February 3rd, 2011: 3-NIGHT DREAM CRUISE (lots of pics!) - COMPLETED 3/3!

[Yensidfan]

Again, thanks so much! I'm loving your report.

Do you happen to remember where you found this piece? I will have to make a point of finding it when we're on board (my kids were born in Russia). I will make a note, if you remember where it is.

This animated picture is on Deck 8, Forward elevators. It changes a few times a day. One day was Alaska, one day was Russia, etc.

 

[KevieKev05]

wow! that chandelier in palo is amazing...not to mention the food pictures! thanks for another great update!

The chandelier is amazing, indeed! Palo was so wonderful!

Do the characters in the fareware take pictures with guests or do they just pose for people to take random pictures?

Yes! After they make their "entrance," they disperse around deck 3 and have a "meet and greet" session (with lines and everything).

Now I'm hungry! Thanks so much for all the pix! I agree that 'Til We Meet Again replacement doesn't seem worth sticking around.

Hahaha...those pictures make me hungry too! And yes, "See Ya Real Soon" isn't as good as "Til We Meet Again" :/

Thanks for the fantastic trip report!! Just one question (I couldn't tell from the picture in the lobby) do you know if Rapunzel is one of the princesses on board? It will be my daughter's 6th birthday our 2nd day on the ship and she's already requested a Tangled birthday party. The kids have no idea we're going on the Dream but I've been showing them your pictures and they LOVE it!! Thanks again!!!

Good question! I'd like to know which Princesses are available as well so I know which dresses to pack for DD. Last cruise we had her Snow White dress but Snow was off tending to a strike at the mine and unavailable the entire cruise.

The princesses, from left to right, are: Cinderella, Ariel, Aurora, Tiana, Belle, Snow White.

KevieKev05, thanks for the great report and all of those photos. I was on your cruise for my birthday, and took over 600 pics, but you still showed me some things that I missed! Thanks for the time you spent on this wonderful report!

Isn't that crazy? I always find things that I missed in other people's pictures!

Again, thanks so much! I'm loving your report.

Do you happen to remember where you found this piece? I will have to make a point of finding it when we're on board (my kids were born in Russia). I will make a note, if you remember where it is.

This animated picture is on Deck 7, Forward elevators. It changes a few times a day. One day was Alaska, one day was Russia, etc.

Thanks for the help, Yensidfan! I definitely didn't remember, haha.


Thanks again for all the comments/questions! I can't believe my trip report is almost over! The final installment should be up tonight or tomorrow!

 

[design_mom]

This animated picture is on Deck 7, Forward elevators. It changes a few times a day. One day was Alaska, one day was Russia, etc.

Thanks so much! We'll have to keep checking till we see the "right" one!

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Can't wait for final thoughts and debarkation!

If you had to miss a restaurant for Palo, which would you pick. We are doing a 4 night, so hoping to get Palo on night 1 or night 4, but if not I don't know which restaurant to skip. May be better to save Palo for a different cruise if I can't get it when I want it...

 

[jessrose18]

Can't wait for final thoughts and debarkation!

If you had to miss a restaurant for Palo, which would you pick. We are doing a 4 night, so hoping to get Palo on night 1 or night 4, but if not I don't know which restaurant to skip. May be better to save Palo for a different cruise if I can't get it when I want it...

I hear you! It looks like on the 4 nights nights 3/4 are the repeating restaurant. We want to book palo and remy so we are also trying to decide which nights are best.....looking at the menus online I think enchanted garden is the one we could pass on (even though the place looks amazing!) On our last cruise we were least excited about animators menu and the beef thier was really good, as well as the potatoe soup. We really enjoyed it. We did palo on the last night, which was really nice ending to the trip.

 

[poohj80]

We've actually opted out of Palo and Remy on our 1st Dream cruise so we can experience all the restaurants. It will give us an excuse to go back.

 

[jnsma]

This animated picture is on Deck 7, Forward elevators. It changes a few times a day. One day was Alaska, one day was Russia, etc.

