Thursday, July 11, 2019

Dreams Do Come True- Sea Day 1

Formal, FLICK and FunTimes
Sea Day 2 
Gulf of Mexico 
WE LOVE SEA DAYS!

Morning 
The Carnival Dream beds were nicer than other ships we have sailed and our steward had already put a bed topper on top of the mattress, which allowed for a comfortable sleep. The room was nice and cool but the bear sawing logs next to me meant I did not get much sleep. I eventually decided to get up and explore on my own around 7AM and let Chris get some more much needed sleep. 

I ate breakfast at Blue Iguana around 8AM and there was no line and hardly anyone on Lido at all. TIP- Blue Iguana is a GREAT location for breakfast and offers breakfast burritos, tacos, eggs made to order and other traditional Mexican fare for breakfast. It can have long lines but the crewmembers work hard to get the line moving. It is open for Breakfast and Lunch ONLY! 

After I ate, I went to the aft to stare into the wake and thank Jesus for all He has done for me. Since my last cruise in March, my life has completely changed… Literally. I got a new job in somewhat of a new field and have been blessed beyond measure as I am not deserving of this blessing but I cannot wait! God is so good! I sat there and just Praised Him for over an hour before heading to the shade. 

Thank You Jesus! God is SO GOOD! 


A view of the AFT POOL around 9AM. 
TIP- Get there EARLY! 

Good Morning! 

I laid out until about 10:30AM before Chris found me and we went to the CrewMember Question and Answer session the Burgundy Lounge. We thoroughly enjoy Q&A sessions but this one was more informational than usual. The Hotel Director, Staff Captain, Entertainment Director and Guest Services Director answered any and all questions. Here are some of our favorites: 
  • Each stateroom steward is in charge of 34-37 staterooms and 75-100 passengers. (This is the very 1st time an officer has given us an actual figure). BE KIND TO THEM… Can you EVEN IMAGINE? 
  • The Dream sailed out of NOLA for 3 years but since moving to Galveston, Guy’s Burgers output has DOUBLED. I guess us Texans love our Guy’s Burgers! 
  • The Crew Members have their own kitchen and head chef. This chef prepares 39 different menus on a 39 day rotation meeting the needs of all internationalities of crewmembers onboard. The Crew Chef has 9 other workers and they work 24 hours a day to meet the needs of the crew members and their “off” times. 
  • When a guest is late and is in jeopardy of getting left in port, the Carnival Guest Service Managers go to the guest stateroom and not only get Passports (Most Cruise Lines do this) but they also get other essentials like phone chargers and any other items they feel the guest may need. Carnival also works with port officials to help get the guest to the NEXT port destination. The Manager said Spring Break cruises will leave anywhere from 20-30 passengers in Mexico typically! 
  • Most crew members are allowed 30 days of “Family Cruises” per contract. Depending on your level and seniority the family members can sail at a discounted rate or for free. They can stay in regular guest cabins or in the officer's cabin if they have a single cabin. (We actually met the Chief Engineer’s wife and family in the Galveston Cruise Terminal).  
  • Carnival is working with LOCAL colleges and universities to get Hotel and Hospitality college age kids to do summer internships on Cruise Ships. Far too often US citizens will not work on cruise ships because of the long contracts and etc. This internship allows these youngsters to see exactly what life on board a cruise ship is like before they sign on for a 7-8 month contract. (They are a little late for me… Where was this in 2005? I would have done this in a heartbeat. Y’all know in my next life I want to be a CRUISE DIRECTOR).

This is SUCH A NEAT Event! Check it out if you can! 

We also talked to the Entertainment Director, Roberto, for quite a while discussing Cruise Directors and how Carnival is setting the industry standard for that title. Carnival has 2 people doing the main jobs of the Cruise Director. They have the CD, who is literally the FACE and BRAND of that ship, and the Entertainment Director, who does more of the managerial and logistical side of the job. Other cruise lines (NCL and RCCL) have 1 person doing all these jobs which is why you rarely see the CD. 

