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On
September 21, 2009 the Carnival Dream embarked on her first of three Grand
Mediterranean Cruises from Rome. After completing her European debut, she
sailed a 16 day transatlantic crossing from Rome to New York.
I was
part of the festivities on November 11th 2009, when the Carnival Dream was
christened in New York by Marcia Gay
Harden.
The
Carnival Dream is the largest Fun Ship yet, weighing-in at 130,000 tons.
Carnival is branding her as a family cruise ship.
She
represents a new class of ship for Carnival and Carnival is very excited
about her introduction.
The
ship, itself, is a combination of the Miracle and Destiny class ship -
combining the best features of both but on a much larger scale.
PUBLIC ROOMS
The
Carnival Dream offers a unique assortment of public rooms offering a
variety of decors. In general, the color scheme incorporate various tones
of browns, reds, violets and beiges to provide a very rustic feel. The
rooms are arranged in a manner which provides intimate spaces, allowing a
large ship to seem small and personal.
Below is
a description of some select public areas.
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Most of the public rooms are located on decks 4 and 5.
There is a main hallway that runs the length of the ship referred to as
the Upper and Lower Dream Street.
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The main atrium - a feature found on many Carnival ships
can be found mid ship. The atrium area is an ideal gathering place
anytime during the day with its live music, a dance floor and bar. On
the outskirts of the atrium is located the shore excursion desk and
reception area.
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Unique to the Carnival Dream is the Lanai. The Lanai,
accessed from the Ocean Plaza, is an overhanging deck on the side of the
ships which has whirlpools, deck chairs and expansive views of the sea.
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The main show room spans three decks and is called
"Encore!". It can seat 1,964guests at once.
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The Burgundy Lounge is located aft and the home to the
comedy club. The color scheme and decoration of this room is quite
unique with it 's red garland on the chandelier, old western saloon
style seating and tables and large Mardi Gras masks on the wall. The
room has a burlesque look and feel.
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The internet area is located at several areas throughout
the ship called the FunHub. Here you can browse the internet (at a cost)
and people watch at the same time. The FunHub concept is the Carnival
Dream's comprehensive portal and excusive on-board social network. You
can also access the ship's daily activities and partake in online
activities as well.
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The disco on the ship is called Caliente. The disco is a
great place to dance and burn some calories, with its TV monitors,
illuminated dance floor, great sound system and bar.
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The Carnival Dream's Cloud 9 Spa is over 23,750 Square
feet of relaxation. Unique treatments include Bamboo Massage, Villa
Massage and Bathing Ritual, HydraLift Facial, Microdemabrasion Facial
and more.
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In addition to the unique rooms described above, the ship
has a library, piano bar, martini bar, various eateries, casino, bars
and more.
OUTDOOR SPACE
The
Carnival Dream has some very innovative outdoor features including:
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Three pools, 7 Whirlpools
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Unique to the Carnival Dream (when compared to the
newer Carnival newbuilds) is a rear swimming pool which has expansive
views of the ship's wake and a large statue of a woman with arms
extended, facing the pool.
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18 Hole Miniature Golf.
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Basketball / Volleyball court.
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Adults only deck space is located forward, on the top
deck, outside the spa. The Serenity offers Cabanas and a limited number
of hammocks where adults can escape.
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The Seaside Theater is an immense TV screen located near
the mid-ship pool. Concert, movies and more can be watched under the
open sky.
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The Lanai is the wide deck overhanging both sides of the
Carnival Dream, providing passengers added deck space and beautiful sea
views. The Lanai provides much needed deck space for the potential
4,631pasengers.
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The Carnival WaterWorks provides an area where kids can
splash and play. With 2 - 80ft racing slides, dump buckets, splash
zones, water jets. The key attraction is the 303 foot long, 4 deck high
Twister water slide.
The
Carnival Dream has ample deck space and has a good deal of outdoor
amenities. The waterslides, pools and Whirlpools allow guests the
opportunity to cool down after a day ashore or an escape from the sun's
warmth.
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FOOD / DINING
The Carnival Dream offers the most dining options among
the Carnival fleet.
Included are:
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The two main dining rooms - The Scarlet and the
Crimson. Both identically decorated and having the same appeal. Both
rooms are two tier dining venues with a balcony level overlooking a
lower level. Joe Farcus, the interior designer for the Carnival
Dream has decorated the room in a reddish tone, with reddish
chandeliers, in addition, solid color glass has been used as the
railing for the upper tier to provide privacy to the diners on both
levels.
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24 hour Pizzeria.
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The Buffet Area called the Gathering offering, Asian,
Italian, Mexican, Tandori specialties, NY style deli and Salad Bar.
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Pool side grill offering Burgers, Fries, chicken and
more.
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Specialty Coffees and Cake - available in the Ocean
Plaza, serving lattes, cappuccinos, expresso and more as well as
freshly baked cakes and pies.
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Room Service.
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The Chef's Art Steakhouse is a steakhouse style
restaurant that offers prime cuts of beef and sophisticated service.
Dining at this venue is additional and will coast $30 per person.
The
food on board is exceptional, featuring lobster, prime steaks,
seafood, chicken and pasta dishes. The buffet had some interesting
food choices all presented with flair and style - none looked like it
was mass produced.
In
addition, the buffet had food made to order including a Pasta Bar,
Chinese food and more.
All
food was tasty and nicely presented.
Service on board was impeccable. The staff was always smiling,
positive and willing to help. They were very attentive to our needs
and provided a very enjoyable experience.
CABINS /
ACCOMMODATIONS
The Carnival Dream accommodations are nice. The yellow
and orange color scheme is extended into the staterooms. The exterior,
balcony and suites I had seen were very functional.
