The Disney Dream
The Disney Dream, what a beauty!
I had such a wonderful time aboard the Disney Dream with Disney Cruise Line this past weekend.
We started our adventure heading down to Ft. Lauderdale, leaving out of Port Everglades. A 4 hour drive from the Tampa Bay Area.
The port arrival experience was great! Even though we at first ended up at one of the Airport Terminals instead of the corresponding Cruise Terminal!😅So pay attention if you are using your navigation map to get you there. 😂 We had a parking garage that pertained to our specific cruise terminal, Cruise Terminal 4. The process was easy getting in and dropping of our luggage. I liked that once you got your printed ticket, luggage drop off was right there with attendants to unload and take with them to board the ship. That was one less hassle then parking and lugging your luggage down the elevators and to a drop off point so that was nice!
Parking
Once we found parking, which for us was very easy to get, we headed down to the area where they have lines to wait in for your specific boarding time. They will not let you in line at the terminal entrance until your port arrival time approaches, so be cautious of that. We arrived within our port arrival window and were able to get in the Terminal Entrance line immediately, until they opened the terminal to begin security checks. So we did have to wait about 10/15 mins until they finally started letting everyone in. Security was easy to get through and the terminal wait time wasn't very long either. We had a boarding group number 6 and were Silver Castaway Members, so the wait wasn't long at all. They call boarding groups pretty quickly, back to back and off we went to boarding the beautiful Disney Dream!
Boarding the Beautiful Disney Dream
She was beautiful ladies and gentlemen! The atrium was a little smaller than I expected compared to the newer ship, the Disney Treasure but the Dream was built in 2011, so that would be understanding, whether that is a factor or not. While this blog post discusses my experience aboard the Disney Dream, I won't be covering every single detail but will highlight all experiences we had that made our trip extra special and so enjoyable and some moments that weren't as magical. I will also share my thoughts about whether we would sail the Disney Dream again or not.
We had a great lunch at the Cabanas Buffet Area on Deck 11. I did have two complaints though, one was that unlike the Disney Treasure where all the food is behind a glass (besides some breads and salads) the crew serves you directly, without having to touch serving utensils. Unlike on the Disney Dream where you have to self-serve. I much prefer the crew serving me at the buffet as Disney Treasure does and their crew were also very accommodating if I wanted a bigger serving. So I didn't really enjoy that too much on the Disney Dream as it exposes you to a higher chance of spreading and catching viruses and other bacterial infections, posing higher health concerns.
The other complaint I had was that the seating area. It was very narrow and hard to get through. While I am no longer a large individual, it was still pretty hard to get in and out of seats as all the tables were pretty packed in. So if you are on the plushy side, like my old self, (I lost 100lbs so I am no stranger to tight spots), or if you need wheelchair accessibility, keep that in mind. Try to grab a table as soon as you can on the outer most areas to secure a comfy seat. Besides that, food was great and the crew staff were great!
Our itinerary on this ship took us to Lookout Cay on Day 2 and Nassau on Day 3. Lookout Cay was as beautiful as out last trip in November on the Disney Treasure. Breathtaking views of the ocean and the beach. We had a family member with us that required wheelchair accessibility, the island was very accommodating to wheelchair access and beach access! They have a specific area on the map that you will see that is labeled with the handicap sign, those areas will have a ramp that will allow you to come down with your wheelchair, and then it has a sand pad, that helps you wheel over to the accessibility platform, it looks like a dance platform but with high texture pattern, helping to make the wheelchair easier to use as you access the lounge chairs. It was such a great feature they had for our family member. The do also have large wheel sand wheelchairs that will also roll anyone onto the beach and in the water! We didn't use that wheelchair but it was so great to have that option!
Our last day was in Nassau. We decided to stay onboard as we have been to Nassau with other cruise lines before. We utilized the 18+ Adults only Cove Area, pool and cafe. I really enjoyed the different types of pool sections they had. They had a pool bar, a sitting area to just dip your toes in, or even lay out on, while the water keeps you cool, a full submersive pool, and a seated pool area. I love that the Cove Cafe was just a few steps away from the pool and bar and the spa entrance was just a few feet the other way!
We did end up getting a Spa Pass for the Rainforest Room on the last day of our trip. We loved it so much more than we thought! We did do a tour on Day 1 but weren't convinced if we would really utilize the day pass. Sure enough our last day ended so well with a relaxing time enjoying all the different rainforest showers, steam rooms and hot sauna. The chair warmers were amazing with a gorgeous view of the island.
We also spent some time in the jacuzzi which was also so worth it! I also bought a milk-bath cream add on to use in the Hamam Steam Bath Room. Let me tell you how amazing that was!! The milk-bath cream was silky smooth, with a rich oil like base that you spread across your body. With the steam helping your pores to open, it provides deeper hydration helping your body absorbs the light but rich milk-bath hydrating cream. I was soooo relaxed after this treatment and it was very much worth it!
Dining
Dinner was great at most of the restaurants. We attended rotation dining each evening. We ate at Enchanted Garden, Royal Palace and Animators Palate. All three restaurants were very pleasant with Animators Palate being the most Disney traditional style themed. I can't say I had a favorite one as all of them were pretty decent. I wasn't completely blown away per se, but we had very lovely meals and were very satisfy with the menu options. We ordered room service every morning of our cruise for our early get ready pre-breakfast meal. The menu had continental items to chose from. I would say that was one of our highlights of of our trip, especially since room service is complimentary! We enjoyed having a our warm cup of coffee with pastries, croissants, muffins and more every morning! I would truly take advantage of their complimentary room service if you can during your cruise.
Leaving the ship was a little chaotic as it was the last time, but I expected that, even on the Treasure when we went last year. It was no surprise but with wheelchair accessibility, it felt like disembarking was harder and longer wait times, other than that, the luggage attendants were able to load all of our luggage onto a cart and go through the line with us which was a huge lifesaver!! You don't need anything special to request for that service. They will wave you down and ask if you need help. I did leave a tip for them as they stayed with us all the way until we had to board on a transfer bus, as we had to transfer back to our original arrival port, as the Disney Dream this season is embarking at Cruise Terminal 4 and disembarking at Cruise Terminal 26.
Final Notes
We had such a wonderful and lovely time and I can't wait to book our next trip! Even with the minor complaints I had, I would definitely sail on the Disney Dream again. She even has her sister ship, the Disney Fantasy that I have yet to go on. I hope you enjoyed reading about our experience aboard the Disney Dream and hope that this helps any individuals who are considering sailing on a the Disney Dream or Disney Cruise Line in general!
If you are interested in booking your first or repeating Disney Cruise, I would love to help you plan your next getaway! Contact me via email or below so we can get you going on your next Disney Cruise providing you with amazing memories you will never forget!
Wishing you a magical day,
Annette Rodriguez, Your humble Vacation Planner
Once Upon a Getaway with Annette
Best Day Ever Vacation Travel Agent
Comments
Post a Comment