Afternoon
After the Q&A we went to get lunch on Lido Deck. Most of the lunch venues opened at Noon and we  arrived at 11:55AM expecting short lines. Man were we wrong! We had not felt the other 4,270 passengers… UNTIL NOW. The line for Guy’s Burgers was wrapped around Blue Iguana, which had a long line of its own. Chris got in line for Mongolian Wok, a made to order Stir Fry venue in the mid ship buffet area. I got in the long ling for Guys. TIP-It took me 20 minutes to get through the Guys Burger line and it took Chris over 30 minutes to get to the table with his Stir Fry. This didn’t bother us, but keep it in mind. There will be lines… ALWAYS! Go with the flow! 
 1 of 2 lines for Guy's Burgers! But we did just learn that us Texans LOVE Guy's! 


It was WORTH THE WAIT! 


Mongolian Wok... It is so good! 

It was HOT as the rain had hit and now the HUMIDITY was setting in. Lido was PACKED and it was just too much for us so we ventured down to the Ocean Plaza (Deck 5 midship) for some afternoon trivia. We didn’t do well on One Hit Wonders Music Trivia (23/40) but made it to the tie-breaker on the Movie Quotes Trivia. We lost the tie-breaker question of how many stories are in the Empire State Building (102). 

We then decided to go to the Lanai hot tubs and see if they were hotter than yesterday. THEY WERE NOT! They were still LukeWarm at best. But we enjoyed ourselves and met some nice people. 

Evening 
We stayed in the LukeWarm hot tubs for nearly 2 hours before a HARD rain storm sent huge raindrops down with force so we got out and got ready for dinner. It was formal night on board and we made our way to the MDR. TIP- We noticed that the “Formal” definition has changed quite a bit since our last voyage on the Breeze in 2017. We saw people in sundresses, jeans and even shorts. The dress code listed by Carnival was not enforced from what I can tell. This didn’t bother me AT ALL but it is very relaxed compared to Royal Caribbean or Princess, for example. 
Happy Formal Night! 


The Table cloths... The come out on Formal Night! 

Once again, the MDR service was good and fast. We were in and out of the MDR on Formal Night within 90 minutes. We then went to the Atrium to meet all of the officers and the Cruise Director, Gary. This was really neat and we were even able to take a picture WITH the Captain and use our OWN PHONE. You mean to tell me I can take a picture and relive a memory years later without paying an arm and  a leg? Wow… Well done Carnival! TIP- Do this if you can! It is really neat and no other Cruise Line, in our experience, has done this event so well. It is on the 1st formal night from 7-8PM in the Lobby. 
Our traditional picture with the Cruise Director. Gary... You did not disappoint! 


This is so cool! We met the captain and all of the officers! 

The rest of our evening was spent enjoying entertainment on board. We watched the show FLICK in the Main Theater. TIP- This show is incredible and one of our favorites of Carnival. It features music from Movies and is very kid-friendly. We enjoy the “Pre-Show” as well (Begins 15-30 minutes prior to showtime). 

We also enjoyed 2 adult comedy shows in the Punchliner Comedy Club. TIP- The Punchliner offers a PITCHER of cocktails for only $26.95 which offers 4+ regular size drinks. This was a great option for us when we were there for multiple shows. Even with the 18% gratuity, it was still only $30. This is a great way to save money if you do not have the Drink Package. 
A Great Value... $30 with the gratuity! 

TIP- Between the 2 comedy shows we tried to order the PIZZA via the HUB ap to be delivered to us. This is a $5 fee (for delivery basically) and it is labeled as a 30 minute or less delivery time. I waited at the designated meeting spot for nearly an hour before giving up. I am not sure what happened and why we never got our pizza but we were never charged for it. This seems like a great service but it just didn’t work out for us. 

It was a very entertaining night full of drinks and laughs but we called it a night after 12:30AM. Our room steward had made a LOVELY towel Animal! PLUS, Chris received his BIRTHDAY GIFTS from Carnival. TIP- If you enter a birthday or anniversary you are celebrating on the cruise, you will usually get some type of gift-card or cake at dinner as a gift from Carnival. It is 100% and so fun!



Chris got a $50 Spa gift card and a $5 Cherry on Top (The Candy Store) gift card! 
Thanks Carnival!

The next day was our home away from home… Cozumel. Mexico. This would have been our 14th trip to Cozumel but we LOVE this port! Stay tuned for our day at Mr. Sanchos Beach Club! 

Thanks for following along! 

Up Next… Cozumel! 


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