Carnival Dream. | photo provided courtesy of Andy Newman.
At 130,000 tons and carrying some 3,646 passengers double occupancy, the Carnival Dream and her sisters are Carnival’s largest, newest and most exciting vessels. Built in 2009, Dream feels a bit more toned and high-end, design-wise, than her older fleetmates—but let’s not split hairs: The ship is another incarnation of the bright and busy floating resorts Carnival is famous for, and is armed with some impressive new innovations.
For example, yesterday’s ho-hum Internet centers have morphed into the Fun Hub, an onboard social networking tool that guests can access via their own computers or devices, or at one of the 36 Fun Hub stations scattered around the vessel. You can create a personal profile and interact with shipmates, plus access information about onboard entertainment, dining and ports.
There’s no shortage of things to do aboard the Carnival Dream. Photo courtesy of Carnival.
There’s also a fresh new indoor-outdoor entertainment space called the Lanai, which stretches from one side of the ship to the other on the Promenade deck ans offers a pair of over-sized ocean-view hot tubs cantilevered out over the ship’s rail, plus a café and a bar. Another industry first: 15-minute laser light shows set to rock music by Pink Floyd, Van Halen, Boston and other classic bands. The daily shows are offered on the giant outdoor movie screen in the Seaside Theatre on Deck 12, where you can also catch films and concerts.
Most of Carnival Dream’s entertainment venues reside on Decks 4 and 5, making the area especially conducive for bar hopping and strolling. The ship has a grand three-story show lounge, a pair of two-deck high main restaurants, a sushi bar, an elegant steakhouse, and a sprawling two-deck-high indoor-outdoor buffet restaurant offering just about everything.
The Cloud 9 Spa and huge gym take up the forward section of three decks, and include the adults-only Serenity outdoor relaxation space. The Deck 10 pool area is hub of skimpy bathing suits, cold drinks and fun contests, while the kids are catered to on Deck 11 in the Dream’s city-sized Camp Carnival play area for ages 2 to 11. Other parts of the ship coddle tweens (ages 12–14) and teens (ages 15–17) with dance floors, Wii video games and more. Fun lovers of all ages will appreciate the four water slides, one a 303-foot long corkscrew thrill ride, not to mention three pools and four hot tubs. There’s also the Waterworks “sprayground” with squirting fountains, splash zones and dump buckets, plus miniature golf course and a combo basketball-volleyball court.