The picture of this picture is neat.
I'm guessing that it is one of the detective pictures. Those 4 bright spots on the outside do not look like that with the naked eye. I assume those are the sensors that are used in the detective game. As my kids played the game, I was looking closer at the frame to figure out how it worked.


Thanks for the trip report and all the pictures. We were on the same cruise. Had a very different trip, chasing 2 little kids around the ship.

 

[lisa1527]

The princesses, from left to right, are: Cinderella, Ariel, Aurora, Tiana, Belle, Snow White.

thank you...wasn't sure if there were some not pictured. She loves them all!! =)

 

[epcotrulz]

My partner and I have loved reading your TR. We're going in April. What were your thoughts on the pizza -- was the BBQ chix and good?

Thanks,
Dale & Jeff

 

[disneymagicgirl]

We've actually opted out of Palo and Remy on our 1st Dream cruise so we can experience all the restaurants. It will give us an excuse to go back.

I was thinking that is what we may do...

 

[KevieKev05]

Can't wait for final thoughts and debarkation!

If you had to miss a restaurant for Palo, which would you pick. We are doing a 4 night, so hoping to get Palo on night 1 or night 4, but if not I don't know which restaurant to skip. May be better to save Palo for a different cruise if I can't get it when I want it...

I hear you! It looks like on the 4 nights nights 3/4 are the repeating restaurant. We want to book palo and remy so we are also trying to decide which nights are best.....looking at the menus online I think enchanted garden is the one we could pass on (even though the place looks amazing!) On our last cruise we were least excited about animators menu and the beef thier was really good, as well as the potatoe soup. We really enjoyed it. We did palo on the last night, which was really nice ending to the trip.

We've actually opted out of Palo and Remy on our 1st Dream cruise so we can experience all the restaurants. It will give us an excuse to go back.

I agree with poohj80. Honestly, I would try and eat at all the rotational restaurants first before dining at Palo or Remy. That's just my personal opinion and others might disagree. However, if one were to be missed, I would probably say Enchanted Garden. What you could do is eat at Enchanted Garden for embarkation lunch so that you can "experience" the restaurant at least, and then miss your dinner in that restaurant for Palo or Remy.

The picture of this picture is neat.
I'm guessing that it is one of the detective pictures. Those 4 bright spots on the outside do not look like that with the naked eye. I assume those are the sensors that are used in the detective game. As my kids played the game, I was looking closer at the frame to figure out how it worked.


Thanks for the trip report and all the pictures. We were on the same cruise. Had a very different trip, chasing 2 little kids around the ship.

Actually, I don't think it was one of the pictures for the detective game, but rather just a normal "enchanted" art picture that comes to life when you stand in front of it.

The princesses, from left to right, are: Cinderella, Ariel, Aurora, Tiana, Belle, Snow White.

thank you...wasn't sure if there were some not pictured. She loves them all!! =)

You're welcome! Those six were the only ones out for the gathering.

My partner and I have loved reading your TR. We're going in April. What were your thoughts on the pizza -- was the BBQ chix and good?

Thanks,
Dale & Jeff

I enjoy the pizza for a quick snack (and eat at least 2 slices each time I go there!). Though I didn't try the BBQ chicken pizza, James did, and said it was good! I'm a plain cheese or pepperoni kind of guy, and those pizzas sufficiently did the job for me!

 

[KevieKev05]

Can't wait for final thoughts and debarkation!

If you had to miss a restaurant for Palo, which would you pick. We are doing a 4 night, so hoping to get Palo on night 1 or night 4, but if not I don't know which restaurant to skip. May be better to save Palo for a different cruise if I can't get it when I want it...

I hear you! It looks like on the 4 nights nights 3/4 are the repeating restaurant. We want to book palo and remy so we are also trying to decide which nights are best.....looking at the menus online I think enchanted garden is the one we could pass on (even though the place looks amazing!) On our last cruise we were least excited about animators menu and the beef thier was really good, as well as the potatoe soup. We really enjoyed it. We did palo on the last night, which was really nice ending to the trip.

