paradise than an island to be explored. The major complaint and the one which will most likely stop me from using this cruise line again was their smoking policy. To allow smoking in major entertainment areas such as the casino which was a main thoroughfare to many of the other entertainment areas was I feel ill advised. The smell of smoke permeated many areas of the ship. Smoking was also allowed mid ship on the port side and if you had a cabin with balcony on that side as I did then you had to share second hand smoke and the smell. This policy I can only assume is to appease the many smokers who bring revenue to the company but is far out of line with most smoking policies of 2015. I am not exaggerating by saying that the smell of smoke particularly to a non smoker is extremely off putting. To find alternative routes to parts of the ship to avoid 'the fug' became a necessity steering clear of the port side at all costs.
Show more18 Sep 2014
We did the Chicago, Memphis, New Orleans trip by train combined with a Western Carribean Cruise on Carnival Dream. We loved every minute of our trip which Mikey at Iglu booked for us. All the hotels were great and the connections and reservations were all in place. The land trip was so amazing that the cruise could have been an anti climax, but it was thoroughly enjoyable, nice ship, great food and friendly crew. We enjoyed Roatan, Belize was really interesting and Cozumel was beautiful. The 3 sea days were a bonus because we actually got to have a rest. Highly recommended amazing value trip.
Show more19 Nov 2011
I really enjoyed sailing with Carnival Dream much more than I thought I would. Everyone on the ship was so friendly and the atmosphere was very good. The food was always very nice and I enjoyed all the food on board. Our waiters were very kind though a bit slow on serving the drinks. I had lost one of my ear ring and they helped to search it for me for a very long time and were very patient. Finally, they found the ear ring for me and I was very happy. The shows were also pretty good and entertaining. Generally I had a very good experience with them. Surely I will come back for them.
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