For my stay, I had a Balcony stateroom with with a
queen size bed, sitting area with sofa, ample storage space including
three mid-size closets. The bath room was functional, and looked very
durable with it's blue speckled rubber matted floor, white walls and
pale green counter tops.
The Balcony cabins have verandah's that can fit a small
table and two chairs.
The Carnival Dream has a new class of cabin referred to
as a Cove Cabin. The Cove Class Cabin is a balcony cabin built into
the steel of the hull. These cabins are located on a lower deck and
the added protection is required in rough seas.
Inside Cabins were compact and functional and are
somewhat smaller. The inside cabins did not have the sitting area but
still had ample storage and were very functional.
The Carnival Dream has many interconnecting staterooms
for larger families traveling. In addition, the ship has many cabins
that can accommodate 5 passengers, which is rare among cruise ships.
I was impressed with accommodations aboard the Carnival
Dream and found them to be cheerful and pleasant.
Our Stateroom steward was a very attentive and did an
exceptional job of keeping our cabin clean. We also found the
traditional Carnival animal made of towels when we returned from our
night of dancing - It was a "pig" for those curious.
ENTERTAINMENT
Incredible.
The entertainment onboard the Carnival Dream was
exceptional.
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The comedy club has shows numerous times throughout
the evening, including a late night adults only show.
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Live Music in the Atrium, Sam's Piano Bar, or the
Ocean Plaza
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Dance to recorded music in the Disco.
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The new production show - Dancin' In the Street was
incredible with acrobatic dancers and singers. The show is appealing
to both young cruisers and older individuals.
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The Carnival Dream offers an outdoor laser light show
to high energy music on the lido deck. A first among cruise ships,
The entertainment on board is exceptional.
CHILDREN'S PROGRAM
The
Carnival Dream has one of the largest kid's areas with 19,000 square
feet of space dedicated to children.
The
Carnival Dream is one of the most kid friendly ships afloat. The kids
program called "Camp Carnival" offers an extensive program of
activities.
The
children are grouped by age. Usually the kids program is broken-up
into 3-4 age groups (depending on the sailing). Camp Carnival is for
the kids ages 2-11, Circle "C" for ages 12-14 and Club O2 for 15-17
year olds.
For
the younger kids, activities include: Pirate shows, movies, arts and
crafts, story time, pizza making, sporting activities and more.
For
the teens a the program includes: teen dances, scavenger hunts and
team activities.
The
Carnival Dream offers a Teen Disco - the Club O2.
The
Carnival Dream even has a miniature golf course located on the Sun
Deck and a decent size arcade for the video games player in everyone.
During
late nights hours, after 10 PM, baby sitting services are available at
a reasonable per hour fee. The children are usually monitored in
groups within a designated Camp Carnival room.
Additional activities for children outside of the kids program
includes:
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The
Waterslides.
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The
Water Park
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The
Arcade - Arcade games are extra and can set you back a few bucks.
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Basketball/Volley Ball Court.
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Miniature golf.
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Pools
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Whirpools.
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Movies
The
Carnival Dream is an extremely child friendly ship. |
CONCLUSION
Carnival
is a mass marketed cruise line. The Carnival Dream is a high density
cruise ship, carry 4,631 passenger (if every berth is full). There will be
occasions where you will need to wait on line or wait to be served but the
crew is doing their best to keep things moving.
There
were two areas for improvement:
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I am a non- smoker and I was not familiar with the
smoking policy, but I found the disco and Sam's Lounge (Piano Bar) to be
very smokey. So much so that I could not go into Sam's. In the disco, I
had to periodically go out for air. The smoke from Sam's also drifted
into the hallway making just walking down the hall out side the room
unpleasant.
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Because some of the rooms on the ship spanned the whole
width of the ship, I found myself frequently walking around support
beams/columns throughout the ship. These beams are all structural and
are required but some were oddly placed, including one in the middle of
the buffet line which cause people to walk around it.
On the
positive side, the Carnival Dream is a very nice ship. Her cabins are
spacious, clean and comfortable. Her staff is exceptional, friendly and
willing to help.
The food
was very good and there was a wide variety. The food presentation was also
appealing.
The
entertainment was great -appealing to all ages and offering something for
everyone. Onboard there was always something to do or see - whether it is
dancing, a comedy show, a production review in the main show lounge, a
sing along at the piano bar, a movie on deck or gaming in the casino.
The
Lanai is actually a nice touch and offers serene area to layout in the sun
and enjoy the seascape in a quiet location.
The
Adults only area (Serenity) was nice as well. Not because it was children
free, but because of the location, choice of furniture and atmosphere that
made it enjoyable.
Carnival
has the Camp Carnival Kids program which will definitely keep the kids
busy. Camp Carnival offers events and activities for kids of all ages,
Carnival has one of the best kids programs afloat.
Overall
the Carnival Dream is a winner. Taking into consideration the reasonable
prices, the ship is a great value as well.
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Carnival Dream at Sea
- Copyright Carnival Cruise Lines.
Carnival Dream Atrium
- Copy write NYCRUISEINFO.com
Carnival Dream - Crimson
Dining Room - Copy write NYCRUISEINFO.com
Carnival Dream -
Waterworks Water Park Area - Copy write
Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival Dream Balcony Cabin -
Copyright Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival Dream -
Outdoor Lanai - Copyright Carnival Cruise Line
| Statistics |
Carnival Dream |
| Photo (copy write Carnival
Cruises) |
 |
| Gross Tonnage |
130,000 tons |
| Length |
1,004 Feet |
| Beam |
122 Feet |
| Cruising Speed |
22.5 knots |
| Guest Capacity (Double Occupancy) |
3,646 |
| Total Staff |
1,367 |
| Registry |
Panama |
| Built |
2009 |
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