Cruise Part 1---The Carnival Dream
So I know that I have been back from the cruise for like 2 weeks, and I am JUST getting around to posting some pictures, but things have been super busy around these parts! First, someone in my family announced something REALLY exciting...bet you would love to know what it was, right? Tough cookies, we will just have to wait until SOMEONE is ready to share his or her secret with the world....and if he or she could hurry it up that would be swell...
Anywho, back to the cruise. I am in the process of getting the pictures uploaded to my computer from my camera (and by that I mean my camera is still in my purse and I haven't even started), but in the meantime I am going to give you a little tour of the amazing ship. Once the boat leaves the Mississippi river there is zero cell phone signal, so our phones stayed locked in the safe all week. Lucky for you I snapped a few pictures before we set sail. This year we cruised aboard the Carnival Dream, and we were not disappointed. First of all, the ship was monstrous. Of course, the only comparison I have is the Carnival Elation, but whatever, this one totally takes the cake. Here are a few of the ship's highlights:
The poolside theater:
When we first saw the giant movie screen on Carnival's website, I thought "Wow that looks so awesome, but we probably won't spend any time on the deck watching movies." Apparently I was smoking something crazy to think that we wouldn't take advantage of the ginormous movie screen. Imagine this: In the middle of the Gulf of Mexico, the sea breeze blowing your hair wildly across your face (ok--not gonna lie, this part was a huge pain in the ass), a Daiquiri in your hand, all while watching TFIOS...yes, I caved and watched it before reading the book and OMG it was amazing.
The atrium:
The atrium on the Dream is absolutely stunning. There are several glass elevators that take you from the main floor to the tippy top of the boat. The entire thing is decked out in gold, mirrors and lights, and it is all topped off with a huge skylight. Being the main point of traffic throughout the cruise, we had plenty of time to take in all of the details.
This picture doesn't even do it justice--it was amazingggg
Ok, so technically we didn't go on the water slide this year, but from the looks of it, it was awesome. Twists and turns and loops all leading to a giant bowl, and all perched on top of a huge cruise ship. If you have kiddos of your own, or just want to act like a big kid, I would definitely recommend this ship over the Elation. P.S.--in case you have never been on a cruise, they fill the pools with salt water, NOT chlorinated water. I learned that the hard way last year when I came crashing down the slide with my mouth wide open. Awesome.
The mini golf course:
There is a full 18 hole miniature golf course on the very top deck, right next to the basketball court. Surprisingly, the course was empty for most of the week, only running into people once or twice. This was one of the few spots on the deck where it wasn't 450 degrees--there was a breeze coming from every angle and it was spectacular. And not to toot my own horn but I kicked the hub's ass at golf...so toot toot
Our room:
Not only was this my favorite favorite place on the entire ship, but this was where we spent a good portion of our time. Upgrading to the balcony room was seriously the BEST idea ever. (Read all about how we scored a great deal on the room here). Considering the seas were pretty rough for most of the week, and considering we lost way too much money in the damn "Casino Vault" game, we found ourselves ordering room service and vegging in the room most of the week. And let me tell you--it was perfect!
Ugh sorry the room pic is so dark guys!! And we were still in port here--our view was much better during the actual cruise!
I swear I will upload Part 2 soon which will have the rest of the pictures from the cruise and the islands!!
