Cruise Spotlight
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Carnival Dream vs Carnival Pride
The Carnival Dream was built in 2009. It's 7 years newer than the Pride, which was built in 2002 and renovated in 2023.
Comparison Overview
- Ship Size
- Number of Passengers
- Food and Restaurants
- Bars and Drinks
- Pools and Hot Tubs
- Ship Features and Activities
- Cruise Costs
- Onboard Costs
- See Our Detailed Cruise Blog
Ship Size
The Dream is considered a medium size ship. Coming in at 1,004 feet long and 122 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.8 football fields, as wide as 2.3 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 14-story building. Compared to the Carnival Pride, the Dream is 45% larger in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Carnival Dream holds 71% more passengers than the Pride based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you look at the "Space Ratio," or the total tonnage of a ship compared to the number of passengers, the Dream has less space per person compared to the Pride.
| Carnival Dream | Carnival Pride | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Dream | Spirit |
| Gross Tonnage | 128,000 | 88,500 |
| Length | 1,004 | 963 |
| Beam/Width | 122 | 106 |
| Passenger Decks | 14 | 12 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 3,646 | 2,134 |
| Crew | 1,367 | 930 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.7 | 2.3 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 35 | 42 |
Food and Restaurants
Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.
The Dream has 19 different dining options like Mongolian Wok, The Chef's Table, and Seafood Shack. Of those options, 14 are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other 5 options have an additional fee.
The Pride has 4 fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse, The Chef's Table, and Guy's Burger Joint. 10 of these restaurants are complementary and the other 5 have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Dream might be a better choice. It has 27% more dining options than the Pride.
Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.
Restaurants on Carnival Dream & Pride
| Carnival Dream | Carnival Pride | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Iguana Cantina | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Bonsai Sushi | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Carnival Deli | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Cherry on Top | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Coffee Bar | ✓ | ✗ | |
| Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Guy's Burger Joint | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Guys Pig and Anchor BarBQue | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| JavaBlue Cafe | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Lido Buffet | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Main Dining Room | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Mongolian Wok | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Pizzeria del Capitano | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Seafood Shack | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Steakhouse | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Swirls | ✓ | ✓ | |
| The Chef's Table | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
Bars and Drinks
The Carnival Dream has 1 more bar than the Carnival Pride.
| Carnival Dream | Carnival Pride | |
|---|---|---|
| Alchemy Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Atrium Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Beauties Nightclub | ✗ | ✓ |
| BlueIguana Tequila Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Burgundy Lounge | ✓ | ✗ |
| Butterflies Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Caliente Night Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| Casino Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Heroes Tribute Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ivory Piano Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Plaza Cafe | ✓ | ✗ |
| Raphael Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| RedFrog Pub | ✗ | ✓ |
| RedFrog Rum Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Rendezvous | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sam's Piano Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sunset Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| The Piazza Cafe | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Song | ✓ | ✗ |
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. Both ships serve the Pepsi family of products. That means Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Starry, Mug Root Beer, and Mountain Dew, although the selection can vary by ship.
You can check out recent the bar menus for the Dream and the Pride below.
Pools and Hot Tubs
Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The problem is that with thousands of people on a ship, there's not always room. If you want to spend all day for 7 days in a pool, a cruise isn't for you. You would have a much better bet choosing a resort with a huge pool complex. That being said, a quick dip in the pool can be nice on a hot day.
The Carnival Dream has a total of 2 pools and 8 hot tubs. Tired of loud kids and splashing? 2 of the hot tubs are adults only.
Carnival Pride has more pools than the Dream and fewer hot tubs.
| Carnival Dream | Carnival Pride | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 2 | 3 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 2 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 0 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 0 | 0 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 8 | 3 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 6 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | 1 |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 0 | 0 |
Cruise Coloring and Activity Books for Kids
Get your kids ready for their cruise or keep them entertained while on board with our custom made coloring and activity books. These are the Carnival editions with featuring places Pizza Pirate and mini-golf.
Cruise Ship Coloring Book for Kids 3-5 - Carnival Edition
Let's Get Cruising Activity Book for Kids 6-8 - Carnival Edition
Ship Features and Activities
Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. You might up paying more while on board the Dream. Only 69% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Pride, 71% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| Carnival Dream | Carnival Pride | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✓ |
| Dr Seuss Breakfast | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mini golf | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✓ | ✓ |
| Shows - musical review | ✗ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✗ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✓ |
| Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✗ |
| Water slides | ✓ | ✓ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Carnival is a mainstream cruise line. Mainstream cruise lines cater to a variety of guests, hoping to provide something for everyone. These typically cost about $100 - $350 per person per day.
Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year. Typically newer ships cost more, so a cruise on Carnival Dream will likely be more expensive than on Carnival Pride.
The cost will also vary depending on the type of cabin you book. You can see the differences between the Carnival cabins and how to choose the best one here:
Onboard Costs
Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests can also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.
Typically guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.
The table below will help you understand what you might spend onboard a Carnival ship.
| Carnival | |
|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $16.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 18% |
| Soda Price | $3.00 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $8.75 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | $59.95 - $69.95 Learn more |
| Internet Plan | $15.30 to $21.25 per device per day |
| *Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates. | |
We sailed aboard the Carnival Pride
Follow along on our sailing on the Carnival Pride. We take you through every aspect of our sailing, from getting to the port to debarking the ship. See the schedule of events, menus, what excursions we did, and what we really thought about the ship.
Carnival Pride - Cruise Blog - Day 1 - Baltimore
Carnival Pride - Cruise Blog - Day 2 - Sea Day
Carnival Pride - Cruise Blog - Day 3 - Another Sea Day
Carnival Pride - Cruise Blog - Day 4 - Half Moon Cay
Carnival Pride - Cruise Blog - Day 5 - Nassau
Carnival Pride - Cruise Blog - Day 6 - Freeport
Carnival Pride - Cruise Blog - Day 7 - Final Sea Day
5 Hits & Misses of the Carnival Pride
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