Carnival Dream 2024 6-Day Caribbean Cruise Review
Day 1 Part 2 Galveston, Texas
Sunday, May 12, 2024
Click Any Photo To Make It Larger!
Day 1 Part 2 Galveston, Texas
Sunday, May 12, 2024
Click Any Photo To Make It Larger!
This is the second part of my Day 1 review of the Carnival Dream in 2024. After briefly walking through Deck 5 I took the aft elevators to Deck 12. The Deck 12 aft elevator area is where the entrance to the Chef's Art Steakhouse can be found. This venue is open at dinner and guests eating here can pay for a reservation to eat in the steakhouse.
The Chef's Art Steakhouse
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The Chef's Art Steakhouse
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The Chef's Art Steakhouse
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After looking at the Chef's Art Steakhouse I walked back down to Deck 5. The Carnival Dream's Deck 5 is home to the Lanai which is a walkway that wraps around the entire exterior of the ship. 3 laps around the full Lanai is approximately equal to 1 mile. Since the Covid-19 shutdown, the very front section of the Lanai has been closed for crew use only. The Lanai has a few hottubs, several deck chairs, a large chessboard on both sides, and several places to sit. The port side of the Lanai has a section that is for smoking, but during this time of the first day smoking was prohibited in all areas (including smoking areas) due to the ship's refueling process.
Deck 5 Lanai
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Deck 5 Lanai - Smoking Area
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Deck 5 Lanai
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My Stateroom: Deluxe Ocean View
Staterooms officially opened for all guests at 1:30pm, but Diamond & Platinum VIFP guests were allowed to stop by the rooms earlier to drop any carry on bags. We came shortly before 1:30pm and our Sail & Sign cards were in a sealed envelope in the mailbox. Your Sail & Sign card is your room key and also used to make onboard purchases. My deluxe ocean view stateroom was located on Deck 2 near the front elevator/stairwell area. We could near noise from the elevators, but unfortunately we did have some noisy neighbors that talked loudly in the hallways at night. One feature that makes a deluxe ocean view stateroom different than a regular ocean view stateroom is there are two bathrooms, one that is a regular bathroom and another that has a bathtub. The stateroom consisted of two twin beds, a TV, a long narrow counter space, large mirror, a couch (that was converted into a bed), and a large window. We also had two small nightstands with lamps by each of the twin beds. While we were docked in Galveston, our room had a view of the cruise terminal and pier below. The Deck 0 crew gangway was nearly right below our room so we were able to see crew members getting on & off the ship.
Here are some pictures of the stateroom area of my deluxe ocean view:
Staterooms officially opened for all guests at 1:30pm, but Diamond & Platinum VIFP guests were allowed to stop by the rooms earlier to drop any carry on bags. We came shortly before 1:30pm and our Sail & Sign cards were in a sealed envelope in the mailbox. Your Sail & Sign card is your room key and also used to make onboard purchases. My deluxe ocean view stateroom was located on Deck 2 near the front elevator/stairwell area. We could near noise from the elevators, but unfortunately we did have some noisy neighbors that talked loudly in the hallways at night. One feature that makes a deluxe ocean view stateroom different than a regular ocean view stateroom is there are two bathrooms, one that is a regular bathroom and another that has a bathtub. The stateroom consisted of two twin beds, a TV, a long narrow counter space, large mirror, a couch (that was converted into a bed), and a large window. We also had two small nightstands with lamps by each of the twin beds. While we were docked in Galveston, our room had a view of the cruise terminal and pier below. The Deck 0 crew gangway was nearly right below our room so we were able to see crew members getting on & off the ship.
Here are some pictures of the stateroom area of my deluxe ocean view:
Deluxe Ocean View Stateroom
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Twin Beds - Luggage Mat
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Stateroom Counter
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Stateroom Couch
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Window
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Looking Towards Door & Stateroom Bathrooms
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The deluxe ocean view stateroom's first bathroom had a bathtub with a shower and a sink. The floor space was very tiny in this bathroom and the counter area by the sink was also very tiny.
Bathroom #1 - Shower/Bathtub Area
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Bathroom #1 - Bathtub
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Bathroom #1 - Floor Space & Sink
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The deluxe ocean view stateroom's second bathroom was much larger. This bathroom had a full counter space, sink, shower, and toilet. Boxes are tissues and extra toilet paper were stored under the counter in this bathroom.
Bathroom #2 - Toilet
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Bathroom #2 - Sink & Counter
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Bathroom #2 - Shower
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After checking out the room, we walked up to Deck 5 to look outside. The fuel barge was in the process of departing the Carnival Dream.