We've actually opted out of Palo and Remy on our 1st Dream cruise so we can experience all the restaurants. It will give us an excuse to go back.

I agree with poohj80. Honestly, I would try and eat at all the rotational restaurants first before dining at Palo or Remy. That's just my personal opinion and others might disagree. However, if one were to be missed, I would probably say Enchanted Garden. What you could do is eat at Enchanted Garden for embarkation lunch so that you can "experience" the restaurant at least, and then miss your dinner in that restaurant for Palo or Remy.

The picture of this picture is neat.
I'm guessing that it is one of the detective pictures. Those 4 bright spots on the outside do not look like that with the naked eye. I assume those are the sensors that are used in the detective game. As my kids played the game, I was looking closer at the frame to figure out how it worked.


Thanks for the trip report and all the pictures. We were on the same cruise. Had a very different trip, chasing 2 little kids around the ship.

Actually, I don't think it was one of the pictures for the detective game, but rather just a normal "enchanted" art picture that comes to life when you stand in front of it.

The princesses, from left to right, are: Cinderella, Ariel, Aurora, Tiana, Belle, Snow White.

thank you...wasn't sure if there were some not pictured. She loves them all!! =)

You're welcome! Those six were the only ones out for the gathering.

My partner and I have loved reading your TR. We're going in April. What were your thoughts on the pizza -- was the BBQ chix and good?

Thanks,
Dale & Jeff

I enjoy the pizza for a quick snack (and eat at least 2 slices each time I go there!). Though I didn't try the BBQ chicken pizza, James did, and said it was good! I'm a plain cheese or pepperoni kind of guy, and those pizzas sufficiently did the job for me!

 

[FirstTimeDC]

Thanks for the report! I enjoyed it very much!!!

 

[poohj80]

I agree with poohj80. Honestly, I would try and eat at all the rotational restaurants first before dining at Palo or Remy. That's just my personal opinion and others might disagree. However, if one were to be missed, I would probably say Enchanted Garden. What you could do is eat at Enchanted Garden for embarkation lunch so that you can "experience" the restaurant at least, and then miss your dinner in that restaurant for Palo or Remy.

We can't do that...we're heading straight to the pool and the Aqua Duck!

 

[disneymagicgirl]

My BFF is not a DISer or really that into Disney, but she went on a DCL trip with us 9/09 so I sent her a link to your report. She is hooked on it. I have gotten several texts back asking when the rest will be posted....like I am a mind reader.
That means you must be a great writer!!

 

[KevieKev05]

DAY 4 - February 6th, 2011 - Port Canaveral

The alarm went off at 7:15. Much too early for my liking! We showered real quick and gathered up our last few things before heading out the door at roughly 7:35. Since we bought Vinylmations, the picture, and other various things (some breakable), we ended up filling a suitcase of those things to take off the ship ourselves. So, with our suitcase, and other various bags, we made our way down to the Enchanted Garden for our final meal of the cruise.

A line had formed, so we got in line and waited for them to open the doors. Our breakfast was scheduled for 7:45 and the doors opened at about that time. We found our table (having not eaten here the previous night, so we didn’t know where it was exactly. Thankfully, we saw our tablemates which made it easier, haha) and set all our stuff down on the empty chairs. We weren’t too hungry, so we just ordered cereal. It was brought promptly and we ate it while our tablemates were waiting for their hot food. We were actually done before their food arrived, so we said our goodbyes and headed on out.

Upstairs we went to get off the ship. What a sad moment! After dropping off the survey in the box, we found our way onto the walkway to the terminal. There was hardly any line at this point. They swiped our KTTW cards, and then we took the escalator downstairs to the luggage area. We quickly found our luggage and made our way into the quite large line to get through customs. Thankfully, this line moved fast, so we were only in line for about 5 minutes.

