Carnival Dream and her sisters were the largest ships ever built by Fincantieri until the introduction of the Vista-class ships in 2016, which were also built by Fincantieri. The ship was the first in the Carnival fleet to include a water park with multiple slides. She also has an 18-hole miniature golf course and a wide outdoor promenade deck that includes an outdoor cafe and a whirlpool jacuzzi in four places along the outside edge of the deck.
Areas of operation
Carnival Dream has been based in several US ports cruising to Caribbean destinations. The ship was based in New Orleans, Louisiana up until late 2020 when she was re-positioned to Galveston, Texas.
Incidents and accidents
In July 2011, Carnival Dream had issues with one of her engines, forcing a change in her travel schedule. On March 14, 2013, Carnival Dream experienced a back-up generator malfunction while performing regular pre-embarkation testing. No power outages occurred but Carnival Cruise Line decided to stay docked in port at Philipsburg, Sint Maarten. The ship was scheduled to leave port around 5 p.m. ET the day before. The U.S. Coast Guard said they were notified by Carnival Cruise Lines that Carnival Dream was experiencing problems with her generator. Carnival was paying to fly passengers back to Port Canaveral, via Orlando International Airport, or their home cities and canceled Dream'sMarch 16 departure. The ship set sail on her first cruise after the mechanical problems on March 23. Michael Moses Ward, also known as Birdie Africa, the only child survivor of the 1985 MOVE bombing, died in September 2013, at the age of 41. His death occurred in a hot tub aboard Carnival Dream while sailing in the Caribbean. Initial reports indicated an accidental drowning. Sources say he may have had a stroke in the hot tub. On May 3, 2018, a pipe, which was part of the ship's fire suppression system, burst and flooded deck 9. About 50 staterooms were affected by the flood. On December 29, 2018, lifeboat number 28 broke loose from Carnival Dream for unknown reasons and was excessively damaged. Carnival decided to abandon the lifeboat at sea and plans to purchase a new replacement. No one was onboard the lifeboat at the time and no injuries were reported. On October 24, 2019, a few hours after Carnival Dream left Galveston, Texas, a man went overboard by jumping off his stateroom balcony. Carnival stated "the ship's command promptly began search and rescue procedures, returned to the area near where the incident occurred and notified the US Coast Guard." However, after 586 square miles covered by the search in 48 hours, the US Coast Guard suspended operations.
Appearances in film
About 20 minutes of the movie was filmed aboard Carnival Dream. In the film World War Z, upon entering the command center of the Naval Vessel the main characters land on, a sailor is seen announcing the authorization for Carnival Dream to join the fleet.