Water Dispensers Near Guy's Pig & Anchor BBQ
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Fuel Barge Departing Carnival Dream
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Tables & Chairs Outside Ocean Plaza
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Deck 5 is considered the Carnival Dream's Upper Promenade and Deck 4 is considered the Carnival Dream's Lower Promenade. One attraction on Deck 4 is the Carnival Dream's non-smoking casino. We walked from Deck 5 to Deck 4 and stopped inside the non-smoking casino to have a look. The slots & tables were closed as we were docked in Galveston, but the casino was scheduled to open after the ship reached international waters. There is a small bar located within the non-smoking casino that was open in the evenings and most of the day on non-port days of the cruise. Carnival Dream does not have a cashier station located on the Deck 4 non-smoking casino so if you need to cash-out, want to buy lottery tickets, or need any casino services you will need to visit the cashier station located in the Deck 5 Jackpot Casino.
Jackpot Casino - Non-Smoking On Deck 4
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Jackpot Casino - Non-Smoking On Deck 4
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Jackpot Casino - Non-Smoking On Deck 4
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I walked back up to Deck 5 and stopped in the Burgundy Lounge to have a look. The Burgundy Lounge is the Carnival Dream's aft lounge and this venue is primarily used for the Punchliner Comedy Club, karaoke, and other events. You can find this venue next to Sam's Piano Bar and The Song lounge.
Burgundy Lounge
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Burgundy Lounge
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Lanai Hottub
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Self-Mustering On The Carnival Dream:
During the afternoon, we had to complete our self-mustering drill. Our assigned muster station was A3 which was located on the Deck 3 level of the Encore Lounge. When we walked up to the entrance of the theater, a crew member verified we were in the right place and scanned us in using a tablet. Getting scanned at the muster station is important as Carnival keeps track of who has completed the safety briefing.
We sat inside the Encore Lounge for a few minutes and the demonstration began. It consisted of basic information about emergencies, had a demo of how to put on a lifejacket, and reminded everyone to check their stateroom to make sure lifejackets were stored in there (enough for each person).
TIP: Your assigned muster station for the cruise can be found in multiple areas. Your boarding pass, Sail & Sign Card, the Carnival Hub App, and back of the stateroom door have your muster station letter/number printed. If you need assistance on the first day finding your muster station, crew members are stationed throughout the ship and can direct you to your assigned muster station.
RyG's Cruise Guide also has compiled a listing of muster stations for most Carnival ships. Please Click Here if you are interested in seeing this listing, but please note any information given onboard your ship supersedes what I have on this listing.
During the afternoon, we had to complete our self-mustering drill. Our assigned muster station was A3 which was located on the Deck 3 level of the Encore Lounge. When we walked up to the entrance of the theater, a crew member verified we were in the right place and scanned us in using a tablet. Getting scanned at the muster station is important as Carnival keeps track of who has completed the safety briefing.
We sat inside the Encore Lounge for a few minutes and the demonstration began. It consisted of basic information about emergencies, had a demo of how to put on a lifejacket, and reminded everyone to check their stateroom to make sure lifejackets were stored in there (enough for each person).
TIP: Your assigned muster station for the cruise can be found in multiple areas. Your boarding pass, Sail & Sign Card, the Carnival Hub App, and back of the stateroom door have your muster station letter/number printed. If you need assistance on the first day finding your muster station, crew members are stationed throughout the ship and can direct you to your assigned muster station.
RyG's Cruise Guide also has compiled a listing of muster stations for most Carnival ships. Please Click Here if you are interested in seeing this listing, but please note any information given onboard your ship supersedes what I have on this listing.
After doing the self-mustering I wanted to take a look from the front of the ship so I went to Deck 9's front area. This is one of my favorite areas to look out as you can look down at the front as well as look out at the sides of the ship.
View From Deck 9
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View From Deck 9
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View From Deck 9
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Galveston Sail-a-way:
The Carnival Dream was scheduled to depart Galveston at 3:30pm. We left on-time and watched sail-a-way from the back of Deck 5. Despite the cloudy weather, our sail-a-way ended up being nice.
The Carnival Dream was scheduled to depart Galveston at 3:30pm. We left on-time and watched sail-a-way from the back of Deck 5. Despite the cloudy weather, our sail-a-way ended up being nice.
View From The Back As We Started To Move
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Cruise Terminal 25
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Harbor House Hotel & Pier 21
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We passed by the Harmony of the Seas which was docked at Cruise Terminal 10. This terminal is used by Royal Caribbean. The Carnival Dream also went by the Del Monte terminal which will be the eventual home of Cruise Terminal 16 in 2025 for MSC Cruises.