After getting through customs without an issue, we walked over to the parking garage. We loaded up the car, and made our way out of the garage and paid our parking fee. At this point, it wasn’t even 8:30 yet. Not too bad! We had an eventful drive home and I guess that ends our trip! It went by so fast!

Here’s a couple pictures of some of our DCL merchandise in our living room:

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Wow. It truly was an AMAZING cruise. We are completely in love with the Dream! The ship is HUGE, especially compared to the Magic/Wonder. We definitely noticed how much more walking we did on this ship than the others. The atrium is absolutely gorgeous. It’s so big and spacious! Definitely a great first impression. I love the adult area with all the little clubs/lounges. The Midship Detective Agency is a fun game that allows you to explore the ship! Both the Walt Disney Theatre and the Buena Vista Theater are VERY well done. The thing I love MOST about the Buena Vista Theater is the additional leg room that isn’t found on the Magic/Wonder. The shopping area on the Dream is truly laid out very nicely. They definitely learned from the Magic/Wonder and improved upon those designs for the Dream. Well done, Disney! The AquaDuck is a lot of fun as is the mini golf course. All the decor around the ship is wonderful. There was so much to see and look at! We liked the design of the staterooms. Cabanas? Absolutely LOVED it. It takes some getting used to, but once guests figure it out it works great. So big and spacious compared to Topsiders/Beach Blanket! One thing I did like about Cabanas is the fact that the aft elevator/stairwell forces you to have to walk THROUGH the restaurant to get to the open deck. Definitely a bad design I feel. Also, the layout of the Quiet Cove adult pool was less than stellar. Small pool, the design of the area limits the amount of sunlight to hit the pool, and there’s a limited number of chairs on the pool level. Regarding the restaurants, they were all themed wonderfully! The one that I found the most lackluster, though, was Enchanted Garden. Kind of blah. Royal Palace definitely has a regal/elegant look to it and Animator’s Palate is whimsical and fun. I didn’t think I would enjoy the “new” Animator’s Palate but I fell in love. It’s definitely Pixar HEAVY, but what can you do. Palo was superb in all aspects. And Remy looked so elegant. In respect to the food on the Dream, it is quite comparable to the Magic/Wonder. Not overly amazing, but not awful by any means. I didn’t go hungry, that’s for sure! Gosh, I really don’t know what else to say! If anyone has any specific questions, please ask away!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this trip report! I hope it helps in your planning process, or helps relive your experience! I can’t wait to get back on the Dream in December. I must say, though...it’ll be pretty hard spending 14 nights on the Magic coming up! That’s ok...it’ll be nice to go back on the ship where it all started for me!

Keep the questions/comments coming! We're making a road trip up north tonight (a 24-hour drive), so I might be a little delayed getting back to everyone.

 

[Never to old]

I will be sailing on the Dream in 7 days. Thank you so much for the wonderful trip report and all the great pics. It was alot of fun to read about your experiences. Your trip report was so good that I stopped looking at other ones. Kinda sad that it had to come to an end. I look forward to seeing future trip reports from you. Any chance you are going to Alaska???

 

[KarlaG4Kids]

I hope it isn't too rude to ask, but how much do the steel Mickey ears cost. I would love to get that piece of art and I want to budget for it! If you would rather not answer I understand.

Your trip report was magical. I'm so excited reading it and anticipating our cruise in May. Thanks for taking time to share with us.

 

[pixarmom]

KevieKev05, as a family of first-time cruisers planning a 3-night on the Dream in August, I have many questions. But the most pressing is a question from our three boys: Does the Disney Dream have vinylmation trading available? This is the very first question the boys asked about the cruise as we left WDW last month, and I thought (given your interest in vinylmation) you might know!

Really enjoying your report! Thanks!

 

[poohj80]

Thanks again for taking the time to share the magic with us!

I didn't realize the parking garage was open now so that's another bonus for us after dealing with the construction for quite awhile!