Ocean Star Museum Rig
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Pier 16 - Future Home Of Cruise Terminal 16
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Harmony of the Seas
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Looking Towards The Marina
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Ferries
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Ferries
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As we got further away from Galveston it began to get a little hazy. The Galveston Texas City pilot boat followed the Carnival Dream out to pick-up the onboard navigational pilot at the designated point.
Leaving Galveston's Harbor
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Tip of Galveston Island
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Our sail-a-way was great! After watching from the back of Deck 5 we walked up to The Gathering for some water. The buffet was mostly empty, but there was a line at the Carnival Dream's deli.
Before heading back to our staterooms, we stopped at the front of Deck 9 to have a look out. It was fun seeing all the ships anchored and waiting for entrance into the Houston Ship Channel.
Before heading back to our staterooms, we stopped at the front of Deck 9 to have a look out. It was fun seeing all the ships anchored and waiting for entrance into the Houston Ship Channel.
View From Deck 9
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View From Deck 9
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View From Deck 9
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Table For The Night
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How The Your-Time Dining Check-In Process Worked:
I had Your-Time Dining which means I could dine in a specific dining room from 5:30pm until about 9:00pm. Dining assignments are printed on guests' Sail & Sign Cards. My Sail & Sign Card indicated that for dinner I needed to check-in on the Carnival Hub App and then I would be assigned a table. Shortly before the dining room opened the Carnival Hub App began allowing guests to check-in. The check-in for dinner was easy and involved clicking a check-box for each guest that was going to be eating. Within a couple of minutes of checking in the app notified me that my table was ready and I selected that I was on my way. The app will hold table assignments for 10 minutes before cancelling a reservation. The Crimson Dining Room is the Carnival Dream's mid-ship dining room. Upon arriving at the atrium entrance of the Crimson Dining Room I told the hostess my table number that was assigned on the app and she had someone bring us to our table. |
First Night's Main Dining Room Dinner:
Our first night's dinner was very good. I had Caesar Salad and shrimp cocktail for appetizers, the Szechuan shrimp for main course, and cheesecake for dessert.
Below are screenshots of the menus from the first night's dinner. Click any photo to make it larger!
Our first night's dinner was very good. I had Caesar Salad and shrimp cocktail for appetizers, the Szechuan shrimp for main course, and cheesecake for dessert.
Below are screenshots of the menus from the first night's dinner. Click any photo to make it larger!
Appetizer & Emeril Selects
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Entree, Featured Salad, & Everyday
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Steakhouse Selections & Dessert
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Below are some food pictures from tonight's dinner! Click any photo to make it larger!
Bread
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Appetizer - Roasted Duck Rolls
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Appetizer - Roasted Tomato Soup
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Appetizer - Crawfish Strudel
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Appetizer - Caesar Salad
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Appetizer - Shrimp Cocktail
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Featured Salad - Ultimate Cobb Salad
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Entree - Szechuan Shrimp
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Dessert - Cheesecake
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Sunset From Deck 5
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After dinner I was stuffed. We had a little bit of time before some of the evening entertainment was good to start so we stepped outside onto Deck 5 to see the sunset. It was hazy, but ultimately still nice to see. The back of Deck 5 is a great place to look at the ocean and wake from the ship.
Evening Entertainment: The Carnival Dream was hosting numerous events throughout the evening around the ship. We attended Mobile Trivia in the Encore Theater at 8pm. This event consisted of guests logging in to a trivia game on their phone through the ship's network and then the questions were displayed on the screen. There was no trivia host, but the system automatically scored the game. I did very well on the first round and horribly on the second round. |
Following Mobile Trivia, the Encore Theater was used for Bingo. Carnival sells multiple Bingo packages and there were 3 rounds in this game of Bingo. We did not play Bingo on this night, but it was fun to watch. We mainly wanted to be in the Encore Theater to have a good seat for the Welcome Aboard Show.
Encore Theater - Mobile Trivia
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Encore Theater - Bingo
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Encore Theater - Welcome Aboard Show
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Welcome Aboard Show!
The Carnival Dream's Welcome Aboard Show started at 9pm. Our cruise director, Andy, opened the show by introducing himself and the onboard Fun Squad. He gave some information about the entertainment happening throughout the cruise and told several jokes throughout. Next, he brought a couple of guests on-stage to be part of his show. The last part of the Welcome Aboard Show was the Carnival Dream's Playlist Productions cast doing a quick 10 minute routine to showcase their dancing & singing skills. Our cast on the Carnival Dream was very talented! After the Welcome Aboard Show ended I went up to Deck 10 for some water and then I was too tired to do anything else. I walked back down to the stateroom and then went to bed. |
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